Author's Note: Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter of Dark Prince! I hope you all enjoy and I am sorry for any and all spelling errors, N.S.L. Jewelles is really busy right now so I had to do without her great spelling and error powers! Hope you all enjoy anyways! DonJuanTriumphs

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Dangerous Truths

"I want nothing more than to stay in your arms for the rest of the night..." Erik murmured, pressing hungry kisses along Christine's neck. She moaned softly and arched toward him.

"Then why do you not?" she whispered, running her hands along his chest. Erik's mouth worshipped the tops of her breasts, illicting another small moan of pleasure.

"I wish to go and check on Adrian and Nicolette before we start something that will undoubtedly keep us preoccupied for hours," he said against her breasts. Christine groaned in dismay, not wanting his hands and mouth to leave her body just yet. He feelings appeared to be mutual and he allowed his hands to roam over her, pushing her chemise up, his large palms traveling up her thighs. Christine willingly submitted all that she was to him, giving him her complete trust. He groaned when her thighs fell open beneath his touch, welcoming him to do as he wanted. When his hands began to get intimate she pulled his face to hers and kissed him.

"I thought you were going to go check on the children," she murmured against his mouth. He sighed, pressing his forehead against hers.

"You are right. I want to make sure they are alright," he said. She smiled.

"Alright...but when you come back I expect you to be mine for the remainder of the night," she whispered. He grinned.

"Oh, do not worry, my love, I have plans for us I think you might just enjoy," he growled playfully. Christine giggled but her eyes were alight with arousal at the prospect of things to come. She teasingly pushed at his chest.

"Well, hurry and do what you must, I will be waiting for you when you come back," she promised. Erik nodded and reluctantly began to pull himself away from her inviting warmth. Christine's arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him back to her, their mouths meeting before he could draw his next breath. Erik kissed her with a passion he could barely keep in control. It always seemed like he could not keep his hands off of her. Feeling her willingly surrendering her body and her heart to him was an aphrodisiac he wanted to live with for the rest of his life. Touching her without his mask on was an experience unlike anything he had ever experienced before and he was finding it more and more difficult to pull himself away from her.

Sighing, he extracted himself from her arms, he rested his forehead against her own. His finger gently ran over her bottom lip, swollen from his kiss. Christine smiled up at him, arousal weighing down her eyelids.

"You are a temptress," he murmured. Her smile only blossomed more at his words.

"I love it when you look at me like that," she admitted softly, as if it were something secret she did not want to share. Erik pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"How am I looking at you?"

"Like I am the most precious thing in the world..."

"You are the most precious thing in my world," he answered. She gave him another kiss for being able to hear him say such a thing with such sincerity in his voice. Christine had no doubts exactly what it was she meant to him. She was very much aware of how much he treasured her love and she would do all in her power to make sure that he was made aware of it every single day.

"You should go, Nicolette probably wishes to see you before she goes to sleep," Christine instructed, managing to get him in the direction of the door. "I love you." Christine did not know why but she felt like she had to say it, make sure that he knew that she did love him as much as he loved her. It was Erik's turn to smile.

"I love you, too, little one..."

Erik pulled his gaze away from her and after locating his mask and putting it back on he made his way to the door. "Tell the children I love them." His wife called after him.

Erik's steps led him quickly down the hall, the promise of his wife's passion helping him forget all that was going on in his life that he would rather not have to deal with. The sight of all of the guards at his childrens door put Erik a little more at ease.

"Marc!"

"Yes, my lord," the knight said, bowing low in respect.

"Go and guard my chamber door until I return to Christine," he ordered. The other man nodded and was quick to make his way from the others so he could do as he was told. Erik slipped inside the room without another thought, only wanting to see Nicolette and Adrian and make sure they were alright.

"Papa!"

Erik smiled as Nicolette bounded from the bed and ran into his arms. He gathered her up and held her close, not wanting to let her go because he wanted to make sure that she was always alright. He could not imagine what he would do if Gabrielle somehow managed to get her claws on his daughter. He shuddered to even think about it. Nicolette, luckily, seemed to be unaware of what was going on in her own home, and she happily chatted away about how it was ever so dull having to stay in this chamber with nothing to do. She informed him that she did not like it one bit and that Adrian agreed with her completely. Erik's gaze landed on the young boy. He was sitting on the large bed, his hands in his lap as he stared down at them. Erik knew that given Adrian's age he had to be more aware of certain circumstances than Nicolette was at her younger age.

