Free Hadaen [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book One by Hannah888 Page B

clouds
thickened quickly as a heavier breeze smashed against
him.
    Gideon looked up from where he had the
gas hose in the tank. Amelia wrapped her arms about her
midsection.
    "Are we going to have a storm?" Esyth
said, stepping nearer to his side, her long blonde hair blowing in
the fierce wind.
    Hadaen knew better. The Pacific was to
the west. But the clouds formed in the south-eastern direction.
Whatever was coming, it was no damn storm.
    "We'd better keep moving."
    It was somewhere around 2 o'clock.
They had been driving for hours until the women had requested a
restroom stop. He and Gideon had thought it wise to fill up the
tank and grab a few food supplies for the rest of the journey. He
had confidence in Esyth's word that they'd arrive at the Hub by
sunset the latest.
    Gideon slammed the cover to the gas
tank shut and jumped into the driver seat. Everyone else was secure
in the jeep by then so he spun the key in the ignition and stepped
hard on gas.
    "That's the work of Deorci if my
instincts are correct," he said. He did share Hadaen's sharp
instincts. It was a quality that ran through their
blood.
    "Yeah," Hadaen agreed, gripping to the
handle bar at the corner above his head. Gideon knew how to steer a
vehicle fast. "But he wouldn't come in person. Not yet. He'd always
been the type to make an entrance when we least expect
it."
    "He's got men trailing us," Amelia
said, her knuckles going white where she grabbed the leather of
Gideon's seat. "I can feel them. And they are not
mortals."
    "I can feel twenty separate energies.
There could be more!" Esyth screamed, her eyes glowing golden
again.
    "I can try to divert them for a while
but it won't be long until someone catches on." Hadaen tapped into
his mana and breathed sharply. The silvery red glow drowned out his
eyes. He could sense the energy of the man leading the group; his
was strongest and most unique. Hadaen sent a calming energy
outwards, reaching into the mind of the leader. "I've got in," he
said through clenched teeth. "I can hold him off track for an half
hour the most."
    Sweat beaded his forehead. The men who
were following them were at least fifty miles away but they were
still too close. Kankul soldiers didn't possess the superhuman
speed that Marujan nobles had. But they were still fast...and smart
nonetheless. They'd figure out when someone was toying with their
path sooner rather than later.
    "How far can we get before they catch
up on us?" Amelia questioned.
    "Just about two miles outside the
Hub," Esyth said, her eyes glowing brighter. Her body lifted
slightly, gently levitated. "I'll try to create a distraction and
set up a few dummy trails leading west. But from the looks of it,
these men are smart. I'll have to make it look good."
    "What can I do?" Amelia felt hopeless.
Although she'd somehow managed to regain her memories, she knew she
hadn't exactly received a manual about how to use her mana. She'd
only discovered her powers a week before her escape. She'd merely
thought of her mother, wishing her to somehow rise from the dead
and tell her how to endure it all. Her necklace had glowed
brightly, her eyes blazing in the similar fashion.
    It was at that moment Amelia had known
she was never mortal.
    "What can you do?" Gideon asked, steering
wildly out of the path of a truck.
    "I don't know."
    "Well, think of something quick or
take the wheel. I can help with distracting those
assholes!"
    Amelia hadn't a clue. She suspected
it'd be more of a gain to them if she took over the driving while
she thought about it. "Pull over."
    "No time. We can't spare a second.
I'll steady the car and keep press on gas until you take
over!"
    Amelia knew that Gideon meant he'd use
his powers to drive the jeep while they switched places. She nodded
and watched through the rear-view mirror as his eyes glowed with
the same silvery red as Hadaen's had.
    Gideon slipped with ease between the
two front seats and landed on the back seat next to Esyth who held
a poise which