Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series (126 page)

“
Where are you
going?”

“
To the island,” Emily
said, and then turned to Allen. “Get Alexis and start
packing.”

Allen nodded and walked out of the room as
she finished packing.

“
How long are you going to
be gone?”

Emily shrugged, “I’m not sure. I’m going to
take the Jeep so I can stay for a while.”

“
Mom?” Allen said, and
Emily turned toward him and Alexis.

“
Are you
packed?”

“
We don’t really want to
go,” Alexis said.

“
What’s wrong with the
island?”

Allen sighed, “I want to stay here with Dad,
and Alexis doesn’t want to leave her teachers.”

“
Fine,” Emily growled, and
then returned to packing.

Chevalier motioned for the kids to leave and
sent Dain with Allen. They shut the door behind them.

“
Just stay,” Chevalier
said, and kissed her shoulder lightly.

“
Not with Zohn in the
building. He’s heading right down the path that Damon
did.”

“
Zohn isn’t
Damon.”

“
You coulda fooled
me.”

“
If it’s the pool you want,
I’d say in a few minutes you’ll have one here,” he said, and began
to unbutton her summer dress.

Emily sighed, “If you knocked me up, I swear
I’ll have to ash you.”

Chevalier grinned, “Sorry, you looked sexy
in that summer dress.”

She sat up and wrapped the sheet around her
before going into the bathroom to change, then came out a few
minutes later in the summer dress and grabbed the suitcase.

“
If you’re driving, why
don’t you at least take Kralen and Silas? We can helicopter them
back when you get there,” Chevalier suggested, smiling at the
thought of telling the Council they needed to build a
pool.

“
Sure, whatever,” she said,
and headed out the door. “Allen, I need Dain.”

“
Just stay, Mom,” Allen
said when he handed the baby over.

“
No, it’ll be better if
Zohn and I are far away from each other,” she explained as she
walked by the Council and glared at Zohn.

“
Em, you can’t let him do
that,” Chevalier said, watching Dain gnaw on her
knuckle.

“
He’s teething.”

“
He’s a heku.”

Emily sighed, “Heku or not, he’s still
teething.”

Silas and Kralen were waiting by the Jeep
and crawled in when she buckled Dain into his car seat. Chevalier
put a cooler behind her seat and whispered last minute orders to
the guards.

“
I didn’t mean you had to
leave,” Zohn said, leaning against his car.

Emily got into the Jeep, “Let me know when
you decide to retire.”

Zohn smiled as she drove out of the
garage.

“
Start building the pool,”
Chevalier said, turning to walk back into the palace.

Kyle chuckled, “Damn, I wanted to know what
that ancient’s room was for.”

“
I knew we’d need those
blueprints,” Quinn said, and followed Chevalier inside.

“
Kyle, will you take
Equites 2 to Island Coven? Make sure her arrival goes smoothly,”
Chevalier said. “If we’re re-living the days when she hated the
palace, then she’ll need a safe haven.”

“
Sure,” Kyle said, and ran
up the stairs. Within minutes, the helicopter took off.

Emily let Silas drive when it got dark, so
she could sleep. She insisted they not stop at a hotel, but finally
agreed to let him drive.

“
We’re not in the palace,
can we talk freely?” Silas asked her.

Emily leaned her seat back and rolled onto
her side toward him, “Sure.”

“
What’s up with you and
Zohn?”

“
I’m tired of how he treats
me, like I’m always in the way and always out looking for
trouble.”

“
It’s more than that,
you’ve never liked him.”

“
True, he was one of
Damon’s biggest supporters.”

“
Rumor has it, he’s also
the one that initiated his removal.”

Emily shrugged and rolled onto her back,
“Doesn’t matter, he’s following in Damon’s footsteps.”

“
What’s so special about
Island Coven that you always want to go there when the palace gets
to be too much?” Kralen asked.

Emily smiled, “Friends, I love it there.
It’s quiet and peaceful, and no one acts like they have to be
afraid around me.”

“
Why don’t we talk to the
Elders about Silas and I switching off so one of us is with you on
the island?”

“
No, thank you,” Emily
said. “That’d piss Zohn off, losing a Commander in the Cavalry to
babysit me.”

“
Ever consider it’s not
babysitting?”

“
No, it’s exactly
babysitting.”

“
That’s not how we consider
it,” Kralen said. “You just need to see it how we do. Ever seen the
Declaration of Independence?”

“
Yeah”

“
It has guards because it’s
a precious piece of American history, not because it needs
babysat.”

“
Oh come on. Zohn has
guards posted with me because he’s convinced I’m always in
trouble.”

Kralen grinned, “Ok, I’ll admit that, but
the rest of the Council sees it as we do. You’re an important
addition to the Equites, one that must be pampered and
protected.”

“
I’m Chevalier’s wife, and
he’s big and mean, and everyone’s afraid I’ll get hurt, so they
give me guards.”

“
We just wish you could see
it as we do. I would be offended if I were babysitting. I’m one of
the Council City Commanders, the elite… I don’t… babysit,” Silas
said.

“
Still doesn’t change the
fact that I can’t live with Zohn around.”

“
Island Coven it is,”
Kralen said, and looked around. “You sure you don’t want a hotel
for the night.”

“
Naw, I just want to get
there.”

Silas grinned, “Truth or dare?”

Emily smiled, “Sure, but nothing about the
ancient’s room.”

“
Deal… I’ll start,” Silas
said. “Truth or dare?”

“
Truth”

“
Have you ever slept with
Kyle?”

Emily started to laugh, “Damn, you’re
starting with the big ones… no, I don’t sleep around.”

“
We know that, but I also
know you met Kyle before you were officially with the
Elder.”

“
True… still,
no.”

“
Your turn.”

