Banishment : Book 9 of the Heku Series (36 page)

“Not mad, more irritated that I don’t even
know who he is.”

“I don’t see the big deal,” Alexis said. “So
Mom didn’t tell you that her cousin used to hang her down a hole,
and that’s why she’s afraid of bats.”

“It’s just something I should know. I keep
trying to get rid of irrational fears only to find out she has a
reason for them.”

“Like ghosts?”

“No, not like ghosts. There are bats, shots,
mice, and doctors… there are no ghosts.”

“Mom sees Exavior still.”

He sighed, “She does?”

“Yes, every time she sleeps in that house. So
now when she goes there she sleeps with the lights on.”

“You could just humor her,” Megara said.

“I’m not going to play into that fear. I’ll
give her fear of those other things because they are valid, but
there’s no validity to the claim there are ghosts,” Chevalier told
her.

“Then how is she seeing Exavior?”

“I don’t know… my guess is a dream.”

Alexis stood up when she heard Asher start to
fuss, “I’m taking him out to the park.”

“The one here in the city?” Chevalier
asked.

“No, a real park with real children and
Moms.”

“Take guards.”

She frowned, “I can’t be a regular Mom with
guards.”

“Alex…”

“Fine, one guard,” she said, and then left
the room.

Megara watched her leave and then turned to
Chevalier, “We need to rename that baby.”

“Why’s that?”

“Asher… doesn’t that seem a bit ironic.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, it kind of does.”

“I better go. I have a Chemistry final, and I
need to try to extract uranium from Ore.”

Chevalier watched her go and then turned to
watch Emily sleep. He couldn’t help it, and now that he was alone,
he wondered what she was dreaming. He always loved to delve into
her dreams and marveled at what her mind could come up with when
unhindered by logic or rationale.

“Why can’t I move?” Emily screamed. She was
sitting in the kitchen in her Montana ranch, with Keith leaned up
against the counter, watching her.

“Because I’m tired of you running off.”

“Let me go.” She struggled against duct tape
binds that held her firmly to the chair.

“No, I’m tired of you running off! I know
where you go, and I’m not going to have you sleeping with every guy
in the county.”

Chevalier sighed. He hated when Keith invaded
her dreams.

“I don’t and you know it! You’re the one
sleeping with Dad’s nurse…”

Keith moved to her quickly and backhanded
her, “Watch what you say about me, Bitch.”

Chevalier could feel pain come through the
dream and began to wonder if the dream was her mind’s way of making
sense of the pain she was feeling from the fall.

“You better let me go before Chevalier gets
here,” Emily said, grinning up at Keith.

“Who?”

“He’ll get you back for this. He won’t let
anyone get away with hurting me.”

“Who’s that, Emi? That your boyfriend?”
Keith asked, seething.

“He’s my husband.”

“I’m your husband,” he said, shaking his
head. “You’re just not very bright, are you?”

“Just wait.”

“Won’t matter, you’ll run from him too. Why
do you always have to run? Why not face me like an adult instead of
taking off every time we fight?”

“Because I’m tired of being hit by you!”

“You deserve it though. It’s good for
you.”

“I hope he kills you slower this time,”
Emily said to him.

Keith grinned, “Want to know why I think you
run?”

“Oh, do enlighten me.”

He suddenly punched her again, and
instantly, her jaw began to bruise, “Watch how you talk to me! I
deserve a little respect.”

Emily looked up at him and glared.

Keith leaned back against the cupboard, “I
think it’s because of what your Dad used to tell you. He always
said that your best bet was to run.”

“From vampires.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re too small to defend
yourself, and he knew that. So he always told you to run when faced
with danger.”

“I said that because it’s her best bet to
get away,” Allen said from the doorway.

Emily looked up at her Dad, “Let me go, Dad.
Please.”

He smiled and kissed her cheek, “Not right
now, Emi. You don’t have to run when I’m here.”

Keith shook his head, “You telling her to
run is what got her killed in Denmark.”

“She had to run,” Allen said. “She had to
protect her children.”

“They’re his kids, too.”

