There Be Dragons, Harry Chapter 96: A Minor Miscalculation, a harry potter fanfic

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. -Read A/N at end and THERE'S A NEW MERROW POLL IN THE FORUMS! Stop by and vote!-

RECAP: Harry spends his day with the Kalziks-specifically, Quinn and Kyle, playing an interesting partnered game, Creeper. Theo has an important talk with Severus about Hermione's whereabouts. Viktor Krum runs into Theo and is directed to Serverus. Charlie spends some time with Ebony until Theo searches him out. Theo and Charlie have a moment, but are interrupted by Lewis Peverell, who wishes to share progress on his clan's movements to have Harry's seal removed.

CHARLIE AND THEO: Deveraine Guesthouse : NEVARAH : THE HUNT, Day 2

Charlie woke to the feel of Theo's slender fingers stroking up and down his right arm in a rhythmic motion. It took a moment to orient himself before he realized that their positions had somehow, managed to reverse themselves without his knowing.

He was snuggled—for lack of a better term—close to Theo's side, while Theo himself, sat up in the large bed, propped by pillows, bare-chested, dragel tattoos swirling agitatedly on his pale skin.

His body may have been calm and at rest, but his mind was scheming realms away, it seemed. Theo's eyes were a rich, shimmering golden hue and he stared fixedly ahead at the blank wall opposite of them. The black had all but faded, the true gold showing through. The stroking paused, then slowed before Theo turned to look at him.

"Sleep well? I couldn't tell if it was a nightmare, but you kept mumbling all sorts of things."

"English or Romanian?" Charlie wanted to know. He stifled a yawn against Theo's midsection, and relaxed into the soothing touches. He wasn't about to move as yet, if he could help it. This particular slice of reality was absolute heaven and Charlie was fairly certain he would live for a thousand years based on the happy feelings twining effortlessly through his magic and their shared bonds at this very minute.

"I wondered what that was," Theo hummed. "Romanian."

"Good dreams, then," Charlie said. There were some good and some bad mixed up in there, but he would stick with his story for now. He didn't remember what he had dreamed, so it was most likely something good from his days back on the Romanian dragon reserve.

Theo hummed in answer, but the petting stopped.

Charlie shifted a tad closer. He said nothing.

The gentle stroking began again.

He relaxed into the touch, sifting through his memories for a way to bring Theo out of his current funk. He didn't like it when Theo withdrew into himself—not when all three of them were something now.

A triad. His mind helpfully supplied, at least, that's what Ebony had called them, when she'd gone about the explanations of who, what and how such things worked. She'd been patient, considering that this was all new and foreign territory to him. It was about to become quite complicated, when she'd been called by her council and as a result, had cut him loose for the rest of the day.

She promised to explain the other ranks and their functions as well as the necessary reasons behind them and how to help Harry hunt, without interfering in a way that would make said Harry instinctively unhappy. Submissives were only ever pleased with their Circles when their choices were accepting of each other and working together as a cohesive whole.

Instinctively, they knew who or what to choose to create their ideal relationships and strengthen the Circle in a unique way. Harry was likely taking his time because he could and partially most likely because he wasn't sure how to start hunting.

That, Charlie had believed. But Ebony had simply shaken her head and told him to have more faith. She was sure that Harry was hunting on instinct, even if he wasn't being as obvious about it as most Submissives were.

Left to his own devices for the day, Charlie had been wandering about the section that one of the Gheyos on watch had explained as being a more fire-oriented space for those with the fire-element. It was then that Theo had found him and they'd been joined shortly after by Lewis.

Charlie's brows slowly knitted together. He didn't think that Lewis had set him off, no, Theo had been agitated since before that—so he must have been up to something that was-

"Don't ask," Theo said, mildly. "Please."

The please stopped him, the mild tone of voice did not. Charlie nuzzled the bared stomach and thought about his answer. He honestly did want to help and something told him that if he did push and prod—just a tiny bit—that perhaps his Alpha would share. "Should I guess?"

Theo huffed. "Hardly."

"Theo…I can't help you if you won't let me."

"I don't think you could help this, my dragon heart." Theo squeezed Charlie's arm, before continuing the calming motions that were keeping them halfway in their current lethargic state. He appreciated the gesture for what it was worth, but hadn't yet made up his mind whether he wanted to share the issue currently plaguing him.

"Why can't I be the judge of that?"

Theo laughed, a short, bitter sound. "Indeed."

"Please?" Charlie asked.

It must have been the way he said it, for Theo stared down at him in unexpected surprise. There was a long pause and then, a quiet sigh. "It isn't anything really, except that it is."

Charlie didn't even try to make sense of that. He simply waited. Theo would keep speaking, he was sure, once his brilliant mind figured out what he wanted to say—or not say—and then they would take it from there.

"I am trying to think of a way to word something that I don't quite want to share," Theo began, lightly. "I spoke to Severus this morning and-"

Charlie straightened up at once, ducking out from Theo's arm or rather, attempting to. He was briefly reminded of just how strong his Alpha was—and the little detail of his earthen element.

He growled faintly when Theo's arm locked tight around his neck and shoulder, pinning him back to the bed—and his stomach. There was a silent tussle as he fought the hold for a moment, irritated and annoyed—and Theo did not relent. He subsided with a huff and was rewarded for his acceptance with a cursory pat to the head.

Charlie growled again, his words not quite finding a proper outlet as yet. He knew that talking to Severus meant news about Hermione, which meant other things for their Harry and he wanted to know what had happened at once.

"I don't want your head higher than mine right now," Theo said, calmly. Too calmly. "And you had best mind your flames."

The fiery flickers beginning at the tips of Charlie's brilliant tricolour hair, died a quick death at the veiled suggestion. He tensed as Theo's free hand carded through his hair again, this time, nimble fingers playing carefully about his scalp.

Another moment of silence passed.

Charlie reluctantly settled and pressed a kiss to the arm curved up around his head as proof of his submission. The gesture paid off, because the tension in the air, wavered and eased.

"Thank you," Theo murmured. "It's more complicated than I want it to be. You see, Severus tracked her captor down to none other than the hellhound, himself. The actual Lord Aiden from the house of Arythmoor in the very heart of their…court, where no one can walk without a true shadow inside of them."

Charlie blinked. "A true shadow?"

"Shadow element. Death element. Whatever is dark and terrible or cursed. Any and all of the above, any combination of it." Theo half-smiled. "That is where they have taken her and no one dares to venture there, unless, of course, they have lived there all their life."

"Cursed? Like were-creatures?"

"And vampires and-"

"Lord Cunningham?"

"Yes, but he's not-"

"What about the storm types?"

"…I beg your pardon?"

Charlie resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "So if the shadowed element lives there and all the others that are with them, where does the storm element live? With the Air? In the sky?"

"Of course you would ask that," Theo muttered. His grip slackened. "No, they don't. The Air are proud and the Storm are even prouder. They are the barrier that must be crossed to move from the earth territory into the shadow."

That, Charlie mused, made more sense than he'd expected it to. Ebony had tried to explain about the elemental territories, but he'd already had his fill of information for the day and there was precious little else that he'd have been able to retain.

"What's wrong with that?"

"…One true shadow inside of them. A true shadow. Any them." Theo explained. "Not one of us have a single sliver of shadow element within or between us, my dragon heart and no one from within the shadows will speak to an outsider."

Charlie blinked. "But that's-!" He started to say and then stopped, his brows furrowing together again as he tried to puzzle his way through the very thing that had stumped his Alpha. "That's not quite fair."

"No," Theo hummed. "It's not."

The simple answer made Charlie frown. He could practically hear a novel in all that was unsaid with that single phrase. The knut dropped a scant second later and he winced. "Harry doesn't know that, does he?"

"Which part?"

"…The shadow thing."

Theo snorted. "The shadow thing as you so eloquently put it is a serious social issue. We have no connections with any shadow type and the storm connections we do have—I do not feel comfortable indebting ourselves to them at this stage of things. We cannot be poking about somewhere that we do not belong and we cannot make something out of nothing, when we do not have anything to begin with."

"What about Greta?"

"She's been in the pits for ten years. Her contacts will be limited and I could not ask her to make use of her secrets for our sake."

"Wouldn't Ilsa-?"

"Would you ask Ebony to ask her lover to do what you would ask of Greta through Ilsa?"

"Ebony has a lover?"

"She's a Royal, I expect she can have whomever she pleases whenever she likes, but that's not the point, Charlie. The point is that you wouldn't, would you?"

"I—no." Charlie sighed. "Alright, then how about Ilsa? Does she have any other—I could ask Ebony to-"

"You cannot ask her anything. The royals have no influence over the Shadow side or courts. They may be able to ask a favor or a grant some small boon every now and again, but it is very small and very far in between."

"What about the Cunninghams? They were all—shadow-like. Shadows. Whatever." Charlie squirmed, uncomfortably. He didn't like the way this sat on his chest. He didn't want to see Harry's expression when Theo told this sad story. "Can't they help?"

"They are already helping sort out the issue of Harry's missing mentor—that's a serious issue as it is on its own. I don't think they could handle two things at once and even so, the only reason I believe they are helping is because of who Harry's missing mentor is." Theo thought back to the grim, determined look on Lady Mariana's face. It made him shiver and lean forward to breathe in the woodsy, smoky scent of Charlie's colorful hair.

"There has to be someone we can ask—someone who would want to help?" Charlie said.

"So you would think," Theo said, softly. "So we would hope." He drew out his claws to their blunted tips and scraped them meaningfully over Charlie's bared arms. "Let's think of it later, hm?"

"And if you can't think of something?" Charlie challenged. He knew very well what thinking of it later meant—it meant that Theo would continue to agonize over a puzzle that appeared to have no solution for goodness knew how long.

"Then I'll ask Oretta." Theo shrugged—as best as he could—and then pushed forward, rolling them over, reversing their positions. "I'm sure she'll think of something or for all I know, maybe Delani knows someone or even Ithycar—he'll be back soon."

"You know him?" Charlie allowed the tumble without any protest. He purred happily when Theo began to lick and nuzzle along his neck. This line of activity he could easily work up to. "He would help?"

"He's a charming fellow. I don't remember too many serious conversations," Theo hummed. Ithycar Deveraine had been single spark of hope in the earlier years of his dragel transformation. He was looking forward to seeing him again. "I'm sure he would at least listen…"

Charlie grunted. "Can't we hire a Gheyo like the Cunninghams did? That one that was with them, Hadrian?"

"You can't hire a Gheyo for something like that. Our Circle only qualifies for a protection ranking fighter—most definitely not a Gheyo ACE like Hadrian, much less a blood title."

"Why not?"

"Because it's personal business and it wouldn't be fair to the Gheyo," Theo paused in his ministrations, satisfied at the love bite he'd left on Charlie's neck. Dragel healing wouldn't catch up to that just yet. "Now are we still talking or do you want me to tie you up?"

Charlie huffed. "You already said you would-"

"So I did." Theo said, decisively. His golden eyes glittered, his smirk turning devious. "Wonderful."

A choked gasp was all that Charlie was able to manage for quite some time.

HARRY, QUINN AND KALZIK FAMILY : NEVARAH

"Harry?" Bahn stood just outside of the Kalzik's upper rooftop pavilion. "Are you still here?"

"Bahn!" Harry shifted as if to rise, but settled back when his friend shook his head and waved a hand to mean that he was on his way over. "What's wrong?"

"I'm bored," came the unexpected reply. Bahn sauntered over, reaching one hand up to tug at his fancy braids. He'd been wandering around on his own for a bit and had decided to act on the urge to find Harry. "And I was sure you'd be having fun, so I came to see what you were up to."

"Am I allowed to feed you?" Surajini teased. This was a slightly more relaxed version of the Deveraine Submissive than she'd ever seen before. It seemed that the future bonding between their children had already afforded them some familiarity now that it was public knowledge. She had always seen the entire Deveraine clan turned out with impeccable, immaculate detail, but at this moment, Bahn did not seem to care about such things.

"If you can feed two," Bahn said, lightly skimming a hand over his belly. A flicker of magic was exchanged from his hand to the strong energy of his twins.

Surajini's smile softened. "I'm sure I can. Besides, we're practically almost family."

