Equites : Book 4 of the Heku Series (24 page)

“
Who are you betrothed to?”
Allen asked, pulling back and looking at Emily.

“
No one, I’m already
married to your Daddy.”

“
Then why do the voices
tell you to come to them, because you are betrothed?”

“
What voices?” Chevalier
asked.

“
Just voices, they stopped
last night, though,” Allen said. “Can I play the Wii?”

Emily nodded and looked at Chevalier,
“I didn’t hear voices.”

“
He used to hear the
Ancient when he spoke to you too, maybe it’s Vaughn calling you,”
Chevalier said, his thoughts far away. “First they made you forget
us, and then they call you to them, it all makes sense. The blood
the Encala forced you to drink made his link with you
stronger.”

“
So why did it all stop?”
Emily asked, frowning.

Chevalier sighed, “That… may best be
kept a secret.”

“
Why’s that?” Emily
asked.

“
Because I broke a promise
again, one I’d like to keep to myself,” Chevalier said with a
half-smile.

“
You know, maybe I don’t
want to know,” Emily said, and looked at her bruised wrists. “Did
you have to tie me up?”

“
I’m sorry, but you were
waving the gun at everyone, and we were afraid you’d hurt
yourself,” Chevalier said, smiling slightly.

“
Will they ever leave me
alone?” she asked him, seriously.

“
I honestly don’t
know.”

“
I need to go talk to the
Council, are you ok?” Chevalier asked, and kissed Emily
softly.

She nodded, “I think I’ll take Allen
down and make some lunch. He’s not eating well lately.”

“
You sure you feel up to
it?” he asked, helping her to her feet.

“
No, my head is pounding,
but I can’t sit in here forever. Come on Allen, let’s go to the
kitchen,” Emily said, and held her hand out for him. He turned the
TV off and took her hand. Chevalier walked them down to the fourth
floor, and then they parted.

Emily excused the kitchen staff, and
then looked around for the ingredients to make spaghetti. She set
it out and turned to Allen.

“
Did you see that your new
Wii game came? One of the heku must have picked it up from the
mail,” Emily said, and started to cut up some mushrooms.

“
No, what game?” Allen
asked.

“
Ouch, crap,” Emily said,
and held up a bloody finger. She put the knife down and looked
around for a towel, then spun suddenly when she heard a hiss from
behind her.

She looked past Allen for a servant,
but her eyes fell back on her son. He was staring at her oddly. His
teeth were exposed, and a soft hiss came from his mouth.

“
Allen?” she asked, putting
a towel over her bloody finger.

Allen crouched with his hands curled
into claws. His eyes were focused on the drops of blood on the
floor.

“
Chev!” Emily yelled, just
as Allen lunged at her, growling. She was able to hold him off, but
was surprised at his strength. Allen fought against her and tried
to get his mouth close to her still bleeding finger.

Kyle arrived first, having heard her
call, and pulled Allen off of Emily. Allen hissed and pulled at
Kyle’s hands, trying to get to his Mom. Kyle could smell fresh
blood in the room.

“
What’s going on here?”
Chevalier asked, confused.

“
He… he attacked me,” Emily
said, watching Allen with wide eyes. The 4-year-old was hissing
violently and fighting Kyle.

Chevalier looked at Allen with
surprise, “He attacked you?”

Chevalier pulled Allen from Kyle’s
grasp and held him closely.

“
I cut my finger and heard
a hiss. Then I turned around…” Emily said.

Sam ran into the room and pulled Allen
from Chevalier, then pushed the boy behind him, “Stay away from
him.”

“
You knew?” Chevalier
growled at Sam.

“
Knew what?” Emily asked.
She tried to get to Allen, but Kyle held her back.

“
Just leave him alone,
he’ll be fine,” Sam said frantically.

“
You kept it from us?”
Chevalier growled.

“
What’s going on?” Emily
asked, frustrated.

“
Kyle, give him something
to drink,” Chevalier said as he watched Sam carefully.

Emily turned as Kyle poured something
into a tall glass and handed it to Allen. Allen shut his eyes and
smelled the drink, then gripped the glass tighter, and drank it all
quickly.

“
More,” Allen
hissed.

Kyle moved quickly and refilled
Allen’s glass. Again, Allen smelled the drink and downed the
contents.

A deep growl erupted from behind Sam,
and Kyle again refilled the glass and handed it to Allen. He drank
again, but not as deeply. Once half of the glass was gone, he froze
and dropped it, shattering glass and blood across the
floor.

Emily gasped and took a step
back.

“
How long has he preferred
blood?” Chevalier asked Sam.

“
You gave him blood?” Emily
asked Kyle, and he nodded, also watching Allen.

“
How long, Sam? Answer me,”
Chevalier growled.

“
Just about two years,” Sam
said, holding Allen behind him.

“
You kept that from us!”
Chevalier yelled, taking a step toward the familiar.

“
Stop, Sam, you promised
not to tell,” Allen said fearfully from behind Sam.

“
Allen, come here,”
Chevalier said.

“
No, I’ll take care of
this,” Sam said.

“
Kyle,” Chevalier said, and
Kyle blurred to Sam, pinning him against the wall behind
them.

Chevalier knelt in front of Allen,
“Show me your teeth.”

Allen opened his mouth so Chevalier
could look.

“
He has a mortal’s mouth.
He can’t bite deep enough to get blood,” Sam said, straining
against Kyle.

“
Can you move fast?”
Chevalier asked him.

“
Sort of,” Allen said,
afraid.

“
Can you control
mortals?”

Allen nodded slowly.

