Ferus : Book 6 of the Heku Series (53 page)

“Yes, I’ll admit he was
born 15 years ago, but he’s not 15, not in body or mind,” Chevalier
told her.

“I love her, Mom… We want
to get bonded.”

“At 15? Over my dead
body!”

“Em… you got married at
17…” Chevalier began, but Emily cut him off.

“Yeah and that worked out really well for
me, too.”

“I’m not you, Mom. I’m not some hick
marrying…”

“Hick?” she yelled.

“I just mean that you were in a different
environment that I’m in.”

“15 is too young to get
married, and having sex with Miri is statutory rape.”

“Emily!” Chevalier said, shocked.

“Well it is! She’s over
200 years older than he is.”

“Everyone I know is at least that old,”
Allen reminded her.

“Exactly, which is why I
suggest we stay here for a year and you attend high school. Get to
know girls your own age.”

“I have issues with that,” Chevalier
said.

“Then in the city. He can
live in Council City and go to school in town.”

“I don’t want to go to
high school,” Allen told her.

“What is the problem,
then? Is it that he’s had sex, that he did it in your barn, that he
has a girlfriend, or that that girlfriend is too old?” Chevalier
asked, trying to clear things up.

“Yes,” Emily said, irritated.

Chevalier sighed, “Let’s
deal with one thing at a time… starting with Miri’s age. 224 is not
old, by any means, and Miri was turned at a very young age by the
Encala.”

“Oh good, so she’s an
enemy heku, too,” Emily added.

“No, she’s not. She immediately left for the
Equites and has been with us for 221 years.”

“Ok then, 224 is too old
for a 15-year-old.”

“How much older is Dad than you are?” Allen
asked.

“I’m not talking about me.
I’m talking about you.”

“224 is not too old for him, Em,” Chevalier
explained. “She’s still very young.”

“Even if 224 wasn’t too
old for him… 15 is too young to be having sex,” Emily told them,
and glared at Allen.

“I’m only 15 in your
mind.”

“Funny… I gave birth to
you 15 years ago. Am I wrong to assume that makes you
15?”

“You know that’s not what
I mean,” Allen said. “In many ways I’m older than you
are.”

“Allen… now’s not the time…” Chevalier
started.

“Don’t make me ash you,
Boy… I can and you know it, then we can revive you when you’re 25,”
Emily yelled.

“25? Is that when I’m old enough to have a
girlfriend?”

“Yes”

Allen sighed, “You try,
Dad. I’m not getting through.”

“Don’t even gang up on me
about this. The entire heku population can try to tell me he’s old
enough to have sex, and I’m not going to budge.”

“How old were you the first time then?”
Allen asked.

Emily frowned, “That’s none of your
business.”

“She was 17,” Chevalier said.

“Hey!” Emily yelled. “I was married
though.”

“How old were you, Dad?” Allen asked.

Chevalier chuckled and Emily cut him off,
“That doesn’t matter… things were too different when he was a
kid.”

“That’s true,” Chevalier
said, “But you need to realize that in the world of the heku,
things are different now, too.”

“No, damnit. He’s too
young to have sex, and he’s too young to get bonded to
her.”

“Why?” Chevalier asked
bluntly. “Let’s name the 3 main reasons humans don’t… religion,
pregnancy, and disease. Those 3 aren’t a factor here.”

“Age… emotional maturity…
He can’t go off and marry the first girl he finds!”

“Why keep looking when I’ve found the one I
love?” Allen asked.

“Oh and Chev, don’t think you’re off the
hook for allowing the little tramp to live on the island.”

“Mom! Stop calling her
names or I’ll make you,” Allen growled.

“You’ll make me?” Emily
asked angrily.

“Stop it you two! You’re
going to end up killing each other, and I can’t come stop it,”
Chevalier yelled.

Emily stood up and faced
Allen, “As long as I’m alive, you won’t bond to any girl who opens
her legs for you.”

Allen stood, throwing his chair back into
the wall, “I warned you…”

“Damnit, stop it!” Chevalier growled.

“It’s a stupid, immature
decision that only proves to me that you’re 15!” Emily
screamed.

