Heku.

The Heku Series.

By T.M. Nielsen.

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Chapter 1.

"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. 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 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, and she couldn't help but wonder if these two were also going to assault her. She took a deep breath and headed out to the barn. They needed this sale if they were going to buy feed that would last through the winter.

"Sorry about that," she said, and skirted around the two men when she went to the horse's stalls. "Can you ride a horse?"

Both of them nervously glanced at her. 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 okay here in the barn for a while?"

Jerry forced a smile. "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 toward 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 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 toward. Emily was a few yards ahead of him, so he studied her again. In the heat, she briefly pulled her hair back off of her neck. 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 around here. I'm guessing Texas?"

Jerry nodded. "You're correct. We're from Texas."

"What brings you up to Montana for cows then?"

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

Emily glanced back at him as they neared the cattle. "That 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. "Do you mean 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 50 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. He has papers?"

She nodded and turned back for the barn. "We'll have them ready tomorrow if you can come and get them."

"Will Saturday be okay?" he asked. He needed to buy some time to address his concerns about this young woman.

"Saturday's fine. My husband's gone for a few days, but he'll be back by then."

They rode the rest of the way in silence. He watched her closely while 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 okay, 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 outta da heat."

Emily nodded and glanced nervously at Jerry before handing the reins over to Sam. She turned and ran into the house, and Jerry heard the door lock. He 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 that 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 on this ranch."

"My kind?" Jerry asked, and took a step toward 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's 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.

"Yes, 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. It was hard to distinguish who the thirteen were, because they had thick green robes with hoods that covered their faces. Jerry 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 we 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?" a man asked. He was seated beside the woman and lowered his hood when he spoke, also.

"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 has been 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 on unwilling mortals.

He found the front door unlocked, so he stepped inside uninvited. His senses were suddenly assaulted with a scent that broke through thousands of years of carefully controlled thirst, and he crouched slightly as a hiss escaped 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, so he knew that 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 whirled at the aroma, and he stood in the doorway of the bathroom. He glanced inside and saw Emily lying in the tub, entirely 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 when he saw a Beretta 9mm tucked away in her bag. He saw no cause for alarm, and no reason for the strong protective feeling to be valid. The feeling was unnatural. Heku normally felt nothing for a mortal. Mortals were nourishment, nothing more. Mortals possessed a natural aversion to heku 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. She then looked at him with wide eyes. 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 he realized it was oddly satisfying.

"It's okay, child. I'm not here to hurt you," he told her, 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. It was something that often proved to be useful. He was shocked when her green eyes broke his gaze, and she moved into the corner of the bathroom to get farther away from him.

"Curious," he said, watching her.

"Not again, please," she begged as her hand clutched tightly to the towel.

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

Emily saw him leave, so she 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.

The Chief Enforcer listened to her from inside 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.

"Okay, I will."

"No, I'm still alone, Keith. You need to trust me. I don't..." Her eyes fell to the floor.

"Sure, okay." She hung up the phone and tears filled her eyes.