Hadaen [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book One (16 page)

just before he ripped him and his
brothers to pieces

and burnt his beloved kingdom to the
fucking ground.

* * *

T
he shadows castes from the blazing candles danced across her
face. Hadaen could barely concentrate on what Elder Marlak and
Elder Joséah were saying.

He was mesmerized.

The thick fist of muscle some called a
heart throbbed hard against his chest. His cock swelled in his
pants as sweat beaded at his temples. He could not find any reason
for him wanting this woman so badly. Either he was losing his
mind... or he really was losing his mind.

She was prophesized as his intended
mate.

But The First help him, he could
barely contain the raging need he had for her at the moment. If it
weren't for his concrete self-control--which was just hanging by a
thread by the way--he'd clear every damn thing off this table and
spread those lovely thighs extra wide to accommodate
him.

Everything about her fascinated him,
kept him mentally drooling after her like a starved dog. The scent
of her hair, the way she tilted her head to the side...drawing him
into the depth of those cock-swelling blue eyes. He found himself
liking the way her eyes squinted whenever she was concentrating,
even the way she nibbled on that juicy bottom lip when she doesn't
know he knows she's nervous. Even the way--

Damn it, man! You're
turning into a love-sick fool!

Love
. Hadaen gave himself a mental shake. If he could, he'd draw
himself up by the collar and knock a few teeth out too. Love?
Heavens, no! He was incapable of such things. He liked, of course.
Adored, maybe. But love? Not a chance. That one required
strings...responsibilities...duties; too damn much. So he'd stick
to lusting. And after he officially made Amelia his wife, he'd
continue lusting after her straight into eternity.

"But what does it mean?" Hadaen caught
her words just in time as he abandoned his reverie.

Elders Marlak and Joséah exchanged
glances. The two men looked about a thousand years old (no
exaggeration). And possibly more. Deep wrinkles were set into their
faces like huge crevices, the hair on their heads white and
thinning.

Elder Marlak's eyes were a crisp green
while Elder Joséah's were a soft light blue. But all in all, the
only thing really youthful about the men were their
voices.

"I'm sorry, dear." Elder Marlak
cleared his throat. He pointed a bearded chin out in Hadaen's
direction. "This one's—with all due respect, my lord—rather
colourful thoughts have been distracting me."

Hadaen stiffened subtly as five pairs
of eyes narrowed on him. Amelia's brows rose skeptically while
Esyth simply stared at him as if he was some insolent child. When
did anyone ever had the audacity to look at him in such a manner?
Gideon, on the other hand, burst into a fit of laughter.

"I can place a hefty bet on that one!"
he cackled, slapping his knee. Esyth gave him a scolding look.
"It's true. You all know he could only be thinking
abou--"

"Never mind that," Elder Joséah
interjected, his eyes beaming with obvious amusement. "I'm sure
Lord Hadaen's thoughts are none of our business. Elder Marlak
apologizes, my lord."

Hadaen gave the slightest of nods and
glanced sideways at Amelia who was apparently still staring at him.
She then looked away quickly, her face heated with
blush.

This time Esyth spoke. "You were
saying, Elders?"

"It appears Amelia Kunar's abilities
are not restricted to the physical realm," Elder Marlak pointed
out. "It could possibly have been a premonition, most
likely."

"A premonition?" Amelia sat up
straight. More alert. "So you mean I might be able to predict the
future?"

"Well, not exactly 'see' the future,
dear child," he went on. "But view...signs which could tell what
future events will be like. The dark clouds, for example, could
mean a storm on the surface. But beneath, it could very mean very
dark times ahead."

The tent fell quiet for a
minute.

"Is there any possibility that Deorci
knows about Amelia?" Hadaen decided to ask. It was his biggest
concern, of course.

"We don't know," Elder Joséah sighed.
"But we must never underestimate Deorci’s abilities. He is very
powerful and dangerous man."

"How do we defeat him?" Gideon asked,
his eyes sharp. "'Cause it's about time we started doing some real
ass-kicking."

The Elders once again exchanged
glances. And both looked at Amelia with a strange unreadable
expression on their faces. Hadaen stretched his arm over the back
of her chair and waited for their response. Esyth looked about
ready to chew her entire mouth off.

Gideon bobbed his head and grinned,
obviously picking up something they all were not
getting.

Elder Joséah stared directly at
Amelia, his pupils almost dancing.

"Only she knows."

Chapter Eleven

T
he Heavens was cleansing the earth.

Once more before hell broke loose,
perhaps.

Rocks glistened beneath the light
rain, leaves and branches swaying in the tender breeze.

Amelia pulled her jacket closer,
zipping all the way up to her chin. Rainwater trickled down and
over branches overhead, dampening her hair. But she refused to
move.

She needed this solitude.

...very dark times
ahead.

...a premonition, most
likely.

…only she
knows.

The Elders' words rang in her head,
invading her dreams for the last three nights. If she were to
really know how to defeat Deorci, then why didn't she actually
know? She tried as best as she could to dig deep within her
mind...to discover even the tiniest of hints on how to do that but
all she ever ended up with was sweat-ridden palms and blank mind.
Nothing.

Responsibility was burdening her
shoulders. Centuries ago, the most she had ever thought about was
one day forming a family of her own; creating a loving unit with a
loving husband and their beautiful children. To somewhat make up
for all she had lost. She knew nothing could ever compare to the
love her parents had shown up to the their last days. But she was
willing to be happy for once again.

