Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series (14 page)

Alec cleared his throat, “Stop fighting,
please. We’re here for Jess, and I haven’t decided yet. Either way,
and I will let you know.”

“
Make him tell you
everything first,” Emily said, still glaring at Exavior. She got up
when the timer went off, and turned the chicken.

“
Emily?” Exavior said from
behind her.

She turned around just as he pressed his
lips to hers, and kept her from moving away from him with a hand on
the back of her neck, and another on the small of her back. She
pushed against his shoulders with her hands, but he pressed his
body to hers and trapped her between himself and the counter.

Exavior finally broke the kiss and smiled at
her.

Emily slapped him across the face, “Don’t do
that.”

“
The sexual tension between
us is strong,” Exavior said, and returned to his seat.

Emily glanced to make sure Alec was gone
before she moved to Exavior. She pushed him again, almost tipping
his chair, “Listen to me. There is no sexual tension, and you have
no right to kiss me, so stop it.”

Exavior grinned, “You’re just mad because
you liked it.”

“
Don’t flatter yourself,”
Emily scowled. “Another thing, my ultimatum to the factions said
that none of you mess with my family, and Alec is my
family.”

“
Not by blood,” Exavior
said, and took Emily’s hand.

Emily ripped her hand away from him, “He is
my uncle, and you will leave him alone or you can face the factions
when I leave.”

Exavior chuckled, “I’m sure the factions
will understand. It’s his decision.”

“
Leave him alone, or so
help me, you’ll wish it was the factions after you.”

“
Why don’t you just sleep
with me and get it over with?”

Emily screamed and then stormed out of the
house. She disappeared into her bunkhouse and slammed the door,
locking it behind her.

She sighed and grabbed her phone when she’d
calmed down, then dialed Kyle’s number and tried to forget about
the new round room.

“
Em?” Kyle
asked.

“
Hi,” Emily
said.

“
What’s wrong?”

“
Exavior knows about the
lumbar puncture. How does he know?” Emily asked.

There was a short pause before Kyle spoke,
“We’ll find out.”

“
Is nothing I do a secret?
Nothing private?”

“
We’ll find out who’s
telling him, I promise.”

Emily sighed, “It’s just frustrating.”

“
I know, but we’ll fix
it.”

“
Go away!” Emily yelled
when she heard a knock on the door.

“
Do you need me to come
down?” Kyle asked.

“
No, but give me the phone
number to the Valle Council.”

“
That’s it, I’m
coming.”

“
No, I said. I can handle
it. I’m going to bed now though… stay in Council City,” Emily told
him, and hung up. She slipped on a big t-shirt and crawled into the
warm covers, and was finally able to fall asleep.

Emily stretched and opened her eyes when the
rooster crowed. She pulled the covers off and sat up suddenly when
she saw Exavior in her room, “What are you doing?”

“
Watching you sleep,”
Exavior said as he leaned back against the wall.

“
Get out,” Emily yelled at
him.

“
You slept late. Alec and
Pat have already gone to the funeral home. I told them I’d drive
you in.”

“
Get out!”

“
Ok, I’ll wait for you out
by the truck,” Exavior said, and then grinned before blurring from
the bunkhouse.

Emily dressed quickly in a simple black
dress and heals, and then threw her hair into a French braid. She
sighed before walking out of the bunkhouse and over to the truck.
She opened the passenger door and growled when Exavior lifted her
inside.

“
Stop touching me,” Emily
said, and slammed the door. She buckled in while Exavior got into
the driver’s side, laughing.

Emily scowled in silence all the way to the
funeral home, and jumped out as soon as Exavior stopped the truck.
He caught up with her and they walked in together.

She ran quickly to Pat and hugged him.
Exavior moved to one of the back pews, while Emily sat with the
family up front. After the funeral, she rode in the limo to the
grave site and wished she had taken Chevalier up on his offer to
come with her. She felt alone as she watched her Aunt buried.