“Stupid and immature? Like
dragging your kids out to stay in a house an enemy Elder gave you?”
Allen yelled.

“Wait… what?” Chevalier yelled.

“That’s it…” Emily yelled,
and hung up the phone.

Chevalier slammed his fist down on the table
and called for Zohn.

“Enter,” Chevalier yelled
when he heard a knock. Zohn walked in, frowning at the rage on
Chevalier’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to make some
phone calls, and I want to know if they’re lying to me.”

Zohn nodded, “Ok.”

He sat down while Chevalier dialed.

“Encala Council,” a man’s voice said.

Zohn gasped.

“Which of you Elders bought Emily a house?”
Chevalier growled.

There was silence for a
few seconds before William spoke, “We’ve purchased her a few gifts,
but none of them was a house.”

Chevalier looked at Zohn
and he shook his head, indicating that William wasn’t
lying.

“Aaron?”

“No houses,” Aaron responded.

“Reese?”

“Nope, no houses.”

“They aren’t lying,” Zohn whispered.

“Fine,” Chevalier said,
and hung up the phone. He dialed again.

“Valle Council,” Exavior said.

“Who bought Emily a house and where is it?”
Chevalier growled.

“Well hello, Chevalier, problems?” Exavior
asked.

“Answer my
question.”

Exavior sighed, “We’ve
purchased several things, but not a house.”

“Ryan?”

“No, no houses.”

“Sotomar”

“Is there some kind of problem?” Sotomar
asked.

“Yes and I need to get to that house as soon
as possible,” Chevalier growled. “Where is it?”

“I swore I wouldn’t tell,” Sotomar said,
sighing.

“You bought the Winchester a house?” Ryan
asked, shocked.

“I did and it seems it’s
serving its purpose.”

“Tell me, now,” Chevalier yelled.

“No, it’s her vacation
home to get away from the heku,” Sotomar said calmly.

“So help me if I lose her
because of your stupidity, I will kill you.”

“If there’s a problem then I will go.”

“Tell me.”

“No… I will go check on
her,” Sotomar said, and the line disconnected.

Chevalier stood up and
threw his chair against the wall, shattering it into small wooden
splinters.

“What’s happening?” Zohn asked.

“Emily and Allen are about
to kill each other, and I can’t get there to stop it.”

Zohn sighed, “You’ve tracked her phone?”

“Yes, but I doubt she’s in
Siberia.”

“Allen’s?”

“It shows his last
location was on the island.”

Sotomar took the Valle jet
and arrived in Savannah within only a few hours. A rental car was
already waiting for him, and he hopped in and sped toward the
plantation. He gasped and pulled over when he saw Allen hitchhiking
on the side of I-95.

Allen looked at the sleek
red jaguar with the dark tinted windows, and bent down to look in
when the window rolled down.

“Get in, Son,” Sotomar said.

“That’s ok. I’ll get
another ride,” Allen said, and stood up.

“Just get in,” he growled.

Allen stood his ground, “I don’t fraternize
with the enemy.”

“Oh for hell’s sake,”
Sotomar said, and dialed the Equites Council.

“Zohn here.”

“This is Sotomar. I’ve
driven to Emily’s location as promised, and found Allen hitchhiking
at the side of the Interstate, but he won’t get in my
car.”

There was soft talking and then Chevalier
spoke, “Give Allen the phone.”

Sotomar handed it over, “Your Dad wants to
speak to you.”

Allen grabbed the phone, “I didn’t kill
her.”

“Where are you?”

Allen shut his eyes, “I can’t say.”

“Someone better tell me,” Chevalier
yelled.

“There’s no reason to get
mad. I’m hitchhiking back to the island, and then Miri and I are
going to go live at Kail Coven,” Allen explained.

“Get in the car with
Sotomar,” Quinn said when Chevalier didn’t answer. “Have him take
you back to your mother and see if he can mediate this
thing.”

“You want me to ride with
a Valle, and let him interfere with my family?” Allen asked,
shocked.

“As we have no other option… yes.”

