Chapter Fourteen

Messenger Sent

Cursing every god he had ever heard about Erik crossed his arms and looked out the window of the carriage as Christine giggled to one of Kenneth's jokes. The handsome man was nearly beaming in his ego as he made Christine laugh so joyously. Erik was still fully aroused from the night before and it had not helped that when he woke up Christine was lying across his chest, her hand nestled snuggly against his groin. He had been unable to move and had waited until Christine had woken up. She had blushed and pulled away, not saying a word to him.

But Erik's suspicions of Kenneth were growing, and it did not only stem from the fact that he played far to much attention to Christine. He was always whispering to the driver of his carriage in soft, urgent tones and it was putting Erik on edge. Whatever they were talking about could not be good.

"What do you plan to do once you are in Rome, Christine?" Kenneth asked. The way he said Christine's first name so intimately tugged at every one of Erik's nerves.

"We are on holiday," Christine answered. Kenneth said nothing but glanced at Erik.

"And you, Monsieur, what are you doing in Rome?" Christine asked, not liking the heated glance.

"Visiting my sister, she recently had a son," he answered, a little too quickly for Erik's liking. Christine smiled and their talk continued. Erik found himself dozing in boredom. He felt Christine's hand find his and to his complete and utter surprise she entwined their fingers. He stared at her for a moment but she only smiled at him before turning back to her conversation.

"There is a inn, a few miles up the road, it is the only one for a few miles, we should stop there," Kenneth said to Christine, breaking Erik from his wandering thoughts. He looked up to see Christine looking at him, waiting for him to answer. Kenneth was reclining on his seat, completely cool and sophisticated. Erik's first reaction was to say no. He did not trust Kenneth and he did not want to take his advice. But he also did not like the thought of traveling at night when there was someone after them and if it was the only inn nearby they needed a room.

"There is not another inn?" Erik questioned, not ready to give in. Kenneth shook his head.

"No, I know these roads very well, I can assure you this is the only one," he said. Christine waited for Erik to agree but knew he was too stubborn to do so immediately. She knew his suspicions of Kenneth ran deeply but she knew he was overreacting.

"Fine," he said gruffly. Kenneth nodded and said nothing.

xXx

"Kenneth was right, I asked the innkeeper, she says there is not another inn for several miles," Christine said, coming into the room she shared with Erik. He was sitting on the bed, shirtless and reading a book. He nodded at her statement and continued his reading. Christine sighed and shut the door. She hated it when Erik was so distant and did not want to talk.

"I hope we reach Rome soon, I am looking forward to seeing it," Christine continued, going to her wardrobe and pulling out a robe as she began to change. Erik; this time did not even acknowledge the fact that she had spoken and she wondered what she could do to gain his attention. Smiling to herself she went to the bed and sat down beside him, wondering how she should go about this.

Taking the book from his hands she dropped it onto the floor. Erik looked up angrily and was about to scold her when she pressed him onto his back. She pressed a tender kiss to his lips and stared into his eyes for a long time. There were many things she saw in the depths of his eyes and she wished, not for the first time, that she knew more about him. Erik's hands slipped into her hair, the pins holding it in place clattering to the floor. His kiss was a little more passionate then hers had been. Her hand trailed down the hard muscle of his chest and his skin glowed in the candlelight.

"You're beautiful," he murmured. Christine's eyes widened slightly as she looked at him, wondering if she had heard him right. He had never said anything like that before.

"Thank you," she whispered, embarrassed. He rolled her so that she was lying beside him and he settled her against him. Tonight it seemed, was full of surprises. Erik kept doing things that were unlike him.

"Christine-"

"Master! Master!"

They both jumped when Douglas began pounding on the doors. Erik cursed under his breath and got up, going to the door with angry strides. Douglas flinched when the door opened and his master stood before him very angry.

"Your explanation for interrupting me and my wife had better be good, boy, or you will regret it," Erik snapped. Douglas swallowed and looked down at his feet.

