Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series (25 page)

“You probably shouldn’t call me Em either, Kyle. It’s improper and as I’m Lady of the castle you should address me as such.” She stood and daintily laid her napkin on the table.

“Ok,” he said, surprised.

“I’m going to go spend some time with Allen. I’m assuming you’ll be coming along as protection?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course, Em… erm… Lady Emily,” he said coldly.

His phone rang as he walked up the stairs behind Emily.

“Kyle here.”

“Kyle, bad news, I’m not going to be home until tomorrow,” Chevalier said hurriedly. “How are things going?”

“Well…” Kyle looked up and saw Emily was too close to him to say much, “Things are ok.”

“You sound concerned about something, do I need to cancel my plans and come back?” Chevalier asked.

“No, no, we’re fine,” Kyle assured him.

“Ok, call me if you need me,” Chevalier said before hanging up.

“Was that Chevalier?” Emily asked as she reached the second-floor landing.

“Yes, he’s not going to be home until tomorrow,” Kyle said, watching for a reaction.

“Oh dear, I had plans too,” she sighed, and walked into Chevalier’s room.

Allen looked up at her suspiciously when she entered. She put her hands out to him, and he leaned back toward Anna.

“No,” he said to Emily.

Emily frowned, “Come here this instant, Allen.”

“No,” Allen said again, and held tightly to Anna’s hand.

“Allen, come here now… or you will be spanked,” she said sternly.

Kyle winced. He knew that neither Emily, nor Chevalier, had ever allowed Allen to be physically punished. They both knew their tempers too well and would never trust themselves with that type of punishment.

“Emily,” Kyle said.

“Kyle, Anna, both of you may go,” Emily said, then walked up to Allen and grabbed his arm roughly. Allen began to scream.

“Let go of him,” Kyle told her and took a step toward her.

“Let me take him.” Anna tried to comfort Allen.

“Do as I say or I’ll have you both fired,” Emily said, looking down her nose at Allen.

“That’s enough,” Kyle said, and he forcibly picked Emily up and threw her over his shoulder.

“Where are you taking her?” Anna gasped.

“To the prison until I find out who she is,” Kyle said as Emily struggled in his arms. He realized on his way down the stairs that even her fight wasn’t the same. Emily could get out of this position easily, yet she just struggled weakly and cried.

Anna started to argue, and then nodded, “Come, Child,” she said, and took Allen into her arms to comfort him.

The guards looked at Kyle as he hauled the crying Emily toward an empty cell, “Open it,” he snapped at the guard, who opened the door as quickly as he could.

“You can’t leave me here. It’s dirty, and I’m in charge while Chevalier is away,” she said, looking at them angrily.

Kyle locked the cell door and stepped back, waiting for the tongue lashing he was going to get. This new, calmer, more proper Emily just sat on the bed and cried.

“What do we do with her?” the guard asked Kyle.

“I don’t even know,” Kyle snapped at him. “I guess get her what she wants, but don’t let her out.”

“He’s going to kill us for this,” the guard said.

“I’m not so sure about that.” Kyle looked back at the crying Emily and sighed.

“What do we do if she turns one of us to ash?”

“That’s part of the problem. If that were Emily, she already would have made herself known with her abilities. She never would have sat in a cell and cried,” Kyle said, shaking his head as he walked up the stairs.

***

Kyle met Chevalier at the pier. He frowned and opened the door to the Humvee, “Good to see you, Kyle. I wasn’t expecting you at the pier though.”

Kyle hopped into the Humvee, “We need to talk, before we get to the castle.”

Chevalier frowned, “That doesn’t sound good, is something wrong?”

“Yeah, well, Emily…” He rubbed his neck with his hand, “I had to put her in prison.”

“What?” Chevalier yelled, stomping on the brakes. “Why would you do that?”

“Listen to me before you kill me… you know I had a reason,” Kyle said quickly. “Something’s changed with her and… well, honestly… I wonder if she’s not truly Emily.”

“What do you mean… she’s changed?” Chevalier watched him carefully.

“Lots of things. She’s been ordering the servants around. She tried to fire Anna and I. She’s skipping… and putting flowers around.”

“So for that you put her in prison?” Chevalier frowned.

“No, that was when she tried to spank Allen, and then handled him roughly.” Kyle saw his expression change from angry to confused.