Bahn's hopeful grin was answer enough to as she waved him on in. He chose a spot to Harry's left and settled down, comfortably on the fluffy mat. "Thank you very much," he said. "Has your day been productive?" He asked, politely.

Surajini laughed. "Define productive," she said, wryly. "I've been paying my formal respects for the greater part of the morning and I swear—if I have to meet one more person for the sake of good relations for the next ten years, I'll scream. I think we're on fine standing as it is. Anything beyond that is torture, plain and simple."

Bahn nodded, knowingly. "I did the same and I don't think I even covered half of the usual crowd. It's been a strange mix this season and it was a very long morning. Then Bhindi didn't want to do some of it—so I had to make her excuses and apologies. Of course, half of these lovely faces, I haven't seen for years, so it has been a—how should I say—a measuring up of sorts? Very frustrating. Draining too. Worked up an appetite."

"Well, there's plenty to go around," Surajini said. She came to join them, balancing two new food trays in hand. "Enjoy. It always seems there's some sort of one-upping happening somewhere. I don't understand the point of it, but then again, my family clan has always been strong, so it's not something I really would have to worry about. Not to my face, anyhow."

"I'm sure it will be lovely," Bahn said, taking the food tray. He sniffed appreciatively at the delightful, spicy scents wafting upwards. Surajini was an excellent cook if that was any indicator. He shifted over to make more room for her. "And the smart ones always know when to hold their tongues—most of the time, anyway."

"True," Surajini murmured. "Quite true."

"Speaking of our duties—have you seen Lord Gorgen today?"

"That depends, is your lovely Ilsa trying to avoid him?" Surajini's lips twitched. She had a few bonded with similar quirks where their parents were involved. She tried not to meddle there too much, but sometimes it was hard to keep out of it.

"She's tried and failed, I believe. He dragged her off by the ear, if I remember correctly. Her annoyance is giving me a headache," Bahn said. He twirled a finger at the side of his head to explain that he'd muted their shared bond. "She needs to spend some time with him. He won't settle until she does and she's definitely not settled."

"They're quite a pair," Surajini said. She was fond of the Clan Chief and fellow Submissive. Thomas was a good friend and he worried as all parents did when their children didn't seem to be surviving on their own two feet. "He was quite worried for her, if you don't mind my saying so."

"I don't mind," Bahn said, carefully. "But she is his child and I suppose that's the crux of it."

"Indeed," Surajini hummed. She let the matter drop, turning her attention to the meal. It wouldn't be polite to say much more, she could see him already beginning to withdraw and didn't want him to close off entirely. Their Circles would soon to be meshed into a deeper friendship on account of Dyshoka and Dahlia's public announcement and expected to play nice in both public and private arenas.

Bahn nudged Harry with one elbow, his cleaned fingers already knuckle-deep in a creamy vegetable curry. "So what have you been up to?"

"Playing Creeper, walking around, lunch," Harry ticked them off on his hand, surprised when he didn't use all five fingers. He thought he'd been busier than that. "Nothing specific, really." He'd finished eating, but Surajini was nudging a platter of sweet, fried things closer to him every time she turned.

Bahn sniffed. "You need to be making connections," he scolded, with mock superiority. "You need to be able to introduce yourself and point out that you're hunting and you're new. You need people to be used to your face."

Surajini stifled a smile, finally relaxing between the two. She could tell that their friendship, new as it was, had a vein of mentorship between them. That was good, the Deveraines were an established Circle and even though they were Elven, she knew that they would do well by Harry, even if only because of Ilsa and Theo's mentored relationship. She had worried about him, when Dyshoka had suggested that he join them for the day.

A young Submissive with a new triad ought to have been happily Hunting away, courting and being courted for at least the first three weeks of the Hunt. Instinctively, his hunting would taper off once he'd actively decided on someone and the rest of the Hunt would be bringing said courtships to a close, staking his claim and effectively bonding them to himself and his triad.

The cautious, shy way that Harry had been slipping around the Hunt had immediately drawn her to him, pulling hard on all her mothering instincts. She wanted to protect and encourage him, without smothering.

Bahn, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a single issue with whether he was being too demanding, too blunt or overstepping any boundaries of new friendship.

"Used to my face?" Harry swallowed. He reached for the fried sweet pastries after all. He was sure there was a hint of reality in what Bahn was saying, and he really didn't want to think about that. Not yet, anyway. "How would that even help?"

The elfin submissive gave him a hard look.

"I-I-er" Harry faltered.

Bahn perked a brow. "Have you met anyone new for the day?" he challenged. "Have you seen anyone today that caught your fancy? Have you formed any new alliances between yourself and these new friends you may or may not have made?"

Harry set his pastry down, fighting the urge to curl in on himself. He'd been having a little bit of fun, if he was honest with himself—and it had been wonderful. He'd worried—a little bit—but not too much, he'd been able to enjoy himself and that had been more than he'd expected.

There had been that slight, irritating feeling that he wasn't doing enough, that perhaps he ought to try and show some interest in the very least. There had been a few unusual faces and some rather peculiar outfits, but Harry had found discerning their ranks to be an exercise in unnecessary headaches.

Bahn's observations made him want to growl, but that wouldn't help anything. It was an honest truth and as much as he disliked it, there was nothing to be done about it, seeing as the day was almost over.

In spite of all the new faces he had seen, the new friends he'd made through Quinn and Kyle's connection, there hadn't been anything spark-worthy to prompt him further than the expected politeness.

Harry drooped. Bahn was still giving him that look and it made him want to crawl inside of his lunch bowl and stay there. Sort of.

The look softened a moment later and Bahn shook his head. He didn't bother to say anything else, but he did snitch one of the untouched sauce cups from Harry's tray. A second later, he replaced one of Harry's empty ones with one of his own full ones.

"I'm sure he did his best," Surajini hummed, calmly adding two extra fried dumplings to both of their food trays without missing a beat. She turned, snapping her fingers over one shoulder to gain the attention of one of her Pareya, Lachman.

He glided over, taking the empty tray and handing down a new platter of fresh sweets in exchange. He kissed her cheek and she purred happily at the gesture, prompting smiles from the rest of her Bonded.

Licking his fingers, Bahn helped himself to more flatbread, polishing off another helping of vegetable curry and testing his magic levels afterward. He was obviously eating for two and Surajini had to smile at the methodical way he went about making sure that he'd fulfilled the necessary requirements for his body and baby.

"I did," Harry said, echoing Surajini. "There wasn't—weren't—really many people to meet. We played Creeper and that's more of a, well," he stopped. He wasn't about to explain that it was being with the one you were partnered with than making new connections.

He'd enjoyed the game because it was fun and if he was honest—because he'd been playing with Quinn. Bahn's words made him think in a whole new direction—a direction he'd pushed out of his mind because he hadn't wanted to deal with it. Not the best way to handle things—not with his track record anyway, but he'd wanted to be able to spend one day just moving about Nevarah and not worrying about things like Hunting and making connections.

"Try some of these," Surajini said, holding up another platter of roasted, lightly seasoned vegetables. When neither Harry nor Bahn paid any attention to her, she gave a slight shake of her head and began to dish it out to their respective platters. She paused when Bahn shifted, restlessly, agitatedly. His pale eyes darkening a few shades.

For a moment, it was almost as if he wasn't even seeing her, but rather, far away in his mind—caught up in something bigger than lunchtime. She snuck a glance at Harry and saw him with his head bent over his tray, mechanically nibbling at the new servings she'd put on his platter.

She frowned. That wasn't good at all.

Harry began to eat again. He managed a small smile when Quinn nudged his elbow.

Are you alright? It's fine not to be hunting every single second of the Hunt. Quinn soothed. He tried not to look in Bahn's direction. He didn't want to glare at the indifferent Submissive. Harry had enjoyed himself, relaxed for a bit and even lost the sad look in his eyes for a few blissful short hours that day.

As far as Quinn was concerned, there was no need to worry about all of the social drama and pressure that demanded he be as productive as apparently both his mother and Bahn had been all day.

There would be plenty of time for that later on. Harry was a young Submissive with decades, perhaps even centuries ahead of him. There was more than enough time, surely!

"Lord Orseno is back," Patrick announced, walking over to join them. He'd seen the flicker of emotion in Quinn's face and felt the subtle change in atmosphere as Harry's mood had changed, empathic feedback stretching out in a rather large radius.

Surajini blinked, snapping out of her own thoughts. "Back?" She echoed, dodging the teasing pull aimed for her braided bun. It didn't work—for Patrick had always been quick.

He'd stolen the center pin for her bun and swiped the others in quick succession when she tried to dodge him. She pulled a face, but gave up on holding the mass of braided hair together. It unwound to a fat, bejeweled braid that fell to her waist.

Patrick smirked and touched the fancy hairpin to his lips, before tucking it behind his own ear. It matched in the way that all of their accessories always did. "Yes, back. I have yet to see him, but he should be making an appearance soon."

"Good. I worry about him—granted, he doesn't deserve it, but I can't help it." She'd wanted to see her friend for some time, but Orseno, the idiot that he was, had probably landed himself in his usual heap of trouble again.

She hoped to see him at the hunt—the only time he dared to venture out of his protected estate. Denzel didn't care for visitors, but he would allow her. Hiram, in turn, would return the gesture of faith as their Circles allowed.

Patrick smirked. "Well, as back as he could possibly be then," he allowed, bending down to nuzzle her cheek. "Or at least, back in terms that Denzel hasn't caught up to him yet."

Surajini winced. "Is he planning on sitting out the entire weekend feast?" She tipped her head to the side, encouraging the feather-light kisses trailing down to her neck.

"I don't think he'll be doing much sitting at all," Hiram said, mildly. He stood off to Patrick's left, watchful eyes skimming quickly over the group. It was only polite of him to stop and say hello, seeing as Bahn had joined them for the noonday meal. "He's liable to find himself collared and leashed if he keeps those antics up."

"What antics?" Bahn's head snapped up, his grey eyes fluxing black as he set down his empty tray. There was still a strange air about him, but it was decidedly muted now.

"He's challenged a few clan heads," Hiram said, shaking his head. "Almost clan heads, not quite the official clans, but those who hold power, but didn't want to hold office. It's not good or exactly bad, per se, but that's Orseno for you." He half-smiled. "Good afternoon, Lord Deveraine."

"And a pleasant day to you and yours, Head Healer Kalzik," Bahn returned, politely. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Think nothing of it. Please, help yourself to more if you like. There is plenty."

"You're very kind," Bahn said, delicately blotting at his mouth. "Exactly which clan heads has Orseno challenged?"

Hiram almost smiled. That was news that he was not keen to share. Everyone would find out, soon enough, if Denzel allowed the threats to be made public. "That would be telling, though I can't exactly complain about the ones he's challenged. I'm sure that Denzel won't be very happy about them."

"Oh?" Patrick said, interestedly. He straightened up to look Hiram straight in the eye. "What aren't you telling me?" He hadn't heard any specific names in the rumors that had passed by him, but the look on Hiram's face suggested that he had.

"And me?" Surajini added, accepting his hand to rise to her feet, bangles tinkling and jingling musically as she straightened her sari and flicked her bejeweled braid over one shoulder. Orseno was a friend and she always looked after her friends—even when they were ridiculously troublesome.

"Nothing that either of you need to worry your heads over," Hiram teased. He leaned away from Surajini's questing fingers and captured them with one hand, pulling her close with the other. "I'll tell you, if you really want to know."

"And me?" Patrick asked, hopefully. His green eyes shimmered. "I want to know."

"I think I should leave," Bahn murmured, eyes sharpening. The faraway look had vanished for good and a new determination had come over him. "I need to leave now." He rose to his feet in a single fluid motion.

"Bahn?" Harry stared up at him. "Is something-?"

"I-I just—I—thank you," Bahn said, clearly, with a hasty nod of acknowledgement to the playful triad. "Nothing to worry about, Harry. I guess we'll see you down at the beach tonight, for dinner? Maybe? Let's stick with dinner. Probably tonight. Have fun 'till then. Don't forget to mingle."

