“Oh, were we playing fair?” Emily asked.
Chevalier laughed, “Apparently not. Damn, you bite hard.”
Emily glanced at his shoulder and could see the faint outline of her teeth fading, “Sorry about that.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” He ran his fingers through her hair.
“You wanted to talk?” She pulled away from him and propped herself up on her elbow.
“Yes I did, before I was seduced.” He kissed her lightly.
Emily laughed, “It was pretty hard to do, too.”
Chevalier smiled, “Yeah well…”
“So… what about?”
“Everything we probably should have talked about before the bonding.” His eyes were serious.
“Like what?” She gasped, “Are you upset about the baby thing?”
He smiled, “No, that’s not important to me though I wish you had told me, just so we didn’t have secrets.”
Her eyes fell to his chest as her fingers outlined his chiseled muscles, “I’m sorry.”
Chevalier took her hand in his, “You’re distracting me, again,” he said, kissing her fingers.
“Hmm, you’re easily distracted.” She smiled up at him.
“Yes… well…”
“Ok so what else?” She was afraid to go further but knew there was no way around it.
“First, I’ll start… there were some unexpected byproducts of the bonding that I want you to know about. I honestly didn’t know about them. This is the first I’ve known of a mortal and an immortal going through the ceremony.” He was looking deep into her green eyes.
“Ugh, do I want to know?”
Chevalier smiled, “They aren’t bad… just… well… intrusive.”
“What? How?” Her eyes narrowed.
“I can feel your emotions from a distance. The stronger the emotions, the stronger I can feel them. Regular, normal emotions, I have to concentrate on… but I’m able to pick them up easier and easier it seems.”
She frowned, “Ok.”
“Lately… and it’s only been the last few days… I’m starting to see images of what you are thinking.”
She gasped, “You can see what I’m thinking?”
He shrugged, “Not always, it’s more like images pop into my head and I can’t figure out how they got there and then I realized that you were thinking them.”
“That’s not fair! I’m not getting any of that.” She frowned.
Chevalier kissed her nose, “I’m not trying to be intrusive. It’s all just sort of happening.”
“So nothing’s private for me anymore?” She didn’t like that and he noticed how she set her jaw.
“I’m finding I can tune it out to an extent, but there are times when you are practically screaming at me… like just now on the couch.” He smiled at the thought.
“This is awful!” She pulled the blankets up to cover herself.
“I’m not doing it on purpose! I’m going to see if I can find someone in our situation and see if it can be controlled.”
Suddenly, Emily was feeling exposed.
“I’d like it if I could control it enough to block your thoughts out when I don’t need to know them, and to reach out for you when I do… I’d also like to see if there’s a way you can use it to your advantage.”
“Like how?”
“Like calling for me if you are in trouble.”
“Anything else?” Her voice was irritated.
“I’m sorry about the ring too, that I did know about, and I should have told you.”
“Yes, you should have.” She glanced down at the beautiful diamond and platinum ring, “Keep going.”
“That’s all for now, the big stuff.” He ran his hand under the blanket along her waist, “Now it’s your turn.”
She frowned, “What is it you want to know?”
“It’s time you told me about your nightmares.” He wasn’t surprised when her body tensed.
“They are just nightmares.” She avoided looking into his eyes.
“They are more than that. Nightmares don’t cause people to scream night after night,” he said softly. “Please, tell me.”
She watched him but didn’t answer.
“I’ll make it easier. Let’s start with the dreams about Keith.” He pulled her close to him as she squeezed her eyes shut.
She whispered against his chest, “He’s not dead.”
Chevalier kissed the top of her head, “He’s after you?”
She nodded.
“He’s after me too?” He guessed, and she nodded.
“When you scream for him to shut up… what is he saying?” Chevalier prompted.
“Warnings”
“About what?”
“You”
“That I’ll kill you?” he asked softly.
She shook her head, “No, that you’ll leave me when…”
“What, Em?”
“When you see me as he did.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible. He was more of a monster than I could ever be.” His voice was soft and reassuring.
“He made me… do things.” She hid her face against his chest.
“Yes, I would imagine he did. Can I tell you something about Keith?”
She nodded.
“He was controlling your every move. The more he could knock you down, the more control he had.”
She didn’t move in his arms.
“You’ve come a long way out of that control since he died and... he is dead. He wasn’t sure enough of himself to know you would stay with him unless he made you feel undesirable.”
Emily relaxed against him.
“As for coming after me… I wish he were alive and did come after me,” he said, and then grinned.
She frowned up at him, “Why?”
“I’d like to kill him again, slower this time. He got off easily because I was angry, and he didn’t feel enough pain.” She felt the strain in his voice and his arms tightened.
Emily actually laughed a little and Chevalier kissed her forehead.
“Enough about Keith… the other dreams where you scream for me to run?” He watched her but she didn’t tense up this time.
“It’s dark in those ones, and there are trees.” She frowned, “There are voices and they are going to get you, I can’t catch up to you to make you run.”
