A/N: A huge thank you to blushed-at-a-mere-nothing for her help and suggestions with some of the events in this chapter: she's amazing, people. Show the love. :)

"Merde is right. She believes that Serena is too meek for you to have actually taken a liking to, or so she says. Personally…" Nadir said, clearing his throat. His eyes darted around nervously as if the walls had ears, something he always did before expressing a political opinion contrary to that which he was told he believed, "I think she is jealous. She is fascinated—obsessed, really—with you, Erik, and I do not think she was at all pleased when she found out that her son had sent for a wife for you—"

"Oh dear… I heard my name in there. Am I in trouble, Nadir?" Serena piped up suddenly, an amused smile gracing her cheeks, though seriousness rung out in her voice as palpably as a church bell.

"Oh no, my dear, not at all! Don't you worry… I just have to discuss something with Erik, here," Nadir replied surprisingly lightheartedly, before immediately turning back to me, "Anyway, it would seem she doesn't believe that you two… consummated, last night. She sent me to check on you, though I doubt she'll believe what I say considering she knows very well of our friendship."

I grew quiet. This was exactly what I had been afraid of, and I had been so damn muddled by that blasted perfume last night that I hadn't managed to come up with a solution! I hoped that snake of a queen burned in hell for trying to control every aspect of my life—for trying to control me! Oh, she would pay… she would see what happened to those who trifled with the Angel of Doom!

"Please permit me the small allowance of comprehension, since so many of my other freedoms have been stripped of me as of late," Serena cut in, her voice cool and collected but obviously frustrated with her inability to understand our troubled conversation.

Darius gasped; his French was not perfect, but he understood enough to realize that she had just addressed me rather smartly, something he imagined to be a sin punishable by death. Nadir too seemed surprised by her audacity, but his shock contained more amusement than it probably should have, considering he was already my closest compeer, and didn't fear me as much as he used to. I sighed. "Serena, this is really not the most pleasant conversation to translate for you."

"So I am to be kept helplessly in the dark? Come now, Erik, perhaps I can assist! Or will I have to beg Nadir's kind servant to translate for me…" she then put out her free hand towards Darius, with a smirk on her face that made every muscle in my body tense. The boy's eyes, in turn, were the size of moons as she reached for him. Whether this was from pure awe, or mortified timidity, I did not know—nor did I give the slightest damn! She would not touch him… would not smirk at him in such a coy little way!

He had not a moment to even consider taking her outstretched hand before I glared at him so acerbically that he rapidly shied away from her like a kicked dog, lowering his head as much as seemed anatomically possible. But I would not break my ardent gaze; if he so much as glanced at her again I would snap his scrawny neck—

"Erik… Erik! Please refrain!" Nadir barked, noticing my severity and glaring at me, "I understand if you feel some possessiveness for the girl, but Darius is my attendant and friend and I will not have you treating him so shoddily for but looking at her twice!"

"Possessiveness? What do you mean by that?" I growled defensively.

"Erik… you're… you're holding awfully tight…" Serena said suddenly, a small frown creeping onto her face as she gently placed her hand atop mine…

…a hand that was closed around her arm in a quintessential picture of the exact possessiveness Nadir had just described. Mon dieu, what was wrong with me? I detached myself immediately with a disgraced blush, and took my turn in lowering my head.

Nadir sighed, his face an amalgam of a hundred different, conflicting sentiments. "I think you know exactly what I mean," he began, shaking his head, "but that is beside the point. Why don't we focus on the fact that the Khanum demands proof of your pleasure with her gift this very morning, and will no doubt be here in a heartbeat if I do not return to her soon?"

I bit my lip, glancing concernedly at Serena. She seemed to sense my panic, for she touched one of her hands to my masked cheek, and the other to Nadir's shoulder. "Please tell me what's going on," she whispered pleadingly, fear flashing over her pretty face.

I sighed, unable to dodge her questions any longer… especially when she asked me like that. "The Khanum doesn't believe that I bedded you last night," I told her tersely, "and if she doesn't believe that I enjoyed her gift in what she sees as the proper way, we could be in a world of trouble."

Serena was silent. Her brow creased in thought and—what I assumed was—fear, and my heart sank at her distrust. Did she really think me so barbaric that I would break my promise to her in a fretful instant to save my own hide? I would sooner die than force myself upon any woman, much less someone pure as she—

"Nadir, take your man and return to the Khanum with him as your witness; you have indeed checked in on us, and I can… hardly stand," she rolled her pale eyes, which quivered lazily as a result of the action, "but that we will come in just a few moments time to visit with her."

"Serena, my dear Mademoiselle… I don't think you understand—" Nadir protested, feigning as much of a smile as he could muster in his dread. But Serena cut him off, unruffled as a gladiator who knew he was engaged in a winning battle.

"I understand perfectly. She wants physical proof that Erik made love to me last night. Well, I have an idea. But the more time you waste here, the less likely it becomes that it will work. Go."

