To Love a Were Ch. 04

NB: Thank you all for the comments! I've actually written out up till chapter 9 as of now so each chapter should be up with intervals of 3-4 days. =)

Just for clarification purposes, the peerage system I'm using is as such: Duke, Marquees, Earl, Viscount, Lord of Parliament and Baron. So Culzean as a Lord has less authority and military presence than Eian. That is why everyone at the castle addresses Eian as 'Your Excellency' or 'Your Grace'.

In the meantime, Happy holidays everyone!

***

It was the last Friday of the year. Eian looked out his window and saw snow falling from the skies. He wondered if she was looking up at the sky too just as he was. Would she hate him for not coming sooner? Eian closed his eyes and tried not to think too much about her. She might not even want to come home with him later when he goes over to the castle. The thought of it made him sad.

Maybe he would take Dominic with him. That way if he was destined to go home without her, then at least, he won't be alone. It was nearly 5pm anyway. Dominic would be finishing work soon. He drove down the street to Dominic's house and got out.

"Pearl, I might be going off somewhere with Dominic tonight so he won't be coming home so soon. Keep your phone close to you and call either of us or Amber if you need us okay?" he said with a kind smile. Pearl nodded as he left to go to the office. Was it just her or did she sense a cloud of sadness about him?

Meanwhile, Dominic was pacing his office. It had been two weeks since he'd last had a decent conversation with Sydney. She had been avoiding him since their trip up North and he had no idea why. He had been thinking of her non-stop for the past two weeks. He wanted to be with her all the time but she seemed to be rejecting him at every corner. Without him realizing it, he was slowly falling sick. Pearl had nagged at him continuously but he was adamant that it was just a cold and that there was nothing to worry about.

When it was finally 5.30pm, he went over to Sydney's office only to find that it was empty. He checked with her secretary and was told that she had left five minutes earlier. Dominic's felt his heart sank and he dragged himself back into his office.

"She doesn't want us mate..." he said to his wolf. "What's the point of going after her? She's avoiding us for a reason. She doesn't want us..." he said before he fainted.

Eian's head snapped up; he sensed a disturbance in the office floor above. A quick whiff told him that Dominic was in danger. He was rushing towards the elevator when he saw Sydney coming out, looking somewhat sad. He knew that Dominic was in danger but something made him stop to talk to her.

"Miss Sandilands, have you seen Dominic today?" he asked. He had a hunch and somehow it felt as if Sydney was the answer.

She gave him a shocked look before shaking her head.

"Would you mind accompanying me upstairs? There's something important I need to do. Would you help me?" he smiled as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned her head slowly to him and nodded.

He was thankful that she didn't put up much of a resistance but followed him soundlessly to the eleventh floor. The moment the lift opened, Eian's senses perked up; Dominic was unconscious!

"Hurry!" he exclaimed as he pulled her hand to make sure she was keeping up with his pace. Tapping his access card, he opened Dominic's office door and rushed to pick up his friend.

Sydney stood at the door shocked and unable to move. How long had he been unconscious? She knew that he was going to find her after work. Why didn't she just wait for him? Feeling guilty, she covered her face to stop herself from crying.

"Sydney," called Eian in a controlled voice. He was trying to remain calm for everyone's sake. "Sydney, please take my phone from my pocket and call 'Dr. Amber'. Tell her I'm coming over in ten minutes. Tell her that Dominic has fainted," he instructed as he lifted Dominic in his arms. Sydney nodded and quickly rushed to take his phone from his pocket. She couldn't believe that Eian had just picked up a full grown man and carrying him without any effort!

Dominic! Can you hear me? Don't you die on me, I'm warning you! Dominic!

Eian saw that Dominic was still not moving but he sensed the wolf inside him battling to keep his human soul alive. Sydney was trotting along behind him now and without him telling her, she got to the backseat and offered her arms to hold Dominic while Eian drove. With a raised eyebrow, he allowed her to do so before getting to the driver's seat. Was the Casanova finally tamed? Eian gave an amused smile as he started the engine.

He was driving as fast as he could within the speed limits but he could not help himself from looking at the rear-view mirror every now and then to observe the couple at the backseat.

