by Hannah888
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.
"Moan for me again, baby."
He gave her clit another lick, tasting her. Her thighs quivered and her pants came loud and shaky. Swirling his tongue around her swollen bud, he heard her harsh intake of breath and the tiny gasps.
Amelia moaned loudly as her legs widened as if by instinct, granting Hadaen better access. Her hands were bound, she could not touch him. It was painful pleasure. She could feel his tongue licking on her clitoris, moving in the sweetest sweep she had ever felt in her life. His tongue thrust deep inside her, edging her to a wonderful death.
"Oh godddd!" she groaned. "Don't stop!" His mouth closed over her bud, sucking hard. Pleasure spiraled through her, almost knocking her head off. "Fuck!"
Hadaen inserted a finger inside her, her body arcing off the bed as he did so. She was so remarkably passionate he could come right there and then. He then inserted another, pumping hard.
Her scream echoed in his ears.
Amelia's hips rocked hard as he sucked and licked her, his fingers never stop pumping. Her entire body shook, spasms running through it like a wild current. He saw her glance down at him, her teeth clenched and eyes watery as she released a long groan.
Then her head fell back against the pillows and her hips jerked upwards in one last swift motion. But he didn't stop. Not until the spasms receded and her body lay limp and spent.
Dropping a kiss on the inside of both thighs, Hadaen reached up and released her hands from the bondage of his belt. He then lay propped up on one elbow, smiling down at her.
Her face was flush, eyes still wide as she stared up at the ceiling.
"That was...amazing," she finally said, brushing back strands of sweat-dampened hair from her face.
Hadaen chuckled and nibbled on her cheek. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Amelia looked at him. "What about you?"
He shook his head and smiled, kissing her on the tip of her nose. "I'm fine. You look exhausted. You should--damn you, woman!"
Hadaen groaned as he felt her fingers squeezing his swollen cock through the denim of his pants. He tensed and closed his eyes. She never moved her hand and when he opened his eyes again, he saw her staring at him; those bright blue eyes tempting him.
"I want you inside me." And she unzipped his jeans and shoved it down his thighs, yanking them off. Them
her smile lit up the tent. "No underwear. Seems you came prepared."
Hadaen growled and pulled her beneath him, spreading her legs wide, the back of her knees over his shoulders. "Damn it, Amelia. You're as insatiable as I am."
And he plunged deep, bringing them
both further than the peak of Mount Lensai.
Thunder clapped hard and fierce around them.
Chapter Ten
Poof!
Amelia huffed as she pushed herself to her feet and swatted the dirt from her butt. This training session was not going well. They had been at it for two days and still all she kept gaining was a firm drop on her ass. It was infuriating. Partly because she felt like Sienna was being deliberately forceful with her. No matter how she tried, Amelia could not match the woman's speed. Could not even properly aim a good hit. Before the end of the day, she was sure to be black and blue all over.
"Get up and try again, damn it!" the woman's voice came from across the dusty field. "We're losing time here!"
Amelia grunted and prayed she'd choke on her own damn tongue. Sienna walked back to her spot at the far end of the field. She was grumbling something to herself. And yet she kept breathing. Pity.
To her right was Hadaen leaning stiffly against a tree, his gaze ever attentive. He looked as if he was about ready to pounce on anything that might even cause her the slightest of harm. His brother, Gideon, sat on a branch in the same said tree pretending not be looking at Esyth. Her blonde-haired protector watched the proceedings closely.
It was obvious that Esyth had a general dislike for Sienna. Her glare never wavered from the woman and Amelia did not blame her one bit.
Wiping the sweat from her face, Amelia centered her energy again as she awaited Sienna's instruction.
"Good. Now hit me...this time."
Amelia felt her mana coursing down and through her veins, rushing to her palms. Clenching her teeth, she widened her stance a fraction and watched as the fiery blue ball revolved rapidly just above her right palm. The blue glow crackled like electricity, sizzling and hissing. Then with all her might, she threw it. It went fast. Faster than she had done those other hundred times.
But then in the final second, Sienna dodged it and all blood drained from Amelia's face. She missed. Again.
And before she knew it, a wave of red energy came surging towards her and knocking her to the ground.
On her fucking ass. Again!
Esyth groaned and Hadaen stepped forward.
"Okay, that's enou--"
Amelia cut him off and stormed up to Sienna whose face was beaming ever so smugly. "Do not interfere, Hadaen. I'll handle this." Amelia sneered at her. "What the fuck is your problem? That was a perfectly good shot and you know it."
"Apparently not good enough." This time Sienna stepped in her space. They were close enough to touch noses. "Try...again."
"I'm done for the day." And she turned away. "Bitch."
"Excuse me. I didn't hear you. You want to try mouthing off to my face?"
Amelia ignored her and had every intention of leaving the stupid field until Sienna made the biggest mistake.
She touched her.
Amelia's blood boiled and gave off steam. She gritted her teeth and spun back around. "Do not... touch me!" And She lunged outwards, knocking the woman square in the face.
It wasn't until Gideon's whistle sliced through the air that she noticed the dark blue glow around her fist. It was far more intense than usual. About three shades darker.
Esyth blazed past her just the same time as Hadaen reached her side.
>
"You've found your true mana," he said with a grin. "Damn. You're strong."
Amelia swallowed. She felt horrified. And where the hell was Sienna? Why couldn't she see her—
"You knocked her a good half a mile!" Esyth shouted, blazing back ahead. She smiled and slowed to a stop. "Probably broke her jaw, if you ask me. Luckily, she'll heal."
Gideon jumped down from the tree and gave Hadaen a hard slap on the shoulder.
"Seems like you won't be needing an extra hand after all," he chuckled.
Hadaen shook his head and pulled Amelia closer to him just the same moment Sienna emerged into view. Her copper-colored hair was dusty mess around her oval face, her trousers dirt-ridden. Blood tricked down from her right nostril and she wiped it away.
Only, she didn't seem angry. Impressed, actually. Sienna stopped a good ten feet before them. She then gave Hadaen a steady look before averting her gaze to Amelia, lips quirking upwards; almost smiling.
"Now that's more like it," she said. "See you again tomorrow. Same time." And she walked away.
Amelia stared out at the miles of open land. To their sides were the mountains, the village only meters to their backs. And the sky--
Thick dark clouds huddled together, blocking the rays of the sun. She narrowed her eyes and watched as hundreds of birds migrated westward, sprinting across the saddened sky.
"It's going to rain." She rubbed her palms along her arms as a chilly breeze kissed against her skin. She turned to face Hadaen and it was then that she realized they were all alone.
"What do you mean?" he asked, edging closer. "Weather looks fine to me."
She rolled her eyes and turned around. "Don't you see the dark clo--"
Amelia's mouth fell open and she snapped it shut momentarily.
"What is it?"
She stared up at the sky as if she was losing her mind. "There were d-dark clouds...birds..." She paused and gazed up at him. "You have to believe me."
Hadaen's eyes averted up to the sky, his jaws clenched.