The Hunts Begin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earth
“We are here to offer you one last opportunity to relocate from Earth,” Tom stated after he was led into the throne room of the Gringotts.
“I told your son’s bonded that we were not interested in moving from Earth. It is the home of our ancestors, and we have no intention of abandoning it after the amount of Goblin blood that has been shed to defend it,” Nipmonger responded.
“Then your fate is your own. We are here to offer each species a final chance to leave Earth before it is abandoned to the Torvak and classified as a Forbidden Realm. There will be no more contact, travel, or Sanctuary offered by Nevarah or any of her allies once we leave Earth for a final time in a few days’ time. If you and yours choose to remain then you will be choosing to cut all ties with Nevarah for help or relocation should things get bad once the Torvak take control,” Tom countered.
“You are abandoning Earth?” Nipmonger asked him.
“We are. We have it on very good authority that the Torvak have been breeding at exceptional rates and are planning to eradicate any species that isn’t their own before they take over as the ruling species on Earth,” Tom explained.
“Doesn’t that make them a threat to you as well?” Nipmonger pointed out. “If they are allowed to breed in such a way, they will be a serious threat to Dragel once they find a way to Nevarah.”
“That is why Earth is being classified as Forbidden,” Tom countered again. “That means even if there is a distress signal from Earth after we leave, we do not answer. We considered war with the Torvak but decided that the losses we would suffer wouldn’t be worth the victory. Our Royals are in agreement.”
“How many days?” Nipmonger asked him.
“Excuse me?” Tom asked confused.
“How many days do we have before you are gone to make a decision to stay or go?” Nipmonger explained.
“We will begin relocating people today and will be giving everyone two days to make a decision before we launch out attack and then leave,” Tom answered.
“I will not make this decision alone for my people. I will hold a war council and allow a vote to be made on this thing. How do we contact you if we decide to accept your offer of relocation?” Nipmonger asked.
Tom pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to the King. This was a paper that was infused with Harry’s magic so that it would grant access to his property they had chosen to use as their relocation point from Earth. Since he was the secret keeper for his properties this would work just as well as him being there himself.
“This is the relocation point. There will be mages and Gheyo gathered there that will be escorting the species or individuals that choose to seek sanctuary on Nevarah,” Tom explained.
“We will gather this day to make a decision,” Nipmonger informed him.
“We hope that you choose to leave Earth but will understand your decision to stay if you so choose,” Tom said with a bow and then turned to leave the bank for the final time.
He was accompanied by Rabastan, Evan, and Narcissa. He had been chosen to approach the Goblins since he had a good working relationship with them already. Others had been chosen to approach other species around the world. Now that his part was done, it was time to return to the second Black property that Harry had kept.
The two properties were being used as their base of operations for everything that was going on. He strode through to the main ballroom that had been transformed into a war room and stepped up next to Salazar and Jascha.
“How did it go with the Goblins?” Salazar asked him.
“I don’t know honestly. The king changed his tune after I told him what is going on. He is going to have a War Council today so that they can decide as a race what they will do,” Tom answered. “Have we heard from any other races yet?”
“The Centaurs will relocate to Nevarah temporarily but ultimately want to move to a realm of their own or to the Fae realm. Apparently, they use to be very close before the Fae left Earth a few thousand years ago,” Salazar responded.
“Makes sense. They don’t really tolerate Wixen or other creatures very well,” Tom agreed. “Anyone else so far?”
“The Merfolk will relocate to Merrow Waters, the Veela will relocate to Nevarah and then decide if they will stay or find a new realm, the vampires intend to stay on Earth and are confident in their ability to fight the Torvak if they come for them, and we are still waiting to hear back from the others,” Jascha listed off.
“I am not surprised by any of those,” Tom stated with a chuckle. “How is Cedrella’s mission going?”
“She has already returned with her lists and others have been sent out to speak with the Dragel to warn them about what is happening,” Salazar answered.
“And we are leaving now to confront Albus and his husband,” Hadrian stated as he walked into the room with Nefarion and Bahrin. The Puppet Master had been more than willing to join them on mission to help.
