Equites : Book 4 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Emily turned her head when she felt her eyes filling up, “All of the abuse?”

  “No, I specified only the physical and mental abuse was to be mentioned,” Chevalier said, and took her hand.

  “Can’t you bring Sam back, and then I won’t have to go to trial and no one will know?”

  “Sorry, Em, he’s dead.”

  Chevalier pulled up at the farmhouse outside of the city, “Now the bad news. I was out-voted, and the Council feels you should stay here.”

  Emily looked at the abandoned farmhouse and sighed, “Nice.”

  “It’s just temporary. Alexis will be with you, too. We’ve stocked it with everything you’ll need, and there will be guards hidden around the premises and in the tunnels,” Chevalier explained, and turned the car off.

  “They’re saying you’re my father figure,” Emily said, glaring at the house.

  Chevalier chuckled, “I know.”

  “Why can’t I just go back to the island?”

  “You aren’t allowed to leave the state, and this farmhouse is your address. I’ll have the Durango brought to you, but I’d prefer if you just stay here.”

  Emily stepped out of the Humvee and walked slowly toward the house. She turned and looked at Chevalier before walking in and shutting the door.

  “Mommy!” Alexis yelled, and ran up to her. Emily picked her up and hugged her tightly.

  She watched as Silas left the farmhouse and got into the Humvee with Chevalier and drove off. She turned around when she heard a noise and smiled slightly when she saw the Border collie walk into the room with a ball in his mouth.

  Days slowly turned into weeks as Emily and Alexis lived in the farmhouse alone. The only people Emily had seen were the steady stream of reporters taking pictures of the house. Food was delivered at night, and everyone from Council City stayed away, protecting their cover.

  Emily sat up at night and watched out the window toward the dark woods where the city was hidden. She waited for someone to come and tell her what was going on. Even her lawyer ignored her calls, and she didn’t know if a trial date had been set. Emily felt abandoned and alone, and it started to take a toll. Soon, she was no longer hungry, and the long nights were sleepless.

  Emily and Alexis spent their days watching the news. Updated information on the pending case against her and Kyle was no longer headline, and the reporters had moved on to more recent matters. The two in the farmhouse played games to help pass the time, and started to teach Ford new tricks to keep him busy.

  Emily jumped when the phone rang. She ran and answered it, “Hello?”

  “It’s Kent.”

  “It’s about time,” Emily scowled.

  “I’m sorry, there’s been a lot going on with the case and I couldn’t risk a wiretap.”

  “What’s been going on?”

  “Keith’s girlfriend came forward.”

  Emily cringed, “What’s she saying?”

  “I don’t know how, or why, but she’s suddenly saying that Keith was deathly afraid of Sam, and that Sam threatened him several times after the abuse,” Kent said.

  Emily wondered which of the heku had gotten to her and told her what to say.

  “So, what now?” Emily asked him.

  “Now we wait. She’s the first witness to come forward that can clear Kyle. She passed the polygraph, but is going back under questioning tomorrow,” Kent explained. “We need you to visit Kyle.”

  “In the jail? Can I do that?” she asked.

  “Yes, and we need to keep up the appearance, you’ll need to go and visit him today.”

  “Ok, let me get Alexis ready,” Emily said.

  “The city is sending over someone to watch her, they won’t let her into the jail.”

  Emily hung up the phone and changed quickly, then threw her hair into a braid. By the time she heard a knock on the door, her temper had flared at how long she’d gone without a word from Council City.

  Emily opened the door and Silas smiled, “I’m here from the agency.”

  Emily let him in and shut the door, “Do you see Chevalier often?”

  “Yeah, every day,” Silas said, and picked up Alexis when she ran to him.

  “Good,” Emily said, and slapped Silas hard across the face. “Give him that from me.”

  Silas watched her, shocked, as she got into the Durango and left.

  “Ouch,” Alexis said, and smiled at Silas.

  “Yeah, ouch… how’s about I not pass that on to the Elder though, ok?” He smiled at the toddler and she nodded.

