Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series (86 page)

“
Didn’t see that coming,”
William chuckled.

“
Motorcycles, tight black
leather, high heels, and tattoos,” Zohn said, raising his eyebrows.
“She never ceases to amaze me.”

Chevalier grinned, “I like it.”

“
Of course you do,” Allen
said, rolling his eyes. “Before you all start to drool, let’s go
into the conference room, shall we?”

“
Yes… good idea…” Ryan
said, and glanced once more as Emily disappeared from the stairs on
the fourth floor.

The nine Elders and Allen sat down around
the large table in the conference room and waited.

“
So, what happened with the
mortal?” Chevalier asked Allen.

Allen shrugged, “Mom draws attention, what
can I say?”

Quinn grinned, “We do apologize.”

“
No reason, she’s to blame
this time… not sure what she expects in that outfit,” Allen said,
sitting back. “So some biker approached her and got handsy. He
didn’t have time to do much more because Ashtin threatened to
remove his hands.”

“
I knew I liked Ashtin,”
Chevalier said, thinking.

“
He’s lucky it wasn’t Mark
or Silas. They wouldn’t have threatened,” Zohn said, frowning. “She
really needs to cover up or we’ll have more than just Exavior
following her around.”

“
She was completely
covered, even had her jacket on,” Allen explained.

“
Pants that tight should
not be considered covering anything.”

Allen grinned at Zohn, “She just made you
nervous because you liked it, too.”

“
Allen…” Quinn
warned.

Allen sat back quietly and waited.

“
Has she agreed to stay
then? Pending negotiations?” William asked, changing the
subject.

“
No, she’s not,” Quinn
said. “She has to work on Monday, so we can’t drag them out. She
said negotiations or not she’s going.”

“
She got a job?” Ryan
asked.

“
She’s the secretary for
Bruce Isaac,” Allen said, still sitting calmly.

“
Wait!” Chevalier said,
turning to him. “What?”

“
Bruce Isaac, CEO of the
V.E.S.,” Allen said.

“
I know who Bruce Isaac is…
why is she working for him?” Chevalier asked angrily.

“
She said to keep an eye on
what’s going on, to protect us kids… course… we all know that’s a
façade so she can protect all heku,” Allen said,
smiling.

Chevalier pinched the bridge of his nose
between his fingers, “I’m getting a headache.”

“
Heku don’t get headaches,”
Quinn reminded him.

“
Yeah… well… I’m married to
one big headache.”

“
Good to know,” Emily said
from behind him. She came into the room in a floor-length shimmery
silver slip dress with spaghetti straps, “Any clothing other than
heku Barbie?”

“
Sorry, Exavior worked with
the tailor,” Sotomar said, grinning slightly.

Emily sat down, “Let’s get on with this
then.”

“
Bruce Isaac, Em?
Seriously?” Kyle asked.

“
Tattle tale,” Emily said,
frowning at Allen.

“
I didn’t know it was a
secret,” Allen told her.

“
Anyway, that has nothing
to do with these negotiations.”

“
I think it probably does,”
Sotomar said. “Do you know how dangerous it is to work for
them?”

“
Yes, I do know, and no, it
has nothing to do with negotiations.”

“
What is it you want, for
you to stay?” Quinn asked quickly.

“
First off, Allen explained
to me what happened after the attack by Exavior, and why the
Equites attempted to turn me,” Emily said, leaning her elbows on
the table. “So… for now… that is no longer a consideration.
However, next time, remember I would rather die than
turn.”

“
Why is that, exactly?”
Encala Elder Aaron asked.

Emily glanced at him, “None of your
business.”

“
It just seems odd that a
species you obviously care a lot about, yet don’t want to
become…”

Emily just looked at him, not saying a
word.

“
Moving forward,” William
said, taking the pressure off of Aaron. “What is it you
want?”

“
You’re the ones with the
photographic memory, remind us all what I said,” Emily said,
sitting back in the chair.