“Remember that the first priority is to get us the location of the Alpha and Submissive pair,” Salazar reminded them. “Then you can spend the next two days torturing them to your hearts content for the information you need for Lady Death.”
“Head and heart,” Tom added.
“We will see it done,” Hadrian responded.
“I find I am very eager to get my hands on the man who hurt our Harry so badly,” Nefarion said and the flames in his eyes seemed to glow menacingly. His entire aura changed to something terrifying, and it was easy to believe the man was a demon with quite a bit of power at his disposal.
“Good,” Salazar stated with pride and a feral grin. “Happy Hunting, My Own.”
They watched as the three men were swallowed by the Shadows.
“My son is very well protected with all of you as his bonded,” Tom said with a chuckle.
“I truly pity the person who attempts to harm him,” Jascha agreed. “Now let’s get back to business.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Are they ready yet?” Albus asked as Gellert joined him in their sitting room.
“Yes, they are starving and desperate. I tortured the Submissive a little today. Not much, just enough to get her screaming nicely to see how the Alpha would react,” Gellert informed Albus.
“And?” Albus asked eagerly. He did love to hear about the misfortune of Dragel.
“And he went feral in his cage and dislocated his own arm trying to get out. This is going to work. Sooner than I anticipated,” Gellert answered as he kissed his husband on the cheek.
“How much sooner? Septimus will need time to send out the message to those out of the country,” Albus stated.
“I don’t even think it will take two weeks for one of them to give us the secrets of Nevarah,” Gellert said with pride. “They are much weaker than I thought they would be.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t give up any information asked of you if I was tortured?” Albus asked him with a fake pout.
“I find that I am invested in that answer as well,”
Both of them turned quickly at the sound of that dark voice. Before they could react in any way, they found that they were both bound and held at knife point. But they hadn’t turned away from the corner that the first voice had come from.
Stepping out of the shadows was a very large creature. He was extremely muscled with claws, fangs, and a barbed tail that was flicking menacingly behind him. He had huge horns on his head and the largest red leathery wings they had ever seen. There was fire burning in his eyes and weapons strapped to him everywhere.
He looked like the muggle description of the devil.
“Merlin, save us,” Gellert breathed out.
“No one can save you now, Birdie,” the being holding him whispered in his ear threateningly.
“What do you want?” Albus demanded once he found his voice. The blade at his throat pressed a little harder and he knew it had broken skin.
“Vengeance,” the demon in front of them growled out.
“We have no quarrel with demons,” Albus stated firmly.
“I think you will find that you have quarrel with this demon,” the man holding him insisted. “You see, he happens to be Soulbonded to a certain Submissive that you took great pleasure in torturing.”
“Fucking Harrison Black,” Albus spat out.
“I would refrain from insulting our Submissive while my blade is so close to your person, or you will find yourself missing a few appendages. You don’t need your arms or legs to answer the questions we have for you,” the man threatened.
“We will give you the names of every Dragel on Earth and let you take them,” Gellert found his voice. The being in front of them chuckled darkly.
“Too late, we already have the names and have spoken to them about relocation,” the demon stated.
“Shut up, Gellert,” Albus hissed out. “Don’t be weak.”
“I will not watch them torture you, Albus. I will not,” Gellert responded.
“I want the location of the Alpha and Submissive that you have capture with the intention of torturing,” the demon demanded.
“You will tell them nothing. Even if they kill us, the others can still use them,” Albus insisted.
“Make no mistake, we are ready and willing to remove body parts. But I think my friend's special skills will be much worse to witness,” the man holding Albus stated.
“And what special skill could he have that is worse than removing limbs?” Gellert asked curiously. He needed to know just what these people could and would do.
“He is known as the Puppet Master. He has a very unique ability to turn people in to human puppets. No will of their own aside from what he allows them. Much more effective than your Imperius because he takes control of the soul after he separates it from the body,” the man holding Albus revealed.
“It is gloriously terrifying to witness and is the exact reason why he was asked to come along,” the demon added.
Albus flicked his eyes towards the large dark man holding a blade to his husband’s throat. He hadn’t said a word beyond whatever he had whispered in Gellert’s ear earlier.
