Author's Note: Because you were all so lovely with your screaming reviews the last chapter, I felt a little guilty leaving you in such a bad moment. Lol! Here's an update I hadn't expected to post today. Thanks again for telling me how much you're enjoying this story. It makes me anxious to keep writing!

Chapter Eight

What else could she do but agree not to scream? Oliver meant far too much to her to put his life in jeopardy. Hadn't she done too much already to hurt innocent people who didn't deserve it? While it wasn't technically her fault, Hermione felt guilty that her kidnapping ended with Harry in the hospital. The aurors assured her he would be fine, but it didn't matter. Too many people were getting hurt just because they were in her life.

With a nod of agreement and her heart in her throat, she slowly turned around. Seeing Antonin completely naked stripped the last of the hope she was only dreaming. How was it even possible that he was there? It didn't make any sense.

"How did you get in here?"

He grabbed her again, cutting off the possibility she could somehow run away from him. The way his mouth curved up into a devilish grin sent both shocks of terror and the tiniest bit of excitement through her entire body. Why did he have such an effect on her?

"Not so difficult with your mate's invisibility cloak. After Mother rescued me and I left her house, I knew it would only be a matter of time before you returned home. I stole the cloak. Wasn't hard to walk in behind that great big bear of an auror that escorted you home as he was leaving."

Hermione felt sick to her stomach. In all of the excitement of Harry collapsing to the ground and being grabbed by Auror Savage, she'd completely forgotten the invisibility cloak had been stolen. Not once did it come to mind as she gave the auror an overview of what happened. No one would've known to expect him to be invisible without her telling them. It was all a giant mess. Yes, it would've been very easy for Antonin to slip inside the house after Auror Savage completed his inspection. She felt like an idiot. Why didn't she remember about the cloak? Was she trying to sabotage it all?

"I've been waiting to catch you alone away from the imbecile. I was getting impatient."

"How do I know he's not already dead?"

Breathing was difficult around the insane man. Whether it was fear or something else entirely, she wasn't sure. She could feel her heart racing. There was no doubt in her mind that he would hurt, even kill, Oliver if he felt it necessary. The demand that she remain quiet to keep him alive might have been just another trick Antonin used to fuck with her mind. He was good at those.

"I don't want Oliver's blood on my hands. He deserves better than that. He's a good man."

Antonin narrowed his eyes at the reminder that the other man in the house was better than him. There was no question. Despite whatever odd spell his mere presence seemed to cast on Hermione, she would never concede that point. The former Death Eater was a monster, even if he did know how to excite her.

"The imbecile was dutifully cleaning up the kitchen as he promised when I last saw him. Of course I thought it would be fun to slip one of your large knives in his back when he was standing over the sink, but I managed to stop myself."

Tightening his grip on her body, he pushed her against the tile wall.

"Let's stop talking about him. We have unfinished business."

She hated herself all over again for being suddenly excited. It was impossible to forget what their encounter in the hidden room had been like. Since it was over, she could hardly go a few seconds without recalling how his lips felt against her skin or how it felt for those all too short moments he filled her. Anyone peering inside her mind would deem her insane and she wouldn't be able to argue.

Their first kiss underneath the spray of the shower was somehow more intense than any they shared in the cellar. Maybe it was the added danger of knowing they could be caught at any second by the unsuspecting Oliver that heightened the experience. What was wrong with her that she wholeheartedly threw herself into kissing the madman back?

Remaining quiet was difficult to do under the circumstances. Only the repeated reminder from Antonin that he would kill the other man if he interrupted them kept Hermione from uttering the deep, throaty moans she fought back. Every bit of skin that his hands touched or his lips brushed against felt electrified. She kept waiting for the lightning bolt that would stop her heart from beating.

There was no pesky clothing blocking the sensations of touch in the shower like there had been in the hidden room. Neither of them could hold back any secrets from the other in the vulnerable position they were in. Though her shower was perfectly comfortable for one person, it was a tight squeeze with two. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't get far from their partner without being forced out. The lack of space behind the shower curtain simply meant they had to keep touching.

