Author's Note: Soooo sorry this took so long to get to you all! My life has been hectic but I know that is not an excuse! But here it is, and I hope you all like it enough to review! I will try and update Winter Heat soon, too, I almost have the next chapter of that finished! I will try and not wait so long between updates of this story, thanks for all of your patience! And a special thanks to my beta for all of her hard work! DJT
Chapter Thirteen: The Dreams that Haunt Us
"Who will not like it? Your mother?" Christine asked gently. Adrian looked like he was ready to begin shaking in nervousness. He nodded slowly. Christine could only imagine how much pain this boy had been in thanks to his so called "mother". What kind of woman was she? Christine took Adrian's hand in hers and smiled reassuringly.
"She will not touch you, Adrian, I promise...the Prince has informed the manor that you are under his protection. No one will argue with that."
Adrian's eyes found hers in stunned surprise. He was under the Prince's protection? But why? What did he do to deserve such an honor? The little boy's eyes landed on the woman before him. She was the reason everything was changing. She brought beauty and love wherever she went, and it was no different for Adrian. She had saved his life, and he knew that very well. He also knew he would never be able to repay her. Slowly he nodded in acceptance to what she was offering. Christine beamed in delight.
"Oh, I am glad! Would you like me to show you your new chambers?"
He nodded again, in a state of shock. He had his own chambers? Christine took his hand and led him from the room. Christine was pleased to see the surprised expression on the little boy's face. She wanted him to have things that she was sure he had never had before. He deserved it. She led him to his new bed and helped him settle into it. He looked up at her with round eyes from the wealth of pillows around him. She smiled and bent down, giving him a light kiss on his cheek.
"If you need me you know where my chambers are. Goodnight, Adrian," she murmured. When Christine walked away she did not see Adrian put a hand to the place she had kissed him, and she did not see the tears he began to shed.
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Erik heard the scream echo in the quiet night. He was sitting in the great hall, staring into the flames of the fire he had had built. He had been thinking about so many things he really had not noticed the time or the fact that it was so quiet. He turned towards the stairs as he heard hurried footsteps. Christine emerged, clad only in her chemise, as she ran down the stairs. On the last step one of her feet gave out and she fell. Erik stood up and quickly walked toward her. She was lying on the floor, her head buried in her hands as she cried. Erik was immediately concerned as he crouched down next to her. He laid his hand gently on her shoulder and she looked up at him with haunted eyes full of tears. Erik was sure that there was no enemy about so it must be something else.
"Oh, Erik."
Erik said nothing when Christine moved toward his embrace, needing desperately to be held. Nothing mattered in that moment. Their still-distant relationship did not matter; Christine needed to be held and she wanted Erik to hold her. She began to sob once more when he put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. The Dark Prince was showing her some compassion, and Christine knew she would not forget it in a very long time. Erik was smart enough to realize that she did not need him to say anything. She only wanted comfort.
Picking her up and cradling her in his arms he brought her over to the fireplace, setting a quilt down on the floor and setting her down on it. He expected her to curl up into a ball but she pulled him down next to her and buried herself into his lap, her face pressed against his hard chest. Erik knew it was none of his business but he was curious to know what had caused the usually strong Christine to cry like this. She turned her head so her cheek was now pressed against his chest and her eyes reflected the glow of the fire.
"I saw his face...his tears...so many tears..."
"Who?"
"My father..."
Erik stiffened somewhat. Of course she would have a nightmare about her father. He was just surprised that it had not happened sooner. But was he the best person to come to for comfort when she was the very one who had blamed him for her father's death? Her voice sounded haunted and scared, just like a little girl who could not go on without the embrace of her father.
"He was there, so close I could almost touch him...he told me that it was time to say goodbye...I pleaded with him not to leave me again, but he did..." Christine's eyes turned up to meet his, "Why did he have to die, Erik?"
"Your father was a brave and loyal man, Christine. I had a great deal of respect for him. He died doing his duty..."
This did not seem to give her any more comfort and she began to cry once more. Christine did not like to cry so much in front of Erik, but that nightmare had been awful. Seeing her father turn his back on her, insisting that it was time to say goodbye, was too much. She needed to put it from her mind or she knew she would break down completely. She looked up at Erik, who looked at a loss as to how he was supposed to help her. Christine knew what was going to happen when she spoke next and she knew the consequences. She did not care.
