TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of SA.
CHAPTER SONG: "Addicted" by Kelly Clarkson
*Lyrics by Kelly Clarkson, Ben Moody and David Hodges
May 15th 1917,
Lance Corporal William Schofield dreamt, trying to catch up on sleep as he sat in the trenches with his unit... Thankfully, there had been a lull in the battalion's on-goings much to the more restless additions eager to take their shot at the Hun.
The sun was setting and Will felt his eyelids close as he listened to some of his fellow soldiers snoring around him and a few others stood on sentry duty. The young man kept his hand inside his uniform jacket, feeling the lid of his tobacco tin where his personal belongings were contained.
As he drifted off, he heard the familiar voice of his dear friend Thomas Blake and silent tears rolled down his cheeks.
"It's been a minute, mate. I can't thank you enough for being there for Joe when Mum died. She sends you all her love and prayers." Tom's voice was soft and clear as Will descended into his dreams.
"She was a lovely woman, Tom. I'm most honored to have met her and known her... Joe definitely loved and cared for her very much. And... she accepted me when I told her what happened to you." Will wiped away his tears and sniffled.
"There's no reason for her not to accept you, Scho. You're one of the most decent men I've ever known. And Joe wouldn't have been able to endure Mum's death without you and Emmy." Tom restrained his own sob as he prepared himself for what he had to tell his friend. "I know you miss her. I made sure she made it back to her own era unharmed. But there's something else I need to tell you about her, my friend. Something's happened."
"How is she, Tom? How fares my love?" Will perked up at the mention of his beloved girl from the 21st century. A shiver of dread racked over his spine, his skin riddled with goose-bumps. "What do you mean something's happened to her? Tell me... was it Erik?"
That very name left a metallic taste of hatred on his tongue. Anger and protectiveness enflamed his veins like an adrenaline boost borne from an instinct to save her from this monster that had terrorized the woman he loved.
He waited for Tom to answer him, breathing heavily as he kept his burgeoning rage at bay.
"When she returned back to her flat in Virginia... he had a key made to let himself in before she got there. And... he drugged her and took her away..." Tom also felt the fury awaken inside him at the thought of beautiful Emmanuelle being kidnapped by such a vile man. "Erik stole her away... to make her his."
"No...no..." Will denied the very notion of his angel being taken against her wishes by the very man she loathed with all her soul. "No... she'll find her way back to us... she promised us."
"I know, Scho. But... you gotta remember that picture of her on the bier. If she manages to make it back to you and Molly and Joe... she might not be alive." Tom was barely able to speak though his own tears now spilling down his cheeks.
Will was cursed with flashing images of what Tom had told him... and he wanted to kill Erik Baumer, impale him with his bayonet and watch the life leave his soulless eyes. He wanted to tear him apart limb from limb.
He saw Erik's arm around Emmy as he injected her with a needle to her delicate throat...
Erik carrying her unconscious body through the dark, empty hallway of her unit building...
Emmy lying in a bed, surrounded by blood-red pillows and covers, Erik's hands suffocating her back into a forced sleep as she tried to wake up... seeing her gorgeous green eyes close...
Erik's smug, voracious smile as he reveled in his triumph, watching her lie still and vulnerable... He could do whatever he wanted to her... Anything at all...
And Will wasn't there to protect her or whisk her away to safety...
Will removed his sharp bayonet and planted the point down into the imaginary ground of his dream. He imagined plunging it into Erik's chest. Like a noble knight defeating the fire-breathing dragon with his trusted sword to rescue the princess...
But Will knew this was no wholesome fairy tale. He was powerless to save the only woman who had made him feel like he could live again, who made him feel passion and hope and purpose...
Emmy's name collapsed from his lips as Will sobbed on his knees, still keeping his bayonet staked in the ground. The St. Christopher medallion he had given her hung from his neck and he felt Tom's translucent hand on his shoulder.
"Emmanuelle... my only love." The lance corporal hanged his head in frozen defeat.
"I'm so sorry, Scho. The only one who can save sweet Emmy is herself. She's strong in ways we'll never know." Tom comforted his friend as everything around them went dark.
And Will found himself awake again, a newfound drive giving him strength to focus further on survival. For Molly, Cici and Elle and for Emmy... And no war injury would compare to the pain felt if his sweetheart returned devoid of the life within her that resuscitated his own heart.
For the sky to take her soul and the earth to claim her body...
