Chapter 21

For three weeks Nicolae kept his promise to Elena and kept her so deliciously sore, in between risings. Her belly was forming ever so slightly and Nicolae could only beam at his lifemate. She was truly a blessing that he will always be thankful for.

"Nicolae, will you please tell me what this big surprise is! I have been ever so patient these past couple of weeks and I think that the suspense might actually kill me."

Nicolae looked at her deep green eyes and laughed. He wanted to tell her so badly but he couldn't afford to blow the one true gift he could ever give her.

Cara Mia, please just wait one more day. On the next rising we are going to start on a journey to my homeland where I will then give you your surprise. Elena just rolled her eyes and collapsed back into his arms on their bed. They had stayed in their bed chamber for weeks and only moved when Nicolae went to hunt.

"Alright, he-man. Just one more day, and next time…don't tell me I have a surprise and then not tell me what it is. It drives us women crazy when men do that."

"I know…" He purred the words over her skin and sent a ripple of pleasure right down her spine. He rested his head over top of her stomach and listened to their daughter move around inside her. She is beautiful you know…just like her mama.

I know she is. I am already bonding with her too. I think she just may be as stubborn as her daddy.

He looked up at her smiling face and tickled her hips. "I'll show you stubborn you disobedient woman."

She laughed so hard that she became too exhausted to move. "Alright…Alright, Nicolae, I give. Now go to sleep so we can get an early start tomorrow." She laid her head down on his shoulder and whispered against his chest that she loved him.

I love you more. The soil drifted the two bodies in the earth and then there was silence.

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On the next rising, the two made their way out of the woods and to the shipping dock in Jersey. Nicolae had destroyed all traces of the cave he had once lived in, and blocked off the once existing entrance so that no one would stumble upon it by accident.

Elena touched his mind and felt sorry for him. He had spent so much time working on his home only to destroy it to keep his race a secret.

Don't worry about it, Cara. I would much rather have you than a stupid home in a hillside…besides…it smelled funny and leaked in a rainstorm.

Elena laughed and tried to imagine Nicolae placing buckets around his home to catch dripping rainwater. She drew her arms up around her shoulders and stuffed her hands underneath her wool scarf. Nicolae wrapped his arms around her to help keep her warm.

"What no parka? Or cloak?" She asked teasingly.

"No, love…I know better this time. It will take us a couple of days to reach Romania by boat, so we will have to stay down in the storage part of the ship for protection."

Nicolae had made sure that no one would bother them during their rest and set a compulsion in the crew's mind to unbar the doors only when it turns dark at the docks. The black sea was smaller but they will still have to wait until dark to leave.

Nicolae sensed her doubt and shook his head at her. "When are you ever going to trust me Cara?"

She looked at him and gave him the look. "It's not that I don't trust you…I am just really afraid of boats. They give me the heebie-jeebies." She shivered and drew her knees up to her chest.

Nicolae just laughed and drew her closer to him. Well don't worry…I would never let anything harm you ever.

I know. She sighed.

Nicolae thought it best to change the subject before she started thinking of nonsense like drowning or sinking to her death. "So have you thought of any names you would like to name our daughter?"

She brightened visibly and turned in his embrace. "Well ever since I was a little girl I had this vision of what my grandmother looked like. And then later in my teenage years, when I learned to control my visions, I learned how to tap into my parents past lives." She sighed and looked up at the hulk of the steel ship and reminisced on her memories.

"She was very beautiful you know. She died when I was but an infant and then visions I would have of her would make me so happy. She used to cook pies all day and tell my mother that there was no possible way she could have done it without her. Of course my mother, as a child, was always underfoot and got into so much trouble at that age. But my grandmother always had a special bond with her."

A faraway look crossed her face, giving the impression that she was looking back at those times with happiness.

"And ever since the first memory I had of her…I have always told myself that one day I would give that name to my daughter." She drew in a deep breath of the stale air and rested her head back against Nicolae's shoulders.

"What was her name love?"

"Catharine. All of her old friends would call her Cat and I always thought that her name was so beautiful." She closed her eyes and started to relax, as the waves rocked them gently back and forth.

Catharine. Nicolae tasted the name on his tongue and thought a moment. He searched her mind of the memories that she spoke of and smiled. It will be a lovely name to a beautiful daughter.

Oh Nicolae…Thank you. They both drifted off to sleep and waited till they reached the cold shores of Europe.

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Gregori and Savannah waited impatiently by the coast to see their ship arrive. They had risen very early and thought that maybe the ship was delayed. But then their cargo ship with large red smoke exhaust vents pulled into the nearby dock and both bodies started to make their way over to the crowded pier.

"I detest such a confined space." Gregori grumbled as soon as the crowd started to swarm around them.

"Quit being such a baby…Besides maybe you would learn to enjoy life a little better if you would stop intimidating everyone you come in contact with." She rolled her eyes again only to have him tug on her long braid that swung low around her hips.