Chevalier grinned, “Why are you always trying to protect me in your dreams? I thought I was supposed to be protecting you.”
She shrugged, not finding it as funny as he did.
“Maybe.” He thought for a moment, “Getting the dreams out in the open will make them go away.”
Emily shrugged again.
Chevalier brushed his lips across hers, “We’ll talk more later. We have plenty of time. There’s something out in the water you’ll want to see. I’ll stay here.”
Emily hesitated and then stood up and pulled on a soft robe that hung by the bed. She shielded her eyes against the glare of the sun on the water and peered over the side of the boat. She smiled widely when she saw humpback whales less than 10 feet away.
She leaned on the railing and watched until they disappeared into the horizon. The water was so blue that she could see fish below the boat also, and it wasn’t until dusk that she moved back below. Chevalier was just pulling open a cupboard to reveal a large TV, DVD player, and a few hundred movies.
“I thought we’d watch a movie, if you’d like,” he said, smiling up at her.
“Sounds great! Let’s see what we have.” She sat down and started thumbing through the movies.
Emily giggled and held up Interview with a Vampire for Chevalier.
“Gah, we aren’t watching that are we?” he asked.
“No, I’ve already made Kyle sit through it, and he was thoroughly offended, I assure you.” She slipped the movie back into the slot.
“I bet he was… I’m starting to think Kyle really does need a raise.” He watched Emily on the floor. He coul
dn’t get enough of her, how she moved, how she talked, and the way she flinched in her sleep.
“Oooh can we watch a horror movie?” She sounded excited.
Chevalier laughed, “Isn’t your life a horror movie? You live on an island full of history’s vampires.”
Emily pulled out the movie and put it into the DVD player, and then disappeared into the bathroom. She emerged, blushing, wearing a sheer black babydoll nightgown, “Margaret strikes again.”
Chevalier’s eyes took her in as she came to sit by him, “I think she is reliving her youth through you… with my approval, of course.”
Emily pulled a blanket over her shoulders and curled up against Chevalier’s side to watch the movie. He thought it was utterly stupid, how could people be so afraid of a clown? He did like the way Emily pulled closer to him when the clown appeared, so he didn’t complain.
Chevalier wasn’t sure exactly when she fell asleep, he just noticed she suddenly quit jumping when things on the TV got tense. He gently carried her to bed and curled up next to her, watching the movement of her face as she slept.
Emily woke to the smell of bacon and she smiled, “Smells good.”
Chevalier turned and grinned, “I hope so.”
He loaded up a plate and set the tray on her lap when she sat up.
“Oooh breakfast in bed even.” She smiled and started to eat, “Wow, this is really good.”
Chevalier grinned, “One of my many talents.”
Emily thought for a second, and then decided to ask, “When do you eat?”
“When I’m thirsty.”
“That sounds like avoidance, thought we were being open.” She stabbed an egg and ate it.
“True… I eat about once every two or three weeks is all. We don’t need to eat as often as you do.” He pulled her foot out from under the covers and began to massage it.
“What do you eat?”
He raised an eyebrow, “What?”
She smiled, “I mean… who? Where do you get the blood?”
“I have voluntary donors.”
“Women?” She took a bite of bacon and avoided his eyes.
“Mostly, yes.” He knew where this was going.
“Do you sleep with them?”
“Not anymore.”
She stared down at her plate, no longer hungry.
“Emily?” He wanted to see her eyes.
Emily shrugged and pushed the food around the plate with her fork.
“I’m not going to lie and say I never used to sleep with the women I fed off of, but I promise you, I haven’t since we went to Colorado.”
“It still seems so… intimate.” She still didn’t look up.
“It can be, but not anymore. Now they are simply nourishment.”
She grimaced.
Chevalier sighed, there really was no way to lessen the blow for this, “When I used to find a donor attractive, I always went for the neck, so I could be closer to her.”
She inhaled sharply and turned away from him.
“Now though, I only use their wrists. You are the only one I want, Em, the only one I can see anymore.” He took her hand and kissed it softly.
She swallowed dryly, “Did you ever turn one... one that you liked?”
He shook his head, “No, I haven’t turned anyone in decades for myself, and then it was only if I saw something in them that would benefit the coven. It’s not something we as heku take lightly.”
“Just feed off of me then, you won’t have to have donors.” He saw the brief wince before she looked over at him.
“No, I won’t regularly feed off of you.”
“Why?”
“For one, I love you too much.” He stroked her cheek lightly, “For the other, it’s too dangerous. Your blood is so amazingly succulent that I find it harder and harder to stop. I won’t risk draining you.”
She grimaced visibly at that.
“Don’t worry about my feeding, Em. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.” He reached down and kissed her, “It’s just part of who I am.”
Though not hungry, Emily finished her breakfast in silence. When she was done, she got up and cleaned the kitchen as she felt Chevalier watching her.
***
The following week was a lot less stressful. They spent their days talking about nothing important and their nights together. Emily’s nightmares seemed less frequent out on the water and she felt better than she had in a long time, well rested and content. Chevalier was also pleased that Emily was becoming more comfortable around him and wasn’t hiding her body as much as before.
