Chapter 9 - Winchester Heir

Chevalier came back up from the kitchen carrying a tray for Emily. He walked into her room and sat it down, then watched as Emily nursed the baby. Again he was amazed at the strength and capabilities of the so-called, weaker species.

Emily was still pale and her lips were dry and cracked. She had the baby propped up on pillows since she still lacked the strength to hold the baby alone. Her ribs were tightly bound because the CPR had broken three of them at her sternum.

“I got you something to eat,” Chevalier said, and pulled the top off.

“I’m really not hungry,” she told him, and ran her fingers through the baby’s hair again.

“Damnit, Emily,” Chevalier said when he saw her I.V. hanging on the headboard. He turned away from her, because he couldn’t hold back the smile. Just last night he hated how she agreed to the I.V. and left it in, it was uncharacteristic of her.

“What is it?” Emily asked, eyeing the tray.

“Pancakes, doctor’s orders,” he said, and handed her the plate. She sat it down on the pillow after she adjusted the baby to the other side to nurse.

Chevalier watched the baby nurse, her little hand wound around Emily’s hair. Emily started to eat with one hand as she held the baby in place with the other.

“Amazing isn’t it?” Chevalier asked, watching the nursing infant.

“What is?” Emily asked.

Chevalier smiled up at her, “How you can feed her.”

Emily took a drink of the orange juice and looked at Chevalier, “I’ve been thinking about a name.”

“Have you?”

“Haven’t you?”

Chevalier chuckled, “No I haven’t. I’ve left that for you.”

“Is she heku?” Emily asked, looking down at her.

“I don’t know, we may not know for a while.”

“Oh”

“Does it change her name if she is?”

Emily smiled slightly, “No.”

Chevalier didn’t like her color. She was still pale and her face was sunken with dark circles under her eyes. Even her lips were white and her vivid green eyes were dull.

“So what name do you like?” he asked, trying to take his mind off the sight of the doctors working frantically to save her.

“I think she looks like an Alexis,” Emily said.

“Alexis it is then.” Chevalier smiled.

“Is she safe around Allen?” Emily asked, her face suddenly serious.

Chevalier nodded, “Yes, he doesn’t quite have the full thirst of a heku. It’s muted some, so we can keep him satiated with one feeding a week.”

Emily frowned, “You make him sound like a starving bear.”

Chevalier laughed, “Sorry.”

“She’s going to be in danger her entire life, isn’t she?” Emily asked, taking Alexis’ tiny hand.

“Yes,” he said softly. “She’ll have more of a chance than you did, though. We’ll teach her from the start how to protect herself.”

Emily nodded.

Emily handed the baby over to Chevalier, “I’m so tired.”

Chevalier kissed her forehead, “Sleep all you want.”

Before leaving the room, Chevalier glanced back at her. Emily was already asleep, and he couldn’t help but be afraid to leave her. The sight of her lifeless, blood covered body on the floor kept creeping back into his memory. He shut her door softly and headed down to the council chambers.

Chevalier looked down at the infant asleep in his hand. She was so tiny, that her head and shoulders fit in the palm of his hand, and her body rested against his forearm with room to spare. She was fast asleep, and he hoped the noise of the council chambers wouldn’t wake her. The Council hadn’t seen her yet, and they were anxious to meet the new addition.

When Chevalier stepped into the room, the council members all turned to him. Maleth smiled and stood up to come to them. He looked, amazed, at the sleeping infant with her wild black hair and sweet angelic face.

Chevalier sat down in his chair and leaned the baby against his shoulder, holding her in place with one hand. He turned to the Council, “What’s on the agenda?”

“Are you ok for the docket today?” the Court Reporter asked.

Chevalier held up one hand, “Sure, I only need one.”

“You’re becoming a pro at that,” Maleth smiled.

“This’ll be the last, though. I don’t think she should have to do that again,” Chevalier said.

Damon nodded and whispered, “I didn’t think she was going to make it.”

Chevalier turned, “Let’s get on with it. The baby will be hungry soon.”

“Why, exactly, is she in blue?” Quinn asked, confused.

“We weren’t sure we wanted it known that there is a new Winchester in town,” Chevalier said with a slight grin.

“Oh, yes I guess that’s a good idea.”

“First up on the agenda is Hal. He is accused of attacking a mortal and feeding from him without consent,” the Court Reporter said.

A guard brought in a struggling heku with wild eyes and a nervous tick. He came in and looked with wide eyes at Chevalier. Never before had any heku heard of a baby in the courts.

“What is that?” Hal asked anxiously.

“Did you feed without consent?” Damon asked, diverting his attention away from the baby.

“No, no he said I could.”

“So the witnesses who heard him screaming for help were mistaken?” Damon asked, unimpressed.

