Free Ha'ven's Song by S. E. Smith Page A

but the male who refused to leave her alone
for the past ten days.
    I look forward to our time as well, a
husky voice broke into her thoughts.
    I didn’t say I was looking forward to
seeing you! Don’t you have somewhere else you need to be? Emma
snapped back in exasperation. Why don’t you just leave me
alone?
    Because, like you, I cannot forget the
sweet taste of your lips, he teased.
    Emma pictured rolling her eyes so he would
know she didn’t believe him. Don’t forget y ou promised
you wouldn’t touch me again without my permission, she reminded
him once again.
    A promise I regret making, he growled
back in frustration. Why do you fight me?
    You… wouldn’t understand, Emma
whispered back. Any more than I understand how you can talk to
me this way.
    Misha petite, he started to say
before he broke off with a low growl of annoyance. I must go.
You will come to me tonight?
    Emma folded her arms around her waist and
rolled her eyes again. I don’t ‘come’ to you. You are the one
who finds me, remember?
    A low chuckle echoed briefly through her
mind. I will find you again tonight in your favorite spot by the
wall, my stubborn little mate. Think of me until then.
    Not likely, Emma snorted before she
threw up the wall in her mind to block him from knowing how his
words affected her.
    I will be thinking of you and dreaming of
holding you in my arms, came his soft reply before he faded
away.
    Emma shook her head. One thing she was
learning was when it came to pickup lines, Ha’ven Ha’darra never
seemed to have a shortage of them. He had been slipping in and out
of her mind since the night of the dinner. He also had an unerring
way of always knowing where she was.
    She was still surprised by his reluctant
promise not to touch her without her permission. He had given it to
her the same night as the dinner and, so far, he had kept his word.
A soft smile curled her lips as she remembered how he had called
out to her. She still didn’t know why she had stopped. Maybe it had
been the desperation in his voice. She had also heard the confusion
and hesitation in it. It was as if he was as puzzled by her as she
was of him.
    *.*.*
    The night Sara left was the beginning of
their almost nightly meetings once Emma was allowed to venture out
again. He had found her later that night and each night afterwards
near the low wall looking out over the ocean. Each night, he
brought a basket filled with food and a soft blanket that he would
fold for her to sit on.
    Tonight was no different. She sat on the
folded blanket, listening in silence as he shared more of his home
world and his family. She was thankful that he did not ask about
hers. She wasn’t ready to share and she got the feeling that he
understood she needed more time. He spoke of light-hearted moments
as well as some of the darker ones during the Great War. Emma was
shaken when she saw a brief glimpse of him hanging by his arms in a
dark cavern, blood running in thick streaks down his body before a
different image replaced it.
    War is never good, she said silently. I am glad that Creon did not kill you.
    “I am thankful as well,” Ha’ven responded
with a chuckle as he placed several slices of fruit on her already
full plate.
    I can’t eat all of this, she silently
told him in exasperation. You don’t need to fill my plate like
I’m a child. You keep putting too much on it.
    Ha’ven reached out to run his fingers along
her cheek. He paused when she jerked back and turned her head away
from his touch. He dropped his hand to his lap and clenched his
fist in frustration.
    “When will you give me permission to touch
you ? ” He growled out in a low voice.
    Emma turned to look up at him with dark,
troubled eyes. Never, she whispered back.
    Ha’ven’s eyes darkened with frustration and
suppressed desire. Every night for the past eight nights he had
fought against the growing hunger deep inside him. The need to
claim her was growing to unbearable levels. Each night, he