I have returned! I'd like to say a huge thank you to my reviewers. Without you, I would not be continuing this story. If you are a faithful reader of mine, or even a new reader, I thank you as well and hope you will consider leaving me your thoughts. Knowing people actually read my work makes me more likely to continue working on it.

This chapter is a little different but, of course, extremely twisted. We aren't far from a huge turning point. I hope you all decide to stick around. Thank you all for reading and again, don't forget to review.

Nothing But A Lie

Chapter 16

It was dark. Foggy. Cold.

And yet, she burned, her knees trembling beneath her as she waited, staring into the vast darkness ahead, for the inevitable visitor that she knew would come. Soon. The knowledge of her impending attention consumed her every thought, and she felt it racing through her veins, kissing her fingertips and toes, which curled at the thought.

Shouldn't she be terrified? It was very dark and lonely in this place, and she couldn't see anything except the thick fog that surrounded her, grey and moist….

But it was not a sense of dread that overcame her. Instead, it was something akin to anticipation. Excitement. Her breath came shallow and needy, her skin tingling and just begging to be touched. Because she knew that the one she hated would not touch her here. No, the touch that awaited her would be different, less possessive but tenderer, though more urgent with the desperate, loving need those hands seemed to carry.

Impatient, trembling fingers came up to caress her neck, slipping down to her shoulders and then arms…

Disappointed when her body's reaction was pretty much nonexistent to her own hands, she let her arms fall back to her sides, breath huffing in frustrated sadness. But right after is when she heard the voice, warm and thick in her ear.

"What is the matter, Christine?"

She sucked in a breath then, jumping a little when cold, thin fingers met her bare arms, lightly trailing up and down. Already her blood sang with just that tiny contact, and her lips upturned in the darkness.

"I was waiting for you." She began to turn toward the body that held that exquisite voice, but those hands grasped her arms firmly then, holding her in place. She frowned. "I want to see you."

He stood closer, until she felt what little warmth he held surround her back, could sense him bending down so that she could feel his cool breath tickle her neck as he whispered, "But that would ruin everything." Her protest stuck in her throat when one of his hands crept under her shirt, pressing against her belly and pulling her until her back was pressed against his front. A blush stained her cheeks as she felt that somewhat frightening hardness pressing itself to her backside.

Curious, she shifted her hips, and her blush deepened when the voice emitted a rather musical hum at her movement. Another cool, skeletal hand ghosted up her torso, grasping her breast surely and trapping her hardening peak between two fingers. A sigh left her parted lips, her tongue lashing out to moisten them as she squirmed from the contact. His fingers warmed the longer he touched her, the digits at her belly clenching her tighter the more she writhed against him, and she began to feel an insistent ache between her legs. She shuddered, silently willing him to take care of that need.

Finally, slowly, the hand at her belly slipped lower, and she stepped her legs further apart to better accommodate him, uncaring that her neediness likely showed. She reached behind her, making contact with the fabric of his pants and grasping on like an anchor as he teased her, softly stroking her over her underwear. It was not exactly what she'd wanted, and she pressed back into his hardness with more insistence, enjoying his sharp intake of breath.

"Please," she moaned softly, digging her fingernails into his thin legs.

He obliged her, finding the hem of her panties and sneaking his fingers inside, caressing her slick heat with utmost tenderness. The contact was heavenly, exactly what she had wanted, and she emitted another moan, moving against him desperately. Sweat dewed at her neck, nearly overwhelmed with sensation as he still toyed with one nipple, and long digits explored her slippery entrance. How badly she wished to utter his name, but for some reason sensed some unknown consequence if she were to do so. She refrained, instead emitting wordless pleas, holding onto him for dear life, craving release that seemed so close yet so far away.

Slick fingers traveled upward, finding that magic spot that she hadn't known existed until not so long ago, circling her in a way that made her head spin, her breath come out in quicker pants. She trembled all over, her cries becoming louder and more frequent as she writhed against him, and he met her movement with his own. She could hear his concentrated gasps in her ear, and she felt white heat beginning to consume her entire being.

But it was when that endlessly stunning voice uttered her name that she came undone, her body breaking and healing and soaring and singing all at once, her voice crying out that final crescendo.

He held her as she came down from her high, and her arms rested atop his, clutching him closer.

"Can I see you now?" she eventually asked quietly, turning around quickly before he could answer. But his warmth was gone as he backed away from her, and all she could see in the dark, thick haze were two glowing, amber lights towering over her, now a few feet away. "No," she begged, arms reaching for him but for some reason unable to move her feet. "Please, come back. Please save me."