Nadir stared at her, then glanced at me uncertainly, then looked back to her. "Serena, perhaps you should explain your proposal first, before we make any hasty decisions—"

"Nadir, just trust me," she commanded gently, taking his hands and patting them lightly as she turned fully towards him, "It is nothing terribly reckless, but I think it will work if you'll only put your faith in me."

And then, to my flabbergasted surprise, the hesitant old coot nodded. She was just too persuasive for her own good, it would seem! "Alright," he exhaled audibly, "I do hope you realize what a dangerous game you're playing at, my dear; but nevertheless, I will leave it in your capable hands. Come, Darius." And, with one last glance my way that seemed to scream, 'Don't do anything exceptionally stupid.', he was gone.

I was in the process of trying to figure out what this masterful plan could possibly be when she spun back around to face me, taking my hands. "Now Erik," she began slowly, her tone grave but still entirely in control of the situation, "I am about to ask something rather… bold of you."

I began to sweat beneath my mask, my pulse racing. She had better hurry up and finish her statement before my wild imagination took control of me and I decided for myself how it would culminate. "Alright… what is this idea of yours, my dear?" I managed.

"Well, obviously the Khanum wants some sort of physical proof that I pleased you intimately last night," she continued, and I could not help but feel that her sightless eyes were somehow seeing right through me as they stared past my fidgeting, agitated silhouette.

"That is a correct statement," I blurted stupidly, clearing my throat.

She smiled then, seeming to sense my blatant discomfort and wishing to soothe me. Oh, if only she knew how far from innocent that discomfort was…

"Indeed. So, in order to appease her, you are going to kiss me on the neck for a few minutes, perhaps leaving a few evident love-bites," she explained, and my jaw dropped for more reasons than one—the first and foremost motive being the nonchalance with which she spoke of this exploit, "that way, when we walk in slightly disheveled and thoroughly inflamed from kisses, she will have her physical proof and I will not have to surrender any more of my dignity for her to check any lower than my shoulders. What do you think?"

What did I think… what did I think?

The gentleman in Erik flat out objected to this notion in every way, shape, and form. He could never so immodestly manipulate a woman… much less for show! It was wrong on so many levels… he did not deserve to touch her creamy, unadulterated skin with his withered, beastly mouth!

But chivalrous Erik's cries of protest were going unheard beneath the deafening pounding of my heart. Oh, how much I wanted to say yes… to catch even the briefest, sweetest taste of love… to taste her, hold her, kiss her…

Then she reached up and delicately tugged off my mask, her face crumbling in concern at my silence. 'Concern for me!' I thought, deliriously thrilled.

"Erik? You're very quiet…" she stated nervously, turning away only to place my mask on the hook.

'Oh, my poor girl… I am quiet because thoughts of my midnight reverie have returned with the presentation of your suggestion! Thoughts of you, Serena, cradled beneath me… and I know if I speak now they'll all come spewing out, scaring you away for good!'

"Erik, please," she whispered, her voice quavering as all the bravery in her tone left her in a single, defenseless instant, "I know this isn't the most ideal solution for either of us, but I… I'm so frightened."

And that vulnerability… those big, icy-blue eyes filled with the apprehension of a fearful maiden in need of her protector… it was the final straw that broke the camel's back—or, in this case, the Living Corpse's self-restraint.

I swept her into my arms, pulling her tiny body to mine as I craned my long, bony neck down and—lightly and timidly as a moth's microscopic feet as it lands on a leaf—pressed my lips to the corner of her jaw.

But no sooner had I made contact was I on fire once more.

The scent of the oils still lingered closely on her skin from the previous night, causing my head to spin and my grip on her to tighten. The cautious kiss I had initially planted almost immediately intensified; I had never felt such warmth and softness as I did kissing her pale skin. Perhaps it was my own cold, dead membrane making me forget what true human skin felt like, or perhaps it was the fact that she was a forbidden pleasure of sorts. But her neckline swiftly became my Garden of Eden as I moved my lips downward, trying to savor each moment I had in discovering its supple bounty.

Suddenly, my mouth passed her jugular vein, and I felt the flutter of her pulse… it was beating as quickly as mine was; we were almost entirely in sync. And just as this revelation was making itself known to me, she slowly reached up to wrap her arms around my neck, tilting her head back so as to give me easier access to her.

With that, the beast was released.

I ascended down to kiss every inch of skin I could reach, taking special care to gently adore the bruises I had left yesterday. And once I had moved on from that, I grew bolder, opening my mouth and tasting her for the first time.

