This chapter was betaed by the wonderful brissygirl to provide a smoother reading experience. All remaining mistakes are my own. See first chapter for disclaimers/additional warnings/summaries.

RECAP:Harry and Co have retired for the night. Jun returns to her Circle to learn that she's been gone for years. Hermione escapes Aiden's clutches with the help of Rian and Briar, where she winds up staying with Matron Oliva. Aiden calls a formal reaping and all the Hellhounds assemble. Back in the WW, Minerva McGonagall has a few reflections on the recent troublesome happenings and witnesses Filch's Torvak side. Grey magic still linger around Hogwarts.

CUNNINGHAM ESTATE : NEVARAH

Lord Cunningham entered his private bedroom in the Alpha section of their large manor, exhaustion was evident in every line of his body as he shut the door firmly behind him and mentally reinforced the wards, before releasing the tight control he'd maintained over his magic and personal aura. Like a rubber band, it joyfully exploded, easing the stifled feeling he'd endured all day for the sake of the Hunt. He was glad to be out of the dining room and away from the young triad that would make it, in spite of everything else. He didn't think he would have been able to keep up appearances for much longer.

In all his years, he never would have expected Maurice Elswood to be the little Submissive's missing mentor. He didn't like what it meant and he really didn't want any of Maurice's private life dragged into the open. Arielle knew the man had been a quiet, intensely private dragel and he would hate the kind of fuss that would likely come with the inquiry into his absence.

With a sigh, Lord Cunningham reached out through his bonds, checking each of his Bonded in turn and Hadrian last. His Circle was fine, bedded down for the night, minus their Sub and Hadrian was keeping watch, as was his wont to do whenever he could feel their restlessness. A quick glance at the bed told him that his guess was accurate, Mariana was waiting for him and he almost smiled at that, before tugging sharply on Hadrian's bond to remind the Gheyo to at least trade watch halfway through the night. Hadrian would stay awake all night unless ordered otherwise at times.

Shaking his head, Lord Cunningham stepped forward. He could feel Mariana's eyes as he approached the bed and stretched out a hand to greet her, with enough time for her to see it and accept or refuse. There was a rustle of the sheets and duvet, before he felt her head beneath his hand, a silent request to be petted.

He smiled and gently stroked her soft, silky hair, glad she'd removed the dreaded hairspray. He had hoped to find her in his bed after the unexpected revelation that evening. They would need to talk. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting, milady." He withdrew, moving over to the shared vanity set to handle his nightly routine. "Did no one offer to keep you company?"

Mariana snorted, her eyes tracking his every move as he went about shucking his formal wear for the less restrictive sleepwear. "They all offered, but I sent them to bed. They'll need the rest." She sighed. "You never keep me waiting anyway. I am perfectly capable of looking out for myself until you are near."

"I would never insinuate otherwise." He said, smoothly.

A moment later he appeared, faintly illuminated by the light over the sink, as he stepped out wearing a pair of pyjama bottoms slung low over his hips. He murmured the word to cancel the illumination spell and made his way back to the bed, smiling when his Submissive held up the covers for him.

Sliding into the warm spot, he settled comfortably and then drew her into his arms, starting faintly when his fingers met sleep-warmed skin. It was the only warning he had before his pyjama bottoms were banished and he sighed at the very obvious hint. "That bad, eh?"

"You have no idea, milord." Mariana nibbled along his neck, marking it to her liking, her fingers sharpening into familiar claws that dug into his shoulders with the right mixture of pleasure-pain. "Try raw inside and out." She whispered. "I thought it wouldn't hurt this much—after all this time—it's been thirty years." She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. "Thirty—bloody—years!"

Lord Cunningham didn't answer straightaway, giving her a chance to speak first. He only held her to him. He knew to read her moods the same as she did for him. They'd had years to learn each other, after all.

"Was it terrible?" She asked, referring to the formal dinner. There was no way on the face of their beloved realm that she would have remained polite enough to suffer through it, but she knew enough to understand that he would have apologized for her abruptness by attending in both of their steads.

"Quite." He smoothed a hand down her side, fingers skimming over familiar, ridged scars. She wore all of hers like a badge of honor. "I'll take it out on you in the practice courts tomorrow." She poked him in agreement and he returned the favor with a pinch instead. "You didn't have to snap at him. He is only a boy."

"No one else would have told him. You saw how they were." She scowled. "He had a right to know and there's nothing that masks how ugly or necessary it may seem to some. It was best to have it over and said." Her eyes glittered at him. "Don't you agree?"

Lord Cunningham hummed in answer, stretching his head back to allow her better access to his neck. She continued to nip and scrape, in short angry bites. He tightened his hold on her, moulding her curves to his muscled frame, one arm curled possessively around her waist.

Of all the things he'd expected today, he hadn't seen that twist coming at all. Maurice Elswood had been a very near and dear friend to his Mariana, even if they rarely met face to face. The letters exchanged between them through the years had become almost legendary among their respective Circles. He would never quite understand what was shared between them, but he respected them both too much to ask. It was private and he had his own secrets, after all. She would never keep necessary information from him and certain things were meant for Submissives alone. "Did you ever think he was alive?"

"Arielle, no." Mariana gave up on ravaging his throat, licking away the last of the blood, before nuzzling the claim mark she'd branded into him, so many years ago through magic and pure need. Their bonding had shaken the entire Shadow Clan with the strength and force of the raw power contained within them. She was lucky. So was he. "I can't believe that—I mean, I hoped. We all did, I think. I knew he would've claimed it. I didn't try to stop him. I-I couldn't." She wrapped her arms around him instead, a tinge of sorrow in her voice making it sound like a growl, more than anything else. "He suffered so much and I couldn't even—I couldn't do a damned thing about it."

"There was nothing we could do." Lord Cunningham gave a bitter laugh. Of all the things that bothered him the most about that tragedy, it was the lack of retribution as there had been little to no information and those responsible had already been rendered lifeless—courtesy of Maurice himself. "There wasn't a single thing either of us could have done. We did try, dearest."

"If he's alive, I'll kill him." She dug her claws into his biceps, her dark eyes reflecting pure misery in the darkness—visible to him, because of their element. "I swear I will."

"If he's alive, he'll let you." Lord Cunningham answered. He didn't wince when she drew more blood with her claws, rather than biting. He knew just what sort of mood she was in. He was rather close to it himself. "It's been thirty years. Statutes are cleared now."

"And would you claim the right?" She demanded. "Would you?"

"If you asked it of me." He said, evenly.

"And if I did?"

"Then I would grant you whatever your heart desired."

"Black as it is?"

"No darker than mine."

A hiccupped sob left her lips as Mariana buried her face in his neck and pulled with her hands, to hint at what she wanted. Her Alpha complied, rolling them over so that his weight was comfortingly settled over her without comment. He kissed the top of her head and opened the bonds between them as wide as he possibly could, sharing her pain and distress.

There were officially two ways to grant Charum Mortus, one was through the official channels of higher authority, as Maurice had done and the other was through the Alpha's signed permission in their final will. He'd signed Mariana's, at her request, upon their bonding night. He didn't need to read her mind through their bond to know what she was thinking. He could feel it the same way that his chest ached with the shared remembrance.

"…Make me forget." She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down, tipping her neck to the side. "Please."

"Mariana-"

"Just for tonight." She arched up beneath him, a clear invitation in every flicker of her magic and kiss of her skin upon his. "Please. I promise I'll be better in the morning, nothing a good fight couldn't fix—I just wasn't expecting this and I didn't—I wasn't prepared. Please."

"Don't promise unnecessary things," he murmured. "You know you need only ask." He touched his cheek to hers, feeling the hot angry tears that spilled over.

"Please…"

He mouthed over the pulsing vein in her neck and stroked the claim mark that was just above her right hip. His own hands shifted and changed as his fingers lengthened into blunted claws, that he trailed along her bare sides. He wouldn't draw blood on her. Not in this state. Never when she was like this. "…I claimed the Alpha's rights in his favor the minute they were free to take." He whispered in her ear. "Be as devious as you like, my little temptress. Know that my shadow is forever yours."

She twisted to capture his lips in a desperate kiss. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you!" Her arms locked tight around his neck. "You could never replace Ryuusen. No more than Maury could ever replace me to you." The tears had vanished as quickly as they'd come. She would process the rest of the emotion in the morning. For now, she wanted whatever her Alpha would give her.

He chuckled darkly. "I am very glad to hear that." The hand stroking along her claim mark, dipped a bit lower.

She parted her legs, willingly and accepted the kiss that came with the intimate caress. "How's Scout?"

"She's found something and it's not good and she's tired." He huffed. "Silly girl. She works herself too hard, but she was practically dancing the moment she knew it was a recon mission."

Mariana laughed softly. "It was her choice and she wouldn't have accepted if she couldn't handle it."

"True," he chuckled. "Did you order Hadrian to keep an eye on the little brat?"

"Not in so many words, no."

"Oh?"

"He's clueless and he needs looking after. Tell me you think I'm wrong and I'll reassign him."

"I didn't say anything."

"Oho. Indeed," she huffed, tugging ineffectively at his neck to communicate that she wanted his mouth elsewhere and not trying to maintain a conversation. "Stop teasing."

"I'm teasing?" he asked, innocently. "I shall stop at once then. Tell me, is it because he's Maury's?"

"Bite me."

"Where?" He asked, wickedly.