“Witnesses?”

“Guilty,” Damon said, and the rest of the Council was unanimous. “Banish him for 200 years.”

The guilty heku was quickly hauled away by the guards.

The baby started to kick under Chevalier’s hand, and soon let out a piercing wail, her cries filling the chamber. He picked her up gently and looked into her face.

“You cannot be hungry, you just ate,” he said to her. Alexis’ bottom lip poked out and she screamed and kicked angrily.

“I see she got Emily’s temper,” Damon said, laughing.

“I’ll be back,” Chevalier told them, heading back up to the room.

***

“Thank you for coming, Dr. Alona,” Chevalier said, shaking his hand. It was a purely human gesture that the heku had picked up only within the last century.

Dr. Alona nodded, “I won’t be back. I can’t do that again.”

Chevalier nodded, “Your services will not be needed again.”

“Try, if you can, to keep her in bed for the next week. She has some color back, I know, but one week isn’t enough. She needs another,” Dr. Alona said as he stepped into the helicopter.

“We’ll try,” the faction doctor told him, and then watched as the helicopter whisked Dr. Alona away.

Chevalier went back to the bedroom and sighed at the door. A heku cleaning crew was stripping down the bed and quickly cleaning the room.

“Where did she go?” Chevalier asked one of them.

“She didn’t say,” the closest servant said as he changed the sheets on the bassinet.

“Mom went downstairs to get something to eat,” Allen said when he walked up behind Chevalier.

“Of course she did,” Chevalier said, frustrated. “Let’s go find her.”

Allen and Chevalier headed down the stairs. The word of the child heku spread quickly, no matter how hard the Council tried to keep it a secret. Allen went from the spoiled Elder’s son, to someone the heku revered and cherished. Emily worried that he was being treated more like a prince than a little boy, and she fought to keep him grounded. They pulled him out of school because his mind was advancing beyond his years, and it was getting too hard to hide from the mortals that taught him.

“Em?” Chevalier asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Back here,” she said. Chevalier followed her voice and found her at one of the stoves frying something. She had a sling across her chest and Alexis was nestled inside, giving Emily two free hands. The sling also allowed Emily to carry Alexis around without too much pain from her broken ribs.

Chevalier leaned against a stove and watched her, “Don’t suppose we can get you back in bed.”

Emily poured blood from a donor bag into a glass, and handed it over to Allen.

“I’m fine. I just wanted to make my own lunch,” she said, and flipped the grilled cheese over in the pan. In the bright kitchen light, Emily looked paler and weaker than she did in her darkened room. The black circles under her eyes were darker, and she looked tired and drawn.

Emily heard a low hiss from behind her, and she turned suddenly to see Allen and Chevalier crouched, facing each other in a stand-off. Allen narrowed his eyes and stood up slowly.

“Chev! Don’t do that,” Emily said, frowning. She poured another glass for Allen and handed it to him.

“Simple predatory response. His instincts won’t let him attack a larger predator,” Chevalier said, standing up calmly.

“I hate when you talk about him like he’s a wolf.” Emily turned back to her sandwich. She slipped it onto a plate and gave Allen another glass, moments before he hissed at her, which she was slowly getting used to.

Chevalier grinned and followed her into the dining room, “Let me take Alex.”

Emily nodded and let Chevalier slip the baby out of the warm sling. Alexis didn’t like it, and her bottom lip stuck out quickly. Chevalier expertly laid her against his shoulder and patted her back while he rocked slowly, and she soon calmed down. He watched Emily closely. She was running out of energy quickly, and he wanted to make sure she didn’t overdo it.

“Did you feed Damnit and clean out his stall?” Emily asked Allen when he joined them.

“Not yet,” Allen said, sitting down.

Emily frowned when she saw the blood on his shirt, “Allen, do you have to make such a mess when you drink?”

Allen shrugged.

“Go get a clean shirt on and then clean out that stall,” Emily said sternly.

Allen sighed and left the room.

Emily was already feeling tired. She hated not being able to do something as simple as making lunch without needing a nap afterwards, and she knew the heku in the palace were all afraid she was going to die at any moment because of it. She sat down the last half of her sandwich and stood up, wincing at the soreness in her muscles and the sharp pain in her chest from the broken ribs.

“Come on, time for a nap,” Chevalier said as he wrapped an arm around her to help support her as she walked.

Emily nodded, dreading the four flights of stairs. She also hated how the servants all looked at her. Though they knew she was mortal, it wasn’t until the bloody aftermath of the birth that they truly realized that she could die, and how fragile mortals really were. None of them wanted to be anywhere near the Elder when the time came.

By the time she got to the foyer, she felt exhausted and looked up the long flight of stairs. Chevalier chuckled and handed Alexis back to Emily, and then picked her up in a loving cradle and carried her up to her room. Just as he laid her down, she saw him cock his head to the side, characteristic of when he was being called to the council chambers.