Striding over to the bed Erik sat down next to his son. Son... I have a son! A warm, fatherly smile appeared on his face before he could think to help it. He might know close to nothing when it came to the child sitting at his side, but Erik felt it was a miracle that he could already love the boy so much. Affectionately he allowed his hand to ruffle Adrian's hair, causing a giggle to erupt from Nicolette. The young boy looked up at him with a small smile, and much more trust than had been in his eyes before.

"And you, Adrian? Is being locked up in this room proving rather taxing?" he wondered, wanting to engage him in a conversation. Adrian immediately shook his head.

"No, my lord," he said quietly. Erik frowned.

"'Tis not my name, Adrian. You can call me Erik or Papa, whatever you are most comfortable with," he encouraged him. His son said nothing, though he looked at him as if he were thinking about something very deeply. Nicolette climbed off of her father's lap and joined Adrian on the bed. The Dark Prince watched the way the two children interacted, and it was apparent that they both were very comfortable around eachother and he was thankful that they had found someone to play with.

"Papa, you are not mad at us, are you?" Nicolette inquired, looking up at him with curious eyes. The Prince had to hide his frown.

"Mad, little one?"

She nodded her head, her curls bouncing playfully.

"Yes...when we were eating supper you were very angry..." she whispered, looking down at her lap. Erik felt his heart clench in his chest. He had always tried to hide his temper from his daughter, knowing that it would only scare her to see such a side of her beloved father. But earlier that day he had completely forgotten that Adrian and Nicolette were in the same room. When he had heard that Roland had allowed one of his greatest enemies to escape...his rage had been unlike anything he could explain. All he could think about was the fact that because of one of his own men his wife and his children were now in danger. Gabrielle had become a cold and calculating witch, and he knew she might go so far as to kill either Christine or one of the children in her rage.

But no matter the reasons he knew that he should not have allowed his temper to get the best of him in front of the children. He was trying to gain Adrian's trust and he knew letting the boy see him in such a way could not be helping the situation in at all. And Nicolette...she had been all he had for so long, he did not want her to ever be frightened of him, he could never stand it if she were to feel that way or look at him with anything less than love in her eyes. Sighing loudly, Erik got down onto his knees in front of both of the children, wishing things could be so much simpler and he would not have to explain to such innocent children why he was such a monster at times.

"I was angry, Nicolette, but not at either of you," he said, meeting both children's gazes seperately. "I allowed my temper to get the better of me and I should not have. But no matter how much it seemed like it, I could never be so mad at you two. I love you both very much and I want to apologize for the way I acted if it scared you both," he continued. Adrian would not meet his gaze so Erik gently tipped the boys head up until he could look him in the eyes. "I do not want you to fear me, I would give my life to protect you two. I love you like a son, Adrian, and I will do whatever I have to to make sure you realize that, but please never fear me, I could never hurt you, I give you my word."

Nicolette seemed reassured but he knew that it was not difficult to ease his daughter's mind. She need only hear a few words from him and she would be fine as if nothing had bothered her in the first place. Adrian looked like he wanted to believe him, but Erik knew that his life before this had made him weary of everyone. To Adrian anger meant violence and it would take some time for Erik to convince him that he would never raise his hand to strike him for any reason, angry or not.

"Now, it has been a long night and you both need to get your rest," he said. Nicolette gave him a kiss and a sound hug. "Your mother gives you both her love and we will both see you in the morning. Good night, my loves."

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Christine felt her eyes slowly fluttering open, feeling something cold and sharp being pressed against her throat. In her still sleep fogged mind her first thought was that Erik had returned and he was going to follow through with his promise and a smile of anticipation slowly adorned her lips. She had not meant to doze off but she was definately thrilled that Erik had not let her continue to sleep and had chosen to wake her up. A night in his arms was a night well spent in her own honest opinion.

"Erik..." she murmured contentedly. The cold, sharp sensation she had been feeling moments prior suddenly became more pronounced and her smile turned to a slight frown. Wondering what Erik was doing and what he had against her neck, Christine opened her eyes.

"Good evening, Lady Desslar..."

Christine felt a scream lodge in her throat as she gazed up into the murderous eyes of Gabrielle Devereux...

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"You all know my orders, make sure no one gets in or out. If any of you find yourself beginning to fall under sleeps spell I want you to rotate immediately, is that clearly understood?"