"You brute!" She bumped his chin with her forehead, hard enough to hurt. "I refuse to talk about him when we are doing this." She writhed beneath him, eliciting a pleasurable hiss at the sudden friction. "We'll deal with it in the morning. Nothing irreparable can happen before then."

"With our luck?" he smirked. "Want to bet?"

"Shush." Mariana said, fiercely. "Put that mouth of yours to good use and make me scream or I swear I will-"

"Your wish is my command, milady."

WIZARDING WORLD : 4 PRIVET DRIVE

Scout did not like using her contacts for small missions. She really didn't like taking missions when she could be home, loving and being loved, by the rest of her Circle. She was due for a celebrate-Scout-day and she'd been looking forward to it. Like most of the Shadow kind, she'd given up her birthday in favor of the day when she'd joined her Circle, a day that would be celebrated in place of it, from then on out. The Hunt usually meant that they could rest for a while, so the resting units could have a chance to prove their strengths. It often meant very full nights and very busy days, with lots of training and bonding to be had for all of them.

But she had been able to read something in Hadrian's gaze when he'd come to fetch her. Granted, she'd never seen the man with his mask off, but his eyes were so expressive, it was almost as if he didn't need to speak at all. Hearing her Alpha's request had stirred up a bit of curiosity inside of her, so when Hadrian had asked for a volunteer to scout, she'd raised her hand. It sounded interesting and she couldn't help wanting to know more.

Granted, her name was Scout, after all, she had earned it—but it was still nice to be asked and not assumed that she desired every single little reconnaissance mission because of it. Now, she made her way to the edge of Nevarah where the shadows met the Void where nothing lived or died. It was here that all Shadow types came to pay what few respects they had and where they learned to Realmwalk.

She hummed to herself, off-key in the eerie silence, but the sound only translated into a soft vibration running through her. She had given up her hearing for a gift from the Shadow guardians that refused to be caspered beings, yet still looked over their own elemental kind. She had traded her mortal, natural hearing for the ability to hear anything unearthly and otherworldly, a valuable asset in her given field of work.

On the battlefield, she could efficiently and expertly help to plot and plan out a suitable course of action, while gathering the kind of information that would put others at great risk. Now, she held out her hands, palms up, chin to her chest, silently asking the Void if she could step through from Nevarah to the planet Earth, specifically, to the coordinates her Alpha had planted in her mind.

There was a twist and shift from the myriad of shadows stretched out before her, a spot where grey met black and only the vaguest of hints and shapes could be seen. After several long, empty minutes, the shadows reached out to her, caressing her palms and teasing about her face.

She smiled and closed her eyes.

When the portal drew her in, the pain was excruciating.

When the portal ended, all discomfort vanished with it.

Scout found herself hovering in mid-air, suspended by her personal shadows, staring down on a strange set of houses in neat little rows on a brilliantly lit street.

Ah. That wouldn't do at all.

Tipping her head to the side, Scout mouthed the words that would summon the native shadows to her side. As they came, she lowered herself to perch atop a lamp post, snuffing out the illumination within, settling down for the night. The first rule of information gathering was always to observe for a full twenty-four hour cycle.

She sighed and crossed her legs, propping up her chin with one hand. Unless something significant happened—life-threatening or realm-shattering—she would sit, watch and wait, until a full day had passed. During the allotted time, she would see the natural, everyday routines of those present and thus be able to offer specifically tailored suggestions when she returned.

When the last of the shadows in the area came to her, Scout snuffed out the rest of the line for that street and stretched out her dragel senses, checking to see if there were any dragel signs present. She hadn't felt any immediate distress or any friendly magical signatures, so if there was anything present, it was well hidden or long gone.

The faintest of magical tingles returned to her and Scout frowned. It had come from the house, and they were very thin, barely-there, wards. They would be a flimsy magical barrier, scarcely useful for protecting anything, even a pet. Her brow furrowed. That was not good.

Rolling her shoulders back, uneasily, Scout drew her magic back and wrapped it tightly around herself.

Twenty-four hours couldn't pass fast enough.

Twenty-four hours passed with mind-numbing boredom. So did the next and the next. By the time the third day came into play, she knew that it was time to contact her Circle. There was something terribly wrong here and she needed more eyes and ears to help sort it all out.

The first day, Scout had amused herself by continually filtering through the magical web she'd cast over the street and the house, recording every minute change that registered. She tuned in to the mental link of her Alpha, listening to the occasional tidbits that he fed her as the evening and dinner progressed. Time passed from there on. Following their interactions through the Hunt. It eased the monotony somewhat as Lord Cunningham was not well-known for the very powerful mental abilities that he was born with.

Blue runes carved into her arms, burned bright and strong, as time meshed together-courtesy of a certain one of their Jokers, a rune master. She was kept up to date with the official things happening in Nevarah, while they were aware that she was present and fine. The runes and the occasional shared tidbit through her Circle bonds eased the monotony somewhat. Lord Cunningham was not well-known for the very powerful mental abilities that he was born with, but he was finely tuned to her-if she needed him to come, he would. If she needed all of them, then they would.

It was this hidden talent meant that their entire Circle could literally operate on the military precision they did, running off good, solid intel and not just pure instinct and raw magic. He kept them all informed and involved, continually drawing their Circle closer together in every possible way. Between him and Mariana, Scout knew she was lucky.

That was one of the reasons she'd squirmed inside since witnessing the little moment between them when Maurice Elswood had been mentioned. They did tend to play off of each other, they had been bonded for decades, after all, but it never failed to make her twitchy when they were out of sync. She hoped they would settle it before she saw them again.

Granted, it didn't happen too often, but they were strong personalities with equally stubborn tendencies and sometimes, reconciliation was at least a week in happening. A week, because that was how long it took for the daily sparring matches during the week, to build up to the weekend tournaments between them.

Anything that couldn't be settled through a mind meld or in the bedroom, could be easily duked out in the sparring ring—no holds barred. Scout rolled her neck around to the side, testing her limbs in turn, so as not to give away her position, but not to lose feeling in said limbs either. Sometimes, she would employ the use of a self-inflicted paralysis spell to ensure that she was appropriately motionless and therefore undetected by the parties she'd been sent to observe, but as far as she could tell, the house at 4 Privet Drive was empty. There was the vaguest hint that something might have been there, but no matter how hard she tried to verify that, it was such a faint wisp that she could not properly grasp it.

At least, there had been no one moving about inside and no one had come to check anything. The slight tingle from the faint wards still bugged her, but Lord Cunningham had warned her not to investigate alone. She was to take note of everything and inform him if there was something off and call for back-up, if necessary.

Given that they had been discussing the tragedy of Maurice Elswood, Scout was not about to complain. She could still feel Mariana's distress through the shared bonds and it made her twitchy as she'd waited for the stupid dinner to be over. The sooner that Lord Cunningham could excuse himself, the sooner that Mariana would be at ease and in turn, the rest of their Circle.

When she felt the twin threads of warmth, passion and contentment filtering through the bonds, Scout smiled, relaxing at last, knowing that her Lord and Lady had managed to solve their differences for a touchy subject without allowing their tempers to run away with each other. That was good. Her only regret was not being home and therefore eligible for a romp of her own.

Her foot twitched again and Scout made a face, slowly shifting to stand atop her lamp post perch. She mentally reached out into the magical web cast about the street and the house, before drawing on the shadows to lift her up overhead. She had entered in the nighttime and now that the day was there, it was time to release the shadows.

The moment her internal clock chimed, Scout drew in a deep breath and forcefully blew it out.

Shadows streaked down from her darkened figure, pooling on the ground before they slithered off to their natural spaces.

Scout waited until she felt them settle and then floated a bit higher into the sky. She was invisible from non-magical eyes and cloaked to anyone who wasn't dragel, as it wouldn't do to be seen. Peering down at the odd, cookie-cutter little neighborhood, her stomach clenched tight and her mouth grew dry at the sight that greeted her.

She hadn't seen this before. It hadn't been visible.

For a moment, Scout could not react to the sudden, unexpected chill that washed over her. She reached both hands up to her ears and covered them, palms flat against her head. Horror coursed through her as she tripped her own internal trigger for her special ability to activate and verify what her eyes were seeing.

And then she heard it.

Faint, but present.

Tortured cries, anguished pleas, a ghostly echo of a battle that had taken place directly over 4 Privet Drive. She could not see the replay of whatever had happened, that was not what her gift did. But she could piece together what dastardly business had taken place here. It made her sick to her stomach.

A mental poke through her bonds alerted her to her Circle's immediate worry, as they'd felt her intense reaction to the new realization.

SCOUT! Lord Cunningham's mental shout was the first to reach her.

I'm fine, Alpha. She sent back. But you'll want to see this. She trembled, faintly, her mind working to process what she'd learned in addition to the evidence that was now visible, even as her body reacted.

See what? Mariana asked, curious and sated from her earlier activities. Can't you project it, darling?

Did he live here? The boy? Scout asked.

He did, though now that you mention it, I don't believe he was very happy about saying so. Lord Cunningham answered.

How could he be? Scout said, bitterly. How could anyone be happy here?

Scout?

There's a beacon here. Scout said, first, because she honestly didn't know where else to start. Her hands clenched into fists as she dropped them from her ears and let them hang at her sides, quivering with suppressed rage. Someone was hunting him—actively hunting him. There's a bloody beacon on his home!

