Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  Chevalier turned away from Sam and sat by her on the bed, opposite Kyle, “Emily, are you ok? Are you still hurting?”

  She shook her head, but the world began to spin again.

  Sam began to approach the bed, but Kyle hissed at him and he took a step back. Emily paid more attention to Kyle and suddenly noticed that he had the same elongated canines that Chevalier had. Somehow, that didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her, was that he hadn’t attacked her, hadn’t tried to feed.

  “Keith?” Her words were muffled by her swollen lips.

  “He’s taken care of,” was all Chevalier would say.

  “He killed Keith, Emily. He’s dangerous,” Sam spat at them.

  Chevalier stood up faster than her mind could register and pushed Sam out of the room. She heard the door slam as they left the house.

  Left alone with Kyle, she covered her throat with her hand and looked up at him, “Please don’t bite me.”

  She was shocked when he laughed, “You are safe with me, Child.”

  Kyle glanced out the window then back down to Emily, “Do you need anything? There is some ibuprofen in the cupboard, or another drink… or food perhaps?”

  He seemed so polite, so caring. She wanted to thank him, but it hurt to talk. She nodded and then panicked when he quickly left the room. She just started to sit up when he returned with 2 pills and a glass of water in his hand. He helped her slowly to sit up and take the medicine and then returned the ice pack to her cheek when she laid back down.

  Without warning, Kyle picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He stepped out into the fresh air, and she noticed the sun was setting, it was almost dark.

  He opened the door to the black car and laid her down carefully in the seat, reclining it, “I’ll get her some things to take with you,” he told someone.

  “Make it fast. I don’t know how long it will take Ulrich to get here.” It was Chevalier he was talking to.

  “Sam?” she managed to say.

  Chevalier buckled her into the seat, “He left. We have to get out of here, Em. I’ll explain later.”

  She didn’t have the strength to question him, to demand to know what happened to Sam. All she could focus on was that Keith was dead at the hand of her heku.

  Kyle returned with a bag and tossed it behind the seat.

  “Stay here, Kyle. I need you to handle damage control. Don’t tell Ulrich anything more than my phone number. I’ll have more instructions once I get her back to the coven and get her settled. Can you take care of the ranch on your own?”

  “Yes, Sir, if I can use my speed and strength unhindered, it won’t be a problem,” Kyle assured him.

  “Use discretion, but do what you can to keep on top of things.”

  “And… Keith?” Kyle asked, disgust in his voice.

  “Bury him deeply. If anyone asks, tell them he ran off after someone he met in a bar.” Chevalier thought briefly, “Just say he got tired of waiting for Emily and left.” More was said but his voice was too low for Emily to make out the words.

  “Will do, Sir. Are you really taking her to the coven?” He sounded surprised.

  Chevalier nodded, “It’s hard to explain, but yes.”

  “Ok,” Kyle said slowly.

  “And, Kyle… thank you. I owe you a lot for this.” Kyle and Chevalier shook hands and then Chevalier was in his seat pulling the sleek car onto the highway.

  Chapter 7 - Island Coven

  Emily drifted in and out of sleep all through the night. When dawn came, she opened her eyes and looked at Chevalier. He seemed relaxed and content. She cleared her throat before speaking, “Déjà vu, huh?”

  He smiled over at her, “Why yes… it is oddly familiar.”

  “Did you really kill Keith?” She already knew the answer.

  He sighed, “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry he made you do that.”

  “I’m not, I’ve wanted to do that for months,” he said matter-of-factly. He didn’t seem upset at all by the thought of killing someone, “Kyle called me back when he heard the shouting and smelled blood.”

  Chevalier’s jaw tightened, he was still angry.

  “Your life would be so much simpler if you’d have kept going,” Emily told him, pulling her seat back into the upright position.

  “He was going to kill you.”

  She whispered, “I’ve never seen him that mad before.”

