Ha'ven's Song (27 page)

Ha’ven was silent during the drive. He held
her hand as he drove the strange but simple transport through the
tree-lined streets. They turned into the long narrow drive cutting
through the manicured graveyard. Headstones stood as silent
sentinels to those who had died.

“Stop here,” Emma murmured thickly.

Ha’ven parked the car and turned it off. He
climbed out and walked around to Emma’s door, opening it for her
and helping her out. She carried the small box in her arms as she
walked along the narrow path between the graves.

Under a tall tree stood a simple headstone.
On it were the names of Alice and Fred Watson with the dates of
their births and deaths. Emma knelt in front of it and opened the
small box.

On top was a small picture frame of her mom,
dad and her when she was little. She pulled it out and ran her
fingers along the glass protecting it. She laid it against the
headstone.

“I love you, Momma. Poppa, she’s come home
to dance with you again,” Emma drew in a ragged breath before she
continued. “I want you both to meet Ha’ven. I love him. He makes me
want to sing and I dance on the clouds when he holds me,” she
whispered. “Just like you did for Momma, Poppa. I… I… won’t be back
but I want you to know I love you both very much and you were the
best parents any girl could wish for.” Emma put the lid back on the
box and smiled weakly at Ha’ven when he bent to help her back
up.

She stood wrapped in Ha’ven’s warm embrace
and sighed. She leaned back against him and lifted her eyes to the
soft clouds that floated by for several minutes before she nodded.
It was time to go home. She had nothing left here to hold her. Her
home was now on a world far, far away.

“I’m ready,” she murmured.

Ha’ven kept his arm wrapped around her waist
as he guided her back to the car. Once she was settled in, he
walked around to the driver’s side. He waited until he had turned
back onto the main road before he spoke.

“We will return to Paul’s ranch tonight,” he
said. “Is there anything else you would like to do before we
leave?”

Emma shook her head. “I would like to talk
to Chad Morrison,” she said thickly. “I want to sign whatever
paperwork is necessary to sell everything here. Momma and Poppa,”
she stopped when emotions overcame her again. “Momma and Poppa left
me very well off. I want to set up a foundation in their names to
help children around the world discover art, dance and music. Chad
should be able to do that for me.”

Ha’ven squeezed Emma’s hand. “You are a very
special person, my Emma,” he said quietly. “I will always be
thankful that you have chosen me as your mate.”

Emma gave a strained laugh as she brushed
the tears that continued to fall. “Aikaterina said that I was your
balance. She told me to stand by you, hold you, balance you… and
love you,” she replied laying her head back against the headrest
and looking at him. “I do, you know… love you. Not only that, you
balance me. When you touch me I feel safe. I feel like I could
dance on the clouds.”

Ha’ven saw the new tears spill from her eyes
and pulled over to the side of the road. He put the car in park and
leaned over to kiss her. He brushed the tears from her cheeks
before a frown creased his brow.

“Wait a minute,” he said as the name she
mentioned suddenly sunk in. “Aikaterina? The Goddess Aikaterina?
The ….”

“She is very sweet and beautiful,” Emma
said. “I liked her.”

“Goddess!” Ha’ven muttered looking at Emma
in awe. “She did send you to me.”

“Of course,” Emma said with a tender smile.
“She knew we needed each other.”

“Let’s go home,” he muttered as the scope of
the gift given to him hit home.

Emma nodded suddenly feeling lighter. Her
eyes lifted to look at the clouds above and for just a moment, she
thought she saw the golden figures of her parents dancing together
on one of the clouds.

Thank you, Aikaterina,
Emma said
silently knowing deep down the Goddess was trying to ease her
sorrow.

You are welcome, child,
came the soft
reply.

Ha’ven watched as his mother embraced Emma in
a fierce hug. They had arrived back on Ceran-Pax early this
morning. He and Emma had spent the journey back learning more about
each other.

He discovered his power, when joined with
hers, was beyond anything he had ever thought possible. They had
locked themselves in one of the lower storage bays and he had
created a world just for the two of them. Not to be outdone, Emma
had created a few illusions of her own. They had made love in tall
meadows and in a crystal dome under the sea. They had flown through
the air on the backs of giant birds and they had danced across the
clouds on a starlit night.

