…"How dare you!" she hissed venomously at the council member lying sprawled on the floor, shocked by her unexpected blow. "I was perfectly happy with Draco the first time & you took me away from him to satisfy your outdated, control freak urges to see the entire Veela race under your pathetic, weak grip. I had to kill three of your other contestants." she spat the word at him. "I snapped the French one's neck. I impaled the German on a tree branch & left him there to bleed to death & your wretched little Greek minion? I had to rip his head right off with my bare hands to stop him from cursing my mate."

The middle aged man looked up at her, horrified. She continued her furious rant regardless. "& now, when you have no choice but to accept a Dark Veela as my mate, when you could have killed me & my mate by sending rabid out of control Doms after me, now you ask me if I have anything to say? I had plenty to say when you declared Draco's claim void!" she wrenched the collar of her robe away from the bite marks at her throat, exposing them to the gaping Veela. The newest bite mark below the previous two was still raw & throbbing & the brush of silk against it sent a sensual shiver through her, though she hid it well. "Not that you listened. I am thrice claimed, old man; be damned with your rules & customs, I am marked & shall remain thus. Draco is my mate & has proven himself worthier than all your Light Doms put together!"

The councillor had struggled to his feet, pale wings flapping weakly to balance him. She stalked closer, watching the coward flinch back against the stonework wall. "& we are not to be collected by plebeian messengers like you as if we were errant children or dogs. We are more powerful than any of you councillors put together. We will return when-no-if we are ready; not before. & if you dare try to force us to do anything else for your own selfish gains & goals, I will see the Veela council disbanded do you hear me?"

Mr Grayling, shaking like a leaf, nodded hastily. hermione narrowed her eyes. "the only reason I didn't kill you on site, Minister, is because I want you to tell the rest of your puny council what I have decreed. Do not think yourself above my fury simply because I have allowed you to live; you are simply more useful to me with your heart still within your chest. I would not hesitate to leave your mate a widow if not for this little mission, Minister, as your council was so ready to make one of me."

Another deadly glare & hermione detected a hint of urine in the close confines of the mating room; Grayling had wet himself. "I hope you have understood the importance of my displeasure with the Veela Council, Mister Grayling. I want nothing to do with them for the rest of my life & if you don't get out now, I will rip your heart out & deliver the message myself; in your blood." Grayling seemed frozen in terror to the spot.

hermione's eyes darkened until they matched her wings which had snapped out; razer sharp & rigid. "I said…'Get. Out…'" hermione's hands moved & black fire collected in front of her. as she spoke, she made a shoving motion & the fire roared into a wall of power. "NOW!" The councillor flew backwards, straight through the window, showering glass shards over the other council members outside & breaking both his outstretched wings as they connected with the frame with a sickening snap & a shriek of pain. A moment later, the glass returned to the frame & the window was made whole again.

hermione turned to her still slumbering blonde mate & smiled, all tension & anger draining away. Entering the silencing spell's field, she ceased to hear the infuriated & indignant shouting still filtering through from outside & curled back up with her Dark Veela. Draco's slumbering face lit up in an unconscious smile at the return of physical contact with his mate & his purrs lulled hermione to the first true sleep she'd had in two weeks. Her last thought was that this was the first proper sleep of the rest of her life with Draco. Her eyes closed & Draco's arms tightened around her as she kissed him softly & smiled.