“Yes, but she’s a Commander too,” the guard explained.
Zohn sighed, “Are you too stupid to realize, that at that point, you should maybe wait for a higher rank to come decide? You knew Silas called for Mark, and then for us. You could have waited.”
“What if it is true though? What if Allen isn’t the Elder’s son and she cheats on him?” the guard asked.
“Mark!” Quinn yelled.
“Yes, Sir,” Mark said, coming into the Elder’s Office.
“Take this piece of shit out of here and kill him,” Quinn said, his eyes furious.
Mark nodded and pulled him out of Quinn’s office. Zohn and Quinn worked to find a suitable replacement for him and talks turned to another full group addition to the Cavalry.
“Now to find her,” Quinn said, thinking.
“She’ll be back once she’s thought things through,” Zohn said, leaning back against the desk.
“Not with this kind of personal violation. Do you not know her at all?”
“No, some of us didn’t have a deep talk with her in Alaska.”
“Well, she doesn’t know how to deal with personal violations. Therefore, running is her only option. Now she’s out there and the V.E.S. is looking for her.”
“I forgot about the V.E.S.,” Zohn sighed.
“Come!” Quinn yelled when someone knocked at his office door. They both looked over as Kyle and Chevalier came in.
“It’s done,” Kyle said, and grinned. “With a flare.”
Chevalier sat down, “Was quite the little fight to clear them out, but they’re gone.”
“Speaking of gone…” Quinn said, and glanced at Zohn.
Kyle sighed, “She didn’t.”
“Oh yeah, she’s gone,” Zohn said. “Took off about an hour ago on the Harley.”
“Let me guess… no guards…” Chevalier sighed.
“No guards.”
“No idea where…”
“Nope”
“Do we even know why?” Chevalier asked.
“Yeah… we do…” Quinn said. “To start with, she had a talk with Exavior and Damon this morning, slipped her guards long enough to have a nice little chat.”
“How can she slip 4 guards?” Kyle growled.
Chevalier shrugged, “She’s Emily, that’s how… what did they say?”
“We aren’t sure what Exavior said, but according to Damon…” Zohn glanced at Quinn. “We shouldn’t have killed him. He could have told the Elder what Damon said.”
“Who did you kill?” Kyle asked.
“Silas!” Zohn called out, and a few seconds later there was a knock.
“Come in,” Quinn said.
Silas entered and winced when he saw Chevalier, “Yes, Elder?”
“We weren’t there, please explain to Chevalier why Emily took off and threatened to ash any guard who got near her.”
Silas glanced at Chevalier. It was obvious he didn’t want to say anything, but didn’t have a choice, “It was Kendall. He brought up what Damon said to Emily, and then proceeded to ask if it were true, because she didn’t deny it.”
“What exactly did Damon say to her?” Chevalier asked.
Silas shifted nervously, “Called her a whore, said Allen is actually Exavior’s and that she’s slept around for 15 years.”
Chevalier sighed, “That’s stupid.”
“I know that! But Kendall asked us if it were true, and Emily came out and asked what we were talking about. I ordered him not to tell... but she pulled rank and ordered him to tell.”
“Of course she did,” Kyle said. “Why did I have a feeling ranking her would backfire on us.”
“Well I called for Mark, but was out of the city doing some training and couldn’t come, so then I called for the Elders, but Kendall didn’t wait for them. He told her that the guard staff is suspicious about Allen’s paternity, because Emily didn’t tell Damon he was wrong,” Silas said.
“Damnit,” Chevalier growled, and opened his cell phone, dialing quickly.
“Hi,” Emily said after a brief pause.
“Where are you?”
“East-ish.”
“East-ish? Come back, please.”
“No way. Not after what the guards think of me, I’m heading to the island.”
“We can clear that up and get rid of Damon in the process,” Chevalier told her.
“I have a box of masks and menthol, and I’m going to the island.”
Chevalier sighed, “That makes me nervous. You can’t get there on one tank of gas, so at some point, you’ll have to stop.”