Harry set his half-eaten tray down, scrambling to his feet when Bahn hurried for the rooftop exit, without bothering to explain the sudden rush. "Bahn? Wait up—what's wrong—Bahn!"

"Harry?" Surajini pulled away from Hiram, worry creasing her pretty face. "Is something wrong—what happened?"

"I don't know," Harry said, frustrated. "I thought everything was alright. I didn't sense anything wrong." He wrestled with the borrowed golden communication bangle for a few seconds and then slid it over his wrist. Reluctantly, he pressed it into Quinn's open hand. "Thank you, for everything today. I had a fun—it was perfect." He tried to smile and hoped he succeeded.

He'd felt a single strand of pure panic from Bahn right before his friend had lurched to his feet and made a quick getaway. That flicker of panic was the only thing Harry had needed to know. With hastily mumbled apologies for the abrupt departure, Harry hurried after Bahn and gently tugging on the bonds for Theo and Charlie.

Harry spotted the head of white-blond hair, knowing it was Bahn from the way the intricate braids were still intact, courtesy of Delani's nimble fingers from earlier. Even though Bahn had tugged at them earlier, Harry had seen the hairstyle painstakingly magically correct itself as Bahn ate.

It was likely one of Delani's spells, as she liked to play with Bahn's hair and he loved to let her. Harry had seen her fussing over him earlier and adding the gleaming golden leaf clip that he was now tracking through the busy crowds of dragels.

Bahn was quick on his feet, Harry would give him that, for all that he was pregnant. He didn't think that his friend was using magic to speed his steps, but that wasn't something he bothered to puzzle through.

Harry nearly stumbled into him, when Bahn come to a complete stop, whirling around to look at him, a finger pressed to his lips.

"Shh. I didn't mean for you to follow."

Harry opened and shut his mouth. He perked a brow instead, but didn't say anything, though the questions and words building up inside of him, desperately began to clamor for answers.

Without deigning to answer, Bahn whirled around and darted off again. Harry rolled his eyes and hurried after him again. He was beginning to think that Bahn's mood swings were the absolute worst part of being pregnant.

"Bahn—we really should-!" Harry whispered.

"There. Right there." Bahn said, tugging on Harry's hand. He'd reached back and grabbed Harry's sleeve several minutes ago, before settling for holding his hand instead. "The one in blue. What do you see?"

Harry gaped at him for a moment, then followed the pointing hand. "I see—lots of blue." They were standing slightly crouched down at the corner, behind a short wall, looking down at a wide, tiled floor where various dragels glided below, mingling in polite groups.

"Not that blue, look for the blue that seems like it's hiding. Right there. Next to the table with the sweet fountain on it." Bahn gave a slight jerk of his head.

"The sweet-?" Harry stopped when he caught sight of the chocolate fountains strategically placed along the middle food table and the trays of fresh fruit slices artistically displayed around them.

There were dozens of tall dragels milling about, talking to each other, laughing and joking, some of them serious and others stuffing their faces. The height suggested a ranking that was definitely not Submissive. The entire situation seemed fairly normal, nothing particularly out of place until a flicker of dark blue caught his eye.

Standing to the side and nodding politely at his conversation partner, a tall, blond dragel helped himself to a skewer of fresh fruit slices. He held it under the chocolate fountain with an absent air as if he wasn't paying the least bit of attention—yet, the chocolate drizzled perfectly over the fruit and didn't even come close to splattering on his fine, billowing sleeves.

Bahn growled.

Harry jerked slightly, glancing at him sideways. "Bahn…" there was a warning note in his voice this time. "What's wrong? Who is that?"

"That," Bahn said, tightly. "Is Lael Guantrell. Wretch." He turned away, flipping his silky hair over one shoulder and moving away from the wall so he wouldn't be seen. His shoulders were stiff and his head held high.

"That's the-," Harry began and stopped. "You were looking for him?"

Bahn sniffed. "I don't look for anyone," he said, tightly. "You there," he nodded at someone standing in the distance, positioned carefully so as not to be facing them, but watching them just the same.

The dragel approached, slender and slight of build, with a perfectly ordinary air about him. He was clad in softer colors of grey and brown, offering a slight dip that might have been a curtsy when he was within a foot of Bahn. "Your grace," he said, quietly.

"That was quick and well done," Bahn said. He reached up to undo the golden leaf hairpin twined in his braids. "Here." He handed over the trinket.

The dragel took it, tipping his head forward. "Thank you."

"One moment," Bahn stayed him with a hand, then pulled a thread from the inside of his gown sleeve and with a shimmer of magic, transfigured a new hair ornament, identical to the one he'd given in payment. "There. Thank you."

The fellow nodded again and all but disappeared into the crowd, slipping the golden trinket into a robe pocket.

Harry lost him in the moment he looked to Bahn for an explanation and then back at the crowd. The mysterious dragel was too ordinary and now, though he could almost sense the difference, that there was someone sharper out there than the dragels milling around them, he could no longer visually identify them.

"Bahn-!" There was a low growl in Harry's voice. "Did you have someone track him?"

"And if I did?" Bahn said, lightly. He magically replaced the transfigured golden leaf back into his hair, tapping it experimentally with a few fingers.

"What are you planning to do?" Harry demanded, circling around to stand directly in front of his friend. Things were adding up too quickly and he didn't like the answer that was starting to form. "Bahn!"

"Nothing that you need to worry about," Bahn said. He smiled crookedly. It looked odd and strange on his normally cheerful, expressive face. "I just—I needed to be sure of something." He glided back over to the wall and leaned forward, folding his arms on the ledge and resting his chin atop them. He gazed down at the busy floor, but his eyes remained dark.

"And are you sure of it?" Harry wanted to know.

"Absolutely."

"What will you do about it?" He followed Bahn back to the wall and scowled when the elfin submissive did not answer.

They trailed Lael Guantrell for nearly an hour—and then he stopped mingling and began to hurry away into the crowd. Bahn quickened his steps, keeping pace with him and easily slipping through the crowd, drawing lightly on his air element to make sure that there was no one in his way.

Harry scowled, keeping up with him and unable to shake the uneasy feeling that was now hanging over him as they chased the older dragel. He was sure now, that Lael was not an Alpha or a Beta and probably not a Pareya. Harry couldn't be sure, but he didn't think that he really wanted to know.

The same way that he didn't really want to know what Bahn was up to. There was a darker gleam in Bahn's eyes that suggested he wasn't about to have a polite chat with the other dragel.

Harry was fairly certain they wouldn't fight—Bahn wouldn't risk his twins, Harry was sure of that—but anything else seemed to be fair game. He thought back to the beachside party and the furious, helpless reactions of the rest of the Deveraines when Alma had told her story.

He could clearly remember Bahn's reaction and the grim set of his jaw before Ilsa had arrived. Harry frowned more to himself and looked up in time to see Bahn darting ahead, obviously aided by his element, frantically trying not to lose their quarry.

Resisting the urge to break into a run, Harry trotted as fast as he could up the walkway and around the corner. He dodged to the side, calling apologizes and excuses over one shoulder, giving in to the need to move quicker.

He was solely focused on the fancy blond hairdo bobbing just barely within sight and entirely missed the wall of ornate finery and buffet plate until he crashed into it.

The shock sent him stumbling backwards and he fell on his bum, one hand reaching up to cradle his aching head. That had been almost like slamming face first into the bottom of the Quidditch pitch—without cushioning charms.

Harry winced, silently willing the ringing in his head and ears to leave him be. He sprang up to his feet, and swiped a hand down the front of his soiled robes and stifled a groan. It simply smushed into the fabric, sticking between his fingers. Theo would kill him for this—especially as he didn't think his magic could handle the necessary spells to clean it off.

"So sorry, excuse me," he bobbed his head, straining to the side and squinting to try and catch sight of Bahn again. There wasn't a single glimpse of his friend in sight.

No blond hair with a golden leaf and judging from where he'd last seen them, Harry knew he had to move fast. He lurched forward only to be drawn up short by a tight-fisted hand in the back of his robes. He gave a choked warble and jerked around, snatching his robes back with barely restrained, instinctive hiss.

The hand released his robes, but caught his arm instead. It was attached to a very dignified older dragel, with a very disapproving look chiseled on his face.

"Excuse me," he drawled, irritably. "But a formal apology is the least you could offer!" He gestured towards his ruined dress, a dark gleam in one eye.

Harry tugged against the hand, attempting to spark it off with his magic or pull away. He wasn't sure if his magic would really cooperate and he didn't like the fact that this grip was too tight for comfort. "Let-"

"Submissive's shouldn't be anywhere near the Alpha's levels," the man continued, haughtily. "Look at what you've done."

Harry grimaced. "I am—sorry," he managed to say. "But I'm in hurry, my friend—I need to make sure he's alright. Do you mind?"

"Your friend can wait." The man huffed. "Do you have any idea how much this robe cost? I expect full reimbursement for the cost of the cleaning, repairing and restoration, as well as an-"

"What?" Harry gave his arm another hard jerk. "Let go of me!" There was an angry growl to his voice. He felt his magic react, uncoiling uncomfortably inside of him like a prickly, spreading warmth with nowhere to fill.

"It is deaf and dumb," the dragel snapped. He pulled Harry closer and held his arm up, frowning at the sticky fingers. "I said, you are in social disgrace and it would behoove you, as of this present moment in time, to make some kind of verbal restitution in the form of a commitment as to the repairing of the physical damage you have caused by your carelessness."

"Oh come off it, Randall, that's hardly worth the hassle of worrying over and I know how much you paid for it," said a lighter voice, careful, but firm. It belonged to a lovely, blond-haired dragel standing off to the left of Harry's 'captor' the entire front of his cream-colored ensemble, drenched with a vivid purple liquid. "Some of us suffered a far worse fate."

Randall jerked around to protest and winced. "Oh. That's terrible." He released Harry almost at once, but caught the sleeve of his gown, before he could move out of range. "I didn't realize that you were involved."

"Loss of awareness is a strange thing, is it not?" The blond drawled. He held out his arms, surveying the full effect of the purple stain.

Randall flushed. "You're—you can press the rights," he said, with obvious reluctance.

"Ever so generous as always," The blond said, holding out a hand.

A moment passed and then Randall roughly jerked Harry forward, within range for his friend to clasp a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Thank you."

The scowl on Randall's face darkened by several shades and he turned away, pointedly casting spells over his ruined clothes. "Submissive's shouldn't be running around on these floors unsupervised." He wrinkled his nose.

"Naturally," the blond said, his grey eyes fluxed to a silvery hue. "Do excuse the both of us." The blond cast a look at the stained robes and suppressed a smile. "You might want to have Isabella take a look at that—it will stain."

Randall glared, but didn't answer, as he stalked off towards the washroom.

"Now then, that's rid us of him, but not me of you," the blond said, cheerfully. "Shall we? He does have a point, you know. Submissive's really shouldn't be on this floor and definitely with their Alpha, should the occasion call for it."

Harry bristled inward and out. He didn't have time to deal with this—or anything to contribute. He frantically worked to break the non-verbal silencing spell that Randall had cast on him. He'd felt the magic and been unable to project an appropriate reaction with his own, sluggish magic, where it was at present.

But, he could feel the spell tearing at the edges and began to focus his intent more directly on it. The spell broke seconds after Randall had disappeared into the crowd and the blond steered them both out of the semi-private event floor and into the slightly sheltered hallway.

Harry whirled around, claws out, murder in his eyes. "Get your hands off of me!" He hissed.

The blond released Harry's shoulder at once, before catching both of Harry's wrists in his strong, smooth hands. He immediately held them away from his face, leaning out of reach as an extra precaution. "None of that, thank you," he said, firmly. "I have done absolutely nothing to you nor have I asked anything of you as of yet." His silver eyes narrowed. "Claws back in, please."

Harry growled, leaning away. He felt a light cleansing spell wash over him, the sticky remnants removing themselves from his clawed hands.

"Now." The man said, firmly.

Harry's hands clenched and unclenched. "I was following a friend," he said, as calmly as he could manage. "And I need to find him." Bahn was long gone at this point and Harry had no idea how he would track him.