  Emily drove straight to the prison and filled out the paperwork to get through security. She had to leave her purse and keys behind and was led into a small private room with a table and two metal chairs that were bolted to the floor. She watched as Kyle came in, still wearing the orange jumpsuit and both his wrists and ankles were cuffed.

  As soon as the door shut, she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She felt him kiss the top of her head.

  “I’m glad you came,” Kyle said, and sat down when she let him go.

  Emily nodded, “How are you?”

  Kyle frowned as he looked over her, “Are you sick?”

  “No,” Emily said, and then asked again. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine… did you stop eating again?”

  Emily shrugged, “Do you need anything?”

  “You aren’t sleeping either are you?” Kyle asked, frustrated.

  Emily stood up and glanced at the mirror, and then sat on Kyle’s lap. She straddled his legs and faced him, then laid her head against his neck.

  “I haven’t seen anyone in two months,” Emily whispered, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “What do you mean?” Kyle whispered, watching the mirror.

  “No one… no one from Council City. It’s just Alex and I in that damned farmhouse.”

  “Did they say why?” His voice was sounding angry.

  “No,” Emily whispered. “No one’s said anything. I don’t know when the trial is. I don’t know what’s going on. They told me to stay in the house, and there’s food delivered, but I haven’t seen anyone.”

  “Chevalier… surely.”

  “Not even him,” Emily said, and felt the tears coming.

  “Why the hell would they do that?” Kyle asked furiously.

  Emily sat up and looked at his face. He was pale and his eyes were sunken and dim, “You’re hungry.”

  Kyle smiled slightly, “It’s manageable.”

  Emily glanced again at the window and pulled her hair out of the braid.

  “What are you doing?” Kyle asked curiously.

  “Feeding you,” Emily said, and covered her neck with her hair.

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Yes you can. It’s my blood, and I’m not going to let you starve in here,” she whispered.

  “I can’t though,” Kyle whispered, but Emily felt his nose run up the length of her neck.

  “Better do it fast. I don’t know how long they’ll let us... erm… kiss.” Emily leaned her head against his neck and felt her body relax as he began to feed. He wondered about the underlying flavor mixed with her sweet taste but figured she must have taken a medication.

  “Thank you,” he whispered when he’d finished, and brought her face to his and kissed her softly. Emily wrapped her arms around him and felt his lips press harder against hers. She ran her fingers through his hair and rested her hand against the back of his neck.

  “Ok, Lovebirds, that’s enough,” a warden said from behind them.

  Emily pulled away from Kyle and stood up. She adjusted her hair to cover her neck again, and smiled softly at Kyle before leaving.

  On the drive home, Emily stopped at a clothing store and bought a simple turtle neck. She slipped it on in a gas station bathroom and then stopped to grab a pizza on the way back to the farmhouse.

  Emily opened the door and dropped the pizza on the table. Silas watched her from across the kitchen, afraid that he mig
ht get hit again if he got too close to her.

  “Are you feeling ok?” he asked. She seemed paler than when she’d left, and the dark circles under her eyes had deepened.

  “Like you care, go away,” Emily said, and sat Alexis in the booster seat to eat.

  Silas stood against the counter and watched her. He was supposed to report back to the Council on how she was doing, and he wanted to make sure and catch everything.

  “Do I need to ash you or are you going to leave?” Emily asked, and sat down with a cup of coffee.

  “When’s the last time you ate?” Silas asked. He gasped when he felt a sharp flash of burning in his chest. Emily hadn’t even moved from the table, but was watching him with angry eyes.

  “Ok, ok, I’m going,” Silas told her, and blurred from the house before she could burn him again.

  A few minutes later, Silas appeared at the door to the council chambers. He was quickly ushered in by Derrick, and he stood before the Council, ignoring the empty seat where Kyle should have been.

  Chevalier smiled, “How is she?”

