Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Of course,” Chevalier told her strongly.

  The Elders turned and talked among themselves while Kyle and Chevalier waited impatiently.

  When they turned back around, Elder Leonid stood, “We deem this needs further attention and have agreed that we will inform the Valle that Emily Russo is now under the protection of the Council, but will remain housed in your coven for now.”

  “For now?” Kyle asked, seething.

  “For now, yes,” the Elder confirmed.

  “She is my wife!” Kyle shouted.

  “That is all,” Selest said, and the Council filed out of the room.

  It wasn’t until they were back on the ferry that they spoke again.

  “A week of questions and all they can tell us is that ‘for now’ we keep her?” Chevalier grumbled.

  “I’d like to see them try to take her.” Kyle glared out the front window.

  “I won’t let them, that’s true.”

  “It’s been a long week, and I’ll feel better when we get back.”

  Chevalier nodded. He was always nervous when he left Emily, but in this instance, he was afraid if they had taken her, and the Elders had smelled her new enticing scent, that she wouldn’t have been free to leave. He knew Kyle feared the same.

  The Island came into view and the moonlight glittered off of the white sand. Once at the pier, Chevalier sped his Bugatti toward the castle. The guard opened the door for him and he stepped out.

  “Any news?” Chevalier asked.

  “Nothing from us, Sir,” he stated.

  “What does that mean?” Kyle turned on the guard, irritated.

  “There was one... incident, but it didn’t involve us.”

  “What incident?” Chevalier asked, taking a step toward the guard.

  “Lady Emily, she... we... she disappeared for two days.” The guard winced as Chevalier hissed.

  “What do you mean disappeared?” Kyle growled.

  “We couldn’t find her. She somehow slipped onto the ferry and visited the mainland for two days and then returned,” the guard said, fearing for his life.

  Chevalier disappeared angrily and blurred up the stairs, stopping in her ante-chamber. He spun to the corner and took a chilling step toward the young guard.

  “You lost her for 2 days?” he growled.

  “Y… Yes, Sir.” The guard recoiled.

  “How can you lose a mortal for 2 days?” He closed the gap quickly and pinned the guard to the wall, his hand around the guard’s neck.

  The guard tried to speak, but no words came out.

  “You had one task… one simple task, and you failed me,” Chevalier hissed irately.

  “Sh… she climbed out the balcony.”

  Chevalier threw the guard at the door and whispered, “Get out.”

  The guard disappeared quickly, rubbing his neck.

  Chevalier turned angrily to the bedroom and stepped inside. Suddenly his senses were assaulted and the predator surfaced quickly. He fell into a crouch, his mouth salivating at the incredible scent in the room. A hiss escaped his mouth as he stepped toward the bed, the smell coming at him faster. The sight of her wrenched Chevalier to his senses and he cringed at how close he came to attacking her.

  The desire for her blood was staggering. The strong smell in the room was more intoxicating than ever before, and he felt the burn in the back of his throat grow stronger, the longer he was in her presence. Fighting against his natural instincts, he backed out of the room and shut the door, blocking most of the painful scent. Chevalier fell to his knees and panted, fighting every intrinsic need he had to feed. After a few minutes, he was able to stand again.

  “It gets worse when she sleeps,” the soft voice said, and he spun around, crouched to attack. Anna held a hand up to him, “I’m not after her.”

  Chevalier winced and stood up, “What’s happening?”

  “I don’t know, Sir. The… shall we say… aroma, grows stronger when she sleeps. I had to ban anyone from entering her room at night as soon as I noticed it was apparent to all of us.”

  He was slowly regaining his control, “I take it that’s when she snuck out on the balcony?”

  “That was my fault then, if a fault needs to be blamed. I couldn’t risk harm to the Child, but the pull of her blood is too strong…”

  “It’s ok, Anna, I don’t blame you,” he said, sitting down in a chair by the fire.

  Anna sat down beside him, “It’s not as bad during the day, but it is still strong and I’ve had to let two house servants go.”