“I will take great pleasure in hurting your husband,” the man finally spoke up and flicked his eyes toward Albus. “Anyone who would do the things he has done to a child deserves to be hurt. It matters not that the child is a Dragel, simply that fact that children should be protected.”
“And just in case it helps you make your decision, there won’t be any Torvak leaders left after this night to carry out your plans. We had a very well-placed spy in your ranks that has given us everything,” the demon informed them.
“They lie,” Albus hissed out. “There is no way that a spy would have been able to get that high up in our ranks without being discovered.”
“You are overestimate yourselves,” the man holding Albus said with a chuckle. “Change me places, Puppet Master. I think you are going to have to prove to them that we are serious.”
“No,” Gellert insisted. “I…I will tell you where they are. But…you must let him go.”
“You will tell us where they are or we will torture him until his mind is broken and he is nothing more than a drooling sack of useless flesh,” the demon countered. “Choose.”
“He chooses to shut his mouth,” Albus stated.
“I will tell you where they are,” Gellert responded when the man holding him moved to head toward Albus. “I will tell you whatever you want to know. War with Dragel is not worth losing my husband.”
Gellert proceeded to tell them everything about the place where he was holding the Alpha and Submissive. The demon took note of everything and then turned to send a message to someone before turning back to them.
“We are going to get comfortable while we wait to see if your information was accurate. If it wasn’t, you will be forced to watch us torture your husband,” the man holding Albus stated.
“The information is accurate,” Albus spat out. “He is weak and has ruined everything.”
“I am not weak simply because I choose you over all things,” Gellert insisted. “I have never chosen anyone or anything over you. Not since we were teenagers. I have only ever done everything you wanted of me.”
“You have been everything to me except the one thing that I needed you to be,” Albus stated disappointedly.
“Arielle, they are tragic. It is unfortunate when you love someone more than they love you,” the man holding Gellert said with a sigh.
“He loves me,” Gellert stated.
No one responded to him. It was very obvious that Albus didn’t love Gellert as much as he should. It took them thirty minutes of waiting before the message arrived to let them know that the Alpha and Submissive had been rescued.
“Now it is your turn to give us information,” the demon stated as he turned to Albus.
“I will tell you nothing. You can go ahead and kill me now,” Albus stated with a roll of his eyes.
“Where is the third Hallow?” the man holding Albus demanded.
“You are after the Deathly Hallows? They are a myth, a children’s story,” Albus said with a laugh.
“We happen to know that isn’t true,” the demon stated. “Our lady has given us the task of retrieving the final Hallow. Since you have been in possession of at least one, we have been instructed to start our search with you.”
“I can feel that it is here,” the man holding Albus insisted.
“As can I,” the demon agreed. “Where is it?”
“I will die before I tell you anything you want to know,” Albus responded.
“It won’t be as simple as that,” the man holding Gellert responded. “I will give you a first-hand experience of why they call me the Puppet Master. You will watch your husband’s mind shatter in front of you. I will make him chew off his on fingers and rip out his own organs as you watch.”
“Do it,” Albus stated calmly. “I said that I will tell you nothing.”
“Albus!” Gellert whispered in shock. “You do not mean it.”
“I do,” Albus said with a shrug. “You have disappointed me for the last time. You have cost me our one legitimate lead to the Dragel Sanctuary because of your weakness.”
“I gave them what they wanted to spare you torture and insanity at the hands of demons,” Gellert countered. “I would have given them the heads of every Torvak on a silver platter to protect you. I would do anything for you.”
“Well, I guess that answers the question you asked when we arrived doesn’t it? The demon pointed out.
“What question?” Albus asked confused.
“If he would give up information to spare you from torture,” the man holding Albus explained. Then he chuckled. “Shame that you wouldn’t do the same for him. I find that I sympathize with your husband on this one. I would burn worlds to keep anyone in my circle safe from torture or harm.”
“Must be the human part of him that is so cruel and twisted,” the Puppet Master said with disdain. “A true creature would never be able to sit back and watch his mate be tortured.”
