It felt like a low-grade electric current sweeping through her body, a trembling that came in a wave and moved all the way down her fingertips and toes. Hermione felt her back arch into Veela's teeth, leaving the ground. If not for his claws stabilising her, she'd be thrashing under him.

Dimly, she wondered if she was being electrocuted - but no, electrocution wouldn't feel good.

This… this feels good.

Her hands clutched his biceps and she could sense the strength returning to him. His fury aside, his body was weak. He needed sustenance. He had to have been running on adrenaline alone.

He drank and drank, and Hermione wondered how much blood she could naturally replenish before this became dangerous to her. But Veela wouldn't do it if it could hurt her, risk bleeding her out - would he? No, surely not.

Fleur had said that a Veela knows when they're sated, when they've taken enough. But he had nearly died. What if he was so starved, he lost track of how much he was drinking from her?

Her rational mind, the one still partially driven by fear, was shoved to the side as she orgasmed, almost violently, beneath him.

She'd had almost no warning and she dimly wondered why this time was different. Because it was from her breast and not her neck? The added stimulation of the erogenous zone to the overwhelming sexual feeling of it in the first place? The intensity of his emotions?

She'd never done this. She didn't know anyone who had. She had no one to ask.

Veela stopped, sucking in a huge breath. Was he done? No; just needed oxygen. Must have the right ratio after all, oxygen and blood. More gently this time, he latched onto Hermione's other breast.

The sensation was exquisite. She'd been in a bit of a haze after Veela's previous feedings, reducing herself to a post-orgasm coma. She could tell her body wanted to go there now, to the place of rest, of sleepy contentment.

But the pleasure radiating through her from Veela's mouth was holding her just far enough away, riding a wave of arousal that was almost soothing. Blissful.

He hummed his own sound of contentment, a purr from deep in his throat, and the vibrations around her breast spurred a squeak of surprise. He glanced up at her, scanning her face with his black eyes, and tugged his teeth slightly in her skin.

It felt almost like a nuzzle, like a gesture of affection, and she could feel his tongue lapping at her.

Oh, Merlin, she was getting close again. Hermione had never had more than one orgasm in a single sexual encounter, but her body was giving off the usual advance signs this time, the rising wave of sensation and desire. Unintentionally, she touched the golden thread in her mind.

Jealousy, yes, she felt that. Ownership of her, tied tightly up with his pride. But on top of that, most of all she felt his… love. His own blissfulness right this second, his happiness in her - with her. The feeling nearly bowled her over.

He had missed her, he thought he'd failed her, he was - as Fleur said - ashamed. His pride, again. His jealousy again, too. But his relief that she didn't die as he suspected she had, his love for her, his desperation and desire for her, all of it crashed over Hermione like a tsunami of emotion.

She is everything to him.

This maelstrom held off her orgasm, keeping her teetering on the edge of rational and irrational thought. Then Veela's teeth tugged gently on her again, on her areola. His tongue caught the blood and swiped around her nipple, and she began to come.

Just like the build-up to it, this one was more drawn-out. Her whole body shook beneath him in long, slow spasms under his mouth. Veela's feeding slowed at last, and he noticed she liked the teasing of her nipple. He kept it up as she rode through her orgasm.

She kept her eyes closed, relishing the rapture she was currently in until his mouth left her breast. She heard a sudden, urgent voice.

"Granger, you have to get out of here. Get back to the Manor, get around people. Go, now."

What? Her eyes flew open to meet a set of grey ones, nearly panicked. "Draco?"

She was too stunned to even feel self-conscious about her current state of undress, her bleeding breasts. His mouth was just on her and she couldn't even register it.

"I can't hold him. I only took over because he dropped his guard and he wasn't expecting me to be able to. But he'll recover, and he's going to go for sex next. You have to get out of here."

"I really don't think he -"

Draco's face blanched. "You don't think - what? He won't rip your pants off the same way he ripped off your shirt? Your bra?"

Hermione blinked, trying to stammer a response.

"Or you don't think he'll just plunge right in for the sex? Hermione, I can't hold him for long. You've lost… a lot of blood. You won't be able to sprint back there. You need to go now."

Hermione was going to say she didn't think Veela would be rough any longer, that the anger seemed to have faded from him after he got what he wanted, but -

"You're willing to take the chance that he'll be loving and kind? He was coercing you. Just because it ended up good for you doesn't mean -"

Draco's eyes closed, then scrunched shut tightly. He twitched, his chin making a quick darting movement to the side. Hermione saw his mouth open to speak, then hesitate before he forced it out.

"You were - conflicted - about it. About the sex. That's not - the whole point - the - sex, the sex is something you should be - enthusiastic about. And not - not because he's hosing you with magical orange cologne."

He practically spit the last words and Hermione's rational mind began to take back over. In the absence of… magical orange cologne.

And he's right. Hermione does not want to have a sexual bonding in the woods with Veela, who terrified her, shouted at her, hunted her. The Veela who bit her second breast, maybe, the gentle one with the tugging and the attentiveness, but how does she know?

"Draco, if he knows I'm running, he will chase me down."

A steely resolve came into his eyes. "I will hold him. But you have to hurry. Please. Go."

She had a dozen questions she wanted to ask him but she knew she couldn't count on his ability to keep control over Veela for much longer. Hermione scooped up the remains of her clothing, pressed them to her chest, and darted to her feet.