Emily rode back to the ranch with Alec, and
was soon playing hostess to dozens of well-wishers who brought
dinners and deserts with their tears. Emily was cried out, and
welcomed them into the home, ignoring the way that Exavior sat
silently and watched her every move. Things became tense when Jeff
wheeled in, but he avoided Emily and Exavior and only stayed for a
few minutes, just long enough to give his condolences to Alec.

Too soon for Emily, the guests stopped
coming and she set about heating up dinner for those left, herself,
Alec, Pat, and Exavior. Pat’s wife was expecting their first baby
and wasn’t able to fly. She was supposed to be arriving the next
evening.

Emily dished up the casserole and they all
sat down to eat.

“
I appreciate you two
helping Dad. I couldn’t get here soon enough,” Pat said
softly.

Exavior nodded, “Our pleasure.”

Emily glared at him briefly and then turned
to Alec and Pat, “I’m glad I could come help family. I know I’m far
away, but I think about you all the time.”

“
How are things up north?”
Pat asked.

“
Good thanks, Allen is
growing so fast. He’s already taller than I am, and Alexis is
already 3.”

“
How long are you staying?”
Pat asked them.

“
I’m going to be here for
about a week. I promised to help with some of the paperwork,”
Exavior said.

“
I have to leave in the
morning,” Emily said, ignoring Exavior’s glance.

After dinner, Emily opted to clean the
kitchen instead of following the others into the living room. She
had time to think about Jess and about the decision Alec was trying
to make. She also wondered about how all of her secrets were
getting out to the Valle. As soon as the kitchen was clean, she
went to her bunkhouse and locked the door behind her.

Emily pulled out her phone and dialed
Chevalier.

“
Hi, Em,” Chevalier
said.

“
Hi, how’s it going?” Emily
asked.

“
Things are ok. Kyle told
me about Exavior’s knowledge. We’re narrowing it down.”

“
I should have let you
come.”

“
I can be there in a few
hours.”

“
No, I’m coming home in the
morning, if there’s someone to come and get me.”

“
Sure, meet Equites 2 at
10am.”

Emily nodded, knowing he couldn’t see her,
but she was afraid her voice would give away the strain she was
under. Strain from the round room, from Exavior’s advances, from
Jess’s death, and Alec’s thoughts of turning into a heku.

Chevalier’s sighed, “Em… talk to me.”

“
Do… you… you know… ever…”
Emily couldn’t say it. She kept hearing Exavior say that it was a
heku’s nature, and that all heku did it.

“
Do what?” Chevalier
asked.

“
Never mind,” Emily
whispered.

“
No secrets. If you want to
know if I’m doing something… just ask.”

“
No, I think I’ve decided I
don’t want to know.”

“
That’s almost worse,”
Chevalier said softly.

“
There are some things in a
heku’s nature that I don’t understand,” Emily said, quoting almost
exactly.

“
Meaning… what,
exactly?”

“
I love you.”

“
I love you too, Em, and I
wish you’d tell me what’s going on.”

“
I’ll see you
tomorrow.”

Emily hung up the phone and dropped it onto
the floor before rolling over and falling asleep.

She was dreaming about fighting to get out
of the round room when she heard a soft voice whisper next to her,
“Shh, it’s ok.”

Emily’s eyes opened, and she pushed against
Exavior, who was lying in bed next to her, “Get out.”

“
No,” he said, and then
kissed her, pressing his body against hers, so she couldn’t get
away.

Exavior gently ran his hand down her side
and around to the small of her back, and slipped it under her
t-shirt, so he could feel her soft skin beneath his fingers.

He finally broke the kiss, “I love you,
Emily.”

“
Get away from
me.”

“
I’m so much better for you
than Chevalier. Why can’t you see that?”

Emily tried again to pull away from him, but
his hands held her tightly, “I don’t see that because it’s not
true. You’re more like Jeff, apparently, than Chev.”

