The annoying heku looked at her when she stepped out of the bedroom, and he began to cross the antechamber to her. She held up a hand, and he stopped.

"You stay here," Emily told him.

"M'Lady, I must insist..."

She turned on him. Her glare made him wince, and he returned to his place.

The hallways were empty as far as she could tell, so she made her way out of the castle and headed down the road to the pier. Some of the coven came out to greet her, but they shied away when she turned on them. They had never seen such an aggressive look on her face. She stepped onto the pier, and Travis turned to smile at her, but like the others, he fell back when she turned on him.

The tone of his voice was professional, "The ferry leaves in five minutes, Lady Emily. May I summon a taxi for your arrival?"

She spun toward him and took a step in his direction. Her piercing green eyes locked on his, and he recoiled slightly. "You'd love that. Wouldn't you? Then you could ask the taxi driver where he dropped me off... very nice."

"I... I... I just thought you may need a ride." He was shocked. Emily always treated him kindly, and this new part of her was chilling.

Emily stepped onto the ferry without responding and moved to the back. She sat on the planks to wait out the long trip to the mainland.

Chevalier followed her scent to the pier and growled at how it was faded. It had been a while since she'd been there. His decision to leave her alone for a few hours had apparently backfired. He'd already punished the young heku in her antechamber for allowing her to leave alone. He understood that she demanded him to stay away, but his decision to choose to follow a mortal over his Coven Lord had been detrimental. The four guards on the pier stiffened when he approached.

"How long ago did she leave?" He scowled at Travis.

"It's been four hours since the ferry left. It arrived safely a few minutes ago." Travis stood at attention.

The hiss from behind him made his heart skip a beat. "Where is she going?"

Travis swallowed hard. "She wouldn't say, sir."

"Get that ferry back here... now!" he bellowed at them, and saw Travis nod.

It was a long four hours while the ferry returned to the island. The entire time, Chevalier's mind went over possibilities of where she would go, while he glared at Travis' back. He tried to find some breach of protocol, some way to punish him, but there had been none.

He stepped onto the ferry, and the Captain immediately set off after seeing the look on Chevalier's face. He didn't wish to cross the Chief Enforcer today. Chevalier appeared behind the Captain, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"Where did she go?" he hissed at the Captain.

"She got into a taxi, sir." The Captain stared straight ahead, afraid to look at him.

"And?" He knew the old heku was more observant than that.

"It was a Chester Taxi, cab number 3811," he continued.

Chevalier walked back to the end of the ferry and watched for the land to appear. As he regained control of his emotions, he caught Emily's scent and that of another, one that sent anger to the forefront of his mind. Kyle was with her.

The hours passed slowly, and the ferry's Captain was relieved that Chevalier stayed out on the ferry, and when land became visible, he finally relaxed.

Chevalier waited for his cell phone to find a signal and then dialed information. They connected him quickly to the Chester Taxi dispatch. "I require a taxi to the Franklin Ferry Pier."

"Right away, sir. I have someone just around the corner." The dispatcher's voice was irritatingly sweet.

"I prefer cab 3811 and will pay extra for their service." He fought to keep his voice calm.

"Yes, sir, they are about 25 minutes away, and they have been dispatched to your location. Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked.

He answered by shutting his cell phone. Chevalier paced the small cement block by the pier and waited for the cab, then slid into the taxi when it arrived.

"Where can I take you?" he asked.

"You gave a ride to a man and woman earlier, from this same spot. Take me to their location." His voice was hollow.

"I haven't picked up a couple here since a few days ago," he said, watching Chevalier from his rear-view mirror.

"Who was your last fair from here then?" He sounded confused.

"Just a lady, but she was alone." The cabbie started to fidget.

"Then take me to her."

The man turned in his seat. "Look, mister. She was awfully pretty and alone, and I don't want no trouble."

Chevalier smiled. "No trouble at all. She's my wife."

"I don't know." The cab driver watched his passenger carefully.