"It is my job to appear domineering and scary. I am the boogie-man of our race, remember?"

Yeah, keep telling yourself that. She received one more tug before she spotted her friend dressed in one of Nicolae's many fashion mistakes. She waved her hands around real high and started to call out her name.

Gregori pulled her arms down and put a hand over her mouth. "What are you trying to do? Quit drawing more attention to us than necessary." She nipped his hand and smiled at him before she ran into her friends arms.

Both women acted like school girls when they were around each other. And it was probably due to the fact that neither one of the women had ever had a true friend growing up.

Nicolae met with Gregori and they walked off together to get Elena's luggage and book collection. While they conversed on their own Elena pulled Savannah real close and asked her what surprise Nicolae was cooking up.

Savannah bit her bottom lip and shook her head at her. "No way…Gregori said that if I said one thing to you that he would name our son after a dead Viking who made his living getting drunk!"

"Ok. Ok…I won't bug you anymore. So tell me where are we going?"

"You'll see."

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Elena was still very new to the shape shifting thing and had only accomplished one or two forms, so when Nicolae said that they had to shift to an owl…she was less than enthusiastic about it. He held the image in her mind for her and she was off. She had never felt so free in all of her life. The one true feeling she would ever dream for was her freedom and as crazy as it was, Nicolae had given it to her.

She soared under Nicolae's wing as he guided them to his surprise for her. The other two birds glided off in another direction and Elena assumed that Gregori was taking them to his home. She followed patiently till they reached a wrought iron gate that had a dark angle on each side. The statues reminded her of the chapels of old Italy. She touched the cold stone and held her breath as she peered beyond heavy woods they guarded.

A warm glow showed through every window of what she could only describe as a castle. Its' stone walls welcomed her eyes and everything appeared to be new. She could still see loose soil at its base stones.

Nicolae walked up behind her and reached around the front of her and lifted her fallen chin. He leaned in close to the side of her head as he drew her into his arms. Do you like it?

The whisper in her mind was almost too much. She was trying to take the entire site in as something caught her eye. She looked harder but couldn't make it out until she got closer. Elena shifted into her mountain lion and started to sprint to the front of her new home.

Yup, that's what she thought. She had no sooner passed the last tree and saw a large tower on the east side of the estate. She looked behind her and glared at her lifemate. He wouldn't dare. "This better not be my surprise. I will not live in a tower."

He caught up to her and watched her shift back to a woman with her hands on her hips. He held both of his hands up in surrender and walked up to her not so warm stature. Nicolae swooped her up and walked her through the front doors of their new home. As they made their way to the east tower she had pictures of what her "dream room" would look like.

Nicolae glanced behind his shoulder and laughed at her. He stopped in front of the stairway entrance and held her hands in his hands. Flipping her delicate hands over, he placed a kiss in the exact center of each palm. Then he walked behind her all the way up the long stairway to the door of the tower's room. Elena creaked the door open and was shocked at what she found.

The moonlight light up a hand carved cradle in the center of the room. Nicolae waved his hand and instantly candles lit the rest of the room. She was so stunned that she couldn't speak. Stuffed animals lined the walls and soft colors welcomed the eyes. A cashmere throw was draped over the rocking chair in the corner and she walked up to it and held it close to her face. She couldn't help the tears that came down her face.

"Do you like it, love?" He asked as he walked up to the cradle, placing his large hand on the railing.

Elena clutched the soft fabric against her chest and turned to face the man that did all of this. "This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me."

Nicolae gave her a minute before he walked up to her and grazed her face with the back of his knuckles and drew her into the shelter of his body. "I am glad you like it, love." He whispered against her neck. "But this is not your surprise."

She silenced her tears and looked up to his gaze for an answer. He didn't give her a time to ask any questions as he hurried her through the stairwell and down the many corridors of their home.

She tried to take in the entire site and couldn't seem to memorize the layout of the building as they passed by so quickly. "Nicolae slow down! Or I'll never find my way back to the tower." He turned around and picked her up kissing her deeply like he hadn't seen her in weeks. She shut up instantly and opened herself to his kiss. She didn't even notice when he stopped and pinned her up against a set of large double doors.

Nicolae's hands pinned her so she had no choice but to welcome his kisses. She trailed her hands up underneath his shirt and he groaned deep in his throat as he stopped her halfway.

Elena looked at him funny. Is everything ok? That wasn't like her Nicolae. He always welcomed her touch. Always.

Yes I do…and I always will, but if you keep touching me then you won't get to see your surprise behind the door, because I will have to drag you to our bed chamber and keep you there till the next rising.

She smiled at him and kissed him on the nose before she turned in his arms and opened the door.

Savannah stood in the corner of the room beside a large framed mirror and a dressing screen. On the other side of the room was a dressing mannequin with a gorgeous white lace gown she thought of only seeing in her dreams. But there it was…right in front of her.

