Conner (Chapter Fourteen)

Seven hours and a hurried plane flight later, they arrived at Belfast airport.1

They had had to leave Erin's car at Newcastle Airport, although she had been quite sad to see it go. Because of this, Conner had suggested that they rent a car until they got to Forest Hall. He explained that he had a few cars of his own, and they could return it later.2

Their rented car was a small, but comfortable Toyota Yaris, in a deep blue paint. Conner drove again, speeding through lush hedgerows, tall oaks and sycamores, all watched over by an azure blue sky.3

Suddenly, Conner pulled off the road through a large gap in a yellow-stone wall. The ground below turned into bumpy rubble and tufts of grass, the trees around them turning into a dark, secretive canopy.4

"I thought it was a Hall? I was expecting a huge, winding driveway." Erin smiled, playfully prodding Conner on the arm. Conner chuckled, and tilted his head to look at Erin.5

"It is a Hall, but bear in mind it is a werewolf Hall. We weren't going to make it easy to find."6

"Ah." Erin nodded in understanding, and continued looking forwards. The canopy of trees eventually gave way to a large clearing filled with an abundance of weeds and wildflowers. The calming silence was beautiful in it's softness, transporting them back for a few seconds, to a quieter time when cars and mobile phones didn't interfere with people's lives.7

Rising above them, was an imposing, but grand looking grey-stone manor house. Brilliant red ivy creeped over it's face, casting a warm glow on the overgrown lawns below. It's gaping windows were each dressed with rich red curtains, pulled back with gold tassels, staring down at the small modern car that looked so out of place, pulling up onto the driveway that started just before the mansion.8

Small cherry and apple blossoms sat just outside the huge front door, lightly perfuming the air. Rose bushes all along the front of the Hall added an air of exquisite beauty. 9

"It's breathtaking." Erin breathed. Conner smiled, happily.10

"I think so too. It was my father's, but he hasn't been back for over a hundred years; I doubt he is ever coming back." He clicked the boot open, swung the driver's door open, and stepped out. He opened the boot fully, and began pulling their cases out.11

Erin slowly slid her seatbelt off, and gracefully stepped out of the car, still staring at the Hall.12

A face!13

Erin gasped. She was sure she had seen a face at one of the ground floor windows, a pale woman's face, surrounded by soft red hair...14

"Conner?" Erin asked, walking around the car, but keeping her eyes on the Hall's many windows. "This may sound silly, but would Fang be here?"15

"Fang? I don't think-"16

"Conner, I wasn't expecting you here!" Fang herself came sauntering out of the front door. 17

Conner stared in shock for a second, and then composed himself. "Um...hello, Fang. Why are you here?"18

"Conner..." Fang purred in her Irish lilt. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble between you and your little girlfriend-"19

"I'm not his girlfriend." Erin interrupted, folding her arms.20

Fang turned to look at her as though she had only just noticed she was there. "Oh. Oh! I see." Her face visibly brightened, and her attitude seemed to change towards Erin. She held her hand out towards her.21

"I think we got off on the wrong foot before-let's start over. I am Fang."22

Gingerly, Erin took the proffered hand, and shook it. "I'm...I'm, uh...Erin."23

"Erin." Fang smiled brightly at her, and then turned her attention towards Conner. "Conner...it's been such a long time."24

Conner eyed her cooly. "If you remember rightly, that is because the last time I saw you, you had cheated on me with eight other men."25

Fang pouted, still looking at him. "I'm sorry, you know I am. I only ever had eyes for you, I just wasn't myself."26

"Hmmm." Conner raised an eyebrow and looked at her sternly. "Is there anyone else here who we know?"27

Fang nodded, unsmiling. "Yes, a couple of people. Sukema, Demitri, and Matthew. They've been here for while."28

Conner nodded. "Fair enough. Make sure they know to stay out of our way as much as possible for a few days while Erin gets used to the place."29

Fang smiled, reasurringly-well, about as reasurringly as a crocodile would. "Of course. I'll do it now." She turned, and walked back in, winking at Erin as she breezed past.30

Erin stared after her retreating figure, and then turned to Conner, dumbfounded.31

"Well, that was...a lot different from last time. What a change."32

Conner shrugged. "That's what Fang is like. One moment she's happy, the next she's furious. She is very unpredictable."33