Antonin didn't seem to tire of kissing her mouth. Again she wondered if he was closing his eyes to remember a past love. They weren't in love. Far from it. There was no possible way that could change. With their shared history and his violence and fugitive status, they would only ever be stolen moments of physical pleasure she was sure she would be unable to forget. Despite that, he kissed her like a man dying of thirst in the desert who just stumbled upon an oasis. It would've been unnerving if she'd allowed herself to think too much of it.

She slid her hand between their bodies to reach for the impressive cock she knew would be there. Already rock hard and standing at attention, it wouldn't be long before he would be insistent on sliding it back inside her. She could hardly wait. A gasp in her mouth and deep moan he tried to immediately cut off was her reward. Holding him in her hand felt powerful. She could grant him pleasure or pain depending on what she chose to do next. Was he the sort to like a little bit of both? Maybe there would be the opportunity to find that out later.

As if she'd suddenly been doused with cold water, Hermione came back to reality. There was no place to think about the future where Antonin Dolohov was concerned. It was bad enough that he was right there at that exact moment. She needed him gone from her life, not a frequent repeat visitor. What they had was confusing, disturbing, and completely fucked up. Desiring more than that was just asking for trouble she knew she wouldn't want. If she was as smart as everyone always seemed to think she was, she would kick him out of her life immediately.

But her mind and the primal part of her body that sought out a desirable mate couldn't seem to get on the same page. She enjoyed far too much feeling the effect she had on the man with just the touch of her hand. Though he continued to kiss her, she could tell his breathing was more labored and his heart was racing. Could he handle more? He'd mentioned earlier that day that he'd found the show she put on the night before very entertaining. Ignoring the screaming inside her head telling her to get far away, Hermione pulled her head back from his with a cheeky grin.

There wasn't time for him to protest the removal of her lips. In a swift motion that could've easily gone terribly wrong if she'd slipped on the wet tile, Hermione was on her knees. She didn't let go of her grip for even a second. Realizing what she was about to do, Antonin bit his lip to keep from crying out. She used her hand to help guide the tip right into her mouth.

Worried at first that he would turn into one of those brutes who insisted on grabbing a lover's face between their hands and taking control, she was pleased when he kept his hands to himself. Bestowing pleasure on someone was often far more exciting than receiving. A chore with the wrong man, she couldn't get enough with the right. Feeling him slide in and out of her mouth knowing that he was on the verge of exploding in more ways than one excited her in a manner she couldn't quite describe. Antonin placed his palms on the tile wall, giving in to the pleasure she offered.

It only took him a few moments to get himself under control enough that he could trust himself to open his eyes again. There was something very erotic about making eye contact with a lover during the act. She wondered what he was thinking about as he stared into her eyes. Was he remembering what it looked like to be on the outside looking in? He'd risked pneumonia simply to watch her on her knees the night before. Was he pleased? She didn't know why it was important to her to know that his fantasy matched up to his reality, but it was.

"You're… that's… oh, fuck that feels amazing."

Spoken in a whisper, Hermione was glad that she was able to hear it over the sound of the running water. Did he know that she needed the encouragement? It was all the incentive she needed to speed up her motions, to increase the pressure and intensity. She relaxed her throat to take him all the way down. A difficult feat on regular men, it was even more so in that instance. She twirled her tongue as she did, further threatening to destroy his composure. Left alone with an unlimited supply of hot water, she could've stayed down on her knees for a long time. It was intoxicating to know the effect she had on the dangerous man.

But he had his breaking point. Just as she felt his body tense up, Antonin removed himself from her mouth. She nearly complained until he picked her up underneath her arms to bring her back to her feet. His mouth crushed against hers, demanding entrance she didn't dare deny. The feel of the cold tile on her bare back forced an involuntary hiss out of her mouth that he swallowed up. She had to be more careful. Too much noise would end in bloodshed.

Antonin lifted her left leg over his arm and placed it around his waist. How he was able to multi-task in such a moment was something she didn't understand nor care to find out. All that mattered was as he continued to kiss her very breath away, he slid into her very ready and waiting body. Another moan was bit back. How was she going to endure the exquisite torture without screaming? It had always been difficult for her to remain quiet.

