I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek, drawing blood. I’m going to have to come clean with him, and sooner rather than later. But I have no idea how to let him down without devastating him. The thought makes me hugely uncomfortable.
He doesn’t deserve to be hurt.
“It was my idea to get married before I was sent back to Earth when I was sixteen,” I continue. “So, yeah, I guess I’m married.” I run my hands through my hair and studiously avoid Ax’s gaze.
“You guess?” His voice is ice and fire.
“I’m embarrassed enough discussing this in public,” I hiss, finally finding the courage to look him in the face. “Can we talk about this later, in private?”
“Stars!” Neve exclaims. “Logan is going to lose his shit when he hears this.”
I scowl. “Jeez, thanks for that very helpful commentary.” I massage a tense spot between my eyebrows. “Are we done talking about me yet?”
“What else happened up there?”
I try to recall what else I’ve neglected to mention. “I saw the future,” I admit.
“What?” Fern shrieks, almost deafening me. “How on earth …?”
I tell them about the Perception room and the Tempo—the time travel machine—and the vision of the future I saw. My future with Logan. A future that I don’t even know exists anymore. Then I explain how I blew up the Tempo and nearly died in the process, except that Izzy and Ax showed up in the nick of time to rescue me.
Everyone looks emotionally drained by the time I finish relaying my sordid tale. I squirm in my seat, the metal bar of the lock digging into my hips. “Can you release us now?”
“Yes,” Neve says at the same time Haydn says, “No.”
She ignores him and frees all three of us. My body sags in relief. Ax stands up and stretches his arms over his head. His shirt lifts, exposing a tiny sliver of ripped skin. I don’t mean to look, but my eyes have an agenda of their own. I blush to the tips of my toes when he catches me gawking.
Haydn lets out a low whistle. “You’re a real piece of work.”
“It’s okay,” I say, turning to face him. “I got the memo.” He arches a brow. “The one that says you hate my guts. There’s no need to rub it in.”
His face is impressively neutral as he silently stares at me, not even attempting to refute my claims. Ax switches rows and sits down beside me. His arm snakes around my shoulders, and he pulls me into his solid chest. My level of anxiety is off the Richter scale at the uninitiated contact. I yearn to pull out of his embrace and tell him to keep his hands to himself.
But I don’t want to hurt him. Or humiliate him in public.
Haydn sends death glares my direction, and I do my best to deflect them. “Now it’s your turn,” I tell Neve. “Tell me what happened after I left.”
“This is going to be hard to hear, Sadie.” Fern speaks up first. “You should prepare yourself.”
“Nothing can be worse than thinking I might’ve killed Logan. I haven’t been able to sleep for worrying about him.”
Ax visibly stiffens.
Neve sits upright in her chair, a pained look contorting her beautiful face. “He was in a bad way, Sadie, and we didn’t have the right medical equipment to treat him onboard. His external injuries were fine, but it was whatever was going on internally that we couldn’t figure out. His stomach was burning up, and so swollen, and his temp was skyrocketing. It didn’t help that he virtually passed out after you were taken. From shock or his injuries, I’m not sure.” She sucks in a noisy mouthful of air.
“So, what did you do?” I take her hands in mine.
“We took him to Dr. Zuma in Rindyar. He was the only one we could think of at such short notice; however, it was stupid, thoughtless. But we were desperate … we knew we were losing him, and there wasn’t adequate time to devise alternatives.”
I frown, slightly confused. “Isn’t Dr. Zuma an ally? That’s where Logan took me after I was shot. I don’t understand.”
“We didn’t either,” Neve continues, chewing on the side of her lip. Alex moves behind her and plants a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “At first, everything seemed fine. Dr. Zuma treated Logan and nothing seemed untoward, except that he was jittery as hell. Turns out that Dante had seized control of the planet after your visit. I don’t know why he thought Logan would return—maybe it was just a lucky guess—but he had the place sewn up tight. The Saven soldiers were in hiding, and they chose their moment to pounce. We’d been so careful never to leave Logan alone but—”
“But I left him unprotected,” Haydn butts in, “and they took him. We only managed to escape by sheer luck.” He grinds down hard on his teeth.
“It’s not your fault.” The words leave my lips of their own accord.
“I don’t want or need your sympathy,” he snaps, putting me back in my place.
“Listen up, asshole,” Ax replies, instantly jumping to my defense. “Stop speaking to Sadie like that.”
