“I’m begging you to go away,” she said weakly.
Chevalier tried the door and was surprised it was unlocked. He opened it and sat down on the cold tile beside where Emily was napping, “Couldn’t eat again?”
“I don’t like you,” she whispered, not even opening her eyes.
He grinned, “I know.”
“I’ll let you feed if you go away.”
“Nope, you’ve tried that before and it didn’t work then either. Besides, there’s a reason I’m here.”
“You mean other than babysitting me?”
“I’m not babysitting you… ok… so I kind of am. Sotomar and his… friend… are acclimating.”
Emily opened her eyes and looked over at him, “Friend?”
“Yes, a friend. He came to help you get your strength back.”
“What kind of friend?”
“A Physical Therapist.”
“Any needles?”
“I don’t know,” Chevalier said. He began to wonder if he should have asked.
“If he comes at me with needles, I won’t be happy.”
Chevalier watched Emily until she fell asleep on the tile and got up to check on the acclimation progress. He found Sotomar, Lex, and a servant, on the second-floor landing with Kralen.
“How’s it going?” Chevalier asked, bending slightly to look at Lex. He was an odd color and seemed to be holding his breath.
Sotomar grinned, “He’s no longer questioning the need to acclimate.”
“You’re going to have to breathe at some point, Boy,” Chevalier chuckled, standing up.
“My God,” Lex hissed.
“Oh, we know. Mark’s even tasted it,” Kralen said, grinning, but got quiet when Chevalier glared at him.
Sotomar’s eyes grew wide, “He tasted a pregnant Winchester’s blood?”
“It was an accident,” Chevalier explained, “But yes, he did… then fought off twelve of us to get back to her.”
“Are you ready to move up a few steps?” Kralen asked them.
Sotomar nodded and Lex just took the steps slowly. Over the next eight hours, they moved up the stairs until they were standing in the fifth- floor foyer. Lex was still straining, but Sotomar seemed to be adjusting smoothly and visited about how the Valle were recovering from their entire city being turned to ash.
Within two hours, they were outside of the bedroom door and Chevalier went in first with Silas and Kralen to make sure they stayed away from Emily. She was sitting up in bed reading when they came in. She sat her book down and watched them as they moved to the bed, blocking the way from her to the door.
“What’s going on?” she asked nervously.
“Last stage of acclimation,” Kralen said as he crouched slightly.
Emily sighed and tried to get out of bed, but turned when she heard a hiss behind her. Sotomar was standing by a strange heku with his arm on the heku’s shoulder. The strange heku was crouched slightly, his hands curved into claws as he watched her.
“It’s good to see you again, Dear,” Sotomar said, smiling. Emily frowned at him, wondering how he could be so calm when this heku was about to attack her.
Lex slowly relaxed and shut his eyes as he stood back up. Emily watched him carefully to make sure he didn’t get out of Sotomar’s grasp.
“Breathe, Em,” Chevalier chuckled, and she took a deep breath, her eyes still on Lex.
“You… weren’t exaggerating,” Lex whispered, his eyes still shut.
“Control, Boy, that’s what helps,” Sotomar said, and let go of him to walk over to Emily. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine… you can go,” Emily said, trying to get her leg off the bed so she could stand up.
Sotomar smiled and put his hand out, “If you’re doing so well, then grab my hand.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t want to hold your hand.”
“He didn’t say hold it, he said grab it,” Chevalier said, turning away to hide a grin.
“If you are too weak to grab my hand, then just admit it, and we will help you,” Sotomar told her.
“Bite me,” Emily growled.
“Hmm,” he said, and turned to Chevalier and whispered too low for her to hear. “Grouchy, you say?”
Chevalier nodded and smiled.
“Let me see,” Lex said, and took her hand. She tried to pull it away, but he held onto it, “Swelling, atrophy, and weakness, you’re sore too I would imagine.”
“I don’t like you,” Emily said, glaring at him.