“Why would she spank him?” he asked, in a daze.

“Because he wouldn’t go to her. You have to trust me on this, something has changed,” Kyle said. He waited for it to sink in, and then continued, “You know, when I put her in the prison cell… guess what she did?”

Chevalier grinned, “Did it hurt much?”

“She cried… that’s it… she sat and cried.” Kyle nodded when Chevalier looked at him.

“She cried?” he asked, frowning.

“That’s all… she didn’t threaten me, she didn’t use her abilities on me, she didn’t even yell at me… she cried as I carried her down and put her in the cell.” Kyle watched as Chevalier put the Humvee back in gear and started up to the castle.

“I’ll talk to her as soon as I get back. Bring her to my office,” Chevalier said, his thoughts far away.

“I’ll understand if there’s a punishment for putting her in the prison,” Kyle said, and watched out the window.

Chevalier didn’t answer. His mind whirled with information, and he was anxious to talk to Emily himself. He walked slowly to his office, giving Kyle time to retrieve Emily.

“Chevalier!” Emily yelled and ran into his arms. She jumped and wrapped her legs around him.

Kyle bowed slightly and left the office, shutting the door behind him.

“I’m so glad you’re home, it’s been awful here. I want Kyle fired immediately,” she said, accentuating each word with a kiss to his face.

“Let’s just talk for a sec, Em,” he said before pulling her off of him and sitting her in a chair. He frowned slightly at the frilly orange dress she was wearing. He’d seen the look on her face when Margaret presented it to her. Emily had been polite, but then tried to mail it to Good Will the second Margaret was out of the room.

“I wanted to talk to you, too,” she said, smoothing down the layers of her skirt.

“You feeling ok?” he asked, and then sat on the edge of his desk to watch her.

“As well as can be expected, being in that dirty prison all day.” She stuck out her lower lip and looked up at him sadly. The expression was off. He’d never seen Emily stick her lip out and was positive she hadn’t pouted a day in her life.

“I see. Kyle, however, is very worried about you.”

“Oh sure, stick up for Kyle! You don’t love me or you wouldn’t have left me with such a mean heku,” she said, and then checked her hair in the mirror on the wall.

Her words shocked him. He watched the way she primped in the mirror, and how her pinky stuck up as she re-inserted a hair pin.

“You... um... you wanted to talk to me about something?” He wasn’t sure what else to say. He immediately saw what Kyle had seen, and it also concerned him.

“Yes, I was thinking it’s time to have another baby.” She smiled sweetly up at him.

“You... you do?” He was stunned.

Emily stood up and walked slowly over to him. She leaned into him and kissed him while sliding her arms under his and around to his back, “Don’t you?”

Chevalier cringed, he’d never felt a kiss like that, and couldn’t remember a time when Emily held him like she was now.

“I thought we agreed that Allen was enough,” he said, pulling away from her. His eyes scrutinized her every movement and analyzed everything she said.

“Well, I don’t agree anymore, we should fill the castle with children.” Emily began to unbutton his shirt.

He reached up and took her hands in his, “Stop.”

Her bottom lip stuck out again, “How come?”

“I’ve decided a few things while I was away. It’s time to get rid of the horses and cows. They’re too much work for you.” He watched her expression.

She thought for a moment and nodded, “If that’s how you feel.”

“Emily, look at me,” he yelled at her. She looked up at him, timidly, “Ash me.”

“Why would I do that?” she asked, running her hand down his chest.

“I want you to give me just a little bit of it… or are you afraid?” he asked, grinning.

“I’m not afraid,” she said, kissing his neck roughly. The feel of her lips on his skin made him cringe.

“Kyle,” Chevalier said toward the door, and it immediately opened.

Kyle stepped in and shut the door.

“This isn’t Emily,” Chevalier said, prying her hands off of him.

Kyle nodded, “Then who is it?”

“Let’s find out,” Chevalier said before grabbing Emily’s arm roughly and pulling her into the interrogation room next to his office. He quickly sat her down in a hard chair and wrapped the chain around her.

“Why are you being mean to me, Chevalier? I love you,” Emily said, eyeing the button that would start the electricity flowing.

His hand dangled over the button, “Ready to ash me?”

“I wouldn’t hurt you. I love you too much.” Her eyes were pleading and she began to cry.

