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It was completely dark as Hermione and Erik shuffled along together through the darkness of the cave. At times the walls seemed to close in on them, making
it difficult to move, and sometimes even difficult to breathe. Hermione's heartbeat seemed to be set on permanent pound as a result.
When the caves began to seem warmer, Hermione began to suspect they might be heading deeper instead of going towards the surface. She tried to see Erik's
face in the dim light of the crystal he had found along the way, but the tiny amount of luminance hardly showed anything at all.
"It's getting awfully warm in here," she finally complained after what seemed like hours had passed.
"We have just reached the heart of the cave," Erik explained. "Soon, we will be forced to contend with its master if we hope to leave."
"But why come to the heart of the cave at all?" Hermione wanted to know. "It would have made more sense to just leave."
"Oh no, my dear, we would have never been allowed to simply leave. Surely someone as smart as you can figure that out."
Hermione stopped walking and just glared up at him. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I needed to keep you walking, my dear," he said with a wry laugh. "Did you imagine I'd want to carry you here myself?"
"You're the one who kidnapped me," Hermione said with not a trace of doubt in her voice.
"Of course I did, and your husband certainly did make the job easy by letting me inside the castle," the man said with a much more sinister laugh
afterwards. "I can see why he'd want to keep you so badly, love. I had a look at the goods while you were out. It could have been so easy to do even more--"
"Shut your dirty mouth, you foul git!" Hermione exclaimed as she skittered away from him. The wall of the cave did not afford room for her to move very far,
and Erik laughed again, this time with a much huskier timbre. "When my husband discovers what you have done, I don't hold out much hope for your continued
survival."
"My dear girl, it pleases me that you care so much for my continued existence when you should be far more concerned with your own," he told her as he advanced
in her direction. It was obvious what his intentions were, though to be sure he hadn't brought her all the way to the center of this place to have his way with
her, had he? Then again, Hermione certainly had nowhere to go at the moment, did she?
"Stay away from me," she told him as one of his hands closed around her wrist and dragged her up against his chest. She felt hot tears pricking at the edges
of her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall. She wouldn't give this man the satisfaction. When his hand glided down her back to cup her arse, however,
she let out a howl of indignation and used her free hand to scratch his eyes, raking downward with as much force as she possibly could.
"You little bitch!" he growled. "Lucky for you I like my women feisty, or I would kill you where you stand."
"I thought you said we came here to meet the master of this cave," Hermione pointed out. "Is that master going to appreciate you taking extra time out before
we get there?"
"He does not yet know that we are here," Erik said with supreme satisfaction as he began to unbutton the front of her dress with his free hand as he continued
to hold her wrist in a vice-like grip. Hermione tried to yank her hand away, but to no avail.
"You disgusting pig!" she growled. "This is how you repay my husband for his kindness to you?"
"I did repay him by not killing you outright," Erik informed her. "There were some who would have wished me to."
"What do you want with me?" she demanded hotly. "I haven't done anything to you."
"You married a Wizard, my dear," he said. "My Master frowns upon such things--though he is all for the idea of using a pretty piece of Muggle fluff for other
things."
"Wh-what things?"
"If he allows you to live, I'm going to take you home with me and keep you for a pet," he scoffed as he shoved her into the wall. Hermione's head hit hard,
leaving her senses reeling. "Yes, that's just how I want you, love," he added as he threw her down onto the floor of the cave and straddled her. "Just exactly
like this."
"No!" she muttered, her head still spinning. She could hear him laughing as he started to pull on her underclothes, and she knew that he would easily succeed,
for she could barely even move, and if she tried he was certain to simply subdue her again. "Please don't," she whispered, but then consciousness faded away. Her
last coherent thought was that she must have a very bad concussion indeed.
"We'll rest when my wife is once again in my arms," Lucius told him coldly. "Now move on. You're the one leading the way."
"But my Lord, I can barely--" he began, when they both heard the distinctive sound of a woman screaming. Egremon's tiredness left him immediately as he stood up
and listened intently. "That way, my Lord," he said as he pointed his wand in the direction the sound had come from. Lucius was already well ahead of him before
he'd even finished the sentence.
"I'll kill them all," Lucius growled hotly as he practically ran towards his wife.
"You must be cautious, my Lord," Egremon warned him. "We do not know what lies beyond the next bend. In here, it could be anything."
"I'll take my bloody chances," Lucius insisted, not pausing even for a moment. Ahead of them they spotted Hermione lying on the ground with Erik on top of her,
and his voice came out in a unintelligible roar as he lunged straight for him. His hands were around the man's neck in an instant, and he pulled him up into the
air with a satisfying snapping sound.
"You killed him," Egremon said in surprise. "That was unwise. We could have interrogated him."
"Interrogate this!" Lucius growled as he threw the body at him. Egremon sidestepped the flying corpse easily as he came to stand beside Lucius, hands on his
hips.
"Listen, Lucius Malfoy, do not be a fool," he told him. "Blind fury can only get you so far. You must get your anger in check before we meet anyone else in
this place. And do not begin to think we can take that little lady out of here in her current state, either. She will need immediate medical attention if she
is to survive."
Lucius sucked back a sob as he leaned over top of Hermione and realized the truth of his words. Her face was so swollen as to be almost unrecognizable, and
fresh blood flowed from yet another wound to her head. He bent over Erik's body and tore off a portion of his shirt to catch the blood with, and then cradled
her in his lap as he held the makeshift bandage in place. Hot tears streamed down his face as he looked up at Egremon.
"She cannot die," he insisted vehemently. "It's only because of her that I am finally alive."
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