A mistake.

She was instantly woozy and she reached a hand out to a nearby tree trunk for stability. She saw the flash of concern on Draco's face as she blinked a couple of times and started to move back towards the Manor.

Yes, she lost a lot of blood but her head was beginning to clear now that she was in motion. The dizziness was fading now. Hermione tried to pick up the pace.

How had Draco gained control? Maybe since he knew what had happened, now that he knew what those cracks in the walls were when he could see glimpses of things. Now he knew what was going on, he found a way to exploit it?

Hermione couldn't be sure. But she was sure that Veela would take back over and he wouldn't be happy when he did.

She didn't know what was going on inside Draco's head with the two of them but it couldn't be pretty.

Speaking of which, she began to grow more self-conscious about what just happened. It felt almost like being walked in on, in a compromising position - or having an unintentional third party in the room all along.

But no, that wasn't right either. Hermione reminded herself that if she wanted Draco and Veela to coexist in the same mind, she had to treat them as one, even when it seemed impossible.

Distantly, she heard voices. They were looking for her.

The scene they left behind at the Manor reasserted itself. Harry and Ron possibly injured. Others maybe, too. Veela had kidnapped her in anger and now she was stumbling back through the woods holding a tattered shirt to her bleeding chest.

This might be… bad.

Aside from the potential consequences of assaulting Aurors, Hermione didn't know anything about how bonding law worked.

Once bound, could there be legal repercussions for hurting your mate? He hadn't hurt her, not exactly. But Hermione couldn't pretend that this situation didn't look abusive. She had been terrified. He had deliberately wanted to intimidate her and then physically overpower her.

Again thinking of Draco as a third party, Hermione felt as if she was defending her toxic relationship to a friend who always disapproved. She felt a pang of embarrassment. Draco was already convinced Veela was a monster. This scenario will have done nothing to ameliorate that.

"Over here," she croaked out, astonished at how weak her voice sounded. Answering cries from the woods grew closer.

Padma and Blaise found her first. Padma gasped at the look of her and Hermione cringed automatically. She must look half-feral herself. She clutched her shirt to her chest, embarrassed at her nakedness.

"Blaise, you're fastest. Take her to Healer Johnson," Padma commanded. Blaise, clearly uncomfortable leaving Padma alone in the woods, started to object but Padma levelled a glare at him. "Parvati and James are just over there. I'll join them. Take her, now. She needs a Blood-Replenishing Potion."

Hermione thought she must look bad for Blaise to agree.

She couldn't think of anything that would ordinarily make Blaise leave Padma and Blaise split the difference. Quick as lightning, he scooped up Padma to deliver her to James and Parvati and returned for Hermione.

The trip to the Manor was over in what felt like seconds. It came with a return of Hermione's dizziness but she was grateful. They'd been further away than she realised. She wasn't sure if she'd have made it on her own - or before Veela regained control over Draco and hunted her down again.

When Veela regained control… Hermione shuddered. She realised she was a little afraid of that, too.

ooo

Healer Bentley, on duty in the hospital ward, took her appearance in stride. His eyes widened just a bit. "Are you alright?" was all he asked.

Hermione nodded, coming to rest against a cot. Healer Bentley handed her a robe to cover herself with after healing the incisions on her breasts. She downed a Blood-Replenishing Potion and began feeling better almost at once.

Would the others still be in the woods, looking for Veela? She doesn't think so. She thinks they'll all know he can get himself back and won't remain separated from her for long. After depositing her in the hospital wing, Blaise had darted back into the woods for Padma before Hermione could ask.

How had Draco done it? He'd said Veela was distracted, probably by the sudden influx of blood. He was finally feeling better and dropped his guard. Draco, undoubtedly also feeling better, was able to wrangle control.

But this was going to be a major setback for any attempts at the two of them coexisting. Veela was going to be furious. Hermione thought it would be two-fold. He'd been mentally overpowered and Draco had interfered with the sexual bonding.

If Veela had anything to do with it, Draco would never be coming out of that black room.

How to make Veela understand that Draco had to be able to exist, too?

Hermione could lean on Draco's protective nature. He'd been trying to look out for her in the woods. That was a helpful angle, but Veela's jealousy was not. The idea of sharing her with Draco would never fly, Hermione knew.

As long as all three of them viewed - well, all three of them as three individuals, it would never work.

She felt a headache coming on and flagged down Healer Bentley again for a pain relief potion just as Padma and Parvati entered the room.

Parvati lifted a hand to forestall her. "Blaise and James are speaking with Veela. He was -"

She stole a glance at her sister, who succinctly took over.

"- angry."

Hermione could imagine. "But they let you two come back on your own?"

Parvati rolled her eyes, clearly still unaccustomed to the power and control dynamics that permeated the tenebris ones. Padma fielded the question instead.

"Actually, Veela was angry enough that Blaise and James seemed to favour having us further away. But they thought they should be the ones to explain to him exactly how the whole situation came about in the first place."

That was probably a good idea, Hermione reflected. She hadn't been sure how much explaining Veela was going to let her do. There was a lot of ground to cover between Hermione being shot and Hermione kissing Ron. And Blaise and James were strong enough to hold their own if Veela lost his temper again.

Speaking of which… she stood rapidly, leaping to her feet. Scanning the beds, Hermione didn't see Harry or Ron.