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Chapter Eight
Antoinette found Erik asleep in his cage, his back against the closest bars. She decided it would be easiest to just slip the blanket and food into his cage without waking him.
Bad idea. As soon as her arm was through the bars, Erik's hand shot up and grabbed her arm. He got to his feet and began twisting her arm.
She was amazed at how strong his cold hands were! She couldn't imagine him to be this powerful and violent. Was Gustav right about him? Should she have kept away?!
Erik kept twisting her arm until she felt something pop in her shoulder. She let out a small cry of intense pain. "Erik!" she gasped in pain.
Instantly he stopped twisting her arm. "Antoinette?!" he said in the darkness.
"Yes…" she sobbed in a mixture of fear and pain.
"God!" he said in horror and let go of her. She pulled back and backed away from him.
Was Gustav right?! Was he really a monster?!
…No. He had let her go.
"I'm sorry!" Erik said. "I'm so sorry!" he pressed himself against the bars, clutching them tightly. "I didn't know it was you! What are you doing here?!" He sighed. "I thought you were someone coming to hurt me again…Next time let me know it's you and no harm will come to you, I swear!"
Antoinette could only nod as she sobbed, clutching her arm.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked softly.
"Yes…"
"I am so sorry," he said, his voice full of self-hatred. "Let me see your arm."
He reached out and very gently took her arm in his cold hands. He lifted and gently prodded her arm. Antoinette could hardly believe that these were the same hands that had brought her so much pain.
He cursed. "I dislocated your shoulder. I can set it if you trust me."
Antoinette looked into Erik's eyes and nodded.
"Don't scream," he said.
He pulled her shoulder to the bars and pushed her arm up while he held the rest of her body still. It didn't take long before her shoulder gave a dull, sickening pop and was back in place. She cried silently though all this, but never made a sound.
"Why did you come?" he asked, releasing her.
"I…I thought you were cold," she said, her face turned to the ground. She was trying her best to stop crying. "I brought you a quilt."
"Where is it?" he asked.
She picked up the fallen quilt and handed it to him. "It's the best blanket I have," she said. "I hope it keeps you warm."
Erik took it and wrapped it around himself. "God bless you," he said with an odd tone in his voice. "You are so kind… I've done nothing to deserve your kindness."
He wiped at his eyes and smiled. Then he noticed the basket of food. "What's that?" he asked.
Antoinette had completely forgotten about the food! She picked the basket up and offered it to him. "It's food," she said. "I didn't think you had much to eat, so…"
"Thank you," he said and took the basket. He opened it and devoured the bread and meat as if he hadn't eaten in days. "Did you cook this yourself?' he asked when he was finished.
"…I did," she said with a modest smile. The truth was that she had no choice but to cook everything herself. Her father refused to do it, saying that cooking was a woman's work.
"You are an excellent cook," he smiled, handing her back the empty basket.
"Thank you…" No one had ever complimented her cooking before.
TBC
