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It was all Cygnus Black could do to rein in his rioting emotions as he stared at his daughters being taken care of by Heiress Heather Potter.
Again.
The longing he felt when Heather Potter kissed three-year-old Narcissa’s marble cheek and ran a careful hand over the golden locks arranged in two thin pigtails was instantaneous, blinding and overpowering.
It was baffling.
Narcissa preened under the attention and held on to Heather’s skirts. Without hesitation, her small fingers curled around the offered slender ones.
Six-year-old Andromeda grinned happily at her sister and mimicked her disjointed phrases.
Naturally, Bellatrix sat straight and surveyed the exchange with amethyst eyes, bright and luminous. They turned solemn when she spied the way Heiress Potter handled her sisters.
Unlike most seven-year-olds, Bellatrix was overly protective. She did not shy away from voicing her thoughts or confronting whoever she deemed unworthy of touching her sisters.
Yes, unworthy. These were her exact words.
He knew that her mother’s death hit her the hardest. She was the oldest by the time Druella Rosier Black succumbed to the Family Magic’s Verdict.
Flames of fury ignited in his chest and the reminder of Druella’s betrayal left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Why???
A man of many talents, Cygnus Black had always lived hard and with no regrets. He followed no one but his instincts.
Contrary to what everyone thought, he did not share his father’s beliefs. He knew the game better than most and played by his own rules. The Pureblood Supremacy Movement opened up enticing new possibilities but he knew better than to bow to a wizard with a mysterious face and a questionable past.
He was first and foremost a Black. Even though he wasn’t the Heir like his father dreamt, he was in no way less than Orion.
The spirit of Lord Hyperion the First lived in his soul and his venerated blood ran through his veins.
Unfortunately, Druella did not share his views. She wanted more, thirsted for more.
It wasn’t enough that she had been accepted readily in the tight-knit that was his family.
Cygnus shook his head ruefully.
Perhaps it was her pride that was her undoing; Merlin Knew she had an abundance of that human failing.
Perhaps she was a fool to accept his father’s magnanimous offer and try to help him dethrone Lord Arcturus. Undoubtedly, she wanted to be trapped in the elite but slothful society Voldemort advertised.
It wasn’t his fault she lay broken and battered after the Black Magic recognized her betrayal and declared her an enemy of the family.
He wasn’t responsible for the light that left her eyes slowly the moment their bond was reduced to smithereens.
His heart as he looked at his three daughters, however, told a different story.
He had endured the pain of her betrayal as it twisted like a knife in his chest, ripping through the hope he once held to have the perfect family. A family of his own where nothing mattered but his wife and his children.
His soul had been stripped away from him that day. The bleakness and grief had closed around him, enveloping him in blackness. It had been the darkest time of his life. His spirit had been broken, and only one woman was to blame for that. He was grateful that he preserved lest the Black Madness claimed him.
And now, as he looked at Heiress Potter while she cared for his daughters, his mind whirled as he attempted to figure out what to do.
“You are staring,” Alphard threw nonchalantly but he knew better than to underestimate his brother.
Deciding to be as forthright as possible without revealing much, he shrugged. “I’m looking at my daughters.”
Alphard snorted. “When are you going to stop lying to yourself? Heather adores the girls. She’s been taking care of them whenever she visits. They are quite fond of her, too. Even Bella. She could bring something of value to your life, you know. It would be a worthwhile endeavour to risk being beheaded by Lord Henry Potter and ask for her hand.”
His heart beat faster when Heather unwrapped a porcelain doll with blond hair from the box she summoned. Narcissa’s eyes widened with delight.
“She’s not pretty as you are,” she smiled. “But she needs a friend. Do you want her?”
Nodding vigorously, Narcissa took the doll carefully and stroked her rosy-cheeked face. Then, turning, she reached up to touch Heather’s dark hair, which was pinned back in a sleek coiffure.
“Pwetty,” she echoed.
Heather’s grin widened. ”Why, thank you, Cissy.”
Pretty…
Heather Potter was more than pretty.
She was exquisite in the warm, ethereal way of a goddess, with that delicate, oval-shaped face, that slender, patrician nose, that perfect, porcelain skin and those emerald eyes.
But most importantly, the way she looked at his youngest… protective, infinitely tender, her gaze held a gentleness that reached inside him to touch his very soul.
He was aware that among his daughters, Narcissa was the most needy. She was one by the time Druella died. She didn’t remember her at all.
With eager willingness, Narcissa allowed herself to be transferred onto Heather’s lap and started playing with her doll. There was no trace of awkwardness as she cared for her while she answered Andromeda’s questions patiently.
“Why are you afraid? I know you've started noticing her since Lord Potter held her coming-of-age ball. You couldn’t take your eyes off her,” Alphard drawled.
“Why are you a pain in the arse tonight? Don’t you have a new potion to invent or something more productive than needling me endlessly?” he flashed his brother a cold smile making sure that none of the guests took a whiff of their argument.
