“Yes, Sir, we’ll have everything ready.”
Chevalier shut his cell phone and slammed it down on the table, shattering it into several pieces. His eyes burned with rage.
After a few minutes, he was able to regain control. He had to tell Emily he was leaving again, this time for longer, and he could only imagine how she was going to take it. She emerged from the bathroom, still sulking, but she froze when she saw him.
“What’s wrong?” She stayed back away from him.
“I have to go away for a few days.” He stood up but noticed that she took a step back.
“I’ll come with you.”
“You can’t. I need you to stay here.”
Her eyes narrowed, “Is this about me?”
“No, Emily, it’s just something I have to do. You’ll be safe here, and I’ll be back before you know it.” He tried to reassure her with a smile.
“Is Storm going?”
“Yes”
“Well, of course she is. Won’t matter, I’m leaving today anyway.” She headed over and zipped her suitcase shut.
“Emily,” he said, his shoulders slumped. “Please don’t do this, just stay until I get back.”
“Why should I, Chev? This has all been a misunderstanding, and if I get back now, I can let Kyle go and get back to the ranch where I belong.” She was watching the floor.
“It’s already gone, the ranch has been sold.”
She looked up at him suddenly, angry that the tears were flowing so easily in front of him. She fought to keep the tears out of her eyes but wasn’t having any luck, “It’s gone?”
Chevalier nodded.
She turned away from him as the tears started flowing more easily.
He silently moved up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, “Emily…”
She jerked out from his grasp, still not turning around.
“Emily, just stay here, I beg you. When I get back, we’ll figure things out.” He granted her wish not to be touched.
She mumbled something quietly under her breath, but he caught it, “If you come back.”
“Just a few days… I’ll be back, I promise. Why don’t you enjoy yourself? Go out and look around the city, it’s safe for you now.”
She shrugged and halfway nodded.
Chevalier took one step toward her and then reconsidered and left her alone in the large room.
As soon as the doors shut, she grabbed a nearby vase and threw it against the doors, shattering it in a violent crash. The sound made her feel a little better, but she quickly realized she was yet again alone.
Emily sat on the bed and looked around. She started to feel uneasy and bored in the room. She sighed and headed out the doors, determined to look around on her own.
Anna met her gaze as she left the bedroom, “Yes, Lady Emily?”
She ignored the title, “You get a day off, Anna.”
“Pardon me?” Anna asked politely.
“A day off… no following me around? Go home… visit family…”
Anna looked at Emily, confused.
“It’s a hint, Anna, I’m exploring alone today.” Emily cursed under her breath as she reached for the door and it opened before she reached it. The heku outside her door bowed to her again.
“And stop bowing!” she screamed at him.
She could feel Anna and the door heku watching her as she left the hallway. Emily looked both directions and decided that left looked interesting. The entire place seemed abandoned. She couldn’t see a single living thing, but she knew they were there, hiding from her for some reason. Maybe it was Chevalier’s idea of privacy, but for her, it was just creepy.
Some of the doors were locked, but most opened up into rooms that were breathtakingly beautiful, yet smaller than the one she was in currently. She found a library. It was as large as the city library in Great Falls, but the books were all older and didn’t fall into any organization as far as she could tell. She accidentally ran into the kitchen again, and not feeling hungry, she just shut the door.
It had been hours she’d spent going through the castle, opening doors, exploring old rooms full of antiques and art. As she rounded a dark corner, she screamed, and then laughed at herself when she recognized the suit of armor in the shadows. She studied the armor for a moment, as she reached out to touch it, a hiss sounded from the shadows nearby. She drew her hand back and turned to the noise but couldn’t see anyone there.
She screamed again as a voice sounded behind her, “Emily?”
Emily spun, ready to attack, but calmed instantly, “Kyle!”
He grinned at her, “I have something for you, please allow me to show you.” He motioned down an adjacent hallway.