Scout winced with the immediate feedback that came from her entire Circle. She muted her mental links to prevent a headache as they all expressed their opinions over her discovery and asked for verification. She waited until the chatter died down and then sent back the proof that was now before her.

There was another pause and Scout had no doubts that she was about to be swamped and assisted in the same breath. The only time there was ever such a quiet pause meant that Mariana was scheming, plotting or otherwise putting her devious mind to work. Mariana had not earned her fearsome reputation by staying quiet and keeping still—no, hers was a legacy bathed in blood from a revenge well-executed. Another shudder rippled through her and Scout squared her shoulders, mentally counting down from ten and reminding herself that she could not afford to let her emotions interfere while active on a mission. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Scout, darling? Mariana fairly purred through the mental links.

Yes, milady?

Have you anything to say?

It was a trick question of sorts-there were special answers for things like this. Scout didn't hesitate. Asuelia.

There was a beat and then Mariana's terse reply. Stay where you are. Anchor yourself for a time jump. We'll come to you. Monitor everything until we arrive and sort out any doubts you have about the information you've obtained. I want a clear, concise and accurate report when I see you.

Scout perked up, glad to have been right about the pause. After all of this time, she wanted company. She did not want to stay here by herself. Company meant comfort—and possibly a conscience. The fear was bleeding away to anger, a dark, uncontrollable urge to hunt and slaughter the ones who had dared place a beacon on a dragel child's home and she could not afford to give into that side of her nature—yet. She made herself focus on Mariana's orders and then she had to double-check. We?

We. Lord Cunningham said, decisively. Stay out of sight and do as her ladyship says. Keep eyes on them if there are any individuals present. Do not let me find that you have done otherwise, else I shall be most displeased.

I would never disobey you, Alpha.

Good girl. We're on our way.

Breathe, darling. Mariana added. We'll be right there—I promise.

CUNNINGHAM ESTATE : NEVARAH

"Mariana?" Lord Cunningham asked, sitting up and allowing the covers to pool around his waist. Blue runes inscribed along his exposed body shone brightly in their bedroom, dimming as he began to gather himself together. They were aligned with Scout's earth-time, due to a very specific detail from one of their Nameless Jokers. His talent was yet another one of their hidden secrets and it was why he had meant for Scout to take the mission to earth to find out more about Harry.

Mariana had rolled out of bed the moment she'd cut the mental connection to Scout and there was a grim look on her face. She shivered in the coolness of the night air and waved a hand at the shadows, calling her armor to her. Her own blue runes flared and fizzled. There was something deeper and darker at work here-something that had made Scout breathe one of their safewords. "This is worse than we thought, isn't it?" She asked, softly. Her earlier funk had passed and she was more in tune with herself now.

He slid out from the tangle of covers and moved to stand behind her. He bent to kiss her shoulder and then her neck, trailing kisses up to her cheek as he wrapped his arms around her and offered his warmth while her shadows gathered together. "So it would seem. A beacon is serious business."

"Indeed. It's been years since I've heard of an active one in place—someone must have—on earth? Really?" Mariana shook her head. "They shouldn't have been able to sense him, especially if he was wizard-born and wizard-raised, that would mean that someone outside of the home—forced his inheritance to come out." She twisted, turning in his arms, her face lifted for more of his light kisses. "That's never good."

"It means we're looking for someone that's managed to stay well-hidden for years," Lord Cunningham agreed. It would be a headache to investigate, but they would investigate just the same. Having heard Harry's story, there were so many things wrong with it, that he'd actively fought his instincts to keep from joining the newly formed group of protectors he'd found in the Deveraines. They'd obviously taken the young man under their care.

Mariana hummed, swaying gently in his arms. "You know, there's probably going to be a reaping tonight. I could actually feel the Fabrine moving about on the edges of the Void. That's never good." She leaned back to look at his face. "Once we step through, it's probably not a good idea to come back—not without answers anyway."

"You're probably right," he agreed.

"To which one?"

"Both. You're always right," he chuckled.

"Of course I am," she said. "Has it been a week or less?"

"Maybe three days. The timelines will meld when we meet her. Make sure he knows that."

"He knows, he always knows. It's not the kind of gift you can ignore," Mariana murmured. "But I will remind him." She had already sent out a mental pull to the Joker in question. His answering pulse of warmth filtered through their shared bonds. Mariana smiled inwardly to herself, returning her mind to the present. One hand slid free to twine itself in her hair, holding her steady for the comforting press of his lips. "I'll ask Thorne about a reaping and we can leave here—squared off. Is there anything else?"

"Good. Thank you." He slid one hand free to twine itself in her hair, holding her steady for the comforting press of his lips. "I'll ask Thorne about a reaping and we can leave here—squared off. Is there anything else?"

She wiggled her fingers, the room lighting a few shades brighter as more shadows crept out to cling to her. "No. That helps. I'll wake the others as well."

"Everyone?" he asked, double-checking. They had several other roaming Jokers that hadn't reported in for a few months or years, but almost everyone else was there. He was asking whether their entire Circle was turning out as a show of strength on high alert, or whether they were turning out to actively hunt. There was a massive difference between the two, but a full hunt couldn't be authorized unless sanctioned by a Royal—not for them, anyway. Mariana's reputation alone required royal permission for her to do more than sneeze, some days.

From the slight thread of worry, then complete fury that he'd felt from Scout, he knew that there would be no more resting for some time. Anything that disturbed any of his Bonded on such a level, did not deserve to reside in the plane of the living. He had accurately felt and seen her horror in the shared images and emotions over the beacon on 4 Privet Drive. It had wakened an urge to search and destroy, until Scout was back to herself—no matter how fleeting the moment of worry had been.

He had no delusions as to how Mariana felt, she was even more sensitive to such things than he was. The moment she'd caught Scout's tangent, she'd startled out of a deep sleep, her mind already working in spite of only just waking. She could not maintain the same constant mental links that he did, but she was quite intimately tuned to his mental capabilities and if something was wrong, then she would know.

"Everyone," she said, slowly. "I'll summon the missing ones. Do you think we're overreacting?"

"You, my dearest?" He shook his head, decisively. "Never you." He released her from the embrace, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I trust your judgment and history itself agrees with me. Light a fire under our wandering stragglers, if you must. Let's not keep our girl waiting."

Mariana half-smiled and nodded. She paused halfway to the bedroom door as the shadows wrapped around her body begun to mold themselves into heavy-duty armor, rich, dark magic pouring off of it. The transformation took several moments and when it finished, she tossed her head, clicking out of the room on deadly high heels.

Lord Cunningham smiled to himself, listening until he could no longer make out her footsteps, before he retreated to sit on the edge of the bed. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mental links for one of the favored Shadow Clan lords belonging to the Hellhound courts, one Thorne Macaslan. If there was a reaping tonight, then Thorne would know.

Mariana tapped softly on the door that led to the manor's rooftop balcony, the only hint of warning before she turned the knob and stepped out to see the lovely wide space. She'd roused her entire Circle, saving their hired hand for last. Hadrian had his own ways and quirks. She wouldn't have taken him on, their Circle was quite closely-knit after all, but then she'd caught sight of the haunted look in his pitch black eyes and her heart had melted. She could no more have ignored him than he could have refused her spontaneous offer to secure his services.

"Hadrian?" she called, softly.

The Gheyo in question was perched on the corner of the balcony, sitting on the railing, gazing down at the estate. He turned at her approach and immediately slid off the rail to stand, holding his hands out, palms up. The last time she'd sought him out, it was for a very thorough scolding and punishment detail for running himself so far into to the ground, it had taken all six of their Healer Gheyos to bring him back up to a safe place.

She hadn't been happy, Lord Cunningham hadn't been happy and Hadrian had bravely weathered their combined displeasure with a significant amount of discomfort. Now, he made an effort to stay within her good graces and was rewarded for his consideration with small tokens and the occasional concession. Somehow, it was sweeter than when he'd wandered alone, roaming from place to place, stopping only for the odd duel here and there.

"I've only been watching," he said. "Nothing else." She'd asked him to cut down on his practices when his magic levels had spontaneously spiked. He was to spend the time in meditations instead, to fine-tune his control so the power would stay.

"So I see," she said. She took his hands turned them over, inspecting each one and feeling for any new callouses that would compromise his story. There were none and no signs of a recent healing either. She held his hands up to her face and nuzzled them gently, watching when he relaxed at the gesture and finally returned her smile. "What's on your mind?"

He sighed, allowing the hug that followed, leaning forward to rest his chin atop her head. "Too much," he said, truthfully. "The night is so restless, I can feel it under my skin."

She chuckled. "You and me both. I wondered if you'd sleep tonight."

Hadrian snorted. "Sleep? Who could sleep on such a night as this?" His arms came up to rest on her waist, his hands light.

"True," she agreed, leaning back to study his face. "You tuned out a few hours ago and I-"

A delightful blush painted itself across Hadrian's face and he quickly took a step back, his arms returning to his sides. "I ah," he began, flustered. "It was something of-"

Mariana stifled a smile, taking pity on him. They were a tight-knit Circle, for all that they were Militaristic. While she could block the empathic feedback through their links and shared bonds during shared moments with her Alpha, she'd long ago learned it was something of a comfort to the others—even if it did make a few of them all hot and bothered.

"You are contracted to us, not bonded," she said, knowingly. "You are more than welcome to excuse yourself from such things. Next time, I'll prod you a bit so you can rejoin the conversation—afterwards. I'll have to give you a short summary."

"Has something happened?"

