Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series (78 page)

Emily fought against Chevalier’s arms around
her waist, “I’m not afraid of you.”

Mark appeared when he heard the yelling and
froze, not sure who he was supposed to help.

Zohn stopped fighting and calmed down. The
Elders let go of him, and he straightened his shirt. Emily glared
at him and did the same when Chevalier let her go.

“
Damn, you don’t want
treated like a child, yet you act like one,” Zohn said.

Emily screamed and ran at him. Chevalier’s
hands missed her as Allen plowed into him, knocking him backwards a
few steps. Zohn reached out, surprised, and caught her around the
neck. William and Sotomar grabbed a hold of his arms, but he kept
his grip on her.

Emily brought her knee up, connecting with
Zohn’s groin. When he doubled over slightly, she reached out and
quickly dug her fingers into his neck, pulling his trachea out of
it as blood splattered across the area. She pulled hard and snapped
it in half, completely cutting off his airway. Mark wrapped his arm
around her waist and pulled her back, too surprised to do much more
than dodge her attacks towards him.

“
Everybody calm down!”
Sotomar yelled with enough force that everyone in the courtyard
froze.

Emily stopped fighting Mark and watched Zohn
slowly heal. Chevalier had Allen by the arm and was angrily pulling
him into the castle. Sotomar and William helped Zohn to his feet
when he’d healed enough to walk, and led him back into the castle,
followed by Mark, who was still carrying Emily.

Mark sat Emily down in a chair and held her
shoulders, “Just stay put.”

Zohn was leaned over slightly, talking to
Sotomar and William in whispers.

“
You and I,” Chevalier
growled at Allen, “Are about to come to an
understanding.”

Allen was glaring at his Dad, “Stop
restraining Mom and we won’t have a problem.”

A helicopter arrived from Council City and
landed on the front lawn. Quinn, Silas, Valle Elder Ryan, and
Encala Elder Aaron stepped out and came inside. They all stopped
and watched, wide eyed as Zohn, Emily, and Allen were all
restrained. Zohn and Emily were both covered in blood.

“
What happened?” Quinn
asked, frowning.

Chevalier pushed Allen toward Silas, “Take
him upstairs and don’t let him out of your sight.”

“
Yes, Sir,” Silas said,
pulling Allen up the stairs.

“
Was there an attack?”
Aaron asked, frowning at the blood covered foyer.

“
Yes,” Zohn said calmly.
“Emily decided to attack me.”

“
Bullshit!” Emily growled.
“He started it.”

Mark readjusted his hands and continued to
hold her in the chair.

“
So whose blood is all
over?” Ryan asked, stepping over a pool of it.

“
Mine,” Zohn said, grinning
slightly. “Seems Emily’s learned some new tricks.”

Quinn walked over and knelt down beside
Emily, “Calm down, ok?”

Emily glared at him.

Quinn grinned slightly, “Just… calm down,
please.”

“
That was… fairly
impressive,” William said, and his eyebrows rose.

Sotomar glared at him.

“
Well, it was,” William
said, and turned back to Zohn.

“
Elders and Emily, back to
the conference room,” Quinn said. “Mark, why don’t you join
us?”

Mark nodded and let go of Emily so she could
go into the conference room. She sat back down in the end chair and
poured herself more coffee before bringing her knees up to her
chest. Mark sat down in the chair beside her, and she got the
impression he was babysitting again.

Zohn sat at the far end from Emily and the
other Elders came back in and sat down, shutting the door behind
them.

“
Zohn, please try to
refrain from speaking,” Quinn said, grinning slightly. “These
negotiations will go smoother if we can avoid
bloodshed.”

“
Very well,” Zohn said,
sitting back in his chair.

“
Make it fast. I want to
get out of here before dark,” Emily said, sipping at her
coffee.

“
Where are you going?”
Aaron asked, smiling.

“
Fulfilling my part of the
ultimatum… it’s been broken, badly, and it’s time to go,” Emily
said, avoiding his eyes when his smile disappeared.