"Sydney... what's holding you back, really?" he asked, much to her surprise.

"I... I don't understand, sir. What are you talking about?" she stammered. Eian let out a laugh.

"You should really consider having his babies you know," he said in an amused tone as if to tease her.

"What! With this two-timing son of a... No way! As if I'd ever fall for his tricks," she said with a huff. Eian smiled but didn't say anything else. If his hunch was right, those two would probably be together tonight. That would mean he would have to make the trip up north by himself.

When they finally reached the medical centre, Eian once again carried Dominic inside with Sydney trailing behind him. Amber had been on standby and went straight to check his vitals after shooing everyone out of the emergency ward.

Confident that his friend was now in capable hands, Eian led Sydney out to the cafeteria. She sat down uncomfortably opposite him but didn't say a thing even when he placed a cup of coffee in front of her.

"You know... Dominic has been my childhood friend since a long time ago so I know him very well. He thinks he's quite a cool guy with his brashness but really, that's just his way of showing affection," said Eian as he leaned back and sipped his coffee. "He must have been pretty nasty to you, from what I was told."

Sydney blushed slightly at his words but didn't reply him so he continued.

"I don't usually allow relationships within the office; the employee will be transferred to another department or sacked on the spot," he said casually, noting the look on her face and saw that she caught the bait.

"No, please Mr. MacFarlane! I promise you, it won't happen again," she said desperately, trying to appeal to his better judgment. Eian smiled and patted her hand on the table.

"So you admit that you've been sleeping with the CEO?" he asked with an amused smile. Sydney nodded. She couldn't believe her boss was interrogating her with that smile on his face! It made it even more frightening.

"I see... then why are you denying him?" he asked as he put his cup down.

"Denying him?" she replied, confused.

"His babies of course," he said in a sudden cold tone. Sydney immediately leaned back in shock. "Heh, I'm just kidding!" he said and burst out laughing.

"Sir!" she exclaimed.

"Ah... Dominic's quite a hot head at times, I know... but he'll make a good and strong father. So you shouldn't deny him should he wish to be with you," he said after awhile.

"That's the problem sir... I know he is a good and strong father. I know because I overheard him talking to his pregnant wife. Maybe you don't really know him as well as you think..." she said with a sigh. Eian frowned at her words before realization settled in.

"I see... but I'm afraid you're mistaken Sydney. The only pregnant woman that Dominic would ever care for and love is his sister, Pearl. Why don't you ask him about it when he's conscious later? He'll probably tell you she's a pain in the ass but that's just his way of saying he loves her," Eian said as he patted her shoulder one last time and walked away, leaving Sydney to her own thoughts.

***

When his car pulled into the castle grounds, he was immediately escorted by Vampire knights and guards into the castle itself. Eian didn't really like the extravagant reception and couldn't help but feel slightly trapped. He was surprised as well that the guards did not escort him into the drawing room where he usually met Aramis but to a great hall which had been decorated and bedecked with finery fit for a Lord.

When he entered, he saw that the hall housed a fine crowd of what looked like Vampire nobles, whom all bowed or curtsied as he strode past. Eian was liking this less and less.

"Your Grace... we are so honoured to have you here with us," greeted Aramis as he stood up from his seat. "Please, this way..." he bowed and ushered Eian towards a chair at a long dining table. When he finally sat down, the others did as well.

"Culzean, I am certainly not pleased at such a reception," said Eian softly but the silence in the room seemed to make his words echo loud and clear. He could feel the sudden tenseness in the room.

"My apologies Your Grace, shall... shall I do away with all this... preparations?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lord Culzean. I am very touched at your gesture... but I cannot help but feel that you have planned to trap me into something that I do not wish to be a part of," he replied in a cold flat voice.

"Your... Your Grace!" exclaimed Aramis as he caught Eian's eyes and saw the coldness and hardness in them.

Eian gave a sigh and stared at the food placed in front of him. This was definitely a trap. Vampires don't even eat human food and yet there is enough food on the table to feed a hundred people. Culzean was definitely trying to impress him... but for what?

