Chapter 2

The next morning, when I awoke, I looked over at where the... I mean Erik had fallen asleep. I was surprised when I found he had moved to the cot and fell asleep. So much for caring about whether it was clean or not. He must have waited until I fell asleep before moving there. Stupid man... Why hadn't he moved there in the first place? Rising from my bed, I looked at him where he slept. At least... I think he was sleeping. It was hard to see if he was awake with that dreadful sack over his head. If I'd have been him, I would have removed it already. I could only imagine how uncomfortable the burlap would feel against skin. Erik could have easily taken it off since the guards had probably put it on him in the first place. Some of them were the cruelest men I had ever had the displeasure of meeting. I'd even go as far to say that they were worse than some criminals. They were completely inhuman to make Erik hide his face.

For this very reason, I slowly and quietly walked over to where Erik slept. My fingers twitched at my side as I watched his chest rise and fall with every breath. His breaths were slow and I had a good feeling that he was asleep. Hopefully, I wouldn't wake him up by removing the sack. Maybe he'd be less grumpy too... My hand reached carefully towards the burlap sack and grasped the top of it. As I went to pull it off, Erik jerked awake and I soon found my wrist caught in a death grip. I yelped in surprise and pain as my wrist was squeezed tightly. "Ow! Erik, let me go!" I hissed, attempting to pull his hand off me with my free hand. This didn't help me one bit and it only served to cause him to grip tighter. "Stop! You're hurting me!"

"Never. Remove. This." Erik's eyes burned with anger behind the burlap sack. My wrist throbbed painfully and I whimpered. "Ever. Do you understand?" I nodded quickly and he released me before settling back onto the cot. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes and I cradled my wrist against my chest. I turned away and willed them to go away, refusing to cry in front of him. He must have been awake this entire time and knew what I was about to do. He could have easily stopped me sooner instead of waiting, which confused me. What confused me even more than his reaction, was the fact that he didn't want to remove the sack. It was undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable things to wear, especially over a very sensitive place. If he wanted to keep the stupid thing, fine. See if I'd care when it really starts to be a nuisance.

I looked down at my wrist and found it was already starting to bruise. My other hand prodded at the bruises, causing me to wince. "Ow, ow, ow..." I whispered. Erik had a really, really strong grip. I shot him a quick glare before sitting down on my cot. I leaned up against the cool wall and did my best not to think of the pain I was in. Instead, I found myself glaring at Erik, who was once again looking as peaceful as a sleeping baby. I knew now that he was probably awake as ever. What an evil thing to do! Act like you're asleep and then scare the living daylights out of whoever bothered you. "That wasn't very nice, you know?"

"Prison isn't a very nice place, Mademoiselle Ashby. You'd do well to learn that." Erik said, opening his eyes and looking over at me. "If I wanted to take this off," He gestured to burlap mask. "I would have done so myself. There is nothing I dislike more than a prying woman. You would have found your curiosity wouldn't have been worth sating very quickly." The way Erik spoke told me this hadn't been the first time someone had pried into what his face looked like.

"Well, I just thought that you might have been uncomfortable." I confessed. "I was only thinking of your comfort and I apologize if it came across as prying. You shouldn't have grabbed my wrist like that anyways. If one of the guards finds out, you'd probably be punished for something that easily could have been avoided."

"This isn't punishment enough?" Erik said, a tone of sadness in his voice. This caught me off guard. He had just gone from cynical and threatening to almost melancholy in only moments. This sudden shift of emotion made me fall silent, no longer wanting to cause this awkward confusion. If he wanted to tell me why he was like that, he would. The first time I pried into anything involving my cell mate would also be my last. I wouldn't risk being injured any further. Speaking of which, my wrist had swelled incredibly and it hurt to even flex my fingers. Why had I even attempted to take the dumb sack off of his face in the first place? I wouldn't be in pain if I had just let him be.

Soon, there came a jingling of keys outside our cell which meant one thing—breakfast. The door was unlocked and opened, revealing the same guard who always brought in breakfast. A man whose twisted features and lustful glances caused fear to run down my spine. I feared that he would make advances on me and I would be helpless to stop him. As he moved into the room with two trays, he attempted to give me a charming smile before talking. "Morning, lass. Here's your bread and water." he said far too sweetly, setting the one tray on the ground. He looked up from the tray and noticed Erik watching him closely. Erik's amber eyes remained locked on the guard and I swore I saw a dangerous look flash across them. The man scowled and dropped the second tray, allowing everything on it to spill on the ground. "That's yours, freak. Enjoy your meal." The guard turned away but, before he closed the door behind him, Erik spoke.

"Oh, I will." Erik's voice rumbled, a warm and rich sound. Good lord! That tone in his voice made my heart flutter in my chest. Why didn't he sound like that all of the time? I think I'd like him better if he did. Then I noticed the guard had frozen in place. Erik had just provoked the creepiest man I had ever known. Not only was this man a creep, but he was a creep for me and I did not like that. Not one bit and apparently Erik didn't either. Slowly, he turned around and stepped back into the room. What was going on? He wasn't supposed to do that. At least, I think he wasn't. Erik still had his eyes locked on the man and didn't seem to be moving them anytime soon. If I didn't know better, Erik's eyes seemed to glitter with mirth. I somehow knew he was smirking underneath that mask.

