Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  She avoided watching in the mirror as he examined the bite marks. She concentrated on his face and his eyes and how his look went from concerned to livid so quickly.

  He inhaled sharply, “It’s infected.”

  She pulled away from him and ran a brush through her hair, still avoiding the look of her neck. Chevalier moved to stand against the wall and watched her. She dried off and slipped on a nightgown.

  “I’m ok,” she said, turning to him.

  He nodded, too irate to speak.

  She smiled at him slightly and walked into the bedroom, looking around the room, “Where is Allen?”

  “Anna has him, he’s asleep in my room,” Chevalier said, still keeping his distance.

  Emily picked up the glass of ice water on the table and took a long drink, then placed it by the bed. She then laid down and pulled the down blankets up over her. The hot water had warmed her up, but the second she left its heat, she started to get cold again.

  Chevalier wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to curl up next to her and wrap his arms protectively around her, but he wasn’t sure what she needed.

  “Em?” he asked, sitting by the bed.

  She looked over the comforter at him.

  “Where do you want me tonight?” He tried to make his voice light, so she wasn’t afraid to hurt his feelings.

  She met his eyes, “Stay with Allen tonight, so he’s not alone.”

  He nodded, it was as he’d expected. He kissed her forehead lightly, and then stood up.

  “Please, no guards in the room tonight, lock the door and keep everyone out,” she said softly.

  “Sure, Em,” he told her, and left the room, doing exactly as she said.

  Chapter 14 - Ancients

  Chevalier jumped out of the bed beside Allen when he heard the blood-curdling screams coming from the next room. He blurred into Emily’s room and quickly ascertained that she wasn’t in trouble. He sat down beside her and touched her shoulder softly as her body thrashed under the covers.

  “Em,” he said, shaking her softly.

  Emily sat up and began to claw at him, “Don’t touch me!”

  “Emily, Em, it was a bad dream,” he said, pulling his hand back quickly.

  She stopped suddenly and looked at him, breathing hard, “Chev?”

  “It’s ok. It was a dream,” he said, touching her cheek softly as she lay back down.

  She curled up on her side away from him and pulled the covers back up. He waited until she fell back asleep, and then returned to Allen.

  Emily woke up with the morning sun and felt every muscle in her body ache. She sat up slowly and groaned. Her neck was throbbing, and she explored the puncture site with her fingers. The area was hot and swollen. Getting stiffly to her feet, she headed toward the bathroom, trying on the way to stretch out her sore muscles.

  She heard someone come into her room as she stepped into the steamy shower, but ignored them and shut her eyes as the hot water ran down her sore back. When she began to prune, she shut off the shower and slipped on a robe to see if her breakfast was here yet.

  “Chev?” she asked, stepping out into the room.

  “Good morning,” he said, smiling. He was seated at the small table and he lifted the dome off of the silver tray.

  “That smells good,” she told him, and sat at the table before grabbing a slice of bacon. She curled up in the chair, her knees pulled against her chest, and started to eat.

  “I have the yacht ready and the next week is clear… do you still want to go?” he asked, handing her a large glass of orange juice.

  “We’re still going?” she asked, then took a long drink. Her lips were still dry and cracked from dehydration.

  “Yes, I think now is as good a time as any. Anna is going to watch Allen for us.” He took the glass and put it back on the table.

  Emily’s eyes narrowed, “We’re leaving Allen?”

  “I really think you and I need to be alone.”

  “But leaving him? What if something happens?” She dropped the second piece of bacon back onto the plate, no longer hungry. Wrapping her arms tightly around her legs, she laid her cheek on her knees and watched him.

  “They know where we are going, this time I told Kyle. If anything happens, we’ll know, I promise,” he assured her. His expression was sad as he saw Emily sit in her defensive ball. He hadn’t seen her do that in a while.

  She nodded, and then headed to the bathroom to get dressed. She quickly reappeared in jeans and a t-shirt and started packing a bag.

