Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “It’s not? Then have you not been planning on me joining your adoring minions since the start? You didn’t want me to ash your followers… that wouldn’t look good, so first you had to teach me to control it.” The angrier she became, the faster she spoke.

  “I care about you. I want you with me.”

  “Oh right, me and how many others, Chev? Tell me how many of your followers you’ve wooed into bed.”

  He cringed at how clearly she saw some things, “You are different.”

  “Yes I am, I can kill you, that pretty much makes me different. I won’t go and watch you flaunt me around your coven. I won’t go and watch you as thousands of female heku hang on your every word, swooning over you.” She mimicked a love struck teenager, “Ooooh, Chevalier, how big and strong you are, what sharp teeth you have.”

  His eyes grew darker, “Watch what you say, Emily.”

  “I won’t watch what I say. You’ve had this coming for a long time!” She squared her shoulders off to him, showing no fear.

  “My coven is my family. We protect one another and watch out for one another. There’s no way you could understand the complex nature of it,” he said as his eyes narrowed.

  “That sounds amazingly similar to the Manson Family, do mass orgies entertain your days or do you prefer to fuck each individually?” she asked as he took a step towards her, his fight for control losing out to his temper. “Is that what you were doing? Trying to get me in to bed for some initiation?”

  “Emily,” he hissed her name.

  “Don’t Emily me! What makes you madder, the fact that I know what’s going on, or the fact that you didn’t get me into bed before you lost your shot?”

  The control was over. He slammed into her, pinning her against the wall with his hand on her throat, and her feet no longer touched the floor, “You will watch your tongue around me and show nothing but respect for my coven, do you understand me?” His voice had changed, it was hoarse and guttural.

  She grasped at his hand around her throat, clawing with her nails, trying to loosen his grip.

  Sudden awareness hit him like the weight of a thousand bricks. He removed his hand from her neck and she dropped to the floor on her knees, gasping for breath. He was out the door in an instant, locking it securely from the outside. She heard a large crash as he threw a heavy object against the wall and screamed in anger.

  After a few minutes, Emily pulled herself up from the floor and stumbled to the bathroom. She peered into the mirror, studying her neck. There were bruises forming, outlines of his fingers. She turned around and sank onto the floor, sobs escaping her as her body shook.

  Chapter 6 - Fight

  Just before dawn, she heard the front door unlock, but she didn’t move from her position on the bathroom floor. She could see Chevalier in the bedroom, frantically throwing things from the dresser into a bag. She found herself wanting to inflict some pain on him, she figured just a slight burn wouldn’t hurt. The ability comforted her as she watched him race around the bedroom.

  When Chevalier appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, his eyes were soft and gentle, “We’re leaving.” He threw some clothes onto the counter and shut the door behind him.

  Emily dressed quickly, not bothering to complain about the pink summer dress he’d thrown in for her. She ran a brush quickly through her hair, ignoring the way it pulled painfully when it encountered a knot. She left her hair down and stepped out into the bedroom, Chevalier was sitting on the bed.

  “I was mistaken,” he whispered. “You don’t belong in my world. Ability or no, my world isn’t safe for you.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she stood still, watching him. He looked up at her finally and cringed at the purplish bruises that stood out from her white skin. He stood up, “How badly are you hurt?”

  Her hand covered her throat, but she didn’t speak, her eyes were locked on his.

  “I broke my promise to you, something I will have to live with for eternity, so I won’t break another. As promised… you are free to return to your ranch, the weather is good and you are completely healed.” He grabbed her bag as if to prove he wasn’t going to fight it.

  She slipped on the soft moccasins that were warming by the fire and opened the closet, it was bare except for the wool lined parka. After zipping it, she followed Chevalier out of the mansion she’d grown accustomed to and took her place in the snowcat.

