"Little Nymph… Little Nymph… Time to wake up..."

The deep black nothingness I was seeing gently faded to colour as a soft voice flittered through my consciousness. My dream slowly morphing into the image of a small brick house, a little pig with curly hair was inside. She slammed the door shut and as I watched two wolves appeared at the locked door, one pale gold and the other pitch black.

"Antoinette…" The pig took my shape, and suddenly I was seeing everything through her eyes. I braced myself against the door, through the window I could see the wolves change from animal to man and start banging on it again, this time with closed fists.

"Why won't she wake up?" Frowning slightly, I wished the voices away and watched as the door broke down between myself and the men.

"She's dreaming…" The once-wolf-men circled around me, strange garbled sounds coming from their mouths.

A chuckle resonated around the room and the walls started melting and fading away slowly. Sensing something was wrong the wolf-men snarled at the roof and rushed towards me, screaming I jolted back.

Hands gripped my shoulders and it took me a moment to realize I had woken up. Shoving the touch away I shuffled backwards in the bed, my back smacked against the headboard behind me. Panting heavily I stared at the snakes standing at the foot of the bed.

"Interesting dream." Riddle's fingers tapped against the wooden frame, "We're wolves in her eyes."

"What?" Clearly confused, Malfoy frowned at me. "I know we haven't exactly been pleasant to you, but we intend to change all of that."

Still Wolves, wolves that creepily watch in on other people's nightmares… throat dry as a desert I rubbed my eyes, trying to stop the world from spinning. "Why am I here." Glancing around I could see my trunk and personal items stacked against a wall, "why are my things here?"

"For the same reason mine are little Nymph." Malfoy gestured towards the other side of the wall, a black trunk with silver serpent buckles was leaning against it. "Tom thought it might help your... condition, if we were to stay in close proximity to you."

"You and Malfoy will stay in the Head Dorms from now on." Riddle sat down on the bed, a seemingly harmless look on his face.

"What about the Head Girl?" My voice came out in a sad little squeak, reminding me again of my dream. There be wolves about…

Chuckling Malfoy flicked an imaginary piece of lint off his robes, "Miss Irons will be staying in the Slytherin dorms from now on."

"It wasn't difficult to figure out a way to get you to still appear to be living in your Hufflepuff dorm." Riddle placed a small silver ring on the duvet, waving his hand at it he muttered under his breath. The ring seemed to melt and then reform in the shape of two snakes twirling around one another, they met in the middle and opened their mouths. Tiny fangs shot out and between them a black stone appeared, it was perfectly balanced between the sharp teeth.

Malfoy huffed under his breath, "show off."

Smirking Riddle picked up the snake ring and held it out to me, warily I held out my hand and let him drop it onto my palm. It was freezing.

"This ring, when worn, will instantly apparate you to this room when you say the word 'Aenigma'." I glared down at the little silver band, promising myself I would never put it on. "All you need to do is close your bed curtains and say those words, and you will find yourself here. Your fellow Hufflepuff's will simply assume that you have retired for the night, I imagine you often close those curtains and they don't see you until the morning."

"She won't wear the ring, why would she?" Grumbled Malfoy.

"There is no reason for her to not want to be here with us, no logical reason at least." Pushing himself up from the bed Riddle summoned his robe from where it was hanging. "Care to explain? Malfoy is a little slower than you or I."

Spluttering a little in mock fury, Malfoy grabbed one of the many books littered about and tossed it at Riddle. The book turned to ash before it could hit him, and then reappeared where it had been taken from. Smiling the blond looked back at me, one perfectly formed brow raised in question. "Yes little Mudblood, please explain?"

Hand clenched around the ring I considered the many ways I could refuse to wear this. Fling it back at Riddle, make the wiser decision and aim for the burning fireplace, or simply tell them to shove it up their self-entitled asses. But I also knew Riddle was right. "I'll wear it and stay here because it will mean longer before I will have to feed, or be forced to feed." I summoned a little glare at Riddle. "I'll sleep on the chaise."