"Scout's discovered something—troubling."

Hadrian's brow furrowed. "Troubling?" He knew she'd been sent to investigate things and he hadn't expected to hear anything back for some time.

Mariana held up a hand. After a moment, he leaned down, his chin nestled in her palm, just the right height for their foreheads to touch. The mind-meld began almost at once. Hadrian shuddered as the initial connection was established and then information flooded across the open mental passageway. When the connection was broken, he took a step back to brace on the rail.

"A beacon?" There was something odd in his voice. "On his home? That young submissive?"

"Yes. We're heading over there now and if it is what I fear it may be, then it will be some time before we—return." Her lips quirked into a semblance of a smile. "Quite some time."

Hadrian's dark eyes glittered. "You're not taking me with you," he stated, picking up instantly on what wasn't said.

"No, I am not." Mariana said, simply.

A flicker of disappointment flitted across his face, but it vanished almost at once as his expression smoothed out into a blank mask. "Have I done something else to displease you in some way?"

"Ach, no. No, darling. This is not a punishment." Mariana reached out to tweak his nose, smiling at the reaction elicited. "My lord tells me there's a reaping tonight."

Hadrian's head snapped up. He made the connection between that a bit faster than the first.

Her own dark eyes matched the glimmer reflected in his. "Keep an eye on that young submissive," her lips twitched. "They don't have a Gheyo and they don't know anyone. The Deveraines will be taking care of their own, most likely and while it may occur to them to send some sort of help over—those three are so new and wet behind the ears, I doubt the place is properly warded against Fabrine."

A quick nod came from Hadrian. He remembered the genuine emotion reflected in the vivid forest-green eyes of Harry. He'd been fighting the instinctive itch to protect the young submissive from the moment he'd laid eyes on him. There was just something about the quiet strength that he exuded, the calm weariness around him and the natural dragel allure that made him absolutely enticing. Fingers snapped in front of his face and he flinched backward, unable to help the trademark scowl that surfaced from the unwanted interruption.

Mariana's eyes danced, a sign that she was laughing—and most likely laughing at his expense—but there was also a hint of knowing in there and Hadrian knew that she truly was looking after him, with his best interests in heart. He would much more prefer to stay within Nevarah monitoring things from afar and taking the chance to fully indulge his protective instincts. Ensuring Harry's continued safety was an opportunity he did not intend to pass up and as one of the lesser known faces of Mariana's entourage, he would be able to skulk about in the shadows and gather any necessary information.

"See that you keep an eye on him," Mariana murmured. "And keep your links open, if I need something, you will be my contact."

"Yes milady," he said, at once. "You will let me know if—if there is, anything?"

"I always do," she said, simply.

He could read the seriousness in her tone and understood that whatever she was keeping from him was only because she hadn't made her mind up yet. He nodded in acceptance. That was good enough for him. He'd slowly grown to trust her judgment over time and there was no reason to start doubting her now.

"Good boy," she stretched up on tip-toe and he leaned down without hesitation.

It was the briefest, softest of kisses and then she twisted in his arms, morphing from a physical being in his arms to something far less substantial. Her form of thick, wispy shadows flew away from his fingertips and a sudden, unnatural silence settled over the Cunningham estate.

Hadrian sighed. They had all left. He felt it as the thin warmth interspersed through the entire Estate—now a sudden, icy coldness. "Happy hunting," he told the night. He knew the sentiment would reach them, wherever they were.

A single tendril of dark energy stretched out to him, no longer held back by the tangible presence of every single active Gheyo of the Cunningham Circle. Hadrian's dark smirk could have spawned nightmares. His black eyes grew even blacker as shadows swarmed around his figure, hiding it completely from sight.

When he leapt from the rooftop balcony, it was to streak through the air, wingless and light as a feather, blurring across the estate and over property lines, heading for the waterside district where the Deveraines made their home. He would not insult them or Harry by taking on a duty they hadn't personally assigned to him, but Mariana had given him more than enough leeway to do as he liked with the broad order.

The water's edge was close to the Void and that was where the shadows met the darkness and even darker things were born. He knew that after the earlier attack, the Royals would gather to cast a combination defense spell and that they would spend the entire night taking turns reinforcing the domes and checking all the other protections around Nevarah.

They would also order a curfew and everyone would be expected to obey. The moment the streets were cleared and empty, he was sure that all the dark creatures—the nightwalking Vampires, the Dark Fae, the Hellhounds and every Gheyo from the Shadow element, would report for duty and make a party out of cleaning up the Fabrine.

The alluring scent of innocent, but dark creatures like themselves, always lured the Fabrine out from wherever they'd hidden, crevices in the city, shadows in the underground and lurking in the storm clouds overhead. Always hungry, always seeking something to leech from, Fabrine had simple needs and complex minds—just enough to be a challenge to the ones that hunted them.

Hadrian felt his jaw ache as his fangs stubbornly refused to retract. He resigned himself to the fact that he'd simply be a bit more feral than he'd planned on for the next few hours or so. Fabrine hunting was fun. He'd be sure to enjoy himself. His shadow-walking slowed as he emerged in the first section of the waterside district.

If he stayed directly overhead, high into the clouds, the Fabrine would come to him. They would feel his darkened magic first and it would drive them mad. They would be so out of their minds, they would never think to go after Harry and that particular thought left Hadrian feeling very, very pleased with himself.

He smirked, morphing into his Halfling form and delighting in the stretch of wings, claws and tail. Magic surged and rippled beneath his skin as he called the dark things to him.

WIZARDING WORLD. 4 PRIVET DRIVE

Scout? Lord Cunningham was the first to emerge from the portal. He stepped out in mid-air, hovering beside her, his sharp eyes roving quickly over her controlled form. Any change? He would keep their interactions limited to the mental plane for now, it was best not to give anything away—their entire Circle was used to it anyway.

Nothing at all, she reported. Her eyes silently pleaded with him.

He held and arm out, obligingly, and she cuddled into his side at once. The rest of their Bonded silently materialized in a formidable half-circle formation, with Mariana bringing up the rear. She was checking to see that even the missing Jokers had reported in—they had and she was pleased, for the moment.

Scout left his side at once, to go straight for her. Mariana hugged her tight, checking her over, before bestowing a kiss meant to calm and soothe, her submissive aura manipulating the gesture of affection. We're here. It will be fine.

I know, Mari, I know. Scout was not above begging for another kiss. She was pleased when it was given without hesitation.

Their Circle gathered around as one Joker in particular, made himself know. Tristan, one of their wandering nomads of a sort, had shown up as per Mariana's very strict orders. He'd been brought up to speed and now, he was making sure that this mission would continue to work as it was supposed to. He began to glow a familiar, sky blue, as various runes came to life on his exposed arms and face. He waited until they had formed a tight circle, then cast his magic out around them in a deliberate manner. The blue stood out against his dark skin and the others moved out of his way as he quickly moved around the casting space, writing with his hands and making impressions with his feet. Everything that he touched glowed a rich, bright blue-invisible to anyone other than the Cunningham Circle.

He waited until they had formed a tight group around Scout, before he cast his magic out around them in a deliberate manner, etching a circle on the ground. The blue stood out against his dark skin and the others moved out of his way as he quickly moved around the casting space, writing with his hands and making impressions with his feet. Everything that he touched glowed a rich, bright blue-invisible to anyone other than the Cunningham Circle.

Powerful magic was being summoned and called to meld together two timelines. He was a rune master, one of the good ones and time was but a toy to his skilled hands and whims. Scout, his mental voice was faint. Hold the time in your head, keep it straight.

Scout bobbed her head in answer, not daring to touch his mental links at such a moment of precise concentration. She had worried that the runes would not work-that she would call them to come and too much time would have passed, but it seemed that luck was walking close to them. If all went well, then things would straighten out. She squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on the last few hours and all that preceded them up to now.

A violent wave of blue magic blew upwards from the ground and into the sky, a steady thrumming beam that stretched up into the sky. Tristan swore softly and the magic dimmed visibly as he hurried to cover the unexpected rush of power. He had meant for it to be muted, apparently, but magic had a mind of its own. "Hold your breath!" He snapped out, as the magic overtook him completely.

Pitch black eyes burned bright, sky blue and the circular wall of magic crept inward. Like a circle closing in on itself, the wall of blue shrunk rapidly, washing over everyone in turn until it came to the central focus of Tristan's casting ground-Scout. She mirrored his outward appearance, the runes burning like hellfire as they branded and rebranded themselves over her body. Magic warred with reality and finally won out. Shadows screamed in silent tribute as everything settled.

The lights faded and a gasping Scout fell gratefully into Mariana's ready embrace. She nuzzled against Mariana's neck and was allowed a brief drink as her body caught up to necessary functions. Warm magic washed over everyone, a softer, subtler pull as Lord Cunningham cast the necessary charms to help their physical bodies adjust to the time shift.

Mariana shared a smile with him over Scout's shoulder, before she finally stroked the soft hair and chirred softly to gain her Bonded's attention. There'll be plenty of time for us all to be together later. Focus now, darling. Tell me everything, she projected, carefully. And is there anyone inside?

And so Scout did.

The first thing they did was catalogue the lot. Checking over every single inch of the outside, every brick, every roof shingle and examining all the magical imprints left behind, by the time she'd matched up Scout's report with the evidence before her, Mariana was definitely not pleased.