“
Anything else?” Chevalier
asked.

“
No,” Allen
whispered.

“
What… you told me he’s
mortal,” Emily said, still in shock.

“
The child of a heku and a
human is always mortal,” Chevalier said. “I don’t understand
this.”

“
He tried to bite me,”
Emily said, frowning.

“
He’s a 4-year-old predator
with the instincts of a natural killer, but the control of a
child,” Kyle explained.

“
Why did you keep this from
us?” Chevalier asked Sam, and Kyle let him go so the familiar could
face the Elder.

“
I can handle it,” Sam said
just as Chevalier backhanded him into the stone wall.

Emily backed up slowly and watched
horrified from across the kitchen.

“
I’m his father! I have the
right to know,” Chevalier growled.

“
He needs me, I can control
him,” Sam said from the floor. “Today was my fault. I was late
feeding him and when Emily cut her finger…”

“
Obviously, you can’t
control him,” Chevalier said angrily.

“
Are you going to lock me
up?” Allen asked softly.

Chevalier knelt beside him, “No, how
would you get that idea?”

“
Sam… he said if you found
out, you would lock me up, and Mommy would leave,” Allen
said.

“
You said what?” Emily
yelled at Sam.

“
Allen, listen to me,” Sam
said.

“
Guards! Get him to
prison,” Emily yelled. Chevalier was surprised when her orders were
followed quickly, and without question.

Emily scooped Allen up in her arms and
held him close as she left the kitchen and ran up the stairs,
followed by Kyle and Chevalier. She turned with Allen in her arms
and looked at Chevalier.

“
Did you know?”

“
No, I had no idea,”
Chevalier said, looking concerned at his son.

“
How can he be a heku?
Never in the history of our species has there been a child,” Kyle
said, still stunned at the revelation.

“
I don’t know, it’s unheard
of,” Chevalier said.

Emily glared and held Allen tighter
when Quinn, Maleth, and Damon appeared in the doorway.

“
Get away from my son,” she
yelled at them.

“
We couldn’t help but hear.
We aren’t here to take him,” Maleth said, stepping toward
them.

“
A 4-year-old predator, now
that sounds interesting,” Damon said, amused.

Emily glared at Damon and tightened
her grip on Allen.

Quinn nodded, “I think I
understand.”

Chevalier turned to the other Elder,
“You made sense of this?”

“
Yes, think about it. The
original Winchester children were 50% heku and 50% human right?”
Quinn said.

Chevalier nodded.

“
Their children then, were
25% mortal because of their pure mortal fathers.”

“
Ok,” Chevalier said,
trying to see where this was going.

“
It’s been said that
Emily’s mother had almost no powers. She had to be around 1% heku
by that point,” Quinn said, his mind was racing.

Chevalier nodded, “Yes, then Emily’s
Dad was an ancient.”

“
So that would mean Emily
was… about 51% heku,” Quinn said, and started to pace.

“
If that, yes.” Chevalier
agreed.

“
And that extra 1% made her
more powerful than any other mortal.”

“
Yes”

“
So your children would be
75% heku and 25% mortal,” Quinn said, turning to him.

“
So 50% and 50% and the
child takes on the mortal traits… but my children would be only 1/4
mortal,” Chevalier said, and the thought hit him, Allen could be
the first child heku.

“
Maybe even less than 1/4.
It seems improbable, because there has never, in the history of the
heku, been a child born to it,” Quinn said, impressed.

“
So that means this baby
will be heku also?” Emily asked, frowning.

“
Probably, though if it’s a
female there may be more of the Winchester’s inherent traits,”
Quinn said.

“
The factions will fight to
get him,” Damon said bluntly.

Chevalier nodded, “Yes they will.
Which means the safest place for him is with Emily right
now.”

“
Not if he’s going to snack
on her,” Damon chuckled.

“
Shut up, Damon,” Chevalier
growled.

“
I mean no disrespect, but
how much control does he have? So we leave him alone with his
mortal mother?” Damon said softly.

“
He’s been going to school.
Sam must have figured out a way,” Chevalier said.

“
I’ll go talk to him,” Kyle
said, and blurred from the room.

“
Mommy, can I get down?”
Allen asked softly.

“
No,” Emily whispered,
glaring at Damon.

“
Em, you have to put him
down,” Chevalier told her, and touched her arm lightly.

Emily reluctantly set Allen down, and
he turned and looked nervously at the others.

“
Are you going to lock me
up in prison?” Allen asked Damon.

Damon grinned, “Of course not, I’m
proud of you!”

“
A heku child, who would
ever have imagined,” Maleth said, smiling.

“
There has to be others… a
child that’s turned,” Emily said, frowning.

“
No, no child can survive
the process,” Maleth explained.

Allen watched the others, embarrassed,
and finally went into his room and started to color. The heku
watched him for a bit, but Emily was scanning their
faces.

“
Get out,” Emily whispered,
and the others in the room looked at her.

“
Em…” Chevalier said
softly.

“
I said, get
out.”

Chevalier called for Allen and took
his hand. Everyone left Emily alone in her room. She looked around
the empty room and sat against the wall with her face buried in her
hands. She had never been alone in the palace, Alan was with her.
That had meant she would never be alone, she would never be the
only mortal in Council City.

Emily couldn’t help but cry as the
thoughts of a heku child ran through her mind. She had a child that
could kill her. She wondered if he would always be trying to drink
from her. If she would end up afraid of her own son. How could she
survive, the lone mortal in a world where mortals were nothing more
than nourishment. She endured with the knowledge that she had her
son, now that knowledge was violently ripped from her.