Chapter 32: Perceptions

We color the world with the truth of our perceptions.
Without our hearts and our minds to interpret our senses, we perceive nothing.

A Fool's Book of Wisdom

Erik stood in the doorway listening to Christine and Khalid talk. With fresh eyes, he gazed at the woman to whom he had given his heart and found himself amazed at the changes he saw in her. The graceful poise of her body and the confident manner in which she spoke proclaimed to those around her that she neither wanted nor needed their approval. She knew her own mind and was not afraid to speak it. She exuded self-assurance in her movements and inner peace in her smile. She had come far from the withdrawn, suspicious girl of only months ago.

"And, for that matter," he mused, "I am no longer the lonely man that held the world at an arm's length, non? I no longer lock myself away behind a façade of anger and sarcasm. Never did I dare dream this possible. Oh, Christine!"

Christine paused in her conversation with Khalid and gave Erik a sidelong glance.

"But mon amour, we did indeed dream of the possibilities. In childhood, we lay the foundation of our lives whilst we slept. Now is the time to allow our dreams to take flight into the so-called 'real' world. It is only when we sufficiently confuse reality and dreams that we can remake our lives into the truth we wish to live."

Her voice sounded sweetly within his mind and her smile touched him with its warmth, giving his soul wings with which to soar to the heavens. Erik could swear that he could see bolts of crackling energy pass between them as their gaze met. When he looked into her eyes, a wave of power coursed through his body, causing his cock to lengthen, swell and begin its ascension to readiness. His breathing quickened and grew ragged. His pulse pounded and it resounded in his ears. His heartbeat raced and matched the throbbing in his loins. If he regretted anything, it was of the brevity of his time with Christine. He wished he had been able to take her one more time and show her the depth of his love for her. He wanted time to explore the strange feelings he had been experiencing in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Erik suspected that his latent magical abilities were now wide-awake and very much awaiting his command. He bit back a groan and willed his taut flesh to soften, but it was a half-hearted attempt. He reached out with his mind and cupped her cheek with a hand he formed out of his spirit. He felt Christine respond and lean into the insubstantial flesh he offered her.

"Oh, Erik! Roi de mon coeur! Seigneur de mon amour!¹ There will be a time for us, but not yet. Do not worry. All will be well soon. You shall see."

He gave her a short nod, and she returned her concentration back to Khalid.

His ears heard her words. His mind understood her words. But his heart did not accept them, for he could not help but feel worried for her safety. Helen was gone, taken away by a demon. Diamante was no more and in her place was Sabratha, a flesh and blood woman. Erik had always known that he was a sensitive and therein lay the source of his concern. The woman Sabratha held no power that he could discern. On the other hand, the stranger, the man, Cadmus, held great power within him. Erik sensed that the man's magic remained slightly beyond his grasp, at least for the moment. Whether the man did not know of his power and it only slept within him awaiting an awakening nudge or the reemergence of the man's soul in a borrowed body had addled his mind, Erik did not know. The one thing Erik knew was that once Cadmus brought the magic under his control, the man would be a truly formidable opponent. But would they have enough time? Erik had no answer to that question either. And it was that uncertainty that caused the doubt in his mind and drove him to worry over their situation. It seemed that everything depended upon the untried powers of his Christine.

After casting a cautious look at Christine, Erik began with a snail-like slowness to imagine himself wrapping a thick black cloak around his body. When she did not seem to notice, he drew the imagined hood over his head.

"Ah, oui! That should keep her from hearing my thoughts. I need to consider our situation and confront my fears in private. Christine does not need to know of my doubts, as it will only add to the burden she already bears. I must gather my thoughts and banish my uncertainties. I do not wish to see her at the forefront of this confrontation as it places her in certain danger. Yet, I cannot allow my feelings to cloud my judgment. I must remember Helen's lesson of perceptions: that which we perceive with our eyes, lies. To perceive the truth, we must look deeper. We must look into the soul. Perhaps if I share that with Christine I shall not worry as much. Something tells me that it is important for her to hear those words. I remember how insistent Helen was that I take that lesson to heart. Who knows? That one bit of knowledge may be the key that opens Christine fully to her powers. I cannot hold anything back from her. Knowledge is power, and she needs every bit she can gather so she can be ready for the upcoming confrontation with Xavier. After all, Helen always says that there are no coincidences. No coincidences, indeed. So could it be that fate drives our lives? It boggles the mind to think of our lives as nothing more than pieces playing on a celestial chessboard. Could Christine's need be the reason for my deformity? That does give me pause. If I had an unblemished face, I would not have run away from home, I never would have met Helen. She would not have taken me into her home and taught me the ways of magic. She helped me realize that I must not allow my twisted face to warp my soul. Without Helen's love, I would not be who I am today. Or, I could still have been deformed, run away from home and met someone other than Helen. I cannot even begin to imagine what horrors I could have known if my life had followed that path."

His eyes widened as a sudden realization hit him.

"I am at peace with my life. I never thought I could feel this way, but I do. Especially after the way my life began. And it is thanks to Helen, Khalid, Christine and even Edgar. I never thought to find their love and friendship that dark and stormy night. I never even hoped to dream of it, but here I am and here it is. Since I now have Christine, the only thing I need to make life perfect is to have Helen back safe and sound. I wonder if Christine could use the letter portal to bring Helen back..."

He found his quiet musing interrupted by the feeling of eyes upon him and he looked up to find four pairs of eyes staring at him. He pushed off the doorframe and stepped into the room, wrapping his arm about Christine's waist. He pulled her close to him, reveling in her warmth and the pleasure her nearness caused him. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck and breathed deep of her body's natural scent, which caused him to feel almost intoxicated. He looked up when he felt the room go silent.

"What?"

Christine shook her head and chuckled softly as Khalid snorted in disgust. Erik pulled Christine tighter to his body and almost groaned aloud when Christine ground her backside against his aroused manhood.

"Really, Erik," the distressed older man snapped. "Now is not the time for you to moon about like a lovesick schoolboy. We need to do something. Who knows what that creature intends to do to Helen? It might even decide to turn her!"