Marked • Tom Riddle

His Bloodlust

Short chapter but it's been awhile so here you all go! 

More coming soon in Tom's POV!

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   Death had taken the form of the Dark Lord. 

   His Death Eaters stood absolutely still, fearing to flinch even a muscle as he stared at each and every one of them, his eyes devoid of humanity. He had not felt this way in a very long time, not since the wars he had fought to earn his title, not since his most ruthless days. That part of him, the darkest part, had been put to rest and tucked away, assumed to have never return again. However, he had been mistaken and they all knew it too. The room had gone deathly quiet, asides from the sobs from Karina's mother, who sat on the floor where her daughter had just been, crying into the arms of her husband.

   He could kill right now. 

   His bloodlust was undeniable. 

   Over the years, he had gotten better at controlling it for appearance's sake, and to be a well-respected leader. However, right now, after the poison had been meant for him, after his dear wife had fallen prey to it instead, he had to physically restrain himself from murdering everyone in the room with him. Still, the wand in his hand twitched, beckoning him to use the killing curse. And they knew it too. They could see it in his eyes as he looked at them like they were nothing but small, meaningless ants who he could step on at will. They knew that look all too well. After all, they had been by his side when they'd created this world. They knew better than anyone what he was capable of, so they knew not everyone would go home that night. At least, not alive.

   Grindelwald had his staff rushed and forced into the same dining room, surrounding the table. Some of the maids had already begun to cry. They knew what was to come as well. The Dark Lord's wife had been poisoned and that was no delicate matter, especially not since the wine had come from one of the serving boys. Still, Tom waited for one of them to crack.

   "My Lord, if I may..." Abraxas was the first to break the deathly gaze of the Dark Lord, but his bloodlust that poisoned the air remained unfazed. "I believe I speak for everyone at this table when I say it could not have possibly been one of us."

   "Yes, my Lord!" Bellatrix quickly added but cowered once again when the Dark Lord's gaze snapped to her. "I only mean we would never try to inflict harm upon you. It was surely one of them!" She pointed at the staff, who all cowered in fear. "They brought you wine from the kitchen!"

   "It was not from the kitchen," Grindelwald said from across the end of the long dining table. "It was from my own personal collection in my office."

   "Then the poison was meant for you," Regulus said.

   "That is not possible," Grindelwald shook his head. "I merely had myself a glass hours before this dinner. As you can see, I'm fine. It was the serving boy that retrieved the wine from my office who poisoned the wine," he looked to the boy who was being held closely by a maid, likely his mother. "My office is strictly off limits. They all know that. He should not have been in there."

   "Yet you did not think to say anything when he brought the wine, Gellert?" Rosier said. Grindelwald looked at his son-in-law, his eyes narrowing in on the pawn in their game. 

   "You know better than anyone that I would not do a thing to jeopardize this arrangement," he said to him before switching his gaze to Tom. "As do you, my lord."

   He did, at least he thought he did. Tom did not know who he could longer trust. Looking at all of them, at all his so-called loyal followers, he realized there was not a single one of them he could entirely trust. No, that sort of trust he had given to but one person; Karina. And someone here had tried to take her from him.