One idea flickering through his head, suggested that his empathy might be useful for such a thing, but Harry wasn't sure he was willing to trust it that far. Not yet, anyway, he hardly knew much about it, much less how to use it and the last thing he wanted was to cause another scene.

His empathy roiled and his magic began to spark, silently rippling through his entire body. He had been following Bahn and feeding off of the vibrant, tightly restrained emotions of his friend. Something had been wrong, very wrong and it had been serious enough for Bahn to pay off some mysterious stranger for what appeared to have been a visual confirmation of Lael Guantrell.

"Admirable," the blond allowed. "But I would appreciate it if you would settle down and take a minute to understand your situation."

"There isn't a situation," Harry snapped and twisted again, in the blond's grasp. He struggled to see clearly to look over his own shoulder, trying to remember which direction Bahn had vanished to.

Instinct told him that the corner with the strongest emotional pull—the far left up ahead—was the best bet. His empathy confirmed it and his magic began to bubble up inside, even more fiercely than before. It wanted out and it did not care how it came out.

"Says the one currently trying to ignore said situation," the blond said. "I would say that isn't much of a friend, if they left you here on their own."

"Bahn's not that kind of friend!" Harry snarled. "Now let go!" There was a violent burst of light and Harry gave one final jerk. He felt the flare of vicious heat surge from his very core and flare through his hands.

There was a yelp of surprise, followed by a barely muted hiss of pain, before the blond released him, cradling singed hands. The silver gleam in his eyes returned to the original grey.

"Bahn?" he repeated, eyes narrowed.

Harry didn't wait to explain. Freed from the captive grasp, he danced back a few steps, careful not to turn his back, until he knew he couldn't be caught again. Annoyed and irritated, he whirled around and darted into the crowd, this time, making use of his small size and relying on the empathic sense pulling him towards the place where he had last seen his friend.

He followed the pull through a maze of halls and down corridors with wide, fluted pillars leading out to generous balconies with private corners, hidden from view. A few flickers of movement revealed snogging couples—or worse—groups and Harry quickly refocused on the goal at hand. His face flamed, briefly, but he pushed the images away, feeling the sense of urgency growing as the walkway began to slope upward.

He could almost sense the air growing noticeably thinner, but that was the least of his concerns. He only knew that he wasn't moving as fast as he wanted, for the frantic need to find Bahn was steadily growing stronger by the minute. He wished, desperately, for a broom—or the ability to apparate.

A flicker of movement caught his eye and he dodged around the next corner, narrowly missing a cosy couple on their way down, gliding with flickers of their air magic.

Air magic.

Harry sucked in a breath and mentally reminded himself to focus and act on that focus. He needed to do this right. The pull was almost unbearable now and something made him slow and stop when he rounded the final corner.

A small, open-air balcony stretched out in front of him, with no other exits and no further levels. This was the top of the tower, it seemed and there were low, wide rails all along the sides.

Potent, rich air magic swirled lazily through the air, thick enough to breathe, elusive to the touch, lending a hazy tint to visible area.

The fantastic view wasn't what made Harry freeze at the top of the wide staircase. It wasn't even the delightful, beautiful magic that already reached out to him.

Instead, it was the terrifying scene of Bahn, backed up to the railing with five Gheyos clustered around him, wings and claws out, pulsing, angry aura permeating the entire area.

Bahn had one hand hovering protectively in front of him, but whether shielding his glamoured baby bump or preparing to cast something, was not immediately apparent.

Bahn! The name caught in his throat and Harry felt his heart flip over. Memories flashed before his eyes. Ghost and shadows of things he wanted to forget. Moments when he'd been seconds too late. Magic sparked at his fingers.

One of the Gheyos turned to see Harry's entrance, an ugly sneer on his face, typical, glowing eyes and a lean, scarred body filling out a standard profile. He looked Harry up and down, ignoring him. Bahn's scrambling fingers managed to hike him up on the rail—a touch further out of reach of their angry claws—as he edged backwards.

"No-!" Harry started forward, stopping when two of the other Gheyos now took notice of him, altering their defensive positions to now include him as a viable threat. He had meant to draw their attention—but he hadn't decided what to do beyond that. He had only thought to take away the focus from Bahn, to buy some time, no matter how short.

Bahn was an air elemental. He was also a well-bonded Submissive with extra magic on account of his pregnancy. Harry swallowed, rapidly scrolling through the available options in his head. Bahn could also fly—but he couldn't. Even if Bahn jumped from the roof, he would be able to catch himself—but Harry would be on his own. There was also no guarantee that others wouldn't follow.

Even with extra magic at his disposal, Harry had never actually seen Bahn fly and he didn't know how well matched a Submissive dragel could be against an entire circuit of angry Gheyos. Quite frankly, Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know. Flying was out as an option—he'd have to think of something else and hope that his famous luck could fill in the blanks.

It usually did.

"Get that one," the tall, one-eyed Gheyo grunted out, lengthening his claws into even finer wicked points. He focused his eye on Harry and took a slight sniff in his direction. "This one won't be a problem."

Bahn's head jerked up and for one split-second, Harry saw pure fear reflected in those shining eyes. Fear, not for himself, Harry reasoned out, but fear for—him?

Harry gathered up his courage and his magic. He knew how to fight. Had been thrown into enough situations to know that shields were not always the best of spells. An expelliarmous would not do him any good—as the Gheyos had no wands or focus objects visible. A stunning spell depended on the breadth of his magic and realistically, he couldn't cast anything that would catch all of them. Maybe one or two—if he was quick. Harry flexed his toes, gathering himself together to move. He would have to be careful and he could not miss—but he would not stand idly by and watch this play out.

Two Gheyos had watched him and now, theybroke away from the larger group. Their approach was calculated and menacing, no emotions visible in their eyes.

Something moved behind Harry and he instinctively lunged to the side, dropping to a defensive crouch, wand sliding into his hand. He'd almost forgotten his wand, in the holster on his arm. The heat in his palms still sang through his veins from the earlier fire spell—he'd cast that on instinct without a wand and out of sheer desperation. He hadn't expected it to work.

A touch of Charlie's element, apparently. The heat flickered inside of him, concentrating at his fingertips, around his wand hand as he gripped it tightly.

Desperation and a deliberate calmness enveloped him at once, his empathy being ordered to settle and calm itself, as a new presence burst onto the scene.

"Stay down," the blond dragel snapped, blowing past Harry in a billow of white, cream and gold. His height dwarfed Harry and the sheer presence of his magic demanded obedience. "Don't move!" He added, before charging straight for the two Gheyos. He pulled sharply on his element, slamming into both of them and dodging to the side. "Ilsa!" The name came out as a near scream. He headed straight for Bahn and the ledge, blurring to move even quicker.

"Ithy, no-!" Bahn cried. The Gheyo in front of him simply raised his razored hand and struck.

Magic crackled and screamed as a powerful shield flared to life, golden-white energy shimmering with the strain of absorbing the blow as the blond fellow stood between Bahn and the angry Gheyo, his sleeve torn and ripped from where the attack had almost succeeded.

The Gheyo stumbled back as the blond reared up, fire burning in pitch black eyes. Whatever he would have done, was not put to the test, because an angry screech cut through the air, making everyone shudder and wince.

Saying her name had been summons enough.

Ilsa plummeted from sky in an angry ball of golden magic. She slammed into the rooftop with her signature visible shockwave, a loud snarl announcing her presence as she straightened to show off her mangled, armored wings and glistening, pristine armor.

Stalking forward, her wings angled, she drew a crooked bladed sword from thin air, rolling her shoulders back as she approached, her eyes pitch black.

Another shrieking cry filled the air and Greta dropped onto the rooftop balcony, leaving her own crater behind as she straightened up from the kneeling position she'd landed in. Her glowing purple eyes were accented by the froth of purple smoke that seeped from her open mouth, lips curled back to show her pointed fangs. She hissed, taking in the scene. Her legendary whip crackled to life in her hand, sparking dangerously as she approached.

The rest of the Deveraine Gheyos began to appear from seemingly nowhere. Edor vaulted over the railing, massive wingspan shadowing a significant amount of space as he chirped inquisitively, already going to instinct, his own weapons materializing in his hands.

Loren appeared in a sudden burst of flame, invisible one minute and then visible the next. His angry growl drew answering hisses from his fellow Bonded as they approached the attackers.

Nathan appeared next, his curly hair shivering and moving, until two large, curled horns, burst from the twin dots on his forehead, curling into existence above his ears. He winced—just barely—at the discomfort and then rolled his shoulders back. His exposed arms showed dark hair growing even darker as he approached.

Harry stared at the entire Deveraine Gheyo defense turned out in full alert. He saw the blond dragel—Ithy, Bahn had called him?—drop to a crouch, shielding both of them with his stained robe. Protection spells woven into it, Harry figured, when he realized that the dragel hadn't even hesitated to leap into the thick of things.

He frowned. That had been an unexpected—but very lucky—turn of events.

A heavy feeling of dread and death seeped into the very air around him, stealing every possible shred of light, innocent thought in him. A killing aura, Harry realized, belatedly. Ilsa's perhaps. Darkness, it seemed, had come with her—with all of them. Thick enough to choke, it permeated the air, sealing off the rooftop, it seemed.

The Deveraine Gheyos fanned out in what seemed to be a prepared attack pattern of some sort, boxing in the Gheyos from retreating physically, with Loren immediately taking up a protective stance in front of Bahn and his rescuer.

There was the faintest flare of light and then Bahn disappeared from view as a portal sucked him down and away, along with Ithy. Harry didn't have time to react to that when his magic screamed and he stumbled back a few steps as a 'portal deposited two figures in front of him.

"Bahn!" Harry grabbed him in a hug as Bahn and his rescuer materialized right in front of him. Relief surged through him and he didn't hesitate to hug him tight. For one terrible moment, he'd thought that it was all over—that magic wouldn't be enough to save another friend.

"Friend of yours?" The blond inquired. "Answer later. Don't either of you fight me." His arms encircled them both and he muttered a destination beneath his breath, as a portal flared to life beneath their feet.

Harry frantically reached out to Theo and Charlie, feeling only the briefest flicker of reassurance from a pale-faced Bahn, whose trembling fingers were fisted in his sleeve.

Angry shrieks and screeches faded away as magic whisked them to safety.

The portal deposited them in the posh interior of a rather fancy upstairs apartment, with wide, ceiling-to-floor windows taking up an entire wall facing out into the wide, grassy plains of Nevarah. In the distance, the Merrow waters could be seen and below, the expected bustle of the inner city, reduced to tiny shapes and figures.

Harry tried to reorient himself after the unexpected portal. Strong arms gave a gentle squeeze and then pulled away.

Magic flared and rippled as layer over layer of protective spells and wards were called to life in short order. The window latches were reinforced and glowing rune's inscribed themselves over the doorway.

There was a tense moment of silence, before short breaths evened out into a more calm rhythm. Bahn was still glued to Ithy's side, one arm linked through Harry's and he wasn't moving.

"Bahn?" Harry tried, attempting to pull away and finding that his friend did not want to move.

"Window," Ithy said, briskly. "Natural light will help." He bent and picked them both up without the slightest hesitation.

Harry bit back the squeak that caught in his throat and tamped down on the flush of embarrassment that warmed his neck and ears. "Excuse me?" He tried, when pillows floated past him at eye level, to arrange themselves on the carpeted floor in front of the tall windows.

It took a bit of maneuvering, but Harry soon found himself sitting on a pillow next to Bahn, who was safely cuddled in the arms of none other than the missing Ithycar Deveraine, Head Alpha.

Silence reigned for several minutes before Ithycar cleared his throat. "Bahn, dearest?"

There was a single hitched breath and then Bahn moved, throwing his arms around Ithycar's shoulder and snuffling into his neck. "Ithy," he said, in a low, pained voice. "What took so long?"

Ithycar sighed, tipping his head back to rest on the window. "You scared a century off of me," he said, mildly. "Suppose I hadn't been there?"

"Not possible," came the muffled reply. Fingers fisted in the give of the fabric, trying to pull himself closer.

"Always so sure of yourself, aren't you?" Ithycar murmured. He pressed a kiss to Bahn's silken hair and began to rub a soothing hand up and down his back. "You are safe now, I swear it."