From his perch at the helm, Chevalier could see Emily down on the deck. She was lying face down on a deck chair, topless, her skin was bronzing with all of the time in the sun. He slipped on his sunglasses and jacket and went down to join her.
Her skin tingled as he ran his fingers lightly down her spine.
She turned her face to him, “Done playing Captain?”
He grinned, “For now. Are you about ready to go back?”
Emily sighed, “Do we have to?”
Chevalier laughed, “No.”
“Yeah… I guess it is time to head back. I’m sure Kyle will appreciate help with my animals.”
“It’ll take us a few days to get back, no rush,” Chevalier said, and inhaled deeply.
She glanced up at him, “Are you smelling me again? It’s making me self-conscious.”
“It’s so incredible, Em, I think the time on the boat has made it stronger and lately there’s a change. Maybe all of that vitamin D.”
Emily stifled a giggle.
“What?” He couldn’t help but smile at her.
“Nothing”
“Tell me what’s so funny.”
This time, Emily laughed for a bit before she was able to talk, “I was thinking that you have about as much control as that moody Arabian when my poor Patra is in heat.”
Chevalier grinned, “You’re comparing me to a horse?”
“Yes, I am. He doesn’t even notice her and then he’ll start sniffing around and the next thing I know, he’s fighting to get out of his stall.”
“Well if she smells this good, I can’t blame him,” Chevalier said as he flipped Emily over in her deck chair and kissed her passionately.
Chapter 15 - Returning
Chevalier pulled the yacht up to the pier and the guards immediately tied the boat to the dock.
“Welcome back, Sir,” Travis said as he slid the plank up so they could get off.
“Good to be back, Travis, head in with us will you? I’d like a full report.” Chevalier stepped off first and extended a hand to help Emily off.
Travis jerked as she passed him and he turned his face away from her. Chevalier glared at him and he faced forward again. He made a mental note to demand an explanation from Travis when they were alone.
Emily crawled into the Bugatti and watched the houses fly past, “I think maybe Travis isn’t feeling well.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?” Chevalier knew why, but wondered if she had noticed.
“He was just acting weird is all.”
They pulled up to the castle and the two guards moved to greet them. As one of them opened Emily’s door for her, he winced and stood up quickly, his eyes glanced toward the Chief Enforcer. Chevalier was glad that Emily didn’t notice the reaction, and she headed quickly inside as it began to rain.
“I’ll deal with you later,” Chevalier growled at the guard and followed her inside.
As Emily walked into the foyer, Kyle appeared from the opposite end of the room. He ran at her and picked her up in a hug, “Welcome back!”
Chevalier felt his anger rising when he saw Kyle inhale deeply and set her back down a little roughly and take a step back, his eyes wide.
“I�� will… be… well… I’ll get your things,” Kyle stammered out and then stepped into the fresh night air.
Emily shrugged, smiled at Chevalier, and then headed up the stairs, “I know you have
a meeting. I’m just going to take a shower and go to the barn.”
He nodded at her and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. Less than a second later, he had the guard pinned against the stone walls of the castle, his hand around his neck, “Explain yourself.”
The guard choked and fought to breathe, his words coming out in a whisper, “I apologize, Sir, it won’t happen again.
Chevalier let go of his neck and glared down at him, “It better not.”
He then spun on Kyle, “You of all people know better,” he hissed.
“It just caught me off guard. I think I may need to go feed tonight.” Kyle took a step away from Chevalier’s icy glare.
“I’ll expect you to keep well fed in the future if you are going to keep your position.” His words were fierce.
“Yes, Sir,” Kyle said, looking down at the rocky ground.
“Now come in, I need a full report,” he said to both Kyle and Travis as Travis walked up.
When they sat down in the conference room, the three guards sat as far away from Chevalier as they could. He had a command-presence about him that left no doubt who was in charge.
“Travis,” he said.
Travis began, “Nothing new on the pier, Sir. It’s been a very quiet week. I had one group of tourists stop to use the bathroom, but when I mentioned the quarantine, they left quickly.”
“Mason”
The door guard looked up nervously, “Nothing to report, Sir.”
“Kyle?” His voice sounded angrier.
Kyle sighed, “There’s been some speculation that there may be a Valle among us.”
Chevalier’s jaw tightened, “Speculation?”
“Yes, one of our informants from the Valle said that a small group of their recognizance team has gone missing and as he’s on the Encala Enforcement team. He suspects they’ve come to our side.”
“And they think they are actually here in this coven?” Chevalier leaned forward toward Kyle.
“Yes, Sir. One of the Valle’s speedboats is missing and as we’re the only coven on an island…”
Chevalier growled, “Any idea who it is?”
“Not yet, Sir, but we’re keeping our eyes and ears open. We have three open positions here in the house we’ve not filled because we don’t know who we can trust.”
Chevalier nodded in agreement, “Keep them empty, I’m not going to risk a Valle informant in this castle.”
Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series Page 25