Haydn flips up his middle finger, and I stare open-mouthed at him. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Haydn was a victim of body snatching. This is so unlike him.
“Haydn.” Neve pins him with a glacial look. “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say your attitude is not helping. So, cut it out, or go take a nap or something. You’re as grouchy as a grizzly bear in need of a decent feed.”
“You’re falling for all this crap?” he says in an incredulous tone.
“Haydn, we know Sadie. You know Sadie, and she’s telling us the truth. I’m not gonna lie, it’s one hella mess, but she isn’t deceiving anyone. And she’s dead right on one thing. We need to figure out a way to rescue Logan. That should be our only priority.”
“That is my only priority,” he growls, almost affirming her grizzly bear comparison. “I’m all ears.” He folds his arms across his chest and purposefully averts my gaze.
I’ll take it. Happily. Ignorance is easier to accept than all the hurtful, barbed comments.
“Any ideas?” Neve asks me.
“Do we know where he’s being held or can we find out?”
“I’ve touched base with a few trusted friends on the ground in Saven. While they can’t confirm it categorically, it appears that all the prisoners are in the dungeons under the palace. That’s our safest bet,” Rylan says.
“Well, what about Logan’s original plan then?” I say. “To infiltrate the palace via the tunnel network from the old Saven district?”
“We’d thought of that, but it’s risky. Logan may have given up that plan or Advisor Mellor may have. We still don’t know if he’s trustworthy or not.”
“Logan wouldn’t give up anything.” My voice brims with confidence.
Guarded looks are traded around the room, and large goose bumps sprout on my arms. Tension lances the air.
“Not willingly, no,” Neve quietly answers.
CHAPTER 2
“Oh, God.” I slap a hand over my mouth, as her insinuation sinks in. “Dante wouldn’t …”
“He would.” Her face pales. “Dante hates him, Sadie. He’s had it in for him for years. Who knows what he’s been doing to him.”
I hate to agree, but as I recall everything I know of Logan’s erstwhile beloved brother, I know her concerns are justified. Dante has always resented the fact that he was overlooked by King Adjani in favor of Logan, and he landed the blame for the death of their mother squarely on Logan’s shoulders. I remember how Dante targeted me on Thalassic City purely to antagonize Logan and how—according to Neve, Haydn and Logan—Dante has constantly sought ways to provoke Logan into physical retaliation. That Logan is trapped in Dante’s lair is more than just concerning. We have to get him out of there, and fast. There is no time to spare.
Another thought occurs to me. “How long has he had him?” Time is like some abstract concept to me at the moment.
“Three days. More than enough time to …”
I gasp, clamping a hand over my distressed mouth. Neve grabs me into her
arms. “I’m sure he’s still alive, Sadie. If Dante had already killed him, we’d know about it. He won’t miss out on the opportunity to gloat.”
“If that’s the case,” I ask, trying to quell my burgeoning hysteria, “what’s his game plan?” I ease out of her embrace, pulling my knees into my chest. “We need to figure out what he’s up to.”
“He wants Logan out of the picture so there’s no one to contest his leadership,” Haydn says in a grim tone.
“Why hasn’t he done it yet? Why wait?” What new, sick game is Dante concocting now?
“It’s like Neve says, he wants to turn it into a spectacle. He probably already has the wheels in motion.” There is no tenor to Haydn’s tone. It is flat and unfeeling, and that touches a raw nerve.
“You don’t have to sound so uncaring!” I spit out. “Have you already given up on him?”
Haydn hops out of his seat super-fast, putting his face right in mine. His aggressive stance is intimidating, but I stand my ground, refusing to cower.
Ax wraps his arms around my waist, drawing me against his sturdy chest.
“We wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for you!” he yells, glowering at Ax and me. “And you don’t get to tell me what I do or don’t feel. You’ve done enough damage as it is.”
I say nothing to defend myself because there isn’t much I can say. Haydn’s right. I set all this in motion. I am to blame. But that’s of no use to anyone right now, least of all Logan. He needs me to stay strong.
I shuck out of Ax’s arms. “I think we should stick to Logan’s plan and enter the palace via the tunnel.” I’m deliberately ignoring Haydn’s outburst and the thorny atmosphere in the room. “Have we enough weapons onboard? Enough fuel to get us to Saven?”
Neve swings her head to Rylan, silently diverting the questions his way. “Just about, on both counts,” he confirms.
“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.
Saven Defiance (The Saven Series Book 4) Page 2
