She wasn't surprised when he grabbed her, to her own chagrin. "Maybe I don't want to shut up," she fussed. Tig squirmed feebly in what she hoped seemed like displeasure or reluctance to him. If he tightened his grip on her as a result would it be all that bad?

He tugged on her dress and to her dismay, it gave way with even less resistance than she was exhibiting. She frowned. "You owe me a new dress." Tig was growing increasingly restless trying to appear aloof and disinterested while simultaneously suppressing contrary urges. "Get off," she grunted, intensifying her movement against him to make it a little more convincing.

---

  

---

Tiberius let out a sharp, bark-like laugh. As if he cared whether or not she wanted to shut up. As if he cared about her ruined dress. The only thing he was thinking about was her body, and the paltry amount of clothing still separating him from it. With the front of her dress torn open, he pushed it off of her shoulders, letting the bulk of the fabric slip to the floor. The corset could stay, as far as his purposes were concerned. This wasn't an intimate lovemaking session. He didn't need to look at her bare skin, or touch her breasts. He was going to fuck her, and he only needed one thing for that.

"Get on your knees," he said gruffly, turning her body away from him and pushing her down onto the bed. If his words didn't make his meaning clear, or if she offered any attempt to fight his whims, he could show her easily enough what it was he wanted. If he had to force her, so much the better. He actually hoped she offered some resistance. He wanted to force her.

"You seem to enjoy living like an animal," he sneered as he flipped her petticoat up onto her back and out of his way. He placed one hand firmly on her back to prevent her from trying to squirm out from beneath him or sit up, while his other hand went to undo his trousers. "I'm going to fuck you like one."

  

Before she knew what was happening, she was relieved of her dress and back on the bed but not the way up that she'd expected. This was different. She didn't like it. She couldn't see what he was doing and felt completely powerless. She ignored his demand and instead Tig started fighting against him in earnest to turn herself over onto her back. "Let go of me!" She kicked her legs wildly in the hopes of catching him just right to dislodge him.

"LOOK ME IN THE EYE, YOU COWARD!" She tried to reach behind her to grab at his hand, or at the very least claw at it. A thought occurred to her. "I'LL TRANSFORM!" Still stubbornly lashing out, she shouted, "IF YOU DON'T LET GO, I'LL TRANSFORM! SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT THEN!"

---

  

---

She began struggling in earnest, which caused Tiberius to start laughing. This was exactly what he'd wanted. He pushed her down against the bed, avoiding her flailing hands easily enough. He could see her and everything she was doing; she couldn't see him. Even without the disparity in their strength, that would have given him the advantage. Leaning his weight forward onto her to keep her pinned, Tiberius ripped a long strip of fabric off of one layer of petticoat that fanned out across her back. He twisted it into a cord and slipped it over the top of her head, intending to slip it into her mouth as a gag — though one long enough that he could pull it behind her head and keep his grip on it, like reigns on a horse. A wild horse, perhaps, that hadn't been broken in yet.

"Settle down, you minx," he said harshly into her ear, though he didn't much care if she did. He remembered the last time they'd done this, and he wasn't worried about her transforming. She wanted this as much as he did, maybe more. The thought brought a sinister chuckle to his throat. He moved one hand down between her legs and reached up to feel the contours of her cunt through her panties. "You might enjoy it."

  

To her deep frustration her efforts were proving fruitless. It didn't help at all that he'd left her corset on. She felt fabric brush against her forehead and realized what he was trying to do as it was moved down to her mouth. Tig pursed her lips tightly and thrust her chin upward to try and keep him from succeeding.

She was still trying to kick him but her arms now fell limp on the bed as she started to grow tired. And then he touched her. Tig hissed and lashed out with renewed vigor for a few moments before losing her momentum once again. "I'll kill you for-," she managed to snarl before the material from her petticoat prevented her from saying anything further. What would happen if she tried to transform now? She wasn't sure she wanted to find out if only because she was certain it would make for a hideously awkward situation at this point.

Tig rested her forehead against the sheets and made a noise of resignation halfway between a groan and a growl.