  “What happened?” He had a hard time getting angry, how could he when he had almost attacked her himself.

  “Just a hiss, Sir, but I couldn’t have that. Most of us are able to turn away from her and are able to control ourselves. You have very loyal followers, Sir,” Anna tried to reassure him.

  “Does she know?”

  “No, Sir, she spends enough time outdoors that we were able to handle things ourselves in here, and my orders to stay away from her room weren’t hard for anyone to obey. They would rather avoid her, than hurt her.”

  “I need to find a way to be with her at night, or she’ll know something is wrong,” he spoke mostly to himself.

  Anna watched him in the firelight.

  “What did she do on the mainland? I’m surprised she wasn’t attacked.”

  “No one dared ask her, it’s none of our business,” Anna explained, and he knew she was right. Chevalier could understand why her absence was never questioned.

  He shut his eyes and reached out to her, he could feel she was having a restless night. She felt uncomfortable and alone.

  He sighed, “I need to be in there.”

  Anna nodded and stood up, “Follow me, Sir.”

  Chevalier didn’t hesitate. He followed Anna from the ante-chamber and down the hallway, never once questioning where he was going. She led him to the servant quarter’s area and into a tiny room. The room was painted orange, and the small bed was pushed off to the side. There was still barely enough room for the little chairs that sat around a small round table.

  A mortal sat on the bed as they stepped inside, “Feed first, Sir, which may help.”

  She motioned to the young man on the bed and he held his wrist up to Chevalier.

  In an instant, Chevalier had a vice grip on the donor’s hand and his teeth were sunk deeply into the flesh of his wrist. He hated the taste of mortal men’s blood, but the strong desire to feed was left over from his brief period in her room. He pulled away when his instincts told him he’d had enough and he gasped. His mind was honed in on the beast, and it was firmly locked away. Chevalier was ready to try again.

  Anna waited in the ante-chamber, “I can’t come in there if you fail, Sir.”

  Chevalier nodded. He knew what she meant by fail, and his insides twisted at the thought. He also knew no heku could help him if the predator won out over his control.

  Bracing himself, he stepped into her bedroom and the door shut quickly behind him. The abrupt assault came again as soon as he was in the room, and he turned away from her, hoping to lessen the desires but her scent was coming from all around him. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he fought to gain control of the natural predator that threatened to strike. Chevalier exhaled and opened his eyes, then turned to look at her.

  She was lying half in and half out of the covers. Her thin nightgown wasn’t enough to keep her warm in the chilly night air, yet she was covered in sweat. Her supple lips were moving slightly. She was whispering in her sleep, but her words made no sense to him. Chevalier took a chance and moved a step closer to her, the smell became stronger. He fought the need to inhale deeply and took short panting breaths through his mouth, but even the taste of the air was exquisite to him.

  Chevalier forced himself to sit on the edge of her bed, keeping a close eye on the predator inside of him, he seemed to have regained control.

  Emily stirred when he sat down, and her eyes slowly opened. She smile
d and threw herself into his lap, her arms around his neck. His teeth began to ache for blood as her exposed neck came dangerously close to his mouth. He pulled from millennia of experience to control himself and when his mind overpowered his body, he held her tightly.

  “I missed you,” he whispered into her ear.

  “I’m so glad you’re back.” He felt his shoulder become wet with her tears.

  “Emily what’s wrong?” He pulled her face back with his hands and looked as her green eyes swam.

  She shook her head and laid her forehead on his chest, “I’m afraid.”

  Chevalier wondered if Emily noticed more than Anna had been aware of, but he couldn’t be sure, “Of what?”

  She pulled closer to him and cried softly, suddenly falling still as she fell asleep against his chest.

  He found it easier to be near her, now that he’d become accustomed to the strong scent, and he held her. As she slept, he watched her face and again marveled at her intense beauty. Emily wasn’t restless in his arms.

