Harlee POV
I slid from Sam's grasp. There was a certain satisfaction to seeing the burnt palm and fingers, even if they did heal swiftly.
"I'm so sorry baby, momma didn't mean to scare you." I murmured to my stomach, stroking it gently. The dizziness hit me again and I wavered, reaching out to find something to grab on to before I fell. Sam gripped my arms and steadied me. I looked at him blankly over my shoulder and he withdrew his hands swiftly.
"I.. um.. God damn this Bond." He crossed his arms as if to keep them from betraying him and Zeev chuckled. Ash sauntered over and swung me gracefully into their arms.
"Zeev? You finished dinner, right? Let's go feed our Harlee and baby before she falls over again." Ash sauntered away from Sam, pointedly ignoring him. Zeev was already in the kitchen when we arrived, setting out a salad and veggie burger with fries. My mouth watered at the greasy foods.
"What? You hate these fast food things!" I laughed.
"Ash made a valid point. Two months in Hell, you deserve some crap food. Besides I made this, not some restaurant." Zeev said disdainfully. Ash set me on a stool and rolled his eyes.
"As if that makes it any better." Ash murmured next to my ear and I laughed again. Sam wandered into the doorway and stood watching us. Ash grabbed a handful of fries from my plate and I swatted their hand while Zeev scolded Ash about their bad dietary habits. Ash objected that being a Demon excluded them from dietary restrictions since they could not suffer from common human maladies like diabetes or heart disease, and the two got into a heated debate. I was lost in the moment, laughing and eating when the first strong thud came from inside me. I froze, my mouth full of food.
"Harlee? What's wrong?" Zeev was instantly alert, standing from his stool to come around the counter. I grabbed his hand and tried to chew and swallow swiftly without choking.
"He kicked." I whispered, placing Zeev's hand on my stomach. "I mean, an honest-to-goodness kick." The tears that came so often these days began to fall and I hiccuped from trying to swallow my food so quickly. Ash's hand darted out to touch the side of my stomach. I had the hiccups for the next few minutes and each one led to a surprised movement from within. Ash and Zeev were sharing a look of surprise while I laughed and cried, which only made the hiccups worse.
"Drink some water." Ash urged, watching me struggle to stop so I could breathe. I nodded helplessly and guzzled a glass of water to try to halt the fit of hiccups.
Zeev POV
Sands had popped in before nightfall, but Harlee had already fallen asleep again.
"She is sleeping a lot." He observed softly.
"All the trauma she went through, plus the pregnancy, and the new Bond." I replied, closing the bedroom door. Ash remained behind with Harlee.
"I had no intentions.. That is to say.." Sam clamped his jaw shut tight. I chuckled darkly.
"That Bond is slowly eating away at your darkness, isn't it. Brother?" I laughed softly. "Despite the Corruption, Harlee is a creature of fierce determination and fierce morals. She is driven by strong emotions-I think you're finding this out even more personally now, aren't you?" Sands and I had advanced on Sam.
"What are you doing?" Sam demanded.
"Well, there's one little piece of the puzzle you forgot when you Bound yourself to Harlee." I snarled. "I hold half her soul." I lunged at him at the same time Sands did. He held Sam down as I gripped his arm and forced his hand against my own arm.
"Say it." I snarled.
"No!" He yelled, struggling to break free from Sands' and my grasp.
"You can't disobey, you know that. Say IT!" I roared and Sam jerked slightly.
"Fine!" Sam spat. "As keeper of half my Master's soul, I hereby Bind us together for eternity and vow to offer you the same protection and care as I have done her, prioritizing only her needs and safety above yours, in exception to ensuring the safety of her soul." Sam nearly choked on the words as a thin gold band formed around my arm beneath his hand. I held his hand to it until I felt the reciprocating Mark jump through our connection and then let go as he hissed, touching the back of his neck.
"Ha!" I laughed "What does it look like Sands?"
"It's just a word. It says 'betrayal'." Sands looked at me in confusion. I laughed again.
"Sounds like a warning, whether it's meant for you or everyone else. I'd watch my back Sam." I clapped a hand on his shoulder as he made a face.
"Do NOT call me Sam." He spat.
"Alright. Sammy." I grinned evilly as Sands and I turned towards the sofa. There was a growl from behind us.
"Hey? Is everything ok? Sam! NO!" I heard Harlee yell and turned to see Sam in his transition state, eyes black, claws extended.
"Aww, don't worry about it Harlee-he couldn't actually hurt us anymore anyway." I smirked, tapping the gold band as Sam's Form returned to human. He snarled, but then quickly looked at Harlee.
"I'm sorry Mistress. I mean.." His jaw clenched. I smirked again. Binding him to me gave Harlee even tighter control, and lessened the strain she felt due to the Corruption of his Demonic Heart. Sam suddenly seemed to realize this and glared angrily at me. I simply shrugged and used the remote to change the channel as Harlee came around and sat in my lap. Sands rubbed her back soothingly and I could feel Sam's eyes boring into us from behind as Ash came out of the bedroom yawning to collapse on the sofa as well.
"I'm hungry Zeev-what're you gonna cook?" Ash asked. I pushed Ash off the couch and Harlee giggled.
Harlee POV
Everyone froze and looked at me when I laughed. Ash jumped onto all fours like a happy puppy and grabbed my hands with sparkling eyes. Zeev squeezed me gently and even Sands turned to gaze at the other two in disbelief.
"Oh come on-it's not been that long since I've laughed. Has it?" I frowned, trying to think. "Doesn't matter. Relax, you all are giving me the willies." I relaxed back into Zeev's arms and massaged my stomach. I frowned again.
"I think I'm kind of hungry too though." I said hesitantly and Zeev chuckled.
"I'm glad. I'd like to see you put on a little more weight. You still look malnourished." Zeev kissed my hair.
"Hey!" I objected.
"Rude!" Ash agreed at the same time. "Phrasing my friend-phrasing! Besides fat shaming and skinny shaming are both distasteful." Ash sniffed.
"Anyway, it's Sam's fault she was so ill in the first place." Ash continued.
"Don't call me Sam!" Sam roared as Zeev set me on the couch so he could head to the kitchen. I glanced at Sam over my shoulder and his expression humbled. "Sorry." He mumbled.
"Sam, come here." I instructed and Sam begrudgingly came around the sofa to face me. "Sands, Ash, do you mind giving us a minute?" They looked at me nervously, but got up and left.
"Sit down." I said wearily.
"I'd rather stand." Sniffed Sam. I touched the gold band on my arm.
"I sad SIT DOWN." I snarled and Sam ungracefully plopped down beside me. "Look, the thing that has helped me most with Ash and Zeev is learning who they are behind the Demon." I rubbed my forehead.
"I'm not going to lie. I still hate you, and I don't know how long that hatred will last, but maybe, MAYBE, if you can teach me who Samael was BEFORE the Fall, and why he Fell... Maybe we can find an understanding so things can go more smoothly here." I blew out a breath as I heard a scoff. I knew this wasn't going to be easy.