A flash of anger passed Exavior’s face and
then he smiled, “Nice try. I’m not in the mood to fight
though.”

“
If you don’t get away from
me, I’ll ash you,” Emily warned.

“
No you won’t. That would
break the peace agreement,” Exavior said, and started to kiss her
neck.

Emily stopped for a moment, analyzed
Exavior’s weak points, and then made a quick decision where to
strike. She knew she had only one chance before he restrained her,
so she planned carefully and struck. Quickly putting her hands on
his head, she turned it hard to the side. She heard the bones snap
as he hissed and rolled away from her.

She sat up and scooted off of the bed, and
was just standing when his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. His
fingers dug into her flesh and crushed the bones beneath his grasp.
Emily screamed in pain, and Exavior let go and sat up with fear in
his eyes.

“
Emily, I’m so sorry,” he
said, and tried to help her, but he felt the burn start in his
chest and fell back against the bed, gasping for breath. The burn
ended quickly, but he took the warning and moved away from
her.

Emily’s arm was already swelling and turning
purple, and she groaned with the pain as she grabbed her cell phone
from the floor.

“
Emily, please, forgive me…
I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She turned and glared at him before leaving.
The night air was cold, and all she had on was a big t-shirt. She
looked around the dark lot and decided on Exavior’s truck. She
crawled in and stepped on the gas, spinning out as Exavior watched
her from the bunkhouse door.

Emily drove with her elbow as she dialed
Chevalier’s number, “Em, what’s wrong?”

“
Come… tell them to come
now,” Emily whispered.

“
Are you hurt?”

“
Yes,” Emily whispered.
“Please, come now.”

“
We’re taking the jet. Meet
us at the little airport outside of town, ok?”

Emily nodded and hung up the phone, then
changed course and fought to stay focused as she drove out of the
city toward the municipal airport. The throbbing in her arm was
getting worse and it was swelling. Every small bump sent a jolt of
pain through her arm and shoulder, and made her feel like she was
going to pass out.

She drove Exavior’s truck across the field
and onto the runway, and hoped the Equites would hurry. She knew
that Exavior would first check for her at the helipad, but when he
didn’t find her, she knew he would come and check here. She locked
the doors and laid back on the seat, breathing through the
agonizing pain.

Emily was only vaguely aware of an airplane
landing nearby. The deafening roar was muted by the sound of her
heart pounding in her ears. She opened her eyes when she heard the
truck’s door torn off of the hinges, and soon found herself in
Chevalier’s arms. He blurred her onto the plane and laid her down
on the bed in the back as the pilot took off for Council City.

Kyle watched from the door as Dr. Cook gave
Emily a pain medication and she felt the sharp pain dull slowly.
The doctor started looking over her arm and hand.

“
This is more than I can
fix. We need to take her to an Emergency Room,” Dr. Cook told
Chevalier. “This swelling, though, looks like a hand.”

Emily nodded, “Exavior broke it with his
hand.”

Chevalier growled, “He did?”

“
Yes, after I broke his
neck,” Emily said with a slight smile. The medicine was making her
relaxed and with the dulled pain, she was able to settle
down.

“
Why did you break his
neck?” Chevalier asked, touching her face lightly.

“
I can handle him.
Tomorrow, I’m going to talk to Sotomar,” Emily said, her words
slightly slurred.

“
Tomorrow, you are going to
be in bed,” Dr. Cook told her, and checked the pulse in her
hand.

“
I warned him, but he
didn’t listen,” she said, and drifted off to sleep.

“
Warned him for what?”
Chevalier asked, and took her good hand. He felt a jolt and images
flashed quickly through his mind, silent pictures showing the trip,
everything from the funeral to the numerous advances by
Exavior.

Chevalier hissed and the doctor looked at
him with wide eyes. The Elder stood up, and clenched his fists, “I
think Exavior and I need to have a talk.”

“
What did he do?” Kyle
asked angrily.