Chapter 54

Hu Yetao shifted onto his side as Oscar carefully slipped under the covers, their arms and legs automatically entangling as they faced each other across the narrow hospital bed. The action of lifting one arm to wrap around his mate made Hu Yetao realize just how exhausted and anemic his body still felt after his ordeal.

Oscar absently brushed a lock of hair back from Hu Yetao's forehead, fingertips lingering over the lightning bolt scar, bright eyes tight with emotion as he gazed back at Hu Yetao, seeming to soak in the sight of his mate alive and breathing.

"You're not cross with me?" Hu Yetao couldn't help asking softly once Oscar had dropped his hand away. A part of him was still waiting for his mate to explode over his insolent behavior.

Oscar's expression went slack with surprise. "With you?"

Hu Yetao nodded.

"Hu Yetao, I..." He shook his head. "You're the one who should be cross with me. I over-reacted, about Zhou Keyu. I should've known that forbidding you to do something would only encourage you."

Hu Yetao frowned. "But I shouldn't have just left without telling you. Look what happened," he stressed, voice breaking a little on the last word.

Oscar's arm tightened around him as he searched Hu Yetao's expression intently. "What did happen Hu Yetao? Chen Zihan said that she found traces of the Cruciatus Curse on you..."

Hu Yetao swallowed and dropped his gaze to the collar on Oscar's deep blue pajamas for something to look at other than his mate's troubled expression. "When I left the party at the Manor, two wizards followed me back to Hogwarts and… and attacked me. I don't know why I don't even know who they were; I don't think they were guests at the party. They didn't speak - except to cast spells."

"What did they do to you?" Oscar asked, and Hu Yetao glanced up to see that quiet fury had replaced the concern in his mate's eyes.

For some reason, He found this emotion much easier to face. It was strange to see Oscar so distressed and anxious because of him, even though they were "mated" now, it was still so new to him to have someone else wrapped up in his health and happiness - above anyone else's.

He bit his lip, knowing that going into detail would cause untold feelings of guilt for his mate, but he didn't want to keep it a secret from him either. He tried to describe it as quickly and as emotionlessly as possible. "I Disapparated to Hogwarts and they appeared right behind me almost as soon as I got there. They took my wand and then bound me before casting the first Crucio-"

"First?"

Hu Yetao nodded and pushed on before Oscar could comment further. "They lifted it and then cursed me again until… until I passed out."

"Hu Yetao…" Oscar responded, quietly anguished, and Hu Yetao suddenly didn't want to say anything else. He wanted Oscar to be furious again, not broken.

"Please don't say anything," Hu Yetao interjected sharply, closing his eyes. "I can't tell you if you… if you look like that."

He opened his eyes again and Oscar's expression had smoothed over. "Go on," he said with a nod.

Hu Yetao looked at him a moment and then took a deep breath, something inside of him aching with the inhalation, as though his lungs were slightly bruised.

"Once I was unconscious, they dragged me over to the edge of the Great Lake and threw me in."

Oscar's entire body tensed and his eyes flashed with controlled rage, but his expression remained impassive, lips firmly pressed together.

Hu Yetao exhaled and pushed on, trying not to picture the scene in his head but it was impossible; the images appearing bright and vivid before his mind's eye. "They sealed the ice over me and left me to drown," he said, startled by the sudden hot prickle of tears behind his eyes and in the bridge of his nose. "Fuck," he uttered under his breath, turning away in embarrassment to look at the ceiling, blinking rapidly.

Oscar's arm tightened around him and he quickly turned his face into Oscar's warm neck, uncaring of whether it was pathetic or not as he inhaled his mate's scent, letting it wash over him to ease his distress. He sighed and closed his eyes, the tension in his body immediately lessening.

Oscar gave him a minute and then quietly, steadily, asked him what happened after he was thrown into the lake.

Hu Yetao took a breath and went on to describe how he had managed to escape the ice and crawl up the snow-covered slope to the school steps. He told him how he'd all but given up when Fu Sichao had found him, lying in the snow, and then brought him here.

Oscar nodded and Hu Yetao wondered what he was thinking. He could hear the rapid beating of his mate's heart and noticed how he swallowed several times before speaking again.

"So, these men, did you see what they looked like?"

"Yeah, a bit; they were strong and quite tall, both Alphas I'd say. They both had dark hair and one had bright blue eyes, they may have even been related, brothers perhaps? But I'm not sure, it… it all happened so fast."

Oscar frowned in thought and Hu Yetao's gaze slid past him, suddenly noticing that there was an oily sheen to the air surrounding them.

"Er, Oscar? Is there a shield charm around us?" he asked uneasily, still feeling a little on edge.

