Hadaen [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book One (20 page)

"Oh shut up, will you!" Esyth brushed
a lock of hair from her face. "Now... My question."

Gideon raised a brow and stared over
her shoulder, wondering how this woman managed so easily to leave
him speechless. "I'm listening."

"What will happen after
this?"

His gaze quickly averted to hers, a
grin forming across his lips. "Well, I would carry you off to that
bed right there and--"

"Not after
this
, you fool!" she
snapped. She then lowered her voice. "I mean after this... We know
Deorci will come soon and Amelia--poor Amelia--she hasn't a clue
yet of how to destroy him for good."

A dark look passed over Gideon's face
and he blinked, nodding quickly. "I'm sure we will figure it
out."

Esyth eyed him curiously and touched
his cheek. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Of course not. Why do you
ask?"

"I just... Never mind. If something
was troubling you, you wouldn't hide it from me, would
you?"

Gideon's eyes blazed intently. He them
smiled widely and kissed her lightly. "Of course not. So when are
you going to give me a bite of your cookie?"

Esyth laughed and shook her head.
"Just a bite?"

"Fine!" he grumbled, looking truly
distraught. "I want the whole damn jar."

Esyth giggled and slipped out of his
grip, running towards the far end of the tent. "Only if you can
catch--" Her mouth fell open as she noticed her robe dissolving
swiftly, revealing her naked body. She glowered across at him,
blush heating her entire physique. "That's cheating."

Gideon flung his head back and
grinned. "I've never been a fair player, Esyth. Get used to
it."

* * *

A
melia stood at the edge of the cliff, the heavy winds
bustling through her windbreaker and slapping hard against the back
of her thighs. Her ponytail blew forward and over her shoulder as
she gazed down, overlooking the village. The tents looked like
small white boxes from where she stood, the few villagers moving
around like insects. She had to defend them against Deorci’s hand;
save them, for it was her duty.

He was near, she could feel it.
Deorci’s bloodthirsty spirit was upon them and she tried to
convince herself that she was prepared. Prepared to remove him from
the Marujan dimension for good.

She continued staring down. Hadaen was
down there. Possibly with Gideon and the other men as they stacked
weapons and regulated their plans for that upcoming day of gloom.
But he was down there. She could feel his energy from thus far as
if he was some vital part of her. It would be a shame
when--

"No training today?"

Amelia recognized the voice
immediately and turned to face Gideon. "No. I'm ready. Whenever he
decides to strike, I'll be ready for it."

He nodded and stuck his hands deep
inside his pockets. "I wanted to talk to you...about what we talked
about last night."

"Why? Has Hadaen suspected
something?"

"No. Are you sure it's your only
option?"

"Yes. I know." Amelia bowed her head
and closed her eyes. "I saw it."

Gideon moved in closer. "You had
another premonition?"

"Yea." A lump of anxiety worked in her
throat. "I did."

Gideon towered over her, his eyes
quickly searching her expression. "When?"

"Just this morning." Amelia stood at
the edge of the cliff, tilting her head to the clear sky. "The
clouds are getting darker. Thicker. We don't have much time until
Deorci decides to pay us a visit."

"How soon do you think?"

"Maybe four days. Three. I can...feel
it." She then turned to face him again, her eyes damp. "I'm
scared."

Gideon inhaled sharply, truly saddened
by her state of distress. "You should be. But with us behind you,
you'll be fine."

"Have you spoken to him?"

Gideon looked at her for a long
moment. If his brother were to ever find out what Amelia's plans
were on how to destroy Deorci, he'd be devastated...furious. He was
keeping her secret thus far but he was not sure if he'd be able to
go through it for much longer. He could not live with the thought
that he had hurt his brother.

"He's pissed. You're not talking to
him."

Her eyes widened a bit, a tear rolling
past the lids. "I don't even know how to face him, Gideon. I'm
afraid that if I do, I'll just spill everything out."

"Would that be such a terrible thing?
Maybe if you tell him... I don't know. Maybe, he could come up with
another plan. A better plan."

"It's the only way!" she cried, the
tears now coming full force down her face. "Do you think I want to
do this? That I want to hurt him? No! But I have to. I've got to
make this sacrifice, Gideon. It's the only way."

Gideon nodded his understanding but it
was ripping him apart inside. He was hoping dreadfully that Hadaen
found out...but for the time being, he'd keep her
secret.

"You should still speak with
him."

Amelia wiped her face and inhaled
deeply. "I will. I just need some more time to think. Will you give
me that?"

He rested his hand against her
shoulder, comforting her. A brotherly warmth surging from his body
to hers.

"Whatever happens...I've got your
back."

Amelia smiled weakly up at him. "Thank
you."

T
wo hours later she made her way through the village. There
were roughly thirty-five people who occupied the rugged space.
Apparently, Protectors were not chosen slightly or in large
numbers. A few women sat on logs adding finishing touches to
leather war-suits. Men crowded together examining their newly-made
steel weapons. It seemed as if everyone was getting
well-prepared.

Amelia could hear the harsh slapping
of metal against steel, the sizzling of water against hot metal
surfaces... She was pleased but still felt dreary
inside.

She felt Hadaen's presence before she
even saw him. He stood amidst four men almost his height and built,
conversing. The moment she looked across to him, his gaze was
already piercing through her. He'd been watching her the entire
time. A wave of heat washed over her, reminding her of how much she
desired him...how much he desired her. She looked away, bidding a
greeting to a couple of the women who waved to her. She decided to
take some time, delaying her meeting with Hadaen.