Part of her expected they would be interrupted before he could thrust. Would Oliver change his mind about turning down her invitation to join her? Would one of the well-meaning aurors with shit timing pound on her bathroom door and demand she answer some questions that really could wait for the morning? What if Antonin's horrible mother showed up out of nowhere to demand they stop doing what they were? She was ready to cast a stunner on the old bitch if she tried. At that moment, she wouldn't even care if it killed her.

Their poor luck changed. No one dared to stop their delicious encounter. After one hard thrust filled her entire body, another one followed. And another. And another. She lost track of time. All she could do was stand there accepting the pleasure he'd tried to offer her unsuccessfully before with the one coherent thought that she couldn't afford to make any noise. If her mouth wasn't occupied with his, she bit her lips and willed no sound to come out.

Ten years locked up in Azkaban hadn't stripped him of all his prodigious talents. 'Just like riding a broomstick', she'd been told before. She would have to assume that the lonely nights spent in his cell with nothing but his wistful and dirty thoughts prevented him from forgetting what it felt like to be inside of a witch. There certainly wasn't the chance to ask him outright. Even if she could somehow form a coherent sentence, which she highly doubted under the circumstances, she had to remain as quiet as possible. How guilty would she feel if her stolen moments with Antonin resulted in the murder of a good man?

Every second he touched her, she was on the verge of exploding. Far more intense than anything she'd ever felt before, she knew it was precisely because she shouldn't be doing it that she enjoyed it so much. Danger had always appealed to her even if she tried to do what was right and expected of her most of the time. Her thoughts threatened to take her out of the moment. The more she listened to them, the more she knew she should push the man happily pumping in and out of her away. He deserved to be in Azkaban, perhaps even dead.

But his fingers rubbed against her sensitive bundle of nerves and she forgot what she'd been thinking about. Whatever it was no longer mattered. All she could do was feel. Burying her mouth against Antonin's bare shoulder, she tried to muffle her moans. How was it possible for something to feel so fucking good?

"I want to feel you come while I'm inside you."

His whisper was all the encouragement her primed body needed to reach the peak of her pleasure. Increasing both the speed of his thrusts and the pressure of his fingers, he pushed her to the point where she feared she would lose complete control of her sanity. Bursting inside, she had to bite down on his shoulder to keep from screaming. Ignoring the hiss of his pain and the subsequent rough upward thrust, she gave in. Her entire body erupted into tremors she couldn't stop. Lasting in reality only a matter of a few seconds, time seemed to stop. It all felt too much. Was it possible to die from what she was experiencing? Never had she known such exquisite intensity.

Antonin dropped her leg when the trembles started to slow. Unsteady on her feet, Hermione allowed him to position her body exactly where he wanted it. An involuntary whine of disappointment couldn't be completely stifled when he pulled himself out of her body. She thought she heard an amused scoff but couldn't be entirely sure. Her world was still spinning with both pleasure and the reality of what she was doing rapidly threatening to ruin her good time.

From behind, he pushed on the small of her back. Once he had her hips gripped firmly in his hands, he pressed inside again. She bit her lip and used one hand to cover her mouth. Asking her to be quiet was almost too much. His rhythm was insistent from the very first moment and never wavered. Slamming hard into her from behind, he wasn't going to last long. She had to place her palms on the tile wall ahead of her to keep from falling. Pushing all of the creeping worries out of her mind, she tried to just focus on what she felt. It was easier forgetting what a horrible thing she was doing with him behind her. Out of sight, out of mind. Until she had to look at his face, she would do whatever was necessary to convince herself that he was someone he wasn't.

His hand closing over her throat made that all the more difficult. Though it wasn't the first time she'd ever felt a lover's hand grip her neck while they were in the midst of passion, with him, it was different. All she could think of were the letters he'd been sending her for years.

"Every night I see your face in my dreams. I long for the moment I can feel the delicate bones in your neck crack beneath my hands."

He could do it. He could take his pleasure from her and then before it was all over, crush the life out of her with his bare hands. No one would be surprised he murdered her in the very same manner he promised. Was he preparing himself to put her out of her misery? She wasn't sure if she should be frightened or excited. There was something very seriously wrong with her.