  The snowcat seemed to move hopelessly slow as they sat in silence, ignoring the beauty that surrounded them. Chevalier couldn’t look at Emily, the reminder of his lost temper stood out too vividly, and Emily couldn’t look at him, afraid he’d see through her and know a new fear had arisen. The fear she would never see him again.

  The Bugatti sped quickly toward Montana, the scenery flying by. Only an hour into the drive, Chevalier couldn’t take the silence anymore, “I am sorry, Emily, that this didn’t work out.”

  Her voice cracked, “I don’t want to be just another underling to you.”

  He glanced over at her, “Is that what the problem is? You don’t want to be a subordinate?”

  She shrugged, “Some of it.”

  She couldn’t tell him that she’d begun to crave his attention, to relish in the solidarity of just the two of them that the mansion enabled. She couldn’t tell him of the jealousy she felt when she thought of members of his coven being close to him. She envisioned being lost in the crowd, just another face to him.

  He watched as her mind struggled to come to terms with losing him, “Please, I need to know what you are thinking, to explain the look on your face.”

  She shook her head.

  Chevalier sighed, he could guess at the problem that stemmed from low self-worth. How could he convey how much she meant to him? He’d never felt this way about anyone, not even the eldest of his coven, for which he’d pledged his life.

  “I was right about one thing, my world isn’t good enough for you. Your innocence, your selflessness, it’s all foreign to us and I’m not sure how long you could last, surrounded by the immortal.” He wanted to tell her that there was another option, the option to run away together but he was afraid of the rejection she was bound to give after what he’d done.

  Her voice was timid, “Why do you... well… any coven, want me so badly? My entire life has been full of heku trying to coerce me into a coven and for what? Am I just a plaything? A toy that can kill enemies?

  Her words stung, “It’s not like that with me.”

  “What happens to me when I’m surrounded by heku? Their strength, their beauty, immortality? What happens to me, the ugly and weak human?” She was watching the mountains fade behind them.

  “You are far from ugly and what do you mean what happens? Do you think I would just push you aside and forget you exist once you joined me?”

  Her silent answer was deafening to him, and he pulled over and stopped the car. Gently, he took her chin in his hand and turned her to face him, “Emily, you could never be one of my many subordinates, can’t you see that? You are much… much more. You mean more to me than they do, you are more beautiful to me than any them. They are my family, I am ultimately responsible for their safety, and they mine… you… you cannot imagine how important you are to me.”

  “You mean to your coven.” She tried to turn her face, but his steel grip held her.

  “No… to me.” The intensity of his eyes was intimidating, and she dropped her gaze away from him.

  “I… am… afraid.”

  “Of what? Tell me so I can help,” he urged.

  “I’m afraid of everything. I’m afraid of losing you when we return, I’m afraid of dissolving into the coven, never able to be myself again. I’m afraid of causing tension in your ranks, you of all people know how tempting my blood is, yet you encourage me to move into a house full of heku. I’m afraid of crowds and people and...” Her words were abruptly cut off by his lips.

  The kiss was brief and when he broke it off, she leaned toward him, eag
er to feel his touch again.

  “Emily,” he said looking into her eyes, “You won’t lose yourself, you would always be of utmost importance to me. You don’t have to be constantly surrounded by heku. You could have your own home in the city if you want.”

  She cut him off, “City?”

  He nodded as what she was thinking dawned on him, “Yes, city. My coven works similar to a city, each family unit in their own home, each individual is important in their own right. We don’t all share one home. We don’t all spend every waking hour together. As for attacks…” He straightened up, “I am Chief Enforcer, they wouldn’t dare cross me. Of course, if you choose to get your own home, I would understand, but you are always welcome to stay with me.”

  She thought about that as he pulled back into traffic and sped off at an abnormal rate of speed.

  “How many are there?” she asked, unsure if she was being too nosey.

  He seemed proud, “There are just over a 1,200 in my coven.”

  “That many… you mentioned family units...”

  “Yes, much like a family.”

  “Who is in yours?” Her tone revealed underlying questions, but he couldn’t figure out where this was going.