Erik's men-at-arms nodded their heads in agreement, all swearing to protect Adrian and Nicolette with their life. The Dark Prince felt he could rest easy knowing that the men he trusted with his life would keep his children safe. He did not doubt their capabilities, even with what had happened with Roland, for Raoul and Marc would be among the ranks of men and those two men he knew would never let the others even think of falling under Gabrielle's charm. Turning from his men Erik made his way back towards his chambers. Marc was even now guarding Christine's door, making sure that she, too, was kept safe. For if anything were to happen to her...

He forced himself to think of something else. Immediately his mind flooded with images of that very night, holding Christine in his arms, in their bed, and watching as she accepted him, face and all. This was a night he knew he would not forget as long as he lived. He now had no doubt that Christine truly did love him as much as he loved her. Her acceptance meant more to him than he could ever tell her. With her he finally had the life he had always longed for but had never been given. Erik wanted this business with the Devereux's to come to an end, he wanted fate to take its course and for karma to finally catch up to both Gabrielle and Edmund. The sooner he was done with this whole affair the sooner he could focus on finally living life with his new family and forgetting the demons of his past. But as long as Edmund and Gabrielle continued to threaten those he loved he could never rest. Every waking moment now had to be consumed with protecting his family and making sure nothing happened to them until the Devereux's could be gotten rid of forever.

"She has not stirred?" Erik asked. Marc turned his head to meet his gaze from his position at the Prince's door. The other man shook his head in denial.

"I have not heard much. I think I heard her murmuring a few moments ago, but no doubt she is probably talking in her sleep," the knight answered. Erik nodded. For a few moments silence reigned between the two men, both lost in their own thoughts. Erik did not want to disturb Christine just yet. She would need her rest for he planned on waking her soon and making good on his promise for the rest of the night. His body tightened in response to his thoughts. "My lord...I will protect her with my life," Marc said, interupting Erik's erotic thoughts about what he wanted to do to his wife. He met the other man's gaze unflinchingly.

"I know that, Marc, and I thank you for your loyalty, as would Christine," he said. It was a good feeling to know that he now had men under his service that were willing to protect his family as much as he was. It was a welcome change having people around he trusted when his entire life had seemed to be one long story of betrayal. "When you become tired have Raoul take your position. I do not trust anyone else to the same extent as I do the two of you."

Marc nodded as Erik patted him brotherly on the back. The Dark Prince no longer felt in the mood to talk. He wanted to go into his room and spend time with Christine, for it had been a long time since he had looked forward to a night more. All he wanted to do was spend time in her arms and he would be happy. Erik went to the door with a brief nod to Marc before opening it...or trying to open it. Erik frowned. Why was the door jammed? Frown deepening Erik tried to push it open with a little more force...only to get the same result.

"My lord?" Marc murmured softly, his own expression troubled.

"Christine?" Erik called, wondering if the door had simply gotten jammed somehow. There was no answer from inside. Immediately he worried that something was wrong. "Christine! Wake up, my love," he encouraged loudly, needing to hear her voice so he would be convinced that she was alright. When silence continued from inside the chambers Erik felt himself beginning to grow paranoid. "Christine! Answer me right now!" he said, a little more desperately. As he shouted her name he continued to cram his shoulder against the door, needing it to give under his weight. The door stood firm and did not even seem to protest his rough handling.

"Something isn't right," Marc said, his voice growing more and more weary. Erik ignored him. If Christine had been sleeping she would have woken up from the sound of her husband's shouts. He needed to make contact with Christine before his heart pounded out of his chest in fear. What was going on?!?

"Christine, I am not playing any games! Come and upon the door!"

Marc was now beside him, pushing his own shoulder into the door, adding his weight to Erik's. The Prince knew that Christine would never ignore his calls because she knew how much it would worry him, especially with everything already happening to them and the threat of Gabrielle looming close.

"Christine, damn it, answer me!" he shouted. Something was against the door, blocking them from entering.

A small whimper echoed from inside the chambers and Erik stiffened in surprise and fear. That was Christine, he just knew it. She was in danger and she needed him.

"Please, Christine, speak to me if you can, my love," he pleaded. If she could not speak he could only imagine what was going on in there. For a moment silence continued and he feared he would not get any response because she could not give him one.

"E-Erik...!"

He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally heard her voice but it was short lived when he heard the absolute terror in her tone.

