Insatiable Habits ~Mattheo Riddle~ Book 1

Chapter 15

Clarissa's POV

The frosty winter air swept through me as we stepped out side and I shivered against it. Mattheo noticed and pulled me close to him then snaked his arm around my waist.

'We'll be there soon and it will be warmer, I promise' He kissed my forehead. with his jacket wrapped round my shoulders, I realized that he must have been freezing. snow covered most of the grounds, sparkling like diamonds in the moonlight. it really was a beautiful sight. We started walking up the path, that had been cleared, towards to lake.

As we reached the edge, I looked up at him. 'Umm...' He rolled his eyes, smiling and muttered some words in the Fae language I didn't understand yet. In front of us, flat rocks surfaced above the black waters. They led to the other side of the lake that was dimly lit.

Mattheo took the first step on to the rock and held out his hand to help me across. Using one hand to lift my dress up slightly so it didn’t drag, I placed my other in to his. He led the way, not letting go of me and I followed silently, looking round at my surroundings.

The winter hadn't effected the beauty of the night. the sky was clear and the full moon reflected off the lake around us, lighting our way.

As we reached the other side, I stepped on to the bank, looking at the snow topped forest in front of us.

'We are nearly there' Mattheo smiled back at me, walking towards a small entrance between the trees that was illuminated by candles floating inches of the ground.

I followed him down the trail that was clear of snow. As we got deeper in, I heard voices and music lightly playing.

we reached a small clearing. in the center was a bonfire that lit up the entire space. Faces of our friends and the other younger guests from the ball were lit up by its flames. the heat radiating from it was heavenly from that harsh bitterness outside the forest.

Everyone was drinking and smoking, talking to each other and enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was perfect.

'Drink?'

'Please' I nodded and Mattheo pulled me over to Reid, who was standing by a makeshift bar area.

'And what would our little psycho in training like drink?' Reid asked, smirking at me.

'Surprise me' I smiled sarcastically at him. He turned his back to me and started mixing dinks then faced me again with an evil grin.

'There you go princess' He handed me one of the two red cups he had in his hand then picked up another, handing it to Mattheo. 'Bourbon for you' He nodded to him and Mattheo smiled in appreciation that he hadn't fucked with his drink too.

I looked down at the purple liquid and took a deep breath before taking a sip. It was delicious. Fruity but the vodka and sourz were coming through strong.

'This is actually really nice Reid' He looked at me shocked and took a sip of his own. His face screwed up and he sprayed the contents in his mouth out beside him. Both Mattheo and I watched his dramatic response to the drink, laughing.

'I gave you the wrong fucking cup' He gagged and tried to take mine back.

'Oi no, karma darling' I laughed, moving my arm back so he couldn't reach for it. 'I'm going to find the girls.' I slipped the jacket off and handed it back to Mattheo. he nodded and I walked away towards the few people standing over by the fire. Darcy and Pansy were amongst them but as soon as they saw me, they came running over.

'We wondered how long it would take you to get here' Darcy smiled giving me a wink

'She's told me everything, I would have stabbed the bitch' Pansy laughed

'Trust me, if I had a knife, I probably would have' I laughed back but she didn't know how serious I actually was.

'I can't believe she actually came. who the fuck does that?' Darcy let out a laugh of disbelief and shook her head. 'Who did she come with anyway because she sure as hell didn't get an official invite?'

'Draco said that Felix invited her as his plus one' shrugged Pansy

'Felix Greyback?' She scrunched her nose in disgust. 'He always goes for the easy ones. Oh, there he is' Darcy pointed across the clearing towards a tall boy with dirty blonde hair, he wasn't bad looking but looked like trouble.

As we looked over, we spotted our boys walking over to him. As soon as they reached him, Mattheo swung for him. No words were exchanged before Mattheo punched him in the stomach, making him keel over. He then bent down and leaned in close to the boy who was now clutching his stomach, speaking low to him. Standing back up, he walked away with Draco who passed him a small box from his jacket. Blaise and Reid helped Felix to his feet and sat him on a log. After giving him a light brushing down, they followed Mattheo and Draco, smiling.

'What was that about?' Pansy looked at me, confused.

'No idea' I replied, 'probably for bringing Lavender?' I guessed and Pansy nodded in agreement.

'Any way, you ready for the game?' Darcy quickly changed the subject. 

'Game?'

'Man hunt' Mattheo answered me, walking over with Reid, Draco and Blaise. I looked at him confused but instead of continuing he draped his arm over my shoulder and drank his drink.

'It's that time of year again bitches and wizards' Blaise announced loud enough to draw in everyone’s attention. 'Our favorite game. A little recap of the rules for our new comers' His eyes flickered over to me. 'The Boys always find the girls. My wonderful assistant will pass round the bowl. Boys only, pick out a card. the name on that card is your target, do not tell them obviously.'

Draco moved round the small group of boys as they picked out their cards. Blaise continued with his rules.

'Now if your target is already in a relationship, we expect you to be respectful. If they are not and they want a piece of you too... well... the night is yours' He winked at Reid who rolled his eyes. Mattheo picked a card out of the bowl and looked up instantly to Darcy, grinning. I watched as she nodded, smiling back. I was a bit gutted that he hadn't picked out my name but pleased he got someone who I trusted.