“3 months?” Lex asked, turning to Chevalier.
“Yes, no movement at all.”
“Hmm, easy enough to fix, but can be painful.”
“Know what else can be painful?” Emily asked angrily.
“Em…” Chevalier started to say.
“My foot up your ass.”
“If you could manage that, I wouldn’t be here,” Lex said, and put her hand in her lap.
Chevalier smiled when she turned away from them.
“So when do we start?” he asked.
“I saw a stable. Are there horses?” Lex asked.
Emily turned slightly toward him.
“Yes,” Chevalier answered.
“Can she ride?”
“Yes, she can,” Emily said, irritated.
“Good, then I say we start there.”
“Perfect, on horseback I can outrun you,” she growled, and tried to stand up, but couldn’t get her legs to cooperate.
“Not if we’re on the same horse,” Lex said, and started for the door.
“Hey!” Emily yelled when Kralen picked her up. “Put me down.”
“Nope,” Kralen said, and followed Lex.
“Put me down or I’ll ash you.”
“No you won’t,” Kralen chuckled.
“Silas, you and Kralen go with them,” Chevalier said.
“I trust him with her,” Sotomar told him.
Chevalier grinned, “It’s to protect him, not her.”
“Gotcha, don’t let the mortal kill the Valle,” Silas said, and headed down the stairs.
“Shall we pay Exavior a visit?” Sotomar asked.
Chevalier nodded, “Yes, we’ll take Kyle with us.”
The Elders walked down toward the prison and called for Kyle to meet them there. The three gathered inside of the maximum-security block, but only one could look in at a time.
“Exavior, why did you order the death of Emily?” Sotomar asked angrily.
“I no longer have to tell you what I do,” Exavior hissed, looking up from the wall he hung against.
“You knew of Emily’s existence long before the Council did, why did you keep her from us?”
Exavior grinned, “She was mine to do with as I wanted.”
“You tried to turn her ten times in four days… a child even, you could have killed her.”
“I would have gained her powers and you know it.”
“That is a theory, nothing more.”
“Get the servants down here, I want this cell open,” Chevalier hissed. The passageway filled with heku that began tearing down the brick wall.
“Going to banish me?” Exavior asked, staring into Sotomar’s eyes.
“I leave that to the Equites. I’m done with you.”
“Chevalier is just upset. He knows that if Emily was awake, she wouldn’t let this happen.”
“There you’re sorely mistaken. She is awake and cares nothing about what we do.”
Exavior frowned, “She is awake?”
“Yes, she is,” Sotomar said, and moved back to wait while the wall was torn down. Guards lined the passageway to make sure he didn’t escape when the binds were released.
“Emily!” Exavior screamed.
Silas, Kralen, and Lex all glanced back at the palace as they stopped their horses on the hills outside of Council City. They looked at each other briefly and turned back to Emily. She was sweating and breathing rapidly. The work on the horse was excruciating, and every movement
caused pain. She thought it would be a carefree ride, but her muscles were no longer used to the sway of the horse and Lex guided the stallion slowly around as she leaned back against his chest.
“Just relax, let the horse do the work,” Lex told her, and kicked the horse back into a slow walk.
Silas glanced at Kralen. Neither of them was comfortable with the amount of pain she was feeling, or the closeness of the Valle.
“Go back,” Emily whispered, trying to take the reins, but he moved them out of her reach.
“This is going to be hard, but what you need is to work the muscles,” he told her.
“I agree, that’s enough for now,” Silas said.
“If we stop every time it hurts, she won’t get better,” Lex explained.
“Still, it’s getting dark.”
Lex glanced up at the sky, “Fine.”
“Let me take her,” Kralen said, pulling his mare up alongside them.
Emily leaned toward him and felt his strong hands against her waist as he pulled her onto the mare. She sat sideways with her upper body supported by his arm and her head against his shoulder. The position was more comfortable, and the gentle walk of the horse was no longer painful.