"Make me forget, Erik, please...I have to forget..."
Erik stared down at her for several long moments, unmoving. Did she know what she was asking him? It seemed like she did, but he was afraid of her pushing him away again. Christine's small hand clutched his shirt and his eyes met hers again.
"Please..."
Erik had always had strong will power, but this woman seemed to be irresistible to him. If truth be told, he wanted her. He knew he shouldn't; he had been in the trap of a beautiful young woman before and it had been a horrifying experience; however, he could not help it.
"God help me, Christine, I want to say no...but I cannot...I will not."
Christine gasped as his mouth came crashing down on hers, giving her exactly what she had been asking for. Both of her hands were now clutching at his shirt and she did not know if she wanted him closer or if she wanted to push him away. Deep down however she knew she wanted this. She needed the feel of his incredibly strong body against hers, protecting her when she desperately needed protecting. She was a strong woman, but just for a moment Christine wanted to succumb to someone stronger than her; just for a moment she wanted to forget the death of her father and all of her new responsibilities being mother to two young children in her short life.
Erik's hands came up and tangled in her hair, pulling her mouth even more closely against his. Unlike the last time, she now knew what he expected when he opened his mouth. He wanted her tongue in his mouth and his in hers. When she thought about it, it seemed kind of strange, but it felt stranger. Not the bad sort of strange, the good kind. She felt little tingles running up and down her entire body and they were not completely unwelcome.
It seemed that Erik's commanding presence did not diminish even when he was doing something as simple as kissing. She learned quickly that his kiss was anything but simple. Erik conquered her mouth with his commanding tongue and demanded that she surrender everything. Christine had to yank her head away to breathe and found herself being lowered to her back on the quilt.
Christine could not keep in the moan as Erik kissed her again, thrusting his tongue once more into her mouth and encouraging her to do the same. He shifted over her until his hard body was pressing her into the floor beneath her. Christine found herself kissing him with a little more passion, her tongue sliding against his own. Her hands glided up the hard muscles of his chest, covered only by his linen shirt and tunic. Her fingers slid across the soft fabric, feeling the heat of Erik's skin as she caressed his neck.
Erik groaned against her mouth at the feeling of her hands, and his own ran up and down her sides. His mind, focused solely on the woman beneath him, was all too aware of the fact that she wore only a thin chemise. He knew he had to be dreaming. Beautiful, compassionate Christine was kissing him with a passion he was sure she did not know she even possessed. God knew he did not deserve this. Nothing in his life had warranted his having such a beautiful wife who was a far better person than he could ever hope to be.
But in a sense he was also selfish. He did not want to stop. It was not because she was beautiful and he wanted to take her; it was the fact that he had craved this kind of touch for most of his life. Nicolette's mother never would have done what Christine was doing at that moment. No woman had ever touched him with any sort of desire. The rumors about his prowess in bed were just that, rumors. He had better things to do than sleep with every courtier he could get his hands on. He was a father, and his daughter Nicolette would always come first; that was never going to change. He would not fail her like her mother had.
And with all that Christine had already done for Nicolette he could not make her suffer the horror of his touch. She seemed to enjoy it now, but that was only because she had had a nightmare and needed comfort. He pulled his mouth from hers and Christine's eyes opened, slowly meeting his gaze with a breathless glance. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and her breasts rose and fell with her quickened breathing.
"Erik?" she whispered. Why had he stopped? It had felt so incredibly wonderful. When he had first kissed her and she had been the one to pull away she had thought that he had wished to continue kissing her. Did he not now?
Christine's hand slipped to the back of his neck and she leaned up, pressing a small, chaste kiss to his lips. Erik said nothing and stood. She stared at him from her place on the floor, looking for all the world like he was abandoning her.
"You need to sleep," he murmured. Christine nodded and made to stand up. Erik took her hand and helped her up. He did not let go, however; instead he began to lead her from the room. Christine said nothing, feeling both confused and disappointed. Had she done something wrong that he did not wish to kiss her? Was this some sort of revenge for when she had pulled away from him? She did not want to think so but she could not help but think of it.
