“It does give me a right! She is my blood, my family.” Ulrich slammed his fist down on the granite table.
“That gives you the right to nothing! She's an adult woman, who chose to stay with me.” Chevalier's eyes blazed with fury.
“I have the inherent right to protect my offspring. Does the Council deny that right?” He looked up at the Elders.
“We do not deny that you have some rights, as far as family is concerned, but our decision has not yet been made. Now I suggest you both sit down and keep your tempers under control. To think this is all over a mortal!” The only female Elder, Selest, looked down at them from the platform. She glanced to the two men on her left, and they nodded, astonished that two heku were fighting over a mortal.
“I will ask this one more time… Lord Ulrich, what do you benefit from having Emily Russo live with your coven?” The smaller of the male Elders asked.
“I benefit by having complete protection of one of my offspring,” he stated plainly.
“Do you, therefore, deny that Emily Russo is a direct descendant of the Winchester family and thereby capable of powers beyond both mortal and heku?”
Ulrich glanced quickly at Chevalier and glared, “I do deny that. She has shown no powers beyond any mortal. The abilities mentioned died out a long time ago.”
“Are those your findings also, Chief Enforcer?” Selest asked, and looked down at him.
“It's inconclusive at this time, which is why I want to keep her in my care, where she can live safely and I can learn whatever talents she may have.” Chevalier avoided looking at Ulrich, afraid their secret may be given away with a glance.
“She is my granddaughter! If she has any abilities, it should be I that find them. I can teach her how to control them, I can teach her how to use them,” Ulrich said, pleading. He knew that as an enemy, the Elders would not see his view.
“She doesn't want to live with you.” Chevalier raised his voice and the Elders motioned for both of them to sit again.
“I won't tell you again, both of you will stay calm in this court room!” Elder Leonid said, and both complied immediately.
The entire room was suddenly quiet. No sound at all could be heard as the Elders debated silently. After almost an hour, Elder Selest stood up.
“It is our decision to allow Chevalier to continue to monitor the situation and report back to this Council, and we, in turn, will keep Lord Ulrich informed.” She sat down when she was finished talking.
Chevalier sighed and turned to Ulrich, his eyes burning with fury. Without addressing them further, Chevalier quickly left the court room, anxious to avoid a confrontation.
***
The ferry couldn't move fast enough for Chevalier. He worried about how long the court session had lasted. He told her he would be gone only a few days, but he had been gone for a week. He knew he could trust his coven, but lingering doubts about a select family of newly turned heku made him nervous and anxious to get home. He also felt incomplete without her. He could picture her eyes, the vivid green that flared when she was mad. He missed the blush in her cheeks and the way she felt in his arms. He tapped his dashboard lightly with his fingers, any sign of patience had worn off.
Storm sat quietly beside him, unsure how to handle his sudden impatience. As soon as they arrived at the pier, she stepped out of the car and went to talk to the guards. Chevalier put his car into gear and sped through the city toward the castle. It was late, he knew she would be asleep, but he just wanted to see her.
As he stepped out of the car, he noticed the guards shift nervously. He frowned slightly and studied their faces, they were like stone statues. He narrowed his eyes and walked into the castle. The air inside seemed tense at his arrival. Things were too quiet. Not one servant was in sight, there was no hint of whispers, and even the sound of everyday cleaning was absent.
Chevalier surveyed the entryway and saw nothing amiss, and no sign that anything was wrong. He quickly ascended the stairs and stepped into Emily's ante-chamber. Anna was in the corner standing perfectly still, not even meeting his eyes.
“Anna?” he questioned.
“Yes, Sir?” Anna replied, and he wondered at the tone of her voice.
He studied her every movement. The muscles in her neck were tense and strained, “How is she?” He didn't know why, but he felt almost afraid of her answer.
“Fine, Sir.”
His brow furrowed, “That's it? Fine?”
Anna nodded.
The scent caught Chevalier's attention, the scent from her bedroom was wrong. His eyes raged, “Who is in there with her?”
Anna froze.
He stormed into the room, one of the doors splintering as it hit the stone walls. His eyes focused in on the bed. He could see Emily under the covers, but his attention was on the lone figure sitting at the foot of her bed, looking at him as he entered the room. The form stood up quickly and stepped back toward the wall.
“Sir,” Kyle whispered. Chevalier was inches from him in less than a second, staring down at him.
His voice was low and tense, “What do you think you're doing?”
“Sir, it's not what you…” Kyle's voice was cut off by Chevalier's hand wrapped tightly around his neck.
Kyle flew through the air, landing with a violent crash against the stone wall. The impact cracked the rough stones and sent shatters of broken rock and sand against the floor. Kyle flipped onto his feet and faced Chevalier, keeping his face calm and non-aggressive, “Please, Sir, it's not what you think.”
Chevalier turned to the bed to face Emily. The thunderous crash should have woken her, but