Gideon [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book Two (4 page)

Chapter
Four

H
e hadn't known exactly when he had
fled from the room. He hadn't known when he had began stalking
madly up the stairs and down the hall either--shoving over maids
and footmen as they went about their duties. What he could account
for was the maddening way he pounded on the door to Hadaen's study
only minutes later, a hysterical fury coursing through his veins as
his patience almost dissipated from his body like hot air. So when
the door finally opened to him, Gideon hadn't waited to be
acknowledged but shoved his way pass, heaving ridiculously.
And he even pretended not to notice Amelia on the other side of the
room running a hand through a slightly disheveled hair...or the
murderous glare his oldest brother had given him for it.
"Sorry," he muttered, keeping his back carefully turned to Amelia.
He cleared his throat and then motioned to Hadaen who stood with
his arms crossed and legs spread apart: his angry stance. "We need
to talk. It's important."
"Well," Amelia's voice. "I'll just go find something...worthwhile
to do." She was half-way to the door when Gideon stopped her.
"No. You're going to want to hear this too."
All three exchanged glances. Hadaen approached him and eyed him
curiously. "What is it?"
Gideon ran a hand over his hair and sighed heavily, a pained look
running across his features. "I think...I think Esyth is
alive."
"
What
?" Amelia
touched his arm.
Hadaen frowned. "What do you mean? It's been three years,
Gideon."
"
I know that
! You
think I haven't been counting the days?
The hours
?" He almost shouted but
the words only came out in a shaky weak voice. "Look, you have to
trust me."
Amelia swallowed, batting back a tear. After all, if it weren't for
her Esyth would not have had to make the sacrifice she had. "How do
you know this?"
"I found someone. Well, she found me."
"She?" Hadaen narrowed his gaze, his jaws clenching. "Who?"
Gideon looked from Hadaen to Amelia, then back. "A woman from some
village near the Hub. Esyth must have communicated with her. Look,
I'm not stupid, alright? And I know it's been three fucking years."
He turned and stalked across the room to the bar, his fingers
trembling as he uncorked a bottle. "But if she is alive out
there...it's my duty to find her."
Hadaen started. "
Gideon
--"
"You of all persons should know what the feeling is like." Gideon's
stare passed between him and Amelia. "You have to trust me."
Hadaen shook his head, inhaling a deep breath as his brother's
thoughts--memories blooded his own mind as if they were his own. He
could feel Gideon's pain; the harsh reality of it was maddening.
And he could not stand in his way. He cast a sidelong glance at his
wife--his beautiful Amelia. The woman he would give his life for in
a heartbeat. If it were her...
Hell
, it had been her!
"I suggest you don't tarry," Hadaen muttered strongly, pretending
not to notice Amelia's sudden beam of glee. "You must find her. I
wish I could come with you but I can't just thrust my
responsibilities on Faolan again. Take him with you. And be
careful."
Gideon nodded and cracked a weak grin. For all it was worth, Hadaen
wanted his brother to grin like a buffoon again. He hardly seemed
like himself when he didn't. "Okay. Faolan and I will leave in the
morning—.”
Suddenly, Amelia stepped between them, her big green eyes sparkling
with puzzlement. "What about me? I should come too. It's my fault
for what's happened to Esyth."
Hadaen glared at her. "You are not going anywhere, woman. Never
again. You will not leave my side, understand?"
"You can't keep me locked up in this medieval palace, Hadaen. This
is the twenty-first century, for heaven's sake!"
Hadaen decided to ignore her and continued, turning to his brother,
"If you need help however, don't hesitate to contact me.
Now...where is the woman?"
Gideon glanced apologetically at a fuming Amelia and moved towards
the door. But not before hearing behind him:
Smack!
Flesh striking
flesh.
"Bite me, Hadaen."
"
Tonight
."
* * *
A
manda sat
up straight in her seat, watching as they watched her, four pairs