“It’s ok, go. I’m just going to feed Alex, and then we’ll both take a nap,” Emily said, and pulled a pillow up for Alexis.

Chevalier nodded and kissed her softly, “I’ll be back.”

Emily was just finishing nursing Alexis when the door to her room burst open. Kyle, Mark, and Damon came in frantically.

“We have to get you out of here,” Kyle said, and disappeared into the nursery.

“What’s going on?” Emily asked in a panic.

Damon looked at her for a moment, and then picked her up with all of her blankets, while Mark took the baby and wrapped her up tightly. Kyle came out of the nursery with a bag, and they headed up to the roof.

“Kyle, what’s going on?” Emily asked again. She didn’t like the way Damon held her tightly.

Allen was already in the new Equites 2 when Damon jumped inside, still holding Emily. Once Mark and Kyle hopped in, Damon ordered the pilot to go as he buckled Emily into a seat.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Emily said angrily.

“It leaked out that Alex is a girl. The covens are mad,” Kyle told her.

“What? Equites covens are causing problems?” Emily asked, frowning.

Kyle nodded, “Yes, they’re trying to stage a mutiny of the Council.”

“No! Take me back,” Emily said, and unbuckled. Damon stopped her as she tried to crawl up to the pilot.

“No, our orders are to make sure you aren’t involved,” Damon told her.

“I can help though! I can ash them,” Emily said as she pulled Damon’s hand from her arm.

“You don’t have the strength yet,” Kyle said softly. “Sit down, we’re following orders from the entire Council.”

“I can help,” she said, pleading.

“No you can’t, not right now. I’m not doubting your abilities, but you have to admit you’re still pretty weak,” Kyle said, and Damon winced.

Emily glared at him and sat back as Damon re-buckled her in and she took the baby from Mark.

“Where are we going?” Emily asked angrily.

“We’re meeting a private jet in New York. That’s all I can say for now,” Damon said as he avoided her fierce glare.

Emily pulled the baby against her shoulder and watched outside as the terrain flew by. By the time they reached New York, she had a plan. If she could get away from the heku for just a few minutes, she could get a rental car and be back at the palace by morning.

“Em, let me have the baby,” Kyle said, holding his hands out.

Emily frowned, “Why?”

“Please” he said, and Emily unbuckled and handed Alexis over reluctantly. The second Kyle had the baby, Damon lunged for her. She dove away from him, but felt his hands on her waist.

“No!” she screamed at him, trying to kick him in the face.

Allen unbuckled and jumped on Damon’s back, “Let go of my Mom!”

Mark gently pulled Allen off of Damon.

Damon flipped Emily over and grabbed her face in his hands.

“Don’t do it!” she screamed at him as he tried to lock her gaze.

“Stop fighting,” Damon growled.

Emily’s knee connected with his groin, but it only made him madder. She struggled to pull out from under his grasp, every trick she knew, he deflected.

“Emily!” he roared, and the brief glance she gave him was all he needed. She felt herself being drawn into his eyes, and before long, her breathing slowed and she stopped fighting.

Kyle and Mark both turned their faces away from them, out of respect for Emily. Damon whispered softly to Emily as the helicopter descended into a small airport outside of New York City. He paused any time he felt Emily starting to pull away from him, and then began again when he was in control.

Emily shut her eyes just as Damon stood up, “I’ve never had that many problems with a gaze.”

“It’s Emily, you’re lucky she’s still too weak to resist it,” Kyle whispered.

“Keep your hands off of my Mom,” Allen said, glaring at Damon.

“I’m sorry, it had to be done,” Damon told the 4-year-old.

The helicopter landed and the pilot cut the engines as the jet pilot started up the airplane. Damon carried Emily into the private jet, and laid her down on a bed in the back. Allen was still scowling at him when he took his seat with the other heku. Kyle was rocking the baby, trying to keep her asleep.

The pilot took off once the flight checks were done, and soon, the only thing visible out of the jet’s windows was the ocean. Alexis started crying almost an hour into the seven-hour trip.

“You’re going to have to go wake her up,” Kyle told Damon.

“Can’t she wait to eat? It’s not going to be fun when Emily wakes up,” Damon said, frowning.

“Oh sure, I’ll just ask her to wait,” Kyle said sarcastically.

“Fine,” Damon said, and disappeared into the back of the plane.

Damon came back quietly, and sat down in the seat by the window, turning to look out. Emily came up and pulled the baby away from Kyle without saying a word, then went to the back of the plane. Allen growled at Damon and followed Emily.

“How far away from the airport is your villa?” Mark asked.

