Chevalier joined her, still keeping his distance, “Yes, the very first.”
“How were they made then?”
“No one knows.”
“How old is he?” She ran her finger along the top of the glass.
“No one really knows. If you ask an ancient, they will tell you they have always been.” He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and laid it over her legs.
“Did an ancient make you?”
“Yes, those of us directly made by the ancients are known as ‘old ones’. That one didn’t make me, though. I’ve never seen him before.”
“You said the ancients used mortals as toys.”
“Yes”
“That’s all I was then… a game.”
“I don’t think so. I think at first he wanted some fun, but then… well I think he may have fallen for you. There was no other reason he tried to… well… it’s just a theory.” He took her glass and went to the fridge to refill it.
“Did you help get rid of the ancients?” She watched him and took the glass when he returned.
“Yes,” he said softly.
“Tell me.”
“Their games were getting old. The humans were become civilized and learning quickly. We knew it wouldn’t be long before we were outnumbered. We… meaning myself and the first Council, decided to talk to them and try to get the ancients to leave the morals alone. It didn’t work though, it made things worse. They thought nothing of kidnapping small children to torture and feed off of.” He watched the waves out the window.
“We did what we had to to protect ourselves, to protect our species.” He finally smiled at her, “We couldn’t kill them though, they were our past, our history. So they were banished to the ground for eternity.”
“Are they all on the island?” She shuddered.
“No, I didn’t even know one was here. Actually, I didn’t know about that crypt either.” He frowned.
“Then how did he get there?”
“When we finally decided to banish the ancients, the call was given and heku everywhere did what they could. There must have been a colony on this island already, and when they banished him, they either didn’t tell anyone, or swore them to secrecy. Their secret followed them when they left.”
Emily thought for a moment, “So how did he get out?”
Chevalier shrugged, “That’s been bothering me. All I can come up with is that Larsen did it, though I don’t know why.”
“Larsen?” Her eyes narrowed.
“It’s the only explanation. Someone had to have dug up the Ancient, and then opened the sealed casket. He couldn’t have gotten out by himself.”
“There could be more then.” It wasn’t a question, and she watched the blank TV screen.
“No, the ancients were scattered. They couldn’t even stand each other long enough to live together. He was alone.”
“So how did you get the island?” She’d wondered that before, but hadn’t bothered asking.
“It was three hundred years ago, and the Council got word of an out of control coven here. I was sent in to… well… exterminate the offenders.”
“But you didn’t… you saved them?”
“No, I did what I was sent to do. But I loved this place and the castle, so I moved my coven here.” He saw the shock on Emily’s face, “I told you, I’m good at my job.”
“How many did you kill?” she whispered.
“It’s not important.” He reached out to touch her, but she jerked slightly.
“You have to stop doing that.” He reached out slower and brushed the back of his hand against her arm.
She fought to calm her breathing.
“It wasn’t me,” he said, scooting closer to her.
She shut her eyes tightly, “I know.”
Chevalier reached around to the counter and grabbed a small yellow bottle of medicated gel and some gauze, “Let me see your wrist.”
Her eyes flew open, “Why?”
He sighed, “You know why. I just want to change the bandages.”
She reached her shaking hand out to him. He tore off the old bandage and smeared the yellow goo around her wrist as she watched him, scrutinizing his every move. He wrapped new gauze around it, and then started on the next.
Chevalier reached quickly for the gauze on her neck and she gasped and shied away from him, her hands by her face.
“Sorry, sorry, Em… it’s ok.” He slowly moved his hand closer to her and pulled off the gauze.
The puncture wounds were still red and swollen, but he thought they were getting better. It took a very careless heku to do that, one with no concern for the one from whom he drank. It infuriated Chevalier. He’d spent his entire life killing heku for less than that.
He pressed new, clean gauze against her neck and gently taped it into place as she stifled a yawn.
Chevalier smiled, “Bed time again?”
“I’ve slept a lot today already. Maybe a movie?” she asked, watching him get up.
He held a hand out for her, “Come on, I’ll tuck you in.”
She took his hand after a few moments and let him walk her to the bed, “I don’t want to sleep though, I slept all day.”
“It’s good for you, you’re still anemic and PTSD.”
She sat on the edge of the bed, and then thought for a moment before swinging her legs into bed, “P.T.S. what?”
He covered her up, “Post traumatic stress disorder.”
She frowned, “Are you making up diseases now?”
He laughed, “No, that one’s real.”
Emily turned onto her side, “Chev?”
“Yeah?” he asked, turning out the light.
“Nothing, it’s ok, good night,” she said, snuggling down into the covers.
“Tell me,” he said, sitting on the bed beside her.
She reached out and took his hand, “Stay with me?”
“Of course.”
She rested her head against the back of his hand and shut her eyes, falling asleep quickly.
The night went better. She had only one nightmare, but otherwise slept peacefully. He could read her emotions and pick up parts of her dream as long as he could touch her. Chevalier spent the night delving into her dreams and feeling the foreign emotions flow through him. He marveled at how intricate and expressive her dreams were and how she was particularly much unlike her waking self in them.