of eyes bearing down on her like positioned arrows ready to be
released. Aristocrats, she thought. It was much more than an
assumption. Judging by how they dressed, she knew this lot were
important people...in this kingdom of theirs. Before her were two
new faces...a man and a woman who seemed to be quite taken with
each other. She looked the man over swiftly, taking care not to
stare, and quickly decided him handsome. A hard rugged type of
handsome unlike the other who had practically dragged her to the
room from the woods. What was his name again? Ah...Gideon. She knew
many females in her village who would swoon in his presence.
The female, however, did not have that arrogant frown like the
other men in the room. Her expression was warm, as if she was
silently and intentionally seeking friendship. Amanda figured she'd
keep an eye on her for there was something very strange and magical
about that one.
Even though she felt somehow crowded in by all these strange
people, her eyes however could not seem to stop averting towards
the far corner of the room where he stood. Faolan. She couldn't
forget his name even if she wanted to. Her father would scold her
endlessly if he ever caught her flushing over the man. After all,
she was promised to another since before her birth. In the next
year or so she would be married off to Ewan of the Luthers.
A cold shiver ran up her spine at the thought. She'd never liked
the man, for his lack of personality was certainly an aspect that
could not be compromised. She chanced a glance at Faolan once
again--there she was referring to a man by his first name, a man
she had no relationship to. But she couldn't quite help it. So when
she looked up, she was quite surprised to see him staring back so
intensely. If she was one of those weak women--and she most
certainly wasn't--she would have squirmed. Instead she swallowed
and allowed her gaze to wander elsewhere.
"So you were just contacted with this.....message?"
Amanda looked up and nodded. Perhaps her reverie had caused her to
miss out on the introductions.
"I'm sorry; you are?" she asked.
The man's eyes narrowed as he answered evenly though irritatingly.
"Hadaen Maruj.
Lord
Hadaen Maruj."
She didn’t miss the way he emphasized his title. Neither did she
care. "Ah. My apologies. I fear my mind had been elsewhere."
Hadaen and Gideon exchanged glances while the woman stepped
forward, extending a hand.
"I'm Amelia," she said, smiling easily. "It's very nice to meet
you, Amanda of the Alexanders. Esyth is a dear friend of mine
and..." Tears clouded her eyes for just a moment and Amanda felt a
twinge of the woman's pain. How odd. "We must find her."
Finally releasing Amelia's hand, Amanda blinked and stood, the thin
skirts of her dress falling just over her knees where the top of
her leather boots ended. "I believe the woman who contacted me must
be in some real deal of trouble," she said, eyeing everyone in the
room. "She might be in pain as well."
Gideon stepped forward, his face stricken. "
Because
...?"
"The signal was done very well," Amanda admitted. "She's good, very
good at it. But I cannot say the same for the energy I had sensed
around it. That message had been sent out of desperation. She needs
help. Urgently."
Gideon ran a hand down his face and started pacing the room.
"You should leave as soon as possible," Amelia suggested. "If Esyth
really is the sender of that message then we cannot keep her
waiting." She looked at Gideon and Faolan and then touched the one
standing next to her. "Hadaen?"
"She's right. You might as well leave right away."
Amanda glanced in Faolan's direction and he straightened his
posture, moving forward. "Well then... Gideon? You heard the man.
Let's go!"
Gideon nodded and inhaled a deep breath, tilting his head to the
side, and gesturing with his chin. "She's coming with us."
"
What
?"
The word came out in a combined gasp and grunt from Amanda and
Faolan. Hadaen raised a brow at him and Amelia's lips twitched with
amusement.
"It's best in case Esyth tries to communicate again," Amelia
offered.
"B-But I can't..." Amanda stammered. "My father... I
must
get back!"
"I'm sure your father will understand," Gideon said.