Damon turned to them, “Only about an hour. There will be a limo waiting for us at the airport.”

“Do we… need to… you know,” Mark said, and nodded toward where Emily was.

“I’m not doing that again. If she needs knocked out, one of you can take a turn,” Damon said, his mind far away.

“I doubt we can. That’s why Chevalier asked you to do it, an ‘old one’ would be required,” Kyle explained.

“I’m not doing it again.”

“She’ll forgive you,” Kyle said after a few minutes of silence.

“I’m surprised she didn’t turn me to ash,” Damon said.

“Don’t think I didn’t try,” Emily said, and sat across the aisle from them. Allen sat down beside her. She had a blanket thrown over her shoulder and was still glaring at Damon.

Kyle sighed, “Elder’s orders, Em. They knew you would try to run off between flights.”

Emily ignored him and peeked under the blanket to check on Alexis, then leaned her head back and shut her eyes. The travel wasn’t helping her soreness, or the fact she was always tired. Kyle noticed she lost some of the color in her cheeks, and he was worried about her. They didn’t have a doctor with them, and he knew Emily wasn’t feeling well.

Kyle got up to check in with the pilot and was met in the aisle by a crouched and growling Allen. Kyle met his crouch and narrowed his eyes at the boy. Mark and Damon watched them nervously.

“Sit down,” Kyle hissed.

“Stay away from my Mom,” Allen told him angrily.

“Sit down,” Kyle said again, and Allen slowly complied, though it was obvious he didn’t want to.

Kyle stood up and disappeared into the cockpit, and Allen turned to stare at Damon. Kyle returned a short time later, “We’re right on schedule, only five more hours left. Did we bring anything for Allen?”

Mark nodded, “There’s supposed to be some in the fridge.”

Kyle went back to the fridge and poured four glasses for Allen. He heard Allen come up behind him and hiss slightly, “Hold on, Kid.”

Allen lunged for the glasses and began to drink as soon as Kyle moved to the side. He sat back down, and watched Emily as she rocked the baby. Alexis’ eyes were open and she was sucking on her fingers. Kyle hadn’t realized before how much Alexis looked like the Elder, even her eyes were dark.

Emily felt her pockets and then looked over at the heku, “Where’s my phone?”

They glanced at each other and then Damon spoke, “I have it.”

Emily held out her hand.

“Sorry, Elder’s orders, no contact with the palace,” he explained.

“Give me my phone,” Emily said, gritting her teeth.

“No,” Damon said bluntly.

Emily stared at him, her eyes narrowing.

Damon gasped, “Are you trying to turn me to ash?”

“Damnit,” Emily said, and turned to the window.

Damon turned to Kyle, “She…”

Kyle nodded, “I saw.”

Emily leaned her chair back and soon both she and the baby were asleep. Allen came back from the kitchen and sat between her and the heku, and watched them carefully. He started sleeping less and less lately and was down to only about an hour a day.

When the plane landed on the small landing strip, Kyle stood up to wake Emily, but Allen took a snap at him. Kyle drew his arm back quickly, “Stop it.”

“Don’t touch her,” Allen said angrily.

Kyle grabbed Allen by the collar and slammed him against the wall of the plane, “Listen to me, Boy. You will respect the adults, or I’ll not hesitate to put you over my knee. Do you understand?”

Allen growled and Kyle slammed him against the wall again. Mark and Damon watched them with wide eyes.

“Do you understand? This is going to be a long stay in France if you’re in a cell,” Kyle growled.

Allen nodded unhappily.

Kyle dropped him and woke Emily up. She stood and felt Kyle’s arms on her when she almost fell. She was feeling dizzy and tired. All she wanted was to lie down. Kyle picked her up as she held the baby and carried her off of the plane. He worried more when she didn’t even complain. Once they were all in the limousine, the driver took off for the hour-long trip to the villa.

The driver pulled up to the security gates at the villa, and Damon stepped out to talk to the guards. Emily was slightly surprised that the guards were mortal. Damon stepped back inside, and the iron gates swung open. The villa was set back by itself and was among beautiful, thick trees and plants. It was starting to get dark as they pulled up to the front doors.

Kyle didn’t even let Emily try to walk. He picked her up and carried her inside, following Damon. He led them to a large bedroom, and Kyle laid her down on the bed. She rolled over and laid the baby down, then shut her eyes. The bed felt incredible after the long trip.

“I hate not knowing what’s happening,” Mark said, when Kyle and Damon joined he and Allen in the large living room.

“I know, but they can’t risk tracing our phones,” Kyle told him, and sat down.

Mark nodded, “It’s just… if the current Council is banished, we’ll never know.”

Damon growled slightly.

“From the maps, we can pretty much stay here indefinitely. There aren’t any covens from any factions anywhere near here,” Kyle said.