.
.
April 8th, 2020
As the warm golden light of dawn began to illuminate the sky outside, Erik Baumer knew the beautiful girl he watched over in his bed was due soon to awaken.
The sedative in her system had to be wearing off by now...
Erik placed his glass and bottle of celebratory alcohol back under the mini-bar and began to unbutton his shirt as he strode to the en-suite bathroom to shower. He had to be quick since his fair sleeping beauty wouldn't be unconscious for much longer and he wanted to be by her side when she opened those bejeweled eyes of hers.
The syringe he had injected her with was still in his trousers pocket just in case. Erik knew she wouldn't accept her situation right away and he was cautious in his preparations should he need to subdue her again.
He showered quickly, knowing he had to be dressed and ready to greet Emmanuelle to her new home, changing out his white crispy shirt for a soft black turtleneck. Erik exited the bathroom fully dressed, half-relieved to see her barely beginning to stir her head on the large red pillow cushioning her. He grabbed a clean shot glass from the minibar and filled it with cold water, knowing she would be thirsty after sleeping for so many hours.
His heart pounded with anxiety and excitement as he set the glass of water on the polished wood bedside table and sat his chair as close to the mattress as possible.
Time to wake up, my little Schatzi.
He yearned to reach over and caress her brunette hair splayed on the crimson pillowcases of soft satin, admiring the half-lucid movements of her head as she slowly resurfaced from the drowning effects of the drug in her bloodstream.
She groaned, opening her mouth as she coughed, her small body convulsing under the thick covers she was cocooned in, barely able to move as her eyelids fluttered open and close. Her voice was husky and rough as she tried to speak, her throat constricting with painful gulps.
"Water... need water, please." She pleaded in a weakened squeak of her voice.
Erik took the glass of water and sat on the side of the bed, bringing one of his hands to cradle the back of her head and lifted her from the pillow, brown tresses of her hair dangling down to spill on the satin fabrics keeping her bundled. He lifted the glass to her lips as her eyes closed momentarily, her eyelids heavy from her battle to fully wake herself up.
"Drink, my emerald. You'll feel better in a moment." Erik spoke to her in a lowered voice, hoping to coax her into a sense of easiness in her semi-conscious state. Her dried lips clamped around the glass's edge as the water poured into her mouth, her tongue absorbing the liquid and some drips escaping to travel down her chin and neck.
She almost drank it all too fast as she choked, turning her head to the side, her eyes remaining closed as Erik gently pulled the covers free from around her so she could move. His hand then moved to behind her neck, his thumb massaging her throat and allowing her to swallow the rest of the water.
Erik pulled back the thick covers from around her, leaving her still under the sheets as he placed her back against the more propped up pillows so she could sit upright. He hovered over her as he stroked her cheek, watching as she began to open again her blurry eyes.
"Take it slow, liebling. Open your eyes to your new home, my lovely Emmy." Erik whispered as she fluttered her eyelids, the disorientation starting to wear off.
The dots and distorted shapes began to clear in her vision as Emmy looked at her surroundings. All she saw was red... foreboding and bloody and deadly. A pounding headache assaulted her skull, causing Emmy to sink into the pillows holding her up, and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the accompanying nausea to pass.
"Erik? Where... where am I? What happened?" She asked him, her brain not fully comprehending the unfamiliarity of her environment. Her voice began to regain her normal cadence despite her exhaustion.
"I'm going to tell you, but I need you to stay calm once I do." Erik attempted to keep the glee out of his voice, not wanting to scare Emmy and lead her to a hysteric fit of panic as he soothingly petted his fingertips along her jaw.
"What the hell are you talking about? Where... where's my phone and my wallet?" Emmy's voice began to gain strength as she sat up from the pillows despite her arms wobbling with the drug wearing off in her veins.
"You don't need to worry about those anymore, Schatzi. I brought you to my penthouse... after I drugged you. And you slept all through the night." He brushed away a curl of her splendid mermaid tresses from her forehead as he saw the shine of coming tears within her green orbs and the paralyzing fear taking hold of her body.
He braced himself to grab her if she tried to make a run for it as he continued.
"I brought you here... to make you mine, as I promised I would. I must have you for my own... every part of you. I can give you anything you want, Emmanuelle. Anything your heart desires... you need only ask me. Except for your freedom." His voice deepened into a veiled threat as he saw her cheeks redden with tears flowing down her face. "You can never leave this house... but you'll be taken care of and cherished like the treasure you are... and all I want in return is your love and your vow to give me your heart and soul to me...forever."
