Hadaen [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book One (18 page)

"I'm sorry, Amelia. I
just--"

She shrugged hard out of his hold, the
blue glow hazy in her eyes. Amelia stood with her back to him, her
fingers closed in two tight fists.

"I want to be alone
tonight."

"Amelia, do not do this."

"Please leave, Hadaen."

The words came brisk and clipped,
stabbing through him like a knife. She was rejecting him. And he
was not taking it well. Pushing himself to his feet, he reached out
to grab her. Amelia took two steps forward just in time to avoid
his hold.

Hadaen's anger spiked.

"I'm not leaving, Amelia. This isn't
how it works. Never expect me to--"

"Get out!" she shrieked, spinning
around so he could see the soft tears trickling down her face, her
lips shaking.

He stood, teeth gritting so hard he
could almost taste dust. He was infuriated.

And it was taking all of his might for
Hadaen to walk away. Part of him wanted to leave her be, to allow
her to calm down for the night. The other part of him wanted to lay
her across his lap and spank her hard for making him feel like the
asshole he was starting to hate so much.

In the end, he did what was best in
her interest.

He walked away.

Chapter
Thirteen

G
ideon closed his eyes for the umpteenth time since night.
What did a man have to do to get a proper sleep in this village?
Wind slapped against the sturdy support of the tent. He could hear
the chattering of female voices just outside; obviously steered at
grabbing his attention, no doubt. The voices silenced almost
abruptly and his eyes flew open.

He should feel glad. Ecstatic, really.
Instead he felt tense, sensing a movement heading in his direction.
Grabbing the knife that was well-hidden beneath his pillow, Gideon
moved quickly, stealthily towards the flap of the tent. He stepped
to the side, waiting for the intruder to attack.

He was prepared for any sudden ambush.
He had learnt that skill quite well over the years out of
necessity. He counted to three.

One...
The movement stilled just outside the tent.

Two...
The attacker reached for the flap.

Three...

There was no 'three'. Gideon grabbed
hold of the assailant, yanking him hard inside the tent and
pressing the blade forcefully against a slender throat.

A faint lavender scent blew up and
around him, a thick mass of raven-coloured hair tickling his
jaw.

"Amelia?"

He released her immediately, creating
at least a good five-feet distance between them quickly as if she
had suddenly turned too hot to the touch.

"Sorry... I came to--"

"
Damn it
!" He groaned deeply and put
down the knife, running his hands—both hands—through his hair. "I
could have killed you!"

She didn't look the least bit
frightened. Instead, she ran her palms nervously along the front of
her jeans.

"Yes, I know. But--"

"Fuck!" he began swearing again,
pacing rapidly. He then stopped abruptly before her. "Whatever you
do, do not say a word about this to Hadaen. He'd fucking castrate
me--and take my damn head off." He squeezed his eyes shut and
released an anguished groan. "I like my head, Amelia. But heaven
knows, I love my balls."

Amelia simply stared at him, trying
desperately not to explode into a fit. Taking a soothing breath,
she decided to try again.

"I need your help, Gideon."

His brows came together and he
swallowed hard, eyeing her through narrowed eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"I think so." She pulled out a chair
and sat on it, her hands knotted so tightly in her hair, she could
feel a few strands breaking.

"Talk to me."

Amelia looked him over slowly as he
sat patiently before her. They looked alike. Hadaen and he. All
three of them did. She had only ever seen the middle brother,
Faolan, once at a ball she had been so fortunate to attend due to
Lady Marza's influence. But they really did look alike. The same
deep gray eyes and charming dark hair. The same tall and large
built, power emanating from them like steam.

"Do you think Deorci will come
soon?"

Gideon's gaze was sharp but she could
see the tenderness within them. The calm.

"I know he will. But you shouldn't
worry about that. You'll be ready. We will be ready."

Amelia nodded and swallowed thickly,
working up the nerves to spit out what was really on her
mind.

"Do you believe we can all be happy
after this is over?" she asked. "Will life ever be the
same?"

Gideon leaned forward. His voice came
low as he said, “What are you not telling me?"

"I know how to defeat
Deorci."

He grabbed her hand across the table
and squeezed. "Say that again."

"I know to how destroy him," she said,
this time, in hushed tones.

"Since?"

"O-only minutes ago. But I figured it
out, Gideon."

"Did you go to Hadaen?"

She frowned. "N-no."

"Why the
hell
not? He should have
been the first one to know. He's your--"

"I know, I know."

"There's something else to this then."
He released her hand and watched her face whiten, paled.

"There is," Amelia admitted after the
longest moment. "But you must promise you won't say a word of it to
your brother."

"I can't do that." He shook his head.
"No. Hadaen will know. He'll figure out that I'm hiding something
from him. Besides, it can't be that bad."

"It is."

"And you have also seemed to forget
that my brother is a master at reading minds."

"He trusts you too much to invade
yours."

"Amelia, I still can't--"

"Please, Gideon. You mustn't say a
word. Please..."

Damn. There was something about women
that always had him softening a little. And there she was with
those big blue sad eyes. Plus, she was his eldest brother's
intended. She was a queen in every sense of the word.

He sighed and gave her a nod. "Okay.
I'm listening."

Amelia swallowed hard and opened her
mouth to speak.

But neither of them had a
clue...

of the watchful ears that lingered
just outside the tent.

