From Wiltshire, With Love

Chapter 56

Hermione opened her eyes to see the pale, early morning light creeping through the window. She would never get tired of waking up, spooned by Draco. Reveling in the feel of the skin of his chest against her back and his heat surrounding her, she loved to sleep with their legs intertwined and his strong arms holding her securely against him. Although they had fallen asleep with her cradling his head to her chest, their bodies shifted during the night and now she was completely enveloped by his larger frame.

The cadence of his breathing indicated that he was probably awake. Hermione turned around to face him, somewhat wary of the aftermath of his break down. The warm skin of his arms slid against her body and she swiveled in his embrace. Draco's clear grey eyes were wide open. She wondered how long he had been awake, watching, and unwilling to disturb her.

He seemed to have recovered from the agony of last night. But she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She was about to speak and his nostrils flared in anger.

"Don't go." Draco must have realized that he sounded vaguely threatening and changed to a more contrite tone. "Please."

He was still mad about her attending the summer party at Malfoy Manor. But his eyes were bright grey with the morning sun. They weren't dark and dangerous like last night. They were loving and concerned, not controlling and menacing.

"Draco," Hermione asked cautiously. "Last night..." She paused. She didn't want to say anything that would set him off again, and searched his eyes for any hint of that menacing gleam. There was none. "I was frightened. I didn't understand what you were doing or why it was happening."

He cradled her face gently. "I would never hurt you. If you didn't want to be spanked, I would have stopped."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes." His eyes widened in horror when he saw the doubtful expression on her face. "Yes!" His voice rose, insistent. "Why would I..." He shook his head. "I was angry because I was scared you'd get hurt. Or worse. Hermione, my aunt will be there. They all will. She'll see right through you and those two tossers of yours."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

Draco began to breathe heavily as he became more agitated. He slid his fingers into her hair. "You don't understand. I've been tortured. My parents, too. My friends. I see what they do to prisoners – what I do to prisoners. Hermione, you'll beg for them to kill you and I won't be able to do a fucking thing." He sounded more desperate. "Thoughts of you getting caught and killed are constantly in the back of my mind and now you're just... walking right into it." His fingers curled tight, pulling slightly on her scalp.

She studied his eyes, and the grim line of his mouth, and felt the muscles of his arms twitch as he warred with himself. He wanted to protect her, just like she wanted to protect him. But because of using the Imperius Curse, he was struggling with a dark and deep seeded possessiveness. A need to control.

"It's the Imperius Curse, isn't it?"

Draco's brows slowly came together at her statement, but he didn't look surprised.

How could he not have told her?

"You knew about this?" Unable to stop her anger from coming out, her voice rose in volume.

"I suspected," he answered warily.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

His hand went slack against her head, slipping to fall on the sheet between them. "I wasn't sure – I'm still not. And I tried to tell you I'm changing I just..." He was almost pleading with her. "Maybe it's because I have to Occlude all the time?"