Kyle nodded and sat back.
Zohn looked over at the others, “By the next day when it came time to exchange, Emily was more coherent and fought him badly. He doesn’t know why she didn’t turn him to ash, but he had to tie her up to get her to Salazar. He said Salazar was more than pleased with Emily’s capture and even doubled the money he offered Owen at the start.”
“Owen stayed with Salazar for three days, long enough to ascertain if any of us noticed Emily was missing. He said that Salazar immediately put Emily in a cage in his room and started plans to convince her to give him a Winchester child.” Zohn looked over nervously at Chevalier, but he was deep in thought.
“Before he left, Emily already had a shackle and was forced to let Salazar feed from her so she could get a blanket. It’s the same blanket that we pulled out of the cage, the only one she ever received during the 2 years. That’s all he knew. He returned to the palace and moved on with his life.”
Silas spoke angrily, “He could have brought her to us and we could have paid off his debts for it!”
“Yes, he could have,” Zohn said, calming his temper. “But he chose to go to the other factions.”
“It’s not surprising that the Encala declined. The last thing they wanted is something of ours that was stolen,” Mark said.
“Course, I’m guessing William would have given Emily back to us,” Chevalier said. “At the very least he wouldn’t have tortured her.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t at least warn us what was happening,” Kralen said. “Something to soften tensions between our factions.”
“Owen better be alive,” Chevalier said with a low growl.
“He is,” Zohn said, and then smiled. “We decided to put him in a cell across from Salazar and Solax so he could watch the… well… you know.”
Chevalier chuckled.
“Elder…” Kralen whispered.
Chevalier looked at him and then turned around to see what Kralen was looking at. Emily was standing directly behind him looking at him.
He smiled, “Did you need something, Em?”
She swallowed hard and her hand twitched slightly, but she said nothing. Slowly, she met the eyes of each heku at the table before turning back to Chevalier.
“Just tell me,” he whispered.
Hesitantly, she reached into her overalls and pulled out one of the green capes. She held it briefly against her face before folding it carefully and handing it to Chevalier.
“Thank you,” he said, and then smiled.
Producing the next one, she again folded it, held it against her cheek and then handed it to the Elder. She repeated this until he had all of the capes.
Mark pulled out Lori’s empty chair, “Do you want to sit with us?”
Chevalier glanced at him briefly and then looked back at Emily. She hadn’t moved, but was watching Mark carefully.
Silas smiled, disappeared, and then came back a few minutes later with a plateful of muffins and a glass of orange juice. He sat it down at Lori’s place and then returned to his seat.
Without warning, Emily held her wrist up to Chevalier. The closeness of her blood scent made his throat burn with thirst, but he shook his head, “No.”
She looked over at Silas and then back at the muffins. He smiled, “No one’s going to feed from you, Em. Just sit down and eat. It’s ok.”
Emily looked at Kralen and he sighed, “I’m not going to order you to eat.”
Zohn chuckled.
Walking slowly, Emily moved to Lori’s chair at the head of the table and sat down awkwardly. It was obvious that she’d positioned herself so she would be able to make a break for her corner at any sign of trouble. Hesitating, she finally took a chocolate muffin and met the eyes of each heku before tearing off a small piece and starting to eat.
“Silas,” Zohn said, looking over at him. “We were discussing the pen?”
“Oh, right, Elder. It’s done, but the varnish has to dry,” he said. “It should hold the pups and keep them from wandering.”
“Will she keep them in a pen?” Mark asked, looking over at Emily. She didn’t acknowledge him, but picked up the cold orange juice and drank some.
“I think she will,” Kralen said. “They keep waking her up. One of them got ahold of her ear last night while she was sleeping.”
“Will you leave them in the pen while you’re sleeping?” Chevalier asked her.
She glanced over as one of the puppies tore at her pillow, and then turned back to the muffins.
“Let’s just call that a yes,” Chevalier said. “As soon as it’s dry, bring it up.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Chapter 28 - Wolves
“Come here, Em,” Chevalier said, patting the bed beside him. A winter storm was raging outside of the palace and the fierce winds blew through the roof. Somewhere off to the side of their window, a shutter banged against the side of the palace.
Emily looked up at him as she put the last of the 4-month-old wolf puppies into the pen in the corner of the bedroom. One of them howled as she shut the gate for the night. She pet him through the bars of the pen and then looked over at Chevalier. He was lying on his side on the bed.
“Come on,” he said again, and held his hand out.
She looked down at her blanket and pillow on the floor before turning back to the soft bed.
“You’ve been sleeping on the floor for too long,” Chevalier told her. “Today marks 17 months back in the palace and it’s time you moved up to the bed.”
Emily carefully unfolded her soft down blanket, and then laid it out on the floor beside the wall. She gasped when Chevalier instantly appeared beside her and put a hand on her arm.
“No more sleeping on the floor,” he whispered, and picked up the blanket when he stood up. He walked over and sat down on the bed, then patted it beside him, “Come up here.”
She watched him from the floor. He could tell the conflict she was facing from the fear in her eyes. Emily looked down at the hard wooden floor and then over to Chevalier on the bed.
