AN: We reached the end of chapter 4! Took a few days and about 24.2K words, but we made it.

Edited. Fixed some of the dialogue during the romance talk.

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Disclaimer: I own no source material.

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4.10: The Truth.

Fleur's POV:

'This couch needs to be replaced.' I mused to myself while waiting for Jin to finish making the morning coffee. The couch was ancient, even if it had been cleaned up with magic. Any witch with some taste could see the difference between something refurbished and something new.

But considering Jin just took it from the castle after they didn't so much as give him a chair, I would let it pass.

Sitting down nude in one of Jin's much larger shirts was refreshing in a way I didn't know I loved until now. Even if the magical moment to have my first time with a man was taken from me, and I was still pissed about that, the night was still special, and we took another significant step forward as a couple.

Watching him move around the kitchen with nothing but the blanket from the night before wrapped around his waist was immensely visually pleasing. He had a magnifique ass for a man.

I had never shown myself to a man before so openly, physically or emotionally, and yet the more I looked at his skin on display, the more I wanted to show of myself to him.

But then my eyes landed on the scars, and I sobered up. I wanted my answers; I wanted to know what my Jin was hiding.

Veela are incredibly loyal women, we bond quick and often burn fast, but I trust Jin. However, a commitment goes both ways, and I will not give without receiving.

His soft footsteps for a man his size approached and put the cups down on the coffee table. "Mademoiselle."

His ridiculous French accent cut through the solemn atmosphere like a knife through butter, and I couldn't help but giggle at my oaf. "Merci."

He sent me a wooden smile and moved to the farthest chair to sit down, and I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. 'Why must he be so silly?' I got up and sauntered over to him, and I'll admit, the way he swallowed and looked like cornered prey amused me quite deeply. "Arms up."

My fool listened, and I plopped the ass I knew he couldn't stop staring at in his lap before I wrapped his arms around me. "Better. I swear you're adorable. I literally woke up with your hardened length trapped between my thighs an hour ago. What are you being so shy for?"

I felt said length harden again at my touch, and the growl in his chest sent a shiver of pleasure through me. 'Oh, he's just so much fun~.'

The way his teeth sunk into my collarbone ignited a flame in me as he growled like a wild animal. "I'm not shy, I'm nervous."

The slight hitch in his tone was enough to cool my inner flames for the time being as I leaned back. "Don't be, I'm right here. I'm listening."

"Fleur…I…"

I turned my head and stole his lips, the rough lips I wanted so much to having trailing down my body, and lightly patted his cheek. "Shush. Stop worrying and just speak. I'm right here." I repeated myself to get my point across while staring into his eyes, and I saw the worry within. Whatever he was hiding must really scare him to tell me, and a part of me felt guilty for forcing it out like this, but if we wanted to make this work, he had to open up.

I'm no idiot; I know he avoided speaking of his past since we met. The mystery enticed me just as much as he did himself. But things had changed, and I think my trust and faith in him would falter if he backed away now.

He must have known it too, as he took a deep breath and pulled me deeper into his chest. I couldn't help but smile at his action; Veela were very affectionate. "I guess it all started for me almost six months ago, when I died."

From there, I could do nothing but listen to the strange story I was told.

Immortal dimensional traveling vampires.

A pocket space like a trunk apartment.

The ability to gain powers from every world.

And most important of all, the time he had remaining before he had to leave on an unstoppable train to a new world. That one hit me the hardest.

"And then I arrived at Hogwarts and you know the rest. Just spending every day buried in books and abusing potions and my talents to learn as fast as I could. At least, until someone dropped into my stables and stuck to me like glue."

I scoffed at his cheek and slapped his leg playfully. "Excuse me, but those stables belong to Alfred."

Jin chuckled at the truth, and I internally marveled at how much I enjoyed the vibration of his chest against me when he laughed or growled. I didn't want to lose that.

A gentle silence took over the room while I thought over everything I was told. It was illogical, insane, and would probably result in a trip to the hospital to get his head checked, but I believed him. He had never lied to me before.

