Saven Deception

by Siobhan Davis

  Dante releases me and strides toward her. “You need to rest.” He cups her face gently.

  I slip around him and dart into the bedroom. He growls. “Go sit on the bed, Jen,” I command. She shuffles awkwardly and flops down on top of the comforter. She moves as if she’s ninety years old. I glower at Dante. “I’m talking to my friend. Go play with the traffic or something.” Bravely, I slam the door shut in his face.

  “No, Sadie,” Jen mumbles. “He’ll …”

  The door flies inwards and I’m flung back into the room. Dante stalks toward me. Dragging me up by the arm, he nearly wrenches it from its socket. “You can’t hurt me. Remember what your father said.” I’m pleased that I sound coolly collected, despite the terror running riot within me.

  He halts abruptly and his eyes narrow. “What?”

  Shoot. I think I’ve just let the cat out of the bag. Time for some damage limitation. “Logan told me about being his, eh, Eterno, and that your father has said I’m under the protection of the Eterno Commandments.” I contort my mouth and inject as much disgust into my facial expression.

  A muscle flexes in his jaw as he stares at me. Then his expression changes to one I’m more accustomed to. Grimacing, he looks like he wants to rip me limb from limb. I work hard to keep my composure. I refuse to appear visibly rattled. He presses his mouth to my ear and I shudder. “I can’t touch you for now,” he snarls. “But I can, and I will, hurt her if you don’t leave.”

  For someone who isn’t human, he sure has a good understanding of human nature. That’s the only thing he could say in this moment to make me leave. I thrust his arm away. “You’re dead.” I eyeball him. “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day soon. If it’s the last thing I do,” I hiss.

  Amusement lights up his eyes, and he howls as if I’ve told the funniest joke imaginable. “I’m quaking in my boots.” He cracks out another laugh and my fists itch to acquaint themselves with his face.

  “I’m sorry, Jen. I’ll see you soon.” Her eyes plead with me, and I feel like the worst friend in the world. My shoulders hunch over as I make my exit.

  I’m walking down the corridor toward my apartment when Neve rounds the bend. “There you are,” she exclaims. “Haydn and I have been looking for you.”

  Tension ties knots in my stomach. “Well, now you found me.” I avoid eye contact. Neve concealed all this from me too, and I’m mad at her as well. Stomping ahead, I deliberately ignore her.

  “Logan has to convene with his father tonight, so he asked us to call in on you.” She catches up to me and easily matches my strides.

  “I don’t need a babysitter. And I need to talk to Jarod.”

  “Jarod is asleep. He won’t be waking up anytime soon.”

  That stops me dead in my tracks. Twisting around, I push her into the wall. “What did you do to him?”

  Neve’s eyes widen in alarm. “I didn’t do anything to him! I called around earlier to check up on him. He told me he was exhausted, which is usual by the way after the memory serum. He should be right as rain by tomorrow.”

  She speaks as if all this is totally normal. Which I suppose it probably is for her.

  “You know that I know about that?”

  “Logan explained.” I wonder how much he explained.

  “You promise you didn’t mess with Jarod?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

  She looks hurt. Removing my hands, she shoves me away. “Of course, I didn’t! He’s my friend.” I pin her with a skeptical look. “Look,” she says, putting her face in mine, “I get that you’re pissed. Okay. But both of you mean the world to me, and I would never willingly or knowingly place either of you in harm’s way. I called over because I was concerned for him, and I wanted to make sure he was okay. That’s all. I can’t believe you’d think I would deliberately hurt him.”

  “Oh, please. Lose the wounded look. I know you don’t have a conscience.” The words unwisely let loose on my tongue.

  Neve’s eyes dart to the ceiling, and I silently curse my impulsiveness. I look up and emit a relieved sigh at the absence of cameras.

  “Let’s talk back at your apartment. Come on.” She attempts to coil her arm through mine, but I shoot her a glacial look and she backs off. We walk in complete silence.

  Haydn opens the door as we approach. He winks at my unspoken question.