Chevalier was getting irritated, so he locked the gaze of the cab driver. "Take me to her."

The cab driver turned and sped off down the street without saying another word. He pulled the taxi up to a large park and pulled over, then gasped when Chevalier threw a $100 bill over to him and stepped out. He'd never gotten a $70 tip before, and he drove away, pleased with himself.

Chevalier inhaled deeply and again picked up the scent of Emily and Kyle. Emily's trail wasn't as fresh as Kyle's, and he realized that Kyle was tailing Emily, and she probably didn't know it. As much as he hated it, he felt better that she wasn't alone. He looked around the small fishing village and scanned for any sign of her. Walking past the large sign that read 'Welcome to Jonesport America', he turned north, following their path.

He began to run when he heard the sound of a struggle and Emily's scream in the evening air. The smell of blood infuriated him as he searched for them. The entire area smelled like them, and he'd lost the newest trail. The sounds suddenly stopped, and when he heard Emily scream Kyle's name in a panic, he quickly headed for them.

When Chevalier rounded the corner, he stopped. Emily was on the ground cradling Kyle's head, and he wasn't moving. She had blood dripping from her forehead, and she was crying. As Chevalier approached them, Emily screamed briefly when she saw him, then stopped when she saw his face.

"Chevalier! Help him," she yelled, looking back down to Kyle.

He knelt down beside Kyle and winced when he saw the deep gashes on his skin, characteristic of heku bites. Chevalier glanced up and saw three heku torn into pieces that were strewn around the alleyway.

"What happened?" he whispered as he ascertained the extent of Kyle's injuries.

Emily shook her head. Her eyes were full of terror. "I didn't know he was behind me. They attacked out of nowhere, and he just appeared. I couldn't..." She paused, replaying the last few minutes in her mind. "I couldn't ash them. I couldn't, and I tried. He fought them off. He was so mad. They were biting him and trying to pull him apart."

She shivered.

Chevalier picked Kyle up in a fireman's hold. "He'll be okay in a few days. We need to get him back to the island."

He started walking toward the park and turned when Emily didn't follow him. She was still kneeling on the cement, staring at the bodies of the heku.

"Emily, come on," he urged softly.

She shook her head.

"Let's discuss this later. Come back with me. You aren't safe here." He took one step toward her, knowing he couldn't carry both of them.

"I can't go back with you, Chevalier." The resolve of her words stung him.

"Please..." He watched her.

She shook her head again. "I can't trust you anymore."

"It's not safe for you here, not since...," he sighed, hesitating to bring it up. "Not while my blood is in your veins. It makes you a stronger target."

She frowned. "I'd rather face them than know that you lied to me." Her face showed the pain and anguish she felt.

"For Kyle then, Em. Come back until he's better." He knew that was cold, but he had to get her to the safety of the island.

She hesitated and looked over at the bodies of the heku, then slowly followed Chevalier to the park.

The taxi driver watched them curiously but didn't question why the man and woman had an unconscious third with them. He figured that he wasn't paid enough to ask questions.

The four hour ferry ride was painfully long for both of them. Chevalier laid Kyle down on a bed in the cabin and sat, watching him. It was twice now that Kyle had saved Emily, and Chevalier owed him his life. While he sat patiently, the words Kyle yelled at him that morning made sense. He'd been too rash to get his way, and he now realized what a grave error he made in lying to Emily. He was too used to getting his way. No one dared to defy him, but Kyle had. He'd taken his duty to protect Emily to new levels.

Emily stayed up on the ferry's deck in the cold night air, ignoring the way the freezing wind bit painfully at her exposed skin. She had agreed to return to the Island, but she fully planned on staying away from Chevalier until she found somewhere else to go.

She sat in the stark white bedroom's bay window. The hard bed was abandoned in the corner, and Emily watched out the window with her legs drawn tightly to her chest. There was no warmth in this room, no touch of life, and it's exactly what she wanted.

Emily ignored the knock on the door, then sighed when it opened anyway.

