Saven Defiance (The Saven Series Book 4) (3 page)

“Well, unless anyone else has another, better plan?” Neve throws it out there.

“Infiltrating the palace isn’t going to be easy, no matter what route we take. But I don’t think Logan would betray those plans no matter what torture was inflicted on him,” Rylan adds. Neve and I wince in unison. “I can have a few guys I know meet us there. We’ll need greater numbers if we’re to stand any chance of success.”

“Sort it,” I command. “How long will it take us to get to Saven?”

“That’s the difficult part.” He scrubs a hand over his bristly jaw. “We’ll have to use the hyperdrive or it’ll take far too long. I can program it to transport us over the far side of Narik. Then we can invoke the invisibility shield to travel the remainder of the journey to Saven. There’s still some risk of tracking, but I don’t see any other option. Now that Dante has Logan, he’s most likely forgotten about us. We should be okay.”

“I’m not sure I share your optimism,” Neve says.

“Nor I,” Haydn agrees.

“I know it’s risky, but what choice do we have?” My eyes roam over every face. “We have to get him out of there. Logan
has
to live. The fate of the entire world—mine and yours—depends on him. I’ve seen it.”

“I say we do it,” Neve says doggedly. “I’m in.”

One by one, everyone confirms their agreement, except for the two Tor. Ax scowls as I verbalize my commitment. Izzy looks confused. “Can we talk to you in private?” he asks me.

Ax and Izzy follow me out into the corridor. Flattening my back against the wall, I face them with determination.

“I don’t like this plan.” Ax shakes his head repeatedly. “Not one little bit, Sadie. It’s basically a suicide mission. You can’t honestly think you’ll be able to infiltrate the palace undetected?” He crosses his arms sternly in front of him.

“I can’t leave him in there alone. Dante will kill him!” Panic filters through my tone.

“Look, I’m not stupid.” He drags his hand through matted, limp strands of his hair. “I know you care for him, but surely Logan wouldn’t want you doing something so foolish? Risking everyone else on the off chance that you might be able to rescue him? It makes no sense.”

“Well, then, I’ll go alone.” I slant a defiant look his way.

“You know I’ll never let that happen.”

“I’d like to see you stop me.”

We face off, scowling at one another, neither of us backing down.

“Stop it.” Izzy puts herself in between both of us. “Fighting is not going to help.” She turns to Ax. “You know how stubborn she is.” I half-splutter, half-laugh. “She will do this with or without us, so I think it’s best that we agree to help, don’t you?” I can’t see her facial expression from this angle, but I’d bet there are some puppy-dog eye gestures being bandied about.

Ax throws his head back and stares up at the ceiling, muttering under his breath. Sighing loudly, he angles his face in my direction. “Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind?”

I shake my head. “I won’t leave him in there to die. I created this mess, and I have to fix it.”

He rolls his eyes. “That logic is so flawed.”

“We don’t have time to debate this, Ax!” I snap. “Every second we waste could prove crucial. We need to get back to the others. Are you in or out?”

“We’re in,” Izzy concurs.

I scrutinize Ax and he slowly nods. “Thank you. I mean it.”

“Just so we’re clear,” Ax adds as we move to step back into the cabin. “I’m only doing this for you.”

“I know, but I still appreciate it.” I grace him with a gratified smile.

“Okay. Izzy and Ax will come too,” I confirm as we all retake our seats. Neve and Haydn exchange a knowing look. “We need as many bodies as possible.” My tone is brutally defensive.

“They don’t care what happens to Logan,” Haydn says. “And I don’t trust them. Especially him.” He jerks his head at Ax.

“Feeling’s mutual,
bud
.” Ax pins him with an equally suspicious look.

“We care what happens to Sadie,” Izzy says, in a much-needed intervention. “We love her, and we’ll support her fully, whether we agree or not. Rescuing Logan is important to her, and we’ll help her in any way we can.” Her voice is calm and confident. “Quite frankly, you could learn a thing or two about friendship from us.”

“This is going to be a complete disaster!” Haydn fumes, climbing out of his seat. “Let me know what you decide. I’m done with this conversation.” He storms out into the corridor.

I jump up to go after him.

“I wouldn’t, Sadie,” Neve warns.

“We need to clear the air.”

Stepping out into the corridor, I am just in time to see Haydn escape into one of the bedrooms on the left. I sprint after him and rap firmly on the door. “Haydn. Can I come in?”