Oh, what sweet torture… what fresh, blissful hell! The feeling of her skin upon my lips… my tongue… was better than any book could have described, better than even my erotic dream, and the electrifying sensations running through me were both the most pleasurable and terrifying things I had ever experienced. Yet I'd be damned if I ever willed them to stop. Yes… as soon as I had sampled them I wanted more, more of her… all of her! My starving curiosity replayed countless scenes from my nighttime vision, taunting me with the desire to know if the rest would be just as divine…

And then, I couldn't help myself; I began to nip at her jaw, her collarbone— following the curves of her neck with the grazing of my teeth. She just tasted so sweet… the gasps she emitted as I did were just too intoxicatingly delightful… and Christ Almighty, did I want to experience more

But several minutes later, as I pulled away for but a moment to catch my breath, I opened my eyes and saw the rainbow of reds, purples, and blues I had created as I… explored…

And I jumped several feet away from her in absolute horror. "Oh G-God…" I moaned, unable to take my eyes away from the damage I had just done her. "Oh Serena, forgive me! I am such an uncouth fiend!" Damn you, Erik… in everything you do, you lose your head and get carried away! Damn you!

Serena was left swaying in imbalance from the abruptness with which I had separated myself from her, her eyelids fluttering hazily as she refocused her attentions. "Wh… o-oh! Erik, please don't fret! I'm right as rain… this is purely a part of our plan, remember?" she gestured up to the swelled love-bites, smiling with her standard, assuring grace.

The plan… oh yes. My cognizance returned to me in an abrupt, devastating rush, reminding me that I had been so passionately caressing her only because she was scared for her life, not because she had really, truly wanted me to. Oh, The Lord above just loved to taunt me, didn't He! This was His cruelest trick to date, allowing me such a celestial endowment for but a passing moment in time before tearing it from my grasp once more. Permitting me the pleasures every other man took for granted as part of his daily life, before reality came crashing down upon me, reminding me snidely that I was undeserving— more monster than man. But I could not punish Serena for His cruelty… for my own inadequacy. She had been such a good girl, not even wincing as my cold, dry, shabby excuse for a mouth had kissed her perfect skin… even now, she smiled at me! Oh, she was too kind, too generous for poor, wretched Erik…

"I didn't… didn't hurt you?" I mumbled pathetically, refusing to step any closer to her. For I feared that, if I did, the selfish brute within me would simply pick up where he had left off…

"No, not at all," she answered, stepping towards me and taking my arm. Damn it; why did she have to be so beautiful? To be so beautiful and so temptingly close… yet so utterly untouchable. "Though I imagine by your horrified reaction that you've fulfilled your end of the bargain," she continued, chuckling softly.

'That's for damn sure,' I thought, my stomach churning in self-loathing as I stared at the blood vessels I had burst, the bruises I had enhanced, the welts I had created… and all so carelessly as a rebel who defaces an ancient, holy sanctuary in a moment of animalistic mindlessness. "Yes," I croaked, looking away, "I'd say that should do it."

"Good. I trust your judgment. Well, let's get moving then, shall we? Time is of the essence, now," she remarked, seeming to read my thoughts—or, the few sensible ones I had left—and handing me my mask as she pulled me towards the door.

"Let's," I agreed with a deep breath before following her. God, I had to rid myself of this paralyzing shock so that I might be able to face the Khanum head on, unruffled, and at my best. If I was to convince the sadistic woman of my satisfaction, if I was to save Serena's neck, I had to pretend like those last few minutes spent encountering it had not been the single most astounding ones of my entire life. Had to stop trembling like I had seen the face of God, even if I felt I had, and would now never be the same—

'Enough! Stop acting like a blushing schoolboy and get ahold of yourself.' Take after Serena, who walks completely unaffected beside you. Oh, but of course she was unaffected… she probably had a suitor back home she had been whisked away from, for God's sake! She, the endearing little beauty, had probably pretended I was he, to keep herself from gagging or shuddering away in revulsion as I kissed her so ardently. Oh, damn him, whoever he may be—he and his perfectly formed face and body, he and the place he held in her loving favor!

No, damn you, Erik! Stay focused on the matter at hand! Acquire her strength; pretend that her wrapping her arms around you had meant absolutely nothing, even if it kills you to suppress such…

We walked in swift silence to the throne room, though I was so lost in internal deliberation that I hardly realized it when we arrived. It was only when the doors instantaneously swung open before us as we approached that I came plummeting back to the real world and the fact that the Khanum was obviously waiting for us. I couldn't help but snort quietly to myself; I was agog she had not grown impatient at the length of time it was taking us to arrive and stormed directly into my bedroom, crying folly—

"Ah, there's my prized magician!" she cooed with disgustingly sweet mendacity from her perch atop her place of honor. The sight of her authoritative personage—her stout, neckless, jewel-encrusted personage—chased away any wavering feelings that remained within me as a result of my intimate display; I was the cold, punitive Angel of Doom once more.

"Madame Khanum," I replied callously in Persian.

Her beady eyes flickered to Serena, whose face was now etched deeply with apprehension. "And you brought your little gift, too..." she continued with a sneer.

I grimaced to let her know my irritation at having been dragged here. "Yes; upon your request, if I remember correctly. Now, can you please tell me what it is you want from us so that we may continue on with our morning?"