Her Bonded stayed well out of her way as she inspected a few things personally, before coming to stop on the front door, her hand poised to knock. There was a powerful stasis spell cast over the entirety of 4 Privet Drive, it was melded with several other spells—some of dragel origin and some of Torvak making.

The most disturbing point, however, was the dragel Death Seal fused into the very ground—for several miles down—by a generous amount of magically potent dragel blood. Mariana had turned several shades of pale when she'd cast the spell to see who had cast the Death Seal.

The name returned had made them all restless and Lord Cunningham had actually grimaced.

Maurice Elswood.

Do you think- Scout hesitated. Is he still alive?

I will not guess at things that I can discern for myself, Mariana thought, darkly. Come help me, all of you, we'll need to see if we can work around it. If he is here and he is alive, undoing it might kill him. She did not add that if he was dead, she'd simply revive him and kill him herself. Maurice had been the kind of friend that one hoped to have, but never actually found. She would do everything within her power to see that his name and his sacrifices were not forgotten.

JUNIPER EVANSON

Jun stood on the front porch, her hand shading her eyes as she stared off into the murky distance, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She could feel Briar and Rian approaching, then fading. She puzzled through a list of reasons in her head, before deciding that it was probably best to meet them outside.

The last time she'd accidentally gotten herself caught up with Inner Court politics, she'd stayed away for two-and-a-half weeks. Upon her return, Briar had pitched an unholy fit and they'd brought half the house down in the argument. Jun winced and reached up to rub her left ear with a rueful smile. They were all young and foolish back then, with plenty of bumps in the road ahead of them. She hadn't really meant for the house to get involved, but back then, it was difficult to control her emotions and her empathy had been wild and unmeasured. It was poor Rian who had to pull them apart—by the ears—and he'd been furious.

Since that memorable day, Jun had made a point of never leaving for longer than a week at a time, no matter what mission was assigned to her. As the years passed, Briar eventually calmed himself enough to allow longer periods of separation and she learned to work quicker and more efficiently. The longest she'd ever taken was a month, before the absence of her entire Circle had affected her so deeply, she'd barely managed to finish the assignment. She'd 'ported home and straight to Briar's bedroom—and his arms.

They'd later discovered that regular communications between them—even if only one-sided on Jun's part—would prevent her almost panic-attack from happening and it would significantly calm Briar and the others, as long as a continuing dialogue was maintained. She'd been sending her weekly reports and letters since she'd taken this mission. Occasionally, she would receive feelings of contentment, happiness and joy through her bonds, even though no letters had come back.

While it had bothered her, Jun had pushed it aside in favor of a clear mind to tackle her assignment. She had later decided, as the month of acceptable absence drew to a close, to try her hand at using runes to manipulate the time. She didn't say anything to her Bonded, after all, playing with time was dangerous and it was best if they didn't know. She was careful and precise though, and never before had something this disastrous happened before.

A shiver ran down her spine and Jun hunched her shoulders forward. She hoped that her missing Bonded were home soon. Three guesses said that Briar had been required to attend the Hellhound courts because of the 'quake, but Rian hated accompanying him there, so it was likely that they'd split up to meet elsewhere. She reached out, tentatively through the bonds and withdrew at once when she found them closed tightly.

They were aware that she was home, but they were both apparently in sync and neither wished to speak to her at that precise moment.

Jun sighed again.

This would be harder than she thought, but not as bad as she had feared. At least the bonds were still there. From what her Bonded had shared so far, she understood that she'd been missing for years—and they'd never received a single communication. In her absence, Briar had taken care to scry for her every single year, according to Ivy and when her name returned among the living, he would wait until the following year to ask again.

Her mind flickered to her father and she wondered if he'd ever received any of her other communications. She'd spoken to him in a dream, once and he'd assured her that everything was perfectly fine. She hadn't thought too much of it, figuring that perhaps it was just for her protection that their missives weren't coming through. Still, even if he had thought something was off, he never would have said anything, she was sure that her Bonded would not have gone to him—as much as she'd once been his favorite, she didn't think he would pass up the opportunity to cause trouble. Idle hands led to loose tongues and rumors of the very worst kind.

"Jun?" Chris hovered in the doorway, his entire form glowing with the familiar pale light natural to his fae-kind. "You've been standing here for some time."

She turned with a smile, even though it hurt. "He's on his way home," she said, softly.

Chris frowned, his brow furrowing into neat rows. "I suppose it'd be pointless to ask you two not to fight, wouldn't it?"

Her sad smile reflected in her vivid green eyes, darkened a few shades from emerald to forest-green. "I would try my best," she said. "I would try my absolute best, but-"

"Two broken hearts seeking each other in the dark," Chris murmured. He moved forward to hug her, an impulse he'd learned to indulge over time. As an empath, honest, friendly physical affection was crucial to her wellbeing. He could see now why she would have claimed Regulus and taken on George. She would have needed them for her sanity, whether she realized how much time had truly passed or not. "It's a wonder they don't cut themselves on the shards that fell apart."

"Still writing poetry?" Jun snuggled into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, even though he was shorter. "That's lovely."

"It's you and Briar," Chris hummed. "Thank you and yes, I am. Arrow has taken a liking to it as well, I think he intends to woo some poor sweet girl, if his parents ever let him out of their sight."

"Oh?" Jun said, interestedly. "Orchid said something about his wanting to work in the Hall of Remembrance."

"He wants to and he's old enough, but as I'm sure you can tell—we haven't exactly ventured out much."

"I see," Jun tipped her head sideways to kiss his cheek. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "So sorry, Chris. I never meant for things to turn out like this—the time lost, the—everything." She couldn't properly articulate the entire mess just yet—because there were some answers that only her father or Briar could give—and only so much her empathy could handle in a single day.

He sighed, wearily. "I know. I can feel your sincerity and your regret is so thick, I could eat it like soup."

Jun's empathic reaction dimmed at once, fading by half. She pulled back with a faint smile. She'd thought she'd tempered most of it, but her control had apparently slipped again. Her mind was twisted in torment for the thought of two precious little girls who should have been grown and bonded. "Sorry. I guess I'm a bit too tired to properly temper things."

"You don't have to keep apologizing. It isn't like you." He began to glow a bit stronger and then his shoulders shuddered as his wings materialized behind him. They were lovely, glowing specimens of swirling gold—delicate, as all fairy-wings were—and beautiful to behold. He stepped back from Jun, holding her hands as his wings began to flutter and slowly, his feet left the ground. A fine, golden mist of fairy dust sprinkled over her from head to toe as he smiled and bent down to kiss the back of her hand. "I've got to make Leif set the wards, don't stay out here all night, please?"

"I'll only stay as long as-"

"For me," Chris prompted. "Please?"

She smiled, but didn't answer.

He mirrored the smile and flew higher, until he she had to tilt her head all the way back to see him. He flew around to the back and disappeared from view.

Jun sighed, guessing that he was likely hovering outside of Leif's bedroom window. It annoyed the Gheyo, but it also made sure that Chris didn't actually have to walk the perimeter himself—at night. As a light fairy, he abhorred the dark and avoided it whenever he could. She figured that he'd been worried about seeing her standing there in the dark and come to make sure that she was alright. Gathering up the few feelings of warmth that had finally begun to rekindle, she pushed them down through Chris' bond and waited for the happy feedback that meant he'd received it.

A few seconds later, it came.

Briar and Rian 'ported in at the foot of the hill leading up to their home, just outside of the wards. They were let in by a grumpy Leif, who was walking the perimeter, clad in his pyjamas.

"She's home," Leif muttered, as they passed through the opening he'd provided. He began to seal the wards, keying them to his unique signature. "And she didn't know."

Briar stiffened, but continued walking. He didn't answer or look back.

Rian sighed. "Thank you," he said, quietly. "How are the others taking it?"

"It's hard to explain," Leif reached up to tug on his hair. "It's probably best if you take a look yourself. It'll explain it a lot better."

"That bad, eh?" Rian chuckled. "Hurry up with that, I can cast the protections when I'm on the porch." Leif beamed.

Briar drew near the front porch and his steps faltered when he caught his first sight of his newly returned Alpha.

Jun stood by the railing, covered in an even dusting of glowing fairy dust—from Chris, he was sure—and dressed in one of Ivy's old housedresses, a long, billowy green thing that was still too big for her, in spite of her height. She hugged her arms to herself and from the steady wind blowing through the night, her fiery crimson locks streamed out.

She was a vision both beautiful and terrible and it made something hurt inside of him. The closer he came, the more difficult it was to breathe. He could taste her sorrow, rolling off of her in tangible waves of empathy. He'd felt her hurts before, but never to this degree. He saw the moment when she saw him, because her green eyes seemed to stab straight through him, sucking all the air from his body.

Her arms loosened and fell to her sides and she watched him, tracking his every step all the way up to the porch. He stopped then, when he was on the final step and she was to his right, just close enough to touch if he reached out. They stared at each other for a long, painful moment. Briar held her gaze until he couldn't bear it a second longer, his temper had flared, his emotions staggered drunkenly around him and every carefully rehearsed lecture he'd practiced, turned into a muddle.

After all this time, just being so close to her, prompted an instinctive urge to rage, cling and possess—not necessarily in that order. He'd missed her, he'd wanted her and now she was here and he didn't know what to do about it. There was so much that would have to be sorted out between them—least of all WHY she had thought it was alright to break their agreement of the maximum absence of a month. His eyes began to burn and he knew they were fluxing to the trademark red of his hellhound nature. He broke the stare, moving to walk past her into the house. They didn't have time for this. He had to prepare for the reaping and dealing with Jun right now would take time he couldn't spare. It was bad enough that Lord Aiden had given him that look before the meeting, but if he didn't at least meet his quota for the night—he was sure the consequences would be quite unpleasant.