They neared the stables well after dark and members of the Cavalry came and took their horses. Kralen slid off of the mare, still carrying Emily, and headed inside. Sotomar, Chevalier, and Kyle were waiting in the bedroom for them to return. Kralen laid Emily down on the bed slowly as she groaned slightly in pain.
“Great first day,” Lex said, smiling.
“Does it have to be that painful?” Silas asked angrily.
“Yes, actually it does. It takes a lot to get the muscles to work properly again.”
“Which is why I’m here,” Sotomar said. “Now it’s my turn.”
“No,” Emily whispered from the bed.
“This won’t hurt, Child, it’ll help. I promise.”
“What do we need to do?” Chevalier asked.
“Prop up pillows so she can lie on her stomach comfortably, then she’ll need to be naked and under a sheet,” Sotomar said, and walked out with the other heku.
Chevalier reached over to touch her, but she winced and he pulled his hand away, “Em?”
“Please, don’t let them touch me.”
“We have to do this. Sotomar will help, let him give you a massage.”
“Don’t leave,” she whispered.
“I won’t, I promise,” he said, and pulled her up onto his lap. He arranged the pillows, careful to leave an opening in the pillows for the baby, and then helped her slip off her clothes. She was still too stiff to undo the buttons alone, but with his help, she was soon on her stomach under a sheet.
Chevalier dimmed the lights and opened the door, “Ok, I’ll stay with her.”
Silas and Kralen nodded and turned back to Kyle, who was telling them about Exavior’s 2,000 year banishment and his burial in the ancient’s room.
Chevalier watched closely as Sotomar warmed the oil and pulled the sheet down off of Emily’s back. Soon, his skilled hands were working at the atrophied muscles and her breathing turned slow and rhythmic as she fell asleep.
Chapter 26 - Breeding
“That baby sure has dropped,” Dr. Hayden said, helping Emily sit up.
“What does that mean?” Chevalier asked.
“Means it’ll be any day now,” he said, and sat down with her chart. “The Physical Therapist did a great job, are you still sore at all?”
Emily shrugged, “Sort of, not as bad though.”
“You’ve gained a total of 5lbs with this baby,” he told her, and frowned. “Are you still having morning sickness?”
“Morning? I wish it was just in the morning.”
“I’ll be glad when you have the baby and we can get your iron and blood volume back up.”
“And fix her mood,” Chevalier said, and grinned when she glared at him.
“Ok, any questions?” Dr. Hayden asked.
“She seems to always be tired.”
“Part of that is the low blood and iron, though it’s worse than that. There’s something else going on, and I haven’t been able to find out what. Right now, we just look to the recovery after the birth and see how things go.”
“So we have the I.V.s all worked out?” Chevalier asked.
“No, I.V.s,” Emily told him.
“Emily, we’ve talked about this. The doctor that delivered Alexis told me you needed 8 bags of blood… we have to have an I.V. in,” Dr. Hayden explained.
“No”
“I don’t know how big your other babies were, but this one is way too big for you. You could need blood. You could need a C-section…”
“No”
“The size of the baby alone…”
Emily pointed at Chevalier, “He’s a tank! I can’t help that.”
Dr. Hayden stifled a grin, “I’m not saying it’s your fault... but we’ll need an I.V.”
“No”
“Emily, we almost lost you last time,” Chevalier reminded her.
“No I.V.s or I have this baby on my own.”
Dr. Hayden’s eyes grew wide, “You wouldn’t…”
“Oh, I would.”
Chevalier nodded, “She would.”
Dr. Hayden sighed, “Ok, we’ll discuss it further when you come in to have the baby. I suspect it won’t be long, but if it’s not this week, I want to see you next week.”
“No”
“Why don’t you go get your blood test and I’ll talk to your husband for a moment,” the doctor suggested.
Emily’s eyes narrowed, “Good, then you can discuss cutting off his…”
“Em!” Chevalier yelled, shocked.