The Marujan kingdom was looking to her
for salvation. So were the occupants of the Hub of Lensai. If she
were to die, so would they...eventually. Deorci would wipe the
slate clean off all Marujans and their links. He would destroy the
Marujan dynasty.

Gideon...Faolan...Hadaen. They'd all
be gone.

Hadaen. Amelia rested her head in her
hands, forcing back the tears that welled up to her lids. She did
not know for sure her feelings towards him but she knew it was
somewhere between like and love. She wanted him. Maybe even need
him as well. Hell, her thoughts never failed to stray towards the
most erotic of images whenever he was near. If it we're for her
stubbornness and independent nature, she would've sworn she was
falling in love with him.

But she couldn't.

Hadaen Maruj was still the man she had
known seven centuries ago. The same man who had torn her dress down
the neckline and intended on ripping her virginity from her as if
it held no value at all. He was still that man who had acted on the
feeling on his groin rather than the common senses in his
head.

He was incapable of love. If fate had
promised them together for eternity, then she had no control over
her future.

But he was also the man who had taken
a stab wound to the gut for her sake. The same man who had brought
her to a sexual climax, only hours later, so beautiful she
cried...so sultry and hot, the memories were bound to be burnt into
her mind forever.

But he could not love her and she
would force her heart not to mingle. She would not love him either.
Heartbreak is best kept at bay that way.

A twig snapped behind her. Amelia's
head sprung up immediately, her hands swatting at her wet
face.

"Don't stop because of me." Esyth.
"Are you alright?"

Amelia sniffled and eased back against
the trunk of the tree, watching as the last few inches of rain
fell.

"I'm fine. Just
thinking..."

"It seems that's all we can do now."
Her blonde hair was caught in a ponytail, highlighting her high
cheek bones. She was really beautiful; simple and tender
radiance.

"Did you follow me here?"

Esyth took a seat on a stone next to
Amelia, a strange expression on her face. "I'm scared, Amelia. I
try not to be--and as your protector I know I should be
stronger--but I'm scared."

Amelia looked around at the woman. Her
Protector. The woman who had shielded her from harm for twenty-five
years. The woman who had single-handedly fought off numbers of
Kankul soldiers in her lifetime. A woman who had accomplished so
much without even a scar to prove. Of course, Protectors could live
into eternity as the Marujan nobles; but they could also be killed
as easily any mortal.

"I'm scared too. Terrified. I don't
know...how to do this, Esyth."

"You must find a way," she said,
humbly. "Search deep inside--"

"I have!" Amelia jumped to her feet,
her boots squishing in the mud. She was angry. Angry because she
could not find it. She could not figure out the way to defeat
Deorci. "But I just can't...And I feel..." She broke into a sob. "I
feel all this burden and I just can't ..."

She could not hold back the tears.
They came spilling over her cheeks heavily, her nose burning with
emotion. Esyth's hand came down on her shoulder...comforting and
supportive. Calming.

"It's alright," she murmured, giving
Amelia a tight hug. "However it turns out, it will be
alright."

"No... It won't. I cannot allow our
people to endure another blow from that monster's hand. They have
bearer enough." She sniffed and blinked away the tears. "I'll try
harder. I won't allow Deorci to win. Never again."

Esyth nodded, a proud smile touching
her lips.

"Good. Lord Hadaen been looking for
you."

* * *

T
oday was not his day.

Where the hell had he put his boots?
And where was his damn belt? Damn it, he'd go mad if he stayed
another second in this tent. He wanted to see her and he knew for a
fact that she was purposely avoiding him. Ever since that night
they had gone to see the Elders about her alleged 'premonition'.
Amelia had none but sprints off from Elder Marlak’s tent an hour
later and then verbally banned him from entering hers.

"If you enter this tent, be prepared
never to utter another word to me again!" she'd yelled at
him.

Of course he had no doubt in his mind
that she could never have kept up with that charade but he wasn't
stupid. He could read between the lines. Not that he really needed
to. She'd have spoken to him again, alright. Have sex with him?
That was a whole different arena. He could not have taken that
chance and even when she became his wife, she still had the liberty
to deny him.

Stupid Marujan laws! Who
the hell came up with that one anyway?
He'd make sure to have that specific one Burt from all
existing scrolls.

A shuffle came from the flap of his
tent and he spun around quickly, half-expecting Amelia to appear.
But it wasn't her and his mood fell from excited to downright
irritated.

"Elder Marlak," Hadaen
greeted.

The old man stepped inside, sniffing
around like a dog following a scent. His hands were folded at his
back, his rounded belly sagging heavily against the fabric of a
plaid long-sleeved shirt.

"Lord Hadaen." He gave a half-bow.
"With all respect, my lord, I must say you look
terrible."

If he were a child, Hadaen would have
rolled his eyes. He knew his hair was a bit over-grown from its
usual length. He knew that his shirt looked as if it was just
thrown on him savagely. And his eyes were baggy with the dark
circles around them because he hadn't slept in three damn
days!

Lack of sex does that to a
man.

Hadaen buttoned up his shirt an
regarded the Elder. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"Oh no," Elder Marlak said, still
peering around the tent as if he was looking for something in
particular. "I came to assist you with your...personal
problems."

...personal
problems?

Hadaen chuckled. "All right." H could
not break the poor man's spirits. "I'm listening."

Elder Marlak move about gracefully and
sat himself down at the table on the east corner of the
tent.

"I see Amelia has improved greatly in
her training. Sienna had informed me of what an absolutely
astounding pupil she has become."

Hadaen fought against stewing up his
face. Of he heard one more word of that woman--

"Yes." He looked around subtly for his
boots still. "She’s excellent, actually."