  “I’m not sure what you mean… the entire coven is my family.”

  She nodded, “How many share your home then?”

  Chevalier couldn’t help but grin, “Are you trying to find out if I have a harem?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “None, I live alone. In my line of work, I need privacy.” He didn’t want to delve deeper into his life than was necessary.

  She turned onto her side and watched out the window. She wasn’t sure if he had noticed the way he spoke in uneven circles. One breath saying she could live with him, in another saying he had to live alone, for privacy. None of this was an option though, she had a ranch to run, a life outside of the mythical world of heku. She was now able to handle the attacks herself, so there was no reason to move, no reason to torment herself or risk falling in love with a heku. Any more in love with a heku, her mind corrected.

  “Once you leave the ranch, will I see you again?” Her voice broke the tense silence.

  Chevalier thought for a moment, “Perhaps.”

  She turned to look at him, his face hard and expressionless, “What if I don’t want you to disappear?”

  “You have to choose, Emily. You can’t live in both worlds… you have to make a choice.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s complicated, our worlds don’t intertwine smoothly. If you choose to join my world, then everything else would vanish. Any hold the mortal world had on you would be null and void. The same holds true if you choose to stay in Montana, my world would simply cease to exist for you… except for the heku attacks, that’s inevitable.”

  The rest of the ride was silent as she mulled over the two possibilities. She came out of a daze when Chevalier pulled his car in front of the ranch house. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked around the ranch. Everything seemed just as she had left it, the cattle were all eating and Patra was out in the corral. Sam poked his head out of the bunkhouse, his face shocked. Another man, a younger blond man, came out after Sam and looked at the sleek car. He didn’t seem as surprised as Sam was.

  Emily turned to look at Chevalier, “I don’t have a choice. The ranch is my responsibility and I can’t leave it. As much as I want to be…” She paused to choose her words carefully, “As much as I want to be near you, I have obligations here.”

  His face was unreadable as he stared straight ahead and nodded slightly. She opened the door and stepped out, shutting it behind her. Sam ran at her and hugged her tightly. She stayed in his embrace and watched the car speed away.

  Chevalier knew that Ulrich would arrive soon, and he wouldn’t see her again. He wasn’t good for her, he’d proven that, maybe her life would be better with Ulrich.

  Sam took Emily around the ranch and showed her how things were going. He introduced her to the new field hand, Kyle. They both talked about feed prices and pasture plans, the number of cattle, and calves coming. Emily wasn’t paying attention, she didn’t notice Coal was missing, she didn’t hear how well Keith had done taking care of things, and how hard they had looked for her. She watched the road, trying to see if he would come back.

  Emily finally made it into the house. The inside looked severely neglected. There was a sink full of dishes, and trash and dirty clothing was piled in the corners. She went to work immediately cleaning up, it kept her mind off watching for Chevalier and wondering when Keith would get back. The house was hot, not warm and comfortable like the Colorado mansion had been. The smell in the house was awful, so she opened up a window, which only let in more hot air.

  “Emily?” Keith yelled from the front door.

  She smiled at the sound of excitement in his voice and pulled off the thick rubber gloves, “In the kitchen, Keith.”

  She ran to meet him and he met her with a tight embrace, “Emily.”

  His smell was off. He was dirty and musky, very much unlike her companion for the last few months. She looked up into his eyes and stepped back, he was mad. He took one step toward her, “Where have you been?”

  “It’s a long story, Keith, but I’m ok, I’m back,” she tried to assure him

  He was too fast and suddenly backhanded her to the ground. She strained to get up, but was knocked back down by a swift kick to her side as his cowboy boot connected with the recently healed ribs. She could taste blood in her mouth.

  “Did you have fun on your little vacation?” He ended his question with yet another kick into her back.

  “Keith, please,” was all she could manage, it was hard to take a breath.