Savannah gave her a warm smile. She was dressed in a silk midnight blue gown and her long midnight hair was decorated in large ringlets and pulled half behind her head to frame her lovely face. She held two sets of flowers and motioned her to enter the room.

Elena was a bit confused. How did he know of her dreams and her wanting to get married? She hadn't even told him or even mentioned it to him. She turned around to ask him, but found emptiness. He was gone. She turned to look back into the long corridor and found no trace of him. Very slowly she entered the room again and shut the doors behind her. She picked up the first pillow she found and chucked it at a smiling Savannah.

Both women shrieked a bit and then started to fuss over the dress. "You should have told me what that silly man was planning."

"Now if I would have told you, you wouldn't have been surprised at all." She smiled slyly. In all of Elena's life she had wanted her fairy tale wedding, and now she was not only getting her wedding, but a castle and tower to match it.

She smiled deeply and let Savannah help her step into her vintage wedding gown. She was getting married.

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The walk down to the main atrium seemed like it had taken forever. Elena thought that her dream wedding was going to be big, but it seemed that it was going to be small and intimate. She couldn't have been more mistaken.

As Savannah opened the two French doors she heard chatter from many guests. She peaked around the corner and saw everyone she ever knew. All of her fellow working colleagues and an entire room of non other than Nicolae's friends and their lifemates.

Wow! Intense.

Savannah gave her a wink before the music started and she started down the isle as her bride's maid. Elena took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts before she started her long walk. She wished her father and mother were alive to see her now. She started to head for the door when she was stopped by a warm hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't think I would miss the most important day of your life did you?" The voice was shaky and familiar. She didn't have to face him to know who it was. She would know Chief Burn's voice anywhere. Tears filled her eyes and she faced him sharply with a hug. She sobbed lightly into his shoulder

"Shhh…don't cry, little one. This is your wedding day. Now buck up and put your game face on ok? You'll always be my girl and it would give me great honor if you would let me give you away today." She laughed at him and wiped away her tears and took his arm.

They started to walk down the isle when she whispered into his ear. "How did you know?"

"A very scary man came to my door and told me that you were getting married and that I was needed here as soon as possible. I had some vacation time coming up…so I used it. Oh and by the way…I met your fiancé and he is a real keeper. He will keep you safe."

She let his words sink in as he placed her hand in Nicolae's and kissed her on the cheek. "You look beautiful…I am so proud of you."

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The ceremony was beautiful and she will never forget the way Nicolae looked in a tux. He was her prince charming in every way she had ever dreamed he would be. He touched her hand as their guests were starting to depart to their sleeping rooms in the castle. "Were you surprised love?"

"In every way. Thank you for everything Nicolae. I will always remember how you made my fairy tale come true."

He looked at her through heavy eyes and backed her up against the closest wall. "I think it is time for us to retire to our bed chamber…I want to finish what we started back in the corridor."

She drew her arms up around his neck and let him pick her up and take her away. And it didn't occur to her until they met the basement corridor that she realized that she was going to live happily ever after.

Fin

Or is it...?

To Be Continued

(Author's Note)

Well what did you all think huh? I want to first start off by thanking all of my reviewers.

Mary Thank you for continuing with the story. I truly value your opinion as a reader.

J.W. Rosethorn What can i say...Your giddiness inspired a turn for the friendship i created between Savannah and Elena. Thank you.

Animecrow13 I am honored that you took the time to read and review on my story...when you have such a great one in progress! Keep up the good work by the way.

Knightgrl I want to thank you for your interest in my story. And for adding me to your list! which by the way you have a wonderful collection of stories! (I advise all of you to check it out! She has great taste!)

Nilimade Even though you didn't like my fic :-( I still value your opinion.:-)

And last but not in the least Cereta As my beta you have put up with all of my typos and errors and i thank you for that. I can't wait to tell you all about the new fic!

Now for the good stuff! What did you all think about the suprise? Good huh? Well that was Elena's suprise but i have one for you all as well...

Elena and Savannah are both pregnant right? well their children are going to be the next characters to the sequel of this story labled "Dark Fate". The names of the characters are going to be Addrick and Catharine.

Addrick, meaning "Dark", was given to me by my reviewer Elenemire. It is the perfect fit to the dark family This male character belongs too. Gregori and Savannah are both happy by the way, and they wanted me to tell you all.

Catharine, was given to me by my reviewer J.W. Rosethorn. This name was my grandmother's name and i loved her with every fiber of my body. I will actually be naming my daughter this one day. Thank you so much for remiding me and giving me reason to put it in my story.

So everyone I am sure you can guess that Miss Cartharine and Mr. Addrick are going to be lifemates...AND THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IT! BECAUSE THEY ARE BEST FRIENDS! haha! I love the way my mind works!

Anywho...stay tuned for my new fanfic sequel "Dark Fate" and enjoy!

Thanks again for all of the support!

Ashley