Ha'ven's Song by S. E. Smith

in her eyes instead as they met the
mocking, yet determined, violet eyes of the male she had just been
thinking about.
    *.*.*
    Ha’ven stood outside the door to the living
quarters of his mate and waited to see if she would answer the
door. He shifted impatiently as nothing but silence greeted him. He
had left the following day after she ran from him but not before he
had tried several times to talk to her. Frustration ate at him when
she refused to see him. Hell, she even refused to answer his silent
requests! The last time he tried to see her Abby had answered the
door and said it was up to Emma if she wanted Ha’ven to enter. A
locked bedroom door had been his answer.
    Out of desperation, he had slipped into her
mind when she finally fell into an exhausted sleep right before he
and Adalard departed. Agony and sorrow burned deep into his soul as
her vivid dreams filled his mind. The pain, fear and overwhelming
grief had been suffocating. Held in the grasp of her memories, he
had done what he could to soothe her but even then, she refused to
let him ease her pain.
    He had cursed violently as they lifted off
to return to Ceran-Pax. He hadn’t wanted to leave without Emma but
he had promised her a week to come to terms with his intentions.
Creon had told Kelan and Zoran about his claim on her. They
understood his feelings but their mates had not. Abby, Carmen and
Trisha were concerned about Emma’s continued silence and fragile
mental and physical health. Zoran had reluctantly given his
permission for him to court Emma but he stressed she had to be
willing. He had agreed to the terms before he realized just how
stubborn and uncooperative Emma could be.
    If Bahadur hadn’t returned with two rebels
from the hidden base Arrow had discovered he would never have had
to leave. He thought for sure he was on the verge of wearing her
down that last night before she ran from him. Now, he decided both
rebels could have taken a page out of his mate’s book when it came
to being obstinate.
    The rebels had been stubborn but Ha’ven had
learned a thing or two about torture during his time on Hell. Both
men had eventually revealed additional names. He had ordered Arrow,
Adalard and Bahadur to work on finding them while he returned to
Valdier for Emma.
    Just a few days away from her showed him
that the emptiness inside him grew to irrepressible levels. He was
done with waiting. He was done with making promises that separated
him from his mate. He needed to get her away from Valdier where she
could hide in her living quarters and behind the royal family. He
needed to take her back to Ceran-Pax where she would be under his
control.
    “No more hiding, misha petite ,”
Ha’ven said taking a step toward where Emma was standing glaring at
him. “You have hidden from me for the last time.”
    “Get out!” Emma whispered in a rusty, shaky
voice surprised that she could remember how to talk. “Get out!” She
repeated a little stronger this time.
    “So you can speak when you want,” Ha’ven
said mockingly. “I thought we would live our lives in blissful
silence.”
    Emma’s eyes blazed with uncontrollable fury
as she thought about what the two women said about him and his
‘skills’. She looked wildly around her. Snatching up an empty cup
on the table, she turned and raised her arm.
    “I wouldn’t if I were you,” Ha’ven bit out,
his eyes narrowing on the cup in her hand.
    Emma pulled back and threw it as hard as she
could at him. Unfortunately, she was not a very good shot. The cup
shattered a foot from where he was standing. Growling out in rage,
she darted toward the hallway leading to her bedroom. She skidded
to a stop when Ha’ven’s huge frame stepped in front of her.
Twisting, she darted around the couch.
    “You are going to be difficult, aren’t you?”
Ha’ven said, releasing a sigh. “You do realize most women would
give anything to be in your position.”
    “Go… find one of them then,” Emma forced