  “You’re just a little dirty slut aren’t you? Is that what you’ve been doing? Whoring around in the city?” He grabbed her arm and violently dragged her to her feet.

  Keith noticed the bruising around her neck, “Oh… I see someone else tried to teach you some manners too… you love that, don’t you?”

  She tried to pull away from him. Her mind was swirling and her dress became soaked with the stream of blood coming from her mouth. He used her arm and slammed her into the wall and she could hear the violent thudding of her heartbeat in her head as it connected with the plaster, denting it. The world began to turn dark as she fought to stay conscious.

  “Guess we’ll have to start over and teach you who is boss around here, Bitch,” Keith said, dragging her into the bedroom. He threw her down on the bed, and as she scrambled to get away, he swiftly pulled down his pants and dropped onto the bed. He pulled her back toward him, hiking her skirt up and tearing her panties painfully away from her body.

  “You’ll like this, you dirty slut, see if you can remember who gets the respect around this place.” Keith craned her legs apart and moved toward her quickly. She braced for the violence that was coming, but it didn’t. Moments passed before she dared to open her eyes and noticed Keith was gone. She didn’t wait to find out what happened to change his mind, but pulled her dress down and opened the window above the bed, then jumped out of it head first into the garden.

  Emily fell hard against the ground, her head was still pounding and the taste of blood in her mouth was making her stomach turn. There was a loud crash inside of the house as something heavy landed against the China cabinet. Still confused, she got to her feet, steadied herself, and ran to the front of the house where she stopped and stared. Parked in front of the old ranch house was the black Bugatti.

  Before she could move, she was swept off of her feet and carried at an inhumane speed into the barn. She barely had time to register that it was the new field hand, Kyle, that was carrying her. He sat her down softly on a pile of straw and began to press a rag against her forehead to stop the bleeding. The pressure against her head caused the blackness to come again, and this time, she couldn’t fight it off so she surrendered to it.

  As Emily began to become aware, she could hear voices
coming from the darkness.

  “Over my dead body, Sam.”

  “What was Chevalier doing to Sam?” she wondered.

  “You have no right to her! She belongs to Lord Ulrich.” Sam’s words seemed different, not the long drawl she was used to from him.

  “She does not belong to anyone.”

  “Then you take that up with him, for now, I’m taking her away.” Sam seemed angry.

  Things began to swim into view as strong arms lifted her up to sitting and a cool glass was at her lips, “Drink.”

  The voice was unfamiliar, but she did as she was told. The cold water felt good against her battered mouth and washed away the taste of blood. As soon as she finished, she was carefully lowered down onto the bed.

  “No, Sam, it was her choice, she chose to stay here.” There was a slightly pained tone in his voice.

  “It’s no longer her choice, I was given orders and as soon as dark comes, I’m taking her away.” She wanted to talk, wanted to ask Sam where he was taking her.

  A familiar growl erupted and she knew Chevalier was mad, “Again, over my dead body, familiar. You touch her and you’re liable to lose an arm.”

  Familiar? Her mind was trying to answer them, to ask questions, but the sounds never escaped her lips.

  “Any harm to me or to her will be dealt with by my Master.” Was Sam threatening Chevalier?

  A cold compress was placed against her cheek. She winced slightly, and then relaxed as the ice did its job and helped the pain. Emily felt someone sit beside her on the bed, but she couldn’t force her eyes to focus enough to figure out who it was.

  “There are two of us, Sam. You can’t stop me from taking her and once you get back, you can tell Ulrich that he’s going to have to come and get her.”

  “Ulrich?” she managed to say in a whisper.

  “Shhhh, Child.” The strange voice was soft and reassuring.

  As soon as he spoke to her, the shouting stopped. Silence filled the house, and Emily wondered if the arguing had been a dream. She heard footsteps come into the room and her eyes adjusted. It was Chevalier and Sam, both glaring at each other. The man sitting by her on the bed was Kyle. He smiled down at her when her eyes met his.