blood bound

chapter 15: Mated

The week of bed rest was finally over and they had managed to convince the healer that they were fine. If their magical cores hadn't nearly finished healing they wouldn't have managed to talk her around to letting them out of bed, much less doing some light work. Of course they had to suffer the indignity of monitoring spells which she justified with the concern that their cores might react negatively to something and once more deteriorate. This resulted in their grudging adherence to the limits she had set on what they could and could not do.

Unfortunately for all three of them Narcissa Malfoy was lying in wait ready to pounce on them when they left Voldemort's suite to get some breakfast in the dinning room. The draw back for her, on the other hand, was that her attempt at lying in wait tripped one of Harry's vampiric instincts. Before she could blink she was pinned against the black marble wall with a pissed off living vampire snarling at her throat. The speed of the attack and the fact that he was obviously holding back for all that Narcissa had the breath knocked out of her had everyone frozen for a moment. That long moment of surprise allowed Severus and Voldemort to get to his side and coax the upset vampire away from the blond woman.

"That wasn't the wisest course of action Narcissa," Severus pointed out softly while watching Harry and petting him soothingly as Voldemort cradled both of them to him. He glared viciously at Lucius who had his wand hanging limply at his side while he gaped. Harry snarled at both Malfoys but allowed himself to be pulled backwards away from striking range of either of them.

"Threat," Harry insisted with a low rumbling growl as his eyes flashed from emerald green to blood red. The healer just stood behind them and sighed heavily, wondering what she had done to deserve these three as patients in an environment that Harry obviously considered to be if not hostile then potentially so.

"Threat to Severus?" Voldemort asked carefully, wondering if so little time spent together had successfully included him in Harry's protective instincts despite being dominant to both of them or not.

"Threat to both of you," Harry snarled agitatedly, keeping them both behind him with his arms despite the half hug and curling effect it forced them into as the other two tried to calm, comfort, and practically cuddle him. Severus sighed and mentally shrugged as he put his wrist to Harry's open mouth, hoping the offer of blood would calm him further. Harry needed the blood any way after the week in bed with them and his refusal to feed until they were well.

"Calm, calm, its been less than six months with your new instincts and healing your core in the last week besides. You're on edge," Severus soothed, secretly happy that they were both so protective but also concerned at Harry's drastic reaction even if Narcissa was still alive by some miracle.

"After the way Lucius tried to take you from me? I don't fucking think so!" Harry said viciously, only to have Severus' wrist practically shoved onto his automatically dropping fangs and involuntarily swallow a mouthful of blood in shock.

"We might not have managed to argue you into taking blood while the three of us were bed bound but you will bloody well feed now!" Severus said with a quiet snarl of his own. He noted in satisfaction the immediate easing of tension in both of his dominants as Harry took a second mouthful before pulling back and healing the wound with little cat licks. Both of them were amused to realize he was holding back little kitten mewling and purring sounds but was also still eeying the Malfoys as a threat.

"We've left it too long," Voldemort observed quietly, Severus nodded in both agreement and acknowledgement of the fact.

Their bond was incomplete and they knew it, it was one of the reasons why he hadn't realized Harry had moved nor why the smaller wizard responded to the instinctive grasping reach from his magic. Voldemort would have to firmly establish his dominance soon to help bring Harry back under control and limit the risk of their bond naturally dissolving, spelling death for both Harry and Severus unless it was successfully taken as a rejection. Sex was the quickest and most efficient way to extend the stability or properly cement the bond depending upon how it was conducted. Either way they needed food before Voldemort could take his two mates in hand.