Chapter 1: Poker Mask
Gwenn looked up over her cards at her opponent across the table. Well you couldn't really say they were opponents, seeing as how Gwenn had never played poker before and was losing. Horribly. James just smiled at her, that gorgeous, wicked smile that said I've got you now, my pretty.
It was an infuriating smile.
James set his cards face down on the table and stretched like a lazy cat. He pushed his seat back from the table and got up to explore the room. Gwenn just glared at him as he walked over to her Phantom of the Opera collection and toyed with her masks.
"Do you have to mess with my things?" Gwenn growled.
He just looked back at her and grinned. "Well if you're going to take forever trying to do the math of it, I might as well entertain myself."
Gwenn saw only a moment too late what he had picked up and was about to put on his face.
"No, James don't, don't!"
But it was too late. He had raised the white porcelain half mask to his face and put it on. It fit him perfectly and suddenly, James was no longer in the room.
Now, only He stood there before her.
They were the same height, the same weight, but He was just so much more than James had been, and would probably ever be.
James' hair had been nearly as long as Gwenn's, to her waist, and had been a lush brown. His hair was short, slicked back, and the deepest black Gwenn had ever seen.
The eyes that stared into her blue eyes now were not teddy-bear brown, but a smoldering green-gold, and they held her pinned to her chair with such heat that she felt she would burst into flames if He stared much harder.
Those eyes that burn . . .
He smiled, and Gwenn thought she would drown in that smile. But she was wrong, because it wasn't His smile that drowned her.
It was His voice.
"Hello, my Angel . . ."
Gwenn's heart was racing and in a moment He was behind her, a lock of gold hair in His hand. He pressed His face into the silky lock and breathed deeply, relishing the scent of her.
Gwenn was sure she was going to die any moment now from the fever that was building inside of her. She swallowed hard and regained her voice.
"Why have you brought me here . . ."
Gwenn blinked and He was on one knee in front of her, one hand on her thigh, the other cupping her chin.
"Why, did you think I would leave my precious little Ingénue for good? You knew he would put it on, and now I will always be there, singing songs in your head My Dear."
He rose to His feet, pulling Gwenn up with Him.
In a moment He pressed His mouth to hers, drawing away all strength she had left.
As her body collapsed against His, she had just enough strength left to reach up and cupped His masked cheek in her hand.
He leaned into the caress and realized only too late what her true intention had been.
Gwenn stared at His scarred face for only a moment as he roared with anger and disappeared.
James stared down in confusion. Why was he holding Gwenn? Why was she clutching the Phantoms Mask to her heart?
"Gwenn? What-?"
"He'll always be there, Singing songs in my head . . ."