Chapter 1 - Meeting

“Ms. Russo?” he asked, looking down at the woman in the house. He had spoken to her by phone but hadn’t met her yet.

Emily looked up, trying not to gasp as she saw that the men stood almost two feet taller than her and had broad shoulders that threatened to bulge out of the dark green western-style shirt, “Jerry, was it?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Please, call me Emily… and you’re a little early so why don’t you wait in the barn and I’ll be out in a bit,” she told him, and shut the door when he and his friend headed out toward the rustic barn.

Emily quickly ran a brush through her hair and pulled on her riding gloves before heading out. She glanced once around the house for Sam, the overseer, but he was still out plowing. Her attackers were all tall and muscular. She couldn’t help but wonder if these two were also going to attack her. She took a deep breath and headed out to the barn, they needed this sale if they were going to buy feed.

“Sorry about that,” she said, and skirted around the two men as she went to the stalls. “Can you ride a horse?”

Both of them glanced at her nervously. Her scent blew by them with the breeze and they fought to control their natural instincts as the mere smell made their throats burn with thirst.

“Yes, Ma’am, I can,” Jerry said, watching her closely. The man standing next to him was scanning the barn with an odd look on his face and his hands slowly curled into tight fists.

“Great, then you and I will head out,” Emily said, and started putting a saddle on a beautiful Arabian mare.

Jerry looked at her carefully. His keen senses focused on her while his guard studied the barn, trying to determine why the lingering scent of his own kind would be there. Her long red hair and fierce green eyes gave away her Irish heritage. She was a small woman, petite, but exquisitely beautiful. His eyes picked up the fading trace of a bruise on her cheek, something that would already be invisible to the human eye.

Emily led the horse out to him, “Will your friend be ok here in the barn for a while?”

Jerry smiled, “Yes, he’ll be fine.”

Emily swiftly hoisted herself, bareback, onto a painted mare. He noticed how natural and graceful she was on the horse, something that only came when you’ve been raised on one. He mounted the Arabian and turned the horse towards her.

“Let’s go then,” Emily said, and frowned slightly at his friend, who was glancing around the barn as if looking for something.

Jerry kicked his horse softly and followed Emily out of the barn and toward the pasture. A Border collie and a Blue Healer fell in behind her and began to nip playfully at each other. After only a few minutes, he saw the large herd of Angus cattle they were heading towards. Emily was a few yards ahead of him so he studied her again. In the heat, she pulled her hair back off of her neck briefly and he caught a glimpse that made him frown and his heart pounded in his chest.

Her voice brought him out of his intense concentration, “You’re not from here, I’m guessing Texas?”

Jerry nodded, “Yes, we’re from Texas.”

“What brings you up to Montana for cows then?”

“I come for the best,” he said, and grinned when she blushed slightly. “Might I ask you a personal question?”

Emily glanced back at him as they neared the cattle, “Depends on what the question is.”

“Are you a donor?” he asked, unsure if he should even ask. Her appealing scent lingered on his tongue even out where the breeze took her smell away from him. It was stronger and more desirable than anything he had caught in his thousands of years of existence.

Emily frowned slightly, “Like an organ donor?”

“Never mind,” he said. Her question answered his. His body tensed as she nervously put her hand against her neck and he noticed her breath catch. “These are exactly as specified. We’ll take fifty of them.”

“We can gather them. You said you only wanted one bull?” Emily asked, glancing back at him. He noticed her eyes were no longer warm and inviting but had become guarded and unsure.

“Yes, you said he has papers?”

Emily nodded and turned back for the barn, “Yes, we’ll have them ready tomorrow if you can get them.”

“Will Saturday be ok?” he asked. He needed to buy some time to address some of his concerns about this young woman.

“Saturday’s fine. My husband’s gone for a few days, but will be back by then.”

They went the rest of the way in silence. He watched her carefully as they rode back toward the ranch house. As they drew closer, Jerry saw his guard standing outside of the barn beside a smaller, Hispanic man who had an angry look on his face.