"'We'? You refer to her and yourself as a single unit already?" she smirked, though I could see the vexation in her eyes. I had no doubts whatsoever that she had been hoping for another virgin's execution to witness, the viper!

"Certainly. She… she was a very pleasing gift. And she is all mine, yes?" I affirmed intensely, trying to convey my internal forewarning between our locked gazes: "Neither you nor your men—your son most notably—will lay a single finger upon her."

"If she truly was pleasing to you. I'll admit I did not think that you would take to such a meek little thing," the Khanum responded doubtfully.

"Well, if I may be so bold, my lady, you were quite wrong," I retorted coolly, "and you may see for yourself if you do not believe me. For I certainly… left my mark."

Her gaze flicked back to Serena, glancing up and down her petite frame. "Send her over to me," she commanded suddenly, gesturing to us with a flick of her plump wrist. I took a deep breath so as to keep myself calm, then turned to Serena, speaking softly to her in our native French.

"She wants to see you up close. But I'll be right there beside you, alright?" I explained, though I put a hand on her back and began guiding her in the direction of the throne so that the Khanum did not realize that I was so carefully instructing her on what to do—

"Don't coddle her like an infant, Erik," the Khanum snorted, rolling her eyes and grinning wolfishly, "Let her stumble to me all by herself."

I tensed, nearly turning about face to retaliate with harsh resistance to her heartless request, but I caught myself at the last second, exhaling and nodding slowly. "As you wish," I succeeded in spitting out. I then stepped away from Serena, guilt panging in my gut as confusion and terror washed over her features. "Just take a few steps forward, my dear," I muttered, throwing my voice tactfully so that the instruction echoed right in her ear. This only seemed to disorient her further, but to my relief, she did as I bid her and began to wander forward as I silently willed she not trip when she reached the raised area on which the Khanum sat. But she managed on her own just fine, dragging her feet across the floor in her usual, graceful way so as to ensure she did not lose her footing.

She knelt down when she reached the Khanum's feet, visible shaking but lowering her head respectfully. I could not help but stiffen further as the Khanum reached down and jerked her head back up, keeping a tight hold on her chin as she twisted her jaw back and forth slowly, inspecting her like a horse. How dare she handle poor Serena so roughly; I didn't care if she was one of the most influential sovereigns in Persia! She had no right to treat such a morally, intellectually, and, dare I say it, physically superior woman in such an abusively insulting way!

By the time she began to run her fingers over the bruises I had left a few moments prior, I was trembling as much as my companion was… but for very different reasons, I was certain. "My…" she began with a dark chuckle, her eyes remaining locked on the lovebites, "it would seem you play rough, Erik. For the marks and discolorations to be this visible the morning after?" she laughed fully and coldly, then, shaking her head as if impressed with such a horrifying notion.

Oh, how I wished to wrap my hands around her large neck and give her a taste of how "rough" I could be. But the dratted woman had too large of a protection unit in the room with her… the risk was too great when Serena's life was already so dangerously dancing in contention. So, utterly repulsed with myself, I put on a merciless, suggestive smirk, and said, "Do you see her, Madame? I could not help myself."

"Of course I see her. But I do not think her any more beautiful than any of the women of my harem… and she, by comparison, is much less learned in the ways of intimate pleasures," the Khanum scowled abruptly, dropping her hold on Serena to cross her arms.

"She is a product of my homeland. She has… certain effects on me that the others you offered me did not. Besides…" I snorted, hating myself more and more with each innuendo I made, "haven't you heard, Madame? The French are known for being exceptionally good lovers by nature."

The Khanum laughed abrasively, then looked back down at Serena. "Allah, she's turned as white as a ghost. She seems quite shaken."

"You would be too, had you been in her place last night," I replied swiftly but cheekily. Someone in the room gasped, but the Khanum simply looked up at me, grinning as she always did when I openly displayed my wit—in a way I could tell she meant to be alluring, but in actuality succeeded only in looking like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Such bold words, Erik," she hissed, "And surprising ones, too… I did not think you would waste your precious, prodigious time on a crippled child."

That time, I could not refrain from taking a menacing step forward. It was I that was unworthy of Serena's time, her inerrant kindness… I would not stand for her merit to be so ruthlessly attacked! "I will warn you, Madame Khanum, that your words are drifting treacherously close to crossing a line—"

"And I will warn you, my masked menace, that I do not like your tone," she snapped, shooting daggers at me with her gaze, "You will remember your place here in this court, as I'm certain she will remember hers now that you have taught it to her."