Her fingers brushed against his hand as he passed and curled gently—briefly—around his own before releasing.

He paused in the doorway, hovering—for no logical reason—shoulders taut, back straight, head held high. "Welcome back," he said, stiffly.

Jun sighed and the wind seemed to die down. Her magic tentatively reached out to him, growing stronger when it wasn't rebuffed. This was the woman he'd courted, the Alpha that was commanding enough to counter his stubbornness, yet graceful and gentle, even when firm. Her green eyes had shifted to another hue, from the bright, vivid and—most certainly dark green—to something a little darker, a touch blacker, the obvious hint that her instincts hovered dangerously close to the surface.

Briar swallowed. That look, he knew a bit too well. It was the sort of look that said that any and all of his arguments were over and done with before he'd even presented them. It meant that he'd lost or he'd won—and it didn't matter which—because the end result was always the same and just as much as he wanted it, he was equally terrified of it.

Her lips twitched faintly and it would have been a smile if it didn't look so close to a smirk. But she didn't make a move to stop him.

He resisted the urge to squirm and lifted his chin. She still did not speak. A shivery feeling ran down his spine and Briar ducked into the house and bolted down the halls.

Jun chuckled softly. There was a certain fondness in her gaze as she turned away from the railing and turned her amusement to Rian. He stood on the bottom step of the front stairs, slowly climbing up the few steps. "Hello, my wonderful, charming and absolutely perfect in every single way-"

Rian snorted. "Don't hurt yourself," he snarked. He stepped onto the porch and held out an arm.

She moved forward almost at once, allowing him to fold her into an embrace. They both relaxed as one, feeling the Alpha-Beta bonds shifting and clicking back into place, the vows between them renewed by such close proximity. "But you are, dearest. You're the best Beta I've ever had."

"I'm the only one you've ever had," Rian shot back. He nuzzled along her cheek and ear, breathing in the familiar scent of her skin and hair. He'd missed her too and to be able to hold her all over again, without having to jump right into the serious talk that they would have—sometime—it was like a balm being poured over him from head to toe. He trembled for a moment, then stilled as his magic began to reach out to her. "Did you miss me?"

"Missed you terribly," she breathed.

"How—much?"

"Like water to a dying man in the desert," she murmured. "I fully intend to drink my fill now that I have you right here before me." She nuzzled at the claim mark on the side of his neck. "I'm parched."

Rian hummed, pleased. His inner vanity was soothed and stroked while his instinctive urge to reaffirm their bonds snapped to the surface. He was thrilled inside, glad to know that even if she had been gone—that they'd never been far from her thoughts. They couldn't have been, not if she was like this now. "Drink," he murmured. "Or drown, however you like."

Jun laughed, low and rasping with a hint of a playful growl at the end. "Mmm, indeed. You know, I suddenly have a feeling I know how all of our dates are going to be for the next few months." Her teeth scraped gently over the claim mark.

"Months?" Rian threw back, he leaned just out of reach, forcing her to look up at him when she couldn't bite just yet. "Try years." He drew her flush against him and bent down to kiss her willing mouth. Her magic flared to life and wrapped purposefully around him, the Alpha-Beta bonds stirring with the itch to fall perfectly into place.

The kiss continued for another beautiful moment before Jun pulled away with the slightest hint of a growl, her eyes pitch black. "Stop distracting me," she rasped.

Rian chuckled, wickedly. "It's not my fault you're so easily—amused." He tipped his head to the side, offering unrestricted access to her claim mark he sported on his neck. He bit back a groan as her fangs dug harshly into his neck, her clawed hands gripping his hips to hold him still. He shuddered pleasurably as she trembled in his arms and the Alpha-Beta bonds melded into harmony once more.

She hummed a moment later, baring her own neck in a non-verbal hint for him to return the favor. He didn't need any further encouragement, but her appreciative chirp prompted him to wrap her more securely in his arms, as if to be sure that she wouldn't vanish before he was ready.

They broke apart only when an angry Briar came storming through the doorway, his combat boots in hand, knotted at the laces. She'd been sort of cuddling from her position in Rian's arms and he'd been sharing some of the necessary tidbits of information that only a Beta could tell. Briar flumped down on the front steps and began to shove his feet into the respective boots. The scowl on his face said far more than his mouth would have, but whatever had set him off came to a halt when Jun spoke up.

"And where exactly are you headed at this time of night?"

Briar's head jerked around to stare at her, his gaze flickered between her and Rian, before he deliberately busied himself with the laces on his boots. "I'm not headed anywhere," he said, crossly. "I am reaping tonight. As you do know, it is a duty I cannot refuse. Excuse me."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Jun pulled away from Rian and was quick enough to catch Briar by the elbow. "Not in that frame of mind you're not," she eyed him critically and cast a look back into the house. "Who said what?"

"No one said anything, I have work to do," he gave his arm a jerk. "Jun."

"Briar."

"Juniper!"

"Are we really going to do this?" she asked, her tone light and conversational. "Tonight? Just you?"

"Just me," he said, tightly. "Tonight."

"On a night like this?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"I'm sure I can think of a few," Jun returned.

"Are you offering to accompany me?" Briar sniped.

"Since you asked so nicely, yes."

"As if I'd trust you," Briar growled. "You can't fix this the way you're thinking you can!"

"Watch me."

"Jun says we're reaping," Briar called over his shoulder, carelessly. "Everyone."

Jun frowned and ignored Rian's perked eyebrow. That was not what she'd said, but she was curious as to how that detail would pan out. She'd never required all of them to join a reaping. Not when Chris was a light fairy who couldn't even stomach the dark auras that surrounded them on a reaping night. He could handle it, if he stayed in the middle and maintained a protective shield around the other Pareya, but he didn't like it. She'd always specifically ordered him to stay behind so he wouldn't be accidentally exposed or injured when the Fabrine were on the prowl.

"Everyone?" Chris' soft voice came from directly behind Jun. His face was pale and his tone was cautious. He didn't look her in the eye, for his gaze was fixed on Briar and then Rian, a silent plea visible in his light eyes.

"Why not?" Jun said. "The more the merrier. It isn't safe for Briar to be out there alone, you know."

Chris swallowed hard, his pale-eyed gaze flicking briefly to Briar, then Jun, before he seemed to shrink in on himself. "I see."

"Juniper," Rian said, sharply. His gaze flashed between her and Briar, before he frowned. He could feel that what she was saying was very different from what she was feeling, evidence through their tentatively renewed bonds. He didn't like the implication or what the rest of their Bonded would read into it.

There was a general shuffling of feet before slowly, the entire Evanson Circle assembled on the front lawn, filing silently out of the house. A confused Regulus and George were among them, finding themselves jostled into positions near the Pareyas as the Gheyos began to summon their armor and suit up. No one said a word.

Chris remained frozen behind the triad on the porch, his light aura significantly dimmed.

Briar stood up at last, his eyes burning a deep, rich crimson. He opened his mouth to speak as Chris walked past—crept, was more like it.

But Jun turned to him with a wide smile that was more fang than reassurance. She grabbed Chris' wrist and pulled him to a stop beside her. He halted at once, eyes darting to look up at her face and then away.

An awkward silence descended on the porch for several long moments.

Jun huffed and threw up her hands, looking thoroughly annoyed. "I'll skin them," she muttered, thinking of the invisible enemy that had left her Cricle so frightened. "I'll skin them alive and stuff it down their miserable throats, then I'll burn their fingers and toes to ash and bleed them dry." Her hands curled into fists. "Then I'll kill them!" An angry growl rumbled in her throat and scales rippled along the side of her face as her hands morphed into claws. "Really? All of you? After all these years, how can you think so little of me?"

Briar flinched back, and the rest shuffled uneasily.

"Do I look broken to you? Useless? Or have I somehow turned into a monster?" She looked straight at Chris until he reluctantly met her gaze. "Your collective wellbeing has always come first, it has always and will always remain my highest priority."

Rian bit back a sigh. He didn't have to agree with her methods, but he did have to back her up and he could tell that she'd decided to simply cut straight to the heart of things. Inwardly, he braced himself, sure that the next few minutes would be entertaining, if not emotionally draining. He'd felt her emphatic control flicker a few times, but it held steady.

Jun pinned Chris in place with her dark-eyed stare. "I have never ordered you to accompany us on a reaping, never! And just because it's been some time since the last time I was here, doesn't mean that I've changed that. I am more than aware of what it would do to you and I have always excused you from it, regardless of whether you remembered to ask or I remembered to tell you. What made you think that had changed? Have I not been reaffirming all of you from the moment of my return? I understand that this is not easy—I am not trying to make light of this—and this is serious, but I haven't changed any more than you all have."

She reached into her bonds and tugged sharply on them, with her Alpha's authority, watching with grim satisfaction as each Bonded in turn, squirmed and twitched as their claim marks burned and began to glow. She would reaffirm her rank and the respect it demanded right there and then, if that was what they wished.

All eyes lowered as she met their stares in turn.

There was a glint of steel in her gaze when she finally turned to Briar and he stared back, defiance written in every fiber of him. Silence hung between them. "Paraphrase me like that again and I will correct your speech in a manner that is decidedly not to your liking, understood?" Jun said.

