Draco was so angry he jerked his hands off of her lest he do her irreparable damage, infuriated by Hermione's softly spoken words.

"I'm so sorry," she wept, covering her face with her hands. "This isn't what I wanted…"

"Isn't it?" he asked through gritted teeth, fists clenched.

"No," she whispered, miserable. "Draco, I only wanted to be sure you didn't harm anyone else—including yourself. You've no idea how dangerous you can be—"

"Spare me!" he spat, taking another step backwards, trembling with anger.

"I mean it," she said, dropping her hands, her head lowered. "The bond is only reinforcing what we feel for one another—in our case it's hatred. Please, Draco, you have to understand, in this type of situation—"

"Situation?" he repeated, and laughed mirthlessly.

"—usually the incubus or succubus loves the person they awaken their powers with," Hermione pressed on, determined for him to now know all of the things she had fearfully hidden from him. "What you did to me perverted that bond and now both of us are stuck dealing with it."

"You trapped me," he hissed, advancing on her suddenly. "It was you, Granger! You could've told me all of this then and none of it would've ever happened—"

"We are both responsible for this, Draco!" Hermione shouted, fury driving away the tears. She flailed out at him with surprisingly strong little fists, driven to violence in her frustration with him. "You carry the guilt no less than I!"

He trapped her wrists, squeezing until she regained herself, turning her to wrap her in his arm and trap her against his body, stilling at last.

"Do you think I honestly want to be bound to you, Draco?" she sadly asked. "Do you honestly believe that this was my dream come true? Bound to someone who despises me and belittles me at every turn? I wanted a real life, Draco! I wanted a husband and children and a career!"

"Just shut up, will you?" Draco snapped, squeezing his arm around her so tightly she squeaked and fell silent once more. The shaking of her slight shoulders unnerved him, made her seem so much more vulnerable than she had any right being. He'd never seen her so upset and, frankly, didn't like it one bit. Nasty, arrogant, snobbish Granger he understood—weeping, terrified and utterly lost Granger he could do without. "Show some spine, Granger—nothing lasts forever."

She snuffled, still hitching with sobs.

"I'm sorry," she said again, now an apology for her tears. "I don't know what's come over me, I've been so moody lately."

"How very female of you," Draco remarked, still busily trying to figure out what in the world he could do to unmake this situation.

"I've checked and rechecked and made discrete inquiries with the professors," Hermione lowly said, slumping against him, wiping at her face with her sleeve. "I've turned the library upside down—but the only thing I've found is how to bind an incubus or succubus. It would seem that once a creature like yourself is bound, Draco, very few people consider setting them free."

"You'd best figure it out, mudblood," Draco told her. "Because my power isn't patient and you're all I've got—so unless you want to be well and truly a victim, I suggest you apply those formidable brains to our predicament and think of something."

"There's nothing," she whispered, defeated. "Draco, there's nothing…"

"That's not the right answer," Draco said, ready to strangle her in the darkness and leave her laying there. But she moved slightly, trying to ease the pressure of his arm on her, and managed slide his hand up her bare belly. That slight contact was all it took to drop his defenses and let the power rear its hungry head. Anger and frustration turned into a lust now familiar to him and he sank his short, sharp nails deep into the flat plane of her stomach. "I'll make you sorry you ever thought to trap me, Granger."

He felt it infect her, wrapping itself around her in hungry welcome, knowing the taste of her flesh and ravenous for it. She went boneless in his arms, trembling with desire, a sharp spiking thrill of terror shooting up through the center of her.

They were alone together in the dark and no one knew where either of them were. No one could hear them, no one could see them—there was no possibility of being found or interrupted.

And he knew her most decadent desires.

"Punishment," he hissed into her ear, feeling the shudder run through the length of her body. "You're really in it now, Granger."

Her only answer was a breathless little sigh of relief.