"Sir, forgive me, but Susannah, she has been hurt!" he cried. Erik glanced at Christine, who gasped and scrambled from the bed. He held out a hand to stop her.

"No, Christine, stay here until I find out what has happened," Erik ordered. Christine opened her mouth to protest but Erik interrupted before she could say a word.

"You will listen to me," he said. Christine sighed and nodded and when he closed the door she sat down heavily on the bed, praying that Susannah was going to be alright and wondering what had happened to her. Then she remembered the rats and the message and she wondered if whoever had wrote that had followed them and somehow hurt Susannah. Was that the reason why Erik had them going to Rome? Were they running from something or someone? It made more sense then the fact that Erik wanted to go on holiday, he was not the type.

Her thoughts were making her angry. If they were true why could Erik just not tell her the truth? Did everything have to be one big lie? Was the truth so bad that he felt he could not tell her?

"Who is it?" Christine asked when there was another knock on the door. Her line of thinking was making her nervous and she did not just want to answer the door.

"Kenneth, Christine, it is about Susannah!" the handsome man said, an urgent note to his voice. Christine rushed to the door and opened it hastily, allowing him to come in. He shut the door behind him and looked at her.

"What is it?" she asked, anxious.

"She was shot, your husband does not know if she will live," he said. Christine gasped and put a hand to her mouth. That woman was the only friend she had in her knew life. What was she going to do if she died?

"I am sorry," Kenneth murmured. He opened his arms and she went into his embrace. He held her tightly and she cried. He brought them to the bed and sat them down, still holding her. She pulled away when he pressed a kiss to her cheek, feeling uncomfortable and realizing that they were alone in a room with the bed beneath them.

"Perhaps we should go and see that Erik has everything under control?" she suggested, trying to get off of the bed. His hands held her, not letting her move. She swallowed and remained calm.

"He is fine where he is, and I thought we should get to know each other a little better, seeing as you are going to be a widow very soon," he murmured. Christine's eyes turned to him in absolute terror.

"What are you talking about?" she whispered.

"Hello, lovely, I was sent to give you a message: Tell your husband that the trap is being set, and soon he will be caught..." he murmured. Christine gasped. That voice! How could she not recognize that voice! He was the man who had attacked her in the alley after the opera.

"Oh, my God," she whispered. He grinned and his grip on her tightened.

"I was sent here to kill your husband, but I am sure my employer will not mind if I enjoy you while it is being done," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her lips. She turned away in disgust.

"What are you doing to Erik?" she whispered, frightened.

"He is dying now, even as we speak," he promised. She screamed when he threw her upon the bed and pinned her down with his much larger body. She struggled with everything she had in her and prayed that it would be enough.

xXx

Erik had come into the small servants room that Susannah and Douglas were staying in with Kenneth's driver to smell the stench of blood fill his nostrils. Susannah laid on the floor, in a pool of her own blood. The wound in her chest was nasty and Erik went to her, picking her up from the floor and lying her on the bed as he instructed Douglas to go and get the things he would need to heal her. Kenneth chose to come in at that moment and took in the scene before him with a calm that Erik did not like.

"Do not just stand there, man, help!" Erik growled. Kenneth grinned.

"You know, I truly hate you, this is not as difficult as I thought it would be," he murmured.

A single gun shot lit the room and then there was silence.

xXx

Raoul de Chagny had been traveling for weeks, trying to catch up with Christine and her husband. Anthony sat beside him, sleeping soundly even with the jostling of the carriage. Both men had decided that they had to know that Christine was alright. She had left with her husband, not telling them or even her father where she was going and they knew that was not like her. They had to know she was alright.

Raoul loved her, he hated feeling that way, but it was true. He supposed the saying that you always want what you cannot have was correct. He could not have Christine, she was married, and he knew her husband would never let that change, even if Christine loved him. And it was with that sense of love that he was with his best friend on a dark dirt road on the way to a woman that could never be his.