I'd fallen off the bed again and Reuben was beginning to look a little exasperated. Although exasperated was probably the wrong word for the vampire, his pouting face reminded me more of a displeased kitten. Although this kitten had fangs, mind-control powers and a taste for my blood.

"Cherie," He sighed as I climbed back onto the bed doing breathing exercises, "I admit I enjoy a chase but if you are to scream and roll off the bed every time I try to touch you we shall be here all night,"

"Sorry," But I wasn't really. I really didn't want him biting into my neck. I have a phobia of needles, such a bad phobia that it took two nurses holding me down and another with the needle to actually take my blood the last time my untrusting doctor suspected me of pregnancy. Reuben had two needles in his mouth. Big, triangular, bloodstained needles. I so did not want those near my neck. Bloodstained? Yes. Draco had already donated his lot and was sitting at the end of the bed watching me scornfully. I'd demanded he go first, in fact I'd double dared him. I hadn't expected him to actually do it, I'd been hopeful we'd argue so much that the time for blood donation would pass.

"It only hurts a little," He told me for the zillionth time, "And even then it's more of a background sting. It's actually quite pleasant."

I ignored him and tried to concentrate on how attractive I found Reuben. I found him very attractive and if he had been going to simply kiss my neck I would have been fine with it but no amount of sex appeal makes bleeding me OK.

"Ok." I took a deep breath and shuffled towards the vampire on my knees. I swept my hair to one side and bared my neck, "Do it," I closed my eyes tight. I heard him move and couldn't help it; I squealed and fell backwards, scrambling until I fell on the floor again. The back of my head was beginning to bruise from hitting the ground so often and with each fresh bang Draco got grumpier and grumpier.

"If she keeps up this childishness I am going to loose my mood," Reuben complained churlishly to Draco, "Our alliance is based on the agreement that I shall taste you both at least once a month. If she does not donate tonight then you have forfeited the terms!"

"I'll hold her down," Draco offered and I glared at him.

"I don't need held down!" But after two more trips off the bed I had to agree that I probably did.

"I do not wish to force this upon her," Reuben was definitely sulking, "That would taste of rape and I do not care for such things," He collapsed against his numerous pillows and cleaned his teeth of the last of Draco's blood with his tongue. When he had finished he said, "I am not happy." In a most unhappy way.

"It wouldn't be rape. I consent to being held down." I pointed out, "Can't rape the willing."

"Yes but the actual bite would be like rape to you." Reuben didn't look at me as he said it. I think he was mad at me. Oh well.

"Not really. It's just I don't like sharp things and your fangs well they look pretty sharp. Once you get stuck in there it's fine." I tried to sound enthusiastic but couldn't quite manage it.

"Rape," Reuben grumbled petulantly.

"Well you know what? The deal wasn't that you'd enjoy the blood letting Reuben. So you can't break our alliance because you refuse to have me held down while it's done,"

Reuben didn't respond but Draco looked at me in shock. I sniffed at him, "What? You thought that because I'm new to this gig I wouldn't understand these little details? I'm not stupid."

Draco's face dissolved back into what was becoming his usual expression; a sour sneer and he stood up, then approached the bed. "I'll hold you down then."

"Great." But my voice didn't sound like it was great. What was I getting myself into? I had just practically ordered to be restrained whilst my neck was bled and tricked the vampire into doing it. I was like a blood donning harlot. I took a few deep breaths to calm my thundering heart. Draco climbed onto the bed, I yelped and tried to do my roll thing but he was too quick, he shot at me like lightning and unable to get into a good, restraining position right away simply collapsed on top of me. The air rushed out of me with a heartfelt 'Oof!' I wondered absently if this was what a cow felt like when it was heading to slaughter. Well at least I wasn't going to end up a burger, that's always a bright side.

I struggled, I couldn't help it. The logical part of my brain was telling me to be still because this was what I'd asked for but the rest of me was screaming 'TRAPPED!'. But Draco was stronger than me, he just was. So my struggling didn't really work. The next few moments passed in a blur and then I realised Draco was now sitting on his knees behind me, pinning my wrists to the bed and Reuben was straddling my body and licking a clean line along my neck.

I felt his tongue; a hot, wet thing on my flesh and my mind just went blank. I completely disappeared into myself and it wasn't pretty, it wasn't anything. I felt empty. Fearless, emotionless, gone. There was a warm tingling on my left arm and I heard Draco say, "Our marks, they're glowing." Then Reuben bit down. There was a sharp, immediate pain and I gasped. Suddenly I wasn't quite so empty, I could feel his mouth, his teeth, his tongue exploring the wound on my neck and it wasn't exactly unpleasant.

The room was excruciatingly quiet; the sounds of Draco's breathing, Reuben's delicate sucking and my erratic moaning echoed through an eerie stillness. Erratic moaning? Yeah. Embarrassing, huh.

Reuben was holding himself in a push up position above me as he drank, but he'd positioned bits of him against bits of me and was, well… thrusting. It was very pleasant.