She woke up feeling much better and smiled when she smelled the hot coffee brewing.
“Good morning,” she said, sitting up to watch him in the kitchen.
He walked over and kissed her forehead. She only jerked back slightly when he approached her, “Good morning.”
Emily stretched and then stood up. Her muscles were still stiff and sore, but not as bad as the day before. She poured herself some coffee and sat down at the table.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” she asked, sipping the hot coffee slowly.
He grinned, “First off… I’m giving you a massage.”
She frowned, “Why?”
“Because you’re still sore from being on the cement and also… let’s call it therapy.”
“Oh so now you’re Freud?” She could feel the panic begin to swell inside of her.
He chuckled, “I met the man and I’m not like him at all… I’m not claiming to be a psychiatrist.”
“You met Sigmund Freud?” She couldn’t help but sound shocked.
“Yes, interesting man, but not one I spent a great amount of time with.” He passed a bowl of fruit over to her.
“I still don’t need a massage. I’m not even sore today,” she lied.
He chuckled again, “Yes you are.”
She grabbed a few grapes and sat back in her chair again, drawing her legs up to her chest. She winced slightly as her muscles screamed at her, but she fought to keep her face from showing it.
“No massages,” she snapped at him. She hated when he was right, but the thought of his hands on her made h
er panic.
“I’m not fighting with you today,” he said, watching her.
“Good, no massage… no fight.”
“Oh you’re getting a massage. Your entire back is full of knots.”
“Fine… then let’s go back to the island, and I’ll hit the mainland and find a masseuse.” She thought that sounded reasonable.
He grinned, “No.”
“Why are you so set on this?” She watched him carefully.
“Hmm let’s see. You’re sore, you flinch when I come near you, you’re stressed out, not sleeping, and, well… because I can think of no better way to spend the day than running my hands all over you,” he said the last part with a grin.
“Ever consider maybe I just don’t want to be touched?” She glared at him.
“Yes I have, and if it was a regular thing… even something I had seen once in the past, then I would respect your wishes, but I know why and I’m not going to have you afraid of me.” His amused expression left.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said, looking deep into his eyes.
“Maybe that wasn’t the right terminology.” He thought for a moment, “How about, repulsed by my touch.”
She frowned, “That sounds awful.”
“Well, how would you explain it?”
“It’s not you. I don’t want touched by anyone right now.” She grabbed a knife from the counter and began to cut up a fresh mango.
“Just a strange mainland masseuse?”
She sighed, “Ok, so maybe I wouldn’t have actually done that.”
Chevalier laid his head back and laughed.
Emily threw a piece of sticky mango at him and hit him on the cheek. He wiped off his face with a napkin and grinned.
“You’re trying way too hard to start a fight with me. It’s not going to work,” he said, he was prepared for this.
“I am not,” she snapped at him. Chevalier laughed again and she roughly pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, then stormed up the stairs.
Emily sat down on the deck chair, slid on her sunglasses, and leaned back. She sat up quickly when she felt Chevalier sit by her on the chair. When she saw a bottle of massage oil in his hand, she tried to stand up quickly, but he held her to the chair.
“Let me up,” she said, pulling against his hands.
“Nope… roll over,” he told her, and flipped her over quickly before straddling her hips to help hold her down.
“Let me go… please.” She was starting to panic. He could feel her muscles tighten up and her breathing quicken.
Emily fought to get up, but the weight of him on her hips kept her from moving much. She knew he was holding most of his own weight himself, but she still couldn’t manage to maneuver out from under him. She gasped when she felt his hands undo her bikini top and slip it off.
“Hey!” she yelled. Emily pushed herself up onto her elbows.
“Hush,” he said as he warmed the liquid in his hands. He rubbed the oil into his hands and placed his hands squarely on her back, then left them there as she fought to get out from under him. Slowly, he began to work at the knots in her neck and shoulders. He suddenly realized she wasn’t breathing anymore and her body was trembling.
“Emily, breathe,” he reminded her, and she took a short shallow breath.
She couldn’t think. Every ounce of her wanted to run away from him. The feel of his hands on her back made her entire body ache. She couldn’t move and hated to be pinned. It was hard to breathe, and she felt like she was back in that tomb, back with the rough, cold hands. She pulled at the edge of the chair, trying to pull out from under him. Her head swam. She could feel darkness coming from around her, the cold darkness of the crypt.
“Emily!” Chevalier said harshly. “Stop it.”
His words brought her back to the present. She felt the warm sun on her back and the cool breeze coming over the deck. She pressed her face into the pillow. His hands moved expertly across her shoulders. As she concentrated on the feel of his hands, she recognized they weren’t the same. His hands were touching her gently and moving slowly from her shoulder to her neck. She calmed as his fingertips lightly glided down her back, following the natural curves of her body.
Emily focused on his touch, on the differences. The hands in the crypt had been cold and rough. The uncaring hands were forceful and painful. Chevalier’s were nothing like that. She knew he possessed the strength to kill her in an instant, to sink his hands into her chest if he wanted. Instead, his touch was soft and gentle. His fingers were carefully outlining the muscles in her back. Even when he kneaded the knots in her back, he was tender and soothing.