The pressure on her throat increased with each thrust. If she was somehow alive when the morning came, she knew she would have marks on her throat she would need to cover up with magic. Uncomfortable questions might be asked of her that she wasn't sure how to answer.

Antonin's rhythm became more erratic. She knew he must be close. His hand tightened, nearly cutting off her flow of air entirely. Any other time with any other lover she might have been encouraged to scream out and demand he let her go. With the crazed former Death Eater, she didn't dare nor did she want to. Very little made sense.

He used his hand to carefully pull her back up to a standing position. Though she was several inches shorter than he was, it still worked. She felt her bare back against his chest. He whispered just outside of her ear.

"You can't scream. If the imbecile hears, he's dead."

She needed no other warning. The stakes were high and she knew it. Within seconds of his reminder, Antonin was breathing heavily and spilling deep inside her shaking body. For the first time since he held her in that hidden room, they weren't interrupted at the worst possible moment.

In no hurry to remove himself from inside her, Antonin loosened his hold on her throat, but kept her tight against him. Slowly coming down from her natural high, Hermione didn't understand why she craved even more. Was she under a spell? It wasn't unheard of for nefarious wizards or witches to cast lust spells on their victims. She'd read about them and had been far more curious than was likely healthy what they felt like. Did the man force her to want him with magic?

Almost immediately after that thought entered her mind, she knew it wasn't the truth. No, she didn't feel any differently like she wasn't able to control her own actions. Magic left a trace without fail. She didn't feel it. There was just an undeniable animal attraction she felt with the insane man. It was wrong even if it felt so very, very good.

She wished she'd allowed Oliver to go home when he offered. It was selfish to insist that he remain. Hadn't he done enough already for her? If she'd let him go, he wouldn't be in danger. She didn't want to see him hurt. Nor could she deny she wouldn't be content with just that one time in the shower. How awful of a human being was she that she could only think about how much she wanted to drag Antonin into her bedroom and spend the rest of the night not worrying about screaming too loud?

"What's wrong with me?"

The soft chuckle behind her tore Hermione out of her thoughts. She hadn't even realized she said anything out loud. He released his hold on her and stepped back. With hardly any effort he was able to spin her around to where they were looking each other in the eye.

"You have darkness inside of you. You will never stop craving more."

Was he right? It wasn't the first time in her life she'd been accused of being such. Her actions while she was in school hadn't always been pure and innocent after all. She'd trapped a woman in an unbreakable jar for several weeks and lured another out into the Forbidden Forest knowing full well she would be attacked by centaurs. There was one obnoxious bitch she knew who worked in the Apparition Test Centre who had never been able to fully get the word 'sneak' removed from her face after she broke the terms of the Dumbledore's Army contract. If she allowed herself to stop and think about all of the other acts she'd committed during the war and after that were less than savory, maybe Antonin had a point.

"No, you're wrong."

"Darkness speaks to darkness. I have it within me and it calls to yours. Trust me. I have a little more experience with this than you do."

Tempted to argue with him, he cut her off with another kiss. She didn't need much convincing to fall into the distraction. Her hands slid around his neck and into his thick hair. If given the opportunity, she felt sure she could be content remaining right where they were for the foreseeable future. She almost felt intoxicated. Was that related to the darkness he claimed they both shared?

A loud knock on the bathroom door stopped them mid-kiss. Thinking that the insatiable man was about to try for another round, she almost didn't hear the noise. Antonin, however, didn't miss it. He stopped kissing her to listen. When she heard the second knock, she feared she would be sick. What was going on? The door creaked as it opened. Oliver's voice didn't hide his concern.

"Hermione, are you all right in here?"

Another Author's Note: So for those of you that are fans of The Minister's Secret, here's a much more enjoyable shower experience than the one Antonin and Hermione had in that story. Lol! Though that scene always makes me laugh when I think about it and I still maintain it's FAR more realistic than most shower sex scenes in stories, it's still a shame it didn't turn out quite like they hoped it would. ;)