“Sam, what’s wrong?” Emily asked when they approached him.

“You ok, Ms. Em?” he asked her, glaring at Jerry.

“I’m fine… Jerry is going to buy 50 head of cattle,” she told him, and slid off of the mare.

Sam nodded, “I’ll hep dem, you git inside outa da heat.”

Emily nodded and glanced nervously at Jerry before handing the reins over to Sam. She turned and ran into the house and he heard the door lock. Jerry got down from the horse and tied it to a post outside of the barn before turning to the older man.

“We’ll be back on Saturday to get the cattle,” Jerry said, eyeing Sam suspiciously. His guard stood perfectly still, giving no indication there was a problem.

“Your kind isn’t welcome here,” Sam said, scathingly. “You come get the cattle and then leave. Don’t let me catch you back.”

“My kind?” Jerry asked, and took a step towards Sam.

Sam stood his ground, “Yes, your kind. Go away and on Saturday deal with Keith only, stay away from Emily.”

Not sure what to make of this entire visit, Jerry nodded and climbed into the pickup’s driver seat while his guard glanced again at the barn and then crawled into the passenger seat. They were soon driving away from the small Montana ranch as Sam watched them with his arms crossed.

“I suspect we need to talk to the Council,” Jerry said, pulling a cell phone from his pocket.

“We do,” the guard agreed, watching the ranch disappear in the mirror.

***

Jerry and his guard were ushered into the room by an equally tall and muscular man who wore a stark white shirt, black pants, and a flowing green cape. The room was large and had dirt floors, at the far end stood a platform where thirteen others looked down at them. They walked up and bowed to the three in the center.

“What brings you to the Council?” the woman asked, pulling the hood of her green robe down away from her face.

Jerry stepped forward, “We have some concerns about a mortal woman we met yesterday, and feel she may need your help.”

“What kind of concerns would make you think that the Council needs to intervene on behalf of a mortal?”

“Our first impression is that she may be a descendant of the Winchesters.”

The woman frowned, “What makes you say that?”

“Her scent, it’s sweeter and more enticing than anything I’ve ever come across.”

“Is that all?” another man asked. He was seated beside the woman and lowered his hood when he spoke.

“At first, my guard and I found the scent of many heku in her barn. She and I headed out on horseback and I noticed scars along her neck, brutal, vicious scars, and a lot of them,” Jerry said, frowning. “I asked if she was a donor and she became guarded and her hand covered her neck, she didn’t know what I meant by donor.”

“As if she was attacked by a heku?” one of the men asked. He was the largest member of the Council and he lowered his hood, revealing pitch black hair and dark ominous eyes.

“As if attacked by many.”

“Did you discover the source of the heku scent in the barn?”

The guard stepped forward, “Yes, Chief Enforcer. While they were away, I found a place in the loft that a heku has been sleeping, from the smell of it, for quite some time. I also found a coal shed full of ashes that all smell of the heku.”

“Ashes?” the woman asked, shocked.

The guard nodded, “Yes, ashes.”

“I don’t believe this woman to be a Winchester,” the largest man said. “However, if she is plagued with attacks, then I may need to get involved.”

“That’s all we ask, Chief Enforcer. We know the overseer of the property, Sam, is aware of the heku. He warned us that our kind was not welcome, and when we return, we are only to deal with the woman’s husband,” Jerry explained.

“When are you set to return?”

“This Saturday.”

“Very well, I will see what I can find,” he said, and leaned back in his chair.

Jerry and his guard bowed and walked out of the council chambers.

***

The Chief Enforcer arrived in the small town of Cascade, Montana late that night and quickly found the ranch outside of town. He parked on the road and ran up to the house, scanning the area for any signs of a threat. He was sure this would turn out to be nothing, but it was his job to stop his kind, the heku, from feeding off of unwilling mortals.