She followed him through the confusing hallways, “Kyle? Is it… well is it all gone?”
He nodded to her.
Another large door opened with invisible hands, and they stepped out into the bright sunlight of day. Kyle immediately pulled on sun glasses and began to walk across a lush yard toward outbuildings. Emily had to almost run to keep pace with him. As they came closer to the building, she noticed it was a barn, and her hopes began to grow.
“Do you have animals here?” she asked, getting excited.
“Not many, but we are getting more soon.” Kyle opened the large door and let Emily inside.
Emily froze and her entire body suddenly erupted with emotion, “Patra!”
She ran to the mare, and wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck. Patra responded by picking at Emily’s red hair with her mouth. Emily pressed her face into the horse’s powerful neck and let the tears go. When she regained some composure, she turned to Kyle, who was standing still by the door, trying not to watch them.
Kyle barely had time to react as she ran and threw her arms around him, “Thank you, Kyle, thank you.” The tears were streaming again.
Kyle stood still, his eyes darted around to make sure no one was watching. He wasn’t sure how Chevalier would take the situation. They had all been issued strong orders not to touch Emily.
His shirt now wet with tears. He gently pulled her off of him and moved a step back, “Just a gift, Lady Emily. I thought you might enjoy a taste of home. I put some personal items in the barn’s storage shed also.”
Kyle’s eyes were understanding and deep with wisdom. Emily could tell that he was exceedingly old. His eyes told a story of things known only to those with a long history.
“Let me get you a saddle,” Kyle said, heading toward a side room in the barn.
“No thanks, Kyle, I have this.” With one quick jump, she was on Patra, leaning over and hugging the horse again.
“Very well, is there anything else you require? Shall I ride with you?” He hesitated, it seemed innocent enough, and he worried about sending her out alone, but it was well known that the girl belonged to the Chief Enforcer.
“Oh please, come with me!” She sounded truly excited.
Kyle nodded and proceeded to saddle a beautiful buckskin mare. Only a few minutes had passed before he was on the horse, looking graceful and comfortable, “Shall we?” he asked, heading out the barn door.
The ride was just what she needed. The mesa was large enough to break into a full gallop, and she enjoyed the feel of the wind through her hair. The freshness of the air was exquisite and she instantly felt better. Kyle kept up with her easily, never speaking, and letting her lead the way. Emily brought the horses to the tree line and then set out along the edge of a small forest.
Kyle saw him an instant before Patra reacted. He yelled at the strange heku, but it was too late, the horse was startled. Patra reared up to paw at the stranger, whinnying loudly. The sudden change sent Emily off the back of the mare, and she landed with a thud on the ground. In less than a second, Kyle was off his horse and had the intruding heku by the neck, a fierce growl erupting from deep within him, and the young heku was terrified.
Emily sat up slowly. It all happened so quickly, that she wasn’t sure what was going on. He
r head throbbed where she’d hit the ground and when she touched it, her hand became wet with blood. She covered the gaping wound with her hand and stood up, steadying her feet underneath her.
“Kyle, don’t, it’s ok,” she said, seeing the seething way that Kyle was watching the new heku.
Kyle stiffened and smelled the air, then spun on Emily, his hand still wrapped tightly around the other heku’s neck.
Emily recoiled back a step, Kyle’s eyes were fierce, “Get back to the barn,” he ordered.
“Let him go, please.” She could tell by the look on the strange heku’s face that he was on the brink of death.
Emily met the new heku’s eyes and saw something that made her fear him, he was watching her, his breathing was fast and his lips were drawn back into a grimace. Suddenly, he was fighting to get to her, Kyle’s hands the only thing restraining him.
“Now!” Kyle yelled at her.
She was on Patra quickly and kicked her hard into a gallop, racing for the barn, too afraid to look back. Once in the safety of the barn, she dismounted and tied Patra to a post. She could hear a sharp inhale from the shadows around her and she ran, without thinking, trying to make it back to the house.