“Kinda makes me feel bad that we are going to have to torture him to see if there is a point that his humanity will make him give in,” the Demon said with a shrug. “Perhaps he is just putting up a good front to call our bluff.”
“He isn’t,” Gellert stated, and he sounded wrecked. “I have always suspected that his love for me didn’t extend past what my position offered him. Or what his marriage to me would gain him in the Torvak ranks because of my parents.”
“And yet, you let me use you anyway,” Albus pointed out.
“I thought you would grow to love me the way that I loved you. That you would see how much I truly cared about you and that it would cause your feelings for me to grow. For Merlin’s sake we have been married since we were seventeen,” Gellert responded.
“This has been fun, really it has, but it is time for us to get the information that we came for,” the demon stated waved a hand toward the man holding Gellert. “Begin.”
“Wait,” Gellert said quietly. “It is his wand.”
“Fucking useless,” Albus growled out. He caught the man holding him by surprise when he suddenly leapt across the table at Gellert. The man stopped him just before he made contact with Gellert. “If they don’t kill you, I will.”
The demon strode forward and pulled the Elder Wand from Albus’ robes and held it in his hand. He grinned and it wasn’t pretty. He tucked the wand away and then pulled Gellert away from the Puppet Master.
“Well, that was all we needed from the two of you,” the demon stated and looked down at Gellert. “Your death will be swift and painless because despite the horrible things you have done, I feel sorry for you. I will spare you the pain of watching your husband’s death.”
Then Albus watched as the demon snapped Gellert’s neck and dropped his dead body to the floor. The sight of his husband’s lifeless body bothered him a little more than he had thought it would.
“Yours will not be so quick,” the man holding him threatened.
Then the two men proceeded to torture him painfully before they finally ripped out his heart and separated his head from his body. Then for good measure, the three of them set the two men of fire and left them to burn along with their first and only home that they had shared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nevarah: The Hunt Day 1
Harry was having a great time. He really really hadn’t expected to but there was so much going on and there was so much excitement that went along with the Hunt.
“Where to next?” Harry asked the two girls standing across from him.
Shayla and Soula had been dragging him and Luna all over the place since arriving. It had been so fun.
“Want to go dancing?” Soula asked. “My sister could get us in on the Gheyo floors.”
“Yeah, aren’t you Hunting for Gheyo? This could be a great place to start scouting out potentials,” Shayla agreed.
“Should we really be going somewhere that we can’t get into on our own?” Harry asked them.
“What are you worried about? You have big tough guard dogs following you everywhere,” Soula pointed out.
“Not to mention, Erebus,” Luna added.
Harry turned around and grinned at Devrim and the other Gheyo that was standing with him. They were attempting to look casual, but they looked exactly like what they were. Harry’s guards. Harry didn’t mind. It made him feel better that they were there, and he knew it made his family and bonded happy to know they were there.
“Alright, but do we really need your sister? I could just ask Devrim or Lestat,” Harry stated and indicated the two Gheyo. “They are Gheyo, wouldn’t they have access?”
“Oh, yeah, I didn’t think of that,” Soula agreed. “Ask them to take us.”
Harry nodded and then pulled Luna with him as he headed for the two Gheyo. He smiled up at them and they laughed.
“What are you up to?” Lestat asked him with a knowing look.
“We want to go dancing,” Luna answered.
“You don’t need our permission for that,” Devrim pointed out.
“We don’t need your permission, but we do need your help if we want to go to the dance floors where the Gheyo are,” Harry countered. “Soula and Shayla said we have to be with a Gheyo that has a pass to get to those floors.”
“I don’t know if that is the best idea,” Devrim stated and pulled at his hair. “Too many opportunities for someone to hurt the two of you.”
“I’d really like to go. I am hunting mostly for Gheyo, and this would be a good opportunity to be around some in a more relaxed environment,” Harry said with a pout. “Plus, I have never been dancing before. I think it would be so fun to go.”
“I have never been dancing either,” Luna said with a smile. “Well, not unless you count the time I danced in the forest with the Thestrals. They are very good dancers.”