Allen shut the phone and handed it back to
Sotomar when he crawled into the car. Sotomar finished the drive in
silence and pulled up in front of the plantation as the sun began
to set.

“Get in there,” Sotomar
said sternly. He and Allen walked up, and Sotomar knocked on the
door.

Alexis answered and gasped, “Mom!”

“What, Alex?” Emily asked.
She appeared in the doorway with Dain in her arms, then looked from
Sotomar to Allen and stepped aside for them to come in.

“I came in lieu of telling Chevalier where
your home is,” Sotomar explained. “Now that Allen is here, let’s go
into the study and discuss things calmly.”

“You didn’t tell anyone?”
Emily asked, and handed Dain over to Alexis.

“No, I did not… as promised.”

Alexis glanced nervously
at Sotomar, and then took Dain up the stairs.

“Please…” Sotomar said,
and opened the door to the study. Emily walked in after Allen and
sat on the small couch while Allen and Sotomar sat in chairs. “What
exactly caused this fight?”

“His little slut
girlfriend,” Emily said, and glared at Allen.

“Take that back!” Allen
yelled, and stood up.

“Sit!” Sotomar demanded,
and Allen sat down with wide eyes. Sotomar’s voice calmed, “So the
argument is about a girl?”

“Yes, a heku that’s too old for him and
loose at that.”

Sotomar smiled slightly at
Allen, “Do I understand correctly then, that you have a girlfriend
and that you were engaged in sexual relations?”

Allen nodded, “Yeah, and we kinda got
caught.”

“You are 15?”

“Yes… but…”

Sotomar held up his hand,
“I understand that you are advanced beyond your age.”

“I don’t care if he has
the mentality of an 80-year-old… he’s 15!” Emily yelled.

“Please, Dear, we’re speaking calmly
here.”

Emily continued to glare
at Allen.

“So this, heku, she is how old?”

“224,” Allen told
him.

“Wow, a young heku.”

“224 is not young,” Emily
said, irritated.

Sotomar smiled, “I see… so what is the
problem then? The older girlfriend or the sexual relations?”

“She doesn’t like any of
it,” Allen told him. “Nor the fact that we plan to be
bonded.”

“Ok then… there must be a way to
compromise.”

“Like what?” Allen asked.

“No compromises when it comes to my son,”
Emily hissed.

“See! I can’t work with that.”

Sotomar put his hands up,
“I am here to help as a neutral party. We have to find a solution
or I will need to bring in Chevalier.”

“Fine by me, at least he’s
an adult,” Allen said, and crossed his arms.

Emily stood up and got in his face, “Don’t
you dare talk to me like that!”

Allen reached out and pushed against Emily’s
shoulders, easily sending her backwards onto her butt on the
carpet, “Try to stop me, Tiny.”

Emily scrambled to her
feet and stared at Allen. He gasped, eyes wide, and
groaned.

“Emily! Stop it this
instant!” Sotomar yelled, and Emily looked over at him and sat down
as she released Allen from the burning. “I have negotiated
agreements with all three factions that had less hostility than you
two… my word… Can you just calm down!?”

Allen nodded, “Sure, if she’ll keep a civil
tongue in her head.”

“Let’s start with no more
name calling. What is the young heku’s name?”

“Miri,” Allen told him.

Emily started to speak,
but Sotomar hushed her and she glared at him.

“Very well… you two reside in Council
City?”

“No, we live in Island Coven.”

“Emily… are you opposed to Allen having Miri
as a girlfriend if there is no sexual conduct?” Sotomar asked.

Emily sighed, “No kissing?”

“That’s asking a bit much, Dear.”

“I guess not,” she grumbled.

Sotomar smiled, “You, Boy,
are you ok to back off and go no further than kissing?”

Allen shrugged, “That’s how it starts…”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“I don’t know.”

“If it’s that or your mother keeping her a
pile of ash…”

“Fine, then, for now we can do that,” Allen
agreed.

Sotomar nodded, “Then no more bonding talk
either until… what age?”

Emily thought,
“20.”

“Twenty!? No way, I’m not
waiting 5 more years to marry the woman I love,” Allen
said.