"Ilsa," Bahn whimpered, attempting to burrow closer. He shivered for a moment. "Harry?"

"Right here," Harry said, quickly, trying to catch a glimpse of the familiar face. "I'm fine." He didn't know about Ilsa, but from what he'd seen of her before they'd been whisked away, he thought that she was just fine. She'd looked ready to kill when she'd 'ported in and Harry didn't want to think about what she would do or not.

"Everyone is fine," Ithycar assured him, brows furrowed. "But you are not." He gently pried the arms loose from 'round his neck and held his submissive at arm's length, surveying his elfin features for something that only he could see. He drew Bahn back to him, casting a mild diagnostic spell just as Bahn wrenched away to vomit on the floor.

Ithycar simply moved with him, banishing the mess away and floating Harry a few inches above the ground to keep from getting covered in said vomit. "Pregnant?" He murmured, after a moment, when the spell returned a result he hadn't expected. A pleased smile settled on his face and he drew out a kerchief from one billowing sleeve.

Harry gingerly eased off of his floating cushion and hurried over to the little kitchenette at the far end of the apartment. He found a glass in the cupboards and filled it from the tap, carrying it back to a miserable Bahn.

A grateful look from both was his reward and Harry cautiously eased down to sit in front of them, still wary. "Harry," Bahn said, a few moments later. "You're alright?"

"I'm fine," Harry managed a smile. "Theo and Charlie probably had a few years scared off of them as well," he gave a nod to Ithycar. "He's yours?"

Bahn sputtered a laugh, handing the half-empty glass to Ithycar. "Very much so."

"Friend of yours?" Ithycar countered, drinking the rest of the water and banishing the glass back to the kitchenette with a flick of his fingers.

"Friend of the Circle," Bahn corrected. "We have no quarrel with him."

"I see," Ithycar paused. "We ran right into each other."

Bahn blinked, innocently. "Really? He's Theo's."

"Theo's—our Theo?"

"We only have one Theo," Bahn said, visibly pulling himself together and beginning to sit up on his own. He paused and then elbowed Ithycar.

"Ilsa's Theo?" Ithycar tried again. He winced at the elbow and grabbed it, before the action could be repeated. "Bahn?"

"I hate portals!" Bahn said, primly. "Use Alloras, next time. Yes, Ilsa's Theo. Do we have any other Theo's I ought to know about?" He licked his lips. "Harry—this is Ithycar, our Ithy, our Head Alpha. He was supposed to come earlier. I wanted to invite you for the welcome back dinner. He's over Delani, because of our merged Circles. Ithy, this is Harry."

"Pleasure," Ithycar said, warmly. "Though the circumstances alarm me. You were following Bahn?" He looked at Bahn. "And you were cornered on a rooftop. Whatever were you doing—and with those?"

Bahn wrinkled his nose. "A minor miscalculation."

"Minor?" Ithycar perked a brow. "That was a killing blow and you know it. I would hardly call that minor. Who did they belong to?"

"…No one important," Bahn attempted to shrug, eyes averted.

"…Then what did you say to them?"

"Nothing. I suppose they didn't like my face."

Harry made a choked sound and flinched at the emotional feedback radiating from both of them. He wondered if Theo and Charlie would 'port in soon. He was trying to feed some calmness through their bonds to make up for the panicked burst moments before. Nervous energy sparked through him in uneven bursts, adrenaline somewhat frozen in motion.

"Liar," Ithycar said, calmly. "Try again."

"It's no one you know," Bahn said, leaning away from the hand that went to rest on his shoulder.

"Which is exactly what worries me," came the quick reply. "I know many people. So enlighten me."

"It's nothing to worry about!"

"Nothing doesn't have you this worked up. Now look at me, please. Who was that and why were they trying to kill you?"

"…Wasn't trying to kill me?"

"So ending up dead would have been an unfortunate side effect?" Ithycar frowned and reached around to catch Bahn's chin and gently turn his face back to him. "That's not what it looked like to me. There are always more options if you're willing to look for them."

Something was visible in Bahn's eyes because Ithycar released him moment later, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Bahn," it was a disappointed tone of voice. "You promised."

"I didn't do anything!"

"This is not nothing."

"They deserved it!"

"That's not your choice to make."

"You weren't here!"

"I'm here now and you knew I was coming today."

Bahn didn't answer.

Ithycar leaned forward, touching his chin to Bahn's right temple. "You were scheming again, weren't you?"

Bahn squirmed, avoiding Harry's worried gaze and attempting to shift to his feet. He did not want to have this conversation now and most certainly not with Harry in the room.

"That was far from a minor miscalculation," Ithycar caught him in a hug from behind, preventing him from escaping, careful of his rounded belly. He sat back down on the plump pillows, Bahn securely on his lap. "Attacking any pregnant submissive is a sure death sentence, so whatever happens from here is in Ilsa's hands and I doubt she's inclined to be merciful right now. However, what would drive someone to that point is rather questionable. So I will only ask you once, what did you do?"

Silence stretched out once more.

Harry fidgeted, glancing at the door and tugging gently on the bonds again. He could feel the answering pulses from Theo and Charlie in turn. They were glad that he was alright, but he couldn't tell if they were on their way or not.

"…Nothing. I didn't do anything."

Harry saw Ithycar roll his eyes heavenward, out of Bahn's view. His brows furrowed together.

"Ilsa didn't come until I called," Ithycar began, lightly. "Which meant that you didn't call her, even though you were clearly in fear for your life." He tightened his grip when Bahn squirmed again. "Your friend was desperate to find you and he was crucial in seeing that I found you in time—at the top of The Pinnacle."

"He couldn't have-" Harry started and faltered when Ithycar gave him a sharp look. The words tangled in his throat and stayed there. He wanted to say that it wasn't possible for anyone to predict how something would play out, but Bahn's silence worried him.

"Scheming," Ithycar repeated. "Even after you promised. You do not have minor miscalculations, dearest. You always plan for those."

"Fine!" Bahn crossed his arms over his chest as best as he could. He studiously avoided Harry's gaze. "Am I in trouble now? You're hardly in a place to be lecturing me about-" He winced and frowned at his belly.

"I don't think you're in a position to complain," Ithycar said, smoothly. "Shh. You've simply had too much movement too quickly." He cast a small, soothing spell, a favorite of either Submissive that often helped in lieu of a calming or stomach soother potion.

Bahn relaxed against him almost at once, lips parting in a whine. There wasn't the slightest hint of regret or guilt present on him, but his frustration was clear when he tried to move again barely stirred.

Ithycar clicked his tongue against his teeth. "You didn't take any blood today, did you?" he scolded mildly. "And with a scare like that," he loosened his hold on the newly lethargic Bahn and began to fold up one voluminous sleeve.

Bahn turned away from the proffered wrist and instead twisted around, arms reaching up for Ithycar's neck. His Alpha offered a slight smile and tipped his neck to the side in invitation. "Don't bite." He admonished, lengthening his fingers on one hand into neat claws. He winced when Bahn didn't wait and did exactly that—twice.

Harry felt his fangs ache and throb. He looked away from the intimate scene, feeling distinctly uncomfortable at witnessing such a private moment. He didn't want to interrupt, but it seemed too personal to be simply sitting there.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Ithycar asked, concerned eyes now a rather familiar shade of gold.

"Your eyes-!" Harry said, half to himself. He could have sworn the older dragel had silver to grey eyes just minutes ago.

Ithycar smiled. "Earth is my element," he said with a chuckle. "But I am an exception to the rule. Air is my secondary element, called out and more pronounced by the fact that I have two Air Submissives."

"You can call out a secondary element?" Harry stared. He hadn't even known such a thing was possible.

"Not really. It's not advised and it depends on your magical stability and your genetic makeup. I was simply lucky and being Bonded to this one and the other," he reached up to hold Bahn's head in place to prevent his annoyed Submissive from making a few more hard bites out of irritation.

Bahn gave an angry whine in response, but continued to greedily drink. The mating mark at the top of his shoulder began to glow a faint golden sheen, prompting a faint smile from Ithycar as their bonds began to synchronize again.

"You should take some too," Ithycar said, frowning. He gave Bahn's head a warning tap, and then stretched his arm out to Harry, wrist exposed.

"I'm fine," Harry swallowed. "Theo will be here and-"

"Your eyes say otherwise," Ithycar said, quietly. "I'm sure he won't mind."

Bahn snuffled.

Ithycar tipped his head to touch his cheek to Bahn's head. "And neither with you, my little troublemaker." He pressed his wrist against his ear and slashed it against one of the earrings there. Blood beaded at once on the jagged line and he held it out. Steady golden eyes fixed on Harry, a silent urge to take the proffered gift.

There was only the slightest hesitation before instinct won out over propriety and Harry found himself curled up to Ithycar's side, his fangs notched in the offered wrist. For the first few frantic gulps, he didn't even taste it, but was aware that the simmering, roiling chaos of magic inside of him simply calmed.

His inner hackles fluffed and stretched, before settling down. A powerful calmness washed over him and Harry leaned into Ithycar's warmth, unable to fight the pull against the security radiating from him. He was vaguely aware that Ithycar had managed to somehow offer a half-hug as well as presenting his wrist at a decent angle.

Bahn made a soft clicking sound and Harry stopped drinking, straightening up to see his friend studying him with curious eyes. "You're alright?" Bahn asked.

"No thanks to you," Ithycar rumbled from overhead. "I would ask what you were thinking, but I believe the better option would be simply to allow Delani to make sense of your explanation."

Bahn swallowed. The first hint of guilt danced across his face. Facing Ithycar was one thing, but Delani was entirely another.

Harry found himself smiling. The smile faded when he realized that Theo hadn't arrived yet—he'd given quite a yank to their shared bonds and had expected some sort of grand entrance.

THEO AND CHARLIE : Deveraine Gueshouse

"…You are not tying me up again," Charlie groaned. His fingers twitched feebly and he stifled a moan from where he lay on the soft bed.

Theo chuckled from somewhere off to his left, offering a slight pat of comfort to Charlie's tanned stomach. They'd exhausted themselves in the most filthy and delightful of ways.

"You didn't like it?"

"Liked it too much," Charlie growled. "Stop licking me."

Theo hummed in answer and decided to bite instead. It earned him another beautiful groan and hiss for his efforts, but Charlie didn't protest any further.

Both of them were still swimming in a pleasurable haze from the recent enjoyable high that came from bloodsharing and sex. "Are we staying in for the rest of the day?" Charlie asked.

"Do you want to?" Theo licked the bite wound closed and cuddled up to Charlie's broad, warm side. "We could still walk about, mingle a bit. Find Harry wherever he is."

Charlie mumbled in answer. He didn't think he could quite move just yet, but he did wonder what Harry had been up to for most of the day. Feedback through their bonds had been dancing from one extreme to the next, topped off with a healthy dose of sheer delight—the main ingredient that let them know Harry was alright. Of course, knowing Harry, there was most likely some ridiculous adventure underway right about now.

"I didn't hear that," Theo said, teasingly. He walked his fingers over Charlie's stomach.

Charlie huffed, twitching under the feather-light touch. "I said, what were you up to this morning?"

"Oh, that," Theo stopped his finger-walking, rousing himself enough to sit up. "Want to see it?"

"What is it?"

"Something for Harry."

"…Theo."

His Alpha smirked, sliding off the bed. He stood just out of reach of Charlie's long arms. "Come and find out."

"I can't move."

"Sure you can."

"…I don't want to move?"

Theo laughed. He moved into range and leaned down to press a kiss to Charlie's sweaty forehead. A faint spark of magic leapt between them. "Sure you do."

He purred appreciatively, when one of Charlie's hands reached up to hold his head in place for a kiss of thanks.

"An obstacle course?" Charlie stared. He crammed the blueberry pastry in his mouth and wiped his hands on Theo's proffered napkin. This was quite possibly the most useful thing he'd seen since they'd arrived in Nevarah. "When did you find the time for this?"

"Magic," Theo said, wiggling his fingers. He ignored the returned napkin. "This morning. I was up first, remember? You're welcome to use it too—I had Oretta call it back for Harry."

"Strength training?" Charlie guessed. He stuffed the napkin in his back pocket and mentally counted out the spaces and items he could see. This looked quite fun.