The house full of heku.
She froze halfway between the barn and the house, suddenly unsure of where to go. She could feel the blood running down her neck and back.
Emily spun, the house was closest, the barn opposite it. To her left was an empty field, and to her right was a steep drop to the houses below. She couldn’t see anyone, couldn’t hear anyone, her senses heightened with fear.
Someone touched the back of her head and she turned on them. It was Anna, “Come, Child,” she said as she pressed a towel hard against the flow of blood from her head.
Emily couldn’t move. She watched the heku’s face to see if she was going to attack.
Anna just smiled warmly, but her teeth stood out sharply, “Please, come inside where I can look closer.”
Emily took a step away from her.
“It’s ok, Child, you can trust me, I won’t hurt you… please… Kyle has the other. He can’t get to you now.” Anna was holding a towel drenched in blood, but it didn’t seem to bother her.
Emily took one tentative step forward.
Anna smiled again and motioned for the door, “Come, you need to get that looked at.”
Emily realized that if Anna wanted to hurt her, she could do it outside. She didn’t feel she had an option other than to head inside with her.
Anna pressed the towel back to Emily’s head as they walked through the castle. They headed to the third floor, one Emily hadn’t been on, and she looked at Anna cautiously.
“There are some medical supplies up here, a precaution necessitated by your arrival,” Anna explained.
Anna led Emily into a small room that looked similar to a doctor’s office. She sat on a chair as Anna pulled back the blood matted red hair and hissed slightly, “He’s not going to be happy about this,” Anna said, mainly to herself.
Emily winced as Anna poured a stinging liquid into the cut, but it subsided and the pain numbed.
She could tell that Anna was trying to suture the cut, “Do you know what you’re doing?”
“Yes, I do,” Anna said, her voice light and comforting.
It was over in a few minutes and Anna was handing Emily a white pill, “Take this.”
Emily hesitated and looked up at Anna.
“It’s for the pain.”
She shook her head, “I don’t take pain medications.”
Anna frowned, “He won’t like it if you are in pain.”
“He,” Emily stressed, “Will have to live with it.”
A flash of concern crossed Anna’s bright face before the smile returned, “As you wish, let me take you back to your room, you might want to lie down.”
Anna was shaking. Emily caught it only briefly, but hopped down and followed Anna back to her room. She stepped inside, shut the doors, and looked around at the emptiness.
How had she gone from complete bliss to fearing for her life in an instant? Was this how her stay here was going to be? Chevalier assured her no one would attack her, yet he was out of the way for a day and it happened.
The sharp knock on the doors shocked her. She stared at them, unsure if she should open them or not.
“It’s me, Kyle,” the soft voice said from behind the door.
Emily relaxed, “Come in, please.”
She was glad to see him, happy to see him calm and relaxed. Emily smiled brightly when he stepped in and shut the doors. She was finally not alone, she was with someone she could trust.
“I came to apologize,” he said, wringing his hands.
“No… Kyle, that wasn’t your fault!” She was afraid he was going to apologize and then leave again. She took a step toward him.
He looked unsure and continued, “It was… I should have been closer to you. I could have stopped him before your horse reacted.”
Emily shook her head, “I don’t blame you, Kyle. Did you…” she said, and paused, “Where is he?”
Kyle watched her for a moment, “I left him for the Chief Enforcer to deal with.”
Emily’s eyes grew wide, “What will Chev do to him?”
Kyle shook his head, “I don’t know. It’s not up to me.”
Kyle bowed slightly and turned to leave.
“Stay, please,” she said, and took a step toward him.
He turned toward her slowly, “You wish for me to stay?”
A blush rose to her cheeks, “Yes.”
He thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
She smiled, “Tomorrow, can we try again… take the horses out?”
Kyle smiled warmly at her, “Anything you wish.”