* * *

S
ienna downed her mug of whiskey and laughed--however
stiffly--at a joke a few of the women had been sharing with her.
She had to admit, she had never felt at home at the Hub of Lensai;
partly because it truly wasn't her home. But tonight she was
feeling particularly well and she had no intention of letting
anything spoil her mood.

She did not give acknowledgement to
the woman glaring at her from across the fire. She hardly even
pretended to notice. Esyth; that was her name? She should think so.
Sienna didn't need a magnifying glass to see that the woman didn't
like her.

But she didn't care.

Pouring herself some more beverage,
Sienna nodded at one of the women.

"God, Marla! I'm hoping you're gonna
say you kneed the bastard in the groin."

The woman gave her a
sobered look and eyed her other friends. "
Naaa
! I just reached behind me that
night and took out my knife..."

Sienna's brows rose. "You cut his
balls off?"

Marla grinned, whiskey droplets
spurting out and sizzling in the fire. "I wish." And the other
women laughed heartily. "I just grabbed him hard like this--" She
held out a fist, pressing her fingertips firmly into her palms.
"--and I twisted those nuts all the way round the asshole cried
like a baby!"

The laugh came rapidly past Sienna's
lips. Shaking her head, she sipped some more of her drink. "I bet
he never touched you again."

"
Touch?
More like I
never--"

Sienna caught the fast movement of a
shadow across the yard near the tents and every word Marla was
saying dissolved into thin air. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she
recognized the being as Hadaen, rushing from his tent and towards
the dense woodland. She wondered what he was about and felt the
urge to go find out.

She'd had a ton of urges when it came
on to Hadaen Maruj; still did. She wouldn't be female at all if she
didn't still have feelings for the man. What woman wouldn't? To
her, he was still the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on and
seeing him around the village only served as stirring up all that
sexual yearning she had thought would never be brought back to
light.

She would not deny it; there was no
use pretending that she did not want him. The knowledge that he had
found his intended mate had enraged her, broken her especially
after all she had shared with him. He hadn't been her first but
Hadaen was sure one hell of a great lover. She remembered how he
used to give her finale after finale, fucking her just how she
liked it: hard and fierce.

And now...she longed for him to be on
top of her, behind her or whatever as he drive her over the edge.
And if her mind continued on this same track, she'd build up enough
wetness to smother the darn fire before her!

When her head turned back, Sienna's
eyes clashed with those of her most attentive of spectators. Esyth.
She only returned the icy glare and smiled before bidding the other
women a good night.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," she
said, pushing to her feet, her bottom still numb from where she had
sat on the log. She then chuckled and gave Marla a pointed look.
"Don't go wringing any man's balls while I'm not
around."

Marla tipped her cup up and gave a
semi-intoxicated grin. "I wouldn't even dare!"

And with that Sienna stormed off,
fully conscious of a certain pair of eyes watching her every
move.

The night smelt of damp wood, mud and
fresh dew.

All in all, not a very romantic
atmosphere but she had seen worse. Besides, she hadn't been the
type to wallow in silly dreams and fantasies; she saw what she
wanted and went straight after it. It was precisely what she had
done the very first time she had gotten within ten feet of His
Lordship, Hadaen Maruj.

She could remember that night as
clearly as if it had just happened……..

It was the annual Spring Ball thrown
by the nobles for the Marujan dynasty. She had been excited--giddy,
really--to meet Hadaen Maruj in the flesh. She'd been only
seventeen years old but quite worldly underneath it all. Perhaps it
was because of those adult books Nanny Fariah had kept hidden in
her closet.

Sienna knew that she was beautiful,
everyone told her so. So when she had arrived at the ball in her
red silk gown, all eyes were turned on her, focused and unwavering.
Women batted grudging lashes while the men stopped whatever it was
they were doing and simply stared.

She had loved the attention
completely.

Two hours into the event, Hadaen Maruj
had arrived at the ballroom, of his own palace, behind his two
brothers. Sienna never really liked the youngest one. Gideon his
name was--that one had always found it amusing to make her look
like a fool. And Faolon, no one ever saw much of him. People said
he was the quiet one.

But either way, she hadn't cared about
the rest. Her interest was with Hadaen Maruj. To think of the
things that could happen if he were to take her as his wife. Oh,
she would have gotten a brain-ache just thinking about
it.

Luckily she had known his cousin,
Halise, a girl her age from all the dance classes she'd been taking
since they were children.

"Introduce me to your cousin," she had
whispered, fixing the neckline of her gown so it showed a bit more
cleavage.

"Why?" Halise was sipping on her wine
and admiring the dapper gentleman, Noble Kitson Marage.

"Because I
said
so. Now make an
introduction." She was so eager, she was sure sweat was pouring
down her thighs.

Halise gave a discreet
dreamy smile to Kitson and he tilted his head slightly to the side,
desire evident in his eyes. "
Ohhh
," she'd purred. "Isn't he the
handsomest man you've ever seen?" Sienna rolled her eyes and jabbed
her in the side. "Ouch! Have you gone daft?"

"And have you gone mad?
Drooling over that man like a ninny. I
said
, introduce me to your cousin
now."

"Which one?" Halise had sighed, never
breaking gaze with Noble Marage.

"Lord Hadaen, you dimwit! Who else
could I possibly want to meet?"

"Well, there's Gideon, he is charming
and so very humorous." She actually giggled. "And Faolan is an
amazing--"