Emma sang songs her father had taught her
and she told him of her life. He had slowly drawn from her what
happened during her captivity and held her as she cried.
Afterwards, he had made slow tender love to her on the clouds they
had created together. That was the night he had given her his seed
and felt it spark to life deep inside her.

It was a magical time for him. He finally
understood what Creon meant when he said Carmen filled his life.
Emma filled his to overflowing.

His eyes softened as she looked over at him
with a small, relieved smile. Her soft laughter filled the air as
his father pulled her into his arms for a fierce hug. Her face
glowed with her essence. The colors bursting out in
a
vivi
d array
that warmed his
heart.

Emma had been terrified when he told her his
parents were looking forward to meeting her shortly before they
left the
Rayon I
. He remembered how she had clung to him
with her face buried in his chest.

“What if they don’t like
me
?” She had mumbled. “What if…”

He had silenced her doubts with his lips.
His love for her overflowing as he buried his fingers in her hair.
He kissed her over and over until they were both breathless and
trembling with need.

“They will love you as I do,” he promised
her.

“Do you really think so? I’m not like your
species,” she whispered as doubts filled her mind. “What if
they…”

He kissed her again, letting her know she
had no reason to doubt him. It was only when Adalard had growled at
him that they needed to leave that he had pulled away. He looked at
his brother’s sour face and frowned.

“What is your problem? You have been in a
bad mood ever since we left Emma’s planet,” Ha’ven growled
back.

Adalard grimaced and looked away. “Nothing.
I just have a lot on my mind,” he said. “If you are ready, mom and
Melek are waiting.”

“We’re ready,” Ha’ven said sliding his arm
around Emma’s waist. “Adalard,” he said quietly as he paused in the
doorway.

“What?” Adalard said, looking defiantly back
at his older brother.

“If you need assistance, I will help,”
Ha’ven replied quietly.

Adalard’s face flushed. He glanced at Emma
who was watching the exchange in silence before he shrugged. He
looked back at his older brother with a crooked smile.

“I can handle this,” Adalard said
quietly.

Ha’ven studied his brother for a moment
before he nodded.

*.*.*

“Ha’ven,” Narissa said looking at him with
tears in her eyes. “She is absolutely beautiful.”

Emma blushed as she looked at Ha’ven with
bright eyes. His own darkened with desire as he saw the flush that
touched her cheeks. He was remembering how she looked earlier when
she was riding him.

Ha’ven!
Emma’s voice whispered
through his mind.

“I think I deserve a kiss from my new
sister-in-law,” Arrow said mischievously as he swung a distracted
Emma around and into his arms. “Oh yes, at least one kiss.”

Emma opened her mouth to protest and found
her lips covered by a set of warm firm ones. No sooner had his lips
touched hers that she found herself standing in Ha’ven’s strong
arms. She looked at the tall muscular man who was lying on his back
on the ground.

“Damn, you are getting the hang of those new
powers of yours,” Arrow said with a good-humored grin as he picked
himself up off the ground.

“You’ll find yourself six feet under the
ground if you try to kiss my mate again,” Ha’ven growled in a dark
tone. “This one is off limits, Arrow.”

“I know that,” Arrow said as he studied his
older brother. “I just wanted to see what colors your and Emma’s
essence changed to when you were upset. I’m working on a new
theory.”

“I swear, Jazar,” Narissa tutted. “You and
your theories. Come Emma, let me show you your new home.”

“You know you are in trouble when she uses
your real name,” Melek muttered under his breath. “So, what did you
find?”

“Emma essence definitely is needed to
increase Ha’ven’s power,” Arrow said rubbing his ass. “By the way,
can you hit me a little softer the next time?”

“I wasn’t kidding about the six feet under,
Arrow,” Ha’ven replied. “Keep your hands, lips and experiments off
my mate.”

“Possessive characteristics,” Arrow observed
with a grin. “I’ll have to add that as well.”

“You’re such a jerk sometimes, Arrow,”
Adalard said as he walked by.