He took one of her hands in his, feeling her pulse accelerating in her wrist.
"Please don't touch me..." Emmy yanked her hand out of his grasp, slowly freeing her legs from the sheets. She sat with her jeans-clad legs over the bed's edge, checking to see of her clothes had been undone, and noticed that her shoes and socks were gone.
"I know what you're thinking, my emerald. I only left your feet bare so you'd be comfortable. You have better shoes and clothes in the closet for you to wear." Erik read her body language, seeing her tense up as the situation began to sink in for her...
Emmy looked down at her scarred hand and her fingers trembled. "Where is my ring, the one made of metal chain?"
"Emmanuelle, whatever you had in your life before being brought here no longer matters... in time it'll all leave your mind, I'll make sure of it. And that include your beloved Corporal Schofield, my little time-traveler." Erik grasped her chin in his fingers to force her to look at him as she absorbed his words. "That woman in the picture is you... we both know it."
Emmy shivered as more tears flowed down her heated cheeks as he slowly released her chin and Erik revealed the photograph of her in the Edwardian wedding dress from where she had no idea, her ears were ringing. He held up the photo in clear view of her sight and his long fingers tore it in half, then in fourths and into more little pieces...
"No! Don't, please!" Emmy fell to her knees as the shredded bits of the photograph floated to the soft carpet. "Please... why are you doing this to me, Erik?! You know that I don't love you and I never did! How the hell do you know about Will?"
Erik sighed tiredly, placing his hands underneath her arms and pulled her up so she was on her feet again. He pulled her close so that she was leaning on his chest, one of his hands clutched around her throat, his thumb pressing against her larynx. His other hand went to her mouth to clamp her lips shut...
Emmy struggled against his grip on her, but he was too strong and she was still half-dizzied from the drug's effect on her balance. His arctic eyes held no warmth or empathy for her as she sobbed against his hand. She had never seen a pair of blue eyes so cold and soulless...
His growling voice rumbled like an earthquake through her entire body as his grip on her neck only slightly loosened while still keeping her from backing away from him. The way he spoke was demonic and almost inhuman, a voice borne from her nightmares.
"Listen to me very carefully, my little Schatzi. You shall never see or speak of him again. You had your fun in England, being a soldier's whore... but it's time to wake up from your fantasy and accept that you're mine. And your pretty little metal ring has been disposed of, where you'll never see it again." She continued to cry as he released her throat, only for that same hand to tangle his fingers in her hair at the back of her head, his other hand still kept her lips closed. "Now...I'm going to remove my hand from your lovely mouth and you're going to be calm and quiet, correct?"
He smiled widely down at the pleading expression in her green eyes, revealing his ivory-toothed grin, reminding Emmy of a great white shark, mocking and predatory...
She nodded her head slowly, trying to compose herself as she breathed through her nose, hoping he would release her.
Approval clouded his blue eyes as his fingers unraveled from her hair and his palm uncovered her lips. She inhaled deeply, wrapping her arms around herself, looking down at the scarlet carpet. Emmy felt Erik's eyes on her the whole time as she gazed about the room to take in her surroundings again...
And she saw the bedroom door cracked open.
Acting on instinct, she made a move toward the door away from the bed, knowing it was foolish, but she had to try. Before she even made it halfway out of the room, Erik's steel-like arms were around her waist, pulling her back toward the bed as she screamed with all her might.
"You bastard! I hate you! I've always hated you!" Emmy yelled at the top of her voice, her esophagus hurting from the effort as her screams echoed against the walls. "Let me go! No, no!"
He was many times stronger than her, one of his arms around her chest to keep her flailing limbs pinned down, his other hand once again upon her mouth as she cried and whimpered like a distressed animal...
He held her down on the bed as she lay on her back, his voice softly shushing her, like a parent trying to comfort a weeping child. "Shh...shh, my emerald... if you don't calm yourself and stop crying... I'll have to sedate you again. I don't want to do that. I want to show you our home. Do you understand? You'll make yourself ill if you keep being hysterical."
His forehead was pressed to hers, their faces only millimeters from each other as he trapped her against the mattress. Erik held her down as her whimpers were muffled, allowing for Emmy to exhaust herself in her panicked reaction, her green eyes wide as she had no choice but to look into the unholy stare of her captor. For a split second, she saw his irises ignite with gleaming pride of the power he possessed over her...