Emily frowned, “How do you know about
them?”

Keith ignored her, “You telling her to run
from danger has caused a lot of problems. She runs from me when I’m
mad, which only makes me madder. She runs from that vampire she’s
married to, which only makes him madder. You ingrained that in her,
and it’s her first instinct when faced with a scary situation.”

Allen smiled at Emily, “You keep running,
Princess. Trust me, keep running.”

“What do you mean running got me killed in
Denmark?” Emily asked Keith.

“Shut up, Emi, we’re talking,” Keith said to
her, and then he turned back to Allen. “You did her a disservice by
embedding that into her psyche.”

“No I didn’t. If her Mom had ran, she
wouldn’t have died.”

“She couldn’t run from a vampire though.
They’re too fast.”

Allen nodded, “She needed to run from him.
Running will keep Emily alive.”

Chevalier let go of her arm and watched her
sleep as what he’d heard ran through his mind. If her dreams were
correct, then her dad was the reason behind her instinctual need to
run from any conflict. He saw the reasoning behind what her dad
told her, but also saw that the dream Keith was right.

***

“You are not coming at me with that thing!”
Emily said with wide eyes.

Dr. Edwards looked down at the electric saw
in his hand, “How else am I going to get that cast off?”

“You’re heku, tear it off.”

“Em, he’s not going to hurt you,” Chevalier
said, slightly amused.

She watched nervously as Dr. Edwards began
removing the full body cast she’d been in for the last six weeks.
Even though she’d dreamed about getting it off, it was nerve
wracking to have him that near her with a power saw.

“Breathe,” Chevalier reminded her.

She nodded, though the halo wouldn’t allow
movement.

“How’s it going?” Alexis asked, coming in
with Asher.

“So far so good. I don’t think she’s lost any
fingers,” Chevalier told her.

“You’re spending a lot of time at the
palace,” Emily said over the grinding of the saw.

Alexis just smiled at her.

“Still not talking to him?” Chevalier asked,
too softly for Emily to hear.

“I tried again, and he won’t answer the
door.”

“I can force him.”

“I don’t want my dad bullying my husband into
forgiving me.”

“If you change your mind…”

“I won’t.”

“Feel better?” Chevalier asked Emily when Dr.
Edwards removed the cast on her lower right leg.

“Oh, the air feels so good.”

“Next leg,” Dr. Edwards said, starting up the
saw again.

“When are you going to tell me what’s going
on?” Emily asked them.

Alexis smiled, “Nothing’s going on.”

“Something is. No one’s told me yet why I’m
in a body cast, why you’re always around, and where Dain is.”

“Dain took off and we don’t know,” Chevalier
said. “I already told you this.”

“Did you and he get into another fight?”

“You could say that.”

“He’s not doing anything wrong, Chev. Just
back off and let him be.”

“For now… I’ll agree to that.”

Megara came in and smiled at her mom,
“Finally.”

“How did the test go?”

“Great! I aced it. Can I take Asher?” Megara
asked, putting her hands up for the baby.

Alexis nodded and handed Asher over. Megara
hauled him out of the room. She loved playing with her nephew in
the game room, and Alexis needed some time alone anyway.

Alexis made sure that Emily didn’t need
anything before walking quickly out of the room. Chevalier debated
going with her but knew that she needed to face Garrett on her
own.

Allen had forgiven Miri after a long talk
with Alexis. Alexis assured him that Miri was forced to go to
Denmark and did so only after being threatened. Garrett, however,
wasn’t forgiving Alexis, as she went of her own volition and had
also gone behind his back to seek out Dain.

The Cavalry stationed throughout the city
smiled as she passed and gave her looks of encouragement. They knew
what had happened, and they also knew how miserable Garrett was
without Alexis around. Though he wouldn’t admit it, he missed
having Asher around too.

Alexis took a deep breath before walking up
onto the porch of her house. She heard the T.V. inside blaring, so
she waited for a lull in conversation before knocking on the
door.

When Garrett didn’t answer, she sighed and
tried the door knob but found it locked. She’d decided the night
before that it was her home too, and he had no right keeping her
out of it. Doing something she rarely did, Alexis put full force
onto the door and was finally able to break it free from the
frame.