“
To quote…” William said.
“That means no more kidnapping, spying, torturing, killing,
following, dressing me up like a doll, deceit… nothing.”

Emily smiled, “Yup, that’s about it… most of
which occurred over the last few months, and I am willing to not
include anything done by Exavior.”

“
So punish us and stay,”
William suggested.

Emily frowned slightly, “Punish you?”

Chevalier grinned slightly, “That’s not a
bad idea.”

Emily glanced at Allen and he shrugged.

“
How am I supposed to
punish the Elders?” Emily asked.

They all thought in silence for a few
minutes as Emily watched them, somewhat amused.

“
No guards,” Reese
suggested.

Emily frowned, “That’s not much of a
punishment... but it’s a start, what else?”

“
You could ash the entire
Council…” Zohn said, irritated. “Oh wait, you already did
that.”

Emily chuckled, “Yes, I did.”

“
You sort of did punish us
already,” Sotomar said. “We’ve been sick with worry since we found
your horse tied to the side of the Interstate.”

Emily sighed, “Joking aside, all I want is
to be ensured that I won’t be restrained any more. I want the
freedom to come and go as I please… if there’s a war, and I want to
join, then let me… if I want to slip my guards and go riding alone,
then let me.”

“
Deal,” Chevalier told
her.

“
Wait,” Zohn said. “I
disagree… you’re saying if we go to war against the Valle, that
Emily is allowed to participate?”

“
What? Why us?” Sotomar
asked, frowning.

“
Just an example,” Zohn
told him. “V.E.S. uprising then… you’re fine to let her fight
alongside us?”

“
Maybe, at that time, we
can talk openly about it and she would see reasons behind staying
at the palace.”

“
We’re talking about Emily,
right?” Zohn sighed. “Seeing reason?”

“
Hey!” Emily yelled. “Are
you insinuating that I can’t see reason?”

“
Yes”

Emily glared at him and Zohn disappeared,
leaving ash scattered under the table.

“
Emily!” Chevalier yelled,
leaning over to look.

“
Well… guess she showed
him,” William chuckled.

“
I’ll get the Enforcer,”
Sotomar said.

“
No,” Emily told him. “He’s
fine where he is for now… what’s his problem, anyway?”

“
Not sure exactly,” Quinn
said. “We’ll talk to him about it later, course, this isn’t going
to help.”

“
Let’s try this… if I were
submissive and obedient, what would you have me do?” Emily asked,
serious.

“
That’s a trap if I’ve ever
seen one,” Chevalier chuckled.

“
Guards… we all feel it’s
important that you have guards,” Elder Ryan said.

“
No more running,” Quinn
added.

“
Or disappearing for weeks
at a time,” Sotomar said, smiling slightly.

“
Eating… drinking…
sleeping... would be nice,” Chevalier said.

Reese smiled, “Contact with all Councils
would be required, so we can insure your welfare.”

Quinn jumped in, “No swimming alone… or
riding alone.”

“
No job,” Valle Elder Vizia
added.

“
No interrupting the
Council in session,” Quinn said.

“
She can interrupt our
Council,” Sotomar told her.

William nodded, “Ours too.”

“
Then no interrupting the
Equites Council,” Quinn clarified.

Emily sighed, “Damn, is that all?”

Chevalier grinned, “You asked.”

“
Two weeks under your
rules, followed by two weeks under mine… and we’ll see,” Emily
suggested.

The Elders looked around and then Quinn
turned back to Emily, “If we agree, you’ll stay.”

“
For four weeks,
guaranteed.”

“
You’ll quit your job?”
Chevalier asked.

“
I’ll take a 2 week leave…
then if I need to work, I’ll still have it.”

“
I don’t like you at the
V.E.S.”

“
I worked hard to make it
to the CEO’s secretary. I’m not giving up that kind of knowledge or
power for a 2 week trial.”

“
Very well… Equites
agree.”

