Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series (15 page)

Chevalier leaned forward, “Emily has an uncle
that I didn’t know about. He’s been in prison in Montana and just
died.”

Kyle frowned, “Why didn’t we know about
him?”

Alec shrugged, “As I was telling the Elder,
it’s not something Allen and I bragged about.”

“Was she close to him?”

“No, though she knew him well.”

“What’s his name?” Chevalier asked.

“Nathaniel… Dr. Nathaniel Flynn.”

“He was a doctor?!”

“Yes, until he went to prison and lost his
license.”

Chevalier growled at the hesitancy of Alec to
give details.

Alec hesitated, “Nathaniel was a doctor in
Cascade. He saw both my family when we lived there, and Allen’s
family. He was arrested for child molestation and sent to
prison.”

“Did he…” Chevalier started.

“No, he didn’t mess with family in that
way.”

“Go on then.”

“When Emily was three, she came back from a
trip to see me with bruises and puncture wounds all over her,” Alec
said softly.

“Right, when Exavior tried to turn her.”

“Yes… Allen was worried, so he took her to
see Nathaniel. Nathaniel diagnosed a type of skin cancer. He said
it caused the bruises and the wounds. His course of treatment was
severe…”

“How severe?”

Alec sighed, “Severe enough that he had to
restrain Emily. Allen was so upset that he had to leave the
building. He couldn’t stand seeing Emily in that much pain, but at
that time, we trusted Nathaniel. We didn’t know his true nature
until years later.”

“What did he do?” Kyle asked, frowning.

“He…” Alec hesitated.

“Tell me!” Chevalier hissed.

“He would place needles into the puncture
wounds and draw out blood from them. He was convinced it would draw
out the cancer.”

“Wait… how many puncture wounds did she
have?” Zohn asked, shocked.

“Close to 70,” Alec whispered. “You have to
see that we trusted him though! Allen thought Emily was dying of
some rare cancer and turned her treatment over to Nathaniel.”

“Just the one treatment?” Kyle asked.

Alec shook his head, “No, it was done every
day over the course of three weeks. Then, any time she had the
punctures appear, he would do it again for another few days.”

“For how long?”

“Two years. We didn’t know that he had a
sadistic mind and got pleasure out of abusing children. We counted
ourselves lucky that he’d only physically abused her,” Alec said.
“Allen and I talked later, and when he told me about the cancer
diagnosis and treatment, I couldn’t believe it. It was then that we
started working with authorities, and the truth came out.”

Kyle’s hands tightened, “Before this
treatment, did Emily hate doctors?”

“No,” Alec said. “She loved going to see the
doctor. She was a healthy little girl and any time she went to the
doctor she came out with a sucker and a sticker. She loved going…
until Nathaniel.”

Chevalier stood up and slammed his chair back
into the wall, “Why do I not know this?!”

“We…”

“No! I don’t care how embarrassing your
family secrets may be… when it comes to something as serious as
this, I should have been informed! Do you know how many times Emily
has needed a doctor and hasn’t seen one? We could have fixed
that!”

Alec sighed, “I honestly didn’t think it
mattered anymore.”

Quinn sighed, “It’s disturbing to find that
her fear of doctors is a rational and valid fear.”

“Compounded fears. She feared the vampire,
and when the vampire attacked, she feared the doctor that stuck
needles into the already sensitive wounds,” Zohn said, getting
angry.

“I figured at some time in your past, Emily
would have told you about Nathaniel,” Alec said. “Had I known she
didn’t, I wouldn’t have told her in front of everyone that he
died.”

“I wonder why she didn’t,” Kyle said, mostly
to himself. He turned and looked out the window.

“I felt Emily should know he’s dead.”

“You know you can’t attend that funeral,”
Zohn told him.

Alec nodded, “I realize that. I can’t explain
to them why I am younger.”

“Neither can Emily, for that matter.”

“She can go as her daughter though,” Alec
said.

Chevalier frowned, “Why would she even want
to go?”

“To see the bastard in a coffin,” Alec said
with a menacing air.

“What else do I not know about her
history?”

“I don’t know. How much of your history does
she not know?”

“My history before her is a little longer
than 23 years,” Chevalier said angrily.