  “He didn’t deserve to share this planet with you. I just wish it hadn’t come down to…” He quit talking, his jaw flexing again in anger.

  She reached out to touch his arm and ran her fingers along the hard muscles and veins, “Thank you.”

  He raised an eyebrow, “You aren’t mad?”

  She shook her head and was silent, her mind deep in thought for the next hour.

  “Who is Ulrich?”

  Chevalier considered not answering for a moment, but then decided against it, “Do you remember the story I told you about Elizabeth Winchester marrying a heku? The one that started all of this?”

  “Yes”

  “Ulrich is the one.”

  She sat up straighter, “And what’s his claim to me?”

  Chevalier glanced at her.

  “I heard you talking to Sam.”

  He sighed, “He’s been watching over his family. He thinks I may corrupt you.”

  “Corrupt me?” She made a face.

  He decided not to go into further detail.

  “Where is your Coven anyway?” she asked, looking out toward the flat plains.

  “I can’t say. It’s safer not to speak of the location.”

  “Why is that? No one’s in the car but us.”

  “It’s just safer, take my word for it.”

  “End of subject, gotcha.”

  He grinned.

  “Kyle packed some sandwiches, are you hungry?” He reached behind the seat and pulled out a small cooler.

  She dug around and pulled out a sandwich and a cold drink, then winced while eating. It felt like Keith knocked some teeth loose. After eating, she curled up in the seat and watched Chevalier.

  “Can I help you with something?” he asked, grinning when he noticed her watching him.

  “Kyle seems very nice,” she said, watching his reaction.

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Does he know about me?”

  “No”

  “Then why didn’t he try to bite me?”

  “I told him not to. I gave him precise instructions to take care of you but never to feed. I told you, Emily, my coven won’t defy me,” he said, gritting his teeth.

  “You trust them enough to be outnumbered by them a thousand to 1?”

  “Implicitly.” He glanced over at her, “It’s going to be ok, Emily, don’t worry about it. I’ll always make sure you are protected.”

  “I can’t go home, can I?” She knew the answer but wanted him to say it.

  “No”

  She was silent beside him.

  “There were two choices. You could either come with me, or stay there and be taken by Ulrich. I asked Kyle to sell off your ranch,” he said quietly.

  Emily looked away when her eyes filled with tears, “That was my Dad’s ranch.”

  “I’m sorry, it’s too dangerous now.”

  “Why was Kyle so surprised that you were taking me to your home?”

  “It’s complicated,” Chevalier said, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “Heku don’t normally want to spend time with a mortal, we feed and we leave, it’s that simple.”

  “But with me?”

  “With you, it’s different. I don’t know why, but I’m drawn to you. It may take some time for the coven to get used to a mortal being around longer than a few hours.”

  Emily turned to face the window. Eventually she drifted off into a sleep full of nightmares.

  ***

  The sound of lapping water woke Emily up. The blinding light shone in her eyes as she struggled to see through it. The car was s
ilent, but she still felt as if she were moving. Undoing the seat belt, she opened the car door and stepped out onto damp wooden planks. They were on a ferry, no land in sight. She looked around, the Bugatti was the only car on the large ferry, and she couldn’t see any people.

  There were voices on the wind, but she couldn’t make them out, so she made her way to the back of the ferry and saw a recess in the deck that led to stairs. As she descended, the voices became quiet. She emerged into a small room with a table in the center. Chevalier was seated there, a warm smile on his face.

  There were 2 others with him, a beautiful woman with dark hair and a stunning face, and an older man who looked away quickly when Emily met his eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Am I interrupting something?”

  Chevalier stood up and motioned for her to come closer, “No, we were just visiting. Emily, this is Storm and Walen… please come and sit.”

  Emily sat in the chair on his right as Storm watched her closely and Walen avoided looking at her. She hadn’t looked in a mirror but could only imagine what she looked like with the bruised neck and face.

  “These are the highest ranking officers in my coven. They met us so we could go over some details of your arrival,” he explained.