  Sitting down on the couch, I kick off my shoes. Neve goes ramrod straight beside me and her eyes glaze over. I stare at her intently. Snapping out of it, she smiles. “It’s safe to talk.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Projected a shield.” She twists in her seat and beams at me, beyond pleased with herself.

  “Explain for the human?”

  Haydn guffaws, surprising me. “Imagine an invisible bubble surrounding us,” he says, “and those inside are mentally shielded from those outside the bubble, so anything spoken in here can’t be heard from outside. That’s what Neve has done.”

  “Got it. What other powers do you guys have?” I’m imaging Thor and Loki and a whole host of cool abilities.

  “Our powers emanate from our minds,” Neve says, angling her chin. “We can embed thoughts in others and ensure they act on it. I believe you’re aware of that one.” Elegantly, she crosses her legs and levels a knowing look at me.

  There’s no point denying it considering I admitted as much the other night. I nod. Then something else resurfaces. “Is that what Dante did to Odie?”

  “Yes. He projected the thought so many times into his mind that it became a compulsion he was helpless to resist. Odie falling off that railing wasn’t an accident; it was a calculated act of murder.”

  “Hell.” A powerful tremor rocks my body. “Why? What did Odie ever do to him?”

  “Dante wanted Jenna, and Odie was too much of a distraction.”

  “But that’s no reason to kill him!” I shriek. Neve shrugs apologetically. “What else can you guys do?” I ask, purposefully changing the subject because I don’t want to dwell on the cold, hard evidence of Dante’s official murderer status.

  She blinks rapidly. “We can also communicate telepathically.”

  “All of you?” Logan didn’t mention this.

  “Yes. When we are in our true form, it’s the only means of direct communication for our kind. No matter what form we’ve taken in the past, we’ve always retained the ability to mindspeak. When we are separated by distance, it’s in the form of projection. I’m able to speak to my father and sister back on Saven while on Earth,” she says rather smugly.

  Well, that answers my question about distance. I wonder why Logan and I don’t appear to be able to silently converse long-range. Another thought strikes me. From the way the king spoke about Neve last night, I assumed she was his daughter. “Are you related to Logan and Dante?” I face Haydn. “Are you?”

  Neve speaks up first. “We are first cousins, and Haydn is Logan’s assigned bodyguard.”

  “Ah, that kind of makes sense,” I tell Haydn. “But you’re more like my shadow these days.”

  “That was his command,” Haydn replies. My heart does a weird little jump. “He worries about Dante’s plans, and he felt you needed my protection more.”

  I sense his profound discontent. “You don’t agree?” I fiddle with a loose thread on the hem of my pants.

  “That’s not it. Of course, I don’t want anything to happen to you. It’s just difficult to separate from Logan after a lifetime of protecting him. I was groomed for this role from age seven, and it feels like I’ve always been by his side. It’s … strange to be away from him.”

  That sounds like a lonely existence, and yet again, I can’t shake the feeling that Haydn and I are kindred spirits. “Aren’t you allowed to have a life of your own?”

  “Logan is my life. When I accepted the position as his bodyguard, I understood that it was a lifetime commitment. It was my choice.” He looks like he wants to say more but he clams up.

  “Surely, you’re not expected t
o be with him all the time? What happens when you fall in love and want to get married?”

  A brief flash of emotion flits across his face. “That’s not permitted. My sole dedication is protecting the crown prince with my life, and nothing or no one is allowed to stand in the way of that.”

  I’m overwhelmed with abject sorrow. Haydn is a slave too. The only difference is that he chose that life, willingly signed up to it, in the name of honor and loyalty. But it is what it is. He has no life beyond his responsibility for Logan. Despite what he’s proclaimed, I sense discomfort in him. While I don’t believe he outwardly regrets his decision—his respect for Logan is all too obvious—perhaps it’s harder to fulfill than he realized.

  But now isn’t the time or the place to probe.

  “You worry about his safety when you’re away from him, don’t you?”