Snorting Malfoy effortlessly pulled himself up from the chair, he seemed stronger today then he had been all week. As did his Master, if that display of magic was anything to go by. "See how long that attitude lasts once you start to feel hungry again." Waggling his eyebrows like a deranged dog, Malfoy straightened the tie around his neck.

I hated myself for nearly smiling.

"Get dressed Antoinette, we need to get to breakfast." Riddle waved his hand, my clothes floated from my trunk and onto the bed. "We'll wait for you downstairs. Unless you'd rather us stay…" at my outraged look they both laughed and headed for the door. "Don't frown so much little Nymph, we prefer you when you smile." Before I could come up with what would have been a very snappy comeback they were gone. Relaxing my brow I opened my clenched fist and stared at the little ring sitting there. The two snakes were obviously Riddle and Malfoy, didn't take a genius to figure that out, but the tiny stone in the middle was what confused me. It symbolized me, but that wasn't the confusing part. It was the fact that while it was held between the fangs of the snakes, they weren't holding it violently, just protecting it. I huffed out a breath, forced to consider the fact that perhaps they weren't going to hurt me. Don't be fooled…

Gritting my teeth I shoved the ring onto my finger, it fit perfectly damn them. I felt a rush of comfort having it on, unnerved by this I tried to pull it off. It wouldn't budge. "Damned snakes enchanted it," grunting a little I tried once more before giving up. I needed to find some way to outsmart them, something that would catch them off guard.

"Ice." The centaur from the Forbidden Forest, he clearly knows more about Nymphs than me. Might even be able to help me understand and control what is happening, and I was willing to bet he knew how to stop this Fated Mates thing from happening. Finally having at least the beginnings of a plan in mind, plan for what I have no idea. Elated I practically threw on my robes and scurried down the stairs to the Heads common room, forcing myself not to smirk in triumph when I got downstairs. Malfoy and Riddle were already waiting for me by the exit, they watched amused as I walked straight past them and into the hallway.

"Ignoring us?" Malfoy slid up next to me as I turned a corner. There weren't many other students around, but the ones that were looked at us strange. Apparently word of my new 'protectors', hadn't reached everybody.

"N—No." Refusing to look at them I hurried down a flight of stairs and hoped that they hadn't noticed my little word stumble.

A hand gripped onto my robes around my wrist and pulled me to a stop, nearly tripping over I was saved from the embarrassment when Malfoy wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me back.

"Woah there, do you always have to fall over?"

Only when grabbed, hexed or tripped up I do. "No."

"Antoinette." I jumped, having forgotten for a second the hand around my wrist. Riddle was frowning down at me, damn. "If you want the hexing to stop you need to at least walk with us to and from classes."

Shaking them off of me, I raised a brow, why?

Smiling Malfoy pushed some of my hair behind my ear, ignoring my flinch. "Who would dare try something with us around?"

Riddle pulled on my wrist a little, effortlessly sliding me back between the two of them. Sighing I did my best to ignore them as we finished our walk to the Great Hall. Most of the tables were full of students, they were laughing and shoving food into their mouths like nothing was wrong in the world. But then why would they care that my world had been turned on its axis…

The general exuberant cheer in the room seemed to fade out as we entered. It wasn't silent but I could feel far too many eyes on us as I was guided to the Slytherin table. The snakes were already glaring at me, an entire table of angry eyes made me falter in my step.

"I can't…" pulling back on the hand holding my wrist I forced my guards to a standstill. I knew that they couldn't force me to sit with them, not here, it was too public. So refusing to look them in the eyes I practically yanked myself away and made my way to my normal seat. I could hear the students around me whispering as I not-so-gracefully 'walked' between the tables, a few even giggled. Jennifer gestured me towards her, and my usual seat. She nervously looked behind me, I assumed at Malfoy and Riddle. The second I was close she pulled me down next to her.

"Don't look back." Mumbling under her breath she piled my plate high with food, strangely though I wasn't at all hungry.

My hand shook as I picked up a fork. "Are they mad?"