“That’s why I picked it,” Damon told them.

“Do you know any doctors that might make a house call?” Kyle asked.

Damon frowned, “You think she’s sick?”

“I don’t like her color, and when she couldn’t ash you, not even a burn, it just got me worried,” Kyle explained.

Damon nodded, “I’ll ask the guards, they’ll know someone. There’s a donor list on the counter too, if anyone needs it.”

He disappeared outside and came back a few minutes later, “The doctor will be here in an hour. You know… she’s not going to see him.”

Kyle shrugged, “Maybe we’ll need to make her.”

“Stop taking advantage of her weakened state,” Mark hissed.

“If it’s for her own good…” Kyle said.

Mark nodded, “I know, it just seems wrong.”

“What if I won’t let you?” Allen asked, glaring at them.

“You’re four, and you’ll do as you’re told,” Damon said to him angrily.

Allen stood up as Kyle did, and they turned to face each other, “Back off, Allen.”

“You aren’t going to control my Mom,” Allen growled.

Kyle lunged at Allen and pinned him quickly to the floor, his hand around Allen’s throat, “Again, Allen, your life will be easier if you’ll learn who’s in charge.”

Allen’s green eyes narrowed and he stopped fighting Kyle. Kyle blurred into Emily’s room.

Damon glanced at Mark when the doorbell rang. Mark took Allen outside while Damon answered the door.

Damon conversed in French with the doctor, and showed him in to Emily’s room. Emily was lying peacefully on the bed as Kyle sat beside her.

“Laissez-nous, veuillez,” the doctor said, looking concerned at Emily.

“He wants us to step out,” Damon said, and held the door for Kyle. He shut it and waited in the hallway for the doctor.

Kyle paced impatiently, waiting for the doctor to emerge. After an hour, he finally stepped out and shut the door.

Damon talked to the doctor in French as Kyle watched. The doctor began to scream at Damon, pointing his finger, and gesturing wildly. Kyle stepped to Damon’s side and watched the doctor carefully.

Kyle gasped, surprised, as Damon crouched low and lunged at the doctor, sinking his teeth into the doctor’s neck. Kyle frowned as Damon drained the doctor, and dropped his lifeless body to the floor.

“Was that necessary?” Kyle growled.

Damon nodded, “He thought we drained her, and was going to tell the local V.E.S.”

“So you killed him?”

“The V.E.S. is a lot more passionate in Europe. I couldn’t convince him that we weren’t using Emily as an unwilling donor. If he told the V.E.S., there would be an inquiry, and we could be exposed,” Damon said, wiping the blood from his chin.

Kyle nodded, “Did he tell you what’s wrong first?”

“She’s not eating or drinking enough. It’s caused a dangerously low blood volume,” Damon explained. “He wants her admitted.”

“We can’t risk that right now,” Kyle said, mostly to himself.

“I guess we’re going to have to make sure she eats better and drinks more. That should be fun,” Damon said, glancing back at the door.

“Go to the grocery store,” Kyle said, thinking.

“I’ll just hire a chef and he can cook,” Damon said, picking up the phone. He spoke to someone for almost thirty minutes before hanging up.

“There, a chef. He’ll be here as soon as he’s done grocery shopping. I ordered a lot of red meat with organic fruits and vegetables. Now we just have to get her to eat,” Damon said, sitting at the counter.

“Let’s bury the doctor before anyone finds out,” Kyle said as he picked up the doctor’s feet and began to drag him toward the back door.

***

Emily sat outside on the terrace as she nursed the baby, read a book, and relaxed in the sun. The last few weeks in France had been rough. She wasn’t allowed to contact Chevalier, and no word came from Council City. The chef was able to take care of Emily’s needs, and she had gained a lot of strength back since their arrival. Kyle began to tutor Allen, and he was quickly picking up everything he was taught.

“Dinner’s ready, Em,” Damon said, setting a plate down on the table. He avoided looking at her while Alexis was nursing. She had stopped using a blanket to cover, because it made the baby hot.

“I should go on a hunger strike until you let me call Chevalier,” she said, eyeing the steak.

“Yes you should, but you won’t, so you might as well eat,” Damon said, handing her a fork.

“At least let me hear his voice, please,” Emily said, taking the fork and watching Damon as he looked out over the lawn with disinterest.

“We can’t risk it,” he said bluntly.

“It’s been four weeks. It could be over for all we know. They don’t know where we are. They can’t find us to tell us what’s going on,” Emily said, pleading.

“No, Emily, that’s that, ok? It’s not that we don’t care, but we can’t risk giving away our location,” Damon said, and stood up. He turned and walked away.

He was as worried about Council City as anyone. He was the only council member to escape, because he needed to be around if Emily decided to turn someone to ash, or of the Council needed revived when he returned. He felt like he abandoned his faction at their time of need, and the thought was eating away at him.