“How about this,” Lestat started. “You let me message Zandian and see what he has to say about it? He knows your Alpha and both of your Aces better than we do and would know how they feel about this.”
“Deal,” Harry agreed. He was confident that Zandian wouldn’t say no. He was very fun. Besides it was just dancing. Harry and Luna headed back to the other two Submissives while they waited.
“So, what did they say?” Soula asked impatiently.
“They want to check in with Zandian first,” Luna answered with a shrug. “It will be better this way, trust me.”
“Oh, did you see something?” Harry asked her.
“Yes, I saw that we would run into a bit of trouble if we went without consulting Zandian,” Luna answered.
“Well, then I guess this was the right choice,” Harry agreed and then turned to the others with a smile.
“Fine,” Soula said with a shrug. “I guess we will wait for them.”
“Let’s get a snack while we do,” Shayla suggested and pointed toward a stand.
“Perfect, I was getting hungry,” Harry agreed.
The four of them headed for the stand and Harry ordered two extra snacks for Lestat and Devrim. He took the snacks to the two Gheyo and preened at how pleased they were with what he had chosen for them.
“I love cinnamon,” Lestat stated.
“I know,” Harry said with a laugh. “You always go for the dessert with Cinnamon on it after dinner. And you Dev? How is yours?”
“Perfect, thank you,” Devrim said with a blush.
Harry had chosen a snack that was made with blood. He knew Devrim wasn’t taking as much as he should since he had been guarding Harry. He was afraid of the others judging him or weirding Harry out or something.
Which was silly. Harry had already told him many times that he would never judge someone for doing what they needed to do in order to survive. Blood was something that Devrim needed. It wasn’t shameful to consume it.
“Did you message Zandian?” Harry asked them.
“They did,” Zandian answered as he threw an arm around Lestat’s shoulder. “So, the little Submissives want to go dancing on the Gheyo floors?”
“Yes, please,” Harry responded and fluttered his eyes at the Ace.
“Gorgeous, simply gorgeous,” Zandian stated with a grin. “How could I ever deny you anything. Gather the girls and let’s go.”
Harry smiled brightly and skipped off to the three girls. The three Gheyo watched him fondly. It had been an absolute pleasure so far to guard him.
“You were with his parents and Severus weren’t you?” Lestat asked him quietly.
“I was,” Zandian answered. “They thought taking him dancing would be fun. Agree that he needs to be around Gheyo if he is going to hunt Gheyo. But they are holding the three of us personally responsible if anything happens to their children.”
“As they should,” Devrim agreed.
“I am sure that Severus was a little more terrifying than that,” Lestat pointed out.
“Oh for sure,” Zandian agreed. “I am sure that he mentioned something about entrails being extrails if his little Submissive wasn’t returned to him in the same way that he left him.”
“Naturally,” Lestat said with a chuckle. “I’m a bit terrified of him.” Devrim nodded his agreement. The Pareya was a bit terrifying when it came to Harry.
“Come on, the three of you are so slow,” Harry teased them. “We are going to be old and grey by the time we get there.”
“I’ll show you slow,” Zandian called out and then took off after Harry who squealed happily and took off running. Erebus was hot on their heels as they wove in and out of the crowds. The other five stayed right where they were because Harry had taken off in the wrong direction in order to get to their destination.
Zandian reached out and snagged Harry right before the Submissive slammed into someone who had stepped into his way. Harry laughed loudly when the woman frowned at him and shook her head. She looked like she was about to say something to them before Erebus prowled closer. She got one look at the beast and turned around and walked off.
“Still slow, am I?” Zandian asked as he sat Harry on his feet.
“Of course, not. You are so fast,” Harry praised him. “Where are the others?”
“Probably headed in the other direction,” Zandian answered with a shrug.
“Why?” Harry asked curiously. “Isn’t the Pits this way?”
“They are but what has that to do with the price of apples?” Zandian asked him with a laugh.
“Aren’t we going dancing somewhere that Gheyo frequent?” Harry pointed out.
“We are,” Zandian agreed.
“So, wouldn’t that be toward the Pits?” Harry asked.
