Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series Read Online Free PDF

away and I wouldn’t see you again.”
    Grimacing inside, Emily reached up and kissed Tim lightly on the lips and tried not to react when he responded forcefully, returning her kiss as his arms moved up to hold her head tightly.
    She let him lead her into the bedroom and as he turned and laid her on the bed, her body froze and then she sat up and looked at the cameras.
    Tim sat up, frustrated, “What’s wrong?”
    “The cameras, they are always watching,” she said, and she slipped out of bed and went back into the other room. Before Tim emerged, she grabbed her book and was reading again, pleased with her progress.
    ***
    Chevalier sighed, “Whatever she’s doing worked, and she’s positive again. I don’t like this. I can hear voices, but can’t make out what they are saying. All I’m getting are bursts of emotions.”
    Kyle smiled, “It’s something at least.”
    Chevalier nodded and turned back to his squadron.
    ***
    When the heavy door opened two days later, Emily was ready for them. She braced herself against the back wall and waited, a gleam in her eye. Tim was, as usual, restrained first and then the five came for her.
    She smiled as they approached, “Ready to tangle?”
    The five heku glanced at each other, not entirely sure what to think. The tallest one stepped forward, “Let’s do this easy, Child. No more jokes like last time.”
    “Oh… didn’t like my joke?” she asked, grinning.
    She had thought this through in her mind over and over, and when it was about to happen, time slowed down. Emily ducked under the first arm that came to grab her and she turned a somersault, coming up behind them. She jumped onto the back of one of the surprised heku, and twisted his head violently to the side, dropping him to his knees.
    As the first fell, she landed deftly on her feet and ducked down, bringing one foot out to catch the closest heku in the kneecap. She heard a sickening grinding as his kneecap was pushed out of place, and he screamed.
    Their formation was thrown off. The next heku grabbed her from behind, trapping her waist with one hand, and her upper chest with the other. Emily drew her head forward and let it thrust back into his nose. He screamed and let her go.
    She spun on the other two and dropped into a crouch she’d seen the heku do often. She hissed at them, her hands balled into fists. The two remaining heku were unsure and glanced around the room nervously.
    Emily was tackled from behind by the heku who had managed to return his head to the correct position. She felt her body slam into the floor and it knocked the wind out of her. Before she could regain control, she was dragged to the bed and tied up again.
    She screamed angrily.
    “For that, Child, you must be punished,” the tallest heku said to her.
    Once they were done measuring her and drawing her blood, they left. This time, Tim didn’t come to untie her, and she laid in the painfully awkward position for hours. Her back was sent into spasms and she cried out in pain. Her wrists and ankles were swollen and bruised from the restraints. Hours later, she couldn’t scream any more as her voice gave out and her mouth ran dry.
    ***
    Chevalier dropped to his knees, alone in his quarters. The pain was excruciating, and he had to fight the urge to scream. The pain suddenly stopped and as he stood up, he realized that it was from Emily.
    “We’re coming, Em, hold on,” he said to the dark room.
    ***
    The pain became worse, and all Emily could think of was how to get release from the intense spasms that shot through her body. She squeezed her eyes shut as she concentrated to try to make her muscles relax. She had broken out in a sweat, and the pain made her entire body shake.
    A long sigh escaped her parched lips when someone released her binds. She wasn’t sure who it was, they didn’t speak. The muscles in her body were so tightly knotted, that all she could do was roll onto her side to relieve some of the pressure. She drifted