A/N: i went to the trouble of finding this from where i posted it before for yall so you had better review it (pretty please) i still dont have my laptop... grrr... please review
Chapter 8: Plotting
The three men drug Camille down the hall- two going into the room with her and one standing outside the door guarding it, he quickly locked it when the others told him too.
The fire room was like hell. At least, that was Camille's first impression of it. It looked like a bordello- the numerous beds covered in gaudy red drapes that reminded her of blood. On the floor, there lay scraps of animal skin and pictures of demons hung on the red walls.
She sank to the floor weeping- the heat was almost unbearable- there were at least 10 fires going in their own grates in the relatively small room. The men quickly took their shirts off- looking hungrily at Camille wondering if she would do the same.
"Oh… what have I done to him? They will kill him! How could I betray him like that?" she buried her hands in her abundance of black hair.
Suddenly she felt a strong masculine hand on the back of her neck… squeezing her pressure points. She saw the room begin to flicker in her fading vision.
She gasped and fainted in the middle of the room…
Erik looked lovingly at Christine and bent down to wake her with a soft kiss on his lips.
He was surprised when he arm when suddenly around his neck pulling him back to her mouth. She moaned delighted and then opened her eyes.
"Well good morning my love…" Erik said happily
"Morning…" she murmured "Erik!" she sat straight up and said in a frightened voice
"Last night I had the strangest dream. I dreamt about a girl- she was beautiful- long black curls, golden skin and piercing green eyes – she was sitting in a room of red and death crying and screaming your name. Erik- I know that room. It is in Raoul's house. He calls it the fire room. He has put me in there before. It is a small room and the whole thing painted red like blood!
She took a deep breath, "dead animal skins, 10 fire places are kept burning constantly and you are surrounded by red silk sheets and nightmarish pictures on the walls. God Erik! It is like hell…"
She broke off shaking as tears rolled down her face
The color had drained from Eriks face and he shouted "oh god! CAMILLE!"
Raoul paced around his room trying to think. All Camille had done was cost him money, confirm what he had already guessed and reawaken his lust for a woman.
Raoul strode down to the west wing of his mansion and motioned for the guard to open the door. He saw Camille sprawled face down on an animal pelt – he could scarcely see her breathing.
"Mademoiselle- and how are you doing today?" he inquired in a mocking voice
She moaned and tried to move but her body was too weak to do anything. She remained with her face up against the smelly animal pelt and tried not to hear the taunts of Raoul.
Suddenly she felt four strong arms grab her and pull her upright in front of Raoul.
"I asked you a question Camille. You would do far better if you cooperate with me than if you don't." he said in a low threatening voice
She managed to groan out a response "im fine." hissed through her dry cracked lips that were caked with blood. She had been beaten the entire night.
Raoul laughed a cold spine chilling laugh. It was utterly heartless. "Your pathetic attempts to be flippant amuse me. You must go get clean- I have need for your services today…"
He called a maid in and had the three large men and the maid accompany her to take a bath.
Camille was too weak to protest the presence of the men in the bathroom as she bathed, naked, in freezing water.
Erik paced around his lair
"WHAT ELSE DO YOU REMEMBER? There has to be something else? How the hell did Raoul get his filthy hands on her?"
He was too busy shouting to see the tears pouring down Christine's face but he heard what she whispered
"You don't love me… you love her- Camille? Don't you?"
Erik turned at her words and saw the pain in her red rimmed eyes
"I don't know. Yes. No. I love her but I love you." He said confused
"WOW! Doesn't that sound familiar…" she tapped her chin in mock confusion- "oh… that's right. That's because it happened to me. Why don't you choose Erik? 'You try my patience make your choice' isn't that what you said!" she broke off her chest heaving
Erik stood there and just looked at her while she continued to rant…
"You thought I was an idiot for not knowing my own heart well enough to choose- well how do feel now. How do you feel now that you don't know your own heart after all?"
Tears were pouring down her face as she turned on her heel and shouted over her shoulder
"Why don't you just choose- it can't be too hard can it?" she began to run to the lake, she didn't know how to get across or where she would go- her only thought was to get away from erik
When she reached the lake and moved to step in she felt a cold hand on her arm restraining her- she whirled around and was met by Erik's passionate eyes
He pulled her to him by her arm and wrapped his other one around her back keeping her body pushed up against his. He bent down and claimed her lips with his. He had never kissed her with such passion before.
She broke away gasping for breath
"Why are you doing this?" she said brokenly
"Because I love you…" was the simple reply
"Camille was my comforter when you were gone. She is the only thing that kept me from going crazy. I love you Christine. I want you."
Christine's eyes grew wide "you mean that Erik?" her voice was soft
"Yes! YES!" she screamed
"I will help you damnit- just stop it!" Camille screamed at Raoul who was running a sharp knife along her naked body while she was held by two men
Raoul nodded "good. Now here is the plan. I know how to get down into Erik's lair. All you need to do is go down and distract them. I don't care how you do it but get them up to Christine's dressing room where we will be hiding."
Seeing no response from Camille, Raoul struck her hard across the side of her face. She moaned softly and tried to move away as Raoul got in her face and hissed
"Do you understand me bitch?"
"Yes, yes. Please, I understand you- just let me get this over with." She whimpered as she was thrown to the ground
He tossed a pile of clothes on the floor beside her- "You have two minutes- get dressed. We are leaving in two minutes. You had better get a grip on yourself before you go down there. Remember, if so much as one word of warning crosses your lips- you will suffer a very painful death."
With that he turned and walked out of the room slamming the door behind him.
Camille struggled with the chemise and corset finally getting the dress on when the men burst into the room and dragged her out and put her in the carriage with Raoul.
"To the La' Opera Populaire!" he commanded
Camille tried to ignore the stabs of pain that ricocheted through her body every time the carriage went over a bump.
"Yes…. I do mean it Christine. I love you." He smiled down at her
"I love you too." She smiled "but you upset me- you need to be punished …" she pushed him lightly and he fell into the lake and she jumped in after him
He came up spitting water and laughing "why you little…" he tried to chase her in the water and only succeeded in wrapping her in his arms and then dropping her back into the water because she had started tickling him
She swam through the water after him "betcha didn't know you were ticklish- did ya, huh, did ya?" she was laughing and then Erik picked her up in his arms and she rested her head against his broad tan chest.
"I love you so much Christine! " he walked out of the water with them both dripping wet and retrieved dry warm blankets that he wrapped them both in
"You know… we really ought to get out of these clothes..." Erik said and turned around ready to go get Christine's clothes for her but froze in the middle of his sentence staring at the doorway