"Christine, tell me what is going on," he said. He growled in frustration when he was once again not given a response and he shoved the entire weight of his body against the door. "Christine!"

"Lady Desslar cannot come out to play..."

A cold chill went down the length of Erik's back and he felt all blood drain from his face. Gabrielle...Gabrielle was inside that room with Christine!

"Damn you to hell and back, Gabrielle! Give me my wife!" he shouted, pounding on the door. Marc was now frantically shoving his weight against the wood, silently praying it would give way beneath both of their combined efforts.

"Tsk, tsk...'tis no way to speak to me now, is it, Erik?" Gabrielle said, her voice amuesed. The sound of her voice made him want nothing more than to wrap his hands around her neck and strangle the life out of her. He should have done so while he was given the chance, that way Christine would never be put in this danger. But he had allowed their past history to cloud his judgement and now Christine was paying the ultimate price...

"Your quarrel is with me, Gabrielle, leave Christine out of this," he growled. His voice sounded calm but he was barely managing to control his anger and his fear at the thought that he might lose Christine in the next few moments. Turning his gaze to Marc he tensely jerked his head in the direction of the other men, silently telling his knight to go and get help.

"I would not be so quick to look for reinforcements, my prince," Gabrielle said. Marc froze, wondering how she had known that he was about to leave and do just what she had said.

"What game are you playing, Gabrielle?" Erik demanded. He heard an amused laugh echo on the other side of the door.

"No game, my love, but if you make one wrong move Christine will pay with her life..."

A whimper of pain from his wife testified to this statement. Erik slammed his fist against the door, his jaw clenching.

"My men could be all over you in a matter of moments if I only give the word," he hissed. Once again the young woman laughed. It made him beyond angry to know that she was enjoying the entire situation.

"I have no doubt in your mens abilities, my lord, but the moment I heard the door give way beneath their efforts I would pull this knife through your wife's lovely neck. We would not want that now, would we?"

"It is I you want dead, Gabrielle, please just leave her alone," he said, managing to hide his desperation well. Christine's life was now out of his hands. He knew that no matter what he did it was Gabrielle who would decide Christine's fate.

"On the contrary, Erik, I do not want you dead. I want you to suffer, and I assure you there is a difference..."

"You are so naive, Gabrielle," the prince sighed, resting his forehead on the cool wood of the door. She knew nothing about this so called revenge she spoke of. The truth had never been told to her simply because she had never gone looking for it. Gabrielle had believed the lies told to her without protest and now his wife was in danger.

His mind was rapidly racing, trying to formulate some sort of a plan that would bring Christine back into his arms alive and well. He knew he could not risk getting Gabrielle angry, and his statement might do just that. But he could not help but think that her entire journey of revenge was based on a story of lies.

"Careful, my lord, we would not want you saying something you might regret," she growled. "Is that not right, Christine?"

Erik's wife cried out in pain.

"Christine!" he cried. "God, Gabrielle, just tell me what you want!"

"Why!?"

Erik took a step back at the sound of that one word. It held all of the pain, anguish, and rage he had ever heard in his entire life and he was taken aback by the emotions Gabrielle put into the single word. It had been a very long time since he had heard her say anything so passionately and he did not know what to say or do.

"What?"

"Tell me what I did to deserve all that you did to me?!?"

"What I did to you!?!" Erik growled.

"Yes!"

"If I am not mistaken it was you that claimed I raped you, Gabrielle! Raped! How could you ever accuse me of such a thing!?!" he shouted.

"You promised me that you would come back for me, that you would petition for my hand and take me away from that hell I was living in!"

"And I was going to!"

"No, you were not! Do not lie to me, Erik, or I will make you regret it," she hissed. Christine's whimpering intensified and Erik felt silent tears beginning to cascade down his cheeks. Oh, God, please, please, do not let anything happen to her...I cannot lose her...

"You never really loved him..."

Both Marc and Erik froze when they heard Christine's softly spoken statement. Oh, Christine, do not say anything, my love! He feared that his wife's words would cause Gabrielle to act out and it would mean her life.

"What?" Gabrielle hissed.

"You never really loved him as much as you claimed you did. If you had none of this would have ever happened," Christine whispered.

"Christine..." Erik warned desperately. Silence greeted his warning and he strained to hear anything that was going on inside that room, praying that Christine was not hurt in any way and that everything would work out for the best.

"If you would excuse us, gentlemen, Lady Desslar and I are going to have a little talk..."