  “Constantly. And if the king found out …”

  “He’d get in trouble?” Though I don’t fully understand it, the depth of Logan’s concern for me is apparent. That he’d risk the wrath of his father to protect me blows my mind. A tumultuous mess of emotion starts churning inside me. No one has ever cared this much about me, and I’m unused to dealing with the sensations it invokes in me.

  “Exactly. And we can’t afford for Logan to fall out of the king’s favor.”

  I scoot closer to Haydn. This is fascinating and I want to learn all there is to know. “Why not? What don’t I know yet?”

  Neve explains it to me. “Dante is the king’s eldest son and technically he’s next in line to ascend. But Dante is a total lunatic with no leadership qualities to speak of, and the king realized years ago that Logan would make a far better successor. So he bypassed Dante and formally announced Logan as crown prince. Since then, Dante has gone out of his way to try to discredit Logan in the eyes of the king and the Saven people.”

  I mull that over in the context of Dante’s threatening behavior toward me. “Did he know about my Eterno connection with Logan? Is that why he’s had it in for me?” My head bounces between the pair of them.

  “Yes and no,” Haydn says. “At first, we think he believed Logan had chosen you as his preferred earthen and—”

  “What’s a preferred earthen?” I interrupt, remembering the king referencing the same term.

  “Didn’t Logan explain about the purpose of our visit to your planet? About the conscience transfer?” Haydn looks confused.

  “Yes. He explained that.” My mouth puckers sourly.

  Haydn winces before speaking. “Each Saven here on Earth was told to identify a preferred earthen to bond with. Dante thought Logan had chosen you as his, and he wanted to mess it up for him. Dante is desperate for Logan to fail. There are rumors on Saven that the king is considering stepping down soon, so Dante is becoming more and more frantic. We are at a critical juncture in our history, and if the crown prince didn’t succeed with the conscience transfer, then it would most likely be enough incentive to call for his replacement.”

  “I’m confused,” I say, holding up a hand. “Logan says he isn’t going to do that to me.”

  “He isn’t!” Neve reassures me. “He wouldn’t do that to you. But it’s not necessary now that you have an Eterno connection.”

  “Why not?”

  Neve’s whole demeanor softens and her face takes on a dreamy expression. “Oh my God, Sadie, it’s—”

  “Neve!” Haydn scolds. “Logan was explicit in his instruction. He wants to explain that to Sadie himself.”

  Neve glares at Haydn. He glares back, and my head whips back and forth, as they share an epic stare down. I suspect they are arguing telepathically. “Oh, fine. You win,” she yells.

  Inclining forward, she swoons. “It’s only the singular most romantic thing in the whole entire universe.” She squeals with delight. “I’m so envious.”

  Haydn rolls his eyes.

  I’m baffled. “You know I don’t have any idea of what you’re talking about.”

  “It’s—”

  “Neve!” Haydn roars and we both jump in fright.

  “Take a chill pill, Haydn. Jeez, you practically burst my eardrums.” Neve dramatically rubs her earlobes.

  I’m clearly not going to get to the bottom of this Eterno thingy until I speak to Logan, so I try and refocus the conversation. “Do you have a preferred earthen?” I ask Neve. I’ve noticed her periodically hanging around guys but I’ve never paid much attention.

  The mood turns somber.

  “Yes. Haydn is excused because he’s Logan’s bodyguard.”

  I’d already assumed as much. “Lucky for me,” Haydn says sincerely.

  “Who is it?” I demand of Neve.

  “You don’t know him. I made sure of that.”

  “Like that makes it all right?” I snap.

  “No, of course, it doesn’t. I don’t agree with this, Sadie. A lot of us don’t.” She looks down at her feet.

  “Then why are you going along with it?”

  “For appearance’s sake. If we don’t at least look like we’re compliant, we’ll be hauled in for questioning, or worse. But that’s all it is.”

  “You haven’t slept with him?” Unease trickles down my spine.

  “No. And I’ve no intention of having sex with Alex. I don’t want to do that to another living being. But it’s damned hard.” I shoot her a “pray tell” look. “He’s so fricking hot! And if the way he kisses is any indication? Wow.” She fans the air with her hands. “I’m having a real hard time keeping my hands off of him.”