Chevalier was pleasantly surprised when she stopped fighting and began to relax. He was able to work on the knots in her neck, and he smiled as they began to disappear. She didn’t flinch when he ran his hands along her back, and her breathing was calm.
Emily rolled over on the deck chair and this time, he let her. Her green eyes were no longer afraid. She looked up at him and he felt the intensity of her gaze. Reaching down, he kissed her softly and felt her hands wrap around his neck.
Chapter 15 - Exploring
“Hey, Baby!” Emily said, holding her hands out for Allen. He ran to her and jumped into her arms. She hugged him tightly to her.
Chevalier smiled at them and ruffled Allen’s hair with his hand.
“How was it?” Chevalier asked Anna.
“Oh he’s an angel, you know that, though,” she told him and smiled. Never, in her 1200 years, had she ever thought she could be this attached to a mortal.
“Hopefully you didn’t spoil him too badly,” Chevalier said, laughing.
“Oh, not at all,” Anna replied, and winked at him.
Kyle walked in and eyed Emily quickly before turning away from her. He was caught off guard by her bikini and sarong. She normally didn’t wear such things around others and he was afraid of Chevalier’s jealous streak.
“Chief Enforcer,” Kyle said, walking over to him.
“Good afternoon,” he said, his eyes still on Emily and Allen. “Anything new?”
“Nothing, it’s been very quiet. The Elders would like a phone call though, they’ve called a few times.” He quickly glanced at Emily, and then back to Chevalier.
“Oh? Did they say why?” he asked, finally turning to face Kyle.
“No, they said it wasn’t an emergency, but wanted to talk to us both when you got back.”
Chevalier nodded, “Em, we’re going down to my office for a bit.”
She nodded and sat Allen down, “That’s ok, I’m going to go check on the horses.”
“Come on, Allen, let’s go get lunch,” Anna said, taking Allen’s hand.
Emily headed to her room to change. She knew perfectly well that she wasn’t going to check on the horses. She wondered a lot during the week long yacht trip about something, and she was anxious to check it out. She changed quickly into jeans and a t-shirt, and then grabbed a jacket from the closet before heading out to the barn.
“Welcome back,” Sam said, smiling at her.
“I’m taking Patra out for a bit,” she told him, and grabbed a bridle and the backpack she sometimes carried for longer trips.
“Sure thing,” Sam told her, opening the stall door for her.
Emily threw a bridle on Patra, and then stepped on a bale of hay to slide up onto her back. She clicked her tongue and headed Patra out to the west pasture. She wanted the illusion that she was headed toward the beach.
Once she hit the west beach, Emily checked to make sure she was alone, and then followed the beach up toward the tree line. From there, she watched the trees closely, looking for the familiar oak. When she found it, she slid off of Patra and grabbed a flashlight out of her backpack. She dropped the pack by the mare and secured her reins to a strong branch.
Emily headed into the trees. She hoped she could still find it and that it hadn’t been covered. She was looking around her when she almost fell into the hole, b
ut caught herself against a branch. The cement slab was still set off to the side of the crypt entrance. She took a deep breath and descended the stairs, turning her flashlight on when she reached the bottom.
Emily scanned the first room. It was a small room with stone walls and a single doorway. She headed off through the doorway, carefully watching ahead of her. Each room she came to, she scanned with the flashlight, and stopped often to examine the skeletons. Most seemed human, but once in a while, the elongated and sharp canines of the heku were present.
She looked through each room. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for exactly, but she was driven. Hours passed, and she wondered if anyone was looking for her yet. She hoped not, if her plan worked, they still thought she was out taking a casual ride.
Something glittery caught Emily’s eye and she walked over to a small alcove as she slipped the flashlight into the pocket of her jacket. The skeleton was human and was laid out alone on a long cement bed. She reached out and gently touched the golden crown on his head. She brushed a thin layer of dust off of it and ran her fingers along the inlaid jewels, then looked around the cement bed and saw a long sword lying alongside the skeleton. Emily used all of her strength to pick the sword up and slide it off of the slab, but it was extremely heavy, and the tip hit the ground with a loud crash.
She cringed, and looked around her, but nothing moved. She grinned and sat the heavy sword down on the ground.
Dusting off her hands and pants, she grabbed the flashlight and headed back down the passageway. There was one door she couldn’t open, a heavy stone door with intricate runes carved into it. She pushed as hard as she could, but wasn’t able to move it at all. As Emily came to each room, she looked around carefully, being sure not to miss anything.
In one room, she frowned and moved over to something lying on the ground. Emily picked it up and smiled, it was Chevalier’s shirt. She’d forgotten that he tried to give it to her. That would mean she found the room in which she was kept.
Emily looked around the room and into each of the four tombs. Their lids were scattered around the room, so she wasn’t sure which she had been in, there were no signs of anything in any of them. She looked around the room with her flashlight. There was nothing remarkable about this room. The stone walls were bare and the four crypts were lying empty. If it hadn’t been for Chevalier’s shirt, she wouldn’t have been able to distinguish this room from any of the others.
Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series Page 23