Captivity Defined

Chapter Seven

Christine blinked slowly, her long, dark lashes brushing against her ivory skin as she considered what her Angel had just quite literally proposed to her. She already belonged to him; she had already promised she would never try to escape, so what difference would it make if she were to simply accept his proposal, no matter how bizarre it seemed?

But another part of her resisted his controlling ways, unwilling to relinquish her last molecule of freedom to the man who had imposed as her Angel of Music. Why should she let him win? Two could play at this game just as easily as one could.

"Christine, I grow impatient. Make your choice."

His voice brought her wandering attention back on him, and as her ears took in the honey-smooth tone of his voice, she could feel herself succumbing to him once more. She tried to fight the urge to give in to his demands, but could not escape from the power of his voice.

Oh how she hated the fact that he could control her every glimpse of a thought with just one word, spoken in a tone so soothing, so smooth, and so irresistibly eloquent. What was wrong with her; that she couldn't even say no to her Angel? What kind of power was it that he possessed in his voice that made her believe every lie he might ever tell her?

She felt as though if he simply spoke the word, she would easily follow his voice to wherever he would have her to go. Taking in a deep breath, she lifted her emerald gaze from her lap and locked eyes with him, for the first time noticing the odd, yet alluring golden color of his irises.
"I accept your proposal." she said softly, her voice just above a whisper, her response barely audible.

The corners of his attractively full lips tilted upwards slightly in a seductive smirk, his golden eyes showing slight flames of passion in their depths. Christine felt her own sparks of excitement ignite at his sensual smirk and dark golden eyes, though she knew that she should definitely not be feeling that for her Angel.

She watched, unmoving, as he stood up with all the grace one could ever hope to possess, and take the few steps necessary to tower over her. She kept her eyes locked with his as he slowly bent down to her level, placing his first and second fingers under her chin, tilting her head back slightly.

"Prove to me that what you say is true."

Christine felt sparks fly down her spine at his touch and the dark, seductive tone he used with those nine words. "How would I prove it to you? All you have is my wo-" she inhaled sharply as he leaned his face close to hers. He was so close she could feel his breath on her lips, causing her heart to start pounding wildly against her ribcage.

He smirked slowly as he saw her breathing start to become shallow, but he was having the exact same problems mentally. Being this close to her made him practically already taste her sweet lips, as he breathed in her scent. Those two things, combined with her body heat, were enough to drive a weaker man crazy with desire. But he was not a weak man, and he had always prided himself on his self-control. He noticed however, that whatever self control he might have previously had seemed to disappear and fade away with each passing second he was in the presence of Christine Daaé. She was his weakness, and he knew that if he did not gain control over his thoughts he would soon have himself a very bad problem on his hands.

"Seal your promise with a kiss."

Christine could tell he tried to mask his lustful tone, but she could still hear a glimpse of his desire through his smooth words. She looked deeply into his eyes, trying to not let herself be affected by how close he was to her. Never before had she ever been this close to a man, much less shared such intamicies as a kiss with one! As she tried desperately to think her way out of this situation, she licked her lips consciously, knowing that what he had mentioned was a command and not a statement to be considered.

He fought back a groan as she licked her lips, the action causing him to almost lose the very self control he prided himself so deeply on. It probably would have been his undoing, had he not brought the reins in on his wild, imaginative thoughts the very instant he felt his self control slip through his fingers.

The second he had regained Control of his thoughts, he nearly came undone once more as he felt her lips press lightly against his. Her kiss was more like the brush of butterfly wings against his lips, and he barely got to sample her sweet taste before she pulled away.

A beautifully attractive red flush adorned Christine's ivory cheeks as she cast her eyes down, away from his own smoldering orbs. She could still feel the intensity of the heat his body radiated, and she wondered how one could be so hot-blooded and yet have such a cold, hidden exterior at the exact same time.

Christine dared not to raise her eyes from the floor back to his gaze, though she could feel him staring at her intently. She heard and felt, rather than saw, him stand back to his full, imposing height as he towered above her. She didn't know which intimidated her most; the dark, sensual, seductive aura his presence gave off, or the enormous height of his stature.

"This is the room in which you are to call your own, Christine. Your bathing room is in the door next to the French doors that lead onto your balcony, and I think that you shall find the items In both your closet and your bathing room to your satisfaction. I have placed within this room everything you might ever need, but if you find yourself lacking I would implore you to come and tell me so, that I may aquire whatever it may be immediately. There is a hidden bookshelf in this room, and I expect you to use your imagination to find it. The last door leads into a magical place where not even I will enter. It is to be your secret place, in case you ever find that you would like to be alone with your beautiful imagination."

The whole time he was talking, Christine kept her gaze on the floor, unwilling to look up at him for fear of embarrassment. She heard his cape swoosh majestically as he turned around and disappeared from her sight without another word.

Once she was certain that he was safely out of the room, she slowly stood and looked around her, ready to explore this strange new place she was now to call "Home."