  I splutter and Haydn chokes. “Definitely TMI, Neve.”

  God, she sounds so normal, so human when she talks like this. Haydn too. It’s weird. “Guys, I’m confused.” I volunteer.

  “No way!? Seriously?” Neve teases, her eyes alight with mischief.

  I shove her good-humoredly and she laughs. “You guys have no conscience, right? So how come you both act like you do? And you seem so human. Logan too. How’s that possible?”

  Haydn and Neve exchange guarded looks. “We’re not sure,” Neve says, inspecting her nails. “Logan thinks it’s because we were part of the initial training program and we’ve been studying human behavior for years. Combine that with the fact that we genuinely like humans and have all formed real friendships here, and he thinks we’re starting to develop our own conscience. We all feel different since we arrived.”

  “It’s not black and white,” Haydn adds. “In the same way there are good and not-so-good humans, and people with varying degrees of morality, it’s similar for the Saven. We like to consider ourselves mildly devoid of conscience. To answer your question—it’s most likely a combination of all those things.”

  “Oh my God.” I jump up. “This is huge! That could be the solution! And that’s more or less what Logan said to me earlier. If you guys stayed here and integrated well, there would be no reason to force …” I trail off as I notice their joint pitiful expressions.

  Neve shakes her head. “Even if we’re right—and that’s a big if—the king won’t listen to reason. If Logan attempted to broach the subject, he risks removal as crown prince. We can’t take that risk.”

  “You have to do something,” I wail.

  “We know, Sadie,” Neve says, standing up and hugging me. “We know this is wrong. You have to put your faith in Logan. He’s going to find a way to make this right.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Logan doesn’t show up the rest of the night, and I’m sorely disappointed. There’s so much I still need to know, and Haydn and Neve have given me plenty to consider. If what they’ve told me is the truth, then not all the Saven are hell-bent on our destruction. And if Logan is serious about stopping his father, then all hope isn’t lost. Perhaps if the rebels and the alien sympathizers worked together, they could pull off the feat of the century.

  But I remind myself, I have to determine if both sides are trustworthy before I start brokering any alliance of my own.

  I drift into an uneasy sleep. Whisper
ed words breeze through my subconscious as I toss and turn all night long.

  Waking to the droning sound of the alarm, I groan. I’m more tired than when I went to bed. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I stagger out of bed and head to the kitchen.

  I barely remembered to eat yesterday, and my stomach is currently engaged in a vicious game of payback. My gut wrenches painfully. I need food now.

  I’m munching on some toast when Haydn knocks. I open the door without checking and he scowls. Logan stands directly behind him talking quietly into his comm-clip. His eyes devour me, and my pulse races to life. “What?” I mumble, in between mouthfuls.

  “You need to check, Sadie,” Hayden chastises. “I could’ve been anyone.”

  “I knew it was you.” I puff out my lips.

  Logan closes the door behind him and removes the device from his ear. He looks me up and down. “Put some clothes on.”

  My eyes narrow to pinpricks.

  “Please,” he adds.

  I peruse my sleep shorts and shirt. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” he replies, “That’s the problem.”

  I scratch my head absently. “Do all aliens speak in riddles?”

  Haydn attempts to disguise his smile. Logan offers no further explanation and I roll my eyes.

  “I’ll get dressed. But only because I have to get dressed for school.”

  Haydn fails to conceal his smile this time.

  I swing my hips defiantly as I go. I’ve barely taken five steps when I’m whisked off my feet and flung over Logan’s shoulder. He pushes into my room and places me gently on the ground.

  “What the he—” Logan’s hot lips press against mine and I’m instantly muted. His tongue invades my mouth, exploring frantically, and my body roars to attention. I could definitely get used to this. He reels me into his firm body. And oh, yeah, I’m feeling all manner of feels. Jumping up, I wrap my legs around his waist, and he holds me in place. Angling his head, he strengthens the kiss, and I press into him, wishing I could slip under his skin and sink into his bones.