The darkness was full now. All light from the moon was blocked by the black clouds. Emily sat down on the sand again and wrapped her arms around her knees for warmth. The coat sat invitingly above her on the saddle, and her mind began to wander.

How many people would die because she was there? How many would be in danger because of her raw emotions and the ability to disintegrate a heku at will? How could she survive in a world where beings were torn apart for breaking the order of one man? It all seemed fierce and primal. The laws and regulations she was accustomed to were irrelevant here. From what she had seen, the heku followed Chevalier. No one doubted his methods or his orders, and no one dared disobey him, completely out of fear.

Her mind wandered to Ulrich, the unseen heku that watched over her. Was his coven similar? Did he have this much control over his people? Could he harm her as she felt Chevalier was capable of doing? Did he have the temper and the ability to rip another person's head from their body? She shivered when the image again came into her mind.

Her mind returned to the beach as it began to rain. The cold drops almost immediately soaked her hair and clothing. Emily clutched her knees tighter to her and watched as the vapors from her breath became visible in the frigid air. She began to shiver uncontrollably but still refused to put on the coat. It seemed like a symbol of restraint, a symbol that she'd given up and agreed to embrace this sadistic lifestyle.

Patra's skin twitched. She was visibly irritated about being out in the cold rain, but Emily still didn't move. She didn't know where to go. The waves grew fierce and were now slapping hard against the cement wall. She imagined that the beach on the other side had disappeared with the tide. Emily could feel the cold raindrops sliding down her face and back. Her body was shaking more violently than before.

The crashing of the waves masked the approaching footsteps, and she didn't realize that she wasn't alone until they were standing in front of her. She tried to look up at them, but she was too tired. Her teeth chattered, and her body shook with cold.

Chevalier crouched down with his hands slowly reaching for her, palms out. "Emily, you need to get inside." His voice was soft and concerned, but her mind raced back to the court room.

"N... N... No," was all she could manage. She felt the coat being slipped over her back, so she wiggled it off.

"You are going to freeze to death out here." This time it was Kyle's voice from behind her, and she realized that he must have been the one that draped the coat over her shoulders. She heard the sound of someone settling into Patra's saddle.

"Kyle is going to take Patra back to the barn. It's too cold out here for her," Chevalier told her. She felt the comforting presence of the mare leave.

Chevalier sat down on the sand, facing her. "I don't want to force you, Em, but I will if you don't get up soon."

"You killed him," she whispered.

He sighed, "Yes, I did."

"It's not right to just kill someone," she said through chattering teeth.

"Emily, it's imperative when dealing with a thousand natural predators that everyone obeys the rules. I set the rules here, and if they aren't obeyed, then I deal with it." He watched her eyes and kept his voice soft and smooth.

She began to shiver harder. "H h how long bef fore you k k kill m me?"

Chevalier frowned. "I'm not going to kill you. Remember, you aren't one of my charges."

"S s so, h h how will you d d deal with m m me if I break a r rule?" Her lips were turning a vibrant blue.

"You don't have rules, Emily. You aren't in my coven, and you are too important for me to punish you for breaking a rule. I am Chief Enforcer of the faction. I am not your Chief Enforcer." He stood up and touched her arm. "Get up."

"O o o or what?" She glared up at him.

"Or I'll pick you up." He was getting frustrated with her.

She'd never known this kind of cold, the cold that seeped deep into her inner core. Her skin was no longer cold. It was numb, which wasn't all together unpleasant. She was finding it hard to concentrate now, and her hands and feet ached painfully. She buried her face, putting her forehead against her knees that were still tightly wrapped by her arms, though she couldn't feel them any longer.

"Emily?" he asked softly, bending down closer to her.

She shivered violently and didn't answer.

With one swift movement, Chevalier picked her up and grimaced at the icy cold of her body. She continued to shiver but didn't protest when he carried her back to the warmth of the castle.

He headed directly to her room. The repairs were done, and Anna had a hot bath waiting. He set her down gently on the tile, but she couldn't feel her feet, and she sank onto the floor. She set to work unbuttoning her shirt, but her fingers were stiff and frozen. Chevalier sighed and reached down to pull her shirt over her head.

"N n n no," she began to protest.

"Hush up. No more protests. This time I'm not kidding," he warned.

Emily's clothes were wet and clung tightly to her frozen body. Chevalier gave up and simply ripped them off of her. He growled slightly when he picked up her naked body. She was colder than she should be, and he was worried that she might get sick. He sat her down slowly into the warm jetted tub, ignoring how wet his shirt got, then he stood back and motioned for Anna to leave.

Emily's violent shiver became worse, and she couldn't manage to say the words to make him leave. The chattering sound of her teeth filled the bathroom, but she couldn't seem to stop that either. The warm jets sent painful stabs through her body as the blood returned to her limbs. She couldn't help but moan softly when the stabbing tingles crept up her arms and legs.

Once the shivering stopped and she sunk down into the warm water, Chevalier moved to sit by the side of the tub. He was too angry to appreciate her body beneath the water, too angry to notice she didn't complain that he was there.

"Was that entirely necessary?" he asked, more demanding than caring.

She answered timidly, "I have nowhere to go."

He frowned. "Why do you need to go anywhere?"

Emily curled into her protective ball with her knees pulled tight against her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She looked down at the water, and a tear fell down her cheek.

Chevalier reached into the water and rubbed her back softly. "Is all of this because of Ethan?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What is it then? Tell me."

"You'll get mad," Emily whispered.

"I'm more likely to get mad if you don't tell me what the hell is going on." He reached to her chin and pulled her face toward him, and then looked deeply into her tear filled eyes.

Emily avoided his gaze. She knew she didn't have the strength to fight him right now.