Emmy inhaled deeply through her nostrils and caught her breath. Her sudden burst of fear-induced energy abandoned her body as Erik's arm loosened around her. She slowly sat up from the mattress and his hand pulled away from her lips once more.
She panted as she sat up on the bed, the dizziness increasing in her vision, but she tried to blink away her tears. His hand went to her back to keep her upright, noting her pale complexion. Emmy placed a hand to her forehead as Erik stood and handed her back the glass of water to drink.
"Have the rest of this, liebling. Then I'll fix you something to eat. I can make you happy here." He watched her take the glass of water into her shaking hands and she drank every last drop like she had been trapped in the desert for days.
"I'm not hungry. I feel like I'll throw up if I eat anything. Whatever you injected me with made me sick and weak." Emmy felt her stomach growl anyway with hunger despite her protesting of needing to abstain from eating.
"I did what was necessary to bring you here, my emerald. You weren't trusted to come with me willingly. Unless you oblige me, I won't drug you anymore... I won't use force on you unless you act up." He knelt before her on the floor as she sat on the bed, his hand taking ahold of her chin again as he saw her eyes sparkling with more tears...
Those delicious diamond tears he would be more than happy to taste and kiss from her cheeks...
"I don't believe you, Erik. How do I know you didn't drug that water I just drank?" She clasped onto the glass as the anger began to rise up within her.
He had the nerve to smirk at her concern as his fingers stroked her jaw-line. Emmy fought the urge to slap him straight across his chiseled face. How could someone with such a hideous blackened heart be as outwardly attractive as he was?
She followed her instinct to defend her hesitation at being sedated against her will and raised her hand before he could react. She struck him as hard as her limited strength allowed. Emmy didn't wait for him to look at her in response before she lifted her other hand to smack him across the opposite cheekbone...
But his giant hand clasped onto both of her wrists, grabbing on tightly as she repressed a grunt of discomfort. Erik pulled Emmy onto her feet and towered over her as he yanked her to his chest, his other hand clutching onto the back of her head, his fingers pulling tight into her curls, pulling on her roots. She released a sharp yell of pain as he yanked her head back for her eyes to meet his.
"Do NOT... do that again, Emmanuelle." Erik seethed her full name, his voice a beastly growl of threatening intent. His eyes were alive with an inferno of rage... and Emmy knew there was no soul residing in the man holding her hostage. "This is your last warning today. One more step out of line... and I won't be so merciful. I'll tie you down to the bed for the remainder of the day. Do you comprehend what I'm saying, Schatzi?"
His obvious threat to her made Emmy's blood run frozen through her veins. Her tongue was dry as she nodded her head, and opened her mouth to voice her question to him. "Are you... are you going to rape me... like you did before...our first time together?"
Erik slightly loosened his grip around her wrists as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down in a hard swallow. His deep voice was so quiet she almost didn't hear him. "No... I won't do that to you. Never again, my emerald. I know such an act against you once more will never earn me your love."
"The damage is already done. I'll never love or respect you. I can't stand being around you, Erik." Emmy felt her wrists and head released from his grip as her fingers rubbed the red marks leftover on her skin. "I was only with you for the sake of my co-workers... and because I hated myself enough to believe it was the kind of love I deserved... and deep inside myself I even pitied you. How you had to hurt other people to feel better about yourself. How you were cast out of your family as the black sheep... the only thing worthy about you was your money."
Erik's hand was on her neck again as she finished that final sentence, his jaw clenching with silent rage. "Don't push me any further, Emmy. You need me and here I stand offering you the world at your feet, to lavish you with the best of everything you could ever want."
Emmy gulped in anxiety as his thumb stroked along her throat... Any second he could end her life with the snap of his twitching hand. Walking a fine line between adoration and violence...
She found no further words to say as he released her again and she placed her hand to the front of her throat in relief.
"So beautifully fragile you are. I only yearn to pamper and shower you with all the comforts life can give you... what you never had growing up. Your parents both hurt you when you needed them the most and I saw that longing for love in your eyes." He took her scarred hand in his, stroking his fingertips along her ring finger and pinky.
"Don't pretend to sympathize with me." She pulled her hand away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. "Any pity I had for you is replaced now with hatred and fear of you keeping me here."