  “Why don’t you finish eating?” he asked, eyeing the nearly full tray.

  “Not that hungry I guess,” she told him, and dropped her bag by the table. “I’m ready.”

  He nodded and wrapped the bacon and toast up in a napkin, “Just in case.”

  The yacht was just south of the pier and Chevalier easily lifted her onto it. She looked around at the sparkling boat as he talked to the guards quickly, and then took his spot on the bridge. As soon as they were away from land, Emily stripped down to her bikini and laid down on one of the cushioned deck chairs. The sun’s heat felt amazing against her skin and she quickly relaxed.

  Chevalier watched Emily from above and smiled. He pulled his eyes away from her and back to the instruments, then headed out to a predetermined spot on the Atlantic. Cutting the engines, he let down the anchor and joined Emily on the deck.

  “You make it pretty hard to stay on the bridge,” he said, adjusting his sunglasses as he sat down on the deck chair beside Emily.

  “Mmm, the sun feels so good, I’m still cold,” she said to him, never opening her eyes.

  “Still? I knew I should have brought some B12,” he sighed as he brushed a strand of hair off of her face. He pulled his hand back quickly when she flinched at his touch.

  “I’ll warm up. So are we going to chit-chat about my low blood supply or are you going to reveal why we’re really out here?” she asked, turning her head to look at him.

  “Am I that predictable?”

  Emily nodded and shut her eyes again.

  “Let’s just enjoy the day, ok? We’ll talk later,” he suggested, then leaned back against his chair.

  “Sure, whatever you say,” she said lazily.

  Chevalier grinned, “Whatever I say, eh? That’s new.”

  “Yeah, well… don’t get used to it.”

  Chevalier wanted to touch her, to cradle her and hold her in his arms. This entire trip was to break her out of whatever it was she was going through, but he felt she needed to get comfortable with him again. He cursed the Ancient who used his image to lure her into the crypt. Chevalier wished he could bring him back and make him feel more pain for what he did. Emily was guarded, untrusting, and on edge. Chevalier was reminded of her time with Keith and how long it had taken her to trust again.

  Emily spent all morning out in the sun. She threw on a robe and came in only when it was time for lunch, then made a quick sandwich and sat at the table to eat.

  “You’re turning pink,” Chevalier said, sitting next to her.

  She glanced at her skin and wrinkled her nose, “I forgot sun screen. It’s ok, a little burn never hurt anyone.”

  Emily ate in awkward silence. She’d gotten used to him watching her eat, but today it was uncomfortable. When she was done, she washed up the dish and went back out into the sun. This time she laid down on her front, so her back could get some color.

  Chevalier sat down by her and squirted some sun screen into his hand. He warmed it up, and then touched her back. She jumped at his touch and balled her hands into fists, clinging to the towel. He ignored her and rubbed the lotion into her back and legs, then began to massage the muscles he knew must be tight from laying on cement for two days.

  His hand found nothing but knots in her back and her entire body was tense, “Emily, relax.”

  “Please don’t… don’t touch me,” she said, pressing her face into the cushion of the chair.

  “Just breathe. I
’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered, noticing she was holding her breath.

  She breathed in harsh gasps, “Don’t.” Emily tried to get up, but he held her down.

  “I’m not hurting you. Now just let me work on these knots.” He truly thought he could help her, but part of him wasn’t sure he should touch her when she told him no.

  Emily tried again to get up, and this time he let her. He watched her slip on a robe and disappear down into the living area. He sighed and followed her.

  “Em,” he said softly as she went through the movies.

  She ignored him and pulled out a movie, slipped it into the DVD player, and sat on the couch, drawing her knees up tightly to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Chevalier sat down beside her, making sure to leave a gap of safety between them. He turned his attention to the TV, but his mind was far away.

  Emily sat motionless through the two-hour movie, never once looking at Chevalier. He watched her through part of it and wished he could read her mind. Find out what she was going through and what she was thinking.

