Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “Would you stay with Keith if he no longer protected you from them?”

  Her eyes showed a hint of fear, “I can’t leave him.”

  “Fair enough.” He fully planned on dealing with that later on, “What about your job, what do you do?”

  “I’m imagining by now I’m fired.”

  “Ok, what did you do?”

  “I code.”

  His eyebrows rose, but before he could respond, she continued.

  “I write programs for the government. No one else knows what I do, or shall I say, what I was doing for them.”

  He noted some skepticism in her voice, “I’m not interested in what you do for the government.”

  “What are you interested in then?”

  “Again, Child, we will get into that later.”

  “Stop calling me Child. I’m not a child, I’m 23.” Her jaw set and Chevalier fought to stop from chuckling.

  “I am sorry, please continue.”

  “That’s it… I write programs for the government. I prefer my time on the ranch, obviously, but it helps pay the bills.”

  “If you could guess, how many times in your life have you been attacked by heku?”

  “Including just now?” she snapped.

  “Ouch... no, not counting just now.”

  “I don’t really know, several a year I guess, sometimes it’s worse than others. At times, they come in droves, all begging me to join some stupid coven.” She thought for a moment and then turned toward him, wincing slightly at the ache in her side, “Is that what you want? You want me to join your coven?”

  “No Ch... Dear… I don’t believe my coven could handle you,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Hm, I’m not sure if I find that offensive or not.”

  “No offense implied,” he assured her.

  “Chevalier, I need to go back to the ranch.” Her eyes were pleading.

  He shook his head, “Not yet.”

  “Keith must be worried sick. He and Sam can’t handle the ranch without me. It’s my ranch.”

  “I’m sure Keith and Sam are doing fine.”

  “You can’t be sure of that! For all I know, they abandoned my animals and left them to fend for themselves.”

  He sighed, “Would you feel better if I make a call and have them checked on?”

  “No, I would feel better if you would let me go.”

  “Not yet.” The tone of his voice indicated that that part of the discussion was over, “I will make some calls in the morning. For now, it’s time for you to get some rest.”

  “No pain meds,” she told him sternly.

  “Emily, I’ve told you, the doctor said you need all of the doses so you can heal and get some rest.”

  “I won’t let you.”

  Her stubbornness never ceased to catch him off guard, “You know there’s nothing you can do about it. Things would be easier if you would just sit still and take it.”

  “Please.” Her soft voice made Chevalier hesitate a bit.

  “Emily, think of it this way… each day you are getting stronger. Will you take the Morphine willingly if I promise that when you wake up you can take a hot shower and get dressed? I’ll even show you around the house.”

  Her breathing started to pick up, matching her racing heartbeat, “No, please don’t.” Panic filled the air.

  Chevalier made a split second decision just to get it over with. Emily barely had time to fight back, and when it was over, she quickly fell into the darkness.

  After pulling on his parka, he headed out to the snowcat. He had to find something to quench this thirst, to help keep the beast at bay. He noted the time, he had about 8 hours to get into the tiny town of Meeker, find a donor, willing or not, and get back before she started to stir again. He watched the dark house as the snowcat made its way into the night. His heart sank at the thought of leaving Emily alone, but he didn’t see as though he had a choice.

  Chapter 4 - The House

  The voices were all around her in the dark forest. She couldn’t make out what the whispers were saying, but they were growing louder as she ran, desperate to get away from them. Chevalier was ahead of her in the clearing, but she couldn’t reach him. He beckoned to her with his hand. She could see his mouth moving, but he was too far away to hear what he was saying.

  They were getting closer, closing in on her from all directions. She could finally make out what they were chanting, and the words brought a new horror to the dark. It wasn’t her they wanted, it was Chevalier. She had to get to him, to warn him, but her feet were moving in slow motion.

  She screamed for him, if he would just run…

  “Emily,” he said, sitting on the side of her bed.

  She looked up at him, her breathing rapid. The realization that it was a dream wasn’t sudden, it came through the fog of her mind.

  “Emily, what’s wrong?” he asked, his words hurried and concerned.

  She couldn’t answer him, couldn’t pull her mind clear of the medicated slowness.

  Chevalier reached down and pulled her into a cradle on his lap, then held her close as she shivered, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  She buried her head into his chest, trying to block out the voices from the dream.

  He sighed heavily, “Was it a nightmare?”

  She nodded, refusing to pull her face away from the comfort of his chest.

  He gently ran his fingers through her hair, “It’s ok. It’s over now.”

  He held her for longer than he expected she would let him. At one point, he was able to shut his eyes and focus on her, her scent, her breathing, and her heart beat. The sounds were comforting to him somehow. At long last, she sat up and looked around the room.

  She smiled sheepishly, “Are you still going to let me take a shower?”

  “Of course, my Dear,” he assured her. He helped her to her feet. The pain seemed to be markedly improved this morning, and she didn’t turn pale or begin to black out.

  “I have the bathroom ready for you, anything you need should be in the cupboard, but if you are missing anything, just yell and I will get it.”