She wanted to say that he,
Carlisle of the Alexanders, would in fact
not
understand. That neither would
Ewan of the Luthers…but she didn't. She had been given strict
instructions to deliver the message and return home. Nothing else.
Amanda glanced at Faolan Maruj once again and swallowed her words
for a reason she could not yet explain. Defying her father would
bring hefty consequences...so why was she doing precisely
that?
Amanda swallowed thickly as she thought it out. She had always
sought after a grand adventure but the rules governing her village
had—would never allow it. But she wasn't in Liguanea Villa now, was
she? A mischief filled thrill ran up and down her back, tingling
like the right kind of wrong. So could this be her chance at last?
She knew that she'd eventually have to return home...and that her
father would only speed her nuptials with Ewan along even faster
just to punish her but it would be worth it, wouldn't it? One
chance to rebel and be reckless before she committed her life to a
man who would think her no more but a slave to his marital
obligations. She'd made her decision. In fact, it was no decision
at all.
Amanda cracked a smile—one her mother would describe as far too
sultry—and glanced at Faolan before nodding her agreement.
"I will accompany you on your journey," she stated firmly. "But
only under
one
condition."
Gideon groaned while everyone else remained still, eager to know
what this 'condition' was. This time it was Faolan who spoke, his
voice reminding her of the first crack of sunlight near dawn. She
almost trembled but decided to scold herself for it later. "And
that is?" he said.
"Tell him to return my weapons." And by
him
she meant Gideon.
"Weapons?" Hadaen turned and glanced curiously at his youngest
brother. "You didn't mention anything about her carrying weapons."
He then turned a questioning glance at Faolan who gave a slow
shrug.
Gideon pursed his lips and heaved.
And why
the fuck would he have mentioned the fact that the woman had almost
sliced his damn head off completely?
"You'll get your toys,” he drawled in a sour tone, his eyes
bored. “Now let's go."
"Toys!" she shrieked in a high-pitched voice. Hadaen visibly
faltered while Faolan didn't even bother to hide his amusement, a
wide grin flashing at his brother’s moment of torture. Amelia
smiled. "
Toys?
If
you must know, the bow and arrows is a very important aspect of our
lifestyle—my people, that is." Then she stomped her
foot—
actually
stomped it. "And my Scimitar is anything but a toy!"
Faolan's mouth fell open and Hadaen's brows rose high on his
forehead. "A Scimitar?" Amelia chuckled and laced her arm through
Amanda's. "We have got to talk before you leave."
Gideon rolled his eyes, face heated with embarrassment. "As long as
you don't give her any reason to believe that she needs to use the
blasted thing again." He then grumbled something beneath his breath
and stalked from the room, his two brothers soon following
suit.
"Be easy on him," Amelia told her as they both took a seat on the
sofa. "Gideon had spent very little time with Esyth before
she...disappeared. He isn’t this grumpy person you see here. He’s
the total opposite of that.”
Amanda ran a hand over the front of her skirt, her palm coming to
her rest on one hip. “How did she disappear?”
"It's a very long story. This kingdom here...”—she wove a hand
around—“…do not let the looks fool you. The people here have felt
the harshest of times."
Amanda nodded her understanding. "Lord Hadaen... He is
your...?"
Amelia smiled. "Husband? Yes. For almost three years now."
"You look very happy together. Well-matched and understanding. I
suppose your son loves you dearly."
Amelia shrunk back immediately as if scorched by an open flame.
"I—We don't have any children."
Amanda frowned. "That's odd. I could almost swear I..." Then she
looked Amelia straight in the eye and paused, her cheeks flushing.
"Oh... I didn't know."
"Didn't know what?" Amelia frowned deeply.
Amanda's gaze flickered over the other woman's flattened stomach
and her eyes flew wide open. "You're
pregnant
!" she gasped and slapped a
palm over her mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
She opened her mouth to speak but before she could even manage a
word out, Amanda of the Alexanders ran from the room, leaving a
still bewildered Amelia, hand shooting to her abdomen
instinctively.

Chapter Five

H
e stood with arms crossed and nails
biting into his biceps as he watched her. No, he
glared
at her as she
stood rather contently—and nonchalantly—as she slyly slipped the
strap of her bow and arrows case-let across her shoulders and
grasped the Scimitar sword from Faolan quite possessively. This
woman was some nerve and Gideon decided that as soon as he managed
to get close enough to Esyth and did not need her assistance any
longer…he’d make it his duty to redirect her in the way of her
cursed village. He swore beneath his breath and deliberately ground
the crispy branches beneath his feet as he walked. Damn, he was not
himself anymore. This rowdy stinking attitude was very much unlike
him and he did not favor it one bit. He was starting to feel like
his older brother.