This Bitter Earth

ELEVEN

Thank you everyone for bearing with me during the small break and leaving me wonderful and encouraging reviews! It means so much to me that so many people are interested in this story and are enjoying it. Seeing your reactions inspires me so much. I don't have an exact update schedule right now, but please know, I have no plans to abandon this and have about 19-21 chapters planned at the moment (depending on length).

I want to say a huge thank you to Tina, AdAsttra, for betaing this chapter for me and dealing with ALL of my questions and never complaining when I added a few extra thousand words and made her go back and read it again. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to Bree, mysweet_bree, for being such an amazing person and friend and I hope she enjoys this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

.

Soundtrack- "Body" by SYML

.

ELEVEN

.

"You need to stay in the cage tonight."

Hermione's head shot up. "No!"

Draco wasn't looking at her when he said, "Get on the bed."

She closed her book and tucked it under her arm as she folded them across her chest. "Just because I refused to sleep with you doesn't mean you get to lock me up. You promised-"

"I didn't promise you shit," Draco snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Hermione was a little taken aback by his sudden harshness with her. Over the last week Draco has mostly avoided her, and their room. Theirs, because even though she had refused to let him back in the bed, Draco had not vacated. He spent his nights sprawled on the chaise and every time Hermione woke up from one of her nightmares she saw him in a new position, tightly clasping the fur blanket to him.

He wasn't the only one with dark circles under his eyes anymore.

"I never agreed to stop using the cage or the chain. And I will strap you down tonight if you don't get your ass on the bed right NOW!"

Hermione stood her ground. Her legs were shaking and there was no hiding them, but she kept her eyes locked on Draco's steely gaze until he rubbed his hand over his face and groaned in aggravation.

"There are people coming tonight. I don't think they'll come upstairs, let alone be able to get in here, but if they do..." He cast his eyes down to the foot of the bed. "The cage will keep you safe."

"It will keep me trapped."

Draco cut his gaze back to her so quickly Hermione would have missed it if she blinked. "Is it so bad? Being here, with me?"

Her heart gave a heavy thump in her chest. No. Yes. No. It beat again and this time, it hurt.

"I don't like being cooped up."

His expression was unreadable, but it didn't stop Hermione from searching across every feature of his face. Angled cheeks carving their way across skin as white as porcelain and just as smooth. His nose was long and straight, nostrils slightly flared as he took a breath. His brows hung heavily over his eyes, casting them in shadow and making the silver of them gleam even brighter because of it. His lips were pressed together, turned down in a frown. She wished she could see him smile again.

"I'll make this up to you."

"How?" Hermione asked sarcastically. "A new dress?"

Draco's eyes fell to her body and ran down the length of it. Without him saying a word or even making a single movement, she felt like she knew exactly what he was thinking of. Or maybe it was just her. She brought her legs a little closer together, her knees knocking against each other, and her movement seemed to break his train of thought.