Snorting she bit into a piece of bacon and looked back over her shoulder, "Spitting. Haven't seen Riddle with that look in his eyes since he found out you were at Beauxbatons." Groaning softly I fought the urge to look back. "It's ok, they sat down with their little group."

"Jennifer?"

"Mmmhmm?"

"I need a favour…" Cracking my knuckles, I eyed the door.

"Distraction?"

"Yup."

A small smirk lingered in the corner of her mouth. "On it."

I knew this wouldn't take long, Jenny always had a talent for trouble. Sure enough, after a few flicks of her wand under the table and some muttered words, gigantic spiders started to gradually scamper up from under the tables and around the top of it. Their large legs tripping over unsuspecting hands and into plates of food. Quickly what started as one scream turned into many, as girls and boys alike threw themselves backwards from the tables in a mad scamper. Letting myself get taken up in the crowd of panicking students I ducked down a little and lowered my head, I could somehow feel that Malfoy and Riddle were searching for me through the madness. As the mob exited the Great Hall I pushed my way to the side and ducked down behind a statue. I all but stopped breathing as I somehow felt when Riddle and Malfoy stormed past. Freaky new senses, no doubt sensing when they were near would become quite a useful ability though. Once they were out of my range, I darted out from behind the statue and made my way through the practically empty halls until I reached the courtyard. I didn't stop to admire the view, like I usually do, of the foreboding hills and mountains surrounding Hogwarts. Simply making a quick beeline for the forest, I stumbled only slightly when I past the Gamekeepers cottage. Before I even reached the forest I could feel something different about it. A deep longing started in my stomach and spread outwards as the trees started to surround me as I walked further in, they wanted me here. The further in I walked the stronger the feeling became until I was practically vibrating with the need to throw off my clothes and dance with the silent giants. Now is not the time to embrace my sudden nudity kink… Fighting back the urge to strip layers I finally stopped walking when I entered a clearing, the clearing Ice had told me to come to if I needed to speak to him. The forest towered above and all around me, and a small creek trickled somewhere to my left.

"Why do you fight it?" Yelping at the unexpected voice I nearly fell over my own feet. Ice walked out from a thicket of bushes, he was alone this time. "The forest calls to you, begs for you, yet you ignore her?" His voice betrayed the anger he was feeling.

"I'm not ignoring the forest." Taking a deep breath I forced out the next words. "I'm here for help, guidance Ice."

The anger vanished from his face and he moved closer, his nostrils flared and his brows raised in surprise. "You have found your mates."

I stiffened at the title Ice gave them. I was still unused and terrified at the idea of it, hearing it said out loud by another was almost enough to make me break down and scream. "I don't want them."

Ice snorted and stamped his feet, "You cannot escape your mates. Not since the beginning of your kind has a Nymph changed their fate without terrible consequence."

"You don't understand Ice, they're evil." Ice still looked confused, as if the idea of evil mates wasn't a terrible thing. "T—they've tormented me since I came to this school. Locked me up, tortured me, and alienated me from everyone who might have been kind to me." I plonked myself down on the ground, my fingers curled in the dirt and grass instinctively. "You can't help me can you…" crestfallen that my last chance of changing my 'fate' was gone, I wanted nothing more than to let the ground swallow me.

Sighing softly Ice moved his large body to mine and settled down on the ground next to me. I had never seen a Centaur sitting, it was a little awkward looking but Ice seemed comfortable enough. "Do you know why Nymphs have True Mates?"

"They need the protection of a powerful creature, so they choose the strongest one or ones around them—" I was all ready to reel off what I knew about Mates when Ice interrupted.

"No." He softened his voice when I jumped. "This is a common lie conjured up by foolish Wizard arrogance. Nymphs are magic, everything about you is connected to the nature that surrounds you. One cannot be powerless when you draw your power from an unending source. But such power comes at a cost." Ice looked down at my hands, I followed his gaze. My hands were surrounded by vines, as I watched they slowly wrapped themselves around my wrists and pulled me deeper into the ground. Startled I yanked them back and the vines fell away. "Nature is greedy, she can feel your strength and wants it for herself."

