Eternity of Vengeance : Book 7 of the Heku Series (16 page)

“I don’t feel like being
in the car for another two days. Let’s just stay and relax
tonight.”

“We’ll need to get
approval from the Council.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well I sure as hell do,” Kralen told
her.

“Oh,” she said, and looked
over at Sotomar. “I guess we should go.”

“Please, stay. We’ll
contact the Equites and let them know. The rain is getting worse
and you’ll be more comfortable here than in a hotel.”

“I guess… if I call
Chev.”

“Your room is ready, and
your guard can stay with you.”

Emily looked up at Kralen,
and he shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess we’ll
stay,” she said.

“I’ll show you to your
room,” the Valle’s Chief Enforcer said. Emily and Kralen followed
him out of the council chambers and up to the room she had in the
Valle Palace. Once inside, she sat down in the bay window to watch
the rain, while Kralen checked the room for any signs of danger or
surveillance equipment.

“The room is clear,” he
said, and moved to stand by the door.

Emily nodded and called
Chevalier.

“Having fun?” he answered.

She grinned, “Not really.
We’re stuck here for the night.”

“You’re staying in the Valle
Palace?”

“Just tonight, it’s
raining.”

“Where is Kralen?”

“He’s here in the room.”

“Let me talk to him.”

Emily held the phone out, “Chev wants
you.”

Kralen took the phone, “Kralen
here.”

“Do not, for even one
second, take your eyes off of her,” Chevalier hissed.

“I won’t, Sir.”

“Check her food, and
double check the Jeep before leaving.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I don’t like this, but I
can tell she’s set on staying…”

“Yes, she is.”

“One hair…”

“I know, Sir.”

Chevalier growled slightly and hung
up.

Kralen handed her phone
back.

“Is he mad?” she asked,
and looked over at Kralen.

“Yes”

“Maybe we should go to a
hotel.”

“I would prefer if we stay
here,” Kralen said, and moved back by the door.

“Why?”

“I had a thought that the
Encala could be waiting for us. I think we should call for a
helicopter home, and let one of the Valle bring your Jeep
back.”

“We’re fine…” she was
cut-off by a knock on the door.

Kralen opened the door and
took a tray from a Valle servant. He shut the door and put the tray
on the table after smelling it.

Emily wrinkled her nose, “I hate when
you smell my food.”

“Not my favorite thing
either.”

She sat down and looked at the tray,
“What is that?”

“It looks like Baeckeoffe.”

“What?”

“It’s just a French stew.”

She looked up at him, “And you know
this how?”

He grinned, “I’m originally from
France.”

“You are?”

“Yes”

“Wow, didn’t know that.
Why no accent?”

“Hundreds of years in
America.”

“Interesting”

He just grinned.

“How old are you?” she
asked, and started to eat.

“I was turned 998 years
ago.”

“Will you celebrate 1000
years?”

“No”

“Why not?”

“No reason to, I guess.”

Emily shrugged and continued to eat,
“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“What?”

“A girlfriend, you’re a
womanizer. I’d think you would have at least one.”

“I’m not a womanizer.”

“Yes, you are,” she said,
and took a sip of the wine.

“What makes you think
that?”

“I can just tell.”

“You’re wrong.”

“I don’t think so… I saw
you having sex with three heku women at once,” she said, and
started back on the stew.

Kralen gasped, “What?”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t
watch or tell anyone.”

“I… when?”

“Long time ago,” she said,
and covered the tray when she was finished. She sat back and patted
the chair beside her. “Come talk.”

Kralen sighed, “I’m not sure I like
where this conversation is going.”

“Wimp,” she said, and
grinned while patting the chair.

Kralen finally walked over at sat down
cautiously.

“So, no girlfriend?”

“No”

“Afraid of commitment?”

“No”

“Don’t want the same sexual partner
for eternity?”

He shifted uncomfortably,
“That’s… not…”

She grinned at his obvious
nervousness, “Relax, I won’t tell anyone. You don’t have a
girlfriend because you can’t stay monogamous.”

“That’s not true!”

“I’m thinking it is.”

“Do you subject all of your guards to
this?”

“No, just you. You’re the
only womanizer I know.”

Kralen’s eyes narrowed, “I wish you
wouldn’t say that.”

“Why not? It’s not bad…
just means you like women and they like you back… however, I would
imagine you are a bit of a sex addict, too.”

“How did I get that title?” Kralen
asked, his eyes wide.

She shrugged, “Just a
hunch.”

“Is there anything you won’t talk
about?”

“Yes, Frederick’s
location,” she said.

Kralen watched the fire, “This is
inappropriate.”

“Like you care.”

“I do.”

“No you don’t! I could get
you into bed if I wanted.”

“No, you could not,” Kralen said
adamantly.

“Oh, I bet I could.”

“I’d not risk being
banished or killed, just for a one-night stand.”

“You’re the only one of
the Cavalry that’s just, exactly, like me.”

“What do you mean?” he
asked.

Emily shrugged, “A rebel… someone
fueled by passion.”

“I’m not a rebel.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Rebellion would get me
kicked off of the Cavalry.”