Erik sighed deeply as she turned her back to him, knowing whatever he said wouldn't bring her around... at least for today.
"I know you've not eaten since your return back to America, my emerald. If you allow me to show you something first, I'll fix you something to eat and let you rest more... I promise." Erik held his hand out to her, bracing himself to grab her again if she attempted to escape out the door. "But I cannot let you leave."
Emmy looked to his outstretched hand, then to his face, seeing the expectant look in his eyes. Like the haunted encounter with the mirror in her bedroom back in Surrey, she reached out and before her fingers touched his palm, she made a vow to herself that she would not break, no matter what Erik threatened her with.
She would be free again, find a way to expose Erik for what he had done to her and return to her true family where she belonged...
One way or another, she would rescue herself from the man holding her prisoner and make him answer for his transgressions.
She would not wait around for someone else to save her.
Emmy placed her hand in Erik's and she watched his lips smile into a pleased grin that she was touching him of her own choice. His thumb caressed her knuckles as he led her around the bed and toward the wall furthest from the door and to the large closet.
It was a walk-in closet, she could clearly see as he turned the light on so she could look inside. On one side were his clothes. Shirts, ties, shoes, trousers, etc...
Emmy carefully strode into the expanded space, seeing several articles of female clothing on the opposite side, meant to be for her. Dresses, nightgowns, robes, casual blouses and sweaters, winter coats, all varieties of rainy day boots, sneakers, flats for fancy occasions... Every one of them accurate to her measurements...
Erik probably deduced that she never wore high heels...
He watched her survey the closet, standing at the doorway and leaning against the frame. She didn't show any sign of hearing him as he explained to her, too distracted by the many necessities sitting here on display for her. "I had the room expanded to accommodate more space for you."
Emmy glanced behind herself at Erik before turning around to see what else was in the walk-in closet. At the end of the space against the only other wall, there was a small area hidden behind a black curtain.
"What is this, Erik?" Emmy asked before she could refrain from doing so. A sense of alarm told her that whatever she was about to see would be branded into her brain for the rest of her mortal life.
He stepped further into the closet and stood behind her, silently watching as she pulled back the curtains. A smirk crawled onto his lips, widening into a smile of gratification as he anticipated her reaction.
He needed her to know how serious he was in what he would do to have her all to himself.
Emmy absorbed the sight of what was concealed in the closet, feeling Erik's eyes burning into her as she held back a scream of fright.
A female-shaped mannequin similar to those one would see displayed in the windows of clothing department stores, stood exactly to Emmy's petite height of 5 feet, 1 inch tall. An oval shaped mirror was attached to where the face would normally be and she saw her own pale, weary features appear in the reflection.
Her trembling fingers reached out to the brown wig of hair atop its head, a near exact likeness to her wavy curls that flowed around the mannequin's shoulders...
But what frightened her most was the attire the plastic model was clad in.
The most gorgeously glamorous wedding dress, adorned with hundreds of tiny diamonds and crystals stitched into the pure ivory silken fabric. Butterflies sewn into the gown's neckline added further to its beauty, the mannequin's cleavage modestly exposed, the lengthy voluminous skirt flowing around its legs as the closet light glistened in all the jewels' radiance...
Emmy had never seen a more magnificent dress... and yet she wanted to douse it in gasoline and ignite the flames, watch it burn into ash.
And a translucent veil threaded in patterns similar to a spider's web was placed on the dummy's head, spreading over the face and dropping down almost to its abdomen. A cherry red ruby jeweled tiara additionally decorated with more butterflies was crowned upon the veil, perched as the finishing touch on the mannequin.
Emmy's ears were ringing, her pulse pounding a headache upon her brain as her entire body shook. She felt the vibration of Erik's footsteps behind her as he placed his hands upon her shoulders. His voice was barely audible above her racing heartbeat.
"This will be your future. You will marry me, Emmanuelle Julia Hunterson." He spoke the latter sentence as a statement of fact rather than as a question like a regular marriage proposal.
Emmy couldn't remove her eyes from her reflection in the mirror stuck to the mannequin, her own face as white as the gown itself. She felt Erik remove his hands from her shoulders, only for them to be replaced by something being tied around her neck, resting on her bosom.
A silver necklace chain had been clasped around her throat, with the ring she had bought from the London museum attached as an improvised sign of engagement. The cold diamond rested against her shirt as Emmy's vision began to spiral and swirl...