"You've had enough." Draco's voice was tight with anger, his nails dug into my arms and I groaned, and it was not a groan of pain exactly. Reuben didn't react, he just kept going. My head began to feel a little fuzzy and I wasn't sure if it was blood loss or a the writhing. A few days ago if someone had told me I would be getting held down by a beautiful blonde boy whilst a vampire sucked my blood and stimulated me sexually… I probably would have punched them in the nose… But it was very much a reality.

My hips were moving all on their own, Reuben and I found a rhythm that was très pleasing for everyone involved, even Draco.

"Stop it!" His hands were shaking on my arms, our marks glowed so brightly that they were giving of a light of their own in the black room. You see the annoying thing about this whole me writhing with the beautiful undead is that I want to continue doing it and at the same time know it is very, very wrong. It reminded me of times when I drink a lot of vodka and get very 'aroused' and suddenly that guy I don't fancy suddenly becomes an Adonis and I know I shouldn't push him up against the wall but it just feels so right…

I began to feel very hot. It was like I was a cup and with every suckle and thrust I was being filled up. My body began to spasm, my hands turned into fists and I decided it was definitely time to stop. I was aware that Draco had let go of my arms mere seconds before his fist was buried in the back of Reuben's head.

The impact of the punch caused Reuben's jaw to clench. For a second I couldn't feel anything then the pain set in and I screamed. My neck felt hot, hot and sticky. I could feel blood gushing from the wound. There was too much blood; everything was happening too fast. Within seconds my vision had a fuzzy black lining. I felt a vague sense of panic build in my gut. Reuben was sitting up staring at my neck in horror. He spat a small lump of flesh out into his palm and I can't be sure but I think he got even paler.

I tried to talk. I think I was trying to say 'Help' but I couldn't form words. Draco was above me, clasping his own neck but his wasn't bleeding. It just hurt. My eyelids were so heavy, so very heavy. I giggled then felt horribly nauseous.

"Naomi! Naomi stay awake!" He was staring at my neck, his pale skin was tinged with green, "God damn it do something!"

Reuben pushed Draco aside, "Mon ami… why are you not in agony?" I think he was talking to Draco.

"She's not so I'm not. I think she's beyond pain. I think she's lost too much blood. Oh my God look at all this blood! Look what you've done!"

"What I have done?" Reuben's black eyes flashed angrily.

Oh dear God, they were going to argue whilst I bled to death. Well that was just peachy. My eyes fluttered shut. I'm pretty sure I heard Draco screaming and then with the final thought 'Ah so this is what it's like to die' I did one of those long blinks I've become so good at.

When I opened my eyes everything was black. Someone was curled around my body, spooning me, and even though I couldn't see I knew it was Draco, I could feel it. Sense him. My face was in his chest and his arms were tight around me. Needless to say I was very confused.

I raised a hand and touched my neck. The skin was perfectly smooth, perfectly healed. Weird, huh? There was a moment of relief and then I was awash with a gut-wrenching terror as to how close I'd come.

"Naomi?" Instead of letting go of me his arms tightened, he pulled me even closer to his body and into a tight hug and I let him. I was so damned shaken that I actually hugged him back, taking from his warmth whatever comfort I could. "How do you feel? Are you OK?"

If I hadn't been sure he was just worried about how my blood loss would affect him as my Soulmate I might have been flattered at the concern in his voice.

"I feel good. Alive… how am I alive?" He smelt nice. There was a faint whiff of cologne, an almost a dreamlike linger of it and just below that the sweet, comforting scent of his skin. That's when I noticed he was nude. That was something I would have thought I would notice right away but apparently not. Then I noticed I was nude. This was very strange. What was weirder was that I didn't feel the need to panic and scarper, the black darkness made the nudity obsolete.

"You passed out and went into convulsions," His voice sounded different when I couldn't see him. I hadn't realised it was quite so deep. It had an upper-crust quality to it that mine didn't. It was a voice that was used to being in charge. His voice knew how to command. "I could feel myself getting woozy, our marks were glowing like magnesium. Reuben couldn't even look at them they were so bright. I collapsed on you. My head hit your arm and the wooziness subsided." He was circling the small of my back with his long, supple fingers. I relaxed into his touch, into his chest and just let him hold me as the melodic quality of his voice washed me away. "You know how the lust went away when we touched? Well the pain did too. I felt better and your convulsions slowed. I thought maybe you were dying but I was supposed to die too and that wasn't happening. It was Reuben who suggested more skin contact. He seemed to know what was going on. So I took off my shirt and he pulled off yours while I held your hand. I pressed my body to yours and you stopped shaking altogether. When our entire bodies were touching your bleeding started to slow. After a while your skin began to fill out and re-knit itself. It was like nothing I've ever seen before. When your neck was healed we tried to wake you but you didn't come through. So because you'd lost so much blood Reuben and I decided it was safer if I stayed with you so your body could replenish itself. Do you feel light-headed? Nauseous? Anything?"

"No." Well that was a lot to take in. But good to know.

We lay quietly for a while. I wasn't sure if Draco wanted to move or not but I didn't. I was comfortable and a little worried that if I let go of him I'd die.

"Thank you," I said finally because he had saved my life and it seemed like an appropriate thing to say. The words settled into the darkness comfortably.