“I see,” she said, and
curled up on the chair to watch the fire.

“How is it you’ve only had two sex
partners?” Kralen asked, watching her.

She laughed slightly, “Why
not?”

“Keith cheated on you.”

“Yes”

“But you never stepped out on
him?”

“Nope… and there was no time between
Keith and Chev.”

“Just seems odd that as attractive as
you are, not to have had other options.”

“That might be true if I was
attractive.”

Kralen grinned,
“Ok.”

“Keith would have killed
me if I had,” she whispered, and watched the flames dance in the
fireplace.

“Maybe I am a rebel. This
entire conversation would enrage the Elder.”

“He’s not as mean as you all think he
is.”

Kralen chuckled, “He’s meaner than you
could imagine.”

They sat quietly for a
while, Emily wondering why Kralen didn’t have a girlfriend, and
Kralen wondering why Emily was asking such personal questions all
of a sudden.

“I guess I better go to
sleep,” she said, and stood up. Kralen watched her walk over to the
wardrobe and start going through it, “Damnit.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot that Exavior
picked out all this crap.”

“I can ask for a t-shirt.”

“No, I’ll live,” she said,
and pulled out a short black nightgown. She dressed in the closet
and Kralen turned as she ran to the bed and covered up, “Is it
still raining?”

“Yes, pretty hard,
too.”

“What do you think about when you
stand all night doing nothing?”

“Anything… sometimes
nothing at all,” he said, and moved back by the door to
stand.

“Think about finding a
girlfriend.”

He smiled, “That’s
ok.”

Emily yawned and curled up
with a pillow. Kralen watched her closely through the night as she
slept. Only once did he have to put a hand on her shoulder to calm
a dream, other than that once, he watched her sleep and pondered
her earlier questions.

Kralen watched out the
window of the Jeep as they drove west toward Council City. They got
out of the palace early, because Emily wanted to get a good day’s
drive in. The Valle Elders tried to get them to stay another day,
but she was anxious to get back.

“Kralen?” Emily asked.

“Yeah?”

“Look behind us.”

Kralen turned and glanced
behind the Jeep. Four black Ferrari’s were closing in on them,
“Damnit.”

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know. We’re too
far from the Valle or the Equites to get any help
though.”

“They aren’t trying to box
me in. They’re just following.”

Kralen turned and looked
around them and then back to the Ferraris, “Just hold steady, not
sure what they want.”

“Least I’m in the Jeep. I
can off-road this thing.”

“We may need to,” Kralen
said. “They’re getting closer.”

Emily glanced in the
rear-view mirror and saw the Ferraris pull out of formation and
speed toward them. She heard Kralen dialing his cell phone on
speaker.

“Kyle here.”

“We’re getting tailed by
four Ferraris.”

“Can you tell who?”

“No, they followed us for
a while, and are now attempting to box us in… we’re still almost 8
hours out of the city.”

“We’re on the way, see
what you can do,” Kyle said, and the phone line
disconnected.

“Going 4x4,” Emily said,
and slowed slightly while she popped the Rubicon into 4-wheel
drive.

Kralen held onto the bar
as Emily turned sharply off of the black top, and headed across a
swampy field toward the nearby pine trees of the Superior National
Forest.

“Watch it,” Kralen said,
and hissed.

Emily looked over and saw over twenty
dune buggy’s appear from the trees and head towards them, “What the
hell??”

“They were waiting for you
to off-road this thing,” Kralen hissed. “We fell right into this…
it’s a trap.”

“Kralen!” Emily screamed,
and slammed on the brakes when a line of men appeared ahead of her
in the trees.

“Don’t ash them,” Kralen said as his
hands tightened into fists.

“The last time you told me
that, we were kidnapped,” she whispered, and watched the
men.

“Never mind, they are
mortal, won’t matter.”

“Can you take that many?”

“No, but I can take a lot of
them.”

Emily reached into her glove box and
pulled out the Smith & Wesson .357.

“If heku come, don’t ash
them. It’s not worth the risk,” Kralen said, and stepped
out.

Emily got out of the Jeep
with the gun in her hand. She saw the dune buggies line up behind
her, blocking her in.

“What do you want?” Kralen asked
angrily.

“We want the girl,” one of
the men said. He was short and stocky with dark brown hair and full
beard and mustache. She saw that he had a Taser in his
hand.

“Kralen,” she whispered,
and put a hand on his arm.

“I see it,” he told her.

“What do you want me for?” Emily asked
the man.

“We’re bounty hunters.
Seems you’re wanted for kidnapping.”

“The Encala,” Kralen
whispered.

Emily nodded.

“We have no business with
you,” the man said to Kralen. “So just back off and let us have the
little gal.”

“No,” Kralen told him.
“You’ll have to come through me to get to her.”

“How many are there?” Emily asked,
glancing behind her.

“Fifty”

“How many can you take?”

“Maybe all of them.
Depends on how well they fight.”

“The Taser
then?”

Kralen sighed, “Except for
that.”

“Hand her over and no one has to
fight,” the man said.

Kralen growled and blurred
forward before Emily could stop him. She turned when she heard
footsteps behind her and drew the gun, “Get back.”