[ O.O WARNING! THIS IS KINDA SORTA BUT NOT REALLY M-ISH! Alright… only a little. Marking it anyways. And for whoever's going to complain about, "Oh, you don't have to include sex and you can go without it, blah blah friggin blah." Read it and weep, my friends. This chapter would make no sense without it. Heck, there would BE no chapter without it. And the whole thing's not M- I'll tell you when the M-ish stuff starts and ends. ]

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I woke up slowly the next morning, still in Erik's embrace. I lay there for some time before he noted my change in breathing, lowering his face towards mine, brushing his lips against my forehead. I managed a small smile, looking up at him. He smirked.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

I shrugged lightly. "Well enough," I said. Which was mostly true.

Save for the fact that I was scared out of my wits half the night, scared he'd make a move on me. Sure, I slept for a good couple hours, but the rest I faked my sleep. The entire time, Erik was wide awake, gripping the sheets until his knuckles were white. It was as if he was restraining himself or something… what if he was?

Waking up to the same thing did nothing to help. I scooted away the slightest bit, to give us both some space, but he pulled me right back. His teeth were gritted together, desire flashed in his eyes more than once. My own eyes widened in fear, and as soon as he noticed, he relaxed his grip on the sheets, sighing.

"Forgive me, amour," he said. "You are just so… beautiful…"

That did nothing to console me. I tried to move again, but once more, he prevented it. He held me there for the longest time, staring into my eyes, not moving an inch. His breathing became labored, and lust was predominant in his expression.

Which made me think- did he really love me? Or was that his excuse so he could…

Before I could react, he was kissing me. Now, given my reaction from the other day, you'd think he'd learned not to kiss me all the time. No such luck.

His kiss was tender and coaxing, and before long, I was kissing back. My train of thought went from "What the hell are you doing?" to "He's amazing…" in a matter of seconds.

That all changed when his kiss grew rough and demanding. He slid his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. I began to struggle against him, but couldn't break away. Tears streamed down my face as I lay there, shaking like a leaf in his grasp as he kissed me with all the passion in the world.

He pulled away suddenly, shaking his head. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't…"

I said nothing, still trembling with fear. He sighed, tucking a loose curl behind my ear. "Forgive me, amour…"

I shook my head. "I… I'm fine… you didn't do anything…"

"But I might…" Desire flickered in his intense gaze once more. I attempted to scoot myself away; this time, he let me.

M-ISH-NESS!

"Erik…" I whispered nervously, just before he pounced, like a hungry animal deprived of its meal, kissing me with such a ferocity that nearly caused me to scream for help. His hands traveled to the strays of my corset, undoing the ties with ease, and the garmet was tossed to the floor.

Tears welled in my eyes. Not long ago, I thought this man cared. I thought he wouldn't be like Raoul, only to find that he was just the same. He didn't love me. He just wanted me, and love was an excuse.

He pulled away for the slightest moment, looking me in the eyes, and before I knew it he was… gone. Leaving me in the bed, half naked and trembling, waiting for him to devour me.

"I'm so sorry…" he said from behind me. I jumped, spinning around, but not to a desire-driven animal, but to a man with sorrow in his eyes, handing me my dress.

"T-thank you…" I managed, blinking away my tears to the best of my ability, clutching the dress to my bare chest.

He sighed, resting his hand on my cheek. "I didn't think it would be this bad… I thought I could control myself…" He shook his head. "I shall ask the managers for a room with two beds at once…"

I nodded solemnly, murmuring another, "Thank you", before turning to go.

"Christine?" he asked. I turned around, and he nearly did the unspeakable once more.

It always started with that one kiss, and he lost himself. His hands traveled all over my body, causing me to drop my dress. He pulled back, bracing himself against the wall. Without a backward glance, I grabbed the dress and ran as fast as I could to the bathroom to change, making sure to lock the door behind me.

ALL CLEAR!

That afternoon, we were moved into a room a few doors down, but the only difference was the two beds instead of one. I sat at the windowsill, watching the wind blow through the empty field, tossing up leaves and dead grass in its wake.

Erik walked over to me, sitting beside me. "Forgive me, please, for earlier… I don't know what I was thinking…"

I know what you were thinking, I thought, but refrained from saying it aloud. Instead, I offered a simple, "I forgive you."

He smiled the tiniest bit, and I had to smile back. He was rarely in such a good mood, and when he was, it was like a disease, the sort that spread easily.

Which made me think- the only truly downside to marrying Erik would be his lustful side. And thank God he was gentleman enough to stop himself. But once we were wed, would he even bother? I shuddered at the thought.

"Are you alright?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

With a smile, my first genuine smile that day, I replied, in all honesty, "I'm perfectly fine."