Once Emily went to bed for the night, Mark, Kyle, and Damon met out on the terrace.

“It shouldn’t be taking this long,” Kyle said, looking up into the night sky.

“If we call though, they can trace us back here,” Damon reminded him.

“Maybe one of us needs to go back to see what’s going on. We left in such a hurry, no plans were made about what to do after the revolt. If I go back, I can find out,” Mark suggested.

“Sure and then they capture you and end up torturing you until you give away our location?” Damon said, frustrated.

“I wouldn’t do that!” Mark yelled.

“Keep your voices down,” Kyle hissed at him.

“We can’t even risk a phone call. So Maleth tells us that all is well, to come back. How do we know that wasn’t coerced?” Damon asked.

“Going back and seeing for ourselves is the only option,” Mark said.

“There’s one other…” Kyle said, and he shut his eyes for a moment.

“He’d kill us,” Damon said softly.

Kyle nodded, “Yes, he would.”

“Want to fill me in?” Mark asked.

“If Emily’s strong enough to protect the three of us, we go back and find out for ourselves. If things have gone badly, Emily can give us enough time to get away,” Kyle said.

“But she has to be stronger. She’s not ready yet,” Damon told Mark.

“It could kill her though, to clear out enough of the attacking forces to let us get away again,” Kyle said, sighing.

“I still say send me back. They can kill me, I don’t care… I can find out if it’s safe to come back,” Mark told them.

“There has to be another way,” Damon said.

“I could go into Poland and call, see if I get any vibes,” Kyle said, shrugging.

“Let’s start there, at least see if we can even reach any of the Council,” Damon said.

“I’ll leave immediately,” Kyle said as he stood up.

“What do we tell Emily?” Mark asked them.

“Tell her the truth. At least she’ll know we’re trying to find out,” Kyle said, and quickly left.

Kyle caught the private jet and landed in Krakow just after dawn. He went to a pay phone in the small airport and called Chevalier’s cell phone.

“Yes?” he heard the Elder say gruffly.

“It’s me,” Kyle said wearily.

“Kyle! It’s about damn time you check in,” he yelled.

“We’re being cautious,” Kyle said.

“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“We aren’t ready to say where we are.”

Chevalier sighed, “It’s clear. The revolt ended two weeks ago and the Council is still in power. You can come back.”

“I’m sure you understand my hesitancy.”

“Yes, I guess I do,” Chevalier said.

“Let me talk to Quinn,” Kyle asked.

“Quinn here.”

“We aren’t coming back yet.”

“Why not? It’s clear here,” Quinn said, surprised.

“We can’t be sure of that, now can we?”

“No, you can’t.”

“Here’s the deal. Send Silas alone to the airport in Berlin on a flight that lands on Sunday. Tell him to wait out front until I come for him,” Kyle said.

“Consider it done,” Quinn said.

Kyle hung up without another word, and got back on the plane. He hoped the plan would work, and they could get a clear picture of what was going on back at Council City. The limousine pulled up at the villa just after dark.

Damon and Mark met Kyle outside, “What did you find out?”

“Both Chevalier and Quinn said all is fine. The revolt ended two weeks ago, and it’s safe to come back,” Kyle explained.

“Do you believe them?” Damon asked.

“I don’t know. I told them to send Silas to Berlin on Sunday. I’ll go pick him up, and we’ll see what we can get out of him,” Kyle said, and headed back inside.

Damon nodded, “Good idea. Now you can go face the wicked witch of the villa.”

Kyle frowned, “What happened?”

“Other than you left to talk to the Elders without her?” Mark asked.

Kyle looked at the door for a moment, and then stepped inside. He saw Allen glaring at him from the table as he walked past the kitchen. He peeked around the corner into the living room and felt his jaw dislocate as Emily punched him.

Kyle pushed his jaw back into place painfully, and turned to Emily. She was staring at him angrily.

“Calm down,” he said, and took a step back.

“You sonofabitch,” Emily said angrily. “How dare you go call him without me!”

“I had my reasons.”

Emily swung at him again, but he dodged and grabbed her from behind, pinning her hands to her side, “Stop it.”

“Give me a phone,” she yelled.

“No, now listen. Silas is coming. I’ll get him on Sunday, and we can get an update,” Kyle explained.

Emily brought her elbow back hard against Kyle’s stomach, and he winced, but didn’t let go, “Stop it. I mean it.”

“You called him without me,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry, I had to,” Kyle whispered.

Emily jerked forward and Kyle let go of her. She picked Alexis up off of the floor and went into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

“That went well,” Damon said, slapping Kyle on the back.

“Cheer up, we have donors coming tonight,” Mark told him, and walked into the living room.