"Strength and agility," Theo corrected. "There's a decent balance of both and the more he uses it, the better the results."

Charlie glanced at him. "What's your best time?"

"Hmm?"

"You're feeding me sugar, I've already had blood," Charlie began to swing his arms, rolling his neck to the side. "What's your best time?"

"Why don't you join me and find out?"

"Oho. That's not the least bit—ow." Charlie froze. He shivered for a moment. "Theo?"

"Charlie? What's the—ah." A loud hiss escaped and Theo shook himself all over. For a moment, they stared at each other.

"Harry?" Charlie suggested, cautiously.

"I hope not," Theo frowned. "It felt like him but it's not—I can't pinpoint it."

"Definitely Harry," Charlie said, a moment later. "Theo?"

"I need something more than a few isolated feelings. He's probably enjoying himself again like he was earlier with whatever it was that was making him-ugh!" Theo dropped to his knees, golden eyes wide, one hand clapped over his neck. "Harry," the name was breathed in a pained gasp.

"Harry!" Charlie buckled a second later, both hands scrabbling at his burning mating marks. "What's happening?"

"He must be in trouble—breathe," Theo managed to say. He squeezed his eyes shut and began to chant for his Caspers. "Alomath, Sukey, Makindor—Brindus. Brindus. Brindus!" White magic flared out from Theo, stretching to envelope Charlie as well.

It burned bright and steady, before Theo could finally speak again. "Failed summon," he said, through gritted teeth. "Something's wrong, Harry was trying to call us and—the," he grimaced.

"Do something!"

"Temptrificus Ergen, my submissive, immediate vicinity," Theo gasped out. He staggered to his feet, shuddering as warring magic twisted through him.

Harry had been frantic enough to call for them, then truly fearing for his life to try and summon them. The failed summon was more telling than anything else.

It was a portal that had begun, but never completed itself, resulting in the burning, fiery marks that now plagued them both.

Charlie's eyes squeezed shut. "Won't stop burning," he said, working to stand on his own two feet. "Why isn't your portal working?"

Theo did not answer. His eyes were pitch black and he reached out to grab Charlie's shoulder to anchor them together. Forcing the portal was not good—but there were few other options available.

His only thought was for Harry and how quickly to 'port to his side—or pull Harry to them. Charlie whined softly and Theo silently steeled himself.

This would hurt.

Probably.

DEVERAINE SAFEHOUSE : NEVARAH

Bahn did not have a chance to answer any more of Ithycar's questions, after he'd sufficiently calmed.

The door to the apartment shuddered and groaned, before it burst open and the rest of the Deveraines streamed into the room in a gaggle of noise and flaring indoor wings.

"Bahn!" Delani was at the head of the group and she stopped a few steps away from Ithycar and Bahn, before her entire countenance lightened. "Ithycar!" She breathed, barely giving him a moment to stand, still tangled with Bahn, before she pushed him up against the window and did a fair job of snogging his face off.

Bahn made a disagreeable sound from his position, sandwiched between them and was silenced when Delani drew back and proceeded to snog him next.

Ithycar bit back a smirk at the dazed look on Bahn's face and reached out to touch Delani's chin, drawing her attention back to him. "It's good to see you again too," he said, warmly.

She smiled in answer and leaned up to receive his welcoming kiss. "I didn't think you'd make it in until late tonight." She took a step back, so as not to smother Bahn, reaching out to comb her fingers through his hair. "What happened? I felt—I don't even know what I felt, but I was so-" she hesitated.

"Afraid," Takar said, grimly. He came to join them, an arm around a pale Lorelei. "We were all afraid. I haven't felt anything like that since…" he faltered.

"Since Kandra," said Bu, strongly. Her face was rather pale, but there was strength and determination in her gleaming grey. eyes. "Where's the rest of them?"

"The other's haven't come yet," Bahn said, from his muffled position in Delani's arms.

She'd scooped him up almost at once, and it appeared that he wasn't about to be set down anytime soon. His lack of protest was rather telling as he soaked up the offered comfort. Delani moved to one of the settees and immediately cuddled him on her lap.

He rested his head on her shoulder and silently counted the heads in the room, checking to be sure that all of his necessary bonded where there.

"They're still fighting?" Salani asked, herding the younger children around her and into the careful hands of Koury, who guided them to a playroom off to the side. "That call was so—Bahn."

"Where's Bhindi?" Ithycar asked. He seated himself beside Delani, reaching out to pull Bahn's feet into his lap. There was a brief tug-of-war, before Delani gave Bahn a look and he relented, allowing the touch.

"She's with Callistair," said Okahn, coming to greet Ithycar. He accepted the welcome kiss and circled around to stand protectively behind the settee, grey eyes sweeping the room as if to spot any threats present among them. "You know that's his default."

"The rest of the children?" Nara asked, stepping out of Alma's way as the Head Pareya bustled around, checking protective spells and wards on the safe house.

"Dahlia's with her own, Ariki is coming, Soula was with Loren, I expect if he 'ported in, then he 'ported her out elsewhere."

"Where exactly is elsewhere?" Bahn wanted to know. He squirmed to be let out of Delani's arms and stretched a hand towards Harry, who had been standing off to the side.

Alma handed Camalis over to Nara, casting a series of diagnostics over Harry, with his given permission. She could tell at once that Bahn was fine and so had turned her attention to the next Submissive present. Harry's magic levels read strongly and his instincts were soothed, but not muted. She guessed that perhaps Ithycar had given him blood to keep him calm until Theo arrived.

She frowned. There would be chaos shortly, for sure. The shared bonds thrummed fiercely through her body, instinct keeping her on high alert to know that whatever danger had been sighted, had not yet been deemed safe.

None of them would fully relax until Ilsa was among them once more—and an explanation of sort hashed out to everyone's understanding.

The worried look on Bahn's face, tugged at her bonds and Alma sighed. She waited for him to meet her gaze and then silently invited him over with a tilt of her head.

Bahn went straight to her, cuddling into her side and ducking under one arm to watch Harry. They were both scooted forward and to the side, when the room door burst open and three missing Deveraines came spilling in.

Bhindi stood protectively in front of Soula, with a glowering Callistair behind them, staff raised. He immediately pushed them in and them sealed the door, casting his own brand of magic over it.

"What happened?" he demanded at once, stretching out a reassuring hand to Bhindi, who pulled Soula back along with her. It took another second for them to recognize that only their Bonded were present, before the Pareyas present hurried to greet them.

There was a beat of silence before Bhindi spotted Ithycar rising from the settee and her pretty eyes narrowed, lips twisting into a snarl.

Her Bonded backed out of the way, leaving a clear line between Alpha and Submissive.

Aracle pulled Soula into his arms, murmuring softly to her as she hugged him back, nodding that she was alright. He gave Callistair a grateful smile.

Callistair relaxed enough to nod, a weary glance flickering to Bhindi's furious self and Ithycar's perpetually calm expression. He winced. Aracle mirrored it. There was sure to be a spectacular scene in the next few minutes.

"I hate you," Bhindi snapped, stopping just out of arm's reach of Ithycar. "You're early. You're here. I guess you couldn't be bothered to say anything?"

"I've only just arrived," Ithycar said mildly. "And what kind of greeting is that?"

"The one where I don't sever your head from your shoulders and kick it through the window!" She glared at him. "How dare you!"

"If I recall, it was with your express request," he returned. "Perhaps I ought to refresh your memory."

"It's nowhere near as rusted as yours! As if you didn't know how to shorten a deadline and parley? Years in the courts brings you to this?" She gestured to him, nose wrinkling. "Pah!"

"You are a poor actor and a terrible liar," he shot back. "You are fine—you were with Callistair," his gaze darted to Bahn.

"How would you even know-!" She lunged at him, a silver blade flashing out of one hand.

He dodged, catching the blade easily with one of his own. They paused, locked in movement, before one unspoken cue made them move.

A choreographed dance of sorts began, slashes, thrusts, parries and feints. Bhindi was a white-and-gold blur, and Ithycar was a graceful column of cream-and-white.

The sharp argument moved around the settee and over to the large windows, where Ithycar had first gone. There was a glint of silver and then a soft gasp, before Bhindi pinned his shoulder to one of the draped columns. She'd stabbed him without hesitation, her grey eyes glittering.

He twisted, but could not pull free, and so he grabbed her to him and buried his own knife in her back. There was a crackle of magic and a visible spark.

Her lips parted in a soundless scream, twin tears trickling down her cheeks. "You bastard!" She thumped his chest with closed fists. The knife in his shoulder shimmered and morphed into a light that melted into his body. "You-!"

"Shh, Yes, I know," he murmured, holding her tight to him as the knife in her back shimmered out of existence. "I gave you that to keep, not to fight me."

"You horrid, horrid man!" She cried, tugging at the collar of his robe, pulling him down to her height.

"Absolutely terrible," he agreed, kissing her as prompted. "You should have called sooner."

"You could have left sooner!" She stomped on his foot. "Brute!" She kissed him back, with a hint of bite. She'd hoped for a nice, calm, romantic reunion. This was not the way it was supposed to be.

He chuckled and nipped her ear, ignoring the sound of protest. "Are we through with the tantrum?"

She squirmed in his arms, unwilling to answer, but content enough to be held for the moment. She did not see his indulgent smile, but her initial fury had already worn off. She'd also returned his special knife and he'd given hers back. That said something. He was now back, in her arms and that was all that she had wanted for so very long.

A low, crooning burble formed in her throat.

Ithycar smiled sadly and turned her around, her back to his chest, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. He rubbed warm hands up and down her arms, pressing deliberately over the inked claim marks that decorated each arm.

She trembled, visibly, turning her face to hide in the voluminous sleeves of his robe. "What happened?" A twitch of her fingers cast a spell that cleaned the purple stain off the front of his robe.

"Bahn happened," Ithycar said, calmly. "And he is very lucky that he is pregnant right now or else I suspect Lani would have quite a bit to say about this latest adventure." He smiled at his robe and kissed the top of her head for the kind gesture.

Delani's pale gaze flickered over to where Bahn was studiously making himself as small as possible with Alma's arm around him. He refused to meet her eyes. A smile tugged at her face. So that's why he'd snuck away to Alma. She went over to him again, pulling him into her arms and chirring softly to let him know how she felt.

He gave a mere squeak of protest, settling almost at once with her touch. When she methodically checked him over for injury, he made quiet purrs and warbles in answer to her questioning hums. He was fine. She was fine. That was all they needed to know at this point.

Alma smiled to herself, before casting a look around the room in search of the very necessary person that wasn't there. She waited a beat, for Delani to finish checking over Bahn—again—and for Ithycar to settle Bhindi. She twitched faintly, when her own claim mark burned. It was nice to feel the bonds clicking back into the place after the empty ache that usually occupied those particular strands.

"Where is Ilsa?" Nara asked. She swayed a sleeping Camalis in her arms, her own worried eyes fixed on Alma. "The children should be fine but-"

"Room," Bu muttered, standing up as tall as she could manage, and clapping her hands for attention. "Children, Pareyas—cluster up." She gestured towards the large playroom that was towards the back, the double doors open. "In. Now." Koury had already taken the youngest ones in, but the older ones were now joining them.

"Can you sense her?" Sueh herded the children in front of her, with a murmured promise of the games that were usually kept in the stacked containers to the side. The older children exchanged uneasy glances, but allowed themselves to be shuffled along with their siblings.

"No," Bu glanced at Alma, who shook her head ever so slightly. "But you know Ilsa. She'll 'port in here with her aura flaring about the edges and everyone else right along with her."

Nara grimaced. "Bahn? Bhindi?" She looked to the twins, who had pulled away from their respective Alphas and were having a hastily whispered conversation for their own ears alone. "Lovelings?" They would be the first to sense their prickly Ace's return.

Bhindi was the first to react. She paled almost at once, turning waxen white and straightening up, shoulders squared. Her eyes flicked from Alma to Nara and then to the closing playroom doors.

There was a split-second before Nara clutched Camalis to her chest and bolted for the playroom door. She would magically lock and ward it behind her.

