Corruption (Book 1 of The Corruption Sequence)

Chapter 3 - Time to Explore

Harry fell on to the bed next to the sprawled and unconscious Malfoy and dragged air into his lungs in gasps. He had never experienced anything like it in his entire life. He felt sated and content as he watched the slow breathing of his senseless companion. The feeling lasted quite some time, but slowly it began to wear off. Now that the sexual predator in him had been satisfied, other desires began to make themselves known.

His attention moved from the soft breathing to the steady pulse he could see and hear.

Harry's tongue had returned to its usual size and shape and he ran it over his lips as he felt fangs slowly descend in his mouth. Reaching out he pulled Malfoy on to his side so that the unconscious Slytherin was leaning against him. With one hand, he stroked the hair from the fragile neck. Savouring the moment, he lowered his head slowly and opened his mouth. When he bit into the pulsing vein it was almost gentle.

Blood spurted onto his tongue and he drank greedily as the warm liquid ignited entirely different passions within him. As the flavour washed over him so did the essence of his lover and he drank of him as deeply as of his blood. It forged a connection between them, and Harry became as intoxicated by the blood and energy of Malfoy as he had been by the sex. He felt like he could drink forever. He wanted the moment to last for eternity, but a sudden knowledge stopped him.

As his drank, his awareness of Malfoy increased in a single moment and a slight flutter in his victim's heartbeat made itself known. Instantly he knew that if he continued to drink the human in his arms would die, but if he stopped Malfoy would recover.

Part of him wanted to continue and feel the exquisite moment when that heartbeat stopped all together, but another part of him wanted revenge, and it was not against Malfoy. Voldemort expected him to kill this helpless human and then become part of his dark army, well Voldemort was in for a surprise.

Withdrawing his fangs, he placed his fingers on the wounds and let a little healing magic flow from them. He gently rolled Malfoy back on to his front and made him comfortable with a little more healing magic, before climbing off the bed. It was difficult, a large part of him wanted to kill and destroy, but he stumbled into the bathroom, out of sight of his lover to gather his mind together.

Shaking in his effort to curb his baser instincts he ran cold water into the sink and splashed it all over himself. His skin felt like it was on fire as he tried to deny the urges of his body. He stared at himself in the mirror, trying to find the part of him that was still human.

The spines had faded back to pale, almost iridescent skin. He could not help but recognise that Malfoy had been right, there was something almost beautiful about him. His eyes were still bright green, but now that almost glowed against his black eye lashes and white flesh, contrasting sharply with his deep red lips. His hair was as unruly as ever and yet, now it seemed less what could be called messy and more wild.

Even to his eyes he appeared ethereal.

The marks on his chest where he had been branded with the power forced into his body were still there, but they were faint memories on his skin rather than the black designs he had seen when he had first awoken.

He had been taken and changed into something he did not understand and could only feel, and it made him angry. He let the fury build as he snarled at his own reflection. He curled his, once again, talon tipped hands into tight fists. Voldemort was going to pay, and it would cost the dark wizard his life.

Turning from the image of himself that he no longer recognised, he growled low in his throat and embraced yet another aspect of his darkness. While trotting towards the door he flowed into the shape of a very large wolf and, snarling, leapt at the barrier between himself and the rest of the world. Reaching down into the dark magic that lived within him now he found another talent and his body shimmered, passing straight through the door as if it wasn't there, re-solidifying on the other side.