Kyle nodded, “Sure, why not.”

“We’ll introduce Allen to the joy of warm, fresh blood,” Damon said, grinning.

“Fine, but we all go wrist only or Emily will toast us,” Kyle told them, and turned to the kitchen.

Allen looked up from a book, “Did you talk to Dad?”

“Yes, I did.”

“What did he say?”

“He said it’s safe to come back,” Kyle said, and kept going when Allen started to ask, “But… we can’t trust that yet. Silas is coming. We’ll get more information once we have him here.”

“You should’ve let Mom talk to him,” Allen said, frustrated.

“I couldn’t let her talk, ok?” Kyle said.

“Why?”

“If your Dad read her, where she is, it could ruin the safety of this villa. Right now we just want to keep you three safely out of harm of any of the factions,” Kyle said, and sat down by Allen.

His eyes narrowed, “She needs to talk to Dad.”

“I know, and we’ll let her as soon as we can. I promise.”

Allen nodded and went back to his book.

“Did Damon tell you that you get to feed from the tap tonight?” Kyle asked, mussing Allen’s hair.

“I do?” Allen replied skeptically.

Kyle nodded and grinned.

Allen smiled, “Does Mom know?”

“No, sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” Kyle said, chuckling.

“Sam said I can’t bite deep enough.”

“I’ll open it up for you.”

Allen nodded, suddenly excited.

The doorbell rang and Allen looked at Kyle when he spoke, “Thirsty?”

Damon was letting the donors in as Kyle and Allen rounded the corner. The four women were looking around the large villa and talking animatedly in French. They wore very little, were made-up with thick make-up, and their hair was dyed and tied up into high buns.

“Are these hookers?” Kyle asked, shocked.

Damon nodded and took the blond into the living room. Mark shrugged and took the hand of the brunette. Kyle motioned for the other two women to come into the kitchen when he saw Damon push the blond onto the couch and dive right for her neck.

Kyle smiled at the closest woman and pulled a chair out for her. He brought her wrist to his mouth and shut his eyes as he savored her before biting into the throbbing vein. He could feel the watchful eyes of Allen as he fed. Once he felt satisfied, he withdrew his teeth and shut his eyes, calming the intrinsic beast that feeding forced forward.

“Your turn,” Kyle said, motioning for the fourth woman to sit. She sat down and frowned at her friend, but stuck her wrist out anyway.

“Savor her wrist… smell, let your senses go,” Kyle said, and brought her wrist up to Allen.

Allen looked at her hesitantly, and then smelled deeply at her wrist. He pulled his lips back to bite, but Kyle had her wrist in his teeth before Allen could bite down. A hiss escaped Allen, and Kyle held the bleeding hand out to him. Allen let his lips fall onto the strange woman’s wrist, and he grabbed her arm tightly with his two hands.

Emily sat up when she heard strange noises coming from the living room. She checked on Alexis and then pulled on a robe. She stepped out into the hallway and looked directly into the kitchen. She felt her temper rising as she ran into the kitchen to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was.

“What the hell is going on?” Emily hissed as she saw her son attached to the wrist of a prostitute.

Kyle turned around suddenly, and his chair crashed to the ground when he stood, “Em, it’s… it’s not what it looks like.”

Emily pulled Allen off of the woman, and when he growled at her, she gave him a look that made him cower into the corner.

“Get out,” she said through gritted teeth, and the two women ran from the house.

“Allen, go to your room,” Emily said, turning around. She saw him take off running for the safety of his bedroom.

Emily walked toward the living room, but Kyle stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. She spun toward him and the fury in her eyes made him take a step back. As she walked into the living room, she saw Damon on the couch, no longer just feeding from the blond. Mark was sitting on a chair with the brunette on his lap facing him, his teeth sunk into her neck.

“Get out,” Emily hissed. The women jumped, startled, and scrambled to their feet. They saw the look in her eyes and ran for the door.

Mark stood up suddenly and looked apologetically at Emily, but Damon stayed on the couch.

“Damn, why did you tell them to leave?” Damon yelled.

“My 4-year-old son was just sucking on a prostitute, while a few feet away, two heku he looks up to were fucking the local hookers!” Emily yelled, and even Damon winced.

“I wasn’t exactly…” Mark started to say, but shut his mouth when Emily turned on him.

“It’s none of your concern what I do,” Damon said, standing up to face her.

“When my son is in the house, you keep your dick in your pants,” Emily yelled.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Damon growled.

“How dare you expose my son to your disgusting perversions. And you!” Emily said, turning to Kyle. “You… I expected more out of than to let my son leech off of a tramp.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Kyle said, taking a step back.

“Was my son feeding off of that woman?”