The lights blinked down at her, endless longing and sadness and regret in the fiery depths. Still, he was silent.

"When…when will you save me?" she whispered, her throat tight.

"As soon as you allow me."

And he was gone, leaving her in the dark, until a heavier blackness consumed her into a deeper, dreamless sleep.

Christine felt weird all morning.

Sky had dropped her off early as promised, and she felt especially relieved to be away from him today. He'd been giving her those all too familiar looks throughout breakfast, and had kissed her much deeper than she would have preferred before leaving the apartment. But it was different this time, somehow. He had seemed especially smug, unable to wipe the smirk from his face, almost as if he knew how…sexually—she internally cringed as she thought the word—charged her dreams had been lately. Did Sky believe he was the reason for it?

Obviously, because if he'd known whom she really could not get off her mind, he would—no doubt—go ballistic on her. Thank God she did not talk in her sleep…

There was some deep satisfaction in knowing someone else starred in those strange, electric dreams she'd be having. For some odd reason, it made her feel in control for once, which was a welcome change since her life was completely in Sky's control now. Of course, there was shame in these new, impure feelings and dreams as well, but there wasn't much she could do about that now. She was already ruined of being pure, wasn't she?

Thanks to Sky.

Christine managed to get her paper turned in on time with seconds to spare, and the rest of the school day felt hazy. The vivid dream had left her more tired and jumpy than usual, and she was unable to focus much in classes. Luckily she did not have voice lessons on Mondays. No doubt Erik would snap at her for lack of concentration…

As soon as she thought his name a rush of inappropriate memories of her dream swirled her thoughts, and she chewed on her lip as she left her final class, rushing to get out so no one would notice her suddenly flushed face. She focused on her feet as she speed walked down the hallway, eager to make her way outside for some fresh air.

Distracted as she was, she didn't notice the tall figure walking in front of her until she collided into their boney side, each of them stumbling a bit before pausing in their tracks.

"Oh, I'm so sor-" she began, her profuse apology sticking in her throat when she saw those familiar, fiery eyes glaring down at her, her heart seeming to stop for a moment. Luckily, his eyes softened just a bit in recognition when he realized it was she who had accidentally bumped into him, and she was able to relax a fraction. But then, the memories invaded her thoughts again, and her cheeks went crimson, suddenly unable to maintain eye contact.

Erik's stomach clenched at the sight of Christine's embarrassed flush, his ghostly skin still burning where she had made contact. What a generous surprise it was to see her on a dreadful, long Monday. "Ah, Miss Daae," he greeted her cordially, his voice lilting with sarcasm with what he said next. "You find my teaching so offensive you go out of your way to shove me in the hallway? I thought you were a nice girl." He cocked his head, a smirk on his thin lips. He baffled himself with how easily he could joke with her and seem relaxed when he was positively dying on the inside by simply being near her.

She laughed breathlessly at his teasing, nervously tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, Erik. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"I suppose you are forgiven, that is, if you have done your homework. Tell me, what song have you chosen for your quarterly?"

They talked for a few more minutes there in the hallway, oblivious to everyone walking around them. Christine told him her song choice, seeming very excited about it. He fought from rolling his eyes, finding it a rather cliché choice that would not fully showcase the power her voice possessed, but he did not have the heart to ruin her excitement. Plus, he supposed she could have picked something much, much worse, such as Rogers and Hammerstein. He shuddered at the mere thought.

No, he had to believe that his Christine was much wiser than that.

"We will get started first thing tomorrow," he said firmly, easily slipping into teacher mode. "We only have two short weeks before the performance. You must come ready and focused. Understood?"

Christine nodded curtly. "Of course. I will do my best, Erik."

Oh, every time she said his name was like someone twisting the rusty knife that always seemed to be in his stomach when near her. He swallowed, hoping she could not see how affected he was by something so small.

"I am happy to hear it. I will see you tomorrow, then…Christine. Enjoy your evening." He forced himself to turn and go without a backward glance, knowing she would not leave his mind once until their lesson tomorrow.

He made a hasty retreat, and she watched him leave with the strangest feeling in her belly. Empty, disappointed, and—dare she say—longing? Her eyes stung and her throat felt tight, and her sudden urge to cry baffled her. Of course, she could not. It was time to go back to Sky.

For some reason, that fact never seemed more devastating to her before than it did now.