He ran his hands along the crisp white sheets, “It’s so soft and warm up here. You’re always cold, and that floor isn’t helping.”
Emily grabbed her pillow and held it up to her chest as she watched him.
Chevalier laid back on the bed and rolled onto his side to face her, “I first debated letting you sleep up here alone. Then I decided that we might as well start off with me here with you, like we used to.”
A brief panic swept over Emily’s features and she gripped the pillow tighter.
He sighed, “No, Em. Sleep only.”
She tucked her hair behind her ears, one of the new signs that she was nervous about something. Her hair had grown out over the last few months and had finally reached her shoulders. Lori had offered to cut it again, but Emily had refused by moving away from her when she offered.
Emily gasped when a glass of ice water appeared on the bedside table. The movement of the servant was so fast that she hadn’t caught even a brief glimpse of him.
Chevalier smiled, “There’s some water for you, in case you get thirsty tonight.”
She glanced at Devia, who was asleep on the floor in front of the fire. When the weather turned too cold for the Border collie to be out playing all night, he was moved into the bedroom. Kralen had somewhat adopted the dog during Emily’s absence, and the Border collie followed him while he made his rounds on horseback.
“Devia’s asleep… the puppies are asleep… now come up here,” Chevalier whispered, and then patted the bed beside him again. He reached over and pulled up the blankets and sheets, then adjusted the pillow to how she’d always liked it.
Emily slowly got to her knees and sat back on her feet with her hands resting against her leg. She absentmindedly scratched at her legs as she watched the bed.
“Eventually, I’m going to get you out of those overalls and into a nightgown at night too,” Chevalier told her. “For now though, let’s just get you into
bed.”
She looked over at Devia again and then moved just a foot toward the bed and then sat back on her feet again.
Chevalier smiled, “That’s a start… keep coming.”
He could hear her heart race as she moved a little more toward the bed as her breathing began to pick up.
“Stop panicking,” he whispered. “This is sleep only, I swear to you.”
She tried to move a little closer, but the shackle at her ankle kept her from moving more.
“You’re going to have to take it off to get over here,” Chevalier said softly.
Lori was just outside of the bedroom door, listening to everything that happened, just as planned. She gave Chevalier instructions as needed, but mostly let him work Emily as best he knew how.
“Your back has to hurt sleeping on the floor. You’ve injured it too many times for it not to.”
Emily glanced down at the shackle on her ankle and touched it softly before looking back up at the bed.
Chevalier smiled, “You want up here, I can tell. Just take off the shackle and trust me.”
She hesitated, and then with a shaking hand, undid the small clasp on the shackle and it softly banged to the floor. Devia looked up at her and then yawned before falling back onto the rug by the fireplace.
Chevalier was shocked that she had actually taken off her comfort shackle. He finally put his hand out, “That’s a start, now come on.”
Lori waited with anticipation as the room grew silent. She didn’t hear any movement, but was encouraged by the removal of the shackle. Chevalier waited silently on the bed and watched the different thoughts and emotions play across Emily’s face. He knew she wanted the comfort of the bed, but understood that such comforts had come with a steep price.
Taking a deep but strained breath, Emily moved forward until she was knelt at the side of the bed. She sat back on her feet and slowly ran her hand along the soft sheets.
Chevalier watched silently as she leaned forward and placed her cheek against the cool sheets and then rested her head against the heavy down quilt. His heart threatened to stop beating when he saw a single tear fall down her cheek as her shaky hand ran along the soft bed and grasped the blanket.
Emily sat up and moved her hair away from her neck, then leaned her head slightly to the side.
“No,” Chevalier whispered.
She looked down at the bed and he could see the longing in her eyes.
“You don’t have to pay for this. Just crawl into bed.”
He could see the confusion and the hesitation in her actions. After more coaxing, she finally slid slowly into bed and grasped the covers tightly.
Chevalier relaxed and smiled, “You did it.”
Emily remained tense and she glanced often at the corner of the room with her shackle.
“Relax, Em,” Chevalier said as he reached up to turn off the lights.
He laid still and watched her for hours as she grasped the covers tightly to her shoulders and looked often to the corner where she’d spent the last 17 months. As midnight passed, her eyes slowly slid shut and she relaxed and fell asleep beside him.
Lori smiled and looked over at Quinn, “She did it. She’s sleeping in the bed.”
“I need some time with Salazar,” Quinn hissed, and disappeared from the hallway.
Mark chuckled, “What more can they do to him?”
“I’m afraid to even think about it,” Kralen said.
“As long as he remains alive and able to speak,” Lori said. “I’m still afraid there’s more we don’t know.”
“He knows that,” Silas told her. “Quinn won’t kill him.”
Emily didn’t stir through the night, but slept with a tight grip on the covers while Chevalier watched over her in her sleep. Early the next morning, she opened her eyes suddenly and looked over at him.
“Good morning,” he said, and then smiled. “Would you like some breakfast?”
He frowned when he saw pain in her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
Her breath caught and she gasped softly as another tear trailed down her face.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” Chevalier whispered. He reached out to wipe the tear from her cheek, but she took his wrist in her hands and looked at it.