"Emily," he hissed at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

She pulled her face out of his hand and looked down at the water again. "I'm afraid."

"To tell me?"

"No..." She paused and ran her hand along the surface of the water. "I'm afraid of you."

"I'm a heku, Emily. You should have been afraid of me from the start." His voice lightened.

"You killed him," she repeated.

"Yes, I did, and I'm sure he won't be the last." He frowned again when her body tensed at his words.

"How many people have to die before you realize I'm not worth it?" She watched the ripples in the water.

"Damnit, Emily!" He hit the edge of the tub with his fist, cracking the porcelain. "You're lucky that no one else judges your self-worth by your eschewed views."

"No one should die for me, Chev. My life isn't any more important than anyone else's."

"Ethan didn't die because he tried to attack you." Even the thought made him angry. "He died for disobeying my rules."

"When do I learn what my rules are?"

Chevalier grabbed her face more roughly than he originally intended, and he pulled her to face him. "You aren't expected to follow rules. I told you, you aren't a subordinate to me. If the heku don't obey the rules I've set forth, they know the consequences long before they are allowed to join this coven. You are right about one thing. You have nowhere to go. However, you belong here with me, so that's not a problem."

Her eyes were wide and shocked.

"Now get out of the tub, get dressed, and come eat. Gordon just brought your dinner." He stood up and walked out of the bathroom.

Emily wasn't sure if he was mad or how mad he was, so she decided to do what he asked. The only clothing in the bathroom was the silk pink nightgown that she had complained to Margaret was too low cut. Not wanting to cause problems, she slipped into it, ran a brush through her matted hair, and then decided to leave it down.

The fire in the bedroom was roaring, and the warmth from it felt good. She was warm from the bath, but her muscles still ached from the cold. Chevalier was sitting by the fire with a silver tray on the table between him and the other chair. When she sat down, he picked up the silver domed cover and motioned for her to begin.

She wasn't feeling very hungry but again decided not to cross him, so she began picking at the steak and potato.

"Kyle tells me you've been having nightmares about Keith?" He watched as the firelight danced across her skin, still pink from the bath.

Emily nodded and took another bite.

"Tell me about it."

She hesitated. She couldn't tell him what Keith was saying in the dream. Chevalier still had views that she was good. On the other hand, she couldn't make him madder. She felt like her life was on the edge as it was.

"I don't remember," was the answer she decided to give.

His eyes narrowed. "I'm not accustomed to being lied to."

She looked up at him, her eyes daring. "Fine then. Yes, I do remember them, but no, I won't tell you what he's saying."

Chevalier shrugged. "Okay, but I will tell you something... Keith was a liar and a manipulator. If you believe a single thing he ever said to you, then you are a fool."

Her glance turned to a glare. "And you don't know what you're talking about. Keith knew me for nine years before you came along. I'm pretty sure he had a good idea about me."

"An idea that I plan to disprove." He leaned closer to her. His eyes were suddenly amused.

Emily brought her knees up to her chest.

"Stop it," he ordered.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"Stop pulling yourself into a ball!" His fists were clenched.

Emily thought for a moment and then wrapped her arms around her knees, watching him. "I thought I wasn't a subordinate."

"You aren't, but you are in my care, and when you wrap yourself into your protective little ball, it shows how insecure you are. I won't have it. I won't have you hiding your body from me. I won't have you pretending no one looks at you, and no one values you. I'm tired of watching you beat yourself up over everything." He quickly moved over to her, picked her up gently in his arms, and pressed his lips to hers.

Emily didn't fight back this time, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, winding her fingers through his hair. His lips were soft and sent warm shivers up her spine. She felt herself being laid down on the bed, and then his heavy body pressed against hers. As his tongue pried her lips open and began to explore her mouth, her body tensed. The panic was setting in. She tried to move out from under him by pushing against his chest with her hands, but he didn't move.

She finally turned her face away from him. "Stop, Chev."

His voice trembled with anger, "Not tonight, Em. You aren't pushing me away tonight."

"Please, let me go," she protested as he ran his soft tongue up the length of her neck and began kissing along her jaw line. She shivered and inhaled sharply, submitting to him.

Chapter 9.

"You've done it now, slut. Now he'll know how dirty you are." Keith smiled at her, and his eyes were empty and rotting. He took a step toward her, and she turned and ran naked through the trees.

"Run all you want. You can't get away from your whoring life. You can't run from him knowing the truth about you," Keith called as he ran after her.

Emily's heart raced. She couldn't seem to run fast enough to lose him.

"Did he say he loved you? I think not. Do you know why? Because he feels pity for you! Who else would take you if he won't? I'll tell you... no one, Emily. No one wants you because you are ugly and worthless." His voice echoed through the trees.

She screamed when his cold, dead hands clamped against her arm.

"Shhhhh, Em. It's okay." Chevalier was pressed against her side with one arm draped over her. She could feel his body against hers, and she remembered.

Emily tensed under his arm and began to pull away when she realized that she wasn't dressed, and the pounding in her head was growing worse after the dream.

"No you don't... you aren't leaving," Chevalier told her, and his arm held her to the bed.

"I need to go," she said, again trying to get up.

Chevalier kissed her shoulder lightly. "Go where?"

"Please, let me up." She pried at his hand.

"Tell me where you're going, and if I think it's a good enough reason, then I'll let you go." He moved his hand to wrap it around her.

Emily pulled the blanket up higher to cover herself, but Chevalier grabbed it and lowered it again.

"Stop it," he said lightly.

"I'm cold." She tried again, but he held the covers tightly.

"No, you aren't. You are hiding." He kissed a line from her shoulder up her neck. "Now go back to sleep, and this time, ignore what Keith is telling you."