Finally managing to pull herself together, she headed out to the barn. She knew that in the barn, she wouldn’t have someone making comments or watching her like she was about to die suddenly.
Peanut came to greet her as she entered the barn and she sat on the hay to pet him, “How’s it going, Peanut?”
The cat curled up in his favorite spot on her lap and purred as she pet him.
“So I guess you heard too, eh?” she asked, talking to Peanut as she rubbed his head.
The cat glanced up at her and then curled up against her chest.
“Got myself into a mess,” Emily found some comfort in talking to the cat, she wondered briefly if that was odd, “Just what I needed, a baby, huh?”
The cat tensed up and she moved her hand away, “What’s wrong?”
Suddenly, Peanut arched his back and lashed out at her with his claw, leaving a deep bleeding gash down her arm.
“Damnit, Peanut!” she yelled and pushed the cat off of her before getting up. Peanut ran off deeper into the barn after hissing at her again.
Emily wandered back inside to clean the scratches.
“Good morning,” Kyle said, heading toward her.
“Whatever,” she grumbled and walked past him.
He paused and then followed, “What’s wrong? I smell blood.”
She turned on him angrily, “Let’s see, it could be either that I’m knocked up or I just got attacked by my cat.”
Kyle smiled broadly, “That’s great, Em! Wait… what cat?” His face grew serious.
“We’ll see if it’s great when I can stop sleeping on the bathroom floor,” she said, walking way. She stopped when she felt his hand on her arm.
“What cat?”
“My cat, Peanut, out in the barn.” She tried to pull away but wasn’t able to, “What!?”
Kyle studied the scratches on her arm, “Come with me,” he said, pulling her toward Chevalier’s office.
“No,” she told him and planted her feet, “I’m not in the mood for this Kyle, I just want to clean out this scratch and then go back and feed the cows.”
“Emily, we don’t have a cat,” he said, tugging on her arm.
“Stop it Kyle!” she yelled and jerked her arm angrily away from him.
“What’s going on?” Chevalier asked, approaching them.
“Kyle’s freaking out because I got scratched by my barn cat,” she said and then glared at Kyle.
Chevalier froze, “What cat?”
“Freak!” Emily yelled and stalked away from the two of them, wondering how they could be so upset about a cat.
“Emily, stop,” Chevalier said, putting his hand on her shoulder, “Cat’s hate the heku, they won’t come near us. There’s no way a cat is living on this island.”
“Yeah, well, he’s my cat, maybe he knows you all don’t come to the barn,” she said, still irritated.
“Kyle, find that cat,” Chevalier said and Kyle ran for the barn suddenly.
“No! Don’t hurt my cat,” Emily yelled, running after him.
“Emily,” Chevalier said, quickly catching up to her and stopping her, “No cat is going to be this near to the heku. I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but Ulrich had a familiar, a cat. It’s Sam.”
“What’s Sam?”
“Ulrich’s familiar and his natural form is a cat.”
Emily frowned, “My Sam?”
He nodded.
“Well… I’ll kill him myself then,” she said, heading for the barn.
“Let Kyle handle it, if he can’t find Sam, we may have to get out of here in a hurry,” Chevalier said, barking orders out to the shadows in an unfamiliar language.
“Why?” She turned to him, suddenly nervous.
“Ulrich’s one threat to me, was that if you ever ended up pregnant by a heku, he was going to come and take you away.” He was holding her hand now, gently pulling her toward the stairs.
“He wouldn’t!” she said angrily, but he didn’t answer.
“Sir, there’s no sign of the cat,” Kyle said, catching up with them.
Chevalier growled, “It has to be Sam.”
Kyle nodded in agreement.
“So we have what? A week before they come for her?” Kyle asked.
“Maybe less, Sam has to figure out how to get off this island to inform Ulrich, and then it’ll only take a few days to get here.” Chevalier was calculating his defensive forces in his head.
“We can fight them off, we’re the largest coven in the Equites,” Kyle said, setting his jaw.
“No, I’m not going to risk your coven for my life,” Emily said. She winced a bit when both heku looked at her.
“You’re one of us, Em, we protect our own,” Kyle said, softly.
Emily rolled her eyes, “He’s not going to take me. I’m not going to be the damsel and faint when they try… I’ll fight back.”
“You can’t fight those numbers, just let us do this,” Kyle said to her.
Emily nodded, “Fine, when you’re done planning a war, come get me.”
When she left, Kyle looked at Chevalier and smiled, “She’s grouchy.”
Chevalier couldn’t help but chuckle, “Yeah, she is.”
“Congratulations, Sir.”
Chevalier’s face lit up and Kyle couldn’t help but grin, “Unexpected, actually.”
“I would imagine.”
“Let’s go find that cat,” Chevalier said, suddenly serious. Kyle nodded and they both left for the barn.
Other books in The Heku Series
Book 2 : Valle
Book 3 : Encala
Book 4 : Equites
Book 5 : Proditor
Book 6 : Ferus
Book 7 : Eternity of Vengeance
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Meeting
Chapter 2 - Keith
Chapter 3 - Ulrich
Chapter 4 - The House
Chapter 5 - Control
Chapter 6 - Fight
Chapter 7 - Island Coven
Chapter 8 - Choices
Chapter 9 - Trust
Chapter 10 - Beginning
Chapter 11 - Bonding
Chapter 12 - Recovery
Chapter 13 - Coming Out
Chapter 14 - Alone
Chapter 15 - Returning
Chapter 16 - Training
Chapter 17 - Potential
Sneak Peak : Valle (Book 2 of the Heku Series)
Heku : Book 1 of the Heku Series Page 30