He found the front door unlocked and stepped inside. His senses were suddenly assaulted with a scent that broke through thousands of years of carefully controlled thirst and he crouched slightly, a hiss escaping his ancient lips. It was only seconds before he regained full control and chastised himself for the brief lack of restraint. It was his job to protect mortals from uncontrolled heku, yet he, himself, just came close to breaking the most fundamental rule of his kind, to only feed from willing donors.

He inhaled deeply, acclimating himself to the delectable scent that filled the entire house. He could smell the water and feel the mugginess and knew she was in the bath tub. Her scent would be stronger as the water heated her body and he couldn’t risk even a momentary lapse.

Again inhaling deeply, his mind swirled at the scent and he stood in the doorway of the bathroom. He glanced inside and saw Emily, lying in the tub, deeply engrossed in a book. She didn’t see him, didn’t notice the strange man standing there. He marveled at her beauty. Her long red hair was tucked into a clip on her head and her delicate shoulders were barely visible above the bubbles from the bath. She had an extremely beautiful face and he moved back into the room as his breath caught in his chest. He suddenly felt something he’d never felt before, he felt the need to protect her.

Scanning the bedroom, he looked at the scattered items, a laptop opened to an Internet sale of a magnificent Arabian stallion, an iPod, a book, and a small bag. He glanced through her things and noticed no ring, no jewelry, and no makeup.

He smiled broadly as he saw a 9mm tucked away in her bag. He saw no cause for alarm, no reason for the strong protective feeling to be valid. The feeling was unnatural, the heku normally felt nothing for a mortal. Mortals were nourishment, nothing more. Mortals possessed a natural aversion to them as a means of self-preservation and their species rarely mixed. He calmed his mind and stepped back around to the door.

“Hello,” he said softly.

Emily jumped at his voice, unceremoniously dropping her book into the frothy water. She grabbed a towel and scrambled to her feet, managing not to show too much skin on her way up, then looked at him, her eyes wide. Her mind was telling her to scream, but her mouth was too dry and no noise came out.

He raised an eyebrow when he sensed her fear and realized it was oddly satisfying.

“It’s ok, Child. I’m not here to hurt you,” he said softly, and put his hands toward her, palms out.

“Get out!” she managed to whisper.

He locked her eyes with his and concentrated. It was easy for him to control mortals with a glance, something that often came in useful. He was shocked when her green eyes broke his gaze and she moved into the corner of the bathroom to get further away from him.

“Curious,” he said, watching her.

“Not again, please,” she begged, her hand clutched tightly to the towel.

“Again?” he asked. Frowning slightly, he turned and walked into her room.

She saw him leave and quickly slammed the door shut, locking it behind him. The simple human gesture made him smile, no lock could keep him out if he wanted to enter. Her words enraged him and he felt his temper rising. He fought to regain control and was soon standing calmly, waiting for her.

She emerged a short time later in a long yellow bathrobe. She peered around the door first, and then walked into the empty bedroom. The room was small and decorated with ugly bold flowers in greens and grays. She checked the closet, under the bed, and under the desk, but no one was there.

Emily quickly picked up her phone and shifted nervously as she dialed and waited for an answer.

“Keith! There’s one here!” she said, nervously looking around the room.

He listened to her from in the bathroom, glad that he was able to move faster than her slow mortal mind could comprehend.

“No, here in the house, just now.”

She frowned, “No, not this time. I think he may be gone.”

“Yes, I know.” She nodded.

“Ok, I will.”

“No I’m still alone Keith, you need to trust me, I don’t…” Her eyes fell to the floor.

“Sure, ok.” She hung up the phone and tears filled her eyes.

She looked again around the room and dressed quickly. He watched her change, his eyes following the length of her tone body. He grinned at her frailty though. Heku women were strong and built more solidly than mortal women.

“I’m sorry I startled you,” he said, lowering his voice, hoping to lessen the impact as he appeared by her door.