“Nope,” Zandian stated and popped his ‘p’. “We are heading toward the entertainment areas and that is in the completely opposite direction.”
“Well, shit,” Harry said with a laugh. “Just when I think I have things figured out.”
“You will figure it all out,” Zandian encouraged. “You have only been here for a little over a month. And this is your first Hunt.”
Harry nodded and the two of them headed back toward the others with Erebus leading the way. They were silent for a little while before Harry started to fidget.
“They are still fine,” Zandian insisted and stopped Harry from picking at the skin around his nails.
“Promise,” Harry asked him quietly.
“Yes,” Zandian stated with confidence. “Your bonded are strong and very capable. They will all come home to you in one piece. They might be a little banged up but that is normal.”
“I miss them,” Harry said with a sigh. “I hope they come home soon.”
“So do I,” Zandian agreed. “I don’t like to see you distressed. Perk up Darling. I am taking you dancing.”
“Yes, you are,” Harry said with a smile. “Thank you, Zandian. For everything.”
“Believe me when I say that it is my pleasure,” Zandian responded just as they met back up with the others.
“How long did it take you to realize you were going the wrong direction?” Soula asked Harry.
“Not until, Zandian told me,” Harry said with a blush. “I am still learning.”
“And that is perfectly ok,” Shayla insisted. Luna nodded and linked their hands together again. She knew how tactile her brother was and was happy to indulge. Harry smiled at her and squeezed her hand. He saw a flash of her dancing with Theo while Draco tried to teach Ron how to dance.
“Your boys are waiting for you,” Harry said with a laugh.
“I know,” Luna agreed with a giggle. “I can’t wait to see them.”
“Ron looks so awkward learning to dance,” Harry pointed out.
“I know, but he will learn, and when he does, he is going to be great,” Luna countered.
“The two of you are a bit strange, has anyone ever told you that?” Soula stated. Shayla elbowed her and then rolled her eyes. “What?”
“You parents raised you better than that. They aren’t strange, they have a bit of Prescience,” Shayla stated.
“It’s alright, we aren’t strangers to being called strange. We have heard worse,” Harry told them with a shrug.
“Shayla’s right,” Soula said quickly. “I’m sorry. Calling you names is not what a good friend would do, and I do want us to be good friends.”
“We are good friends,” Luna informed her with a smile.
The four of them talked happily together for a bit longer as they headed to their destination and then Harry was surprised by just how much he loved the loud music and flashing lights.
“Hello, Little Snake,” someone whispered in his ear. A body pressed close to his and he melted into the arms that wrapped around him.
“Hello, my King,” Harry responded with a purr.
“Care to dance?” Wikhn growled low as he pressed Harry’s body closer to his own and began to sway with him.
“I don’t know how,” Harry whispered. Wikhn nipped his ear and then pressed an opened mouthed kiss to his neck.
“It would please me to teach you,” Wikhn responded. “May I?”
“Please,” Harry agreed.
Then Wikhn spun him around and out before pulling him back in close enough that their lips were close but not touching. Harry let Wikhn lead him around the floor for two songs just like that before he pulled Harry into a dark corner and snogged the life out of him.
“Merlin what a kiss,” Harry said when he had caught his breath again. “You keep kissing me like that and I am going to demand that you take me home and finish what you started.”
“Do not tempt me little Minx,” Wikhn responded with a low growl. “You look stunning and nothing would make me happier than to throw you over my shoulder and take you straight to bed. But, then my Queen wouldn’t get the pleasure of a dance with you and that would just be a shame.”
“Jasper is here?” Harry asked with a grin.
“He is, I brought him here to relax a bit. He was a bit tense this morning. We all have been,” Wikhn answered.
“Because Hadrian is gone and you aren’t with him?” Harry asked knowingly.
“Yes, we are still new as a Suite and it is a little unsettling to our instincts,” Wikhn revealed.
“None of you said anything,” Harry said with a sigh. “You could have gone with him.”
“I am happy to have stayed with you, Little Snake. I volunteered for this. I want to be here,” Wikhn assured him. “They will all be home soon. Now enough worrying.”
