Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  They stopped in front of Exavior’s cell. He was shackled to the wall by electrified metal shackles, and glared at the Equites angrily.

  “What?” he growled at them.

  “What did you tell Emily we all do? Something that’s in a heku’s nature?” Chevalier asked.

  “She’s still going on about the interrogation chamber?” Exavior asked.

  “No, when you were on horseback in New Mexico last week. You said it again… about what?”

  “We didn’t go horseback riding last week, she wouldn’t go,” Exavior said.

  “Life can get a lot harder if you don’t tell us,” Kyle said.

  Exavior grinned, “We… did… not… go horseback riding last week… and I said nothing to her about a heku’s nature.”

  Chevalier hissed, and Kyle took his arm.

  Zohn frowned, “Odd, he’s not lying.”

  “Come on, Elder, our best bet is with Emily,” Kyle said.

  “She’s too embarrassed about it to tell you?” Exavior asked, amused.

  “You two go talk to Emily. I want to spend some time with the Valle,” Zohn said.

  Kyle and Chevalier went upstairs while Zohn took Exavior back into the interrogation chamber.

  “There’s nothing to tell you,” Exavior said as the guards pushed him toward the shackles on the wall.

  “I could care less what Emily is upset about. She’s a pain in the ass, and I would love to see her gone,” Zohn said, and grabbed the cat-o-nine tails.

  Exavior frowned, “She is not a pain in the ass.”

  “Oh, yes she is,” Zohn said, and grinned as he started his own interrogation.

  Chevalier and Kyle got to the room and found the door locked. Chevalier sighed and broke the lock, and they walked into the stiflingly hot room.

  “Damn, is she trying to cook?” Kyle asked. The room was so hot it was hard to breathe.

  “She’s always cold,” Chevalier told him, and turned toward the bathroom when the sound of the jetted tub filled the room.

  “Tub time, I’ll catch up with you later,” Kyle said, and left, shutting the door behind him.

  After a few minutes, Chevalier went to the bathroom door, but found it also locked. He frowned and broke the lock easily, and walked inside. Emily was asleep in the bathtub again. Her casted arm was propped up on the edge of the tub.

  He smiled down at her and then knelt down by the tub, “Em?”

  Emily jumped and grabbed for a towel, quickly covering herself, “Get out.”

  Chevalier frowned, “Why?”

  She fought to keep the towel covering her, but the jets made it hard to do with only one hand, “Don’t look at me.”

  “Em…”

  “Please, don’t look at me. Just go,” Emily said, and brought a second towel into the water.

  Chevalier sighed and gave her the privacy she requested. He waited for her out on the edge of the bed, and she appeared a short time later wearing a nightgown and long robe.

  “What was that?” he asked softly.

  Emily shrugged and sat down at the table. She pulled the dome off of the tray and looked down at the cheeseburger and fries, then put the dome back on and stood up, heading for the door.

  “Something wrong with dinner?”

  “No, just… not what I want tonight,” Emily told him, and headed down to the kitchen. Chevalier followed her and backed her guards off, who returned to her door.

  Her bare feet padded on the marble stairs as she ran down toward the kitchen, not looking any of the guards in the eye. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl, then headed into the walk-in refrigerator. Emily heard Allen talking to Chevalier, so she grabbed the blood supply kept for him.

  “Where’s Alex?” she asked, and poured him a glass.

  “She’s up eating,” Allen said, and took the glass over to the microwave.

  Emily set about cutting up vegetables for a salad while Chevalier watched her, and she felt that he was scrutinizing her every move.

  “You’re craving a salad?” Chevalier asked, and Allen turned toward her.

  “No,” Emily said, and sat down to eat.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat one,” Allen said, and sipped from the glass.

  “There’s nothing wrong with eating a salad,” Emily said, and glared at both of them until they looked away.

  Emily looked back down at the lettuce and carrot salad and tossed the bowl into the sink, “Guess I’m not hungry.”