  She didn’t start to wake up until almost noon. She gripped him tighter as she became aware of how he still held her, “I thought I’d dreamed you came home.”

  Chevalier smiled, “I’m here now.”

  “It’s been a long week,” she whispered.

  “Are you going to tell me what you were afraid of last night?”

  “No,” she said, nestling her head in the crook of his neck.

  He laughed, “Alright, then do you want to tell me what you were doing on the mainland for 2 days by yourself?”

  “You know about that, huh?”

  “Not a lot happens around here that I don’t know, and I can’t believe you climbed out of a second story balcony.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “It wasn’t that hard, I knotted sheets. Besides, I get the impression that I’m being avoided around here for some reason. Gordon’s even started leaving my trays out in the ante-chamber,” she sighed.

  “Yes, well, I’ll explain that once I know the reason. So what did you do on the mainland?” he asked again.

  “I went to visit someone.”

  “Oh? I didn’t know you knew anyone close enough to visit and get back in two days.” He felt she was leaving something out.

  “I do,” she whispered.

  Chevalier lifted her chin with his hand so she was looking into his yes. He hated how her eyes were fearful, “Tell me.”

  She swallowed hard.

  “Did someone do something to you that you aren’t telling me?”

  Emily squeezed her eyes shut and whispered, “I’m pregnant.”

  Chevalier’s mouth fell open, his eyes wide, “What?”

  She didn’t answer him, but turned her eyes down toward the floor.

  “Are you sure?” He was stunned.

  She nodded.

  “But... but the doctors…” He didn’t know what to say.

  “Were wrong,” she said softly, still looking at the wood grain pattern in the floor.

  Chevalier placed a hand on each side of her head and forced her to look at him, when their eyes met, he pressed his lips against hers and then hugged her tightly. She melted into his arms and kissed him deeply, tears still streaming down her face.

  He pulled his face away from hers and looked into her eyes, “This is what you were afraid of telling me?”

  She nodded.

  He grinned, “I’m going to be a father.”

  Emily nodded again and gasped as he kissed her fiercely and suddenly she felt things were right.

  Sneak Peak : Valle (Book 2 of the Heku Series)

  Emily stretched out on the large bed and realized she was alone. She sat up and searched the bedroom, but didn’t see him. She sighed and laid back down, the bed felt amazing this morning and she didn’t want to get up. Only a few minutes later, she stumbled out of bed and ran into the bathroom.

  Morning sickness had gotten stronger over the last few days and she’d spent a good part of her day sitting on the cold tile floor. Chevalier didn’t know, she’d managed to keep it from him. She was afraid of how he would react even though it was perfectly normal.

  “Em?” Chevalier called into the room.

  Emily cleared her throat and called back to him, “Will be out in a sec.”

  “I have some breakfast for you, Gordon sent up biscuits and gravy.” She heard the sound of a tray being placed on the small table by the fire.

  Emily fought against the lurch in her stomach at the thought of gravy, but it was too much and she turned back to the toilet.

  “Emily?” She heard him run into the bathroom, his voice was worried.

  “Go away,” she managed to finally say.

  “Can I get you something?” He knelt down by her as she laid her cheek on the cold tile floor.

  “Get that food out of here,” she told him and shut then her eyes.

  Chevalier sighed, “Maybe you should see the doctor.”

  “I’m fine. Just don’t bring food into the bedroom.” She wished he would leave so she could take a nap on the cold floor.

  He was out the door and removed the tray from the room, then returned to her side before she even realized he’d left.

  “Let me put you to bed,” he said, sliding his hands under her.

  “No, this feels better.” She moved her face to a new spot and sighed as the cold tile cooled her cheek.

  He watched her for a few minutes, wishing there was something he could do.

  “Go away,” she said again.

  “If you need me, just call,” he told her as he left, hesitantly.

  Chevalier stepped into the ante-chamber and told Anna to leave Emily alone. He went down to his office and picked up the phone then dialed quickly.