Garrett stood up and looked at her, shocked,
“Alex? Did you just break down the door?!”

She nodded and then set the door in the
frame, “We need to talk.”

“I didn’t know you had the strength for
that.”

“I just don’t normally use it.” Alexis walked
over and turned off the T.V. When she turned back to Garrett, he
was sitting down in his recliner and watching her.

She took a deep breath and sat across from
him.

“What then?” Garrett asked, obviously still
upset.

“What do I have to do to get you to forgive
me?”

He sat back in the chair, “Let’s see… you
lied to me, ran off in search of a criminal, defied the Council,
broke into the Equites Stronghold, and ended up being involved in
killing a member of the Council.”

She sighed, “She didn’t stay dead, and I
wasn’t in search of a criminal. I was in search of my brother.”

“A known criminal. Do you know all three
factions have teams out assigned to apprehend him?”

“No, I didn’t know that.”

“He’s that dangerous. Brother or not, you’re
lucky you’re alive.”

“No more secrets then.”

“That’s a start.”

“I’m not done with Dain,” Alexis told
him.

His eyes narrowed, “What do you mean?”

“I feel like to keep my family from falling
apart, it’s my job to take care of him.”

“How is it your job?”

“I’m the one most capable of finding him and
banishing him.”

“It’s not your job! The Council has
specialized heku for that.”

“You know as well as I do that if Dad
banishes Dain, Mom will never forgive him.”

“So you’re doing this to save your
family?”

“Yes”

“Yet at the same time it is breaking up our
family.”

“It’s not though…”

“You ran off to Europe without telling
me!”

“I’m sorry, ok?”

“It’s not enough. I love you, Alex. I can’t
watch you turn into someone who defies the Council and doesn’t
follow the laws. I married a law-abiding woman. What happened?”

“Dain happened.”

“Let the Council handle this…”

“I can’t, Garrett.”

“I could go tell your Dad.”

“Yes, you could.”

“But damnit! I shouldn’t have to! You should
listen to me, and we should respect each other enough that we don’t
keep secrets and take each other’s thoughts and opinions into
consideration,” Garrett explained.

“I do! I care very much about what you think…
but I also care about the safety of my Mom. This faction depends on
her. How hard is it to see that banishing Dain will tear her
apart?”

“How is you banishing Dain going to be any
different than if the Council does it?”

“Mom will blame Dad.”

“Then tell them that, and they can do it
without him.”

“Then she’ll blame Kyle.”

“He’s not even in your family.”

Alexis sighed, “He’s important to Mom.”

Garrett stood up angrily, “When you decide to
stop putting your parents before me… then I’ll consider taking you
back.”

“No!” Alexis said, standing up too. “This is
my home too! I’m tired of living in the palace with Asher, and my
Mom is starting to ask questions.”

“Fine! I’ll move into the barracks.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Alexis yelled. “I’m
going after Dain, and I need your support.”

“I’m not going to support a suicide! Dain is
huge! He’s a strong heku, and he’s dangerous and reckless. Going
after your brother is going to get you killed.”

“I have no choice.”

“You do too. You’re just being stubborn…
which apparently is a strong Winchester trait.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“It just means that you and your Mom have the
tendency to act before thinking, not taking into consideration
anyone else.”

When Garrett started for the door, Alexis
grabbed his arm, “Do not walk away from me.”

He jerked his arm away from her, “I’m done
with you until you decide to come to your senses.”

“Stop!” Alexis screamed. “I’m not fighting
any more. If you don’t see my side, or even try to see my side,
then we’re done.”

Garrett looked over at the door when City
Guards appeared. They were called in by neighbors when the shouting
started.

“What’s going on here, Lieutenant?” one of
the City Guards asked.

“Nothing, I was just leaving,” Garrett told
him.

“Don’t go,” Alexis said.

He glanced at her and then followed the
guards out the door. The last guard propped the door back up, and
Alexis was left alone. She looked around the empty house and her
heart sunk.