“Emily is, and always has been, a private
person,” Alec explained. “She always kept things from Allen and
Keith, and no one knew why but her. It infuriated both of them.
Some of the things she neglected to tell them made them irate, but
that didn’t stop her from doing it again.”

“Well that’s unacceptable!”

“Elder…” Kyle whispered. “She doesn’t need
your anger right now.”

Zohn sighed, “Going up there and screaming at
her about secrets isn’t going to help.”

Chevalier sighed and then sat down, calming
his temper, “As her husband, I should know everything there is to
know about her. There should be no secrets.”

Alec shrugged, “As her husband, Keith had a
right to know that a co-worker trapped her in a closet and
attempted to have his way with her…, but she didn’t tell him.”

Chevalier growled softly.

“Not helping,” Kyle hissed at Alec.

Alec sighed, “Emi is a smart girl. I can only
assume that she has her reasons and that those reasons are
important to her.”

“I agree that she’s smart, but I don’t agree
that she’s always reasonable,” Chevalier said. “She either didn’t
tell me out of embarrassment or at some misguided attempt to
protect me, again.”

“How can keeping her uncle from you protect
you?” Kyle asked.

Chevalier shook his head, “I have no
idea.”

Zohn studied Alec for a few seconds, “I
wonder what else you know that we don’t…”

Alec looked up at the Elder, “As I don’t know
everything she’s ever told you, there’s no way to know.”

“No other long-lost relatives?"

“No”

“No other childhood traumas?”

“Other than kids making fun of her petite
frame, no.”

Kyle couldn’t help but grin slightly,
“Well…”

“She’s never been average size,” Alec
chuckled. “It wasn’t surprising when the kids made fun of her for
being the size of the kids three grades below them. I was surprised
when I found out her father was an Ancient. You’d think that would
have made her larger.”

Chevalier wasn’t finding any of this funny,
“I haven’t dealt with you yet on allowing Exavior to try to turn
her at such a young age or that you promised her to Exavior when
she wasn’t yours to give.”

Alec tensed, “Things… they were
different.”

“You allowed your 3-year-old niece to be
subjected to tortures… what were you thinking?”

“Exavior was a friend. He said he wanted to
try something with Emi, and I didn’t realize he was trying to turn
her. He promised me he wouldn’t hurt her, and when she came back
with the bruises and the feed marks, he had a huge story about a
vampire attack.”

“Unacceptable! Then you promised her to
him?”

“They used to color on my floor for hours.
She liked him…”

“She was 5!”

“Not like that!” Alec said, frowning. “But
she thought he was a fun friend, and I felt like they would make a
good match. I thought he would be able to protect her from attacks
and keep her safe when she was an adult.”

“So you knew he was the same species that
attacked her all the time?” Kyle asked.

Alec nodded, “Yes. But when she was at my
home and Exavior was watching her, she was never attacked. I know
of 15 heku that he personally killed to keep them away from
her.”

“Why would he protect her at your farm and
not at her ranch where most of the attacks happened?” Chevalier
asked.

“Ulrich wouldn’t allow it. Unless the heku
was about to kill her, Exavior was supposed to stand back and not
interfere. At my home though, he felt more comfortable to do what
he wished.”

Kyle turned toward the door and then sighed,
“Silas said she’s packing to go to Montana.”

“I can talk to her,” Alec said, standing
up.

“We’ll all go,” Chevalier told him. “I am too
mad to talk to her alone, but I don’t want you alone with her right
now either.”

Alec nodded and followed Chevalier and Kyle
up to the bedroom while Zohn and Quinn went to the council chambers
to wait. Chevalier opened the door as Emily was sitting on her
suitcase to zip it up. He motioned for Horace and Silas to come
into the room too.

Emily looked over at them and slid the
suitcase off of the bed, “I need to be gone for a few days.”

“You’re going to Nathaniel’s funeral?”
Chevalier asked. Kyle was surprised how calm he sounded.

“Yes”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she said, and nervously wrung
her hands.

“I don’t think you should be around them.
Plus, you’d have to go as Alexis,” Alec said. “Pat is going to be
there.”

Emily frowned, “Pat’s going?”

“Yes, he’s representing the family at the
funeral.”

Chevalier looked at her closely when he could
tell she was starting to panic.