Oscar's lips quirked into a slight smirk as he followed Hu Yetao's gaze. "Yes, I may have involuntarily assembled a shield charm as soon as I saw you unconscious in the hospital bed. And I may have accidentally knocked out Chen Zihan and Fu Sichao in the process - just for a second," he added when Hu Yetao's eyes widened. "They're fine, Fu Sichao left once Chen Zihan checked him over for concussion, and then she told me everything she knew so far about your condition."

"She didn't make you remove the shield?" Hu Yetao replied in surprise.

"No, she could tell that I wasn't feeling particularly rational, so she let it go. Plus, she knows they haven't caught whoever did this to you so the added protection was a good idea," he added darkly, all trace of amusement gone from his expression.

Hu Yetao shivered at his mate's words; the men had been extremely intent on killing him and he didn't think it likely that they would simply give up once they found out he was still alive.

"I'm taking you to the Manor for a few days."

"What?" Hu Yetao blinked and looked up at Oscar in confusion. "You are?"

"Yes," he replied unfalteringly. "We're leaving tonight, and when we get there I'm going to officially claim you. Then you will have a couple of days to rest with both myself and my parents to watch over you. You will be safe there, even Mrs. Amber approved the plan."

Hu Yetao nodded in agreement - with everything. He knew it was time for Oscar to claim him as his, not just to help put off other Alphas but for the added protection as well. Especially now that there were two men out there who intended Hu Yetao serious harm. It felt good knowing Oscar was right there with him, wanting to protect him, and, strangely enough, it was reassuring having Oscar's family looking out for him too.

Hu Yetao suddenly let his head fall back against the pillow with a muted groan. "Oh no, your father is going to kill me."

Oscar arched a brow. "What are you on about?"

"He offered to escort me back to Hogwarts when I was leaving the party and I declined, I told him that I had a friend meeting me at the gates," he said, chagrined.

"You lied?" Oscar realized with a frown.

Hu Yetao swallowed uncomfortably. "I didn't want to bother him, I didn't think it was a big deal to go on my own. I was just Apparating from the Manor to Hogwarts, I didn't know… I didn't know." He paused, suddenly realizing something that hadn't occurred to him before. "Wait a minute, your father can't leave the grounds of the Manor, isn't he still on house-arrest?"

Oscar sighed, his eyes flicking to the closed doors of the infirmary. "Yes, he is," he answered quietly, "but there are a few loopholes which one may take advantage of if necessary, such as coming and going in another form and then not performing magic away from the Manor grounds. He only does it for emergencies, mind you."

"And taking me home is classified as an emergency?" Hu Yetao asked with a raised brow. He wouldn't have thought that Xiaocheng deemed him worthy of such a risk.

"He must have been concerned about your safety without me around to keep an eye on you," Oscar reasoned.

"I told him and your mum about Zhou Keyu's offer," Hu Yetao admitted tentatively, wondering if that was why Xiaocheng had offered to escort him.

"I know, I've already spoken with my mother."

Hu Yetao frowned. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"About five hours." Oscar shifted on the narrow bed, unconsciously bringing his nose closer to the top of Hu Yetao's head and inhaling his mate's scent without even seeming to realize it. "Do you think you're up for traveling now?" he asked, sounding a little anxious to get away. "Mother and Niào have already taken all of your required potions to the Manor and prepared my room for our arrival. Niào will return once we're ready for her to collect us."

Hu Yetao could see that Oscar was restless in his skin and, for some reason, needed to get to the Manor as soon as possible. Hu Yetao found he didn't wish to be at Hogwarts right then either. He hoped the Aurors managed to capture his attackers before he had to return to school; the thought of spending the remainder of his time at Hogwarts terrified of another lunatic trying to murder him was not a welcome one. He thought he was done with all that.

"Yeah, I'm all right. Let's go," he said resolutely.

The relief on his mate's face was palpable.

Oscar slid out of the bed, bare feet silently touching down on the flagstone floor. He turned to help Hu Yetao sit up before reaching for a thick, fluffy dressing gown on the chair back and assisting his mate to slip it on over weak and shaky arms. He tied it securely around Hu Yetao's waist and then, without another word, scooped Hu Yetao up into his arms.

Hu Yetao closed his eyes briefly to stop his head from spinning at the movement. Oscar was being very careful but it was still disorienting and he exhaled a slow breath before opening his eyes once more. He remained quiet as Oscar called for his house-elf. He wasn't going to argue with his mate for taking charge of the situation or for coddling him; he felt as though they both needed it.

Niào appeared at the end of the bed with a muted pop. She nodded in somber approval at the sight of Oscar holding Hu Yetao and then walked over to gently wrap her long fingers around Hu Yetao's wrist.

Hu Yetao closed his eyes bracingly and they disappeared in a muffled whirl of elf magic.