  Silas cringed, “Well… not doing so hot I think. She wouldn’t talk to me though and... well… burned me a bit when I didn’t leave at first.”

  Chevalier’s face fell, “What’s wrong?”

  “First she slapped me, before going to the prison, and then told me to pass that along to you,” Silas told Chevalier. “By my guess, she’s not sleeping well, or even at all, and she seems thinner, pale, and drawn.”

  “Damnit, I was afraid she’d stop eating,” Chevalier growled.

  “Lexi looks good. She’s actually having fun, I think,” Silas said, and smiled slightly.

  Derrick appeared beside Silas, “The lawyer sent a message to us, from Kyle.”

  “Ok,” Quinn said. “Read it.”

  Derrick looked at the Council nervously and cleared his throat, “Council, it was not part of the deal that you would abandon Emily while I sit in jail and rot. I demand to know why she’s been cut off from the Council and the city. Kyle.”

  “Silas,” Maleth said. “Go talk to Kyle. Explain that we haven’t abandoned Emily and explain why we must keep our contact with her to a minimum right now.”

  “I’ll go talk to Emily. She deserves some sort of explanation,” Chevalier said, and stood up.

  “We can’t risk you being seen with her, I’ll go,” Zohn said.

  Maleth sighed, “She doesn’t like you.”

  Zohn grinned, “She can’t lie to me either. I’ll go and check on her well-being.”

  Chevalier nodded, and Zohn blurred from the room. He stood in the dark bedroom and watched Emily toss and turn in her sleep. She mumbled, but the words were incoherent. His keen eyes picked up that she had lost weight, and her pale skin showed the recent bite mark vividly.

  “No!” Emily screamed, and sat up in bed, then looked around the dark room, breathing rapidly. She slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe, and then sat in the bay window in the bedroom that overlooked the trees behind the house.

  Emily screamed, and stood up when she heard Zohn clear his throat. She spun and turned to face him as he stepped out of the shadows.

  “It’s just me,” Zohn said, watching her.

  Emily frowned and put her hand on her chest, “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I came to check on you.”

  “I’m alive, now go away.”

  Zohn took a step toward her, “When’s the last time you ate?”

  “None of your damn business,” she scowled at him.

  “I’m only here to help.”

  “You can help, by telling the Council to go jump off a cliff.”

  Zohn chuckled, “I’ll make a note of that.”

  “Good, now leave.”

  “Who bit you?”

  “A heku,” Emily said, and crossed her arms.

  Zohn grinned, “That part is obvious, which one?”

  “A tall one.”

  “Does that mean you don’t know?”

  “No, that means I’m not going to tell you,” Emily yelled, and then gasped when Zohn appeared in front of her and grasped her face between his hands. She looked up at him angrily, and then her body began to relax.

  Zohn concentrated on her eyes and felt her body fall into his control.

  “You need to eat,” he said softly to her, his voice almost a whisper.

  “No,” she whispered back.

  Zohn frowned slightly. He’d never been told no when controlling a mortal. He knew Emily was hard to control though, and realized that the lack of sleep and food was the only reason he was able to gain any control at all.

  “You need to eat,” he said again rhythmically.

  Emily didn’t move or answer.

  “Emily,” he said softer. “Who fed from you?”

  Emily blinked and then frowned. Zohn started to pull away from her just as she slapped him. He covered his cheek with his hand and stepped back.

  “Get out,” she said, angrier.

  “Not until I find out what I came for,” Zohn said, and leaned against the bedroom wall.

  “Why exactly are you here?” She sat cross-legged on the bed.

  “To check on your well-being, but I find another problem with the bite on your neck.”

  “My well-being?” Emily asked, and chuckled. “Like the Council gives a rat’s ass. Let’s see… I was dropped here by my husband and then abandoned by him and the entire city. I’ve had no contact with anyone, no word on what’s going on with the trial. Alex and I sit here alone, day after day, and wonder what in the hell we did to get discarded by the heku.”

  “We didn’t abandon you.”

