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Chapter 13

Meg was unsure as to how much time had passed between the present moment and the moment when she had first turned around to find the masked phantom, completely dressed in black standing only a few yards away from her. The mask he wore was also completely black and it covered the entire upper half of his face. Behind him, his long cloak swayed in the chilling wind.

Meg knew it was freezing cold, but oddly, she felt a stirring warmth swelling inside her. She watched the heavy breathing of the man who stood before her; she could see his chest rise and fall as each breath entered the frigid air. It was hard for her to believe that he was, in fact, justa man.

Meg had found herself stunned into silence by his compelling green eyes. She was totally paralyzed by his powerful stare. She stood there lost in the abyss of his gaze hoping that he would speak because she could not.

Erik looked deep into Meg's tear soaked brown eyes. He could see her breathing heavily in the numbing night air and he knew she must be frozen. Her cheeks and lips were crimson and flushed with cold. She did not speak or move a muscle, but her gaze was so magnetic, and it was as if she were pulling him to her.

He took one step towards her. He swallowed hard, and hoped she had not noticed. He took another step, and then another. He saw Meg make one timid move towards him, and that was all the invitation he needed. Within seconds they were right in front of each other. Erik wanted to believe that she had come to him as well, but he couldn't be sure. All he knew was that she was there now, only inches from him.

Meg never took her dark eyes from his. Erik could not stop himself from touching her. He wrapped one powerful arm around the small of back and pulled her into his chest. He could feel her warm supple body against his rigid frame. She did not resist or try to escape from his embrace.

Don't frighten her… be gentle, he told himself.

Erik tenderly wiped the remaining tears from Meg's cheeks with his gloved fingers. Her face was only inches from his own, and he longed to press her reddened lips to his.

Dear God, let him kiss me, or I may die right at this moment, Meg thought.

Erik continued to stare into Meg's sparkling brown eyes. He knew he was imagining it, but it was as if she wanted him to kiss her. They were so close now that he could not tell his own heavy breathing from hers. Their mouths were almost touching. He leaned in a tiny bit closer and Meg's bottom lip just barely brushed his own. He felt an overwhelming tingling sensation rush down his spine. He could restrain himself no longer.

Erik passionately pressed his lips to Meg's. The feeling of their mouths touching was almost more than he could stand. He embraced her tightly with both arms and waited for her to retreat. But to his surprise, Meg did not push him away. She slowly opened her velvety soft lips and allowed him to enter the warmth of her mouth with his tongue. The heat of her kiss made his knees feel as thought they might buckle beneath him. He felt her body completely surrendered to his encompassing grasp.

Erik was lost in a few moments of sensual bliss while he continued to hold Meg and feel the inside of her sweet mouth with his own. It was not long before he was becoming consumed with fiery lust. He never wanted this flash of euphoria to end, but he knew that he was on the verge of losing control and that would ruin everything.

Although it felt like stabbing himself in the heart, Erik gently pulled his lips from Meg's. She looked at him with stunned disappointment. He smoothed her rustled yellow hair and lightly brushed his lips across her forehead. Then, slowly, he backed away from her. An icy gust of wind hit him hard as if to slap him for being so foolish as to remove himself from the perfection of her kiss.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence Erik finally spoke. "Where were you this evening Marguerite," he asked, already knowing the answer.

Meg looked down. She made circles on the ground with her pointed foot. She had no desire to tell the man she had just shared an amorous kiss with that she had been out with the Marquis less than an hour before. She also knew that this would most likely lead to a violent outburst.

"I was out…just out for awhile," she said pathetically.

"You must never lie to me, Meg. I always know the truth, and lying makes me very angry," Erik said trying to remain calm.

"I was with…" she began.

Erik walked back to Meg and tightly wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes," he prodded, with his face right in hers again.

Meg decided she would just try to explain everything in one quick breath, "I was with the Marquis de Condorcet, and we went to dinner, but I did not want to go because I don't even like him, but I felt like I didn't have a choice and…."

"Shhhhh," Erik stopped her ranting by placing his finger to her lips.

He continued to embrace her, and he spoke very quietly so that his lips were nearly touching hers. He was pleased to hear that Meg was not interested in this Marquis, but he didn't want him to have the chance to win her over either.

"You will not see him again, will you Marguerite?" He asked her while simultaneously commanding it.

"No…no, of course not," Meg replied. He could have asked her to jump from the roof of the opera, and she would have done it. For some reason Meg felt she had no control over her own mind in his presence. She looked up and met his aggressive stare.

"Do you know why your roses were gone when you came back this evening?" Erik asked.

"They were from you," Meg said smiling. "They were so beautiful!"

"You must understand, Marguerite, I can give you everything you have ever wanted, but if you disobey me, I can take it away just as easily."

Meg nodded solemnly. She did not doubt him.

Erik released her and decided that now was the time to find out more about the man she had said she was in love with. Erik could not deal with this problem, if he didn't know the man's identity. He had watched Meg almost all day everyday, and he had not seen any man that he thought could have been the one.

"This man you said you love, Marguerite, does he still hold your affections?" Erik asked while pacing around her.

"Well….yes…," Meg began.

Erik began to feel incensed. He could not comprehend why Meg had allowed him to kiss her, if she loved someone else. Perhaps, she thought it didn't matter because whoever it was did not love her in return.

"And does he still love another?" Erik continued not really allowing Meg to finish.

Meg looked at him perplexed, and then she looked at her feet again. "I would be lying to myself if I said he does not. I want to believe that he could care for me, but I don't think he will ever stop loving her."

Erik felt a sharp pain in his chest as he watched Meg's face when she talked about this man who had stolen her heart. He could see how badly it hurt her to say that he did not care for her.

Erik knew he still had to find out who this man was. He was going to do whatever he needed to do to ensure that Meg would become his. He was willing to dispose of a few people if it became necessary.

"Have you seen this man recently?" Erik asked, although he was almost positive she had not.

"Yes," Meg replied.

Erik tried to hind his look of surprise. She had seen him, and recently. How could he have missed it? Had he been in his the Opera? When? A thousand questions flooded his mind.

"Does he come to see you often?" Erik continued becoming angrier with every passing second.

"Not often… but sometimes, but you don't understand…." Meg said.

Erik grabbed Meg by the arm; his jealousy had overcome him.

"What is there to understand? It is all very clear, Marguerite! You allowed me to kiss you, while you were thinking of another!"

Erik pulled Meg close to his face, "You listen to me, I do not care how much you love this pig-headed fool….you will not see him again!" Erik roared.

Meg's outrage took over her mind and her tongue. She would not let anyone, not even him, insult her character in such a way.

"How dare you accuse me of thinking of another? When it is you whose mind is always consumed with someone else! You monsieur, plainly know nothing of my head or my heart!"

This time Meg did not sob as she ran from his sight. Erik watched the theatre door slam shut behind her. He thought of chasing her, but he didn't know what he would say if caught her. She was right. As far as Meg knew, he did still love Christine. He had told her when they first started talking on the roof that he would always love Christine, and nothing could change that. He had never told her otherwise.

He knew in Meg's mind, he had been kissing her while thinking of Christine, which made him just as guilty as her. Of course this could not have been farther from the truth. Somehow in the past few months Meg had managed to heal his wounded heart. His painful memories of Christine were slowly becoming like the remnants of a bad dream.

It was Meg that filled his mind all day and who danced in his dreams throughout the night. Meg did not fear him, and she knew that he was not an angel or a ghost. Erik knew that even if Meg did not love him, she would not betray him as Christine had. He had to have her with him, and he would, very soon.