She screamed and grabbed the 9mm out of her bag, pointing it at him with shaking hands.

He took a step toward her, “Don’t be alarmed… and you can’t hurt me with a gun.”

Her hands shook worse as she leveled the gun at his head.

He locked her gaze again, “Emily, lower the gun.”

She hesitated, her knuckles turning pink again as she released her grip ever so slightly. Her inner voice yelled at her to shoot and not to let go of the only weapon she had. She blinked suddenly, her grip re-tightening. He growled in frustration, no one had ever so easily been able to break away from his eyes.

“Emily, lower it before you get hurt,” he demanded angrily, and took a step towards her.

She hesitated and then dropped her hand, but kept the gun close just in case.

“There, now we can be civilized… come… sit by me,” he said, and sat on the bed, patting the spot by him.

Emily stayed where she was, frozen.

He smiled at her, careful not to show his teeth, “Ok then, I’ll begin. My name is Chevalier, and of course, I already know your name.”

She watched him carefully.

“You said something earlier on the phone… ‘Keith, there’s one here.’ Does that mean you’ve met my kind before?” He watched as her body tensed.

She nodded slightly.

“Does that mean you are a donor?” He saw a brief look of confusion in her eyes before she moved toward the door a step.

“Leaving?” he asked her, slightly amused.

She froze.

“I’ll take that as a no on the donor then. Perhaps you’ll then tell me when you’ve seen my kind before, that it has become somewhat commonplace.”

Chevalier waited for an answer, but it didn’t come.

“Emily, breathe,” he reminded her.

She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until he said something.

“You aren’t making it very easy to talk, please sit down.” His voice was stern and he locked her gaze again.

She felt her willpower fading as she looked into his black eyes. His face was striking, yet kind, and she wanted to trust him, she felt that she could. Her mind flashed images of others of his kind though, and her encounters with them had all been terrifying and brutally violent. Against what her mind was saying, she suddenly found herself seated beside him.

Chevalier smiled, “There, much better, Child.”

“Are you here to drink my blood?” she asked timidly, and scooted a few inches further away from him.

“Not unless you want me to.” He watched her reaction and she frowned slightly, “I take it you’ve never been asked before?”

Emily shook her head. This news displeased him immensely. It was against the rules of the heku to take without permission and this woman was terrified by who knows how many attacks on her. He understood the attacks, her blood smelled sweeter than any other, but he still couldn’t imagine taking without her consent.

“You are interesting to me, Emily.” He watched as she tensed and before she could see him move, he had the gun out of her hand and placed it on the bedside table.

“Me?” She was surprised that anyone could find her interesting.

“Yes you, I’m intrigued by you.” He narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Again he was struck by the need to protect her. He wanted to reach out and take her into his arms and disappear with her, somewhere no one could find. The image flashed like a movie before his eyes, and when it cleared, she was watching him.

“I should go,” she said, standing up.

“Oh? Where will you go?” he whispered as his insides turned at how frail she was, how delicate her build. She couldn’t protect herself and he felt as if it were his job to do so.

Emily slipped her boots on and headed for the door.

“You’re going to leave, Child?” he asked, trying to distract her.

She turned and looked over at him, “I’m not a child.”

“I am sorry, no offense intended.”

Emily sighed, “Listen, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I’m leaving. I’ve dealt with enough of your kind to know I’d rather spend the night at a hotel than here with you.”

“Ouch.” His voice was joking, but her words caused his heart to ache, “When have you met more of my kind?”

“When haven’t I? I’ve been tormented by you my entire life.” She pulled on a leather jacket, and he watched as she pulled her long red hair out and buckled the front.

“I do wish you would stay. I promise to behave.” Though his voice didn’t show it, he was beginning to panic. He envisioned all of the things that could hurt her, and he fought to conceal a growl that erupted from deep within him.

“Sure, why don’t I wait around while you sweet talk me up and then attack me anyway?” She headed out the door after grabbing her gun