“Right, take me to Jasper,” Harry agreed with a grin. “Let our Fire Queen have his go at spinning me around the floor.”
Harry chirped happily when Wikhn spun him into Jasper’s arms. The Queen led him around the dance floor with a lot more flourish than Wikhn had. But his private King had been dancing as if the two of them where the only two in the world. Jasper was dancing with him as if he were showing Harry off to those that were watching.
He was starting to think that all Fire types were showy. He hadn’t met one yet that wasn’t, outside of Charlie. Harry danced two dances with Jasper before he was led to a table where the others were waiting with drinks. They had a great time for the next few hours before Zandian insisted it was time to go.
Severus wanted them all home before it got dark. Harry was happily exhausted by the time they made it home at the end of the day. He was really glad the others had forced him to go. For the most part, he hadn’t thought about his missing bonded or parents the entire day.
Zagan insisted that he get to be the one to take Harry up for a shower and to get comfortable for the night. Harry was happy to let his cuddly Hellcat do exactly that.
“Feel better?” Zagan asked him as they lay together for a few moments on the large bed in their resting room.
“Yes, thank you. This was just what I needed to wind down from the excitement of today,” Harry answered as he snuggled closer. “We better head down for dinner soon before Sev comes and gets us.”
“Eh, let him come and get us. I didn’t see much of you today and I want to cuddle for a bit,” Zagan responded with a yawn.
“Sounds like a plan,” Harry agreed as he relaxed completely.
The two of the laid together talking quietly about anything that popped into their heads for about an hour without any interruptions. It was really nice for both of them. Harry tried to do this with all of his bonded at one point or another so that he was giving everyone the attention they deserved.
“Hate to interrupt the two of you, but it is time to head down for dinner. I don’t want anyone missing meals,” Severus said gently from the door. He chuckled when he saw just how relaxed and boneless Harry seemed while Zagan rubbed his back. The Submissive was purring contentedly.
“Don’t want to walk, Sev,” Harry mumbled after Zagan had kissed him on the cheek and headed down stairs. “Carry me?”
“You are becoming entirely too spoiled rotten for your own good. Pretty soon little Princess, you will forget how to use your perfectly lovely legs,” Severus teased him as he lifted Harry into his arms in a princess hold.
“You think my legs are lovely?” Harry said with a grin before pressing a kiss to the Pareya’s neck.
“The loveliest,” Severus said with a roll of his eyes. “You missed the entire point of the statement.”
“No, I didn’t,” Harry argued with a pout. “You hate carrying me around and think I am rotten.”
“Merlin,” Severus said with a chuckle. “So dramatic.”
“Who is?” Bellatrix asked as they came around the corner. “Not my son, surely. You must be talking about that Hellcat that just came flouncing through here talking about starving to death.”
“Severus said I was rotten, mummy and that he hated carrying me around,” Harry said with an adorable pout.
“Now we know that isn’t true at all,” Rudolphus said with a chuckle. He ruffled Harry’s hair before wrapping an arm around Bellatrix. “Severus would carry you everywhere if you asked him to. Would probably burn down the entire realm if you batted those pretty green eyes at him when you asked.”
“Of course he would, because my Severus loves me,” Harry said with so much fondness that Severus blushed a little. Harry kissed him on the cheek and then laid his head on his shoulder.
“Come on before the food gets cold,” Severus said quickly and strode away from Harry’s mum and dad.
Harry worked hard to hold in his laugh. Severus hated getting flushed in front of other people. It ruined his outward appearance of indifference that he liked to show the world. He didn’t realize that no matter how hard he worked on his mask, it always melted away when he looked at Harry. It was obvious that the man cared deeply for him.
“What took you so long?” Ron asked them when they strode into the room. “I am about to die if I don’t eat soon.”
“Somehow, I doubt that,” Draco said with a roll of his eyes. “You ate so much food today, that I have no idea where you have room for dinner.”
“I always have room for dinner. Especially when we eat here. I would have never guessed that Severus was so good in the kitchen. Meals here are always amazing,” Ron insisted.