---

  

---

Things moved quickly from that point. He didn't bother undressing her further, only pushing aside the fabric in order to reach the space between her legs. He pushed his fingers in first to pave the way for the rest of him, since this was an unfamiliar angle. He had to keep one hand on the gag to keep it tightly in place, which made guiding himself into her slightly more clumsy, but it didn't take long even so. He let out an involuntary, shuddering gasp as he completed the first slow thrust. This felt different than their previous encounters, even the last one. Maybe it was the length of time between that night and this one, or maybe the new position, or maybe only his imagination, but his wife's body felt so tight that he very nearly lost himself in the sensation.

Tiberius leaned forward over her as he continued, building momentum. He thought briefly that he ought to say something to her — something derogatory, something mean, something fitting the position that he'd forced her into — and moved to do so, but he couldn't focus his mind on the task while still keeping up the rhythm. He found himself biting lightly on her earlobe instead, just because he was there — until the rhythm built to a climax and he gave off a small moan, a noise that would in another other context have been entirely out of character for him. As his body relaxed he loosened his grip on the fabric he'd used to gag her and let go of her ear, instead burying his face momentarily in her tangled hair.

  

A part of her had seriously doubted whether he'd even be able to get to her from such an angle but he didn't seem to waste much time in proving her wrong. With one of her hands she clutched at the bed sheets and dug her nails in. It was different and initially not the most comfortable experience she'd ever had, although it seemed to improve some as he gathered pace or maybe she was just getting used to it.

It wasn't until she felt his teeth on her ear that she started to feel anything resembling pleasure, but it seemed as though it was all over almost as soon as he'd started. She could feel his breath filtering through her hair onto the back of her neck, irritating her far more than she could have expected. It was all fine and well for him to be satisfied but where was that feeling from before? Tig groaned moodily and willed him to get the hell off of her before she got angry.
""

---

  

---

As he felt himself start to soften Tiberius pulled out and tucked his cock back into his pants. It would soil them, but he'd already done that by remaining dressed for the act, which had left a thin layer of sweat soaking up into his entire outfit. He'd have to change, anyway, and probably bathe, too, so it didn't much matter.

He climbed off of her and sat down on the bed next to her knees, his back towards her. He reached over and gave her hip a light shove, not enough to actually move her but just to jostle her.

"Get out. I need to wash your stink off," he said. Although the words themselves were cold, his tone was not. Out of context it could have seemed teasing, gentle, or even affectionate.

  

At his nudge, Tig rolled abruptly over onto her back and glared up at him. He didn't seem to be as smug as she had expected which surprised her, in fact he seemed strangely pleasant if anything and it had the effect of easing her mood a little. "You don't want to know when the last time I bathed was." She couldn't actually remember when it had been but then she didn't know what day it was which didn't help. She draped the leg nearest him across his lap like a child trying to spread 'cooties'.

---

  

---

He might have been put of by such an announcement before he'd taken her, but there was little use in fretting over it now. Besides, despite what he'd said he didn't feel dirty, aside from his own sweat.

"So long as you haven't caught fleas," he said with a light, teasing tone. He pushed her leg away and stood, crossing towards the door that connected his bedroom to the bath. "Or scabies, or something," he added. What sort of things could one catch in the forest? He didn't exactly know.

The idea that this knowledge might someday be relevant to him was annoying. He didn't want to go mucking about in the woods like an animal, the way Antigone had. He was convinced that she was only doing it to spite him, but what if there was some inherent difference in their natures? Something that gave her the ability to complete the Animagus transformation while preventing him?

So what? he asked himself as he opened the bathroom door and drew his wand to fill the tub, but his pleasant mood was already fading. Let her live like an animal if she wants. It's nothing to me. She's nothing to me.

  

Tig didn't actually know what scabies was exactly but she felt fairly certain she didn't have it. Fleas were another matter, although she was a little less certain about those. She propped herself up by her elbows and watched him, a light frown settling on her forehead as she considered ways to get what she wanted. He had gotten up sooner than she had anticipated which made it all the more difficult.

The only way she could think of was to make him angry but she wasn't sure she knew how to do that presently without making him withdraw. Obviously she couldn't just ask, at least not with words... Tig maneuvered herself off of the bed and crossed the room on tip-toes so that her approach would hopefully go unnoticed by him.