  She nodded and followed him to the bathroom. The bathroom was larger than her bedroom on the ranch. Its soft peach colors were in contrast to the man beside her, who always wore black. The room was warm and well lit, comfortable. There was a large jetted garden tub in the center of the granite tiled floor and a double shower in the corner. She watched as he walked out and shut the door. As she locked the door behind him, she thought she heard him chuckle.

  He was still laughing to himself as he neared his study. He stepped inside and shut the door, glad that he soundproofed this one room. The small silver cell phone was in his hand in an instant and moments later she answered.

  “Warwick Consolidation,” Storm answered.

  Chevalier grinned. He always thought it was funny when she used the façade for his business number, “Storm, it’s me.”

  “Oh, Sir!” She sounded relieved, “I’m so glad you called, everyone’s trying to get a hold of you. There are news crews just off of the island…”

  He cut her off, “News crews?”

  He could hear her sigh, “Yes, it’s all been a big mess. Lord Ulrich tried for a few days to contact you when Emily went missing. When he couldn’t get through to you, he had Sam point the finger at you for her disappearance. That led them here.”

  A low growl escaped him, “You can tell Ulrich that I will call him when I feel like it and not before. What have the news crews said?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. No one here will talk to them and they haven’t found anything bad about the company,” she assured him.

  “Thank you, Storm. I’m very pleased to see everything was handled perfectly.”

  Her voice lightened with his compliment, “Are you coming back soon?”

  “I’m not sure, things are progressing slowly here, but I hope to move things along faster, as soon as she’s healed.”

  “Sir,
are you falling for her?” The concern in her voice was touching.

  “No, Storm, this is all business.” He hoped she couldn’t hear the tension in his voice.

  “I’m worried about you, she’s dangerous.”

  “I do keep that in mind, I assure you.”

  The long pause was awkward, “I know you do, Sir.”

  “I need a favor.”

  “Anything, Sir.”

  “I need to get a check on the Russo ranch. See if Sam and Keith are keeping up with things. If they are falling behind, I want their bills anonymously paid and send over help, someone who knows about animals and offers to work for room and board.”

  She knew better than to question him again, “Yes, Sir. I think Kyle used to work on a farm. I’ll send him over.”

  “Make sure he watches out for Sam, Sam is Ulrich’s familiar.”

  “Yes, Sir, I’ll make sure he knows.”

  “I’ll call and check in on things later.”

  “Are you sure we can’t send someone else to help you?” It was obvious she was offering.

  “No, stay there, I need you on guard, Storm. I can trust you more than the others and right now, trust is what we need.” He shut the phone and listened, the sound of the shower had just turned off.

  He left his office and moved silently into the bedroom. When she emerged from the bathroom, he was sitting on the bed waiting for her.

  “Feel better?” he asked again, appreciating her beauty.

  “Much, thank you.” She was toweling her hair dry and sat gently in the chair by the fire, “Thank you for the clothes too, though I’ve never been big on dresses.”

  He grinned. He knew that when he’d purchased the light blue cotton dress, “I took the liberty of buying you a wardrobe for while you are here.”

  She looked over at him, “All dresses?”

  He laughed, “No, not all dresses.”

  She quickly braided her hair and stood up, her muscles still sore, “You also promised me a tour of the house.”

  “That I did,” he said, standing and taking her hand in his. He felt her start to pull away, but held her hand tighter.

  They walked through the house slowly. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, the way the feminine dress brushed against the contours of her body as she walked. She asked lots of questions and insisted on seeing inside all 45 bedrooms and ante-chambers. She seemed frustrated when he wouldn’t show her the inside of his office, but marveled at the vast library with its tall columns of books.

  They stopped in the kitchen for lunch and he watched her again as she made herself a sandwich. She caught him watching her and she blushed before turning away to finish.

  “This seems like quite a large home for 1 person,” she noted, sitting down with her plate.

  “It’s been full before, it’s not always just me.” Emily noticed that when he spoke to her, his voice was like silk, calm and soothing.

  He could see her thinking through that, “Your coven?”

  He nodded.

  “And do you often bring hostages here?” She didn’t look up as she ate.

  Chevalier grinned, “I’ve told you, you aren’t a hostage.”

  She simply shrugged.

  He frowned slightly, “What was your nightmare about?”

  Her body tensed slightly, but she didn’t answer.

  “It’s ok, I guess it’s really none of my business. It’s just that you were screaming my name.”

  The blush rose again to her cheeks and Chevalier found he liked that, “I don’t remember it now.”

  He knew she was lying, but decided not to force it.

  After eating, she cleaned up quickly and they began to return to her room. She stopped to look at a large mirror, though he noticed that she avoided her reflection, it was the antique frame she was looking at, “How old is this?”

  “Early 17th century.”

  “There’s something odd about it, like it’s not fit properly.” Her fingers traced the edge of the mirror.

  He took her hand and pulled her away from the mirror, realizing that at times she was too observant for her own good, “It’s just an old mirror. Do you realize that you never look at yourself in the mirror?”

  “I hadn’t noticed.”