  She felt self-conscious as she headed up the stairs. Suddenly, the palace seemed full of curious eyes, all watching her, and she wrapped her arms around herself and ran up the stairs.

  Emily tried to lock the door, but found that the lock was broken. She crawled into bed still wearing her robe and softly cried herself to sleep.

  Chevalier came in after he knew she was asleep and sat on the bed beside her. He debated lying down next to her, but things were still different between them since her return, and he wasn’t sure she was ready for it. He brushed her hair away from her face and gently wiped away a lingering tear.

  He finally decided to lie next to her, and she pulled up against him when he wrapped his arms around her. Her dream held no answers for him, but flowed between images of people he didn’t know, and places he’d never been.

  Emily sat up suddenly when the alarm on her phone went off. Chevalier also sat up.

  “You set an alarm?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Emily said, and crawled out of bed, disappearing into the closet.

  “Going somewhere?”

  “Yes,” Emily said again, and he could hear her struggling to get dressed with only one arm.

  “Can I come?”

  “No,” Emily told him, and came back out in a loose dress. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “Good, then we can talk.”

  “Ok,” she said, and grabbed a cup of coffee before leaving.

  Emily got into the Jeep and started into town. She pulled up at the medical office buildings just in time for her appointment. She signed in and waited for the nurse to come and get her, then followed the nurse and looked away when she was weighed. A few minutes after she got into the room, the doctor entered.

  Dr. Hayden looked over her chart, “How are you doing?”

  “Fine,” Emily said, swinging her legs nervously.

  Emily couldn’t help but tear up. Dr. Hayden helped her sit up and frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. Emily liked this doctor. He had been discreet about her wishes to keep things private, and he only called her when she called him first. She suspected he was about as old as Alec, and had a kind, gentle nature.

  “I’m… so big,” Emily said as a tear trailed down her cheek.

  Dr. Hayden touched her arm, “You only gained 5 pounds while you were pregnant, and you’ve already lost 3 of those.”

  Emily shrugged.

  “How are things going at home?” he asked, watching her closely.

  Emily hid her face in her hands and broke down in tears.

  Dr. Hayden sat with her patiently until she’d calmed down.

  “I’m sorry,” Emily said, and took a tissue from him.

  “I want to take some blood,” he said, and smiled when he saw her start to panic. “No time to worry, just going to do it fast. I want to make sure everything’s ok.”

  Emily had a hard time telling him no, and she barely had time to get away before he was done and showed her the four vials of blood.

  “Any pain?” he asked, and picked up her chart again.

  “There was at first. Now I’m just tired,” Emily told him.

  “How is the bed rest going?”

  “It’s going ok,” she lied.

  “Stress related miscarriages can be risky,” Dr. Hayden said as he wrote on the vials. “You lost a lot of blood, and I want you to keep resting, you’re still pale.”

  “Ok,” Emily nodded.

  “Call tomorrow and I’ll tell you w
hat the results are. In the meantime, I want you to start on vitamins. I’ll send you with some samples and a prescription,” he told her.

  After filling the prescription at the hospital across the street, Emily went back to the palace and parked the Jeep in the garage. She looked down at the crook of her arm where the blood was taken, and pulled off the bandage. There was a tiny red mark that the needle left, and she wondered if the heku could smell that much of a wound.

  Emily bent her arm and headed into the palace. She relaxed some when she made it past the guards at the stairs and into the bedroom without anyone staring at her. She dropped the medicine bag onto the bed and then jumped when Chevalier moved. She hadn’t seen him in the chair.

  “Don’t do that!” she said, holding her chest.

  “Sorry, I was just waiting for you,” he told her.

  Emily picked up the bag and shoved it into a dresser drawer, then pulled off her coat and kicked off her shoes in silence as Chevalier watched her.

  “Come… sit,” Chevalier said, and touched the chair next to him.

  Emily sighed and sat down, fully expecting a fight.

  “How are things?” he asked her, a little awkwardly.

  “Fine”

  “Did you get a cut?”

  Emily smiled slightly, “It’s so tiny. I’m surprised you can tell.”