“I don’t know, maybe because I'm your brother and Heather’s friend? She visits Uncle Regulus’ Apothecary religiously. She will not give up until he accepts her as his first female Apprentice.” There was an unmistakable fond note in Alphard’s voice. “It’s not only the girls she’s interested in. She asks about you all the time.”
The last words rendered him motionless. His heart thumped with feelings he had no business examining.
His gaze went inadvertently to her and slowly, she raised her head and looked right at him.
However, it would take a paragon of virtue not to feel jealousy when Heir Abraxas Malfoy approached her and displayed the perfect bow.
Cygnus tasted rage. Rage and ruthless jealousy. His magic pummeled inside his core wildly, ravenous for the blond peacock’s blood. He wanted to fling him across the room, far away from Heather and make him land face-first on the carpeted floor.
At his feet where he belonged for lusting after something he didn’t deserve.
He stilled when Bella jumped to her feet like a panther and barreled his advance. She murmured something, a threatening grin that in no way belonged to a seven-year-old in place.
Abraxas paled drastically, staggered on his feet and retreated.
Bella didn’t stop there. She took Narcissa from Heather’s arms, ordered Andromeda to take care of her and dragged the stunned woman away.
Before they reached the open balcony, she threw him a glare over her shoulder.
“Er…Cygnus,” Alphard broke off with a gasp but there was no mistaking the amused glint in his eyes. “I think you should follow them. Heather might require your assistance.”
Cygnus sighed and strode toward the door.
What was Bella thinking dragging Heiress Potter away? He knew how possessive she was of the people she considered hers but...he was not aware that the feeling extended to Heather Potter.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Bella had claimed her. There was no telling what the hellion would do now.
His pulse pounded when he heard snippets of their conversation.
“…I hate that blond peacock. He keeps following you with his eyes,” Bella huffed indignantly, her thin arms crossed over her heaving chest.
She watched Heather waiting for an answer.
The latter seemed to search for words to explain the situation without further infuriating the fuming girl. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks or does. I will never accept his advances. Potters marry for love,” she said slowly as she ran her fingers through Bella’s tousled curls.
“And you love me, Andy and Cissy?” Bella pressed.
“Of course I do. I love you very much.” Heather’s features softened.
Cygnus was stunned by the primordial possessiveness that overcame him, by the very rawness of his hunger. He couldn’t understand this restless, aching need to possess Heather. To keep her for himself. For his daughters.
Suddenly he was awash in a plethora of images, sharp and vivid, as if he was living them.
He saw himself and Heather and the girls enjoying warm Yule dinners next to the fireplace...Heather running after the girls as they giggled and rushed to join their Hogwarts yearmates...Heather pregnant with her first child. His child.
‘’Then you can have us. You can marry Father and become ours,” Bella boasted in delight, gazing up at the spellbound woman with her unusual eyes.
“Er…I —well, you see…I—“ She seemed tongue-tied and he smiled when a flush edged her cheekbones.
Some impulse urged him to show himself at once. “Bella, enough. You are tormenting Heiress Potter.”
“Father,” Bella shrugged unapologetically. Her brow hemmed with a slight frown of concentration as her eyes volleyed between him and Heather.
“Mr Black,’’ Heather curtsied and her eyes flickered.
“Please, call me Cygnus. I’m grateful for all the time you’ve been spending with the girls,” he bowed.
“They are delightful,” she smiled. “It’s no bother.”
Bella stubbornly pulled him closer, ignoring his narrowed eyes. When she had him where she wanted him, she gazed up triumphantly.
Before either of them could blink, she shoved an elbow at him.
He gasped and nearly fell over. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately, Heather caught him in her arms before he crumpled to the floor and disgraced himself beyond repair.
“Why you!” he hissed but Bella was nowhere to be seen.
Slowly, he became aware of Heather’s arms around his waist. Of her breath against his neck.
“I—Cygnus…” she whispered
His gaze heated to molten pewter. His hand came up to touch her face because he could no longer bear another moment of not touching her. He knew then and there that he had lost all ability to master himself. He was ready to acknowledge the truth.
He was irrevocably and helplessly drawn to this gorgeous, kind, perfect woman.
He might as well face Lord Henry Potter’s wrath.
“I’m sorry,” he said huskily. “That hellion….” He shook his head in exasperation.
Her eyes widened when a snort was plucked from her throat and her face flushed endearingly.
He breathed her in, savouring the sweet warm fragrance of her skin.
Closing his eyes, he pressed his lips against the silk of her hair and whispered. “Maybe Bella is right. Children are quite attentive, you know.”
Her stunning eyes wandered up to his face. “Are you insinuating that you share Bella’s feelings?”
A warm, sizzling sensation invaded his chest when she looked at him. “I do. If you would have me and the girls, that is,” he confessed roughly.
Carefully, she reached up to touch his cheek with the tips of her fingers. “I’d like nothing more.”
And just like that, Cygnus knew that he didn’t have to worry about the future anymore.
Because nothing could dim the light that shone from Heather’s eyes.
He was safe.
The Black sisters were safe…