“No!”

“Please, Haydn. We need to talk.” I rest my forehead against the cold, steel door.

“I have nothing to say to you” is the muffled reply.

“Well, I’ve plenty to say to you!” My voice elevates a notch.

The door swings open and I pitch forward. Haydn reacts impressively fast, catching me swiftly. Glowering, he keeps me at arm’s length, as if I’m carrying a contagious disease. When I’ve regained my balance, he releases me and steps back. “Let me make one thing clear to you, Sadie. Whatever friendship we had is in the past. I want nothing to do with you going forward. Nothing, do you hear me?” I stare at him in a daze, my face no doubt betraying my crestfallen look. “So, stay the hell away from me.”

I stumble back as if he’d physically slapped me. The minute my feet touch the floor of the corridor, he slams the door shut in my face.

Something inherent dies inside me, and I stand, motionless, wordless, staring at the closed door.

It feels symbolic.

Feelings of hurt, confusion, and betrayal threaten to devour me whole, and I walk back to the cabin as if on auto-pilot. Ax jumps up the instant he sees me, frowning at my obvious distress. “What happened?” He extends his hand toward me, and I let him pull me down alongside him. “If he hurt you …”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I’m barely keeping control of my tenuous emotions as it is.

“He doesn’t mean it,” Neve says. “Deep down, he blames himself, but right now it’s easier to blame you. The way he sees it, he has failed Logan, failed his duty, and he hasn’t stopped beating himself up over it. Honestly, it’s been intolerable. Please, don’t take it to heart, Sadie. He’ll come around.”

Ax reels me into him and presses a kiss to the top of my head. Fern directs inquisitive eyes at me. “When do we leave for Saven?” I ask, choosing to redirect the conversation where it’s needed.

“Rylan is outside unblocking the emergency fuel tank, and he’s already touched base with his friends. We’ll leave shortly. You should take the opportunity to freshen up. You look like you could use a hot bath.”

“Is that a nice way of saying I stink?”

“To the high heavens. I was only trying to be polite.” She cocks her head to the side, sending me a small cheeky grin.

“I think you need to try harder.” I smirk, glad that at least one of my friendships is back on track.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Sadie. Despite everything that transpired, we were still worried about you. Don’t think we weren’t.”

“Thanks.” I lean in for a hug but she backs off as if I’ve the plague, and I timidly laugh. I can’t fully let go, not when Logan’s situation is so precarious. Frivolity would seem like such an insult considering what he’s going through.

“Come on,” Fern says, pulling me out of my seat. “I’ll show you to a room and find some clean clothes. You, too.” She gestures at Ax and Izzy. “Follow me.”

Fern gets Izzy and Ax sorted first. Ax isn’t happy to be confined to a separate room, but he’s far too mannerly to make a scene in front of the others. “I’ll see you in a few, okay?” I tell him. Before I can protest, he hauls me to his chest and smashes his lips against mine. His tongue invades my mouth, swirling possessively, and I can barely breathe. I shove his chest with my hands and draw back. My cheeks are fire engine red. “Ax! Jeez.” My breathing is labored, and he smiles mischievously.

I’ve only taken six steps down the corridor when he calls out to me. Spinning around, I face him with questioning eyes. “If I was the one imprisoned, would you risk such a foolish rescue for me?”

I don’t need to think about it. The answer comes instinctively. “Yes. Of course, I would do the same for you.”

Some unspoken communication streams between us. We stare wordlessly at each other, the weight of my conviction apparently easing some of the friction. “I love you” is all he says before he closes the door to his room.

Fern glances sideways at me as she leads us into an empty bedroom. Reaching up, she pulls supplies out of an overhead press as I flop spread-eagled on the bed. “So you’re really married then?” She hands me a large towel.

“It appears that way.” I prop up on my elbows, taking it from her.

“What are you going to do?” She dangles on the edge of the bed.

“I don’t know, it’s a total mess.”

“What is your heart telling you?”

“That I love Logan to the ends of the Earth.”

She nods sagely. “That’s your answer, then.”

“It’s going to devastate Ax.”

Her head bobs again. “He seems like a lovely guy.”