I looked round the boys, trying to get some indication of who had picked out my name but several were looking at me so that didn’t help at all. I turned my attention back to Blaise.

'Girls, you get 5 minutes head start then the hunters will start their hunt' Blaise picked his own card out and rolled his eyes before continuing. 'Remember girls, you can't trust any of us. You could be our target and we could lead you in to a false sense of security then BAM! you're ours!'

'Like in real life then' Darcy joked, kissing him lightly on the cheek. He responded by pulling her in to his side, smiling down at her.

'The last girl to be captured wins, while her hunter has the pleasure of being known as pathetic till he can redeem himself the following year' He looked at a short, long-haired boy with glasses and gave him a wink. last years loser, I guessed.

'Any questions?'

'Umm do we just hide in the woods' I asked, excited but nervous.

'Yeh, but you will be fine. No one has ever got lost or got hurt' Pansy smiled.

'Not seriously hurt anyway' Reid laughed then shut up when Pansy slapped his arm. 'Oww'

'I trust everyone here, no one will hurt you' Mattheo whispered in my ear, placing his arm around me again.

'Hmm, even him' I smiled, nodding towards Felix.

'He wouldn't dare. he may be a prick but he is loyal' he snarled and I let out a chuckle.

'I'm not worried anyway' I shrugged. 'I will just hide in a tree'

'In that dress?' he looked down at me smirking

'Don't underestimate me Riddle' I frowned at him, pulling away.

'Oh, I wouldn't dream of it' He held up his hands in surrender, playfully.

'Right, Ladies, when I say go' Blaise spoke again 'GO!'

A lot of the girls ran forward. Darcy and Pansy stood still, taking their heels off and replacing them with trainers they had previously stashed under the table. they passed me a pair too.

'Gives us an advantage' Pansy laughed. I laughed too and unstrapped my heels, putting on the trainers, appreciating how comfy they were. as I stood up Mattheo quickly grabbed me, pulling me in for a kiss, causing some wolf whistles from the other boys.

'You're cutting in to my five minutes head start Riddle' I laughed as he let go.

'I'll see you soon then' He grinned

'Come on Clary' Darcy called from a gap in the trees. Pansy had already left and was no where to be seen.

I ran in to the forest, the only light from the moon peaking through the branches. Not going to lie, it was scary but the excitement of the game was overriding all my fears.

'It's your first time so follow me for a bit' Darcy whispered, taking my hand. I nodded and let her lead me further in to the darkness, passing a couple of girls who were trying to hide in growths on the way.

As we got further in to the forest, we heard the signal that the boys had now left.

'We don't have long now, the boys are really good at this' Darcy smiled, increasing her speed. 'And your one is the best. He never stays with them though. usually takes them back to the fire then waits for us to get back' she quickly added and even if it was a lie, I appreciated that she didn't go in to detail of what he got up to with other girls. even though it would have been before me, I still didn't want to hear it.

The trail that we were on split in to two.

'You take that side' She pointed to the right and I nodded. 'I know that trail perfectly, just keep following it. remember, if you see any boy, run, they may be your hunter.' She winked at me and then left down the opposite trail.

I followed the trail she had set me on, looking round and listening carefully, making sure that no one was coming. I heard voices getting closer and quickly hid behind a tree, heart racing excitedly

'Do you think he is there yet?' I recognized the voice, it was Reid.

'Probably not, he went for another drink as soon as everyone else left' Draco laughed.

'We really going to watch?'

'Yeh, if we can find the girls first' there was a pause 'Who did you get anyway?'

'Isabel Yaxley'

'You do realize she is at the start, we ran past her' Draco laughed

'Fuck sake, well I'm not going back. Her dad hates me anyway' I could imagine Reids annoyed face and quickly put my hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter.

'More reason to go find her after all this' Draco laughed loudly but it got quieter the further away they got.

Quietly, I stepped from behind the tree and started following the trail again. Part of me wondered who they were talking about but the other part was excited that Reid may actually get a girlfriend at some point. It would be good for him, having someone to spend time with when the rest of us were together.

I saw a light in the distance. it wasn’t a bright light and as I got closer, I saw it was the moons reflection on a small lake of water. The little lake wasn't as big as the other one that surrounded the Manor but was probably the perfect size for swimming during the warmer months. Mason jars with candle light were spread sparsely across the ground and the glow of the fireflies twinkled through the air. I was surprised that they were there due to it being winter but the air in this particular part of the forest was quite warm, no sign of the snow. The sight was stunning.

'Quite the picture isn't it'

Even though I knew the voice, he still made me jump slightly as I spun around.

'Mattheo' I breathed out, clutching my chest.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you' He chuckled, stepping forward and reaching for me. I stepped back, holding my hand up to warn him to stop and he did.

'I love you but if I'm your target, you're not touching me'

'Hmm, I like the chase any way' He grinned and stepped forward again. 'But I won't capture you just yet so truce for five minutes?'

I nodded as he walked closer, stopping just in front of me.