For a few breathless moments, the entire room was deathly silent. Neither my cruel employer nor I wanted to be the first to look away, to step down from the challenge we were presenting to one another. I could see and hear her guards readying their steel weapons out of the corner of my eyes, and quickly calculated how I could overpower each of them in the short amount of time it would take them to reach us. But I would not let them and their feeble, pathetic swords intimidate me into standing down. Oh no! For Erik was the master death; they would not get within five feet of him without their necks being snapped—

A tiny hand landed delicately on my shoulder, causing me to jolt right out of the trancelike state I'd fallen into. My head snapped over to see Serena standing by my side once more, her clouded blue eyes forlorn as she gently rubbed my upper arm. Then, wordlessly, she dropped to her knees before me and bowed in submission.

I couldn't believe my eyes. And from the expression on the Khanum's face, I knew she was just as aghast. Serena spoke not a word of Persian, yet she had entirely understood how quickly the situation had escalated. She had comprehended, thought quickly, and reacted in such a way that the tension in the room was immediately diffused—the subject of our heated debate had expressed her acquiescence in order to pacify both quarrelling parties. Mon dieu, how could this girl have only come from a small village in France? She had the political astuteness of Napoleon, for Christ's sake—

"Well then… I'd say we're done here, as long as you keep that in mind. Dismissed. And, after rising so early to come here…" the Khanum said slowly, addressing me despite her eyes being locked on Serena's crouched form with sick fascination. But then they suddenly darted back up to meet mine, and another smirk crept to life on her face. "you will have plenty of time for one last round of that… 'irresistible roughness' you spoke so fondly of, before you leave to work on my son's palace," she finished insouciantly.

I locked my jaw so that I did not fall into her trap of provocation. "Yes, of course," I answered curtly, "Plenty. Good day."

Nadir had appeared on my opposite side, and quickly hurried over to help Serena rise before beckoning us both toward the door. I could feel the panic radiating off his skin, and probably would have chuckled at his faint-heartedness had I not been so irritated.

The massive doors swung shut with a rush of air on the back of our necks, and as soon as they had I saw Serena's shoulders sag in mollification. My, she had been even more frightened than she had dared let on, hadn't she? 'Such strength,' I could not help but think in admiration, 'this entire incidence of her being hauled here has acted as nothing but an unending test to her courage, and yet she has endured.'

We ventured quickly back to my wing of the palace, not speaking a single word among the three of us in the weight of what could have been, had I not been able to wane my wrath. Nadir kept turning to me as if he had something to say, but I would simply pretend I had not noticed his disapproving expression and he would glance forward again. Serena was ashen, her dead eyes looking truly dead for the first time since I had met her, not even lazing not as they stared—frozen and stoic—ahead.

We entered back into the foyer of my wing, and I immediately began gravitating toward the piano. I needed my rock, my solace, my music… for I knew that once I was lost in the familiar embrace of the melodies of my mind, I would think not of the Khanum, or of my duties, or of those blissful moments when I had been lost in the arms of a real woman—

"Oh G-God!" a sudden sob penetrated the silence of the wing, and seconds later I found those arms once again around me as Serena collapsed into my embrace, burying her slender face in my chest. It took me several seconds after that initial shock to realize that she was once again touching me on her own accord… willing me to hold her in her frailty, even! I knew what little of my face that could be seen from behind the mask probably looked like one faced with the threatening crouch of a lion, instead of a woman, but it wasn't as if that mattered to her! I saw Nadir's brow arch in shock… but I didn't care. Right then, my only concern was the quaking girl pressed against me. All other deliberations, even my own awe, flew instantly from my mind.

"Hush, Serena, it's alright…" I muttered soothingly, in a voice I often used as a child to coax my raging mother into a pretense of security, "you're safe now. Your plan worked, my dear; please don't cry…"

"I… I thought something had gone wrong!" she choked, her fingers clenching around the fabric of my suit jacket wildly, "I thought we had failed… o-oh, all that shouting and sword-drawing and malice in the air!"

I bit my lip at her words, knowing I had been the sole cause of her terror… of her tears, goddammit. Each one that soaked into my shirt after that realization felt like being stuck with searing pins, piercing me with shame and remorse. Had I only been less stubborn… more mindful of how alarmed and perplexed she must have been! I had completely disregarded the fact that she did not understand a word of what was going on, and therefore knew not what to do past the vague instructions I had given her before entering the throne room. I had practically disregarded her entirely as I had bickered with the Khanum, and now had made her weep because of my thoughtless actions. I was absolutely chagrined, yet I still found the audacity to wraps my arms around her in a feeble attempt to comfort her.

"I know. I am so very sorry we frightened you so," I sighed, "but that's done with, now. The Khanum seemed to believe us, and should not require more verification for a while." That was more a wishful statement than a truth, but I didn't want to worry Serena even more than I already had when I would make certain in the futurethat I be sole adversary to the sultana's accusations. If anyone had to deal with the despicable monarch, it would be me and me alone, not this sweet, susceptible flower of a girl. She would never again have to turn to me for comfort because she was so intensely petrified.

She shuddered at the Khanum's mention, burrowing further still into my eager embrace. "Oh, that woman! How could one singular being be so staggeringly cruel… the very air she breathed had the most unsettling aura!"

