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

craved
the feel of her soft skin against his and the sweet taste of her
lips again.
    “That is not the answer I want, Emma,” he
growled out, standing to look out over the ocean. “I cannot keep my
promise forever. I have to return to Ceran-Pax for a few days to
take care of several issues,” he said before turning to look at
her. “When I return, you will be mine. I give you these few days to
accept that. My promise will be over.”
    Then it is best if you do not return, Emma responded , standing up and looking at
him with a determined tilt to her chin. I don’t want to see you
again. If you do return, I want you to leave me alone.
    I could no more leave you alone as I
could stop breathing, Ha’ven growled out silently. I have
claimed you, Emma. You have a week to accept that or not. But I
promise, when I return you will be leaving with me.
    Creon has promised me his protection. You
can’t claim me against my will, she responded passionately
before she turned and bolted for the safety of her rooms.
    “I already have, misha petite ,”
Ha’ven growled out possessively as he watched her flee into the
darkness. I already have, he repeated silently, making sure
she heard the resolve in his promise.

Chapter 8
    A knock on the door pulled her head around.
She frowned as it drew her from her thoughts of her last meeting
with Ha’ven almost a week ago. He said he would return to Valdier
in another two days but Emma was sure that he had forgotten all
about her and his silly claim by now. After all, what could a man
like him possibly want with someone as messed up as her?
    I should never have let him inside. I
should know better. It only hurts when I start to care about someone else. They will only leave
me, she thought as she turned to look back out the window. He will have realized by now that my turning him down was for
the best.
    Whoever was at the door would go away when
she didn’t answer it. It wasn’t like she was expecting anyone,
anyway. All the women had already been by to see her. They had made
a habit of visiting with her for a few hours each day since Sara
left.
    Trisha was the last one to come see her for
the day. She had stopped by a short time ago with her son, Bálint.
Emma had smiled at the serious expression on the infant’s face as
he stared back at her. He looked like he trying to figure out who
she was.
    He was so different from Cara’s two little
ones who were into everything. She couldn’t resist smiling when the
little golden symbiot on his arm changed into a pacifier when he
started fussing as he grew tired. There was just something magical
about it.
    Trisha told Emma about escaping into the
woods outside the palace not long after she came to Valdier. Emma
had listened in fascination as Trisha talked about how she had
hidden from Kelan and the trackers pursuing her for days before she
‘tagged’ them. Emma smiled as she thought about how frustrated
Kelan must have been when he couldn’t capture Trisha.
    She sighed in relief when whoever was at the
door didn’t knock again. Her thoughts drifted once again to Ha’ven.
She had done the right thing when she told him to leave her alone.
He had probably found someone else anyway. Someone who was
beautiful and strong.
    She had overheard some of the women who came
in to clean her quarters talking about him. Two of them even had
the nerve to brag about how great a lover he was in front of her!
Silent rage built when one of the women complained that he hadn’t
asked for her when he was here last week. The other joked that it
was because he had been with her. Jealousy and hurt burned inside
Emma even when the woman finally admitted that it was Adalard that
she had been with instead.
    Emma turned when a movement out of the
corner of her eye drew her attention back to the door. She started
in fear when the form of a man suddenly began forming just inside
of it. Her mouth opened to scream before she snapped it shut as the
form solidified. Fury blazed