“The V.E.S. aren’t going to see me when I just get gas. I’ll do it quickly.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Island Coven, that’s where I’ll be if you need me.”
“Kendall’s an idiot. The guards don’t think you cheat on me,” Chevalier said, frowning.
“I’ll tell Storm hi from you,” she said, and shut her phone.
“At least she’s going to Island Coven and not disappearing into the middle of nowhere,” Chevalier said to those gathered in Quinn’s office.
“If she’s going to be visiting Exavior, I wonder if we should banish him for a couple thousand years,” Quinn said, deep in thought.
“Let’s at least take care of Damon and Samuel,” Kyle said. “Especially if Damon’s going to cause that kind of trouble.”
“Let’s convene the Council and make a decision,” Chevalier said. “Kyle, why don’t you head to Island Coven and see if you can get her to come back.”
“That’s a long shot.”
“I know, but try. Where’s Kendall?” Chevalier asked, standing up.
“We told Mark to kill him, but last I saw, he was still down in the interrogation room,” Zohn said. “You heading down?”
“Oh, yeah I am,” Chevalier said, and left the office.
“I guess I’m heading to Island Coven,” Kyle chuckled. “I’ll drive it.”
“I hope you can get her back,” Zohn said. “It’s trouble having her alone.”
Kyle grinned, “Gotta get her back so we can find out what the ancient’s room was for.”
“She’s never going to tell,” Quinn said, laughing.
“Oh she and the Elder have a bet, if she loses… she has to tell.”
“What kind of bet?”
“A bet on who caves first… she cut him off and he doesn’t think she can do it,” Kyle said, grinning. “If he caves, then she gets a pool.”
“Where are we going to put a pool?” Quinn asked, shaking his head.
“She’ll cave first, that’s our bet… then we get to know about the ancient’s room.”
“My bet is that he’ll cave first,” Quinn chuckled. “We better be looking for a spot for a pool.”
“Little credit, he has thousands of years of patience,” Kyle reminded them, and headed for the door.
“He’ll cave,” Zohn said, and turned to Quinn. “We could put in an out-building and put the pool in there.”
Kyle laughed and went out to his Lamborghini and was soon headed for Island Coven.
Chevalier spent the next several hours in the interrogation chamber with the guard and Mark, going over how stupid of a decision he made.
“I hate to get rid of one of the Cavalry. We have a new training starting next week, and needed the help,” Mark said, watching Chevalier torture the guard.
“We need elite guards who can think, though,” Chevalier said. “That was honestly the dumbest thing he could have done… am I a weak Elder there, Boy?”
“No… no, Sir,” the guard said, gritting his teeth.
“Am I easy to walk on? Too pathetic to be afraid of?”
“No… please… don’t kill me.”
“Do I put off a vibe that you can be an idiot around my wife?”
The guard answered with a scream.
“Speaking of your wife,” Mark said, and grinned slightly. “I heard a rumor that she stripped in front of some
of the Cavalry.”
Chevalier chuckled, “That she did.”
“Do I need to punish anyone for that?”
“Nope, she did it on her own.”
Mark frowned, “Might I ask why?”
“She was offering to let them check for feed marks.”
Mark leaned back against the rack and thought, “Why would she do that?”
“Kyle was questioning her about the low blood supply the doctor keeps talking about, and she got mad and decided to prove to them that she’s not being fed off of.”
“Well, the ones present are pretty sure you’re coming after them for it.”
“Why would I?” Chevalier asked. “Not like they asked her to… granted, I would like to rip their eyes out.”
“Well, they aren’t talking about it anymore. I put a stop to that.”
Chevalier looked up at him, “What were they saying?”
Mark sighed, “More talking about… well… admiring, I guess… they were…”
“That’s enough… I get the picture.”
“Can you ask her not to do that again? It’s hard enough to keep them from watching her as it is.”
“If I do that, she’ll do it again just to prove a point,” Chevalier said. “Drop it and she probably won’t.”