Briar hissed, even as his body twitched and rippled his inner hound wanting out.

She ignored the hiss and simply gathered herself together. She'd made her point and she knew he'd heard it. That was all that mattered. There were more important things to focus on now. "Down, off the porch," Jun said, briskly. "Transform quickly before you hurt yourself trying to hold it back."

Rian helped to shuffle him down the stairs, backing away quickly as Briar fell to his hands and knees. The unearthly howl that ripped from his throat made everything tremble. The Evansons were vocal in their unease, a few hisses and growls making themselves known, but they all flinched as one when Briar's transformation exploded out of him.

Bristling black fur, gleaming ivory fangs and blood-red eyes bearing the stain of the souls that he harvested, Briar Evanson came into his hellhound form with a howl of dark delight. He shook himself all over, pawing at the soft grass beneath his feet and tossing his great head as the night wind whistled around him. He howled up to the sky, listening and reacting to the answering howls he could hear in the distance.

His massive size was a thing of beauty, in spite of his reason for being. He stood nearly twice Jun's height and curled his lips back in a snarl.

Jun eyed him, a bored expression on her face. "Don't you take that tone with me, Submissive," she said, sternly. "You know full well deserve what you have coming to you," She smirked. "I'm sorry I stayed away for so long, but we're all to blame here, so pointing fingers is pointless. If it makes you feel better though, then how about best out of three?"

Briar shook his head at once, then shook himself all over.

Jun chuckled. "Four out of five then? That's your only other option. If you win, you can top—and if you lose, then Rian can watch." She winked and ran a hand through his silky fur. "We will settle this tonight, one way or another, Submissive of mine."

Briar whined, lowering his head to rest on his paws.

Jun reached up to tug on one large, pointed ear. "It won't be that bad. You're terrible, but I love you even when you're pitching a fit," she said, softly. "Four out of five?" He nodded, shaking himself all over again. She chuckled again and turned to the rest of her Bonded. It would be best if they were all here, some Circle bonding would be good for everyone, though it wouldn't completely settle everything just yet. "Where are the children?"

Some general shuffling produced a reluctant Jasmine as spokesperson. "They're indoors," she looked to Chris, biting her lip. "You'll look after them, won't you?"

"He will not," Jun said, matter-of-factly. "Call them—the children."

"But-!" Lief began and stopped, when Jasmine gave him a look.

Jun pretended not to notice as she circled around her Bonded to take a look at George and Regulus. "My first thought was to leave you here," she said, slowly. "But I think that you're both capable of keeping up and helping out, so you'll be accompanying us. It's very basic work on a single operating principle, kill or be killed. Fabrine is not something to take lightly and it has many forms, however, you are protected because of the bonds you have to me and by default, Briar as well. You may use any exorcist spells you have learned in our time together and any protective shields you have at your disposal. The idea is to move quickly and leave nothing behind."

"Jun—Alpha," Chris faltered. He stopped a few feet away from her, his cheeks red.

"You're accompanying us," Jun said, quietly. "I'm sure you know why?"

He ducked his head, the blush creeping further up his face and neck. "I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Consider your apology accepted and this is your punishment," She caught him by the chin and kissed him softly. "Stay within the inner formations and look after the children and Regulus."

He nodded, understandingly. It was better to join them, than to stay in the silent house with his own doubts creeping through his mind.

"You can't seriously be making him join us," Gardenia said, incredulously. "Juniper!"

"If he had a problem, then I assure you that he'd speak of it now," Jun's green eyes narrowed. "I guess it just means that you'll have to make sure nothing slips past our formation, eh?"

The children were assembled, Yarrow—or Arrow, as he really did prefer—was a sharp young man with very powerful offensive magic, his sister, Peony, was sweet and slight of build, with deceptively dark magic at her beck and call. Wistar was thrilled to have his Alpha's permission to join the reaping, even as both of his parents' disapproval hung in the air—his magic was eager and straining, promising to do whatever he so desired.

As a collective whole, they assumed their positions for the formation that they would maintain until daybreak. It was a simple one, moving perimeters with the Gheyos on the outermost side, the Pareyas on the second section and everyone else on the inner Circle. The children, Chris and Regulus were in the center, while Jun, Rian, Briar and George headed up the front.

Jun painted the runes for protection, concentration and purity, using her blood as a medium and painting the forehead and cheeks of each Bonded and child in turn. Now that it was decided, a restlessness had overtaken them and the night seemed to grow darker as the final runes were cast and Jun returned to Briar's side. She reached up to fist a hand in his ruff as he bent enough for her climb on.

Sitting proudly atop Briar's back, Jun kept her balance with one hand as his eyes began to burn with the telltale flame of hellfire. She felt the power in this form as his legs bunched beneath him and he sprang forward with a blood-curdling war cry that echoed across the night. She clutched her casting staff in her free hand and wore the same simple, forest green garb she'd worn when visiting the Weasleys.

Powerful, stifling magic stretched out from their formation, devouring everything in sight until they stumbled across the first Fabrine. A dark thing with wisps and shadows cloaking it, the miserable scrap of darkness shrieked as the first spell was cast and it became nothing.

DEVERAINE GUEST HOUSE

Theo roused himself from the lovely land of dreams to discover that the reason he couldn't quite breathe as freely as he liked was due to Harry's vise-like grip around his middle, effectively squeezing the life out of him. He wriggled around for a bit, until he found a more comfortable position and then gently fed calmness through their shared bonds. It took a few minutes, but soon Harry's grip slackened and Theo was able to relax.

He chuckled to himself, pressing a kiss to the top of Harry's head and reaching out through their bonds to check on Charlie. They'd had quite the first day welcome to the Hunt and if he wasn't so curious to know what the second would bring, he might have admitted that it filled him with trepidation.

Harry snuffled in his sleep, rolling over to burrow into Charlie's warmth, his pajama jacket riding up from his pajama bottoms, exposing a delightful strip of sleep-warmed skin to Theo's innocent hands. He smirked to himself, sliding one hand up the smooth expanse of lightly haired chest and softly defined muscles. Harry played Quidditch, which did help somewhat with muscle definition—but then he was so skinny, that it hadn't really stuck.

Theo was sure that it was nothing a good physical training regimen couldn't fix. He knew it would be beneficial and after hearing Harry's plea to be trained more both in wizard magic and dragel magic, he made a mental note to see it happen. Harry was sure to throw himself whole-heartedly into anything that was guaranteed to make him stronger. He'd seen Harry striving to do his best and use whatever resources he had around him to help in the quest against Voldemort. It was time to lend a hand of his own.

A slight magical tingle reached out to him and Theo frowned, trying to pinpoint it, only for the elusive sensation to slither away. He tucked the thought away for later and mentally reached out to check the wards around the beach house. Everything was intact and it eased his worry by a mere fraction. He wondered if anything else had happened, but knew that he'd have to hear the news from a reliable source.

With a sigh of regret, Theo leaned forward to kiss Harry's cheek and slid out from the warmth of the bed to start the day. He checked the wards on the guesthouse, something that would become a definite habit with time and noted that while they felt battered, they had held. He wondered what had happened to them, but figured that he'd find out soon enough, if he asked the right person.

Tugging lightly on his mentor-bond, Theo fished out a pair of running shorts and a cotton shirt. He would dress for a run and let Charlie and Harry have a bit of a lie-in, Merlin knew they needed it, after a day like yesterday. Wandering into the kitchen, he paused to set a pot of hot water on to boil, with a monitoring charm to keep an eye on it. The limited groceries that Bahn had stocked them with, weren't really limited at all—but Theo wasn't a cook and didn't have the slightest idea what do with any of it, apart from the fruit—which didn't require any preparation at all.

Sighing to himself, he wished he'd paid more attention when Ilsa had tried to teach him how to cook. His thoughts settled firmly on her and he hurried out of the kitchen as he felt her presence draw near. He exited the beach house and came down to the shaded area at the bottom, where he waited until Ilsa came into sight.

She was dressed in her customary beachwear, jogging lightly along the sand, just at the edge where the water met land. Grinning to himself, Theo waved and trotted on out to meet her. He fell into step with her rhythm, easily keeping up from dozens of mornings where he'd gone running himself.

"Morning, Oretta," he greeted, when they'd traveled a ways.

She smirked over at him. "And a very good morning to you too, my Theo."

The run left him hot and sweaty, a problem that was solved when he waded into the water far enough to drench himself from head to toe. Ilsa had done the same as well and together, they trooped back to the shaded portion of the guesthouse, pausing to rinse the sand from their feet at the edge of the concrete pad.

"What was it you needed at this hour of the morning that you couldn't wait a little longer?" Ilsa asked. She twitched her fingers and summoned a clean towel out of the hidden cabinet behind the picnic table. She tossed one to Theo and looped the other around her shoulders, using the ends to rub at her wet hair. It was only a few hours off until they would have met up at the Hunt again, but Theo had reached out to her and so she'd come.

"Remember the obstacle course you made for me? When I first started training?" Theo took a seat on one of the benches that was just within the shade and wiped his face with the towel.

"What about it?"

"Could you summon it here—for Harry?"

"Harry?" Ilsa's eyebrows arched up. "What did he do?"