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Christine surpressed her tiny outcry of pain as she felt the sharp dagger once again prick at the tender flesh of her neck. The tiny rivers of blood formed from the small cuts were staining her pale skin crimson. Gabrielle's beautiful green eyes stared down at her with complete and utter contempt, her lips a thin line as she held the dagger to the other woman's throat.

"You would presume to know what I felt for that man?" Gabrielle said, her voice soft and dangerous. Christine did not know what had possesed her to speak out, but she had heard the anguish in Erik's voice as he spoke to Gabrielle and she did not want him to have to go through that. Gabrielle had sought her out to end her life and Christine would do what she had to in order to survive, for Erik's sake as well as hers.

"I presume nothing. Do you remember the conversation the two of us had, when you were in the dungeons?"

Gabrielle smirked.

"Of course, my lady, we spoke about love..."

"Indeed, a topic I think you know very little about..."

Christine bit the inside of her cheek to keep from whimpering in pain when she felt the dagger once again slice at her skin.

"Do not begin a battle of words that we both know you will lose," Gabrielle murmured softly. Christine steeled herself against the slight pain she felt in her neck and the knowledge that at any moment her life could be taken away from her.

"As I said before, Lady Devereux, there was no way that you could have truly loved my husband as you once claimed," she continued, knowing that what was said here could end things forever or start new problems no one would wish to face. For once Gabrielle said nothing, waiting for her to elaborate on her words. This gave Christine hope. "When we spoke in the dungeons, you tried to make me have doubts about my husband and the nature of his love for me, did you not?"

"So there is an ounce of intelligence in you after all..."

"You claimed that Erik's love was 'fickle', that there was no way he could have loved each of us the way he claimed to. I have realized since I met him that you are so very wrong..."

"Indeed?" Gabrielle asked, sounding amused.

"Yes, because Erik does have it in him to love someone as much as it is obvious he loves me now. I know of the history the two of you shared, I can see the emotions in my husband's eyes as he recalls all of it for me, I have no doubt in my mind that he loved you as much as he told you he did," Christine said. These words hurt her, but she knew now that they were the truth. She continued hurriedly when it was obvious that the other woman was about to say something. "What happened between the two of you completely destroyed him, and I do believe a small part of his heart shattered when he lost you-"

"Shattered so much that he was keen to warm Isabel's bed before my own?" Gabrielle snarled.

"You know nothing about what transpired, Gabrielle-"

"And you do, you little trollop?" she hissed. Christine nodded.

"Yes, Erik told me-"

"Erik told you only what he wanted you to know! Do you think he would ever want to make himself look bad in your eyes?" Gabrielle demanded.

"No one wants to look lowly in the eyes of the one you love, but Erik told me both the good and the bad about himself and his past. I believe every word he told me and I think it is about time that you heard the correct story as well," Christine said. Gabrielle looked as if she wanted to kill her in those moments, and the inner battle going on inside of her was more than obvious in her now very expressive eyes. Lady Devereux wanted to hear this story but she was afraid to hear it at the same time. Her curiousity would never allow her to ignore it and Christine knew this very well.

"Tell me this story and do so quickly. If I grow weary of your voice I might just have to silence it permanetly..."

Christine swallowed and began to speak, praying Erik would not hate her for telling this woman this story when it was truly not her place. But she did not think her husband could emotionally handle another confession of this magnitude, especially face to face with one of the people that had caused him so much grief in the first place.

"You expect me to believe that my brother went to Erik and lied to him about me getting married?" Gabrielle asked, her tone telling Christine that it was probably going to be difficult to make this woman believe anything.

"Your brother wanted his inheritance, and the only way to do this was to tell Erik that lie so Edmund could have what your father was withholding," she said. There were noises coming from outside of the door, and she could only imagine what must be going through her husbands mind in those moments. Could he hear what was being said? What would he be able to do to help her? She knew that the answer to that question was nothing. Her survival was in her own hands, and she would have to do all in her willpower to make sure that she returned to her husband and children alive. "You know Edmund better than I, but does this not sound like something he would do?"

Something flashed in Gabrielle's eyes but it was gone so quickly Christine could not discern exactly what it was. The pressure from the dagger once again pressed against her tender flesh.

"Hurry and finish your story, my lady, I am growing restless and want to hear Erik plead for mercy..."

