Chapter 10

"Mon ange, what is wrong?" Erik looked at her pale figure with concern. He took her hands in his, when he did, fear formed in his heart, at her hand's chilling temperature, but he said nothing that would alarm her.

"Would you have really killed him? Would you have killed Raoul if I hadn't agreed?" A cold chill of guilt shot down his spine, a feeling only she could instill.

"No, Christine, I wouldn't have, I couldn't have." He turned away ashamed at his weakness.

"But I have seen you kill..." She separated herself from him, recalling all the murder her husband had committed.

"Mon Ange, you know I would never do anything to cause you pain." He reached for her hands again, this time he kissed each of her palms.

"The boy is dear to you, even if you rejected me, I couldn't take what you care about away from you. It would shatter my heart to see you in pain." Relief washed over her body, as she kissed his forehead. Deep down she knew what he said was always true, but she needed to hear him actually say those words.

"I'm sorry I questioned your love." She looked longingly in his eyes.

"I love you."

"As I love you, Mon Chere, with every fiber of my being."

Katie opened her eyes to find Tarek laying next to her, gently playing with her soft curls.

"Good Morning."

"Good Morning." He kissed her lightly, then got up off the bed, and started to dress. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, and simply watched him. Something about him looked different than the night before. He still had the same mysterious golden eyes, black dangerous shaggy hair, well sculpted chest and abs, his manhood... Katie blushed at the thought. He seemed to have lost the angelic aura he had carried when ever she saw him, He looked just like an ordinary man, not her Angel of Music.

"Tarek?" A man's voice called from above them. He sighed, and looked back at Katie.

"Why must they always interrupt?" He asked rhetorically.

"I'll be right back." He planted a rather long good bye kiss on her lips, then disappeared into the shadows.

For the first time, she took a good look at his home. It was more like a corner of a basement than a home. A thin black curtain separated his world from the basement, a large boiler took up what he didn't. The small 'home' looked thrown together with miss matched furniture placed awkwardly around, to avoid random pipes that snaked around the walls and ceiling. An assortment trinkets and paper stacks littered the floor and furniture haphazardly. Next to the bed a large pile of Phantom based books and movies sat, that would make any Phan feel ashamed of there own collection. Half of them, Kattie had never even heard of, and there seemed to be a copy in at least four different languages of each book.

"Not exactly the lair I had expected." She whispered to herself.

"Lotte." She heard her friend's familiar voice call from the shadows Tarek had disappeared off into.

"Jammes, what are you doing here?" She wrapped the blanket around herself, and sat up to face Mandi, who was cautiously approaching her.

"Come on lotte, we have to get out of here." She reached for her friend, but Katie recoiled.

"Why?" Mandi looked around nervously, expecting Tarek to show up any moment.

"He is not who you think he is Lotte, he is not Erik."

"What are you Talking about?" Katie couldn't make sense of Mandi's behavior.

"He tried to kill me Lotte." She choked out in fright.

"What?" Denial first crossed her mind, but then was quickly dismissed, In all the time she had known Mandi, she had never lied to her.

"I will explain later, I promise. We have to get out of here before Tarek comes back. Father Sean can only distract him for so long." Her voice cracked with urgency. Katie had no hesitations about following her friend, till she remembered her current state of attire.

"Could you turn around?" She asked bashfully, " I need to dress." Her face turned crimson with embarrassment.

"Oh sorry." Mandi turned her back awkwardly, while Katie Quickly put her clothes back on. Once she was presentable, she tapped Mandi on the shoulder, and followed her out of his home. As they were leaving the church, Katie looked back for a moment, catching a glimpse of Tarek facing the alter, and the figure of what must have been Father Sean laying at his feet.