“
Valle agree,” Sotomar
said.

William nodded, “Sure, we’ll agree.”

“
Starting now,” Allen said,
and they all looked at him. “Kyle found her running amok at 3
o’clock in the morning, which means she hasn’t slept… and as far as
I can tell, she hasn’t eaten either.”

Emily glared at him, “You’re pushing
it.”

“
No time like the present,
Em,” Chevalier said, smiling.

Emily sighed and stood up, “As you
wish.”

“
You’re really going to
bed?” Chevalier asked skeptically.

“
Sure… alone,” Emily said,
and disappeared from the room.

Kyle grinned, “Denied.”

“
She cuts me off weekly,”
Chevalier chuckled, and stood up. “I’m ready to feed.”

“
I’ll go,” Quinn said,
standing up.

“
As will I,” Sotomar
said.

Allen looked up, “Can I?”

“
Sure,” Chevalier said, and
they all headed out.

Emily went through the closets, but found
only skimpy silk nightgowns. She frowned and stepped out into the
hallway.

“
Ma’am?” one of her door
guards asked.

“
Do you have a t-shirt
on?”

“
Excuse me?”

“
T-shirt… are you wearing
one?” Emily asked, somewhat irritated.

“
Yes, Ma’am.”

“
Can I have it, please?”
she asked, and held her hand out.

The guard frowned slightly and slipped off
his gray shirt and the t-shirt underneath, and then handed it to
her.

“
Thank you,” she said, and
disappeared back into the room. She put it on and climbed into
bed.

A servant had already pulled the heavy
shades so even though it was afternoon, the room was almost
completely dark. Before leaving, Sotomar assigned four guards to
her and she was already dreading the arrangement that she would
follow all orders for two weeks, but was looking forward to her two
weeks of complete freedom.

Emily was thinking about the next four weeks
when she fell asleep, and her dreams were mostly about wandering
lost in the Valle Palace.

***

The guards looked over when the Elders came
through the hallway. They were talking and laughing, having just
fed.

“
Any problems?” Sotomar
asked.

“
No, Sir,” the guard said.
“She fell asleep about twenty minutes after she laid
down.”

“
After she took my shirt,”
one of the guards said, looking at the floor.

“
Your shirt?” Kyle asked,
frowning.

“
Yes, sir, she wanted my
t-shirt.”

Sotomar nodded, “Exavior had the nightgowns
made.”

“
Did she eat well?”
Chevalier asked, changing the subject.

“
Damnit,” the guard said,
cringing. “I knew we forgot something.”

Chevalier shook his head and went to open
the door, but a hand blocked him.

“
Sorry, she specifically
requested that all heku stay out,” the guard said, and stood back
up.

Sotomar raised an eyebrow,
“Interesting.”

Kyle sighed, “That means she’s not in
there.”

“
What?” William growled.
“She promised.”

“
Yeah, not her strong
suit,” Chevalier said, and burst through the door. The room was
swelteringly hot and the fires were roaring. Emily was lying on top
of the covers on her back. The t-shirt was hiked up slightly,
exposing her soft thighs.

Chevalier spun in the door and pushed the
others out. They had already seen her and quickly advanced into the
hallway.

“
Ok, so I was wrong,” Kyle
chuckled. “Sorry, usually she’s skipped out.”

“
So now she’s just being
private,” Sotomar said, embarrassed.

Chevalier grinned and backed into the room,
shutting the door softly behind him.

“
Lucky bastard… let’s go
down stairs,” William said, and headed toward the main
floor.

Chevalier stood by the door, watching her
sleep. He wondered how she slept in such hot conditions, but she
seemed to prefer it. He shut his eyes and inhaled her scent,
enhanced by the heat from the fires, then sat down in one of the
plush chairs by the front door and watched her for a few hours
before meeting up with the others down the stairs.

“
I’m heading back,” Quinn
said. “There’s been a fight between our infamous newly married
couple.”