“
You’re going to leave?
Just like that?” Ryan asked, frowning.

“
Yes, I am.”

“
We’re here for some
negotiations, to see if we can get her to stay,” Quinn said.
“However, it has been noted that one Elder doesn’t wish for her to
stay… we should take a vote.”

“
Stay,” Sotomar said. “I
will speak for Elder Vizia also.”

“
Stay,” Aaron and Ryan said
in unison.

“
I would prefer if she
stay,” William said, smiling at her. “I will speak for Elder Reese
as well.”

“
Stay,” Chevalier said
softly.

“
You know my vote,” Zohn
said, looking at the painting on the wall.

“
Vote all you want. I
haven’t agreed to stay,” Emily reminded them.

“
So name it, what will it
take to get you to stay?” Sotomar asked.

Emily sighed, “You already knew and didn’t
do it, why should I make more demands?”

“
Where war is concerned,
I’m afraid we are all a little blind to some things as we focus
entirely on protecting the things that matter,” Sotomar
said.

“
My… confinement aside,
what’s it going to take to get you all to realize how much better
off the heku would be without me?” Emily asked, frustrated that
they weren’t seeing what was going on.

“
How do you figure our
species would be better off without you?” Quinn asked.

“
Oh come on… Exavior ring a
bell? He’s just tortured and almost killed my friend to get to
me.”

“
I told you,” Chevalier
said. “That wasn’t because of you. It was because his pride was
hurt when he wasn’t made an Elder.”

“
He speaks the truth,”
Sotomar said. “Though I wonder how he knows.”

Chevalier grinned slightly.

“
How long has Exavior been
the Valle’s Chief Interrogator?” Emily asked.

Ryan thought for a moment, “Just over 2,500
years.”

“
And it’s just a
coincidence that he chooses now to rebel? Just happens to have
decided that I should be an Elder in this new faction of his, all
by coincidence?”

“
No, we know that his
attraction to you was the final determination, but we suspect he’s
had plans to do this for centuries,” Sotomar told her.

Emily pressed her palms against her eyes,
“You’re all too stubborn to see what’s right in front of your eyes.
Your peaceful existence 14 years ago when heku followed orders,
rules were kept, the three factions were the same as they had been
for thousands of years… you can have that again.”

“
I don’t remember it being
all that peaceful 14 years ago,” Ryan said. “I was Coven Leader of
a medium sized coven in Nevada that was completely obliterated by
the Equites in the middle of the night.”

“
We are more civilized now
than we ever have been,” Quinn said. “You’ve shown us that we can
work together.”

Emily sighed and looked up, “You’ll have to
trust me then, your lives will be better without me in them.”

“
Are you in pain?” Sotomar
asked, frowning.

“
No”

“
She’s lying,” Zohn said.
“You can tell by her eyes that she has a headache.”

“
Bite me,” Emily yelled,
glaring at him.

Chevalier growled at Zohn, and he sat back
in his chair.

“
Hmmm,” Sotomar said, and
blurred behind Emily. He put his hands out and felt along her
shoulders.

“
Hey! That hurts,” Emily
said, and tried to pull away. Sotomar held onto her and began to
work on a problem spot on her shoulder.

“
I noticed you carry your
stress in your shoulders, that’s why you have headaches,” Sotomar
said.

“
Oh my God…” Emily
whispered, and leaned her head forward.

Sotomar grinned, “Being a trained masseuse
comes in handy.”

“
Yes, we all heard about
the last massage you gave her,” Chevalier said, glaring at
him.

“
That was different,”
Sotomar said as his hands expertly worked on her neck and
shoulders. “You know, if I had a decent table, I could really help
her headache, and maybe her ankle.”

“
He is quite good,” Ryan
told them.

“
Talks might go smoother if
she felt better, more relaxed,” Quinn whispered, too softly for
Emily to hear.

“
He felt her up,” Chevalier
reminded him.

“
I wouldn’t do that,”
Sotomar said. “That was a momentary lapse in judgment, when she was
on my table, with no clothes on… I just… apologize.”