Christine found herself suddenly frightened the closer they got to her chambers. She did not want to go to sleep because she did not want to see her father turn his back on her again. She did not know if she could stand that. She turned to Erik.
"I cannot go in there," she whispered. He looked down at her, wanting her to elaborate.
"I cannot see his face again," she whispered. Christine did not like how weak she was, but in the face of her father's death she became a little girl who did not want to hear her father tell her goodbye. "May I sleep in your chambers?"
It seemed this night was full of surprises. She was asking to sleep in his bed. He stared at her for a moment, and he could see how much this dream had affected her. He nodded slowly.
"If you wish."
She smiled at him and that simple gesture made his answer worth it. When they entered his chambers Christine noticed that Nicolette had not made her way to her father's bed this night. Christine laid down and watched with slight disappointment as Erik made his way to the door. Deciding that it was for the best, Christine said nothing. She had wanted to try and make their relationship as husband and wife a little less distant, but it appeared that Erik did not want that. He wanted a wife so that Nicolette would have a mother. She had to remember that; it was the only reason she was there.
Christine closed her eyes and a single tear fell onto her cheek.
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"Father! Father!"
Christine moaned softly and stirred, her eyes fluttering open.
A slight pounding was coming from the door and Christine glanced at the window. It was still dark outside and she knew there were probably a few hours before dawn. What was Nicolette doing awake? Christine knew she was the only person in the room. Nicolette's voice sounded strained and frightened and Christine hurriedly went to the door and opened it. Nicolette's surprise about seeing Christine in her fathers room was evident for only a moment before she began to cry again.
Christine got down on her knees in front of the young girl.
"Nicolette, what is wrong?" she murmured tenderly. The little girl was clutching onto her night chemise and several of her curls were plastered to her face as she cried.
"Father!" she sobbed again. Christine had no idea where Erik would be this late at night.
"He is not here, little one," she whispered. Nicolette's sobs began to choke her. Christine did the only thing that she knew how. She pulled Nicolette into her arms and held her close, praying that she would not pull away and knowing how much it would hurt if she did. Nicolette, however, did not pull away; she seemed relieved that someone was holding her and her little body began to shake.
"Shh, little one, shh, it is alright."
Christine knew Nicolette suffered from the same thing that Christine had that very night: nightmares. Christine picked the little girl up into her arms and shut the door, carrying her to Erik's bed. She tried to lay her down but she clutched onto Christine as if she was going to die if she let go. Christine smiled and crawled into bed with Erik's only child. Nicolette burrowed closer to her and Christine pulled the blankets up around them. When they were both comfortable, Christine gently began to run her hand through the little girl's thick hair and began to sing her a soft lullaby.
About thirty minutes later Nicolette's body relaxed and she had fallen into a deep sleep. Christine smiled down at her daughter and slowly she, too, drifted away to the land of dreams.
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Erik felt his heart racing when he opened the door to Nicolette's rooms only to find her not there. He had been walking all over the manor after leaving Christine in his bed. Just the thought of it had his body up in flames and he had needed a long walk to calm down from their passionate kiss on the cold floor.
He had wished to check on his daughter before he retired and to his absolute horror she was not there. Almost immediately thinking the worst, he began to run down the hall. The only other place he knew she could possibly be was in his rooms, but he did not know if she would stay there given the fact that Christine was in his bed. He could only imagine the surprise his little girl would have upon seeing her new mother in her father's rooms when she had never been there before.
When he opened the door he was not prepared for the sight in front of him. His wife and his daughter were both asleep in his bed. Nicolette was curled up close against Christine's chest, obviously in a deep, peaceful sleep. She had never been able to sleep that way with anyone other than himself. It appeared he had been right in allowing Christine to come into their lives. Nicolette needed this, and God only knew she deserved it.
Christine herself was sleeping soundly as well, and it appeared that she was not suffering from any nightmares this time. Perhaps she could be happy in this new lifestyle. He wanted her comfortable, and he did not want her to suffer because she had married him. But at the moment she seemed peaceful.
For the first time in a long time, Erik found a genuine smile come to his lips.
Author's note: I know I have a lot of nightmare scenes in my stories, but look what happened because of this one! I think it was worth it! DJT