  Emily looked over at Storm and was shocked by her beauty. From what Emily could understand of their conversation, things were pretty normal. Word had gotten out that Chevalier would be back soon, and everyone was excited. Kyle had let Storm know that she was coming too, and preparations were made for her arrival. Talk turned to politics within the city walls, and the words they used were strange and confusing.

  Emily suddenly felt terribly uncomfortable, “I’ll leave you be then and go back up top.” She stood up and walked up the stairs quickly, feeling the eyes boring into her back.

  She shivered as the cool ocean wind brushed past her. The breeze had gotten stronger since she went down, and the dark clouds began to look ominous above her. She went back to the car and sat inside, leaving the door open for fresh air. She could still hear the voices but was thankful she couldn’t make out the words. Emily found her bag behind the seat in the car and dug around inside until she found her book. Propping her bare feet on the dash of the car, she settled down to read.

  The sound of engines startled her. She jumped slightly, and then heard the chuckle beside her.

  “Good book?” Chevalier asked, smiling.

  Emily watched the small boats surround the ferry, tossing ropes to attach themselves to the hull. She looked over at Chevalier nervously.

  He grinned, “It’s ok, they are going to tow us in. We’re almost there.”

  She looked out the windshield and noticed a large island coming swiftly toward them. A tall cement wall surrounded the island, blocking her view from anything on it and a pier jutted out from the beach, lined with armed guards and fierce looking dogs. The dogs stiffened, their hackles rising as the ferry drew nearer. Emily sat back against her chair.

  “It’s ok, they won’t hurt you while you are in the car.” His eyes were now protective, no longer amused.

  “While I’m in the car?”

  “They protect the pier, only heku can get by them.”

  “And the cement fence?”

  He watched her reaction, “Well guarded.”

  Emily felt like she was heading to a prison, a place where she would be watched and carefully monitored, a place which she would never be able to leave. She started to panic, her breathing picking up rapidly.

  “Emily, calm down.” Chevalier touched her arm softly.

  She opened the door, jumped out, and ran as Chevalier called from behind her. She had to get off the ferry, had to get away from the fortress. She could swim well, there had to be land close by. As she neared the back edge of the ferry, strong hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her back toward the center.

  “Where are you going?” Chevalier asked softly into her ear.

  “Away, let me go,” she demanded, but his hold on her strengthened.

  “You can’t jump off the ferry, Emily.”

  Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, her breathing coming faster as she struggled against his hands.

  “Stop it, you’re going to get hurt… I’m not going to let you drowned.”

  Her nails were digging at his hands, trying to pry them off of her. She had to get away from him. No matter how hard she tried, his fingers wouldn’t move, they held tight and steady. She screamed, maybe the Captain would hear her and come save her from the prison they were nearing. He said it was a city, not a fortress, guarded by dogs and armed guards.

  “Let me go, Chev, right now! I have to get back.” She’d given up trying to move his hands and was squirming to get out of his grasp. He turned her quickly so she was facing him and he locked her eyes.

  He concentrated on her, and just as he thought he might be able to control the situation, her eyes shot to the side and she brought up one knee, hitting him hard in the groin. His grip didn’t lessen, but he wasn’t able to lock her gaze again.

  “What’s wrong, Emily? Tell me.”

  Anger flowed through her words, “You said it was a city, you didn’t tell me it was a prison, Chev, a place to keep mortals out and what? Also keep them in? Are we going to play the hostage game again?”

  He sighed, “It’s not a prison. You can come and go as you wish. Once I get orders out to the coven, no one will harm you and no one will hold you hostage. I wouldn’t do that.”

  She glared at him, “Then let me go.”

  “Not tonight, it’s late and a storm is coming. Give it a try, Em, I’m breaking a lot of rules bringing you here, but you’ll see, you will be like royalty to them. Give them time to show you how much you mean to us. Give me time to show you how much you mean to me.”