Theo blinked. "Do? Oh—no, he didn't do anything, it's just—he asked me why I'd stopped with our impromptu training sessions and I should've made the time to keep them up." He resisted the urge to shrug. "The course helped me and I thought it would do the same for him, allow him to build up some physical stamina, which in turn would filter through to his magic. Control of body, then mind and magic."

"Never mind that the particular course you're asking for is the one that made you swear I was the devil in a woman's body for two years straight?" Ilsa asked, innocently. Her lips twitched into a near smile at the affronted look on Theo's face. "I'll summon it," she said, chuckling. "And I do remember every single thing you had to say about that particular course. It's a good one though. If he doesn't resent it, the results will come quicker." She grinned. "Where did you want it?"

Theo hopped to his feet. "I was thinking of somewhere up there…" He pointed up to the ridge that overlooked the beach area. "That way you wouldn't have to worry about proximity to the water during a brewing storm and it's different air up there."

Ilsa followed his pointing finger and broke into a wide smile. "That's absolutely perfect," she agreed. "Shall we?"

By the time they'd set up the obstacle course, Ilsa's stomach had growled and they'd taken up residence in the kitchen. A grumpy Greta 'ported in to see them, carrying a basket of rather large, freshly baked muffins and a few sweet breakfast pastries, along with a carafe of strong tea. There were plenty of flavours and Greta thumped the basket on the table, before leaning forward to rest her head right next to it, pillowed atop her arms.

"Greta?" Ilsa fished out a banana-oatmeal muffin and handed it to Theo, ignoring his injured look. "Fibre. Eat one for the fibre," she scolded. "Then the pastries."

He made a face, but ate it anyway. He liked oatmeal muffins, fibre or not. He poured himself a cup of tea and fixed it the way he liked, pouring tea for the two women as well, having long learned their preferences as well. He watched with a small measure of concern as Ilsa spoke quietly to Greta.

"It was a stupid night, Ilsa," Greta growled. "The last thing I want to do is talk about it. I'm bloody exhausted, can't you tell? Unlike you, I didn't have the luxury of digging myself a hole and leeching energy out of the earth. It doesn't work that way for mmph-!" the angry tirade was cut off by a kiss, before Ilsa pulled away with a sigh.

"You, loveling, are terribly out of sorts," Ilsa ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know why Aracle let you out of his sight with you in such a state." She tugged on Greta's arm. "Up with you," her golden eyes flicked to Theo. "I meant to ask—have you screened Harry's favours?"

Theo perked up. "No, actually, I meant to—but last night, it was such, well," he held up his hands, palms-upturned, as close to a shrug as he would offer, while trying to maintain his manners as a host.

"I'll help you with them, if you fetch—quickly."

Theo hurried out of the kitchen as he heard Ilsa prodding Greta to stand. He didn't bother to listen beyond that.

By the time he'd reached the stairway, Harry and Charlie had appeared, Charlie standing behind a sleepy Harry, who was wearing Charlie's oversized pyjama jacket, unbuttoned down the front, with just his pants, his pyjama bottoms elsewhere. Theo didn't have to be a genius to figure out how their morning wake-up had gone.

He smiled up at Harry, who stood, dwarfed in Charlie's long-sleeves and contemplating the stairs as if it were a tremendous obstacle to be overcome. "Just pick him up," Theo suggested, catching sight of Charlie's amusement as he debated whether to help or stand back.

Harry squeaked as Charlie easily scooped him up and carried him down the stairs, ignoring the half-hearted thumps of protest. "Adorable," Charlie pronounced, smiling at the predictable blush that followed. "or just being yourself, if that makes you feel better." He held Harry securely in his arms, feeling the magic shift and ripple pleasantly between them, the Sub-Beta bonds singing with contentment.

Theo chuckled as Charlie paused for his morning kiss and then held Harry still, so he could receive his own as well. Kissing them both, a gentle smile on his face, Theo ruffled a hand through Harry's soft hair. "I was actually heading up to retrieve your favors. Did you want to sort through them this morning? It's best not to let them pile up."

Harry's brow furrowed. He'd intended to look through them yesterday, but it hadn't worked out that way. "Why were you looking for them?" He asked, curiously.

"To check for hexes and jinxes, just in case," Theo explained. "You shouldn't have enemies over here, but it never hurts to be careful." Slytherin habits were habits for life and it had been ingrained into his pureblooded self that a moment of caution was worth a year of decent legal representation.

"I left them on the dresser," Charlie supplied, readjusting his grip on Harry, refusing to put him down just yet. He felt the moment when Harry calmly relaxed in his arms, subconsciously snuggling into his constant warmth. "You can Accio them, shouldn't be too hard."

The pile of neatly stacked, colorful favours came soaring down the stairs and into Theo's hands. They walked back to the kitchen together, where Ilsa and Greta were nowhere to be found. Theo set about fixing tea and dishing out muffins, until he was satisfied that both of his bonded had something suitably balanced for the morning meal in front of them.

"Ilsa and Greta are here," he added, eyes straying back to Harry's half-dressed form. He tugged on the towel around his shoulders and transfigured it into a pair of pyjama bottoms that were gratefully accepted.

Freed from Charlie's clutches, Harry slipped into the transfigured pyjama bottoms and chose the seat between Theo and Charlie, drawing a cup of tea close enough to wrap both hands around it. He was awake and alert, looking well-rested, compared to the day before. It was nice to be spoiled in simple ways—cuddles, kisses and mild fussing, especially when he could tell that Theo and Charlie simply wanted to be closer to him. He couldn't deny them that and last night, even though he'd slept well, he'd awakened with a shiver and a strange sense of foreboding.

Charlie happily dug in his muffins, watching curiously as Theo set the favours down on the table. Harry sipped on the strong tea and couldn't help the sigh that escaped at the familiar taste—he wondered when Theo had started paying attention to his favorite type of tea. He nibbled on a muffin to discover that it was a nice, ginger-carrot mix, a perfect accompaniment to the tea and tamped down the silly grin that wanted to dance across his face.

Theo paused for a moment, his head cocked to the side before he frowned and continued on with his portioning of more breakfast foods, refilling Charlie's plate as if his hands simply needed something to do. The frown remained however and a furrow in his brow accompanied it.

"Did something happen?" Harry asked. He looked around the kitchen, noting that nothing seemed out of the ordinary and that as far as he could tell, everything was alright. Reaching out with his magic, he could sense the presence of Ilsa and Greta, even though he couldn't see them yet.

"Nothing at all, my treasure," Theo deposited another muffin onto the napkin in front of Harry. "I asked Oretta over for a favour and Greta decided to be nice and bring breakfast." His lips twitched into a slight smirk. "I think. Or maybe Bahn sent it. I'm not sure."

Harry rolled his eyes at the not-too-subtle hint of a third muffin before he'd even touched the second one, but he didn't complain. If they all tasted as good as this one, he was sure he'd find room in his stomach. He studied the pile of favours that Theo had set in the middle of the table. Charlie undid the charm that had shrunk them down to a tolerable size as Harry looked on.

Snatching his breakfast up and away from the sudden cascade of favours. He didn't remember there being so many of them. An inquisitive sound burred up in his throat and Theo finished spelling a containment ward around them.

"Favours, when grouped together, if someone was unable to send you one in person, they could simply ask to have it delivered to your place of residence," Theo explained. "I should have mentioned that earlier. There are more than you might remember, because of that."

"They came in while we were sleeping?" Harry swallowed. There were a lot of favors—more than he remembered from the receiving line at the Introductions. He stretched a hand towards the pile and stopped, turning to look at Theo. He hadn't seen him cast any sort of detection spell and his magic tingled at his fingertips. "Did you check them?"

"I'll do it," Ilsa's voice came from the hallway as she entered, towing a reluctant Greta behind her. The Storm Gheyo looked marginally less irritated than she had been a few minutes ago. When Ilsa took a seat at the table, Greta yawned and slumped down to the floor to sit at her feet, her head pillowed on Ilsa's thigh. Ilsa sighed, and reached down to stroke her fingers through the short hair. Greta huffed, but didn't complain.

"Is everything alright?" Theo asked, politely.

Ilsa gave a short nod. "As good as it can be," she stretched a hand towards the favours and a shimmer of golden light spilled out in answer to an unspoken spell. "There, that should do it." She managed a smile for Harry's sake.

Harry frowned. "Did something happen?" he asked, worriedly.

For a moment, Ilsa didn't speak, and then she sighed. "There was a reaping last night."

The earlier shiver replayed in Harry's mind as he slowly set his cup down. A vague idea had already begun to form in his mind, but he had to ask anyway. "What's a reaping?"

A/N: Hey everyone! I am feeling generous, so here's a nice long chapter and a update time shorter than a month. LOL. Welcome to the new readers and all those lovely lurkers-I see you over there in the shadows-XD. I hope you enjoyed this second installment into the Mad Maury arc, as well as the interaction of a Military Circle under the shadow element. Yay for more Hadrian and the Cunninghams. I didn't get to Quinn in this chapter, but maybe the next one? We'll see. I hope you liked the fluff at the end. Day 2 of the Hunt is now starting, there's gonna be some fun coming up. Thanks for reading!

~SHAMELESS PLUG FOR NEW ONESHOT~ An Ilsa Moment. Check it out for Harry/Ilsa Fluff.

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STATE OF CHARACTERS:

Theo-(with Charlie, Harry at the guest beachhouse)

Charlie-(with Theo, Harry)

Harry-(with Theo, Charlie)

Deveraine Circle members-(Home to meet with the rest of their Bonded.)