Jin shifted nervously beneath me as his arms fell from my sides. "So, yeah. I mean, I know this sounds crazy, and if it scares you off, I can't change anything, but I never wanted to hurt you, Fleur. I honestly don't know what I'm doing half the t-…."

I put a finger to his lips and put my empty cup on the table so I could turn around and straddle him. "I believe you." His wide-eyed look was adorable, and it was impossible to resist teasing him as I shut his open mouth with a finger and purred. "Cat got your tongue, Mon Tigre?"

The feeling of his full body shiver beneath me at my tone was empowering in the most delicious way.

His arms returned to where they belonged as the amber eyes I could stare at for hours stared back at me with bafflement. "But…you believe me? Just like that? I'm not sure I'm even human, and my time is limited, and-…."

I shut him up with a kiss this time. He's such a man sometimes; he would be lost without me. "Jin, did you lie to me?"

He blinked. "What? Right now? No, of course not."

"Did you lie to me before today."

"No."

"Then its ok."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"You don't think this is weird?"

"Oh, no, it's plenty weird. It sounds like Alfred hit you over the head one too many times."

"Hey, Alfred's a bro, he wouldn't kick me."

"Have you tried not feeding him?"

"….every man needs his drink."

"Mhm."

We shared a look of amusement and broke into laughter as I rested my head on his shoulder. It was silly, but the tension faded away like it wasn't even there.

I could feel him tighten his hold on me and inhale my scent greedily, and I couldn't help but run my hands through his hair. The way his body reacted as if he was so afraid of losing me only made my heart soar. "You have done nothing wrong Jin. You never had a choice and just took it as it came. How could I hold that against you?"

His voice was low in my ear. "Why are you being so understanding? Doesn't this bother you?"

I hummed and put real thought into it. "You know, if it was a week ago, it might have. But after last night, it suddenly doesn't matter. After that moment of fear of losing you, of seeing my life flash before my eyes, a lot of things I had worried about seem silly in comparison. You're here, right now, in my arms. We're safe, we're together, I feel like nothing worries me when we are like this."

His chuckles rumbled like a drum and his lips gently tracing over my skin with kisses that were like electricity down my spine. "You're amazing, you know that?"

I nodded proudly. "Of course I am, I'm me."

"Is my Sparkles getting cocky?"

The way he said that infuriating nickname warmed my chest in an entirely different flame from my lust, and I pressed down harder on his hardened length pressing through the thin blanket to my wet core. "You sure I'm the one getting Cocky?"

His replying growl was music to my ears and pleasure to my innards. "You're insatiable and we haven't even crossed the final base yet."

My teeth came down on his ear lobe in reply. "I'm a Veela Jin, it's in my nature."

"To be horny?"

"To desire those who are worthy of us."

He pulled back and gave me a searching look. "Fleur, what is a Veela? Really? I'm starting to think the books are not accurate."

The smile that split my face was all the answer he needed to the ladder question. "Oui, that is by our own doing."

Seeing as he shared his big secret with me, it would be a crime not to share my own. I trailed a hand over the muscles of his shoulders and explained what my maman and so many other explained to me. "Veela are not witches, but we look like witches, if anything we are witches but also more, so it was always easy to blend in and convince credited wizards and witches to author books on our culture."

"The culture you wanted them to know."

I leaned forward and kissed his chest. "Oui. Magical culture does not change easily. If they believe something once, it stays in their minds for generations."

"Hiding in plain sight, beautiful strategy."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "Hn. In honesty, Veela and witches are similar except for a few things. We both share magic, but us Veela have a bloodline tracing back to ancestors long forgotten, ancestors who were more creature than human. We are creatures of fire, air, passion, love, loyalty, and lust."

His hands traced along my spine deliciously, and I had to resist a purr from escaping my lips. "We grow like witches do until our Allure awakens during early puberty. Some are late bloomers, but it's all the same. It's almost impossible to control until our magic matures and flares out unconsciously without our command. At thirteen, we are homeschooled. At fifteen, we can gain a handle on it. And by seventeen, it's mostly under control but can go off when our mind wanders or our emotions flare."