  As soon as the movie was over, Emily dropped her robe and slipped on an oversized t-shirt, then lay down on the bed.

  “Are you ok?” he asked, watching her.

  “Just going to take a nap,” she said, and shut her eyes.

  Chevalier returned to the helm and watched the ocean around them. He sent his senses out to Emily and relaxed in her flowing emotions as she dreamed. A sudden jolt of fear rang through him, and he blurred to her side, just as she began to scream.

  “Emily?” he whispered, gently touching her arm.

  She jerked hard away from him, and tumbled off the bed, “Don’t touch me.”

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” he said, leaning over the bed. “You were having a nightmare.”

  Emily sank her head into her hands. Chevalier had enough, he leaned over and picked her up before she could complain, and sat her in the bed next to him.

  “Enough waiting… what’s going on?” he asked, watching her closely.

  “Nothing’s going on, ok?” she said, then got up and grabbed a drink before heading out into the sun. Chevalier followed her and sat down in the deck chair next to her.

  “The Ancient…” he said, watching for a reaction, but saw none.

  “Yeah?”

  “He came to you as me right?”

  “Yes.” She rolled onto her stomach and settled down in the chair.

  “What did he say?”

  “When?”

  Chevalier sighed, “Your stubborn streak is showing… when he lured you out of bed.”

  “I thought we were going to talk about this tomorrow.” She turned her head and looked at him.

  “I changed my mind.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, shutting her eyes.

  “I want to know.”

  “It’s nothing,” she whispered, turning her face away from him.

  “If it’s nothing then tell me how he lured you out of the castle.”

  “Why do you want to know so badly?”

  “It’s important for me to know. I want to know why you flinch when I touch you. I want to know why the nightmares.” He so badly wanted to reach out and touch her.

  “Maybe I just don’t want touched right now.”

  “It’s more than that.”

  “No… it’s not.”

  Chevalier touched the small of her back, lightly running his fingers along the curve of her spine. He watched as her skin twitched at this touch and she inhaled sharply. To further prove his point, he slowly moved his fingertips lightly down her side and slipped them under her bikini-bottom at her hip, and then watched as her body tensed and she sat up quickly.

  “What did he do?” he asked, moving to sit in the chair beside her with his hand on her knee.

  She brushed his hand away and tried to move away from him, but he held her in place and scooted so he was sitting up against her.

  “Please, don’t,” she said, sitting straight backed and still, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

  Chevalier growled and returned to the helm angrily. He watched her as she sat still and watched the waves for an unnaturally long time. As the sun was setting, she moved back to the living area and he stayed in his chair at the helm.

  Darkness came quickly, and he headed back down to the room as soon as his temper calmed. One quick scan let him know she’d gone to sleep, so he sat in a chair and watched her. He didn’t have to send out his senses to see that she was having another nightmare. She began to thrash in bed and her hands clutched the bed sheets tightly.

  She sat bolt upright in bed, and her eyes scanned the dark as she gasped.

  Her eyes fell on Chevalier, “I couldn’t ash him… ash you,” she said in whispers.

  He didn’t know if he should answer, so he simply nodded. When she didn’t move, he slowly slipped into the bed beside her and touched her hand lightly, she didn’t pull away.

  “Emily, how did he get you out of the castle?” he whispered, hoping they weren’t about to move backwards.

  She buried her face in her hands and shuttered, “God, I thought it was you.”

  “He fooled us, too.” He watched her, the urge to take her in his arms growing stronger.

  “We started kissing.” Her voice was almost too soft to hear, “It wasn’t right, he... he was grabbing my arms and it hurt. His lips were hard and Allen was sleeping right there. He wouldn’t stop, it wasn’t you.”

  “No, Em, it wasn’t,” he said, pulling the covers over her shoulders.

  “I got away. He came at me like he was going to...” He could tell by the way her eyes scanned the room that she was watching it all happen again, “I told Allen to go to Anna, and he left, he was afraid.”