Christine seemed to be in her own little world all that day, Sky observed. She didn't put much effort into being present in their conversations; her attention completely focused on whatever thoughts troubled her. Even when he overheard the conversation with her weirdo voice teacher, she'd seemed distracted then too. He thought maybe he'd been caught in his nighttime attentions, and as they ate dinner he casually asked her if she had been sleeping okay the past few nights as a test. She assured him she'd been sleeping just fine, though she hadn't been able to meet his eyes as she said it. He shrugged it off, figuring she would say something about it if it bothered her.

And if she wouldn't, then more power to him. Maybe she was finally learning that anything he said goes.

It wasn't until she was cleaned up and dressed for bed that her attitude finally started to bug him. And not in a way that made him angry, but he really was concerned—and curious—as to why she seemed so distant. She was even wearing the very nightgown he had bought for her, when he had been positive she would not touch it again after the night he had given it to her. Her eyes stared blankly at the TV screen, and he softly took her hand to get her attention, ignoring her flinch at the contact.

"Christine," he said, keeping his voice as soft as he could manage. She wouldn't open up to him if he were threatening, surely. And he really had been trying to get better for her. "What's on your mind, baby? You seem so far away today."

Christine bit her lip, unwilling to share. She'd never felt so confused in her entire life. She was having inappropriate, longing feelings for her voice teacher for one (a man she hardly knew!), but the very worst of it all was how her body now simultaneously craved and hated these things Sky had done to her. She hated this man. And yet, his hands—the very hands that had taught her so much pleasure, taken so much from her—were warm and gentle on hers, and her thighs clenched closer together. Just that afternoon she'd dreaded coming home with him more than anything, for heaven's sake! And now she wished he would…

Tears of frustration welled up, and she held her breath to keep from losing it.

"Sweetheart? What's the matter?" he crooned, one hand coming up to stroke her hair tenderly.

And that was it. She burst into tears, burying her shamed face into her hands and audibly sobbing, her shoulders quaking.

"Hey, hey," Sky tried to soothe, especially concerned now as he pulled her into his arms, letting her bury her face into his shirt. He cradled her head against him, shushing her gently. "It's alright baby, it's going to be okay. Tell me what's wrong, Christine. Maybe I can help."

As if she could trust him not to use this against her! It was almost laughable, but all she could do was shake her head and cling to him disgustingly, crying into his chest like the little dependable girl she was now. Her life was ruined. She was ruined. Was it so terrible of her to seek comfort in any way she could, even if that meant seeking it from the very man who caused all of it?

"Christine," he said a bit more firmly, while still stroking her hair gently. "Tell me. Please? I'm really worried, baby."

His sweetness wasn't helping any either. Christine was positive she was going insane when she decided to ask him… The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, muffled from her face being in his chest. "If I asked you to do something for me, will you swear not to say anything or bring it up again?"

Sky blinked. "What?" He tried to push her off of him slightly so he could hear her better, but she clung to him tighter.

"Sky, please!"

"What did you say, Christine? I could barely understand you."

She took a deep, frustrated breath, and adjusted her face to where her mouth was not pressed into his shirt. She spoke quietly, but much more clearly. "I s-said, if I asked you to do something, do you swear not to say anything about it or bring it up ever again?"

He laughed a little, his brows furrowing in confusion. "I mean…that would all depend on what it was, baby."

She sobbed, "Please! Yes or no?"

"Shh, okay, okay. I swear, baby. I swear. Okay? Now tell me what you need."

"You won't say a word?" she whispered, sniffling.

He hesitated, but his curiosity won out. "Not a word. I promise."

It took a very long time before she could get the words to come, and when they did they were quiet as breath. "Will you…make me feel…good, again?"

The stretch of silence after was agonizing, and she almost took it back, almost told him to forget about it and ran and locked herself in the bathroom. But she couldn't. She needed something. It hadn't left her mind all day, and she would not be able to forget about it if something wasn't done for it. She was sure about that.

Sky wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "Will I…make you feel good?" he clarified, disbelief evident in his tone.

She nodded in response, not making any move to look up at him or move from where she was, pressed against him. He shifted them until he could see her face, blushed and nervous and staring at the floor.

"Oh, baby girl…" he murmured, stopping when frightened eyes met his.

"Sky! You promised—" but she was cut off by Sky's lips, his hard kiss screaming his excitement. And she couldn't not kiss him back, though a voice in the back of her mind told her just that. What are you doing, Christine? What is wrong with you? She ignored it, letting Sky tangle his fingers into her hair and invade her parted lips with his tongue.

Without warning he scooped her into his arms and strode into their bedroom, not bothering to flick on the light. Christine emitted a frightened little squeak when he dropped her down onto the bed, but he immediately hovered atop her to claim her delicious mouth again. He moaned into her lips, grinding his hips against hers. She didn't seem as responsive to his kiss now as she did a minute ago, and it even seemed like she was cringing away from him…? It was frustrating. What the hell did she want?