When Amelia looked in his direction
again, he was no longer flocked by the male villagers. He stood
alone, hands in his pockets, and staring intensely at her. A chill
ran down her spine and she worked up the courage to face him. It
was now or never.

"Hi," she said, his gaze bearing
heavily down on her.

Hadaen cut straight to the chase. His
eyes softened when he brushed a finger lightly over her cheek. "You
were crying."

"I'm fine," she quickly assured him.
"You look...well."

"You're lying." He pulled her closer,
hugging her tight against him. He had missed her scent, the
softness of her body. "I look like a damn mess."

He did. Dark circles hung around his
eyes, the stubby new growth of his beard rough and rugged. But he
still looked gorgeous to her, even more now. It was obvious he was
going around feeling miserable all because of her.

Guilt tore at her heart.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You deserve more
than what my selfish soul is willing to offer."

"It's alright."

"No, it's not." Hadaen bent and
pressed his lips against hers softly. "I hurt you. And I'm paying
for it."

Amelia stared up at him, trying to
mask her surprise. Could it be possible that Hadaen be capable of
loving her? She blinked away the thought. It didn't matter anyway.
It did not change what she would have to do when she would be face
to face with Deorci.

So instead of opening her mouth and
risking the chance of her spilling her secret, she nodded
briskly.

"I had another premonition this
morning."

Hadaen's expression quickly became
stern and he ushered her away from the crowd and noise, and into
his tent. As soon as he seated her, he pulled up a chair directly
before her.

"What did you see?"

"I had just left my tent about to look
for Esyth. The dark clouds...were huddling nearer. Almost directly
over-head of the village."

Hadaen sighed. "We've probably only
got a couple days left then."

Amelia knotted her fingers in her lap.
"I hadn't expected it to be so soon."

"Me either." He walked over to the
flap of the tent, peered outside and then walked back. "It seems as
if Deorci has found something."

She narrowed her gaze on him. "What do
you mean?"

"It's highly unlikely that he would
strike in a time like this. It's just not his technique. He knows
we are expecting him. Something must have caused him to speed up
his pace."

"Like what?" Oh please don't let him
say it. Please.....

"My best guess is that he knows about
you, Amelia. That could only mean that he feels threatened by you
and wants to destroy you as soon as he can."

Amelia jumped to her feet, her hands
shaking as she wiped them over her face. "Well... Shall we alert
the others then?"

Strong gentle arms circled her waist
and she leaned against his support.

Hadaen showered small kisses over her
face, nibbling on her earlobes and then pressing his lips against
her forehead.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I
will protect you with my life, Amelia."

Her heart slammed against her chest.
The last thing she needed right now was any further addition of
guilt on her part. She choked on a sob. "I know you feel like it's
your duty to protect me but--"

"It is my duty." Hadaen tilted her
head so he could see deep into the eyes that he loved so much. "I
don't give a damn if I haven't brought you down that aisle yet. You
are my wife in very sense of the word. And I will never truly be
complete without you by my side."

She could see the sincerity in his
eyes. The warm concern embedded in his soul. And she believed him.
She knew the second she was falling in love with him. And that
second had passed two minutes ago. Amelia tried not to let the
emotion take her over but it was no use. Feelings could not be
turned off, emotions could not be hindered.

She was in love with Hadaen
Maruj.

She cursed herself a fool for letting
it happen...but felt immensely pleased that it had. Loving this man
would only make her shocking decision in the next couple days
harder to make...but at least it would keep her heart at ease when
the time came. Her loving him will certainly build her strength in
fighting against Deorci.

Even if he didn't return the
love.

She'd want his hands all over her one
more time; to indulge in his sweet kisses and fervent touch. For it
was a memory she was willing to take straight to the
end.

"Make love to me, Hadaen." Her eyes
never wavered from his own as she reached a hand around his neck.
"Right now."

Her gaze followed the gulp that ran
down his throat. Hadaen's pupils dilated, the skin across his jaws
drawn tight. He was trying to control himself, to hold back. "Are
you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm sure. I want you with everything
that I am." Her hand reached outwards, plucking each button of his
shirt out of their holes. When her fingers touched bare skin, she
felt more than heard his sharp intake of breath.

Amelia shoved his shirt off after
removing her blazer. She then pulled her blouse over her head to
reveal heavily swollen breasts spilling over her bra.

Before she could make another move,
Hadaen was already pulling her up against him that she had no
choice but to wrap her legs around his waist. Firm hands gripped
her butt, as he ground himself against her. A wave of desire shot
through her and she grabbed at his head, slamming her mouth
hungrily against his.

It was a kiss of life. Their tongues
colliding with a hot friction that shook the very ground beneath
them.

Hadaen ripped her bra at the front,
raising her higher as he pressed his face against her creamy
breasts. He sucked on one sweet areole and then the next,
determined to give her mind-blowing pleasure. Amelia's moans were
like a motivational song as his groin pulsated with need. And he
moved towards the bed, sliding slowly down on to it.

Hadaen eased off her a moment, ridding
himself of the rest of his clothes. His erection sprung free, never
ceasing to leave her astonished at its thickness and length. He
then eased her hips upwards as he removed her clothes quickly,
barely sparing a second.

"What?" Amelia blushed. She didn't
know why she did, but she did. "Why are you staring at me like
that?"