Free Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series by T.M. Nielsen Page B

you a bit, nothing too personal, I promise.”
    She laughed, “Sure.”
    “When is the baby due?” he asked and he looked sincerely curious.
    “Five more months.” She looked down at herself.
    “Pregnancy suits you, you are quite beautiful,” he said, and laughed when she blushed.
    “Next,” she said, trying to get him to change the subject.
    “Ok, what is your favorite food?”
    She grinned, “Pizza.”
    “What’s your favorite color?”
    “Pink”
    “Favorite movie?”
    “Cleopatra”
    “Really?”
    Emily laughed, “Is that so hard to believe?”
    David shrugged.
    “My turn,” she said.
    “Fair enough.”
    “How old are you?” She leaned closer to him.
    “It’s hard to remember, its somewhere around 3100 years though.”
    “Really? Wow.” She was impressed.
    “Yes, really.”
    “Favorite place.”
    “Easy, the Louvre.”
    “An art lover huh?” She felt so comfortable talking to him.
    “Yes.” He leaned back against the bed.
    “Favorite… hmm… blood type.”
    “B positive.”
    “That’s mine!” She was surprised.
    “I know.” He watched her nervously but relaxed when she laughed.
    “That was a trick question. I didn’t know the heku had a favorite blood type.”
    “Oh most of us do, I’m sure.”
    “Are you very hungry down here?” she asked, suddenly concerned.
    “At times.”
    “Will you die if you don’t eat?”
    “No”
    “Will anything happen to you?”
    “I will become weaker, that is all. If it’s long enough, heku tend to turn… gray, sort of,” he said, and grinned slightly.
    “Are the Encala trying to get you back?” She was genuinely concerned for this heku. He was exceptionally kind and soft spoken.
    “Probably not.”
    “Why not?”
    “It was my fault I got caught, and they would let me know that,” David explained.
    “That’s awful.” Emily thought about her time in captivity and how she’d been afraid no one was coming for her.
    “I’m ok, don’t worry about me,” he said, looking into her eyes he reached a hand out to her.
    Emily looked at his hand, and then took it, “I can ask Chev if he’ll let you go.”
    “No don’t. He mustn’t know you’ve been down here. His temper is quite famous.” David let go of her hand and sat down again.
    “I can handle him.” She set her jaw.
    David smiled, “I bet you can, but please, don’t ask him for my freedom.”
    “I better go,” she said, looking toward the door.
    “Yes… before you are caught.”
    “Tomorrow, would you like some music to listen to?”
    His face lit up, “That would be great, thank you.”
    Emily again made it out of the doorway before anyone noticed and managed to do so for the next week.
    ***
    She was almost to the kitchen when Kyle caught up with her.
    “Where have you been?” he asked, more confused than mad.
    “Around the castle, why?” she asked, and grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter.
    “I’ve been looking for you since you slipped out.”
    “Well… not hard enough I’d say,” she said, walking past him and up the stairs to her room.
    Emily stepped into her room, and her mouth fell open at the guard standing inside the door, “Who are you?”
    “I’m Russ,” he said, staring straight ahead.
    “Why are you here?”
    “Orders from the Chief Enforcer.” His voice was even and annoying.
    “He ordered you to guard inside my room?” She stared at him surprised.
    “Yes, Ma’am… was supposed to start a week ago, but we got busy with new strategical maneuvers.”
    “Get out!” Her eyes flared.
    “No, Ma’am,” he said, again staring straight ahead.
    Emily screamed and ran down the stairs to Chevalier’s office. She knocked hard.
    “Come,” he demanded angrily.
    “Don’t come me… get him out of my room!” she growled, stepping into his room.
    “Not until you understand how important it is to stay safe.” Chevalier looked up at her and winced, her temper was raging.
    “I am not your child. I am not your ward. I am not