"Every stitch of this dress was made with your splendor in mind... my little bride." Erik seductively whispered in her ear, ignorant of her unmoving state of lightheadedness. His fingers caressed both sides of her neck...
A million thoughts were running through her mind. This isn't real... this isn't happening... too much...
Out of morbid curiosity, she reached out with her fingers to feel the bridal veil despite her clouding vision; but before she could touch it, she saw her reflection again in the oval mirror... Her eyes were devoid of life, the muscles of her face stiff...
As black dots clouded her sight, she imagined her own body standing in the dress instead of the mannequin.
A lifeless doll on display for Erik to possess if he could never have her affections...
An empty corpse painted with the illusion of living beauty, her blushing cheeks and fair skin...
Emmy exhaled a hybrid sound between a demure moan and an exhausted sigh as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her legs buckled from underneath her. She fell backward at Erik's feet as she lost consciousness...
Erik watched with a raised eyebrow as she crumpled to the floor in an unceremonious heap; her arms falling on both sides of her head as her chocolate hair spilled around her face. Her lips were sealed shut as she breathed innocently in her swooned state...
So dramatic... Erik thought, clicking his tongue as he looked down at her, shaking his head in disbelief that she had fainted at such a grand romantic gesture of his wanting to marry her. Yet, he couldn't deny the triumph he felt as he went to her side and hovered above her, situating himself on his knees as he bent down to check her pulse.
She was so pale, almost sickly as he placed a finger to the jugular vein of her throat, exactly where he had injected the syringe needle into her neck during the abduction. Her fiery blood sounded to flow at a normal rate through her veins.
Erik reached to her face, wiping away several ribbons of her hair that had fallen across her cheek with his fingertips. He held them over her nostrils that flared as she inhaled, her petal pink lips reflexively closed in a frown.
He slid his hand underneath her shoulders, his fingers of his other hand massaging her throat as her neck dangled backward, her face remaining still and impassive.
She was definitely unconscious again, Erik had no doubt. His delicate flower...
Emmanuelle's face alone whilst asleep was a visual enough to bring any man to his knees, to adore and love her; he imagined himself kneeling beside her as she lay in a glass coffin cushioned with blood-red and snow-white roses, her comatose features on display for him, gowned in the wedding dress...
And he figured now was an opportune time to take care of her as he planned to when he brought her here...
With a resigned sigh, he gently set her head back onto the carpeted floor, keeping his eyes on her sleeping face, nary a single flinch or tic disturbing her peaceful aura. His thumb gently pulled apart her delectable lips, and the sound of her breathing filled his ears...
Erik reached into his trousers pocket and pulled out the same syringe he had sedated her with the night previous. He held up her arm, where the freezing point of the needle penetrated the inside of her elbow, injecting her bloodstream with the remainder of the liquid that subdued her to be at his mercy for hours.
Emmy didn't stir or make a single noise, her face stoic and motionless as a porcelain doll, without autonomy as she lay helpless on the closet floor of her kidnapper's bridal shrine to her.
She would sleep for the remainder of the day. The girl was scooped up off the floor and into Erik's strong arms, powerful enough to break her bones if he wanted to. She was completely limp as her head and neck hanged in the air and her hair plummeted in brunette waterfall waves down toward the carpet. He gazed up at the mannequin in the dress he had purchased for her alone and then looked down to the beauty resting in his hold.
His deep voice murmured to Emmy as she slept, Erik wishing he could watch her dreams. "So beautiful... you'll be the most stunning bride in the history of matrimony. You'll wear this dress and marry me... whether you're willing or not, my little Schatzi."
An inner rage boiled within him as he looked again at the mannequin, then back down at the woman blissfully unaware of his growing anger in her fainted/sedated state. A growl of determination and possessiveness thundered in his chest, his arms readjusting his grip on her as her head rested on his shoulder... and he leaned downward, allowing his nose to nuzzle her throat, inhaling the sweet soapy aroma of her skin... his lips imprinted a bruising kiss in the center of her neck... not unlike a territorial animal claiming his mate.
She tasted of vanilla and honey combined... She was addictive, his tongue aching to savor more of her.
Erik felt calm again as he inhaled her lotion scent, sighing in bliss, his vigilant gaze on her innocent face as he carried her out of the closet and back toward the bed. His nose brushed her lavender shampooed curls atop her head and he absorbed more of her intoxicating fragrance, a soothing balm to ease his restless mind.