"I would have to agree," I murmured, reaching up with the timidity of a sparrow to stroke her long, auburn hair. The soft curls felt like silk against my withered fingertips, and I had to suppress a shudder of my own as I slowly ran my hand through them. If she had been send as an earthly punishment for my countless sins, if this marvelous closeness was meant to be hell… then the rewards waiting for those in heaven must be the unimaginably quintessential face of divinity after all.

"I've… I've never been so scared in my life, as I was during that encounter," she whispered quaveringly as I became increasingly aware of the sensation of her lips moving so close to my chest, "I thought I would be meeting my maker within the hour."

"While I am not at all flabbergasted that you had so little faith in me," I chuckled weakly, "I am quite surprised at your disbelief in yourself. Did you not trust the plan you so carefully formulated to carry you through to a secure end?"

She colored, pulling away. "Oh no, Erik, it was not you that I mistrusted! It was indeed myself; I thought that a bit of physical evidence would satisfy her, but I knew for a fact that it had no chance of passing as authentic if I did not act the part of obedient consort well enough!" she told me, taking my hand gingerly. I did not believe a word of her speech—scoffed at it on the inside, even—but I could not bring myself to look her in the face and argue it. I forced a smile.

"Well, you acted it perfectly, my dear. You succeeded. You took a rather rash, dubious proposal and carried it out without a hitch, fooling one of the most dominant female monarchs in the world. Well done."

"Yes, quite! But your victory will not last for long unless Erik gets off to the building grounds and eliminates suspicion soon," Nadir cut in abruptly, putting a single hand on Serena's shoulder and turning her to him, "which means you, Mademoiselle, must get yourself settled here."

I scowled profusely at him as he guided her gently away from me, feeling the burning imprint of where her body had been while pressed against me like a white-hot brand. Part of me was dying to reach out and snatch her back from him, pulling her back to me, but I refrained for her sake. He caught my eye as he steered her into the adjacent room, narrowing his and dictating in terse Persian, "We need to talk. Privately."

Ah, no doubt he was as concerned as I about what was to become of Serena in the times I was away. I would have to tell him that I was planning to stay back today at least, and see if he had any useful advice to offer on how to keep her safe in the future. "As you wish, Daroga," I answered with a shrug.

He led her out and got her settled elsewhere, then returned to my side and immediately pointed out toward the hall from which we'd come. "Perhaps we should take this outside, where she will not hear us," he continued, looking me sternly in the eyes.

I was a bit taken aback by his formidable expression, and instantly became more than a bit on guard. "She is in the other room. She will not."

"I am not so sure. Come on."

I crossed my arms and glared at him, refusing to take a single step. "What is this about, Nadir?" I snapped, very swiftly losing my patience, "You think you can follow me into my own home, and then address me in this manner—"

"How dare you debase such a sweet, innocent woman for the sake of a sham!" he exploded suddenly, "Allah, Erik… she trusted you! I thought you better than this!"

I felt my body stiffen, becoming solid as marble. How dare Nadir make such an accusation… immediately assuming me capable of such barbarity simply because of past actions I had long ago learned from… because I looked like such a monster, no doubt! And he called himself my friend… he, who was so quick to condemn me as a testosterone-driven animal with no self-control when it came to matters concerning a potential mate!

"Excuse me?" I growled, taking a step in his direction and lengthening my spine to its entire uprightness so that I towered at my full height above him, "And be careful of your next few words of explanation, Daroga… they could potentially be your last."

Nadir winced but did not back down, locking eyes with me boldly. "How do you explain her neck, Erik?" he asked curtly, "Had it been paint or an illusion of any sort, the Khanum would have noticed."

"I need not explain it!" I roared in outrage, "it was a plan orchestrated by the girl herself… I was merely following her instructions! And it worked, Nadir; no one is dead and she is safe!"

"But is she? Is she truly?" he barked suddenly, raising a critical eyebrow at me.

I nearly reached up and strangled him right then and there. In retrospect, I am immensely surprised that I didn't—such was the magnitude of my rage. "Nadir, I suggest you leave my wing swiftly so as to get a decent head start in escaping what I am currently planning on doing to you—"

"Allah above, Erik… what do you expect me to think, with the way you were talking in there? With the way she looked after I left the two of you alone for an extended period of time!" he huffed, exasperated.

"Was not last night an 'extended period of time'?" I snarled irately, "And yet I did not so much as touch her were it not necessary to her finding her way around! How little trust you have in me, Daroga… and how little patience I have left with you!"

"But how quickly I'm certain you jumped at the chance to nip at her skin, to take advantage of her distressed predicament— don't think that I do not see how attracted you are to her, Erik!"