Kyle stood at the chair with his arms crossed. If he had any doubts at all that this was an imposter, he would have stopped it immediately. The way Emily sat in the chair and cried made him want to rip her apart.

“Are you going to tell me who you are?” Chevalier asked.

“I’m Emily, your wife. Please don’t do this,” she said, watching his hand on the button.

Chevalier pressed the button briefly, and watched as Emily’s body stiffened and she screamed. When her body relaxed, she looked up at him and her eyes were now pitch black.

“Who are you?” he asked again.

“Help me, Kyle, please, he’s going to kill me,” she pleaded to him.

“Ash him if you don’t want to die Emily… oh sorry… Lady Emily,” Kyle said, grinning.

Chevalier looked up at him questioningly.

“She wants me to address her properly from now on,” Kyle told him.

“Oh, well of course,” Chevalier said, and pressed the button again. Emily screamed in pain as her muscles contracted with the electricity. He released the button.

“Let’s try that again, who are you?” he asked, watching her.

“Your wife! I’m everything you want… I just changed… for you!” she said, her eyes wide.

“What if Emily was already everything I wanted?” Chevalier asked, pushing the button again and watching her as she screamed in pain.

“If you want him to stop… ash him,” Kyle reminded her.

“I’m better… obedient… I can make you happier,” Emily begged.

“Wrong answer,” Chevalier said, and he held the button down again. Emily’s screams were different. They were more guttural, almost feral.

Chevalier lifted his finger off of the button, “Who are you?”

“Ego sum vestry uxor,” Emily said in a harsh whisper.

Kyle jumped to the table and hit the button himself. The Emily in the chair bellowed loudly, screaming words in a language neither Kyle nor Chevalier had ever heard before.

Chevalier pushed Kyle’s hand off of the button, “Where is she?”

“You’ll never find her, Boy.” When Emily looked up at him, her face was dark and menacing and her black eyes were flat and dead.

“Boy?” Chevalier asked, and his eyebrows rose. “You called me boy?”

“You are but a boy.” She grinned, “Silly boy shouldn’t mess with me.”

“Tell me where Emily is or I’ll hit the button and leave,” Chevalier said to her.

“You should be ashamed! You brought a mortal into this castle, and let her walk around like she was as good as a heku. You even gave her a child, and you should be killed for such atrocities,” Emily hissed at him.

“Who are you to say such things to me? You know nothing about Emily,” Chevalier said, then pressed the button. He grinned as Emily writhed in pain and screamed out curses in Latin.

The one posing as Emily looked up when the electricity was turned off, “I am an ancient… I am one of the original heku and as such you will respect me and let me go!”

Kyle took a step back, shocked.

Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “An ancient, you claim?”

Emily nodded, “So let me go before I destroy you.”

“Get the Elders on the phone,” Chevalier hissed at Kyle.

“Where is Emily?” Chevalier growled.

“She isn’t worthy to live among us, Boy.” She looked up at him, and her black eyes were haunting.

“You know nothing about her,” he said angrily.

“I know she’s a mortal, and you allowed yourself to procreate with her. In my day, you would have died for that.” Emily glared at him.

“If you are what you say you are. Then things have changed, and this is no ordinary mortal.”

“Selest is sure this is an ancient,” Kyle said, returning. “Her orders were to dispose of him immediately.”

Emily hissed and fought with the chains.

“I may let you live if you tell me where she is.” Chevalier leaned down to look at the Ancient.

“I won’t allow her to continue to live among the great heku,” the Ancient said.

Kyle pushed the button and sat a book on it as he turned to Chevalier, “How can an ancient be back? I haven’t heard of an ancient in over 2,000 years.”

Chevalier shook his head, “I’m not sure… but I can guarantee this Ancient won’t be back.”

The screaming became inhuman and Kyle checked the chains to make sure they were still secure. Chevalier took the book off of the button.

“Stop this!” the Ancient screamed. “You won’t find her anywhere on this earth. You’re too late.”

Chevalier sent his senses out to her and got nothing. He hadn’t expected to pick up any of her feelings in the presence of an ancient, but had hoped.

“Where is she?” Kyle yelled at him.

“She has you both under her evil spell. Trust me… you are better off without her.” The Ancient grinned up at them.

“She has to be on the island,” Chevalier said, mainly to himself. “The ferry driver said I was the only one off the island in three days.”