“
Ok, Kralen, truth or
dare?”

Kralen thought, “Truth.”

“
Ever went to feed from a
woman, and let it go further… only to have a coyote ugly experience
the next day?”

Kralen grinned slightly, “What’s a coyote
ugly experience?”

Emily leaned up onto her elbow, “You know…
you sleep with her and she falls asleep on your arm. The next
morning you realize just how ugly she is, and would rather chew off
your own arm than to wake her up.”

Kralen chuckled, “Yes.”

Silas started to laugh, “Oh my God, that’s
great!”

“
My turn, Em, truth or
dare?”

“
What about Silas?” Emily
asked.

“
He’s boring… truth or
dare?”

“
Truth”

“
How many men, human or
heku, have you slept with?”

“
Dare,” Emily said, and
grinned.

“
You can’t change… those’re
the rules.”

Emily blushed, “Nothing leaves this Jeep,
right?”

“
Of course.”

“
Two”

Kralen’s eyes grew wide, “Two, total?”

“
Two… Silas, truth or
dare?”

Silas grinned, “Truth.”

“
Ever intercept someone’s
donor and help yourself?”

“
Sure”

“
A lot?” she asked,
shocked.

“
That’s two questions, my
turn.”

Emily thought, “Dare.”

“
I dare you to flash the
next car that drives by your side of the Jeep.”

Emily blushed, “Ok.”

“
You’re going to do
it?”

“
Sure,” Emily said. She saw
a truck heading her way and unbuckled.

Kralen grinned, “Here comes one.”

Emily laughed and knelt on the seat. When
the driver of the truck looked over, she lifted her shirt for a few
seconds and then lowered it and sat back down. The truck veered off
the road and almost hit a telephone pole before stopping.

“
Oh my God, he almost
wrecked,” Emily said, blushing as she buckled back in.

“
I can’t believe you did
it,” Silas said, impressed.

“
Truth or dare,
Kralen.”

“
Dare”

Emily grinned, “Feed off Silas’ wrist.”

“
What? No,” Silas said,
frowning.

Kralen shrugged, “Hand it over.”

“
That’s just wrong,” Silas
said, and put his wrist toward the back as he watched the road.
Kralen hesitated and then bit Silas, drank for a couple of seconds,
and then let go.

“
Damn, Silas, you’re
disgusting,” Kralen said, grimacing.

Silas grinned, “Good, I’d hate to think you
enjoyed it.”

“
Truth or dare,
Silas.”

Silas paused, “You’re not going to ask
Emily?”

“
Nope, truth or
dare.”

“
Truth”

“
Ever chosen to feed from a
man instead of a woman when you had the option?”

Silas grinned, “Never… Em, truth or
dare?”

Emily thought, “Truth.”

“
If you were forced to
leave the Equites, which faction would you go to?”

“
What if I wouldn’t go to
another faction?”

“
Have to name one of
them.”

“
Hmm… Encala.”

Silas frowned, “Seriously?”

“
Yes, definitely the
Encala.”

“
Why?”

“
That’s two questions…
Silas, truth or dare?”

“
Dare”

“
Call Chevalier and tell
him the three of us are running off to France to start our own
coven.”

Silas chuckled and grabbed his phone. He
dialed and waited for Chevalier to answer.

“
Elder, it’s Silas,” he
said, and then paused. “No, no, everything’s ok. I just wanted you
to know that the three of us are running off to France to start our
own coven.”

Emily smiled while she watched Silas on the
phone.

“
Yes, Sir,” Silas chuckled.
“I’ll let her know.”

“
Let me know what?” Emily
asked when he hung up.

“
That playing truth or dare
on a road trip can only lead to trouble.”

“
How’d he know?”

Silas smiled at her, “He knows you. Truth or
dare, Em?”

“
Truth”

“
Is there anything about
your past that Chevalier doesn’t know about?”

“
Yes,” she said, and
smiled. “Kralen, truth or dare?”

“
Truth,” Kralen
said.

“
Have you ever deliberately
defied one of Chevalier’s orders?”

Kralen grinned, “Every day.”

Emily gasped, “Seriously?”

“
Yep,” Kralen said. “Truth
or dare, Silas?”

“
Truth”

“
Same question… have you
ever deliberately defied one of Chevalier’s orders?”

Silas thought, “Yes, but not every day… damn
Kralen.”

“
What? ‘
Don’t look at my wife
.’” Kralen said,
doing his best Chevalier impression. “It’s pretty hard to ignore
that ass.”

Emily’s eyes grew wide.

Silas yelled, “Kralen! My God.”

Emily blushed, “Let’s stop the game.”

“
Spill it, Emily, what does
he not know about you?” Kralen asked.

Emily shifted nervously, “I’m not going to
tell you.”

“
You two need to lighten
up,” Kralen said, sitting back in the seat and smiling.

It was silent for a few minutes before Emily
turned in her seat to face Kralen, “What’s wrong with my ass?”

Kralen raised an eyebrow, “Absolutely
nothing.”

“
But… then… hmm…” Emily
mumbled, and then turned around and looked out the
window.

Kralen smiled, “It’s not just your ass we
admire.”

“
We?” Emily
gasped.

“
Kralen!” Silas yelled.
“That’s enough.”

Kralen chuckled.

“
Did you hear about that
experiment they want to run with the new guards from Powan, and the
current guards from the city?” Emily asked after a few tense
moments.

“
Yes,” Silas
said.

“
So if by some odd
coincidence I lost my scent… do you think Chevalier would leave
me?”

Silas frowned, “No.”

“
Not a chance,” Kralen told
her.

“
But you don’t know that,”
she said.

“
Yes we do. If it was only
your scent, he would have fed from you and left you,” Kralen said,
ignoring Silas glares in the rear-view mirror.