His hands fell to my rear, and I couldn't resist the gasp that escaped my lips as my nails dug in his back. "Alongside the Allure, however, is the rest of our traits. Veela are female to a default, and our lust is strong, but our covens are stronger. The older Veela and those around the same age come together to release stress when necessary."

I felt his member throb like a metal rod and couldn't help but teasingly press down into him. "Yes, it's what you are imagining, Mon Tigre." I purred into his ear, and his hands gripped my backside possessively.

"But no one but a Veela is to touch us until we are at least seventeen. It is not safe for a young Veela to be stained by others before she matures or it could lead to mental instability. After that, though, well, Veela are not known as free birds for nothing. We flutter here and there, have our fun, and move on just like any other."

His voice was rough with restraint as I teased him. "And those who settle down?"

I smirked and stopped for a moment to kiss his neck. "We are free spirits, but we take bonds very seriously. Our Allure acts as a shield in a way, allows us to find those strong of mind who would be able to resist their lust enough to love and live with us without harming us or our people. And loyalty is part of our culture. A Veela does not break their bond without due reason."

He hummed audibly. "Does that count for half-Veela as well?"

My eyes rolled without my conscious effort at the insufferable title. "That is nothing but a silly concept some wizard or witch came up with. A half-Veela is an incredibly rare thing, only born to a Veela and a partner who has an even stronger bloodline. Every Veela births a Veela, and they are always female. That almost never changes."

"Huh. And you all have crazy sex drives?"

I giggled at the question and resumed teasing him. "We do. Even after marriage to a partner, we usually find release with each other when our paramours don't have the stamina to finish the job." I felt his hands dig into the flesh of my rear in euphoria. "Although, something tells me that won't be an issue with you, hm, Mon Tigre?"

His lips found my pulse point, and my core lit up even more. "Not on your life."

I felt myself reaching a peak at his possessive tone but pushed it back with long practice to finish my tale. "Good." I kissed his cheek in joy. "Veela have many ways of releasing stress. If our partner is up to the job, there is no need to seek out our sisters. Other times, we form harems based around the dominant member. But never, not once, do we ever seek out a non-Veela without our partner's approval. We are loyal, and the very thought of betrayal is against the center of our beings. If a man or woman proves themselves worthy to us, we fall for them all the way until they prove otherwise.

It could be instant; it could take weeks." I smirked at him and he winked back. "Months, years, even decades if they are very picky. But we find the man or woman we wish to be with eventually. Some, sooner than others."

His hands kneaded my flesh. "And where does that leave us, Mon Soleil."

My core fought me, and it took a great deal of Will to resist. 'Stop making my heart flutter, you fool.' I caught my breath and went on. "You fascinate me. You make me laugh. You match me intellectually on the subjects you focus on. You ground me. But more than that, and as I learned last night, you make me feel safe, protected, and free to be myself in a way I never felt before."

I pulled back ever so slightly to bring his eyes to mine while resting a hand on his cheek. "It's not love, not yet, but the bond is growing." His expression was one of relief and I couldn't resist a giggle. "Yes, love is not so easily formed. But I believe we are on the path to getting there." I leaned in to steal a light kiss. "We are young, and the future is long, so I want to let things happen naturedly. But you do have my loyalty Jin." My heart fluttered as I saw the emotions in his eyes. "You have my loyalty, my passion, my lust." I pressed down hard, and we both moaned at the sensation of electricity shooting up our spines as we both reached a peak after the long build-up.

I whispered the last words against his lips. "The only thing my love needs is time. So show me Mon Tigre, show my heart the truth we both see. Make love to me."

My tiger's inner flames needed no more stoking after that, as his eyes were lit ablaze. "Yes, ma'am."

The blanket was discarded viciously, and two finally became one.

Love was not there yet, but it was coming.

Plans were yet to be made, but they would.

Enemies had yet to be slain, but the blood would fall.

And all who stood in their way would feel the wrath of the tiger and his sun as Alfred raised a drink in his manservants honor.

Chapter 4 END.

AN: Thoughts? Too much? just right? not enough?