"Why are you resisting me?" he growled, moving his hungry lips to her neck and biting into the sensitive flesh.

Christine shuddered violently, trying to push him off of her. "Sky, I…I didn't mean I wanted to…please, I don't want to…" she choked, crying out when he bit her earlobe and she felt it all over. Sky took her wrists in his hands and held them down above her head.

"Are you scared I'm going to fuck you?" he rasped, and she sobbed once, nodding. "Oh, I want to, baby. I want to fuck you so bad." He pressed his rock hardness right between her legs for emphasis, savoring her frightened whimper. "But I won't fuck you right now, sweetheart. I promise. I love you. You know that, right?" She didn't answer, and he bit her ear again, harder this time. "Right?" he spat.

"Y-yes," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. It was an obvious lie.

He forced himself to calm down, making his voice extra sweet like before. "I'm not going to fuck you, Christine. I swear." He licked the tears from her cheeks, kissing her face softly in promise. "Now, I need you to trust me. Relax, baby girl. Can you do that for me?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath, nodding hesitantly. She regretted ever bringing this up, but it was too late to turn back now. Supposing she might as well endure whatever came next if it meant she would find some relief, Christine forced her tense muscles to unclench, letting Sky know that he was free to do what he meant. She shut off her brain, focusing only on the sensations...

Sky spent a very long time kissing her tenderly, exploring her mouth and perfect lips with his greedy tongue. God, she tasted good. He could hardly wait to taste her fully…but he needed to take his time. Besides, maybe if he showed her how patient he was, how he could take his time and focus only on her and her satisfaction, then maybe she would want this sort of attention more often. And he would always show her just how happy he was to do it.

The girl really didn't know that he was hers just as much as she was his.

When he was positive she wasn't afraid anymore, he reached under her nightgown and slowly peeled off her panties, still peppering her face and lips with the softest of kisses. He let his hands roam down the sides of her body, and he moved his kisses to her neck, painfully hard at the feel of her softness, at the scent and taste of her everywhere. How could such a precious, perfect angel belong to him?

He trailed his kisses lower, along her exposed collarbone before yanking the neckline of her nightgown down to free her little breasts. He ignored her uncomfortable moan at being exposed, closing his mouth over one hard, pink nipple, groaning at the taste. How long had he waited to get to trap these perfect buds in his mouth? It seemed like forever. He swirled his tongue and sucked a little, enjoying Christine's cry. Sensitive here too, was she? He bit gently, and she nearly shrieked.

He chuckled. "Sorry, baby." He switched to the other breast, showing it the same attention without the biting, noticing how she began to squirm underneath him. That was his cue to shift lower, kiss down her still covered belly until he was level with her most delicious secrets. There she was, flushed and quivering and glistening with arousal. God. How badly he wanted to make her beg for it. How badly he wanted to make her tell him how good it felt, how much she wanted it. Wanted him. But he promised he would be good tonight, and so he would save that satisfaction for another time.

Sky could tell that Christine was frozen in anticipation, even her chest completely still with holding her breath, and so he wasted no time in tasting her perfection, licking from the base of her all the way up to her swollen pearl, threatening to burst himself when she let out the most musical of moans. He licked her slowly, gently, his insistent erection getting harder and harder to ignore. Literally. He figured she was distracted enough that he could reach into his pants and stroke himself with one hand, and so he did, unable to help himself.

She was soaking, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she burst. Her desperate sobs and whimpers came more frequently, and he focused right on her sweet spot, licking circles around it and closing his lips over it every so often to apply suction, loving how that made her writhe. He licked a little more firmly, shifting a little lower than before, and he felt someone's small fingers grasp his hair hard, shocked to realize they were Christine's.

"Oh," she gasped. "Sky, d-don't stop doing tha—" she couldn't even finish, crying out louder and louder as he did as he was told, stroking himself faster now and moaning right along with her. She came seconds later, nearly screaming out her orgasm and pulling his hair harder than was comfortable. He didn't mind, and he allowed himself to come as well, groaning as he spilled out into his pants, shuddering all over.

He collapsed down onto the bed next to her, draping an arm around her stomach and kissing her face.

She stared at the ceiling, amazed, still panting and squirming as she came down from…that. It was by far the most intense undoing she'd experienced yet, and she felt…incredible. So much so that Sky's kisses on her face didn't even bother her. Even when he murmured possessively into her ear, "What do you say?", she didn't think twice before answering.

"Thank you, Sky."

"Good girl."