Chevalier sighed, “She does get moody when
she’s stressed.”

“
I could stay with them,”
Mark said. “To watch his hands.”

Sotomar glared at him, “I know how to
behave.”

“
Fine,” Chevalier
whispered, “But Mark and Silas will be there.”

Sotomar nodded, “Come, Dear.”

Emily looked up, “Where are we going?”

“
I want to work on your
back,” Sotomar said, and put his hand out.

“
I can get a masseuse at
the hotel,” Emily told him. “I still want to finish this so I can
leave.”

“
I don’t trust anyone else
to do it,” Sotomar told her, and pulled her up to standing. “It
won’t take but an hour. You have a room here, do you
not?”

Emily nodded, “I do, but…”

“
Good, take your clothes
off and get under the sheet,” Sotomar said, ignoring the low hiss
that came from Chevalier.

Emily frowned, “No.”

“
I’ll be there with Silas.
He won’t try anything,” Mark said.

“
One hour?” Emily asked
Sotomar.

“
One”

“
Naked?”

“
Fully, get under the
sheet. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“
Why do I have the feeling
I’m going to regret this?” Emily asked, heading out of the
conference room.

“
One toe out of line…”
Chevalier growled.

“
With two of your guards
watching? Not a chance,” Sotomar said. “Think about it… I’ll put
her to sleep, that’ll buy us some time.”

Chevalier watched nervously as Sotomar left
the room.

“
It’ll work out better.
She’ll relax and won’t have a headache,” Quinn said. “We have a few
hours to come up with a plan to keep her.”

“
Let her go… she’ll come
running back,” Zohn said, nodding.

“
Do you even know her?”
Quinn asked, frowning.

“
Come in,” Emily called
out. She blushed when Silas, Mark, and Sotomar came in. She was
lying in the middle of her bed, completely naked, and covered only
with a thin sheet.

“
Perfect,” Sotomar said.
“Now just relax”

Emily blushed and put her forehead down on
the pillow.

Sotomar pulled the sheet down to just below
her waist, and looked up nervously when Mark cleared his throat.
Silas and Mark each took a spot on the sides of the bed, watching
him closely.

“
What happened?” Sotomar
asked when he saw the deep bruises and cuts on her back.

“
I was body slammed off my
horse,” Emily said, her words muffled against the
pillow.

“
Hmm,” Sotomar sighed, and
then began to work on her neck as Mark and Silas scrutinized his
every move.

Emily sighed and began to relax as he worked
the knotted muscles in her neck and shoulders. By the time he
worked down onto her back, she was almost asleep, but acutely aware
of how his hands trailed down her back to the curve of her waist.
He worked around the bruises and focused on the knots.

Sotomar pulled the sheets up from the foot
of her bed and folded them up to her thighs, and began massaging
the back of her legs as Silas leaned forward to watch him
closer.

“
Light the fires and get me
an ace bandage,” Sotomar whispered, too softly for mortal ears.
Within a few seconds, a servant came in, glanced nervously at
Emily, and then stoked the fire until it was roaring and warming
the room quickly. Another came and put several ace bandages on the
bed beside the Elder.

By the time Sotomar got to Emily’s feet, her
breathing was slow and rhythmic, she was deep asleep. He wrapped
her swollen ankle in an ace bandage without her even knowing, and
then pulled the sheets down over her legs. He backed up to the door
and left quietly, followed by Mark and Silas. Sotomar headed down
to the conference room while Silas and Mark stayed outside of
Emily’s bedroom.

“
She’s asleep,” Sotomar
said, coming into the quiet room. “Did you know her back is badly
bruised and cut up?”

“
I knew she was injured in
the fall, but I haven’t seen it,” Chevalier said.

“
I also wrapped her ankle,
it’s swollen,” Sotomar said, and sat down. “What did you
decide?”

“
We haven’t decided on
anything. We don’t know what she wants in return for staying,”
Quinn said.