  “Go away!” Emily yelled. “The only person on this planet who seems to care, is locked up in a cold prison for something that he didn’t do. I have half a mind to go turn in Chevalier and let him deal with it instead of Kyle.”

  “Let’s not do anything rash,” Zohn said.

  “So go back and tell the Council that the next heku that walks through that door better be Kyle, or I’ll ash them before they can even scream.” She glared at him, “That goes for Chevalier also.”

  “He’s worried about you.”

  “Bullshit!”

  Zohn raised his hands, “Just listen. This has to be done for a reason. You aren’t abandoned, we see everything you do, and you’re well protected.”

  “Oh that’s even better! Now I’m abandoned and on display, just great.”

  Zohn sighed, “It’s not…”

  “Ford, get the heku,” Emily said, and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door.

  Zohn looked down at the fiercely growling Border collie. He was crouched low and his hackles were raised. Zohn sighed, and blurred from the house, appearing in the council chambers a few minutes later.

  “So what’s your impression?” Maleth asked Zohn as he sat in his chair.

  “First off, she’s highly irrational and emotional,” Zohn said.

  Quinn chuckled, “So nothing’s changed?”

  “She’s slowly starving herself, and from what I saw, she’s not sleeping well. She’s also been fed off of recently,” Zohn told them.

  Chevalier growled, “Who?”

  “She won’t say. I even had control of her for a few minutes, but she broke it.”

  “You could control her?” Maleth asked, shocked.

  “Briefly, yes,” Zohn said. “She sent a warning that the next heku to walk through her door better be Kyle, any other, and she would turn us to ash… she made sure and mention that that included the Elder also.”

  Chevalier sighed, “We have that house surrounded. Find out from the guards who has been in there.”

  Zohn nodded, “Already asked, and Silas has been the only one in the house.”

  “It may have happened while she was out. Maybe she stopped on the way to the prison and was attacked,” Quinn said.

  “Kent assures us that we’re only days away from Kyle and Emily both being released as
suspects. If she can just wait two more days, everything may get back to normal,” Maleth said, frustrated.

  “This has gone on long enough. I agreed with the Council not to contact her, but I am going to talk to her now,” Chevalier said, and blurred from the room.

  “Em?” Chevalier said from behind her. Emily jumped and splashed dishwater all over the counter.

  “Damnit, don’t sneak up on me,” she said, and turned around as she dried her hands on a towel.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been here to talk to you. The lawyers wanted me to stay as far away as possible to keep from messing up the trial,” Chevalier said.

  “So you couldn’t even sneak in here? Send a note maybe?”

  “I didn’t want to risk it. This trial is too important, and I don’t want you to end up in jail.”

  “So why are you here now?” Emily snapped.

  “I needed to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, well I needed you too and guess what? You weren’t here.”

  Emily turned around when the phone rang and answered it, “Hello?”

  Chevalier waited while she listened to whoever was on the phone.

  “I’ll be right there,” Emily said, and hung up.

  “What’s up?” Chevalier asked.

  Emily ignored him and went into the bedroom to get dressed. She came out a short time later in a black business dress suit, and she sat down to slip on some shoes, “Can you be bothered to watch Alex, or should I find a baby-sitter?”

  “Em, don’t be like that,” he said, frustrated.

  “I’ll be back,” Emily said, and kissed Alexis on the cheek.

  She drove quickly to the courtroom. Kent said there was an update in the case, and she needed to be there. She was met outside by droves of reporters, so she lowered her head and ran inside without saying a word.

  “Come in,” Kent said, and took her arm. He led her into the packed courtroom, and she stood by Kyle, who was in a suit and tie, no longer restrained.

  The Judge came in and sat down, then looked at Kyle and Emily, “In light of recent DNA evidence found on the body of Keith Russo, you are both being released as suspects for the murder case. Mr. Jones, you were found guilty of Identity Theft and will be released on time served. You may go.”

  Emily gasped and turned to Kyle, jumping into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, “Let’s go home.”