"I will... eat," he said finally, much to the relief of the others in the room. As he was served an assortment of meat, he noticed how he was the only one eating; the others were merely sipping from their goblet, trying not to look at his direction. He lifted his gaze for a moment and from the corner of his eyes, he saw something that caught his attention. Who was that woman sitting beside Culzean and his sons? Surely that old Vampire did not marry again?

Eian continued to eat slowly until his plate was clean before pushing it away from him. As the servants gathered to clear his plates, he noticed that they began clearing the clean plates of the others as well.

"I have been welcomed and dined... is there anything else you wish for me, Culzean?" said Eian as he turned his head slightly to his left.

"Your Excellency... your pleasure flatters me," he said with a small nod.

"I am here to bring home the girl, Culzean... Where is she?"

"Your Excellency, please grant me this speech first for it is very important to me," replied Aramis looking kindly at Eian. Then he turned to the others at the table. "Today I am most grateful to have family and friends here at my castle to commemorate a very special day in my life. I have lived long and though I have two sons, I was never blessed with a daughter. However, today, I am proud and extremely happy to present to you my granddaughter; a woman of my own bloodline... a true awakened Pureblood..." Aramis turned his head to the right and beamed at the woman beside him. "My granddaughter: Lady Fiona Culzean of Soran."

The room burst into applause as the woman rose to give a delicate curtsey- first to the table, then specifically to Eian. As her blue eyes pierced through his gaze, Eian knew he was going to be trapped forever. He had no idea that an awakening would hasten the child's growth by this much! Here was a full grown woman, possibly in her prime and with that unnatural beauty and youth that Vampires seem to have.

His confusion seemed to disappoint her for a flicker of sadness flashed in her eyes before she turned away to sit down.

"Your Excellency..." said Aramis, trying to catch Eian's gaze. "Your Excellency... I know fully well the circumstances in which this woman came into my custody. And now that she had awakened and is of my bloodline, I would like to propose to you..."

Eian was not listening anymore. He started to get up, wanting to get away from the Vampires; get away before he slit each and everyone of their throats. He stormed towards the big doors in spite of Aramis's calls to him. How could he do this to him? How could he not have warned him earlier of what an awakening would mean? The guards at the doors seemed fearful of him and had stepped aside, allowing Eian to open the door handles on his own.

However, as his hands turned the handle, a fair hand laid gently on his wrist. He didn't want to look at her; didn't want to acknowledge that she had managed to stop his outrage. He felt her kneeling beside him as her hands clung desperately to his wrist.

"Please..." she sobbed.

Eian felt his heart breaking slowly at the sound of her tearful plea but he still didn't look at her.

"Keiran... Please forgive this old man's desires," said Aramis as he came close and gently laid a palm on Eian's shoulders.

"How could you do this to me Aramis..." said Eian after awhile as he felt his anger slowly melting away. He gently pulled Fiona up from her kneeling position but didn't make a move to hold her.

"Once again, I pray that you forgive me... For centuries I have always tried for a daughter but to no avail. This child here means the world to me and I want no other person to be with her, but you... my old friend."

"This was all a ploy Aramis and I stepped right into it. I came here trusting that you would feed her but you awakened her instead without telling me the consequences... and it was all in hopes for a political alliance, isn't it?" said Eian, his voice growing colder. "You want her to inherit my title too and knowing full well that Werewolves and Vampires cannot mate, you plan for her to Sire some other child, thus allowing your bloodline to successfully and legitimately hold the throne. No, Culzean." With that Eian let go of Fiona's hands and pushed the doors open and left.

Fiona had fallen to her knees again and was crying as the sound of Eian's footsteps faded away.

"There, there my child... shh..." said Aramis in an attempt to soothe her. It was only when Alaron came to her side that she stopped crying. Aramis watched his son soothe the woman and led her away from the hall.

When he had settled her in bed, Alaron sat on the chair beside it with a curious look on his face.

"Do you want me to go after him and kill him?" he asked. Fiona's eyes flared wide open and she threw a pillow at him.

"Don't you dare Al!" she screamed.

"Fi... the guy just dumped you!" he retorted, throwing the pillow back at her.

"He... he... he's just confused!"

"Yeah right... a confused, pompous prick."

"Al! Don't say that about him!" she hissed.