With great difficulty Christine related the events that had been told her by the Dark Prince. She told Gabrielle everything: the reason he had turned to Isabel and the true reason for Edmund's hate for the prince, his own love for Erik's late wife. Gabrielle's eyes grew darker and her expression turned grim with every word spoken.

"This is all very interesting, Lady Desslar, but I know it is nothing but a bunch of lies. Erik married someone else when he promised me the world, and I will never be convinced otherwise..."

This was exactly what Christine had been hoping to hear.

"Thank you for proving my point, Lady Devereux," she murmured.

"What?"

"You told me that I had presumed to know what you felt for Erik in the time you shared together, and you just proved that my presumption was right...When we spoke in the dungeon you told me unflinchingly that love was something that completely took over you. You said, 'I know that love for me is all consuming...' I remember your words clearly, Gabrielle, as if they were spoken yesterday."

"Your point being...?"

"My love for Erik is all consuming. There is not another person in the world that would ever do for me now that I have him. I would gladly give my life for him without a second thought and I know he feels the same way. You...you cannot say that you loved him completely, because how could you ever claim that he raped you?" Christine demanded, her anger at what this woman had done to her husband overtaking her. Gabrielle stiffened only slightly. "I could never claim he did such a thing, no matter how much he hurt me."

"He did-"

"You know as well as I, Gabrielle, that Erik does not have it in him to hurt a woman he loves, or any woman for that matter. Even now he could not see you dead even after all of the grief you have put him through. If someone were to tell me that the man I loved, who had gone away for some time, was suddenly and unexpectedly marrying another woman, do you think I would not question that? Do you not think that I would go to him and demand to know answers? If you knew Erik at all you would know that something had to of happened for him to marry Isabel when he had promised you his heart! I could never believe something like that of him! I would know he did not have the capacity to hurt me...and then you go and claim that he did something to you so vile! How could you!?! I know as well as you do, Gabrielle, that the night of passion you shared with Erik was exactly that, a night of passion! He would never take something from you not freely given, because he loved you! Which is more than I could say about you! If you had believed strongly enough in his love for you none of this would have happened!"

Christine did not flinch when she felt Gabrielle's hand connect with her face because she had been expecting it. The only way Lady Devereux knew how to react to any situation she could not handle was through violence.

"Enough! I do not want to hear anymore," she growled.

"Only because you know it is the truth! Edmund wanted his inheritance more than he wanted you to be happy so he did what your father asked him and pulled Erik away from you! Even now, with your brother thinking that my husband raped you, it still is not the reason he wants the prince dead. He wants him to pay for marrying the woman he loved, and no matter how hard it is for you to believe, you know it is true!"

Again Gabrielle's hand connected with her face. Christine closed her eyes to block out the pain.

"I will not have anymore-"

"What do I have to do to make you believe that I am not lying to you?!?" Christine demanded, now desperate for this woman to know the truth and believe it. She had hope that something was nagging at Gabrielle. If she did not believe at least slightly all that Christine was telling her then she would have killed her by now.

"My brother," she said softly.

"What?"

"Bring me my brother. He will tell me what I need to know," Gabrielle said. "He is the one, as you claim, that caused all of this to happen in the first place. He will tell me his side of the story and then we will see what shall happen." Christine shook her head.

"You are being foolish, Gabrielle! Edmund will only tell you what you want to hear! Besides that, Erik would never let him within a foot of these walls!"

"Then I will just have to kill you-"

"GABRIELLE!"

Both women turned toward the door, hearing Erik's broken cry.

"You called, my prince?" Gabrielle murmured, pressing the dagger more firmly against Christine's throat.

"All she said was true, Gabrielle! She is not lying to you!"

"Do you want her to live?"

"Oh, God, yes, Gabrielle, please just-"

"THEN BRING ME MY BROTHER!!"

Christine heard her husband mutter several oaths under his breath before he barked an order at some of his knights. Christine had no idea what was going to happen. What good would Edmund be in solving this problem? He would never tell Gabrielle the truth! She looked up helplessly into the eyes of her enemy, wishing she knew what the other woman was thinking.

"Such dangerous truths being revealed, my lady, they could get one killed if we are not careful..."

Christine had a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach that Gabrielle was now on a self-destrutive campaign, and it would not matter who was hurt in the end.

Author's note: Oh, what shall happen with Edmund coming to play?! What will Erik do?! The tension is even killing me! lol, and I know what the outcome is! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will try and not wait so long for the next update! DonJuanTriumphs