Dr. Hayden chuckled, “We’ll discuss it… now go.”
Emily jumped off the table and left, irritated.
The doctor shut the door behind her and smiled, “Wow, grouchy is an understatement.”
“She’s always moody during pregnancy, but this time it’s worse,” Chevalier told him.
“I would imagine she never feels good though,” Dr. Hayden said, and sat down on the edge of the examination table. “With the sore muscles after the coma, and not feeling well, I’m wondering if she may need some anti-depressants.”
“She won’t take them.”
“I’ll just come right out and ask this… you’re extremely well off, correct?”
“Yes”
“Do you then, have a chef?”
“Yes,” Chevalier told him.
“Then I suggest crushing them up in her food,” Dr. Hayden said. “There’s one that’s almost completely tasteless.”
“We can try, but she’s barely eating anything.”
“Would your chef have a problem doing that?”
Chevalier grinned slightly, “He does what he’s told.”
Dr. Hayden wrote the prescription and handed it to Chevalier, “See what you can do, maybe put it into ice cream.”
“About the I.V.,” Chevalier said. “In the past, we’ve had to actually restrain her hands to the hospital bed.”
“That’s not really feasible while she’s in labor. She needs to be able to try to move into more comfortable positions.”
“Then if you can get it in, I’ll make sure it stays.”
“Do you think you could restrain her long enough to get in an I.V.?”
Chevalier nodded, “Yes, I’ll bring her brother to help.”
“Ok, then, let’s plan on that and not bring it up again.”
“Bring what up again?” Emily asked. She came in with a sucker and sat down.
“Your weight, I’m not going to push the issue,” Dr. Hayden lied.
“No use, not like I’m starving on purpose.”
“We’ll see you in a week, if not sooner.”
Emily nodded and headed for the door to the office. Chevalier grinned at the doctor and put the paper into his pocket before following her. They drove back to the palace in silence. Emily sat
with her feet up on the dashboard and candy suckers in her hand.
“Stop the car!” Emily yelled when the Humvee was by the stables. Chevalier hit the brakes, and she was out the door and moving toward the corral before he realized what was going on. He grinned and pulled the car into the garage.
“What the hell!?” Emily yelled, crawling through the gate.
“What’s wrong?” Silas asked, appearing beside the corral. He saw the horses and grinned, “Oh.”
The rest of the Cavalry moved to the corral when they heard her yell. Mark saw her and headed into the corral with her. She was trying to pull the stallion away by the reins, but he wasn’t budging.
“It’s too late, Em,” Mark said, taking her arm. “Just leave him.”
“Why do they keep putting them out here? What? The guards think they’re playing leap frog?” she yelled.
Mark turned to hide his laughter, and she finally got Chevalier’s stallion away from the mare and led him out of the corral and into the stable.
Mark whispered through his laughter, “Who put them out here?”
“I put the mare out here alone,” Silas said. “She was kicking at the stall door.”
“Erm… we put the stallion out here, he was agitated,” Jaron said, grinning slightly to two other members of the Cavalry that were standing by him.
“Silas, Kralen, take your team inside. Sotomar and William are here and I don’t want trouble,” Mark said, and pointed to the stables. “You three get in there.”
Emily shut the stallion’s stall and turned to the guards, “You three put him out with the mare?”
“Sit,” Mark said to them. “Yes, they did.”
“Fine, then we’re going to have a little lesson,” Emily said, and disappeared into the stall of a calm pinto stallion. She led him out and tied him up by the guards, “This is a male horse… I know he’s male, because he has a penis.”
Mark blurred out of the stable and stopped outside the front door, laughing. He was still grinning when he appeared in the council chambers after being summoned by Quinn.
“Yes?” he asked, stifling a grin.
“What’s so funny?” Chevalier asked.
“Emily is giving three of the Cavalry a lesson on sex,” Mark said, laughing slightly.
William’s eyes grew wide, “She is?”
Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series Page 81