My hands now felt as if they were stewing in boiling oil, in their unquenchable desire to obliterate. But somehow, knowing deep down how true his words rung, I managed to turn away from him and find myself a different target for my destruction. I slammed my fists down upon a nearby bookshelf, sending several novels flying across the room and toppling the entire thing over with a monumental clatter. "Of course I'm attracted to her, you intolerable idiot!" I was shouting now, my voice rattling all shelves and furniture that remained standing, "What living, breathing man wouldn't be? But how dare you assume me so wicked that I would ever envision myself as being worthy of her; unlike you, as you audaciously confront me, I know my place in this cruel world! She is queen of the ethereal here on earth, and I the prince of darkness! I would not touch her against her consent if I were being held at knifepoint!"

Nadir was silent, staring at me with his hands poised slightly in front of himself in reaction to the fallen shelves. Oh, so now he feared me, eh? Perhaps he should have been the wiser a few seconds ago, when, without plausible witness—a questionable mistake, for the chief of police!— he denounced me as the most nefarious of villains, having committed one of the most heinous of crimes! It wasn't true, it wasn't!

…yet I knew it was. I had said so myself upon looking at what I had done to her. Once again, Nadir was simply acting as my conscious aloud and I was violently unwilling to listen to the truth so frankly spat out at me. I continued to glare, until the door to the parlor swung open and a panicked Serena appeared in the archway.

"Wh-what happened? I heard the most deafening crash!" she squeaked, both her head and her hands flitting about in her scrambling attempt to grasp the situation.

I had to hand it to Nadir; in his years as a respected official in such a corrupt governmental system, he had certainly learned how to regain his composure and hide his true opinions quickly. And here was no exception: he went over to her with a smile plastered on his face and took her searching hands, saying, "Our apologies for startling you, Serena! I was merely telling Erik what was to be expected of him from now on, when it came to you."

He was also, I couldn't help but note, quite good at fabricating vague stories that weren't completely false, but nowhere near the entire truth. It wasn't exactly a prodigious talent, as mine were, but I had to say I was quite grateful in this particular moment in time.

"Then what was that bang?" she questioned him, and seemed to look right at me though I knew she couldn't visualize my exact location. I suddenly wanted to slink out of the room like a shamed dog with its tail between its legs… like my dear Sasha when she had been scolded…

"Oh! Erik simply dropped a few books. I think I surprised him with some of the requirements of Persian courtship," Nadir replied smoothly, looking back at me and chuckling, "Right, Erik?"

I cleared my throat, trying to take the line he'd thrown me despite my having nearly torn his throat out not a minute ago. "Yes, indeed," I began, trying to coat my tone with impishness, "for, hear this, Serena… Nadir tells me that I, as your intended, am supposed to buy you gifts, and present them to you publicly when possible. The idea is so absurd that I dropped all I was holding… if I am to give my beloved fake-wife gifts, they will be ones I dexterously made, not insultingly bought!" I told her, and the thought was true despite Nadir's never having said it aloud. Favored concubines were often adorned with precious jewels and showered with valuable gifts in exchange for their services… but Serena was not just another beautiful woman. She was a breathtaking woman with a superior intelligence and a matchlessly large heart, and anything I gave her I would gladly slave over myself to perfect to be touched by her graceful, faultless hand. To see her smile as I placed into her eager hands something I had created especially for her… oh, what a divine thought! My false smile turned genuine as soon as I had imagined it.

And it was not difficult to envision now as she blushed an endearing scarlet. "Oh, you needn't make me anything!" she exclaimed self-consciously, "I can't have you troubling yourself over me when I know what a busy man you are—"

"Nonsense. It is custom, and if it is custom, I might as well make the things myself," I assured her with a smirk, "that is, after all, the only way I can know for certain that the finished products can be called suitable for my radiant fiancé."

Oh, how I loved making her blush! Bashful red was such a lovely color on her; it lit up each feature of her face in the most complimentary way. And the fact that phrases I had uttered had caused such a discernable physical corollary made it all the more delightful. If only I could take a moment to draw her, in such an appealing state…

"Alright, I won't even attempt to argue such flattery. But only if it pleases you, and only if it will not burden your precious time!" she retorted, her lips drawing up into a tiny pout at having lost the argument and causing my mouth to go dry. As if she could do anything but please me… she truly was perfection itself. She needn't try to prove it with such a delectable little scowl!

Nadir shook his head in amusement. "You are truly the most stubborn man I have ever met, Erik," he chuckled, though when he looked up at me, there were more tacit caveats hidden in his gaze.

"Apart from yourself, Daroga," I responded with a similar look.

And, to my relief, our wordless conversation seemed to have convinced him. "And on that note, I believe it is time that I take my leave," he said as he turned to go, bowing to Serena, "Have a wonderful rest of your day, my dear. And Erik…" he looked me in the eye, taking on the temperament of a nagging mother, "Palace. Soon."

"Actually, I will not be going today," I started casually, picking up a few of the books I had thrown in my ire and setting them on an upright table.

The benevolent Persian's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "What?" he stammered.