"We can go back to Grimmauld Place as soon as you're feeling one-hundred percent,"

"Where is Reuben?"

"I'm not sure but he had to leave just before dawn."

"Oh…"

He was still making little circles on my back. It was quite tickly, sending little shivers up my spine. The darkness made everything terribly intimate, more so than light could. All my other senses were amplified without sight. Just like his voice and scent meant so much more to me so did his touch. I could feel his skin, feel the heat of it shivering against my own flesh.

His hand moved slowly from my lower back to cup my butt and I let him. Then he rolled me over so that he was on top of me and started running his hands along my body. It was both sexual and reserved. Almost as if he was simply exploring me, seeing me without eyes.

"You feel different," His voice was a whisper, "You smell and sound and feel different now."

"You too." I whispered back, unsure of why we were whispering but doing it anyway.

"Everything's clearer, more pronounced. I can smell your hair more clearly than anything I've ever smelt before."

"Could it be the Soulmate thing?"

"I'd bet all the galleons in Gringrotts it's the Soulmate thing."

I so didn't understand what he meant but I let it go. He had a hand on each side of my hips and I felt his lips touch my stomach gently. He kissed my bellybutton and I shivered. His tongue slid along my belly and I felt it's soft, wet texture in ways I hadn't before.

"You taste different." His breath was hot on my stomach, "Well not different… you taste exactly the same but more. I can taste the same thing but more."

Maybe it was the Soulmate thing but I knew exactly what he meant. I got it. "When I woke up I knew it was you holding me. Not because it was the logical assumption but just because I knew."

"There's a heat coming from you."

"You too." I reached down and found the soft touch of his hair. I stroked it gently. "Do you think other people can feel it or just us?"

"I'm not sure. It would make sense if it was just us." I loved his voice now. It was so soothing, so gentle and yet full of strength. It washed over me like a wave, a calm, relaxing wave. I couldn't imagine not hearing his voice. I couldn't imagine not feeling him against me. It just felt so right, I felt so complete in the darkness with him so near. And that's when the awful truth hit me. Even if we defeated the Dark Lord and it was safe to go home would I be able to? This Soulmate situation was permanent. There was no way to shut it off. I was with Draco long-term. Or even if we left each other to lead our own lives would I spend eternity craving him? Craving this wholeness. Could we become two halves again?

He pushed himself up my body so that our foreheads were touching. His large palm cupped my cheek and he kissed me gently. It felt so perfect. So right. Nothing would ever feel this right again.

I was overcome with emotion. I couldn't be in love with him; I barely knew him, we fought constantly, there were probably a million other people who I got along with better. But even though it wasn't love it was something much more powerful. I was forcefully reminded of that line in Wuthering Heights when Cathy says 'I am Heathcliff' and that's exactly what it was. I was Draco. And that was that.

I wondered if he felt it too. Did he realise we were trapped? There was a possibility that we could live forever needing each other. I might spend centuries laying in bed feeling empty and lost without his heat. Would it be like war veterans who've lost limbs? Sometimes they can still feel their legs, still feel them moving but they're not really there. It seems so real and yet they can't stand up. Would that be me?

We kept kissing. Soft, gentle movements. I could feel every inch of him against my body. The long, clean line of his stomach pressed to mine, the hardness of chest against my breasts and the jaunty bones of his pelvis against my upper thighs. With soft intensity he moved upwards and softly spreading my legs he entered me.

We didn't stop kissing but my breath did heighten just a touch. I could feel him inside me, filling me up ever so surely and it was wonderful. I held him tightly, arms and legs circling him. Our movements were slow and deliberate. He pushed down and I pushed up. We found a soft, gentle rhythm and although it wasn't the mind-blowing sex we'd had before it was somehow better. This wasn't all about carnal fulfilment, there was more emotion to it. We were more connected than we had been before and, of course, there were no vampire mind tricks over clouding the experience.

His hands travelled down my body, stroking my hips, the curves of my breasts. Our bodies became hotter and sweatier. I could hear everything perfectly, the sound of his breathing, the soft smacking of our stomachs. With each thrust I felt myself become hotter and hotter. I felt so full, so very full and so warm. Draco stopped kissing me and I could hear his breathing; heavy and laboured. His movements became quicker, more erratic and I cried out beneath him. There was a point when I just felt filled and then with a hot rush my vision flashed white and when Draco collapsed on top of me I was content.

I stroked his back gently, enjoying his heavy breathing that matched mine so well. We lay for a moment then he raised up and kissed me tenderly, "I'm glad you're OK,"

"Because it means you are?"

"No because I like you."

"Hmm it's funny how giving it up to guys makes them like you,"

"Don't belittle it."

"Sorry."

The bedroom door swung open suddenly, light flooded the room and I blinked hard. Draco rolled off of me and we sat up, both flinching against the light. Remus Lupin stood in the doorway looking stricken, he didn't even seem to notice our nudity.

"What is it?" Draco asked as I said, "What's wrong?"

"It's Fred and George, something went horribly wrong,"

"What?" I cried my minds eye flashing to my leopard print clutch bag despairingly. "What happened,"

"You-know-who… he sent people to your house."