Chapter 12: The Morning
After
Meg
stirred, half asleep and half awake, aware only of the firm, male body she lay
on top of. Erik's breathing was deep
and even, evidence of his slumber, and Meg took advantage of that, running her
hands over his chest and arms. Even in
her semi-sleeping state, she relished the feel of him; so strong and
solid. Nothing in the world could
possibly harm her while she lay safe in Erik's dear embrace. Slowly coaxed into true wakefulness, she
sighed and pressed herself closer to Erik, trying not to wake him up as
well. Last night had been everything
she'd ever dreamed of and more. Barely
controlled passion she'd almost expected, but the aching tenderness before and
after had added a new dimension to her senses.
Erik had been the perfect lover, all inexperience on both sides
aside. In fact, his uncertainty had
soothed her own fears of pain and loss of virtue.
She
fluttered her eyelids for a split second before opening them fully. Erik lay, sleeping peacefully for maybe the
first time in his life, his scarred face astonishingly normal to her. It was as if her feelings for this elegant
soul provided her with a visual veil that downplayed his deformities to almost
non-existence. She knew, perhaps more
then anyone else, that Erik was far more than just some side-show act or even a
cunning ghost... he was, above all else, a man who loved with everything he
could give and never expected retribution.
It was truly astonishing, she thought to herself as she propped her head
up on one elbow and looked down on her lover's sleeping face. How could such an exquisite man be so
reviled, just because of his face?
With
purpose, she lowered her face closer to Erik's, her lips brushing his skin
lightly. With gentleness designed not
to wake him, she continued to place kisses across his ruined cheek,
reacquainting her lips with the texture and feel of his neglected flesh.
Erik
stirred sleepily, the sweet sensation of soft flesh pressing against his
coaxing him into true alertness.
Without opening his eyes, he responded to that precious touch, meeting
his love's lips with his own and returning her kisses with ones of growing
passion. Before long, he was holding
her tightly to his chest and plunging his velvet tongue between her lips,
relishing the sound of her soft moans.
"Hmm…"
he sighed, releasing her with marked reluctance. "That's a very pleasant way of waking up in the morning… we
must do this more often."
Meg giggled
breathlessly, still reeling from his kisses.
"I didn't mean to wake you."
"Meg,
cherie, I'd have to be made of stone, not to respond to you. And I'm not complaining at any rate."
he smiled, running one hand up and down her back in a lazy caress.
"Good…
because I love you and I intend to wake you up like that as often as
possible." Meg sighed happily, cuddling closer to her dark lover.
"I
think I can handle that." he smiled gently, absently smoothing back her
bright hair, his expression one of mild uneasiness. "I love you, Meg."
She
glanced up at him, her green eyes filled with compassion for the tender man who
so tentatively offered his heart to her despite his familiarity with
heart-break.
"I
love you, too, Erik." she whispered, brushing her lips over his scarred
cheek and feeling him shiver in response.
However,
their happiness was soon to be short-changed.
Not far from the Opera House, the new inspector of the Paris Surtete,
Georges Vertier was busy going over every bit of information he had on the
so-called Opera Ghost.
A witness
had come to the elite police only days earlier, claiming that he knew who
murdered the premiere dancer, Delacroix… he'd seen it with his own eyes. And this cold-blooded killer was no phantom,
despite his reputation. Although the
witness was distraught and just a little on the questionable side regarding his
dependability, Vertier was certain that the infamous Phantom of the Opera was
behind the murder of the dancer.
He also suspected that the witness knew more than he was
telling and intended to beat it out of him if necessary.
"Monsieur
le Vicomte… come in here, please." he called into the next room to his
witness.
"You're
wasting time!" the young nobleman exclaimed the instant he was within
Vertier's sight. "I want to make
sure that… that thing never tries to take my Christine away from me
again. You have your godammed proof
that he's a murderer and a witness to his crimes! For God's sake, we should go arrest the creature right now!"
"We, monsieur? We are not going to arrest
anyone. I need more information from
you if you honestly want to capture this man.
If I see fit, then I will go arrest him… he has to come out of
those catacombs sometime. If not we'll
find another weakness, since your wife has already been used as that
once."
"How
dare you?!" Raoul jumped from his chair.
"Oh,
do sit down!" Vertier ordered, not at all impressed by the Vicomte's
arrogance. "You've been in the
Navy, monsieur, so you should be used to these procedures… so it'll be much
easier on you if you just cooperate, yes?"
"Yes…"
Raoul nodded sullenly. "What do
you want to know?"