Hadaen [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book One Read Free Page A

if…?”
    “No. Nuh-huh. I do not believe in that
crap. Forget about it.”
    “But think about it, Mel. You could
have had sex with this guy centuries ago…” she laughed.
    Trying to ignore the heat
that was now crawling up her neck, Amelia pulled her robe a little
closer and sighed. All this talk about sex was seriously making her
regret that she hadn’t just given into her curiosity years ago and
went to bed with that jerk back in high school. What was his name again? Brad? Brock…? Nope, it was
Brad . Although he had been a giant buffoon
who smelt like her neighbour’s mutt of a dog, she was pretty sure
that she could have held her breath—maybe closed her eyes too—and
allowed the initiation to proceed. At least he was interested in
her. No guy seemed to favour a long-limbed bony geek with no plans
on the future. So instead of taking up Brad on his offer eight
years ago, on the backseat of his car, she had none but landed a
hard uppercut to his balls and fled the vehicle like a mad
woman.
    “I think I’m going to go to bed,” she
muttered and grasped her empty mug. “And think about getting a day
job. I’m starting to feel really creepy about being at that store
at nights.”
    Ten minutes later, Amelia was warmly
tucked in bed, covers pulled al l the way up to her chin and the
lamplight dimmed. A cat meowed somewhere below her window. Then
silence. A dog barked and a few trashcans were toppled over. The
cat screeched. It was a typical bedtime song on a typical night.
The small window across the room and opposite to her bed was
slightly ajar, making up for the air-conditioning they lacked in
the dissipated building. Cold air wisped its way to her, chilling
the top of her ears and forehead. Amelia pulled the covers to her
temples.
    Reminiscence was not something she
found appealing; at least not when the past was as nasty as hers.
She could find one word to sum up her experiences, her losses:
hilarious. Okay, maybe not ‘hilarious’ in the true sense of the
word but instead of crying about it, she might as well find the
humour in it all. As far as she knew, or what she was told at the
foster home, her parents had died in a car accident while she was
under a nanny’s supervision as a babe. A typical story, wasn’t it?
And Amelia had accepted it not because she wanted to but because
the heartache of questioning it was far too much for her to
handle.
    A sudden lightning bolt snapped,
casting an orange-ish hue across the walls. It lingered a while…
and then disappeared. Her eyelids sagged and a yawn forced its way
pass her lips.
    Sleep brought her to
serenity…

    …The beautiful white
carnations swaying in the gentle morning breeze always had given
her a tranquil feeling. She sat, the light peach skirts of her
cotton dress circling around her on the flat grass of the gardens.
Amelia smiled to herself and leant her back against the front of a
bench. She loved her home; the beauty of it never ceased to
captivate her senses, which was why she would awaken early every
morning just to catch the rise of the sun and revel in its warm
kisses on her face.
    A monarch butterfly
fluttered by her face and then dropped to a perch in her lap. Her
heart swelled and she sighed contently. Across the lawn, she saw
her mistress heading in her direction. Amelia wove a greeting and
the woman smiled. She’d always admired Lady Marza. The elder
woman’s poise spoke of genuine grace and elegance. And her beauty
was strikingly flawless. No wonder so many men could barely keep
their jaws intact whenever they saw her.
    “Amelia, must you ruin all
your dresses?” Her voice was clipped but her eyes ever so
comforting.
    “I’m sorry; Lady Marza,
but I simply could not resist this sight. It’s rather too beautiful
to pass up on.” And Amelia gave her sweetest smiles.
    “And somehow I always end
up forgiving you. I might as well get on my way… I must prepare for
your initiation next week.” And Lady Marza walked away
    Her