Hadaen [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book One (14 page)

"Her hair glows green whenever you're
near her."

"So what? Your dick leads the way when
Amelia is nearby. What's the big deal?"

Hadaen threw back his head and laughed
hard. "I'll be damned. You like her."

Gideon shrugged nonchalantly. "She
called me a fool. Of course I like her." He threw another peg in
his mouth and grinned. "How many women do you know would dare take
that chance?"

None.

Hadaen shook his head and smiled. The
First must be laughing down at them at the moment.

The days when beautiful loose-tongued
women would humble the Marujan brothers. He wondered how his
younger brother, Faolan, was faring.

Possibly chasing after skirts that
were far too mature for his age, no doubt.

Hadaen smiled to himself. "Do you
think Faolan's still with Marza?"

Gideon stared blankly at the fruit as
if he was giving Hadaen's words some serious thought. Then he shook
his head. "Naaa. She's one of those women, you know? The
predictable ones. He probably grew tired of her centuries
ago."

"He's always been taken with women
older than his age."

Gideon laughed. "The man
likes experience. Can't say no to that." He them paused mid-chew
and screwed up his face. "
Damn.
We're here chatting about our brother's sex life.
It's kinda creepy. What are we, old men with dried up
balls?"

Hadaen chuckled. "I better get a wash
and go find Amelia." The orange hues of sunset reflected inside the
tent. He could feel his brother's eyes on him as he walked to the
flap. "What?"

"You're getting all
'
smiley
' since
lately. You should quit it. It's annoying me, man. I've gotten too
used to you being an asshole."

Hadaen stared at Gideon a moment and
then doubled over laughing. He then straightened his clothes and
blanked his expression.

"Make no mistake about it; I'm still
the asshole you've known all your life. Be here when I get back,
and I'll kick your ass." And he left the tent.

Gideon leaned back against the pillows
and grinned.

* * *

S
he knew the moment he entered her tent. His raw maleness
invading her space, sending a dose of lemon fragrance towards her.
He'd just taken a bath. Hadaen moved closer, his approach silent as
the mouth-watering scent of roasted pork and loaf suddenly filled
the air.

Amelia sat with her back to him, her
legs crossed before her. She'd been sitting like that for a hour,
contemplating...thinking. Soon. Very soon they would be face to
face with Deorci. She was merely a child when he had first attacked
Maruj. She could scarcely even remember. It was in that time she
had lost her mother.

She held her head low and touched the
locket on her necklace. A Kankul soldier had invaded their house,
killed her father and then came searching for others. Amelia had
been hidden beneath the floors. She could remember the darkness of
her mother's hair--a similar shade to hers. Her father's dark brown
locks, his kind smile.

"Never lose this..." her mother had
said, quickly, placing the necklace around her neck, tears running
down her cheeks. "It will keep you safe. Don't fret my child. I
will love you into eternity."

The words had never left her. They
still haunted her dreams, became real whenever she closed her
eyes.

The soft firmness of Hadaen Maruj's
kiss landed on the side of her neck. She sighed and moaned lowly.
Was she right to be with him? Was he truly the one who would bring
her eternal happiness?

"You're not well. Have you eaten?"
Hadaen sat before her, holding the plate between them. The food did
look as good as it smelled.

"I'm not hungry."

"You're lying," he said, his gaze
unwavering. "You must eat." He broke the loaf into quarters and
handed her a piece. When she didn't take it, he brooded heavily.
"Do you want me to have to feed you, Amelia? Eat."

Amelia reluctantly took the piece of
loaf and bit into it. It was delicious; nice and spongy. She then
looked at him and tore away a piece of the roasted meat.

"I didn't see you at all since this
morning," she said.

He nodded. "I went out scanning the
area. Wanted the position of every pebble and grain planted in my
mind."

"The Elders say I will start my
training tomorrow."

"Yes. I've been told. Sienna will be
your instructor."

Amelia frowned slightly.
"Sienna?"

"Yes. She's Marujan."

"Why is she here? I thought it'd be
best if all other Marujans were safely hidden in the
kingdom."

Hadaen plopped a scrap of loaf in his
mouth and thought about his words. "She was sent away by her
father."

"For what reason?"

Damn. He should have known she
wouldn't have let it go. "Amelia, if anytime during your training
Sienna happens to say or do anything to hurt you, I want you to
come to me immediately."

"Why would she--" Then she silenced,
staring down at the plate before looking at him again. "Had she
been one of your women?"

Hadaen groaned and got to his feet,
placing the food on a nearby table. "It wasn't
anything--"

"Oh please!" she drawled, standing as
well. She hated how much height he had over her at times. "Don't
dress it up at my expense. Your promiscuity throughout the kingdom
was no secret. Were you the reason she got sent away?"

His face hardened instantly and he
stepped into her space. "That woman is a conniving wench who had
wanted to force my hand in marriage. She was a noble, yes, and what
had been happening between us was never publicized. It was her own
fault that she wanted what could never be hers!"

She stood akimbo, her eyes narrowed.
"And what is that? Your royal hand in marriage? How do you decide
who's worthy and who's not? Because it was foretold that I'm your
destined wife?"

Hadaen stepped up to her, his eyes
murderous as his breath fanned over her beautiful face. "Do not try
me, Amelia. What's done is done and what's to be damned well will
be."

Amelia turned away and paced the room.
"It's amazing what things can be hidden in the realm of the noble,"
she said. "A common girl like me would have been banished for
that."

"There are many words to describe you,
Amelia. 'Common' is not one of them."