Her upper body was still cradled against him as he leaned on the bedside and placed Emmy in the exact center of the mattress where she laid above the silken sheets and satin covers, her head and shoulders sinking into the large velvet pillows as her body relaxed in her new sleeping position.
He stood over the bed for several moments, just watching her sleep. Even in her loose shirt and worn jeans, she was so angelic. Her eyelashes resting on her now blooming pink cheeks, her glistening lips open still as she breathed, her stomach rising in sync with her lungs. Her glorious tresses of mahogany heaven spread around her head and shoulders on the pillowcases...
She decorated their soon-to-be marital bed perfectly, where their children would be conceived and they would grow in her womb. The alpha male in him couldn't wait to see her stomach round and curved with his unborn baby...
But... it wasn't right seeing her asleep in his bed with hand-me-down clothes that didn't service her beauty at all. But he would remedy such a problem.
He went back to the closet, covering back up the mannequin with the curtains and carefully choosing what articles of clothing would best be appropriate for her... his little butterfly resting in his spider-web.
Erik closed the closet door, placed the clothing for Emmy on the bed next to her sleeping form and went to grab one more thing from the en-suite bathroom.
A bottle of golden oil to nurture her fair skin and heal the bruises he regrettably left on Emmy during her panicked attempts to escape him, holding back his lovely prize from flying away.
He had sworn to himself before absconding with her that he wouldn't use force unless she obliged him to do so...
One way or another, she would submit to him.
And if he couldn't have her happiness and laughter and smiles, then he would have her tears and hatred and terror.
When Erik returned to the bed, he saw that she hadn't moved a centimeter from where he had left her, floating in the pool of crimson sheets and cushions, serene in her slumber. He gulped a deep breath of restraint as his hands reached down toward her vulnerable body...
With the purpose of undressing Emmy from her old clothes and changing her to wear the lingerie and dressing gown...
He did his best to ignore the arousal trembling throughout his veins as he worked to remove her shirt first, slowly pulling it up over her abdomen, then freeing her arms and head. Her gray bra covered her lovely breasts and he could tell it also was too tight on her body, a size too small even for her frame.
Erik glanced at her unconscious face, seeing she remained sleeping thanks to the sedative swimming inside her.
He lifted her upper body off the pillows, unhooking her bra from behind her back and gently removed the straps from her shoulders, pulling her arms through and placing them at her sides as she was laid back down.
Her slightly lopsided breasts graced his hungry view, but he knew now was not the time to act on his lust. Erik wanted her awake and aware of what was happening when they united as one again... on their wedding night.
He saw red marks along her breasts from the too small bra squeezing her tightly like a corset. He threw it to the side to dispose of later before she woke and went to work next on her jeans. He unbuttoned the top of her pants and carefully pulled them from the hems along her legs. The denim of the material was an aging faded blue; worn to where some extra stitching was needed.
Her bare legs were short, yet still lovely, especially complimented whenever she wore business skirts to the library, adding to her petite stature that made her so alluring. Emmy's feet were already free of her shoes and socks from his removing them when he first brought her to the house and tucked her into bed.
Erik took a moment to observe her mostly nude form, her engagement ring hanging on her neck in between her breasts, the sparkling diamond lying against her heart.
The final piece of clothing to take off was her underwear. He took a deep breath, reaching down toward her stomach and slipping his fingers to grasp onto the thin cloth, his skin tingling with his touching her in such an intimate area; it didn't even match the color of her bra and stretched tautly along her hips.
He hadn't seen her fully naked before, their previous encounters having been quick and rough sessions in his car, her sensual stubbornness and fire making her even more of a treasure to covet for himself.
His green-eyed emerald...
Erik grasped her underwear, his hands shaking as he reluctantly placed them amongst her other throwaway clothing.
And there Emmanuelle lay before him, asleep and stripped and beautiful...
And yet, he only kept his eyes on her fair features as he redressed her... the matching lacy black lingerie clad onto her perfectly, adorned with rose and thorn patterns in the soft cotton fabric. The silken veiled kimono-style dressing robe, black and burgundy to symbolize the colors of the deadly Black Widow, spread around her inert body on the blood-red coverlets and sheets like the expanding wings of a butterfly...
Warm threaded ebony stockings were placed on her feet, pulled up to her knees to keep her toes from being chilled.