Emily frowned, “It’s not an order, Kyle. If you don’t want to go then say so and I’ll go by myself.”
“No, it’s not that... Yes I do want to go.” He walked over to a plush chair and sat down.
She stood for a moment and remembered the blood in her hair, “Let me take a quick shower, you won’t leave though, right?”
“I will not.”
“Ok… I won’t be long.” She grabbed clean clothes and headed for the bathroom.
“Shall I get you something to eat?”
“I am kinda hungry.” She paused at the French doors and turned around.
“I will get Gordon to make you something, what would you like?” He moved so quickly that Emily’s eyes couldn’t see him. To her, he just suddenly appeared at the double doors.
“Something simple, tell him to surprise me.” She disappeared into the bathroom.
Kyle opened the doors and spoke to Anna, then returned into the now empty room. He walked the perimeter of the room, his senses reaching out for anything abnormal. As he passed the doors to the balcony, he stopped to lock them, and continued to survey the room. He paused for a moment outside of the French doors and briefly glanced over them.
He was startled to see her in the shower, the glass doors hiding nothing from his keen eyes. He marveled at her tone body, the soft whiteness of her skin, the perfect curves she hid beneath unflattering clothing. He inhaled deeply, salivating at the aroma of her blood and picturing the throbbing vein of her neck in his mind. Kyle jerked suddenly, aware of what he was doing, and then proceeded to ascertain if her room was secure. He cursed himself, that brief lapse in judgment could cost him his life. Chevalier made it abundantly clear that Emily belonged to him and was to be left alone, yet here he was, walking around her bedroom while she stood naked just a few yards from him.
“Much better,” she said, stepping out of the bathroom. She was brushing softly through her hair, making sure she didn’t brush near the stitches.
“Your meal should be here soon.” He felt like keeping formality would save him from further distractions.
Emily nodded and sat down next to him. Kyle stood up nervously and began to stoke the fire.
“May I a
sk you a question?” Emily asked.
Kyle nodded, still focused on the fire.
“What exactly were Chev’s orders? I mean… what did he tell everyone about me?” She waited for him to turn, but he sat where he was, facing away from her.
“I’m not sure he meant for you to hear them.” His tone was even and controlled.
“I’m sure he didn’t… but I still want to know.”
“Then, my Dear, you should take that up with him.”
Emily nodded, “Why is everyone so afraid of him? What has he done to command so much compliance?”
She could see that Kyle was smiling, “He is Chief Enforcer, which is enough.”
“Enforcing what exactly?”
“The laws and rules of the faction.”
“And what does he do if they aren’t obeyed?” She leaned toward him, anxious for an answer.
Kyle turned and looked at her, “You are full of questions, aren’t you? Again, something you should take up with him.”
Emily wrinkled her nose, “Faithful to the last drop. Have you ever defied him?”
Kyle’s mind quickly replayed the image in the shower, “No.”
“Hrm… dedicated.”
Kyle stood up and headed for the door.
“Please don’t leave,” she said, and stood up.
“I’m simply answering the door, your meal is here,” he told her, opening the double doors.
Emily hadn’t heard the knock. It was frustrating how much better they could hear than she could.
Kyle returned with a tray and sat it on the table by Emily’s chair. The smell of the food drifted up to her and she realized she was very hungry and the food smelled delicious. She looked down and gasped at the size of the hamburger and the mound of cheese covered fries beside it.
“Wow, Gordon must think he’s feeding an army,” she commented, stealing a French fry and savoring the taste.
“Are they to your liking?” Kyle sat down again.
“Oh… very much, these are amazing.” She picked up the hamburger and took a bite, chewing slowly. Suddenly, she felt awkward eating in front of him. She grabbed the plate and held it out for him.
Kyle chuckled, “No, thank you.”
Emily shrugged and set the plate back down, “What do you all eat anyway? I’d think with a thousand of you here it would be hard to keep the blood supply going.”
Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series Page 12