I sit up on my knees facing her. “He is, Fern. He’s a great guy. I never knew I had such good taste.” She smiles wanly. “But I can’t force myself to remember my hidden past or purposefully unravel the mystery of my heart. Secrets are usually buried for a reason.” I stare off into space for a few moments. “Even if I chose to recover my stolen memories, how can I compel my heart to love someone else?” My eyes beseech her. “Memories are just memories. They can’t reclaim lost love. Although it wasn’t by choice, the love I had for Ax is a part of my past. Logan is my future.”

She nods in shared understanding. “I hear you.”

“God, it’s so unjust! So unfair on Ax. I don’t want to hurt him, and I
do
care about him. I meant what I said back there. If the situation was reversed, I wouldn’t hesitate to invoke a rescue mission.”

“You have to tell him.”

“I know. But I have to find the right time. The right words. I need to let him down as gently as possible.”

She pushes off the bed at the sound of a knock on the door. “Maybe there is no right time, no right words. If it was me, I’d tell him now. Otherwise, the situation could get a lot worse.” She yanks the door open and jumps as Rylan charges into the room. “Jeepers! You scared me!” She laughs at her boyfriend.

He gives her a fleeting look before centering his gaze on me.

“Ry, is everything okay?” She touches his elbow, a concerned look flitting across her face.

“Everything’s fine,” he says in a staid voice. “I have some stuff I need to discuss with Sadie.” She leans into his face, puzzled. He holds his body in a stiff, awkward pose, as if he’s uncomfortable in his own skin. “In private. You need to leave.” He arches a brow and motions toward the door. It’s blunt and rude and oh, so cold.

First, Haydn and now Rylan? What is going on here?

A hurt look glimmers in her eyes. “Okay. I’ll see you in a bit, yeah?” she says to me. She’s putting on a brave face, but I know Rylan’s curt, official tone and offhand manner has upset her.

She exits the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Rylan stalks toward me, and all the tiny hairs rise on my arms. He snatches my arm tight. When he puts his face right in mine, I cower back in alarm. His normal chocolate brown eyes have been replaced by a strangely familiar caramel-colored hue. He blinks furiously and—if I’m not mistaken—his eye color flickers momentarily, and I catch a fleeting glimpse of his usual warm eyes.

Potent unease slithers through my veins.

Something is seriously wrong here.

My tongue feels glued to the top of my mouth, and a weird sensation is brewing in my stomach.

“Listen up carefully,” he says, digging his nails into my arm. “You are going to come with me, quickly and quietly, without any fuss. Do what I say and I’ll make sure that none of your friends are harmed. Try to fight this, or warn them, and I’ll slaughter them all.”

I nod my head only because my vocal cords are rendered utterly useless. Rylan reviews me through wavering eyes that are most definitely
not
his own. I don’t understand what’s going on here, but the threat is all too real. I won’t take any chances or risk any of my friends’ lives.

“That’s the right choice, sweetheart. Follow me. And remember, not a word, or they’ll die.”

Rylan hoists me up off the bed and all but lugs me out into the empty corridor. The echo of voices conversing in the cabin pricks my ears, and I offer up a silent prayer that they stay put. More sweat layers over the sticky coating on my back as Rylan tugs me into the storage area at the back of the ship. My heart slams against my ribcage, frantically pounding. Stress surges through my bloodstream.

He presses the lever to lower the walkway and shoves me forward. When we reach the bottom, he flings me out into the middle of the hot sand. I stagger under the intensity of the sun and the heavy blanket of humidity that hits me full-force, like a hairdryer on warp speed.

Dropping to my knees, I pant like a dog. I look left, spotting a bulky form advancing from a westerly direction. Rocking back on my heels, I raise a hand to shield my eyes from the glare of the sun. Ice drips down my spine as the form starts to take cohesive shape. My entire body spasms at the distinguishable figure.

Dante.

I should’ve known he was behind this.

I whip my head around to where Rylan slouches against the side of the ship. He’s doubled over, looking around with a bewildered, dazed look in his eyes. Clutching his head, he staggers toward me on unsteady limbs. His normal brown eyes meet mine, and I release the breath I’d been holding. I’m not sure what just transpired, but Rylan is back to himself. Thank God.

Now that I know who’s behind this, all bets are off. I don’t trust Dante not to massacre everyone. His word means jack-shit.

“Get out of here!” I yell at Rylan. “Right now! Go!” I scream.

Dante starts running toward me, but his efforts are, thankfully, restricted by the cumbersome sand.