"That's encouraging." Erin muttered, picking up her case and dragging it towards the Hall.34

Inside, the Hall looked unlived in. Taking up most of the grand hallway was a large marble staircase, dulled after years of not being used. The floor was bare and wooden, varnished in some places, stripped in others. The walls had once been a soft gold colour, the paint now peeling off in chunks. The room was dingy, the windows in need of a clean. There were still red curtains at the windows, but close-up you could see there were moth holes and dust scattered over the once vibrant velvet.35

Conner stepped in after Erin, dropping the cases amid clouds of dust on the floor. He looked around him, hands on hips, and sighed.36

"It wasn't always like this, you know. When my father and I bought this two-hundred years ago, it was alive. We had balls, parties, org-" Conner stopped abruptly, and glanced at Erin.37

Erin sighed, smiling, and rolled her eyes. "Orgies. You were going to say orgies, Conner. Honestly, I'm not such a prude, you know."38

He grinned at her, devillishly. "Oh yes, I was going to say that." He gave her a quick look up and down, and then turned back to the hallway. Conner picked the cases up again, and began to walk into one of the rooms to the side. Erin picked her bag up off the floor, and followed him.39

Conner walked towards a door that looked a great deal more modern than the others, as it had a security keypad next to it. He punched in some numbers, then turned to Erin. "If you want to get into this door, the number is 1-7-5-9."40

Erin nodded. "What is the number? Sorry, I mean...does it mean anything to you?"41

Conner nodded. "Yes, it's the year 1759. It, well...it means a lot to me, that's all." He smiled, with an expression that said the conversation was over with, for now anyway. As the door swung open, they walked through into a very different side of the Hall.42

It had no natural light, but it was all lit up by crystal chandeliers placed along the passage. It had dark red walls with a dark wooden rail running along the middle of the walls, and a natural coloured carpet.43

As they walked along the passage, Erin could hear distant voices, murmuring, then getting louder so that she could actually hear words.44

"...won't do as they're told..."45

"...maybe we..."46

The passage suddenly ended, and they were looking in on what looked like a very cosy community room. there was a small beech and silver kitchenette along the back wall, with a large pine table and chairs. A large plasma screen television was up on the far wall, three bright red sofas surrounding it. On one of the sofas there were two people sat talking. One of them was a tall, black woman with raven-black hair in tight braids. She was talking to a tall, blond-haired man with glacier blue eyes, so blue they were almost white. Another man was stretching over a pool table, but stood up as they walked in. His hair, dyed a dark purple, fell over his eyes, deep green pools full of shadows.47

All of them ceased talking as Erin and Conner entered the room. Fang was nowhere to be seen. The woman stood up, glaring as Erin entered with Conner by her side.48

"Conner! Sorry, Sir, I mean...who is this? She smells human-why is she in here?" She spoke with a stong Nigerian accent.49

Conner grinned, broadly. "That is because she is human, Sukema. May I introduce my psychologist and friend, Dr Erin Miller."50

The three of them came forward, to get a better look at Erin. The fair-haired man came closer first, holding out his hand.51

"Pleased to meet you Erin, my name is Matthew." He said, in a mild Russian accent, lightly traced with Northern Irish. Erin nodded in response, and shook his hand.52

"It's lovely to meet you, Matthew." Erin was kind of glad he hadn't kissed her hand like Conner and Hector; it was refreshing to meet someone who had modern manners.53

The tall Nigerian woman, Sukema, was next, staring at Erin without smiling. She held out a hand, but it seemed quite cold. However, Erin looked into her eyes as she shook her hand, and noticed something soft and kind within them.54

"My name is Sukema. I'm the doctor around here, so if you have any medical problems, let me know."55

Erin nodded, smiling, and then looked towards the purple-haired man who was left. Erin went to hold her arm out, but he simply stared at it disdainfully, leaning on his pool cue.56

"I am Demitri. Don't expect to get to know me." Having said this, in his clear Irish tones, he turned and went back to the pool table. Erin stared at him, mouth ajar in surprise.57

Conner furred his brow, and a low growl escaped his throat, stopping the purple-haired stranger in his tracks. "Demitri, you will not be rude to Erin. She is my guest, be careful you treat her as such."58

Demitri nodded his head respectfully, but his eyes were full of resentment, darkening his glare.59