'Clarissa, I want to tell you something and I don't want you to interrupt me, ok?'

I gulped but nodded. Was this going to be about what Draco and Reid were talking about? was he doing something to do with Dumbledore tonight?

He took my hands in to his and looked down at them, stalling. I could tell he was nervous and that made me nervous.

'I love you, Clarissa.' He looked up in to my eyes. 'I love your beautiful mind. I love your funny laugh and the way you smile when I irritate you. I love the way you blush when ever I give you a compliment'

I looked down, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as if on cue. He let go of my hand and lifted my chin so my eyes met his again.

'I love how you love me. I love the way you stare, as if you see right through to my dark soul. No matter what I do, you love me and I never thought any one could.' He shook his head, looking down for a second but then bought his head back up.

'I never want to be with out you. I would die for you; I would live for you and I would kill for you. I want to... no, I will be in your life till I die.' I smiled at the words, knowing I had no choice but to have him my life forever. my heart wouldn't allow for him to go, no matter what he done.

'You're the only reason I think before I do things now' I frowned at him and he shrugged. 'I still do them, but I think about it and do it carefully now' I chuckled lightly at his reply and he smiled. 'You're the perfect distraction.'

'Clarissa, I love you and..' He stepped back slightly and reached in to the inside pocket of his jacket. pulling out the small box I had seen Draco give him earlier, he started lowering to one knee. My eyes widened, tears brimming the edges, as my breath held in my chest.

'I want you to be my wife' My hand flew over my mouth in a cliché shock moment. His eyes remained on mine as he opened the box, revealing a white gold ring with a halo of white diamonds surrounding the stunning emerald center.

'Clarissa Lestrange, will you marry me?'

I nodded, hands still on me over my mouth and tears now falling. A massive grin broke out over his face as he stood back up and took my left hand in to his. Taking the ring out of the box, he slid it on to my finger then kissed it. I looked from the ring to him, tears still silently falling down my cheeks. He gently cupped my face and wiped them away with his thumb.

'These are happy tears, right?' He laughed nervously.

'Yes' I nodded, laughing too. He pulled my face closer to his and kissed me passionately. I kissed him back, my hands sliding up his chest, grabbing hold of the lapel of his jacket. I pulled my self closer to him, wanting every bit of him touching me. As the kiss deepened, a moan softly slipped from my lips and he grinned, pulling away.

'As much as I would love to right now, I have a feeling some are watching us' He smiled, lowering his hands to my hips.

'This is what Draco and Reid were talking about when I hid from them' I realized and laughed, shaking my head at the fact I thought it was going to be something bad.

'You hid from them?' He looked at me amused.

'Well, I didn't know if one was my hunter' I pouted in defense.

'You honestly think I would let anyone else have you as their target' he cocked one of his eyebrows, smirking.

'Ok, possessive.' I laughed and went to hit his chest playfully. He caught my hand and bought it to his lips.

'Only over things that are mine' He winked then looked behind him. 'Pansy, I can hear you'

Giggling could be heard lightly from at the edge of the forest. I looked at the two culprits, grinning from ear to ear, now running towards me. Behind them, Draco, Reid and Blaise followed.

'I'm so happy for you' Darcy was the first to reach me, wrapping her arms around me. Pansy was straight after and we stood hugging and giggling excitably. Mattheo was dragged away by the boys and handed a joint and claps on the back.

'We didn't actually hear anything what was said but we got here just in time to see him actually do it' Pansy smiled. 'I'm so glad we didn't miss it'

'I knew something was happening because he asked me to make sure you went this way but I didn't expect it to be this'

'I thought it was something to do with killing Dumbledore so I was definitely wrong' I laughed

'As soon as Draco and Reid found me and told me, I ran here as fast as I could' Pansy looked down at her dress 'I think I may have ripped my dress a bit'

'Let's see the ring?' Darcy grabbed my hand, presenting it to herself and Pansy. As they stood admiring it, I looked over at Mattheo. He was deep in conversation with the boys, all grinning at each other. He caught me looking and gave me a wink, smiling. I bit my lip, smiling back.

This man was my whole life and I was his.

still holding my hand, Darcy pulled me towards the boys. As she let go, it was replaced by Mattheo’s, pulling me to his side.

'So when is the wedding?' Reid asked, passing Darcy the second joint he had just sparked up.

'Next week' Mattheo said seriously causing Darcy and Pansy to snap their heads to me shocked.

'He's joking' I rolled my eyes 'I'm still only 17'

'What about on your birthday then?' Pansy asked

'We'll talk about it' Mattheo laughed 'there is no rush'

'Shall we get back to the bonfire now, everyone is probably finished' Blaise said, taking the joint of Darcy.

'Apart from Reid' Draco smirked and Reid let out an exasperated groan. 'if she's still at the start, just grab her as we go past'

Draco walked back towards the trees, holding on to Pansy with Reid hot on his trail, mumbling under his breath. Darcy and Blaise soon followed after she gave me another quick hug.

It was just Mattheo and I again.

'Thank you' I smiled up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and he did the same

'For what?' He tilted his head to the side slightly.

'Making tonight perfect' I tiptoed and kissed him gently.