  “You’d be amazed at what I notice,” he said. Emily looked over at him, unsure what to make out of the tone of his voice.

  “What, exactly, do you mean by that?” Emily asked, frowning.

  “I’m not here to fight, but something is going on and I want to know what it is.”

  Emily shrugged, “Something I need to deal with.”

  “Not when it has to do with something I’ve done, or something I’ve been accused of doing.”

  “I need you to let me deal with this alone.”

  “No, I’m not going to let something Exavior said put a rift between us.”

  “I’ll be ok when I have time to get used to it.”

  “Damnit, Em, you don’t have to get used to it by yourself. I’m not even sure he told you the truth.”

  “I’m pretty sure he did.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” Chevalier told her. “Can’t you see how telling me could help? If it’s true, then maybe I can help you understand… if it’s not, then I can diffuse the situation.’

  “No, I don’t see that.”

  “Will you talk to Kyle?”

  Emily blushed, “No.”

  Chevalier frowned, “Mark?”

  “No”

  “David?”

  Emily frowned, “Why would I talk to David?”

  “I don’t really care who you talk to, as long as it’s not Exavior,” he explained. “Will it help if you go back to the island?”

  “No, I can’t go to the island.”

  “Why not?”

  Emily shrugged, “I just need to stay here for now.”

  Chevalier growled when someone knocked on the door, and Emily glared at him.

  “Come in,” she called out.

  A strange heku guard came in, “There’s a mortal at the farmhouse for you, Lady Emily.”

  Emily frowned, “Who?”

  “I didn’t ask, cowboy type… his shirt says K. Russo.”

  “Seriously?” Emily asked, surprised.

  “Yes, Ma’am, shall I tell him to get lost?”

  “No, I want to talk to him,” Emily said, and stood up slowly. She walked out the doors, following the guard, and sighed when she saw Kyle, Mark, and Chevalier follow her, “I can handle this. No reason to call out the minions.”

  “Anyone with the last name of Russo deserves the… minions,” Chevalier said with a grin.

  “Sir, here are those reports,” Storm said, walking up to Chevalier and handing him some papers.

  “Storm? I didn’t know you were here,” Emily said, smiling.

  “Yes, just here this week for some meetings.”

  Emily’s face fell, “I bet you are.”

  Storm looked quickly at Chevalier, confused, and he shrugged and followed Emily down the stairs.

  Emily walked as quickly as she could through the underground tunnel to the farmhouse. She emerged, smiled, and ran into the arms of the mortal waiting for her.

  Chevalier and Kyle both froze, eyes wide, as Emily hugged a man who looked like Keith. Mark looked at them and then back at the mortal.

  “Damn, you’re short,” the mortal said, and grinned as he looked around for the source of the growl.

  “And you’re ugly.” Emily laughed and sat down on the couch, “What brings you here?”

  The mortal looked at the towering heku and frowned, “They always this friendly?”

  Emily sighed, “Stand down, geesh. This is Keenan, Keith’s brother.”

  Chevalier and Kyle relaxed some, and Mark went back into the hidden tunnel.

  “I’m here for a couple of reasons… first to see how you are doing after the trial,” Keenan said, and sat down beside her. “I knew you didn’t kill Keith. You don’t have that in you.”

  Emily smiled, “No I didn’t kill him, but you’d be amazed what I can do.”

  “You’re too tiny to do anything dangerous,” Keenan said, and dodged when she tried to hit him on the arm.

  “So what’s reason number 2?” Emily asked.

  “Trying to find out why you went to this guy,” Keenan said, nodding toward Kyle. “You were supposed to come to me when that Sonofabitch died.”

  Emily laughed, “Marry another Russo? Not a chance.”

  “Don’t classify us all with Keith, he was always a moron.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “Well, the last reason I came was for this,” Keenan said, and handed Emily a large manila envelope. She opened it and pulled out a stack of papers and then started to read through it.

  Emily frowned as she read.