"Ya, whatever," he said with a casual flick of his hand. "I'm going to my room now. Do you think you'll be okay?"

Fiona's eyes widened and stared at him innocently before she shook her head.

"God... you're such a baby!" he snapped but settled himself on the floor at the side of her bed.

"Thank you..." she whispered into the dark and drifted of to sleep. Alaron kept his eyes open as he lay on the floor, staring onto the dark ceiling. Somehow over the weeks he began to feel protective over the girl who then grew steadily into a woman. Although her hair was pure white, she looked so much like his mother that it was painful to look.

***

It had been a tough night for Dominic for his fever escalated beyond the normal human limit of 107 degrees. Amber had administered him fluid drips and some aspirin although a nurse was told to sponge his body every one to two hours to try and reduce the temperature. Sydney had not been allowed inside as she was not family and also because Amber wasn't going to allow humans within the range of a sick wolf, else he shift and frighten her. In fact, Dominic had shifted at least twice when his human body could no longer tolerate the abnormal body temperature.

It was slightly after 8pm when Pearl came into the medical centre with her husband Mike. She didn't even notice Sydney sitting outside the ward but had rushed to forcefully open the door with the strength of a nine month pregnant woman. It took her husband, Amber and another nurse to fully calm her down before she was let in. She was warned specifically not to attack her brother or else she'd have to be forcefully restrained.

"If I told him once, I've told him a thousand times!" she nagged as she entered the room with Amber as a guardian; her voice, echoing in the corridors until the door was fully shut.

Sydney who was sitting outside was clearly in shock at the scene that just happened but was trying to hold back her laugh at the thought of Dominic being nagged to death by his sister.

"You a friend of Dom?" asked Mike as he took a seat beside Sydney. Sydney turned to see a big burly man looking at her with a wide smile. He seemed kind and gentle despite his size so she relaxed and nodded her head.

"I'm his colleague. He sort of fainted at work so Mr. MacFarlane and I drove him here," she said before thrusting out her hand, "I'm Sydney by the way and you are?"

"My name is Mike... and I'm a MacFarlane too. But everyone calls me Big Mike. The woman you saw just now was my wife and the lucky fella inside is her brother. So, why don't you go home now that his family's here?" he asked kindly although he already knew the answer.

"Uh... it's okay... I'd like to stay," replied Sydney. "I guess it's kinda my fault..."

Mike didn't ask her why though but kept quiet. He could sniff out Dominic's scent all over this woman and guessed that they probably had a quarrel resulting in Dominic's fever. So instead of making her feel worst, he decided to offer her some food.

"Here, have a sandwich. Pearl made it so it's got to be really good. You really should get some food in your system if you plan to stay here all night little lady."

Sydney looked into the man's eyes and smiled, "Thanks Big Mike... Do you know when they'll let me go in and see him?" she asked after taking a bite.

"Give me a minute; let me go and check."

Mike made sure that the door was secured and closed before he spoke, "Is Dominic here well enough to see visitors?"

"No he isn't, Mike... just look at him! He has fur all over his body."

"Oi, Dom! Wake up. I know you're awake... little miss strawberry is outside waiting for you so you'd better get a grip of yourself," said Mike in what sounded like a joke and an order.

"Honey, what is going on here?" asked Pearl with her hands on her hips.

"The woman sitting outside is this fella's mate, whether he admits it or not. Just go and scent her for god sake!" laughed Mike as he took Pearl by her arm and dragged her out. "Come on now pregnant mama, time to go home..."

Sydney got up as Mike and Pearl came out and for a second she caught Pearl's intense gaze before it became soft and teary.

"Oh darling," sobbed Pearl as she brought Sydney close and hugged her, shedding tears as she did. "You have to see him soon..."

"For goodness sake... you make it sound like he's going to die! Don't worry Sydney, he's fine. You just ask the Doctor if you can go in soon okay? I've got to take the crying woman home. I'll see you around soon!" he said as he waved her goodbye.

Sydney sat down again, patiently waiting for the Doctor to come out from Dominic's ward. It was then that she realized how all of them seem to have MacFarlane as their surname. It was strange but it was also the case in the office. They must have a really big family; bigger than hers it seems.