“Well, yes… but”

“Is she, or is she not, a hooker?”

“She is but…”

“My case and point! By the time I’m done with you, you are going to be praying for one of Chevalier’s punishments!”

“Let’s just calm down and look at it rationally,” Kyle said, putting his hands up. He was surprised at the heku traits Emily sometimes displayed when she growled slightly.

“Am I seeing it irrationally? Is that what you’re implying?” Emily shouted, taking a step toward Kyle. “In the twisted world of the heku, I outrank each of you, and I’m pulling that rank right now. My orders are to be obeyed without question, and followed immediately. Is that understood?”

The three heku all nodded and said, “Yes.”

“There will be no more donors in this house. If you’re so thirsty you’re about to die, then you’ll have to use me,” she hissed.

“We can’t do that,” Kyle said, but froze when she looked at him.

“Did you just speak without being spoken to?” Emily asked, glaring.

Kyle glanced nervously at Damon, but all he could do was shrug.

“You don’t breathe, eat, sleep, or even move an inch without my permission,” she said scathingly.

“Does she really outrank you?” Mark asked Damon, too quietly for Emily to hear.

“I don’t know. Her husband does, but it’s never been said where she ranks,” Damon said, and looked wide eyed at Emily when he saw her watching him.

“No more whispering either. If you have something worth saying, then say it out loud,” Emily told them. “You three… pick a room, and stay there until I tell you to come out.”

She watched as the three heku scattered and disappeared through random doors.

Emily stormed off to her room and slammed the door, then winced when Alexis began to cry. She picked her up and rocked her slowly as her anger ebbed.

The next three days flew by for Emily, but for Allen and the heku, it was painfully slow. Every second of their day was filled doing mindless, menial tasks as Emily doled out punishment after punishment for their behavior, often reminding them how repulsive it was for them to do in the first place.

“Kyle! Take Alex. I need a shower,” Emily said, and handed the baby to him.

Kyle looked down at Alexis when Emily was gone, and whispered to her, “Your Mommy is trying to kill us.”

Alexis raised her head off of his chest and smiled at him. Kyle’s heart melted as she looked up at him with her dark eyes and wild black hair that stuck out in every direction. He soon found that when he talked to her, she would make soft noises and often smiled at him for no reason. Emily came out an hour later with clean clothes and smelling of floral soap.

She took Alexis from Kyle, and laid her on the floor on her tummy, “You can go back to what you were doing.”

Kyle nodded and walked slowly outside to finish painting the fence.

“Allen, let me see your algebra,” Emily called, and took the paper from him when he handed it over.

“Kyle, do something. She can’t treat us like this,” Damon said as he whitewashed the already white fence.

“What am I supposed to do? I know she outranks me, and I don’t feel like facing the Council when I get back,” Kyle whispered, glancing back at the house.

“I’m not so sure she outranks me though, and I’m tired of this. I’ve painted this fence twice today,” Damon scowled.

“Just do it. We screwed up, and I don’t care what she says, I’d rather face her punishment than the Elder’s,” Mark added.

“I have to go anyway. I need to go get Silas from Berlin,” Kyle said, setting down his paintbrush.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Emily snapped at him. He was amazed that she was still mad after three days.

“I need to go to Berlin and get Silas,” Kyle explained, and called for the limousine.

“Fine but take Mark, just in case,” Emily said, and went back to Allen’s math work.

“That leaves you alone with Damon,” Kyle reminded her.

“I can handle Damon, just go.”

Emily glanced at Alexis just as she rolled from her tummy to her back. She smiled up at Emily, and squealed loudly, proud of herself.

“Good job!” Emily said, and picked the baby up and kissed her fat cheek. She was happy Alexis was progressing, but it was bitter sweet. In the five and a half weeks since they left Council City, Chevalier had missed Alex’s first smile, when she first held her own head up, and now, when she first rolled over.

Emily felt the tears coming at even the thought of Chevalier.

“Damon,” she whispered, and handed the baby off to Damon when he came in from the back lawn.

Emily turned and walked into the bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. She buried her face into the pillow and cried. Her heart ached for his touch and the sound of his voice. She knew Allen was missing him, too, and she couldn’t comfort him. He had the heku here to help him through what he was dealing with, but it wasn’t the same as learning from his Dad.

Mark came in from outside, “What’s up?”

Damon was bouncing Alexis expertly, and nodded toward the bedroom, “Emily’s crying again.”

Mark sighed, “Can’t we just let her call him for a few minutes?”

Damon shook his head, “We can’t risk it. You better go. Kyle’s waiting for you outside.”

Mark hesitated and then left and crawled into the limousine with Kyle.

“I hope they’re both alive when we get back,” Mark said as the limousine drove off.

“Yeah, me too,” Kyle said, outwardly nervous.