  “Doctor Edwards, please,” he said, hurriedly.

  “He’s with a patient may I help you?” the nurse asked.

  “No, tell him it’s Chevalier and tell him, now.” She could tell by the tone in his voice that he wasn’t to be messed with.

  “One moment please.” Her voice was irritated.

  It was only a few minutes later that Dr. Edwards was on the phone, “This is Dr. Edwards.”

  “Doctor, this is Chevalier, from the island.”

  “Yes, I remember.” He honestly sound pleased.

  “My wife, she’s pregnant and...”

  “Yes I know. I saw her last week.”

  Chevalier paused and then smiled slightly, “Yes, I guess you did. She’s pretty sick now, can you come?”

  “Sick as in a fever, or sick as in nauseous?” the doctor asked, concerned.

  “Nauseous”

  “Its morning sickness, she’ll be fine in a month or so.”

  “A month!?” Chevalier couldn’t believe how blasé the doctor was about it.

  “Yes, get her some soda crackers and Sprite, that’ll help.”

  “Right, I’ll do that.” He wrote down the two items on a slip of paper.

  “Call if she gets worse, as long as she’s eating and gaining weight, she’ll be fine,” the doctor said, kindly.

  “Sure, ok,” Chevalier said and hung up the phone.

  He stepped out of his office and called for a young heku that was walking past, “You… come here.”

  The young heku turned to him, terrified, “Y.. yes, Sir?”

  “Can you sail a yacht?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “There’s a yacht docked to the south of the pier, take it and go into town immediately and get these. When you get back, give them to Anna,” he demanded and handed him the list before heading up to Emily’s room.

  Emily wasn’t in bed yet. He rounded the corner and was about to tell her he was taking her to bed when he saw her sound asleep on the floor. He sat down by her and leaned up against the wall to wait.

  Several hours passed and Chevalier was debating moving her to the bed when he heard Anna in the next room, so he got up quietly to meet her, “Did he get it?”

  Anna nodded and sat down a
box of crackers and some cold Sprite in a glass, “You didn’t specify though, he brought back 16 cases of crackers and 64 big bottles of Sprite.”

  Chevalier smiled, he was actually pleased at the amount. He’d rather have too much than not enough.

  Anna looked toward the bathroom, “How is she, Sir?”

  He glanced at the door then back to Anna, “She’s asleep on the floor.”

  Anna gasped, “You should move her to the bed, she can’t be comfortable.”

  “I tried that,” Chevalier said, a little irritated she assumed he hadn’t thought of that on his own, “She said it felt better on the floor.”

  “Hrm,” Anna sighed and left the room.

  Chevalier returned to the bathroom and Emily looked up at him from the floor. He reached down and picked her up, “You can come back to the floor after you eat.”

  “Ugh, I can’t eat,” she told him and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

  “These are doctor’s orders… Sprite and crackers.” He sat her down on the edge of the bed and handed her a cracker.

  Emily took it and looked at it for a while before taking a tiny bite.

  “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

  “If it stays down, I’ll take another,” she said, not moving.

  Chevalier studied her. She was pale, but otherwise looked fine for having slept on the bathroom floor. He did notice a twinge of annoyance in her voice, but was able to refrain from chuckling.

  She took another bite and then sighed, “Please go away.”

  He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, “What if I say no?”

  She glared at him and he again found the restraint to not laugh.

  “You’re driving me insane, Chev.” She took another bite of the cracker.

  “I’m not leaving, not if you’re sick. Maybe I can help.”

  “I’m not sick and you’ve done enough.” Her voice was icy.

  Chevalier considered it for a moment and then figured he better leave. He wasn’t sure why her irritation was endearing, but he knew she wouldn’t find his observation amusing.

  “Ok, call if you need me then,” he said, and kissed her forehead before leaving.

  Emily took a drink of Sprite and then got up and got dressed, she wouldn’t admit it to Chevalier, but she was feeling better after eating some.