"Common is what I am, " she said
softly, spinning around to face him again. "I wasn't born in any of
those beautiful mansions near your grand palace. I was the lone
daughter of a farmer and his seamstress wife. After
their-their...death, if Lady Marza hadn't somehow been pleased with
my looks and taken me into her household, I don't know where I
would've ended up. It gained me standing; it wasn't much was it was
enough. I had food to eat and a shelter over my head. And at least
it promised me a favourable husband."

Hadaen gripped her chin gently,
running his thumb lightly over her cheek. "I would have found you
either way. It's been written in our destiny before we even
existed. Don't you ever doubt that."

Amelia sighed and looked away. "I
still don't understand." She looked down at her palms. "Why do I
have this energy coursing through my veins? I thought only nobles
have the mana."

Hadaen nodded and shrugged. "Perhaps
in The First's eyes, you are noble."

Amelia stepped closer, gripping his
hands as if she sought the strength she needed in them and searched
his gray eyes for the answers she so desperately wanted.

"But why me? The Daughter of Liberty.
Why not a noble?"

Hadaen sighed. "We never know these
things, Amelia. Embrace the gift He has granted and not question
it."

Amelia released a breath and stared up
at him. He was freshly shaven, his face ever so handsome. She could
remember the first time she had really laid eyes on him. He was
like a god in her presence--he still was--but now, she could really
stare at the artistic contours of his face. Hadaen Maruj was
gorgeous; even the sternness of his eyes had their own
beauty.

Reaching up on her toes, she touched a
kiss to his lips and heard his feral groan. He wanted her...and she
knew it. Without giving even the slightest notice, he stepped away
and moved towards the bed, stretching his large frame along
it.

Hadaen's heated gaze travelled over
her. "Take your clothes off."

Masking her shock, she simply stared
at him. He could not be serious. She was not just going to
strip--

"Why?" It was a dumb question, she
knew. Too bad she couldn't just grab it and stuff it back down her
throat.

He gave her a frank look. "I want to
see you. So stop stalling and take them off."

Amelia didn't know where she found the
courage but before she even managed to take in another breath, her
fingers were already fumbling at the buttons on her shirt.
Shrugging it off, she threw it over the back of a chair. Her jeans
were next, and they came right off to reveal her thin white
panties.

She heard him suck in a
breath.

Amelia moved a step forward when
Hadaen held a hand up to stop her. What now?

"What?"

"You're not finished. Get rid of the
bra and panties. I want to see all of you."

"You've already seen all
of--"

"Not like this." His hands went up
behind his head as he studied her expectantly. "Last time was a bit
rushed. Tonight I want to fully enjoy the exploration."

A hot blush crept up her throat and
spread across her cheeks. Hell, she was nervous. "Hadaen, I really
don't mind rushing--"

"Do you see this?" he grumbled,
tapping the more-than-obvious bulge in his pants. Her eyes widened.
She hadn't known a man could be so large before. "It's killing me
right now. The longer you take, the more you torture me. Do you
want to torture me, Amelia?"

Amelia snorted and worked at the clasp
of her bra. Looking directly over his head--and certainly nowhere
at him--she dropped the piece of garment to the floor. Somewhere
outside her direct vision, she saw him move. Then she stepped out
of her panties, willing her legs to stop shaking.

"There..." she muttered, wishing she
could just disappear. She wasn't used to such type of attention.
She was naked, for god's sake!

"God, you make me so fucking hard."
Her eyes met his at that moment. He looked half drunk and was
removing his belt. "Come here."

Walking gingerly over to him and
completely self-aware of how Hadaen's gaze followed her every move,
Amelia flinched when he grabbed her hand. His touch was hot enough
to scorch. In a moment she found herself on her back and him
towering over her.

"Aren't you going to take your clothes
off?" she asked, breathlessly.

"Not yet." And Hadaen took her mouth
in a fierce kiss that had her blood pumping wildly.

She could feel the wet fluid seeping
through her vaginal walls, damping the low curls surrounding her
sex. She wanted him. Then his warm mouth was on her neck, doing
things she could not describe. Her heart fluttered, skipped a few
beats perhaps as his kisses went lower, teasing her nipples into
tight rock-hard buds. Hadaen lingered there for a while, reveling
in the way her body squirmed for more, begging for greater
heights.

He kissed her small breasts, suckling
gently. Her hand gripped into his hair, holding him in place. He
would not deny her but he was not quite finished yet. Trailing his
tongue down her flat abdomen, he pressed a kiss to her
navel.

Amelia moaned, enjoying the sweet
sensations that were rocketing through her. Every muscle past her
waist tensed, anticipating his entrance into her yearning pussy.
She wanted him there now.

"Hadaen, please..."

"Not yet."

Biting her bottom lip, Amelia squeezed
her eyes shut and groaned. This was the sweetest torture. Then she
felt his strong hands holding her wrists down above her head.
Something leather was being clamped around her hands.

Amelia's eyes flew open. "What are you
doing?"

Hadaen's lips curved into a lop-sided
grin. The type that would make any woman weak in her knees.
"Pleasuring you..."

Trying to move her hands, she realized
they were bound together. Her

mouth opened. She was about ready to
panic. "What--"

"Relax. I won't hurt you. Just lay
back and...enjoy."

In a fast moment, Hadaen was slipping
down the bed and blowing against the dark curls at the apex of her
thighs. Amelia froze.

His hands came around her thighs,
gripping them. Chancing a glance down at him, she saw his head
lower to her pussy and almost screamed.

"Wait. Hadaen. You
mustn't---
Mmmmmm
!"

Her hips rocketed off the bed the
moment his tongue touched the tip of her sensitive bud. Blood
pounded in her ears, her throat tightened with need. She'd never
felt like this before. Hadaen held her down firmly and
smirked.