“You’re taking it well.”
“It’s taken some control… when anyone looks at her…”
Mark nodded, “I know.”
“Then again, she’s taken to wearing some leather lately, how can I blame them?”
“Heard she got a tattoo…”
Chevalier frowned, “They actually looked at her when she stripped?”
“I think it was more looking in shock before turning away.”
“Hmm, hope so.” The Elder turned back to the guard, “Did you see her tattoo?”
“Yes, Sir,” he groaned.
***
Emily started getting tired toward early evening, and decided to find a hotel for the night. She left the Interstate and headed for a posh inn off of the coast of Lake Erie. She checked around her before removing her helmet, and then shook her head as the red Lamborghini Reventon pulled into a parking spot behind her. She watched as Kyle got out and walked up to her, smiling.
“You following me?” she asked, getting off the bike.
“Nope, was coming to the island and saw you pull in here.”
“Yeah right,” she said, and tucked the helmet under her arm as she went in to get a room.
“Are you feeling ok?” he asked, following her inside.
“No, I’m not… a room please, for one.”
“For two,” Kyle said to the clerk and smiled.
Emily sighed, “For 2.”
“We’ll take the penthouse.”
“Alright, let’s see,” the clerk said, and started typing into a computer. “The penthouse is full, but I have the honeymoon suit. It’s the next largest room.”
“We’ll take it,” Kyle said, pulling out his wallet.
“No we won’t. We’ll take 2 separate rooms,” Emily said.
“Which will it be?” the clerk asked, confused.
“Honeymoon suit,” Kyle told him, and turned to Emily. “I’ll behave.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she said, and sat down on a large leather couch by the lobby’s waterfall. She leaned her elbow on the arm rest and put her head in her hand, hoping they would hurry. She ignored the conversation Kyle was having with the clerk, and focused on the waterfall, trying to calm her headache.
“Am I going to have to carry you?” Kyle asked, looking down at Emily.
“No,” she said, and stood up slowly, then followed him to the elevators. The doors opened to a beautiful honeymoon suite with a Jacuzzi in the floor, and a round bed surrounded in mirrors.
“Nice,” Kyle chuckled, looking around the room.
“It’s… well… hokey,” she said, and tossed her bag onto the bed.
“Do you want to eat something?”
Emily shrugged and picked up the menu. She dialed and waited for room service to answer, “Hi, can I get the Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn, and cherry cheesecake?”
Kyle started the water in the floor Jacuzzi while Emily finished ordering and then laid down.
“Are you going to take a bath?” Emily asked, sitting up.
“No, you are.”
“I am?”
“Yes, you’re obviously not feeling well and you like baths.”
“What exactly are you going to do?”
“Sit quietly and not look, like a good little heku,” he said, grinning. She shut her eyes and leaned back on the bed, waiting for dinner to arrive.
“I don’t trust you,” she said finally, and headed for the door. Kyle blurred in front of her and opened the door carefully before stepping aside so the bellhop could bring in the cart. He tipped the server and then shut and locked the door.
“Whew, so glad you did that. I could have gotten attacked with a napkin,” she said, and pulled the dome off the tray. She sat down at the wooden heart table and started to eat slowly.
“The V.E.S. are everywhere,” he said, and spun the other chair, sitting in it backwards to watch her.
She ate a few bites and started to turn pale before running for the bathroom. Kyle watched her go and then went and turned the water off in the Jacuzzi, and dumped in a bottle of bubbles that was sitting beside it.
“When you’re done, come take a bath. I won’t look,” he said, looking around the room.
A few minutes later, Emily came back out, still pale and shaky, “Ok, go away.”
Kyle smiled and disappeared into the bathroom to wait. He grabbed his cell phone to call the Council.
“Equites Council,” Zohn said, sounding bored.
“It’s Kyle.”
“Still on the way to the island?” Chevalier asked.
“Actually, we stopped for the night. I caught up with Emily and she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Good idea, that makes me feel better that you’re together.”