Bahn turned a wary gaze to the apartment door, his shoulders hunching forward, wings rippling somewhere beneath the skin. He reached back, catching one of Harry's sleeves and subtly standing in front of him, a slight defense.

Angry screeching and growls made themselves known before the wards on the door strained and buckled. Callistair swore, his staff beginning to glow.

"Take them down!" Delani snapped, throwing out her hands to rip the wards apart in her own way. A controlled rip was always easier to repair than a forced one. There was not enough time to undo the entire thing for a proper entry—and most definitely not for Ilsa.

Ithycar touched his arm to hers, his magic streaming out in broad swathes of light and energy. The wards strained once more and gave in, as the door opened and this time, the Deveraine Gheyos spilled in.

It took Harry all of five seconds to realize that Greta, Loren and Edor were all wrestling Ilsa into the room. A very bloody, angry and powerful Ilsa.

"I'll kill him-!" she howled, straining against their bonds.

Greta winced at a flailing arm that caught her chin and her violet eyes glittered dangerously. "Don't let her move!" she hissed.

Loren shrank away from Greta, ducking one of Ilsa's bloody claws. He knew she would calm once the bloodlust ebbed, but she wasn't even at full strength and it taxed them to try and restrain her.

Brute strength was not working and he knew they would need a little extra pull. "Bahn?" he called out, not daring to turn his attention away from his Ace. Ilsa was borderline halfling and edging closer towards feral.

He didn't want to see her tip that far over. Wouldn't forgive her if she did. They were all too broken for another one of them to fall apart. Ilsa was supposed to be their rock. Delani's everpresent armor. Ithycar's chosen shield. Ilsa was something different to each of them. The look on her face when she'd 'ported in had promised exactly what she'd done. He only hoped that with Ithycar here, things would finally settle and smooth over.

Nathan stifled the instinctive whine in his throat. He wasn't the full dragel that the others were and drawing attention to himself with Ilsa's present state was a very, very bad idea. Edor had leapt in front of him to take a slash to the chest, when Ilsa had lashed out at him.

Fading adrenaline allowed rationality to return and relief filled him from claws to horns when he spotted Ithycar standing beside Bhindi. That was good. Perhaps they would manage this without any further bloodshed. He silently implored his Alpha to speak, it would take an Alpha's voice or a Submissive's touch to bring her back at this point. He kept to the edges of their Gheyo group as Ilsa traipsed further into the warded safe house. He didn't know how she'd even figured to 'port them here.

"Ilsa?" Ithycar spoke up when silence stretched out a bit too long for his liking. There was something off here and he only needed to know what it was and then he could make it right.

His voice was an instant trigger.

Ilsa paused in mid-step, head jerking around to look at him. Her chest heaved, wings shuddering and folding back into her body as she jerked away from the cautious helping hands around her.

"Ithycar?" She half-laughed, a strained sound in the forced atmosphere. Her near-black gaze flickered from Bahn to Bhindi and then to Ithycar. She did not look at Harry.

Silence reigned.

Greta shifted, staying within Ilsa's line of sight. Her wings had already long since vanished, but her clawed hands remained. There were a few, vivid red scratches on her formerly unmarked face, but they healed as she stood there, waiting.

Movement returned and Ilsa headed for the pristine white settee. She perched on the end, and crossed her ankles, flexed claws curled and resting atop her knees. Scales remained visible, heavily dotted along her face, neck and shoulders, while her armor was missing a few noticeable pieces.

Another moment trickled by.

Ilsa wrinkled her nose, a surreptitious glance taking stock of her immediate surroundings. "Stand down," she ground out. "All of you."

Loren's shoulders slumped in relief. He was the first to move forward, dropping to his knees when Ilsa's sharp-eyed gaze zeroed in on him. It made his inherent fire nature bristle and strain within, but the iron in Ilsa's heavy gaze quelled any thought of rebellion.

She had not forcefully established her rank after her return and though it rankled, he did not want to be an example for the rest. Ace she was, but viciousness lurked beneath her wounds when they were half-healed. She would hurt him if he dared challenge her now.

He lowered his gaze, waiting for any indication that his presence was unwelcome. When she didn't stop him, he scooted closer and took up a position sitting on the floor next to her feet, daring to rest his chin on one stained knee. Instinct demanded physical contact, but he didn't feel the slightest hint of battlelust from her.

She simply watched him, the agitation fading somewhat as he licked her knee and then frowned at the taste. "It's not mine, idiot." She flicked him lightly on the head.

His flames burst to life, a steady glow resurfacing. He whined in answer and made a teasing snap for her finger.

Ilsa tapped his nose in instead, allowing the apologetic nibble to her claw-turned-hand. He took her hand and inspected it, carefully, before sniffing at the rest of the blood on her arm.

Edor growled faintly, stalking forward to join them. He averted his gaze when Ilsa tracked his movements all the way to the settee. He didn't dare attempt to sit next to her, but took up the open position near her other side, seating himself on the floor as Loren had done-albeit gracelessly.

It took him a moment to confirm that the blood on his Ace was not hers and therefore, he could gradually relax from the thought of further threats. He fiddled with her soiled armor, noting the stains on her shin guards and the hem of her dresswear sleeve, torn and frayed. It had been a pretty outfit for the Hunt.

Ilsa stretched her neck, a rumble building in her throat that finally soothed the others. They approached, wary as Loren had been, Greta taking the lead.

Clustering around her, they poked at her blood-covered limbs and clothes, preening her hair and chattering in a series of hisses and growls that only made sense to each other.

"Ilsa?" Delani drew near, a respectful distance away from the settee and the protective Gheyos. It'd been years since she'd seen this comforting ritual among their own. Instinct compelled them to verify that Ilsa was physically unharmed—the only reason they were now quieting. "Talk to me, love."

Miserable brown eyes stared straight through Delani, but Ilsa did not speak.

"Please?" Delani inched closer, keeping her hands hanging at her sides, her movements slow enough to track. "What happened?"

Ilsa turned away, her gaze seeking Bahn's. When she spoke, her voice was rough and tension began to show once more in the taut lines of her upper body. "Yes or no?" she asked.

Bahn simply moved to sit on the settee opposite of her. He met her gaze, steadily. Bhindi glided after him, slipping into the space on the left, scooting closer to him.

Ithycar stayed with Harry for a moment, before he nudged him forward to join the other two Submissives. It would be easier to protect all three of them if they were in one place and Ilsa had yet to honestly acknowledge him.

Harry balked. There was no way he was about to sit across from Ilsa in her current state without anyone that he felt he could completely trust by his side. That was simply asking for the kind of trouble that his ridiculous luck often gifted him.

"She's fine now," Ithycar said, calmly. "I'll be right beside you. Come on." He draped a reassuring arm around Harry's taut shoulders and inched him forward, a single step at a time.

Harry gingerly sat at the farthest end of the settee that he could manage in the empty space on the right of Bahn. His instincts and his empathy were screaming in tandem inside of him.

He wanted Theo. He wanted Charlie. He wasn't picky about which one of them reached him first. He did know that he most certainly did not want Ilsa to turn those terrifying eyes on him.

A whiff of blood made his stomach roil uneasily. He could gather that the blood wasn't hers—it didn't smell like hers anyway. But that did not mean it was alright.

Ithycar's arm remained around Harry's shoulder, offering a steady, comforting presence.

The imminent thread of danger and death was now muted, if not tightly restrained. Aura, Harry recalled. She was actively controlling it now, because he could feel it uncurling and slithering back to her.

It made his skin crawl. This was one shade of the darkness that he knew lurked within her. One single shade that he hadn't expected to ever witness.

"…so yes, then?" Ilsa clarified. Her smile was tight and she lifted her chin.

"Yes," Bahn said, simply.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tipped her head back to rest on Greta's arms. She would not say a word about his timing. It was awful, but maybe there never would have been a good time at all.

Greta stood to the side, one hand on Ilsa's shoulder. She chirred softly when Ilsa's head rested on her arm. Her two-toned hair was almost three-tones, with the wet, dark color. Greta bit back the growl building in her throat. Ilsa might be sorting through her emotions but the rest of them were fighting instinct.

To see her Ace in this state invited the kind of urges that were definitely not suitable for polite company. It took a single glance at Harry's wide green eyes and elven-pale face to stop her instincts from delving into her darker nature. He was almost frozen, partially dwarfed by Ithycar's looming figure hovering beside him. Greta mentally reigned herself in. There would be time for that later—she'd make sure of it.

"Ilsa," Ithycar spoke with a weight in his tone that hadn't been there before.

"Four of them," she said, lightly. "I've broke-winged four of them."

Bhindi clapped a hand over her mouth, but not before a muffled whimper had escaped. At this point, what wasn't being said had now begun to worry her. She trembled when Delani drew near, offering comfort with her presence.

"Four?" Bahn asked, calmly. He inspected his fingernails as if there was nothing startling about such news. "Only?"

"The Ace acknowledged my right to retaliate, but I'm sure you already know what that means. You knew how I would react." Ilsa rubbed her face. "Am I only a means to an end for you?"

Bahn's lips twisted into a grimace. "Means to an end?" he repeated. "Is that what you think you are?" His voice hardened, eyes narrowed.

"Hard to think I'm anything else when all you've done is use me since you've summoned me," Ilsa snapped. Her eyes flared with a hint of gold light. "I returned for a reason."

"A lovely reason yes, but you've also been avoiding me. Avoiding us. Causing the sorts of troubles that wouldn't have been troubles, if you'd been here to sort them out. You've been tiptoeing around as if you're afraid I'll hack your head off and granted, darling, I have been tempted, but in spite of all you've done, I am still very deeply fond of you, I do care for you and above all else, I love you."

"But not fond enough to stop using me?"

"Of course not."

Ilsa sucked in a breath. The effect of his words were more than visible on her face. "Why?"

"Because to me you are a tool. A beautiful perfect tool. I would hate for you to sit, unused, shoved in a corner, tarnishing with the passage of time." Bahn's eyes gleamed with the light of a thousand devils. "You know why I do it, loveling."

The endearment falling from his lips made a choked little sound steal past Ilsa's trembling lips. "Please…"

"Please?"

"I—I-"

"Because I want to. Because I can. Because you're mine." The fierce look on his face was tempered only by the possessive tint in his voice. "And because I know you love it. Don't you, loveling?"

Ilsa's eyes blinked open, wide, shimmering and pure gold. A hiccuped "yes" was the only word she breathed. The claim mark, barely visible on her breast, began to glow, a bright golden glow that retraced the entire mark, the bonds reaffirmed in the only way that had truly mattered to Ilsa.

Bahn's smirk widened and he rolled his shoulders back, his point made. There was a faint flash of silver on his own claim mark on his arm, but he hadn't needed the reassurance of what was already his.

"…I can't—I don't-"

He scoffed. "You will. Kindly stand up and resume the role that was never taken from you in the first place." He took one step towards her and then another.

The other Gheyos shifted away, backing out of range from the volatile pair. Ilsa's shoulders shook, but her gaze remained steady and her eyes bright.

"You are very much my Ace," Bahn murmured. He stopped moving forward only when his legs touched her knees. "By Arielle and all the celestial realms, I am your Submissive."

Ilsa swallowed. She reached one hand for him and faltered.

He caught it in his own, linking their fingers together. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Show me the woman that refused to be courted and declared she was not a prize to be won. Prove to me that you belong beside me, where I've put you from the day we bonded."

Her free hand moved upwards, seeking purchase on his slender arm. Gripping hard enough to bruise when he attempted to brush his lips on her cheek, she leaned just out of reach. "…You bastard."

He laughed. "That's not the answer I want." He twisted his arm in her grip and dug pointed nails into her forearm. "But you love me anyway."

"Have I any other choice?"

"No. Especially when I don't feel very safe at all."

Ilsa's indoor wings unfurled with such force, everything fluttered and shifted within the room. She wrapped them around herself and Bahn, cocooning them at once from prying eyes and any potential threats.

She was quick and nearly soundless, the jagged cuts in her wings overlapping at just the right points to hide them both from view.

"You are," her voice was muffled. "You are safe. I swear it. I promise you are always, always safe. As long as I have breath in my body, you are safe."

"Swear it," Bahn demanded.