"I will not just leave Serena here on her own," I said with sudden resoluteness, "you of all people should know how unwise that would be."

"More unwise than disobeying the Shah?" Nadir bellowed, flummoxed.

"Yes… please, Erik!" Serena spoke up pleadingly, "I don't want you to get into any trouble when you have just so narrowly escaped it. I'll be fine on my own, I am quite self-sufficient!"

"It is not you I am worried about, Serena," I told her gruffly, "therefore, your staying here in solitude is out of the question. It should only be a few days before I find better arrangements, but, in the meantime, my men will have to make do without me."

"Erik, you are head architect!" Nadir cried out, waving his arms rather ridiculously to emphasize his words.

I rolled my eyes, but spoke again instantly as I saw Serena open her mouth to protest. "Yes, and always have been the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night. I have worked far too many hours over-time to not have earned a few days' respite in return."

Nadir sighed, rubbing his temple. He'd never gotten migraines before I came along, he always told me! I smirked at the memory, and at his nervous, sweating face. "Fine. I suppose that is an arguable point. Shall I send out a messenger for you?" he asked.

"Just to the worksite, if you'd be so kind. Tell them that their master has been presented with the most esteemed gift the Shah can give a man, and that I am taking a few days off to… enjoy it," I replied, knowing that the workers would know exactly the meaning of my words and feeling supremely disgusted with myself for having articulated them.

Nadir just stared at me. "No word to the Shah?"

"Of course not. My absence is hardly his concern, considering he gave me full reign on all happenings of the worksite," I snorted impatiently, "and if he should attempt to retract that claim on the grounds of my taking a few personal days, so be it. He should have considered that possibility before he decided to interfere in my private life and procure me a wife."

Nadir was pale as a sheet as he listened to my impious tirade, but when I'd finished, he simply turned away and walked swiftly toward the exit. "You are playing a very dangerous game here, Erik," he shouted nervously over his shoulder.

"And you underestimate me far too often, Daroga," I called in reply.

I shut the door behind him, then looked back to see Serena standing with her arms crossed. "How much of a risk are you taking, staying home with me?" she interrogated.

"For anyone else, a gamble that could decide life from death. But for me, hardly any at all," I answered austerely.

"Nadir did not seem so convinced," she persisted doubtfully.

"That's because Nadir, while a very intelligent man, is a hopeless worrywart when it comes to affairs of his employer," I sniffed, "The Shah truly has no jurisdiction over how I run things at my construction site."

"Apart from your meeting his deadlines and not falling behind!" Serena alleged, raising an elegant eyebrow, "And that will most certainly be difficult to fulfill when you are wasting time keeping me company."

"Any time spent in your company is far from wasted time." It flowed out of me so simply, so naturally. And yet as soon as it hung in the air I could feel myself coloring in embarrassment. Mon dieu, she was probably appalled at such bold words…

But oh, no! For she smiled at me then… I would even go so far as to call it a beam! It was the most fully and radiantly she had smiled since her arrival here, and it left me unreservedly breathless as I made mental notes of each impeccable detail.

"That is very kind of you," she said softly, wandering to my side and winding her fingers around my arm, "I hope you truly mean it, when considering all your other responsibilities…"

"One thing you will learn about me, my dear," I began, reaching up to pat her hands with one of mine, "is that when I have a very strong opinion about something, I am not about to hide it for the sake of anything or anyone else. And I can tell you in all honesty that I much prefer your company to that of the skittish workforce of the Shah's palace."

She laughed—that glorious, ringing little laugh!—and stated, "Will learn? Erik, I'd say that was the first thing I learned here!"

I chuckled along with her, unable to stop smiling as I looked down at this lovely, cheerful angel as she spoke to me as if I were like any other man. So this is what the simple joys of life are like…

A/N: Whoo! Another long one! And jam-packed full of tension and resolution… any thoughts? What did you think of the Khanum? Of Serena and her naivety (or perhaps lack thereof…) towards how much she was teasing Erik with her "plan"? And what about Nadir and Erik's bickering, and yet their undeniable bromance?

I'd also like to welcome the new readers my "Following" feed tells me I've acquired… don't be shy, my new friends! Drop a review and say hello; I'd love so much to hear from you!

For my Guests who I cannot reply to with PM's: ahhhh hello! Thank you so much for your kind words! And to Guest09, who has problems with people calling you short, I completely understand; that can get so frustrating! But work it, girl… being petite is a blessing and I'm sure you rock it! Serena herself is petite, especially in comparison to Erik!

Hope you enjoyed this latest installment… if you did (or if you didn't… I'd love to hear from you either way so perhaps I can improve!), please let me know!

Song of the week: "Slow it Down" by the Lumineers. Listen to the lyrics, people… and compare it with Erik's thoughts in this chapter. My music-shuffle strikes again with its inspiration!

Question of the week: What do you hope to see next when it comes to Erik and Serena? I'm curious. ;)

~DonJuana