Erik stepped back to view his masterpiece, pleased to see that not a single strand of her hair was out of place on her head as she was submerged still in the depths of ether-induced slumber. Not one wrinkle in the dressing gown flooding around her body.
One final touch was required to complete his work...
The ruby engraved tiara from her wedding veil was placed on the top of her head, resting on her curls. Crowned as a queen...
She ought to have been photographed and painted so this moment was preserved forever...
And then he poured the oil on his hands, handling her fragile limbs with care, anointing her skin along the bruises left from his rough grip on her wrists...
She was flawless and he intended to keep her that way...
He massaged and rubbed every inch of her exposed skin, wanting her to recover from the madness of the last twenty four hours.
Emmy's throat and shoulders, the bottom of her chin, her forehead and cheeks, Erik attentive to ensure the oil didn't get in her eyes or mouth... She glowed with feminine brilliance, her paling complexion returning to her normal flushed color of health.
He hadn't the chance to properly feed her yet! No wonder she had fainted so suddenly; she was probably starving to the point of physical weakness...
Once he finished the task of bathing her in the salving ointment, he set the bottle aside on the table and lay down beside her. Admiring the final result of his tending to her after the rough start when she awoke earlier...
He pulled the canopy curtains over them, each side of the bed shielded and forming their own bubble of sinful intentions.
Erik was reluctant to fully touch her, his arms yearning to cradle her close in his lap and breathe in every inch of her. But he couldn't shatter such a display of her majesty...
His head was beside hers on the same large pillow as he silently adored her unconscious profile. His fingers threaded through her ribbons of hair, weaving through the gorgeous curls that would look even more mesmerizing underneath the bridal veil designed only for her...
Her soft breathing from her open lips was music to his ears as Erik enfolded his entrapping arm about her slight waist, his head inching closer now to hover over her sleeping features, his nose brushing her own as he felt tempted to kiss her awaiting mouth...
But that could wait until she awoke again...
Instead, he carefully took the ring tied on the silver chain into his fingers, admiring the diamond glittering in the dim light of the room. But it was only a mere trinket compared to the woman beside him.
Erik laid his ear upon her bosom, listening to the never-ending strength of her beating heart, the thing he wanted most from the woman he had obsessed over for many months.
It was a sound he both loved and loathed...
The blissful smile disappeared from his lips as they turned down into a snarl of icy malice, his head rising up from her chest. His pupils dilated to where his frigid blue eyes were nearly black, his dark stare focused on her face.
His fingertips traced along the outline of her jaw and chin, feeling the fragility of her bones, his touch cautious despite the distorted anger contorting his handsome features.
The monster within him was revived by Emmy's exquisite presence as she slept so innocently. He wished she would awaken and he could see the horror in her eyes...
It was in the spider's nature to devour the butterfly when they were stuck in the web...
And he whispered an ominous warning in her ear, hoping his words would float into the darkness of her dreams, his fingers still caressing her jaw-line repeatedly to match her tranquil breathing, his thumb brushing her luscious bottom lip.
His sinister tone dripped stinging venom as he spoke each word to his captive. "Don't fool yourself into thinking you can escape me in your dreams, little Schatzi. No other man will be able to shield you from me. I'm everywhere you are... the voice in your thoughts and the master of your fate."
Emmy's only response to his words was the inhaling of air into her mouth as she breathed and slept. He saw in the darkness a glittering tear trickle down her cheek and her eyelids twitching in mental turmoil.
And Erik's smile widened into a contentedly menacing grin, knowing she heard everything he said...
He remained by her side on the same pillow she rested on. His hands never ceasing in touching her... His fingers stroking every centimeter of her blossom cheeks, her smooth forehead, her dainty nose and her petal lips with the caress of a lover when the monstrous look of wicked desire never departed from his features as his obsessive gaze stayed fused to her slumbering visage...
While one of his hands occupied itself petting Emmy's face, his other massive hand placed itself on her bosom, feeling her heartbeat and movement of her lungs. He breathed in synchronization with her.
Erik counted every single beat from her chest and exhale from her lips as she continued sleeping ever so peacefully as though she were in her own bed at home.
And she slept on as the minutes and hours ticked by, with the human embodiment of depraved evil worshipping at her side.
*"It's like you're a demon I can't face down. It's like you're a ghost that's haunting me. Leave me alone... It's like I can't breathe. It's like I can't think without you interrupting me; you're taking over me. It's like I'm not me..."