  “You were mad, kept saying I owed it to you. You kept touching my back, and my stomach and my arms. It was rough... like…” She swallowed hard, “It was like Keith. I ran, I don’t know where I was going, but I ran. I didn’t know where to go. It was you. Who would protect me from you?”

  Chevalier watched her and was glad it was dark, so she couldn’t see the rage in his face.

  “You caught up with me by the trees and dragged me down. I couldn’t see, it was too dark and it smelled so bad.” She shivered and her voice became softer, “I couldn’t see you. You would reach out and touch me, my face, my hand, my leg, but you weren’t there when I tried to find you. You were everywhere. Then you pinned me and I could feel your teeth against my neck, it hurt, it hurt like before.”

  She didn’t need to specify before. Chevalier knew that before he came along, she was the unwilling victim to a slew of thirsty heku.

  “I was glad when you tied me up and left me… when I couldn’t feel your hands on my skin. I thought I would die down there, alone… cold… Then you would come back... you would come back… and curl up with me in the dark. The hands always touching me and you would kiss my face and my neck then you would feed again while your hands touched my back and my legs. Always touching.”

  Chevalier’s hands tightened into fists and he exhaled slowly.

  “I wanted to turn you to ash, to stop the cold hands… but it was you… I couldn’t kill you. You said I didn’t deserve you.” She turned her eyes down to watch her hands, “That the baby was a mistake. How could you love someone like me? I am just a vile filthy mortal, and you only… only want sex.”

  “That was not me,” he said, gritting his teeth.

  She ignored him and continued, “You said… you wouldn’t kill me… and you’d bring me food if I would still… still sleep with you… in the crypt. I fought him until I was alone again, it was better.” She nodded, her eyes still a million miles away, “Better… yes it was better.”

  Emily was finally silent and she lay back in bed and pulled the covers over her. He watched as her eyes shut and she drifted back to sleep.

  Chevalier watched her sleep, this time she was still. He watched and wondered how she survived
what she had gone through. She spent over 48 hours in the crypt with her unwanted visitor the only company. There was no food, no water, and no warmth. She hadn’t killed the Ancient when she could have because she still thought it might be Chevalier. He felt a surge of violence swell up inside of him and he blurred to the back deck and smashed the furniture into the side of the yacht, growling into the night.

  He was calm again when the sun rose over the horizon, and he sat in the chair and watched her sleep. He was unmoving, his eyes never leaving her as the morning drew to a close, the sun directly above them. The cabin became stifling hot in the afternoon sun, and he quietly opened the windows to let cool air into the room, then he sat back down to wait.

  She began to stir as the brisk evening air filtered into the room. Chevalier got up and started making some fried chicken, a meal Gordon taught him late one night while Emily was asleep.

  “Are you mad?” He turned when her soft voice sounded behind him.

  He frowned, “Why would I be mad?”

  She shrugged and pulled her legs up close to her chest, then wrapped her arms around them and rocked as she watched him.

  He turned back to the chicken, “I’m sure this won’t be as good as Gordon’s, but I’m hoping you’re hungry enough it’ll do.”

  She smiled crookedly, “Smells good actually.”

  Emily watched as he cut up potatoes and threw them in the pan with the chicken. Her stomach growled as the smell filled the night air. He filled a plate and sat it on the table. She took the hint and sat down at the table to eat.

  “This is really good,” she said, between bites.

  He grinned, “Well, it’s no B positive.”

  She wrinkled her nose and took another bite.

  “Why would I be mad at you, Em?” he asked after a few minutes.

  She shrugged and stabbed a piece of potato, “I should have known it wasn’t you.”

  “He fooled both Kyle and I, too. Shape-shifters are good. This one had a lot of experience. Not good enough though, or Kyle wouldn’t have thrown him into the prison,” he chuckled.

  “Tell me more about the ancients. Were they the first heku?” She got up and got a glass of orange juice, and then sat down on the couch.