“Why would Pat go anywhere near Nathaniel?”
Emily asked.

Alec took a step closer, “Nathaniel can’t
hurt him now.”

“It doesn’t matter! Call Pat and tell him not
to go.”

“I can’t contact Pat anymore. He can’t know
what’s happened to me, and that I’ve turned. When I visit him, it’s
in secret to watch him, nothing more.”

“I’ll tell him myself then,” she said, and
dug around in the closet for her purse.

Chevalier growled softly, “Well if Pat’s
there, I can’t go either.”

“Why not?” Silas asked him.

“I met Pat as Emily’s husband when she was
pregnant with Allen. It’s too risky that he’d recognize me.”

“Right”

“I don’t need heku there,” Emily said, and
they all saw that her hands were shaking.

“Don’t go,” Chevalier said, taking her hand.
“There’s no reason you need to see him.”

She swallowed hard, “I’m not going to let Pat
do this alone.”

“You can’t support him as an aunt though.
You’ll have to be Alexis.”

“I can still be there for him. He shouldn’t
have to face Nathaniel alone.”

“We can get you proof that he’s dead without
you attending his funeral,” Lori said from the doorway. All of the
heku turned as Silas explained to Chevalier that he’d called for
her.

“I don’t need proof,” Emily said, looking
down at her hands.

Lori smiled, “Yes you do. You need proof that
that monster is finally dead.”

Silas studied Emily for a moment before
speaking, “We can stop Pat from going to the funeral. All we need
is a photo and an address.”

Emily frowned at him.

“No… nothing bad! We can break cars though,
freeze bank accounts,” Silas explained. “We can keep him away from
the funeral if that will help.”

“Allen wouldn’t want you near him, even
dead,” Alec told her.

She looked around at those gathered, “I have
to go, and I’ll meet Pat there.”

“Just tell me why,” Chevalier said. “I don’t
understand why this is so important to you.”

Lori whispered softly to the Elder, “She
doesn’t know why. She’s following a need to find closure.”

“I can go with her,” Horace said.

“Is Cade going to be there?” Emily asked
Alec.

“Probably”

“Who’s Cade?” Chevalier asked.

“One of Nathaniel’s son,” Alec replied. “I
would imagine his kids would attend.”

“I don’t like this,” Chevalier told her.
“It’s obvious you have bad experiences with Nathaniel, and I don’t
see why you are running off to attend his funeral.”

“I have to,” Emily told him, and then looked
around the room. “I’ll take Kralen with me.”

“No, you aren’t taking just one guard,” Silas
said.

“Yes I am. I’ll go as Alexis, and Kralen can
be my stand in husband.”

“Why does he have to be married to you?”
Chevalier asked, shocked.

Alec hissed softly, “I don’t want you with
that family!”

“Kralen’s huge. They’d be stupid to try
anything with him there,” Emily said.

Chevalier’s eyes narrowed, “I’m missing
something.”

“Emi…” Alec started.

“No. I don’t have to talk to his kids. I
don’t have to be alone with them. I’ll take Kralen as my spouse,
and they’ll be too afraid of him to even get near me,” Emily
explained.

“What did his kids do?” Chevalier asked, now
looking at Alec.

Alec cringed, “His sons… were… a lot like
their Dad, I guess. They both liked Emily and often tried things
with her when she was little. They haven’t gotten caught, but
rumors in the family are that it’s only a matter of time.”

“I’ll take Kralen,” Emily said.

“Allen wouldn’t let you near them, even as
adults. They’re older now, stronger, and more cunning.”

“I’m not stupid. I’m not going to head into a
dark room alone with either of them.”

“I don’t like it,” Alec told her.

“Neither do I,” Chevalier said. “It sounds to
me like you should avoid this entire family. I still don’t know
what would possess you to even want to go to this funeral.”

Emily sighed, “I’ve been obedient, followed
what you say, what the Council says… but this, I have to do. I’m
going, and I’ll take Kralen.”

Chevalier hissed softly when she set her jaw,
and he knew she was set on going, “Take Lori and Silas then.”

“Why?” Emily asked, looking over at the
couple.

“Silas can help watch you, and Lori can be
there for support,” Chevalier said. “It’s not abnormal to have
another couple go with you.”