"I swear by Ergen and Arielle." Ilsa soothed. "I swear on my bearer's forgotten name."

"…That will do."

Delani wrapped her arms around Bhindi from behind and kissed the top of her head. The soothing gesture was accepted, but Bhindi looked to the floor, her shoulders slumping. Her tremors had stopped, but witnessing the reaffirming scene in front of her had dredged up old hurts and memories that she'd worked hard to bury.

Ithycar's arm tightened, drawing Harry closer to his side. Harry leaned into the gesture, feeling a deep ache echoing inside of him. His empathy, he knew, was hungrily feeding off of the wild mixture of emotions tangling through the room.

He tugged on the strands connected to him once more, reminding the bonds of Theo and Charlie, that he wanted them to come. He didn't understand why they hadn't come to him as yet. A brief flash of puzzlement registered, because something told him that they should have been here and more than enough time had passed.

Should have.

When Ithycar's grip bordered on painful, Harry squirmed. It slackened almost at once and a slight apologetic glance was sent his way.

Several minutes passed before Ilsa's wings finally opened. She held Bahn in her arms, his face hidden in the hollow of her neck. Her wings folded back in precise movements as she cast a glance at Ithycar and Delani.

Both Alphas were giving her identical looks that promised a long, potentially emotionally painful conversation at some point in the future. It made her stomach churn, but Bahn purred reassuringly in her arms and her instincts melted into a muddle once more.

His admission of uneasiness had brought her true feelings to the forefront. A Submissive that did not feel safe, would hunt to grow and build their Circle until they did.

Ilsa knew he didn't want to hunt any more than she wanted him to. But he did want her to grovel. To coddle him. To reassure him. To shoulder her portion of the burden upon them all because of her return.

He rested comfortably in her arms, apparently where he wanted to be, his fingers skimming over her claim mark and tracing random patterns on her skin.

"Sit," Delani said, briskly. "He's heavier now than before," she looked to Ithycar. "I have a feeling we're short on time and in need of quick actions, so if you could-"

"It depends on what exactly you did," Ithycar said. He looked to Ilsa. "I defer to you in light of the fact that I expect there is far more you have to say than time we have to listen. I will—we will—hear it all later, but for now, an abbreviated version will do."

A brief flash of emotion played across Ilsa's face, but she only offered the barest hint of what might have passed for a smile. "I've declared war," she said, quietly. "Ergen help me, but I have."

"Which clan?" Ithycar straightened up.

Harry's worried eyes now flickered back and forth between Ithycar and Ilsa. Starting a clan war seemed to deserve far more uproar than calmness that both Alphas and Submissives were displaying at present.

"Alma?" Ilsa turned towards the pull of Alma's presence. She'd sensed her there—as the Head Pareya, Alma would always stay, even when she hated the sight and scent of their injuries and foreign blood.

Alma shifted to stand a little ways out from Callistair's protective stance. He had slipped over to her side when Ilsa had been brought into the room. She did not need his protection, for her rank was far better suited to reversing their positions, but the gesture was kind.

"Everyone comes back. I mean, everyone. Kandra, Ully, even their Intendeds if they're courting. Inside. In our wards. I was well within my rights, but Ergen help me if I give them any sort of opening." She frowned at Callistair. "You will use our house seal on every single individual. If you can't channel the magic, then cast it and give me the threads. I will tie it to the very core of this realm."

Callistair's glare upped by several degrees, but he gave a stiff nod. He would ignore the slight to his abilities, because there was a very real possibility that casting so many protective magics could drain him. Help would be welcome.

"Favors," Ilsa's smile tightened. "If you have favor with any house, call it in and ask that they stand on our behalf. This can be resolved, quite possibly with a single—motion." She forced the last word out. It was unlikely, but she would hold out hope until the last minute.

"Over four wings?" Bhindi burst out. She couldn't hold her silence anymore. She had asked Bahn for his help—but he hadn't shared everything with her. He hadn't warned her about this. "Which clan?" It hadn't escaped her notice that Ilsa had yet to name them.

Bahn snorted. The rage was back in his eyes as he shifted, sitting up from the cage of Ilsa's arms around him. "They hurt Kandra," he said, lightly. "And I couldn't touch them before."

"But now…" Bhindi breathed. Relief and rage surged through her in equal measure. "Arielle. You did it. The Vaughns? You—four of them?" She turned in Delani's arms, making no effort to hide the madness surfacing in her eyes. Four permanently injured Gheyos was a severe blow to any Circle—but still, not enough retribution for what they had done to her precious daughter. Their precious daughter. "Can we burn them?" She sing-songed. "Pretty please?"

"You have more than Theo?" Ithycar asked, suddenly. He was rubbing something on his shoulder, having finally deemed Harry calm enough to sit on his own. "Forgive me for asking so bluntly, but I cannot see your marks."

"A Beta, Charlie," Harry said. He frowned at Ithycar's twitching hands. "What are you doing?"

"And this Charlie, he's a fire type?"

"Yes."

"Ah. That explains it. Brace yourself then. My apologies for the delay."

His words made little sense to Harry until two identical cracks of sound seemed to tear apart the very fabric of the space around him. An angry Theo materialized at his right with a furious Charlie at Harry's left.

On high alert, claws, fangs and scales in full display, wings tempered—just barely. Theo's growl of displeasure was shrill and painful, as he snatched Harry up off of the settee, crushing him to his side.

Charlie echoed the harsh sound of displeasure, his wings flared out, one curving protectively around them, the other angled as if to deflect or attack.

Harry cycled through a dozen emotions before the sheer intensity of their feelings overwhelmed him. He opened his mouth, answering their questioning screeches with a burbling warble that made absolutely no sense, apart from could-they-please-calm-down-right-now-or-else?

The spectacular entrance had the Deveraines scrambling together in surprising synchronization. Ithycar stood at the forefront, Bhindi with Delani who was behind Callistar. Alma was in front of all of them, with Bahn behind her.

Ilsa stood off to Ithycar's side, a hastily cast swapping spell trading out her battered armor for a new set. Alma threw a scent bubble over her, ignoring the glare earned. Foreign blood would rile them more before they even had a chance to trust their senses.

"Theo?" Harry wriggled faintly in Theo's iron-grasp. "Charlie? I'm alright. It's alright. I just—it took me by surprise. We're alright. Everyone's fine."

Theo's grip didn't loosen. Charlie growled, as if in acknowledgement that Harry had spoken, but not to what he'd actually said.

Harry sighed. He leaned forward, twining his arms around Theo's shirtless, well-scaled stomach. His fingers skimmed over the smooth warmth, touching soft, baby fine hairs and feeling the agitation that stewed out of sight.

Dredging up the carefully constructed calm inside of him, Harry deliberately pushed it through their bonds. It was only thanks to Ithycar that he had any calm at all to spare. He was still recovering from the fight-or-flight flash that had turned into a suspended decision while Bahn and Ilsa hashed out whatever was between them.

He could not mistake the obvious relief of everyone in the room when the interaction had ended on an apparently positive note. He now felt the relief flip-flop into undisguised trepidation.

A shimmer at the corner of his eye drew his attention. Ilsa. Standing just out of Theo's line of sight. Ilsa's golden eyes burned into him. Harry swallowed. He could feel Theo trembling ever so slightly in his arms.

Harry hugged him, reaching one hand blindly behind him for Charlie. He was relieved when he felt a larger, warmer hand slide into his.

Cautiously, he pressed a kiss to the side of Theo's neck, then to the edge of his chin and finally, to the pretty patch of scales near his ear. "Theo," Harry whispered. "M'fine."

"Theodore," Ilsa's voice rang out in the room.

Theo jerked around to see her. His grip tightened reflexively on Harry, before golden eyes narrowed. Charlie rumbled from behind them, both of his wings now curving forward.

Ilsa perked a brow.

Theo held her gaze.

She sniffed and then her lips curled backfor a fanged hiss.

Theo blinked. He made a confused sound in his throat.

There was an answering snort from his mentor, before she stalked forward and flopped onto the settee farthest from him.

"Oretta?" Theo rasped. He stopped squeezing Harry and turned his attention downward. A short huff left his lips and he leaned down to gift a light kiss to Harry.

Charlie hummed overhead. When Harry twisted around, Charlie stole a kiss of his own. His wings folded downward, but not in, as he gradually came back to himself.

A long awkward silence stretched out. Bahn shuffled from his protected spot behind Alma, but did not step out when Delani gave him a look.

"Theodore?" Ithycar cleared his throat. His Alpha's weight was still present in his tone. "Are you back to yourself?"

"Almost," Theo said, absently. He gave himself a slight shake and continued to look Harry over. The black was fading to a medium brown, but the usual gold hue was still missing.

A very patient Harry stood still, allowing the slightly fluttering hands to feel his head, neck and shoulders. He swatted away Theo's questing hands when they ventured lower. "I am fine," he said, quietly. Thunking his head on Theo's chest, tucking it just under his chin, Harry hummed an odd, nonsensical tune. He didn't know what else to say to calm them down and everything was sort of fine now that they were here.

He was shortly sandwiched in another hug when Charlie deemed it acceptable to check him over as well. Several embarrassing minutes passed in which Alpha and Beta conversed in a series of growls and warbles, before an exasperated Harry gave in and kissed them both soundly.

That was all the reassurance that was needed, for Charlie's wings vanished and Theo's scales began to recede. Harry huffed. "Idiots," he muttered, cheeks flushing red.

Ithycar's smile turned fond and he looked away, granting them a moment of privacy. A moment later, he pursed his lips and gave a soft whistle.

The sound drew Theo's attention at once. His head snapped up and he looked at Ilsa, brows furrowed. A second later, his head turned to fix on the tall blond standing beside the settee. "Ithy-car?" Theo stumbled over the name, golden eyes growing wide. "You're-?" He took two steps forward when Ithycar held out an arm.

Harry blinked back the sudden moisture in his eyes. The expression on Theo's face had been too open, too hopeful and too vulnerable, almost, for his liking. But Ithycar had simply swallowed him up in a hug that looked like it would hurt, were it anyone else.

"You've grown," Ithycar murmured, fondly.

Theo mumbled something and was rewarded with an affectionate nuzzle to the top of his head. His ears turned a faint pink, before he finally attempted to pull away.

Ithycar merely laughed and held onto him for a moment longer. Theo's smile was well-hidden by the fancy robes.

A flicker of annoyance rippled through his empathy and prompted Harry to look to his left. A scowling Bhindi now approached them, her sour glare fixed on Theo and Ithycar. It took a split-second for Harry to make the connection and inwardly, he stifled the urge to laugh as he caught Ilsa rolling her eyes.

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well and enjoying your summer! (or winter, wherever you are. lol). If you've been reading the Chatterbox threads in the forums, then you know how exciting things have been for me lately. Exciting and busy, as usual. I have a new job-I've been hired on at last. This has been a crazy week of getting oriented and goodness knows what else. My mom is doing a bit better. We spent the day as a family for Father's day yesterday and had SO MUCH fun. This is yet another one of my monster chapters-clocking in at about 20k, so I hope you enjoyed it, even on the sheer length of it alone. LOL.

It took a while to write and I am absolutely thrilled to finally share Ithycar Deveraine with you all! I have waited all this time just to write those introduction scenes and wrote/rewrote them until they came out as close to the idea in my head as I could manage. The main conflict in this chapter will be explained a bit in the next and we'll also see how it ties into Harry. The purpose of this is technically to get some strong dragels behind Harry and to push his courting up a bit. So just hang in there. Cause and effect and all that. Ahem.

Many thanks to brissygirl who made sense of my odd typos and suggestions for the story. :) She's having some health issues right now and I'd ask for y'all to send some good wishes/karma her way. :)

Thanks for your support and kind reviews here on TBDH and my indie project, The Dragel's Song. I have book 5 partially written and will be working on getting it out next. Welcome to the new readers. Thanks for reading!

REVIEW RESPONSES WILL BE POSTED as I have the time to spare. I'm working on chapter 95. Slowly. VERY SLOWLY.

STATE OF CHARACTERS:

Harry, Theo, Charlie-(with Deveraines)

Deveraine Circle members-(at their private safehouse)