"Emily?" Chevalier said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"How is Kyle?"

"He's going to be okay. That many bites take longer to recover from though." His voice was soft, and she picked up a hint of regret, "I'm more worried about you."

"I'm fine." She was fine, in fact, at least physically. She only had a small cut on her forehead.

"I wasn't honest with you about the bonding ceremony, and I'm sorry. I was trying to make it easier on you."

"Yeah, how'd that work for you?" she snapped.

He just shook his head. "What we didn't know... myself included, is that when it was over, we were bonded more strongly than I ever imagined. I can feel your hatred toward me and pain at what happened with Kyle. You shouldn't have to feel such things."

"What do you mean you can feel it?" She was still watching out the window.

"I don't know, exactly. I haven't before heard of a mortal and an immortal going through the bonding together. Maybe it's normal. It's like every part of me is in tune with every part of you. I can feel your emotions. I can more clearly smell the blood from the cut on your head. It's amazing to be able to be this close to you."

"We'll see how strongly that tie is when I'm in California," she mumbled.

"California?"

"Yeah, the place in the U.S. that's farthest from this island," she said.

"Please, Emily. I can feel how you aren't joking."

She spun on him, and the anger in her eyes shocked him. "You don't lie to people you love. You don't deceive those you care about. You are so wound up in getting everything you want that you would step on anyone to get it. I can't... no, I won't, live with that."

"It wasn't like that." He sighed when she turned back to the window. "I was honestly trying to make it easier for you. I knew you couldn't drink blood. It's not in your nature, so I made it easier for you."

She huffed.

"How can I make this up to you? What can I do to get you to stay?" He was suddenly on his knees beside her.

"I don't know if I can ever trust you again," she said. Her voice was starting to crack.

"I wish I could make you see how insignificant that one lie was. I know how repulsive drinking blood is to you, but in my world, it's beautiful to share of each other. The feeling that I'm tied to you so deeply is incredible, and I'm intoxicated by its power."

Chapter 12.

Chevalier sat in his study with his eyes closed. He was concentrating on Emily and could feel how she went from alone and confused to almost exhilarated. He tried to focus to find the source of the change, but he wasn't quite able to get it. He suspected that over time, the bond would become stronger, and he may be able to tell her thoughts or to see through her eyes. Now, though, he relished in the feeling of completeness and belonging that engulfed her. It was too much. He had to know what she was doing that had filled her so completely with joy.

He wasn't surprised to find the small guestroom to be empty, but he was able to track her out to the barn. He stood against the barn door and watched her work. He was surprised that her small body could work as hard she did, and he was fascinated by how doing so made her feel.

Chevalier smiled when she took a pitchfork full of hay and tossed it onto the ground in front of some of the cattle. She slipped off the cowboy hat she wore and ran her sleeved arm along her brow. He didn't like how the cowboy hat shaded her eyes. He preferred when he could see them.

Chevalier quietly moved back into the shadows of the barn when Emily glanced in his direction. Her human senses weren't too far off. The feeling that she was being watched was correct, but when she couldn't see anyone, she turned back to her work.

Emily was enjoying being out with her cattle again. She was able to release her mind and focus on them. She liked how her muscles strained against the heavy hay, and she looked forward to the soreness it would bring the next day. She was doing more than normal. Somehow, the pain allowed her mind to forget the deception. She groaned slightly under the weight of the hay on the pitchfork but was still able to push herself to throw it.

With the cattle fed, she headed into the barn and began mucking out Patra's stall. She kept turning around. The feeling of being watched was stronger in here. She dripped with sweat as she meticulously cleaned the stall and then re-filled it with clean straw. Once there was clean water and fresh oats, she went out to the cow pasture to get Patra, who was munching lazily on hay.

Patra saw Emily coming and stepped away from her.

"Come on, Patra. It's time to go back inside," Emily said, walking casually up to the horse.

Patra reared slightly and took a step back.

Emily frowned. "What's wrong girl?"