"What did you say, freak?" the guard asked with a snarl. Erik remained completely silent and his emotions were hid by his mask. "How about I teach you a lesson in respect? I've heard the things you did to Ms. Da'ae. The Vicomte gave a full report of the things you did to his fiancé. Surely there are worse things..." The guard cracked his knuckles and approached Erik. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest. As the guard drew back his fist and Erik rose from his cot, another guard appeared in the doorway.

"Charlie, leave the monster be." the second guard said, causing his friend to jump. Erik looked over at me and I had a feeling that everything was going to be okay. "You haven't finished your round yet. He'll get what's coming to him if he tries any funny business." Charlie looked at him and then back to Erik, deciding whether or not to listen to his coworker. Erik towered over him, at least a few feet taller than him. If I had any to bet, I'd put it all on Erik. With a huff of annoyance, Charlie lowered his fist and walked back over to the door, stepping on Erik's slice of bread on the way. He slammed the door shut and locked it before continuing on his way.

I let out an audible sigh and watched as Erik sat back down on his cot. "Thank you." I breathed. "That guard has been like that ever since I first came here. I've been worried he'd someday act upon his... urges, if you get my drift." Erik grunted in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything back. I looked down at where our food was and realized Erik's had been ruined by Charlie. Having been here a while, I knew how important it was to eat all of your two meals so you wouldn't starve to death. I had heard guards talk about some of the prisoners who had come from wealth families and how they starved themselves by refusing to eat. Erik didn't look like he ate all that often anyways and probably needed breakfast more than me.

Standing from my cot, I walked over and picked up my tray and brought it over to Erik. He looked up at me and blinked. "What do you want now?" he asked. His eyes glanced down at my out held tray and then back up at me. "I'm not going to take your food. I rarely eat anyways." That is when I heard his stomach growl and smirked.

"Take it." I urged. "You need it more than me. The bread may be stale or moldy and the water murky, but it helps you get through the day." He pushed the tray back towards me and shook his head.

"I don't eat, mademoiselle Ashby." he reiterated. "Keep it for yourself."
"At least let us split it, then." I argued. Erik didn't say anything and I stayed right where I stood. If he didn't answer, I would just stand right here until he did. "Well? Is that a yes?"

"Fine." he grumbled. I smiled and sat down on the cot next to him, noticing how he scooted away from me, but not thinking much of it. I broke the bread in half and handed him his piece. He took it, but didn't bite into it even as I began nibbling on my own piece. I realized I could use the empty tin cup on the ground to split the bit of water I had. Placing the tray on the ground, I moved from his cot and picked up the empty cup. Once I had sat back down on his cot, I split my water and handed him the cup. "Thank you." he muttered, but still didn't eat or drink. Even when I had finished, he still had his bread and water in his hands.

"Are you going to eat that or not?" I asked. He looked up at me with an annoyed expression. That is when I realized his mouth was covered by the burlap sack and he wasn't able to eat unless he took it off. "Oh! I am so sorry. I didn't realize that... I'm so sorry. I'll turn away so you can eat in peace." Picking up my tray, I grabbed the second tray and placed them by the door before heading to my cot. I faced away from Erik and pulled my flimsy blanket around my shoulders, feeling a draft from an unsealed crack in the wall. "Okay, you're free to eat."

"Thank you." I heard Erik say, barely above a whisper before there came a crunching sound as he began to eat his bread. It wasn't too much later that I heard him set the tin cup on the ground. There was some rustling as he settled back down on his cot and I glanced over my shoulder. He had the burlap sack on again and was leaning up against the wall with his pillow behind his head. His hands were folded over his stomach and he looked as if he were about to take a nap after a satisfying meal. This brought a smile to my face and I turned back around, settling myself into my own cot. The smile stuck as I watched Erik relax. His eyes opened a few minutes later and he looked over at me. "You probably shouldn't smile like that for as long as you have, mademoiselle. Your cheeks may stick like that."

For the first time in a long time, I laughed. "I wouldn't care if they did. At least I'd always have something to smile about." Erik chuckled and shut his eyes again. I wanted to ask him about what Charlie had said about the Vicomte and this Da'ae woman. What kind of things had Erik done to this man's fiancé? "Erik?"

"What now?" he snapped. "Are your cheeks actually stuck?"

"No." I answered. "Just glad that you're not someone else." Erik grunted and the cell fell silent again.

A/n: Good? Bad? Absolutely loved it? Let me know by reviewing! Thanks to those who have faved/followed or reviewed. No worries, I'm working on Antiquity as much as I can. I'll get a chapter posted if it means the end of me (not really. I'm not going to leave until it's complete). Until next time, my lovelies!