“Severus is really good in the kitchen. Both of my Pareya are,” Harry pointed out as he was sat down across from them and between Remus and Garrick. “So, how was everyone’s day today? I want to hear all about it.”
“I took your dad with me to the Beta floors…” Garrick started after he kissed Harry on the cheek in greeting. The rest of the meal was spent with everyone talking about how much they had enjoyed the first day of the Hunt. It was a really nice dinner. The only thing that could have made it better was if his other bonded were there as well as his parents.
He hoped everything was going ok with them and that they got to come home soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earth
“Is it done?” Salazar asked as Hadrian and the other two arrived at their base of operations.
“It is,” Hadrian responded and let the Alpha pull him close to look him over.
“And the two of you are fine?” Salazar asked.
“We are,” Nefarion answered that time. “It was far easier than I anticipated. We didn’t even have to use Bahrin’s gift.”
“But he is dead right? Albus has a nasty habit of surviving when he shouldn’t,” Tom spoke up. He didn’t like the sound of ‘easy’.
“It turns out that his husband was a far better husband that Albus was. He gave away the location of the Alpha and Submissive without a fight. Just because we threatened to torture his love,” Hadrian informed them.
“And the Hallow?” Salazar asked. “Did you get it?”
“We did,” Nefarion answered and pulled the wand out of his pouch. “The husband gave us that information as well when it became very clear that Albus was prepared to let us torture him to death. He learned a very hard truth before his death.”
“What truth is that?” Lucius asked curiously.
“That his little Half-Torvak didn’t love him the way he thought he did,” Bahrin spoke up. “It was quite sad to see the devastating realization on the Torvak’s face. His aura wilted.”
“Albus loves no one but himself,” Tom agreed. “Always has been only concerned with himself and his own glory. Did you take his heart and head like I requested.”
“Yes,” Hadrian answered with a nod as he finally stepped away from Salazar. “I could allow you to see the memory if it would help you.”
“That’s alright,” Tom declined. “I trust that you handled it. He was more of a threat to your Submissive than he was to me and I know that you would never allow a threat to Harry to remain so.”
“No, we would not,” Nefarion agreed. “What is the plan from here? Was the Alpha and Submissive rescued successfully?”
“They were,” Marianna spoke up from her place beside Jascha. “They have been seen to by the healer and should have already been transported to Nevarah.”
“Ok, so what next?” Hadrian asked. “What is our timeline looking like?”
“I just checked in on the other property,” Doyle stated as he strolled into the room with Frost and Mistral on his heels. “The Creatures here are responding quicker than we thought they would. We are only waiting to hear back from the Goblins at this point.”
“Ok, so have we started transporting them yet?” Salazar asked.
“Yes, they have set up a schedule with each species that has contacted them so far. At their current rate, all species will be moved by tomorrow evening,” Doyle reported.
“And that is when we will launch our attack,” Jascha stated.
“Agreed, are those that needed to be in other countries in place?” Salazar asked.
“Not quite, from what has been reported in so far, we are still waiting on a few to find a good place to settle in and wait until they are given the signal,” Jascha answered.
“And they know to return here immediately upon completion of their task?” Tom asked.
“We have made sure to go over the plan with each person quite a few times. No one should make a mistake. They know what it could mean for all of us if they did,” Salazar answered.
“So, at the moment, the only that is left for us to do is eat and keep an eye on the progress of things,” Jascha added.
“Yep, and Cedrella is keeping an eye on the head Torvak to make sure that he doesn’t grow suspicious before we are ready for him to,” Marianna spoke up.
“Good, I find that I am very anxious to have this done so that we can get back home,” Mistral spoke up. “So, who wants to spar? I need to burn off some energy.”
“I will spar with you,” Lucius spoke up. “There is a large area in the back of the house that would be perfect for it.”
“Great, let’s go,” Mistral agreed excitedly. “I hate sitting still.”
“Don’t we all,” Blaise stated as he followed them outside. He was hoping to get a little of the action as well. He felt jittery and unsettled being so far away from Harry. He needed to find ways to make the next day go by quickly.