And suddenly, like a light had been switched on, I understood why Nymphs had True Mates. "It's not their protection we need, it's their love."

Ice nodded, "It will keep you anchored to this world, give you a reason to stay connected to it and not become a part of Nature."

"No." Panic gripped me, this meant that I wasn't Fated for Malfoy and Riddle because of their strength, but because something beyond my understanding had decided that they would become my only reason for staying connected to my world and not sink into the ground…literally.

"You must understand Nymph, when you feed from them you can take from their Natural Magic. It means you will not need to take from Nature and she will not become jealous and sense you."

"What about Planting?! You asked me when we met if I meant to 'Plant' myself." Maybe he thought I meant to give myself to Nature.

Ice chuckled. "Planting merely means you are connecting to the forest and her creatures, sensing and commanding them. It requires no magic, as it would be an honour to follow the wishes of a Nymph and protect them."

With those words I felt a little safer, and placed my hands back onto the ground. The vines that had sunk back into the ground snaked back up and around my hands. I could feel it now that I wasn't panicking, they weren't going to harm me. "What would happen if Nature took me?"

A sad look entered Ice's eyes, "You would be enveloped by the earth. First your soul and then your body."

Owch… "So I can Plant myself here, like this?" I gestured to my vine wrapped hands. "And I won't get sucked any further in?"

"Until you start to take magic from the earth, Nature will sense this and pull you in."

"And that's when I need to think of my 'mates'. The thought of them will draw me back?"

"Correct."

Huffing out a breath, I concentrated on the ground around me. I could feel most of the things around me in the clearing. The pulse from the trees, not unlike a heartbeat, as they pulled in sunlight. And the literal heartbeat of Ice sitting next to me. But there was something else there, it somehow felt like a golden string of pure energy. Something told me I wouldn't be able to even attempt to pull on it.

"You are not yet fully Mated Nymph, I would not test your strength in controlling and taking from Nature just yet."

"I won't ever be fully Mated, I can't be with those two Ice. I won't be."

The Centaur next to me sighed and stood, a surprisingly graceful movement for one so big. "If you do not accept them your magic will all but fade away. Without their Natural Magic the only way you can use your power will be to syphon it from Nature, and without them to ground you back to this world you will be swallowed whole by Her." Moving away Ice tilted his head to the side, sensing something. "They are coming Nymph. I would suggest, if they are as powerful and 'evil' as you claim, that you consider telling them the truth."

"If I do that then they will force the Mating." The vines released my hands as I scrambled up.

Ice started back towards the edge of the clearing, intending to be gone before Malfoy and Riddle found me. "Forgive me for saying so Nymph, but you need their Magic and this forest needs you. Complete the Mating, Antoinette, for your own sake."

And he was gone, seeming to melt back into the Forest as if he had never left it. Without my hands Planted I couldn't sense much around me except for the trees, but I could feel the familiar sensation of Riddle and Malfoy's magic coming closer. They would be in the clearing in minutes, and I had two options. Run or accept whatever punishment they decided to unleash upon me. I wasn't naïve enough to believe that they wouldn't be furious at me, True Mates or not they were nothing if not men of their word and they had promised punishment if I ran away again. Twitching with the need to escape my eyes darted towards the path Ice had taken. I could lose them in there…

They were nearly here, I could feel their footsteps vibrating the forest floor. I was undecided on what to do up until the second I saw them enter the clearing. When their furious eyes met mine I made my decision. RUN.

I am so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, I really do need to wait for the right mood to write and it only really came upon me in the last two hours. I hope you liked this chapter, and I really hope it makes sense. Please let me know if it doesn't and I will correct what I can and try and make it better. Oh and I wanted to ask if anybody, with better grammar skills than I, would like to BETA this for me. I am pretty good with ideas, I just can't really manage the rest of it without mistake. So anyway, if anybody wants to lend me a hand it would be amazing and you'd get to read new chapters before anybody else, which is kinda cool I guess.

Ok to finish off I want to thank you all for your patience and kind and useful reviews, and please tell me what you think of this chapter.

Xoxo

Future