Erin looked up at Conner, who cleared his throat, and smiled at her, after casting an angry stare at Demitri.60

"I'll show you to your room, Erin, come on." He picked up the cases and began to walk towards a door at the far end, Erin following. As he walked past Demitri, he hissed, in a dark voice, "I'll have a talk with you later, Demitri."61

Erin noticed a flicker of fear in Demitri's eyes, which was replaced quickly by his usual defiant glare. She looked back towards Conner, and continued following him towards the unknown door.62

He opened the door, to reveal yet another corridor. This one looked darker than the first one, with dark purple walls and and a black carpet. It looked very mysterious, helped by beautiful silver swirls on the purple wallpaper, and delicate, white, frosted wall-sconces lighting the passage dimly. Along either side there were many doors, all dark wooden.63

Conner walked almost to the end, then swung one of the doors open, dropping the cases inside. Erin slowly walked in, and gasped.64

The room was beautiful. The walls were painted a soft jade green, panels of it outlined in gold filigree. The cream carpet was soft and plush, an ornate Victorian rug in the centre. A huge, cherry-wood four poster bed stood in the centre of the room, floaty cream curtains surrounding it. A dresser and dressing-table in matching cherry-wood adorned the room also, as well as a high-backed green armchair. The one thing that seemed out of place was a strange tapestry hanging on the wall. It dipicted what Erin first thought was a young girl being chased and caught by a wolf in the woods. But then, as she looked closer, she realised the girl wasn't been chased-she was smiling, and pulling the were-wolf closer...65

"This will be your room, I hope you like it." Conner turned to face Erin, and followed her gaze to the tapestry. "I'm sorry, I didn't know this was still in here, I'll have it removed-"66

"No, it's fine." Erin smiled at him, politely. Seeing his raised eyebrow, she continued. "Really, it's fine. It is only a picture. I'm a psychologist Conner, I've seen worse than that." She smirked at him, pulling her case up onto the bed.67

He shrugged, smiling. "I'm sure you have, Dr Miller. I shall leave it up then. This is the key to your room, if you choose to lock it." Conner dangled a small set of keys, setting it down on the dresser. "My room is just next door, and we share an en-suite. There is also a large bathroom at the end of the hall."68

"Okay, thank you." Erin smiled, gratefully. "I'll start unpacking then."69

Conner nodded. "I'll be back in a little while. I just need to have a word with Demitri." He stepped back outside the door, gently closing it behind him.70

Erin took another look around herself, smiling. It truly was a lovely room. She couldn't believe she was actually here, in this room, in Ireland. Everything had become so....blurred, messy.71

Sighing, she opened the door to the shared en-suite. It was cream, to co-ordinate with the bedrooms, and cosy looking. An elegant claw-foot bath was at the centre, surrounded by candles. A Victorian toilet and sink were also there, a gold-framed mirror hanging above the sink. Two fluffy, soft towels hung from a gold rail against the wall. 72

Erin walked further in, to look properly, but suddenly heard voices.73

"...it wouldn't..."74

"...I don't care, you..."75

Even though she knew she shouldn't, she quietly walked over to the door that led to Conner's room, and put her ear to the crack in the door. She recognised the two voices; one was Conner, the other was the defiant stranger, Demitri.76

"You do not, ever, do that! How dare you show me up in front of our guest-your own Alpha!"77

"I apologise, my Alpha, I simply don't understand why she is here-"78

"Are you questioning me?" Conner's voice lowered in volume, the quiet coldness of it sending chills up Erin's spine. She turned her eye to the tiny crack.79

Conner was stood facing Demitri, his eyes a cold, metal silver, his fangs sliding out dangerously. Demitri looked worried, but stood his ground, his voice shaking.80

"N...no, Conner, I was just wondering-"81

Conner closed the gap between them, and grabbed Demitri's throat. Erin gasped as Demitri was thrown the twenty feet or so across the room. She heard a sickening crack as he fell, Conner storming across the room towards him.82

"Remember who you are talking to." he hissed, angrily. "If you mess any of this up, your blood will decorate the walls!" 83

Erin flinched. She had never seen this side of Conner before. And what did he not want messing up?84

She suddenly had a sick feeling in her stomach, a nasty, dark, little parasite eating away at her insides. Erin suddenly wished she had stayed at her house...