Arrow looked at his twin’s sour face before
looking back at Ha’ven. “Who stuck a rod up his ass? Has he been
hanging with Zoran again?”

“No.” Ha’ven watched Adalard disappear down
the path leading to his living quarters. “I’m not sure what
happened. He has been like this ever since we met up with him on
Paul Grove’s ranch back on Earth. I finally had to tell him to take
a break on the
Rayon I
. He was working himself and his crew
into the ground.”

Melek turned to look at Ha’ven. “Tell me
what happened with Kejon.”

“Yeah!” Arrow said. “By the way, Crom and I
rescued that Marastin Dow captain. The guy didn’t even give us a
‘thank you’ before he and his crew disappeared.”

Ha’ven sighed as he realized he wasn’t going
to be able to escape with Emma any time soon. His eyes drifted back
to his mother and his mate. His heart warmed when he saw his mother
tuck a strand of Emma’s hair behind her ear as she talked with her.
He had definitely found his miracle.

*.*.*

Narissa smiled as she listened to Emma
describing the gardens back on Valdier. When she had first heard
that her oldest son had taken a mate from a different species, she
had been concerned. She knew that some females would do whatever
they could to entice or trap one of her sons. After all, they were
not only royalty but they were very powerful warriors.

“How did you and my son meet?” Narissa asked
curiously.

Emma bent to pick up a fallen bud off the
ground. She gently touched it with the tips of her fingers. Her
eyes glowed with happiness as she thought of their first
meeting.

“It was in the dining room at the palace,”
Emma said softly. “I was… not well. Sara, another human girl, and I
were sitting at the table. Suddenly, I felt like someone had sent a
huge shock through me. When I looked up, Ha’ven was standing in the
doorway looking at me.”

“It felt the same way when Melek and I saw
each other for the first time,” Narissa said with a grin. “You must
have been very excited to have captured his attention. He is a very
handsome and powerful man.”

“Actually, I didn’t want anything to do with
him,” Emma admitted, blushing. “He kept trying to feed me. It made
me mad. I left but he followed me, thank goodness.”

Narissa stopped and looked down at Emma’s
bowed head. “Why? What happened?”

Emma looked up at Narissa before her eyes
turned to search for Ha’ven.
I am close, my Emma.

I just needed to know,
she whispered
back.

Emma glanced back up at Narissa before she
continued to walk slowly along the path. “I told you I wasn’t well.
I had been hurt… very badly back on my world. Creon Reykill and his
men saved Sara and I. I… had given up on life. If Ha’ven hadn’t
been there…,” Emma’s voice faded as she thought back to those dark
days of her life.

“I will always be there to catch you,
misha petite
,” Ha’ven’s strong voice said as he walked up
behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Emma was lost in
a dream of dancing with her father,” he explained to his mother.
“She almost slipped over the side of the cliff. I caught her and
kissed her,” he said huskily.

“Yeah,” Arrow said with a grin. “Then she
kneed him really hard according to Adalard.”

Emma groaned in embarassment and buried her
face in Ha’ven’s chest. She hadn’t planned on telling Ha’ven’s
mother that part. She peeked up as Melek and Narissa chuckled.

“Narissa did the same thing to me when I
kissed her the first time,” Melek admitted.

“You did?” Emma breathed out in surprise as
she looked at Ha’ven’s mother.

“Yes, I did,” Narissa chuckled. “He deserved
it. He was very arrogant.”

“Wow,” Emma said, looking up at Ha’ven. “You
are just like your dad.”

Ha’ven chuckled as he swept Emma up into his
arms. “You are damn right and you better never forget it,” he
growled out. “We will join the rest of you later this evening.”

Narissa watched as Ha’ven carried his tiny
mate down the path. She sighed, a smile curving her lips as Melek
wrapped his arm around her. Arrow snorted and shook his head.

“I doubt we’ll see them for a few days,” he
commented. “If my calculations are correct, the glow of their
entwined auras are saying he has serious plans and it is all
horizontal. Oh, and she’s breeding,” he added with a tilt of his
head.

Narissa rolled her eyes and looked at Melek
who was shaking his head. “Arrow,” Melek said quietly. “One of
these days your observations are going to get you into big
trouble.”