  His distraction worked. Before he was done speaking, the ferry came to a stop and was tied to long posts on the pier. Storm was off the ferry first, barking orders at the armed guards in a language Emily didn’t understand. Most stared straight ahead, while others peered at her from under their hats.

  “Now get in the car before the storm hits.” He was leading her back to the waiting Bugatti. She crawled in and fastened her seat belt. It was too late, she couldn’t get away. Her heart sank as Chevalier drove down the pier and into the fortress.

  Once inside, things looked better, she had to admit. The island was lush and green and full of wildlife. Birds of all colors flew around and small squirrels played in the trees. There were beautiful houses lined with flowers and exotic bushes. Each home was well spaced from the next, giving off an air of privacy. Many people came to their doors and waved as they drove past, most stopped and stared curiously as they noticed her sitting beside him.

  The winding road led up a small hill that was free of any buildings and they emerged onto a large mesa. Centered, was a mansion with tall granite pillars and rows of intricately designed windows. High turrets reached up from the four corners, and she could see armed guards in them.

  A small bridge emerged, and as they crossed it, she looked down to see a swift stream full of orange and white Koi. The house sat back away from the rest of the city, but as they drew closer, she noticed the armed guards again. Four of them were standing outside large black double doors. Emily looked nervously at Chevalier.

  “This is my home, welcome,” he said, smiling.

  The closer they got, the bigger the mansion appeared. At first she thought it was about the same size as his home in Colorado, but it wasn’t, it was much larger. Storm was already at the door, though Emily couldn’t imagine how she’d beat them there. She was standing calmly between the 4 guards and watching their approach.

  As Chevalier pulled the car up to the front door, a stout man ran out and opened his door for him. Emily jumped as another man appeared at her door, out of nowhere, and opened it, bowing to her. He put out one gloved hand to help her out of the car. She looked at his hand, unsure she wanted to trust him enough for the
help, but in the end decided she had no choice, she was gravely outnumbered.

  The guards each saluted Chevalier as he walked past, though he was ignoring them and was focused on something Storm was saying. Emily followed behind them, already feeling left out and afraid. One hulking maid looked up at her and growled, her teeth coming into view. Storm looked at her, and she instantly shrank back and out of sight. Emily was watching where the girl disappeared and ran right into Chevalier. He chuckled and took her hand.

  She turned to look into the house and couldn’t help but gasp. The front room was massive and two stark white columns of stairs lead up to a second floor. The stairs were lined with golden handrails and covered in soft red carpet. There were doors lining the large room, but none of them were open, so she couldn’t tell what was in them. Chevalier led the way up the closest staircase and Storm followed.

  “This is Anna,” Chevalier said, and a stunningly beautiful heku appeared at her side and smiled warmly. Anna had long blond hair and she was tall and muscular, “She will get you anything you need and will be at your beckon call. Don’t hesitate to call on her if you want to find something or need to go somewhere.”

  It already felt like she was being abandoned by him. He seemed to have felt that and strengthened his grasp on her hand, “I’ll be around, of course, but she is here to help you.”

  He led the way down a long hallway that had only two doors in it. The left door, he pointed out, was his room, and the right was hers. The door opened suddenly and they walked inside. The ante-chamber they stepped into was larger than her room in Colorado and was done up in black and red, Victorian era couches and chairs were placed around the fireplace which was being stoked by yet another heku. Double doors opened up from the ante-chamber into the bedroom.

  Emily froze in the door, unable to take in the vastness of this one room. A large bed draped with black netting was front and center in the room. Four large wardrobes made of dark cherry wood were across from it, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling, its crystal décor throwing intricate rainbows beneath it. While checking out the room, she peeked through the black French doors and noticed a bathroom similar to the one in Colorado. The floor was dark blue granite, and the jetted tub was larger than the other and also dark blue. Eight showerheads lined the four walls of the double shower and the glass door was etched with a dolphin.