When she drew close enough, she moved quickly to press herself flush up against him and drape an arm over his shoulder to keep him from easily escaping. "Why the hurry to get away?" Seduction not being a skill she really had, Tig made her very clumsy attempt all the same and with little thought for how it might come across. That he might read into it hadn't yet crossed her mind, all she wanted was that feeling from before that she felt he'd unjustly deprived her of.

---

  

---

Antigone almost succeeded in sneaking up on him, but he noticed her approach at the last moment. It wasn't enough time to prevent her from draping herself across him like a stifling overcoat in the middle of summer, but at least it prevented him from jumping or flinching when she did so. That was for the best; his pride wouldn't have borne her surprising him and then being able to tease him about it.

What was she on about? He had disengaged no more hurriedly than he typically did. The only time he had ever lingered after intercourse was in the shared room at his uncle's house, and that had been only due to necessity, not desire. It was unusual to say the least that she would expect anything different.

"What do you want?" he asked plainly, reaching up to lightly grab her wrist and move her arm off of his shoulders.

  

He wasn't supposed to ask that. He was supposed to just get it. "What I want-" she began, an undercurrent of frustration in her tone of voice. Tig fell short of actually telling him, however. She didn't really want to voice it, but neither did she know how to.

She said nothing for a number of seconds as she considered him and how to answer his question without embarrassing herself. She finally assumed a haughty and somewhat defensive stance upon deciding a course of action. "I didn't particularly care for the way you... went about things," she began archly. "It was dissatisfying, I prefer it when-" Tig stopped and colored a little at what she'd started to say. "Never mind. Forget I said anything. I don't care."

---

  

---

Tiberius' face twisted into a scowl. Since he had long since dismissed the concept of the female orgasm, her use of the word prefer hardly phased him. He didn't expect Antigone to enjoy intercourse, and certainly not to admit to something so whorish if she did. It was understandable, however, that she would take exception to him fucking her from behind. That had more or less been the point of it.

"No," he said, tone harsh and dismissive. "You can't act like a feral cat and expect to be treated like a wife. If you want to make demands about how you're to be treated, you'll need to earn my respect first."

  

The sudden hostility might have rolled off her back had she not already felt embarrassed and defensive. Incensed, she tried to shove him away but took an extra step backward anyway. "You can keep your damn respect!" Even if deep down she wanted him to respect her, she'd never admit it to herself and she'd never actively try to earn it. "I would rather be a cat for the rest of my life than act like a good little wife for one second! Do you know how boring it is?" Of course he didn't, he didn't even seem to relish the few social engagements he bothered to keep! "At least as a cat I can run and pounce and hunt things! I'd sooner set myself on fire than make small talk every day with people who think it's terribly exciting that they've got new wallpaper in their parlor!"

---

  

---

Her outburst was childish, but not out of character for her. Tiberius watched coolly as she railed against him. In another set of circumstances, he might have been tempted to roll his eyes.

"Do you think I care whether you're bored?" he asked when she'd finished, his tone flat. "Someday I'm going to have an heir, and you'll need to be in society often enough to feign a pregnancy. If you can't manage that, you're no use to me at all." The words were said without emotion. He didn't imagine they would hurt her. She had made it quite clear she despised him and would rather have done anything in the world than take her marriage vows. She had only behaved herself in the past due to spite, really, or as part of a scheme to do something awful to cousin Ellory.

She probably would have been happier as a permanent cat, come to think of it. Did he have any reason to stop her? They could feign her death easily enough. Tiberius had already thought through the process on several occasions before, when Antigone had gone missing for one reason or another. Every plan he'd made before had involved working around the disadvantage of not having a body. If Antigone were to cooperate with the scheme, it would be almost painfully easy. He could remarry after a year or two, to a woman whose insides still functioned, who could bear him a son. He'd already gone through the work of setting up the deal with Cassius, but he could still uphold his end of the deal easily enough. He just wouldn't need the son any longer.

A new wife would be easier, he knew. He was better at manipulation, better at legilimency, better at the Imperius Curse — but even if he used none of those tools, no one could ever hope to be as difficult as Antigone.