  “You better be taking care of her,” Keenan said to Kyle. “Or you’ll have to deal with me.”

  Kyle grinned, “I think we have it covered.”

  “She may only be 3 feet tall, but she sure finds enough trouble.”

  Emily reached over and hit Keenan on the chest.

  Kyle laughed, “Yes, she does.”

  Chevalier was silently watching Emily. Her eyes went from confused, to mad, and then upset.

  “Why did he do this?” Emily asked, still flipping through papers.

  Keenan sighed, “Keith was a selfish bastard, what can I say?”

  “All that time… I worked two jobs, and then came home to feed the cows, and he had this,” Emily said, clearly upset.

  “I didn’t know, Emi. When he and I talked, he was always telling me about how the ranch was having problems and could go under,” Keenan said.

  Emily pulled some papers out of the stack, “He… he had a million dollar life insurance policy on me?”

  Keenan nodded, “Apparently, he did.”

  Emily turned toward the window. She was so mad that tears were forming. Kyle had to hold Chevalier back when Keenan reached out and touched Emily’s hand.

  “None of us knew… we knew what he did to you, no one’s that blind, but we didn’t know about the ranch, or money, or the life insurance policy,” Keenan said softly.

  Emily handed all of the papers back to Keenan, “I don’t want any of it.”

  “Take it, no one can afford to turn this down, and I have the horses with me, if you have a place for them.”

  “I don’t want the money. I don’t want anything from Keith.”

  Keenan smiled slightly, “I know... but think how mad Keith would be if he knew his death gave you $500,000 and seven of his fastest racing horses.”

  Emily laughed and nodded, “That’s true.”

  “Dad and I guess that racing paid off in the end. There’s no other way he could have gotten the money to buy that ranch.”

  “Why don’t you take the money?”

  “I got half of i
t already, take it, it’s yours,” Keenan said, and turned to Kyle. “Do you have room for 7 horses?”

  Kyle nodded, “Yeah, we do. Are they out front?”

  “Yes, take the bridles and saddles too, I don’t need them,” Keenan told him.

  Kyle waited with Chevalier, afraid to leave him alone.

  Keenan handed Emily a pen, and she signed where he told her to, and then stood up, reaching a hand out to Emily to help her up. He pulled her into a hug, and then looked down at her.

  “When Tiny over here dies,” Keenan said, motioning to Kyle, who stood over 8 inches taller than he, “Don’t forget, I’m next in line.”

  Emily frowned, “I thought you preferred cows over women.”

  Keenan laughed, “Only in a pinch.”

  “Ew, nasty,” Emily said, and pushed him slightly.

  “I’ll help you get those horses,” Keenan said, and hugged Emily again briefly.

  “They’re taken care of,” Kyle told him.

  Keenan frowned, “Oh… I guess… I didn’t see you call someone to get them.”

  Kyle smiled, “Well I did, and your trailer’s empty.”

  Keenan nodded and shook Kyle’s hand, “Lucky bastard.”

  Kyle just smiled and nodded.

  “Take care, Hun,” Emily said, and saw Keenan to the door. She shut the door behind him and turned around, “I am such an idiot.”

  “Why’s that?” Chevalier asked her.

  “I supported Keith’s ass for eight years, and the whole time, he had money… and another ranch that I didn’t even know about,” Emily said, heading down into the tunnels.

  “That somehow doesn’t surprise me,” Kyle said. “But the life insurance is disturbing.”

  “I swear if he were still alive, I’d kill him myself,” Emily said angrily.

  When they got into the palace, Emily handed the packet of papers over to Kyle and then took off for the garage, still mumbling about Keith. Chevalier watched her go and then heard the Jeep leave the garage.

  “Damnit, we were talking,” Chevalier said, frowning.

  “Did she tell you what Exavior accused us of?” Kyle asked.

  “No, she’s not talking. I swear… she’s more stubborn than most prisoners we interrogate.”

  “It’s too bad she doesn’t trust Zohn, he got closer than we did.”

  “I may try Quinn, see if she’ll talk to him.”