Chevalier pulled the yacht up to the pier and the guards immediately tied the boat to the dock.
“Welcome back, Sir,” Travis said as he slid the plank up so they could get off.
“Good to be back, Travis, head in with us will you? I'd like a full report.” Chevalier stepped off first and extended a hand to help Emily off.
Travis jerked as she passed him and he turned his face away from her. Chevalier glared at him and he faced forward again. He made a mental note to demand an explanation from Travis when they were alone.
Emily crawled into the Bugatti and watched the houses fly past, “I think maybe Travis isn't feeling well.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?” Chevalier knew why, but wondered if she had noticed.
“He was just acting weird is all.”
They pulled up to the castle and the two guards moved to greet them. As one of them opened Emily's door for her, he winced and stood up quickly, his eyes glanced toward the Chief Enforcer. Chevalier was glad that Emily didn't notice the reaction, and she headed quickly inside as it began to rain.
“I'll deal with you later,” Chevalier growled at the guard, and then followed her inside.
As Emily walked into the foyer, Kyle appeared from the opposite end of the room. He ran at her and picked her up in a hug, “Welcome back!”
Chevalier felt his anger rising when he saw Kyle inhale deeply and set her back down a little roughly and take a step back, his eyes wide.
“I… will… be… well… I'll get your things,” Kyle stammered out, and then stepped into the fresh night air.
Emily shrugged, smiled at Chevalier, and then headed up the stairs, “I know you have a meeting. I'm just going to take a shower and go to the barn.”
He nodded at her and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. Less than a second later, he had the guard pinned against the stone walls of the castle, his hand around his neck, “Explain yourself.”
The guard choked and fought to breathe, his words coming out in a whisper, “I apologize, Sir, it won't happen again.
Chevalier let go of his neck and glared down at him, “It better not.”
He then spun on Kyle, “You of all people know better,” he hissed.
“It just caught me off guard. I think I may need to go feed tonight.” Kyle took a step away from Chevalier's icy glare.
“I'll expect you to keep well fed in the future if you are going to keep your position.” His words were fierce.
“Yes, Sir,” Kyle said, looking down at the rocky ground.
“Now come in, I need a full report,” he said to both Kyle and Travis as Travis walked up.
When they sat down in the conference room, the three guards sat as far away from Chevalier as they could. He had a command-presence about him that left no doubt who was in charge.
“Travis,” he said.
Travis began, “Nothing new on the pier, Sir. It's been a very quiet week. I had one group of tourists stop to use the bathroom, but when I mentioned the quarantine, they left quickly.”
“Mason”
The door guard looked up nervously, “Nothing to report, Sir.”
“Kyle?” His voice sounded angrier.
Kyle sighed, “There's been some speculation that there may be a Valle among us.”
Chevalier's jaw tightened, “Speculation?”
“Yes, one of our informants from the Valle said that a small group of their recognizance team has gone missing, and as he's on the Encala Enforcement team, he suspects they've come to our side.”
“And they think they are actually here in this coven?” Chevalier leaned forward toward Kyle.
“Yes, Sir. One of the Valle's speedboats is missing and as we're the only coven on an island…”
Chevalier growled, “Any idea who it is?”
“Not yet, Sir, but we're keeping our eyes and ears open. We have three open positions here in the house we've not filled because we don't know who we can trust.”
Chevalier nodded in agreement, “Keep them empty. I'm not going to risk a Valle informant in this castle.”
Kyle knew only too well that the Valle would love to get their hands on Emily, and just the thought made him hiss slightly.
“Put a task force together and get me those Valle,” he demanded.
“Already started, Sir.” Kyle nodded at him.
Chevalier stood up and left for his office, he needed some time to think. If the Valle were in his coven, they might already know too much about Emily. He wondered if he should take her back out on the ocean again, but wasn't sure how to do it without making her suspicious. Finally, he decided to keep things as they were, but to keep a strict eye on her.
There was a stack of papers from Storm on his desk and he let his mind pull into work mode as he went through them.
Chevalier lost track of time when suddenly he felt excited and realized that it must have been from Emily. He glanced at his clock, it was 5am. He smiled, knowing that she was up early to go check on her livestock. He shut his eyes and focused on her, he loved to feel her emotions when she was out in the barn. He could hear her talking, but it wasn't clear enough to understand what she was saying.
He fought to see through her eyes, but the picture was gray and blurry. Soon, he thought, he would be able to clear up that image.
A scream suddenly echoed through his head, sending every fiber of his being into action. He was immediately out the door, flying toward the barn and could feel Kyle close behind him. Even his heku speed wasn't fast enough and he growled when the screaming stopped. As he ran into the barn, his mind whirled with the image.
Emily was lying on the straw and a