WHEN GODS SLEEP - DRACO M.

EIGHT.

WHEN GODS SLEEP
Chapter Eight

A pair of plump lips were attached to her neck, swollen and pinkish from meeting her own. He'd trailed the smooth skin of her jaw, peppering her with teasing, light grazes as he ventured into her most sensitive spots. She squirmed under his prying tongue, soft and so blissfully skilled, cautiously tasting a stripe of her shoulder.

         Epione meant to reach for him, a sliver of confidence amidst his bold maneuvers, when she was jolt awake.

         The blush that crept through her body was as embarrassing at the dream itself, for her thoughts were private, but the red tint adorning her features was frustratingly prominent. Her satin chemise felt damp against her body, uncomfortable. She moved a trembling finger, still drunk in sleep, and ran it along the skin between neck and shoulder.

         Where his mouth had been, she thought, eyelids fluttering shut as a sense of shame washed over her.

         It wasn't the first time a scene like such had crept into her dreams, yet since she was told of the marriage, it'd been a reoccurring one. Epione could barely face him as it was, considering what their last proper exchange had been like, much less when her nights were spent with him.

         She wasn't certain what was more embarrassing to her – was it the content of her fantasies, or the fact that she still had them among such a mess?

         No matter, there were other subjects for her to dwell on. Her older sister had called on her for a meeting of sorts – despite their poor relationship and Epione's clear purpose of fully avoiding her. Which meant, of course, it was strictly related to either their task or their mother, for they wouldn't speak otherwise. She was fine with it, the lack of a sisterly bond, as it'd long been filled by her closest friends.

         Now, not only was she to meet with Themis, she was scheduled for Draco as well, to discuss the letter they'd received the previous morning. He'd hid it within his robes first he looked at the recipient, but later in the day found her in the library to slide a piece of parchment with instructions – it appeared they would be meeting in that same cluttered space they did before.

         Dwelling on her anxieties and misfortunes was enough to return her to proper paleness, and hence she swung her bare legs from the dark green sheets and tip-toed through the room. The girls were still asleep, and she couldn't help but linger a second longer by Pansy's bed.

         They used to be friends, didn't they?

* * * * *

         Themis was a tall, stunning woman. As the oldest of the Grimaldi sisters, she'd long been labelled as the greatest project to come out of Rhea Grimaldi's hands. While Asteria had been molded into the sweet, innocent stereotype, the older sister was effortlessly elegant and highly skilled – perhaps the most out of the three. She was only two years older than Epione, having spent a year studying in Beauxbatons before her restarting in Hogwarts, yet towered a full head over her and looked undoubtedly more mature. Perhaps it was in the way she presented herself, or perhaps her features were just that much more defined.

         She had the kind of smile and posture reminiscent of someone like Mrs. Malfoy, indescribably regal. It wasn't with a smile she greeted her sister, however – it much more resembled a frown.

         'Mother is thoroughly displeased."'She noted, Epione barely stepping a foot inside the Prefects bathroom. Loud running water and a password seal made it one of the only few locations where such a conversation could take place.