“So far, no problems. She couldn’t eat though, but she did try.”
“Did she take her pills?”
“I actually didn’t ask, she’s not in a good mood,” Kyle said, slightly amused.
Chevalier chuckled, “Let us know when you get to the island.”
“Will do,” he said, and looked around the small bathroom. There was a double shower and the soaps were all red hearts that smelled like old perfume.
Kyle waited patiently for an hour before he started to get nervous, “Are you going to sleep in there?”
“Hello,” Kyle said, answering his cell phone.
“Where are you, exactly?” Quinn asked hurriedly.
“We’re outside of Erie, Pennsylvania. What’s up?”
“We just got a call from the Valle. They have a coven near there that tried to turn a mortal, and the mortal died.”
“Damnit!” Kyle yelled, and opened the bathroom door. He saw the scarlet colored water and Emily lying unconscious against the side of the Jacuzzi. He dropped the phone and jumped into the Jacuzzi, picking her up as she started to slip under the water. He quickly laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket, then pulled her eyelids back and the whites of her eyes were blood red. She had a trickle of blood coming from her nose and ears.
Kyle grabbed the phone and dialed the Council back, “It’s happened again. She’s unconscious and has bloody eyes, nosebleed, and blood coming out of her ears.”
“Kyle…” Chevalier growled.
“I’m ok… her scent is so faint lately it’s not too bad.”
“Get her to the palace. You’re closer here than to the island. We’ll call the Valle back and tell them what happened.”
“Send someone after her motorcycle. We’ll be out of here in a few minutes.”
“Get here quickly and put her to bed.”
Kyle shut the phone and looked around the room briefly. He threw her clothes into the bag an
d debated dressing her, but decided it would be best to wrap her in the blankets and get out of the area as soon as possible. He blurred, so no one could see them, and laid the seat back once Emily was in the car. He buckled her in and then got into the driver’s seat and was soon on the Interstate topped out at 215 mph.
They got to the palace just before dawn, and within minutes, Emily was in her bed, unaware she was back in the palace.
“She’s not dressed,” Chevalier growled, turning to Kyle.
“She was in the bath! I kept her covered,” he explained, irritated.
“Get out.”
Kyle nodded and left Chevalier and Emily alone in their room. He was surprised to see four members of the Cavalry outside of her door.
“You’re either very brave, or very stupid,” Kyle said to Silas.
“Elder’s orders, we have to be here,” Silas told him.
“It’s your ash…” Kyle said, disappearing down the stairs. He headed for his office, but stopped when he saw four members of the guard escorting a single Valle into the palace, “What’s going on?”
“Says he has a message for Chevalier. He won’t give the message to anyone else,” the Lieutenant said.
“Just tell me. Chevalier is busy.”
“No, Sir. Elder Sotomar said Chevalier only,” the Valle said, looking around nervously.
“Fine, take him up to the bedroom, and then get him out of the palace,” Kyle growled, and disappeared into his office.
The guards nodded and headed up to the bedroom after the first floor guards forced masks onto each of them. The Valle’s gray cape stood out among the green that came to meet up with them.
“What’s going on?” Silas asked the guards as he eyed the Valle.
“Chief Enforcer’s orders… the Valle has a message for the Elder,” the guard said after saluting the Commander.
Silas glanced again at the Valle, and then informed Chevalier he had a visitor. After a few minutes, the door opened and the Elder stepped out.
“Ok, I’m here. What’s the big message?” he asked the Valle.
The Valle looked around briefly and then turned back to Chevalier, “It’s private.”
Chevalier sighed and opened the bedroom door, “Get in here.”
The Valle guard stepped into the bedroom and looked over at the sleeping mortal for a few seconds before Chevalier cleared his throat.
“Oh, right,” the Valle said, and handed Chevalier a large envelope. “This is from Elder Sotomar. They were clearing out one of Exavior’s covens to move in another, and found a ledger that the Elder thought you needed to know about.”
Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series Page 74