  He had a sudden idea and pulled her to face him. He looked down at her, his eyes locking hers, “You are very beautiful.”

  She blushed and looked down at the floor, trying to pull away from him.

  Some of her actions began to make sense, “You should be told that, and often, I would imagine Keith knows it, even if he doesn’t say it.”

  “Keith sees me for what I am.” She again tried to pull away as her eyes fixed on the floor and a bright blush flushed her cheeks.

  “Oh? And what is that exactly?”

  “Please let me go,” she asked softly.

  “No, I want to know what he’s told you… what he’s said about you.”

  Her body tensed, yet she didn’t speak or look up. Her free arm wrapped around her, as if to hide. She suddenly felt very self-conscious in the light dress.

  “I need to lay down,” she told him. He knew it was a lie, but granted her the out.

  Chevalier guided her through the corridors silently, a tense air around them. He purposely took the long way around, hoping to confuse the location of the mirror. She seemed relieved to be in the familiar room again, the fire blazing warmth into it.

  Emily slipped into the bathroom to put on her nightgown, and when she came back out, Chevalier was gone. She watched the snow swirling outside of the window and eventually fell asleep.

  ***

  Chevalier sat in his study, hours upon hours he thought about the fragile killer he currently housed. Maybe Ulrich was right, maybe she wasn’t strong enough to know what she was capable of doing. He guessed, though, that many hadn’t given her a chance to show her inner strength. He knew it was time for harsh realization, for her to know what she could do and had done in the past. His inner turmoil was raging. Somewhere between running away with her to a remote island, and throwing her into the middle of an extremely dangerous heku battle, he walked quietly into her room and watched her sleep.

  How could anyone not find her astonishingly beautiful? He thought, looking down at how her long lashes framed her eyes, how her lips were soft and almost pouty. Soft wisps of her red hair had escaped the braid and were lying delicately against her face. He suddenly understood how someone could miss that, how someone could convince her that she was anything less than exquisitely beautiful.

  Control

  It wasn’t enough for Keith to physically control her, he had to also be emotionally controlling. She was obviously still terrified of him, afraid to get close to anyone else for fear of retribution. He found it hard to blame Emily for allowing that to happen, it seemed as if his own kind drove her to find protection from anyone who would give it. There was hope. He would soon tell her that she could easily defend herself, maybe then, the strong hold that Keith had over her would break.

  Then, she would face any mortal’s worst fear, to be thrown into the very center of a violent heku war that could last centuries, longer than she had as a mortal. He had a pang of guilt for what his true purpose was, training a new weapon. He was fooling himself if he didn’t see the bond forming between them, though. The training wouldn’t all be fighting and tactics. He enjoyed being with her and especially the time they were alone together.

  For now, he had a task to do before she woke up. He stole away as quietly as he could and shut the door behind him, locking it from the outside. He couldn’t have her out wandering the mansion while he was occupied. He smoothly navigated the labyrinthine corridors and stopped at the mirror Emily had inspected. He placed his hands on it and pushed hard, sliding it back along hidden tracks, then disappeared behind it, and the mirror moved back into place.

  Chevalier took the steps down 3 at a time until his feet landed in the pitch-dark room, the dirt floor and musty smell wa
s familiar to him. He didn’t need lights for this, in fact, it would be easier if the darkness were around him, a more natural setting. He grabbed the small drawstring bag from the table and opened it, dumping a pile of ash onto it.

  He drew an intricate dagger from his pocket and pricked his finger, allowing a single drop of blood to fall onto the ash. Instantly, he assumed a defensive posture, ready to attack at the slightest sign of a problem. The ash quivered and began to form.

  A hiss escaped his lips as the form took shape into a tall heku. He appeared slender and young, afraid of his surroundings, obviously not entirely aware of what happened to him.

  “Where am I?” he growled. Turning toward Chevalier, he matched his crouched posture.

  “You will address me as Sir, or you will return to ash,” Chevalier demanded through clenched teeth.

  “I will not address you as Sir until I know who you are and what your intentions are.” His voice was high pitched and ground on Chevalier’s nerves.

  With a sudden movement, Chevalier was perched at his back, his hands around the man’s neck, “So you say you are ready to return to dust?”

  The man’s eyes filled with terror. He suddenly understood that he was in the presence of one of the ‘old ones,’ “There was a misunderstanding, Sir. I am but a humble servant to you.”

  Chevalier grinned, his teeth ominous as he returned to his place and faced the new heku, “You attacked a young woman…”

  “Yes, Sir, the red head. She smelled so delicious.” Chevalier could sense the heku re-tasting Emily’s blood.

  The growl came from deep within his chest, “Who gave you permission to break one of the rules?”

  The young heku stammered, “N… N… No one did, I just couldn’t stop. She, she was standing so close to me, the breeze caught her hair and the aroma filled the air.”

  Chevalier had him, “What is your name?”

  “Steven”

  “When were you turned?”

  “1958... Sir”

  “Ahhh, a young one. Well, you are going to help me, Steven.” Chevalier pointed at a cage in the corner of the room, “Do step in.”