Lori received word of what was going on, but couldn’t offer an explanation, “I guess just see what she does.”
Tears began to flow freely as she grasped his wrist tightly between her hands and began to panic.
“I don’t understand what’s wrong,” he told her, though he reveled in the feel of her soft hands against his skin.
Without warning, Emily quickly reached up and sunk her teeth into his wrist. In shock, he jerked away from her and jumped quickly from the bed. Lori quickly ran into the room just in time to see Emily scramble to reattach the shackle to her ankle and then curl up into a protective ball and begin to rock slowly.
“What happened?” Lori asked, watching her.
Mark, Silas, and Kralen came into the room. Chevalier was watching his wrist heal and looked up at them, “She just bit me.”
“She got angry?” Mark asked.
“No”
“Like… you scared her and she bit?” Lori asked.
Chevalier’s rage grew and he disappeared from the room.
Kralen blurred away and reappeared with a glass of orange juice. He knelt down beside her, “I got you some juice, Em. You hate the taste of blood, but this will help.”
Chevalier appeared in front of the old Elder’s conference room on the third-floor, one of the few sound-proof rooms in the palace. He walked in and saw Quinn in the middle of electrocuting Salazar.
Quinn looked up and the predatory nature of his thoughts was clearly evident, “You came to help?”
Chevalier reached out and turned off the electricity to Salazar. Quinn stood back to watch as Chevalier pulled a chair up beside the table the Valle was strapped to, and took a Spanish flayer in his hand, “I have a question for you. I suggest you don’t lie to me when you answer.”
Salazar was barely able to manage a gasp. The torture Chevalier inflicted months prior was still traumatizing him and he was too terrified to fully answer.
“Why did Emily just try to drink from me?” Chevalier growled.
Quinn gasped, “She did?”
“I want to know why.”
Salazar’s eyes grew wide and he mouthed a plea that was interrupted when Chevalier removed his ear, “Tell me, now.”
Silent screams escaped the Valle’s former Interrogator as the skin slowly formed around where his ear had been.
Quinn grinned maliciously, “Remove any more of his body parts and he may quit healing.”
“Get Zohn,” Chevalier hissed.
“He’s at his coven. Richard is coming,” Quinn told him, and then turned when the Chief Interrogator came into the room. The sheer brutality of what Chevalier had done to these three prisoners never failed to bring forward the predatory heku nature that called for more blood. It took a few moments for Richard to calm down before speaking.
“You called for me, Elder?”
“You have ten seconds to tell me why Emily tried to drink from me,” Chevalier whispered to Salazar.
Richard gasped, and moved so he could see the Valle’s face better.
“G… g… gift,” he gasped through the pain and terror.
“I don’t understand you!” Chevalier yelled.
“Sh… w… it…”
“Bring the Judas in here,” Chevalier whispered. Richard disappeared from the room immediately.
***
Mark looked up from the floor beside where Emily rocked when he heard the door open. Chevalier came in and he’d obviously just showered and had calmed from when they last saw him.
Quinn glanced at him nervously from beside the window and then looked out to avoid talking to the Elder. What he’d just seen moved past rationalized thought and pushed the boundar
ies of what even a heku found acceptable.
“What did you find?” Lori asked.
Chevalier lowered his voice, “When Emily did something that she was supposed to, following an order for example, he would reward her by forcing her to ingest heku blood.”
“What? Why!?” Kralen growled.
“It’s something he fantasized about and found attractive... The thought of a mortal female drinking from him.”
Lori frowned, “That’s disturbing.”
“So the only reward she got for doing as she was told, was just another punishment,” Silas whispered.
Chevalier nodded, “So last night, by crawling into bed like I wanted, she thought I would want to reward her.”
Lori thought for a moment, “So let’s reward her for doing as she was told.”
“How?” Chevalier asked, unsure.
“I don’t know… did she like flowers, or candy?”
“I’m not sure. I never gave her any of those.”
Lori couldn’t help but looked at him with shock.
He grinned slightly, “Just come up with something.”
“Fine, candy then.”
“Unless she thinks we stuffed them full of heku blood,” Kralen said. He shrugged when they all looked over at him, “Just a thought.”
“Give her the essence ring back,” Silas suggested.
Chevalier nodded, “That’s not a bad idea. Though what if she tries to put it on?”
“Did she understand how that worked?” Lori asked.
“Yes”
“Then try it. More than likely she will remember that it won’t stay on unless you are bonded.”
“Ok,” Chevalier sighed. He dug into his cape and pulled out the essence ring. It only partially surprised the heku that knew him that he kept it with him at all times.
Chevalier sat down beside Emily, “Em, I want to give you something. For trusting me last night and being brave enough to get into bed.”
Emily gasped and looked up at him with fearful eyes.
He smiled and held out the essence ring, “It’s not really a reward… it’s yours anyway.”
She looked at the ring and her heart raced. It was a few minutes before she reached out and gently pulled it out of Chevalier’s grasp.
Eternity of Vengeance (Extended Edition) : Book 7 of the Heku Series Page 64
