Sabin, A Seven Novel

by A. M. Hargrove

Looking at Sabin, I glare. “Yes, you are.”

  His forehead creases and I refuse to break the eye contact first. When he does, I notice how his thick lashes press into the tops of his cheeks and how they, in turn, slope into carved perfection. As I study him, he licks his full lips and his hooded eyes lift to catch me staring. A brow quirks as if to ask whether or not I enjoy what I see. As if there was ever a question of that. The real question is—how can someone be so damn sexy and alluring yet such an asshole? Sabin is all of that and more. He is damn near perfect, and as I think those things, I know he hears my thoughts but I don’t give a damn. The problem is, looks aren’t everything. With those looks comes all of his assery and that is a huge problem for me. My emotions are tangled up in this man who is so mysterious and changes moods like the weather in the south during the summer.

  When dinner ends, I head back to Sabin’s quarters and read for a while before falling asleep. He is nowhere to be seen and I don’t hear him come in that night. The next morning, he is gone when I awaken. For the next two days, I spend my time by the lake, taking long walks and sitting out on the dock. Edge visits me every so often and on one of his visits, I work up the courage to ask about Sabin.

  “Why is he doing this?”

  Edge chuckles. “Sabin is Sabin.”

  “You’ve said that before.”

  “It’s true. But he cares for you, Serena.”

  “You’ve said that before, too.”

  “Yes, I have. He’s unused to having a woman to worry about. I don’t believe he quite knows how to handle you.”

  This makes me laugh, but not with mirth. “Then he’d better get used to it because he’s the one who claimed me.”

  “Serena, go easy on him. He’s not an easy man to deal with in the first place.”

  “You’re telling me. He acts like an ass and then expects me to be the one to do all the sucking up. Hell to the fucking no on that. I’m all about compromise, but he doesn’t get the meaning of it. And talk about a freaky thermometer. Good god, the man is off the charts with the fluctuating mercury.”

  “Okay, slow it down. Sabin is preoccupied right now. And do you want to know what he is preoccupied with?”

  “No. I don’t care.”

  Edge’s eyes darken and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him become angry with me. “Too bad. I’m telling you anyway. He is preoccupied with your safety. That’s why we’re leaving here. That’s why we’re going back to Earth, to a special island in the Caribbean, where you, as he put it, can be with your underwater friends. He’s doing it all for you. Take a step back and understand this, Serena.”

  Oh god. We’re going to this place so I can dive? “He’s doing this for my safety, but also so I can dive?”

  “Yes, Serena, much to some of the men’s dismay. They don’t quite agree with his logic. But he is adamant about seeing you safe and happy. Now you must try to understand him and not judge him so harshly.”

  “But why didn’t he tell me?”

  “If you haven’t figured this out by now, Sabin is proud. He’ll never tell you these things.”

  “Hmm. Thank you, Edge. I have to go.”

  Edge nods, but adds, “Don’t tell him who told you.”

  A ripple of laughter busts loose. “Edge, he’ll figure it out. I won’t have to tell him. You’re the only one I chat to about things like this … scratch that. You’re the only one I chat to period. No one else likes me.” I hug his neck and skip back to the house, feeling lighter hearted than I have in the last couple of days.

  I run into Sabin’s office and he looks up from his massive desk. “What’s wrong?”

  “Walk with me?”

  He nods and we walk outside. “I have a better idea.” He takes me down to the lake and we enter a building by the water. A dock runs inside and there are watercraft anchored to it. “Let me help you.” He offers me his hand and I step aboard. Moments later we are flying across the bright blue water.

  Once we get across the lake, he cuts the engine, and we float on the water. I can only grin at the beauty that lies all around me.

  “I’ve never been anywhere like this before. It’s unreal.” The mansion is gorgeous from the lake and the mountains are a quite a backdrop for it.

  “Yes, it is.” He stares at me. “I’ve been distant lately and I’m sorry. I’m worried about the danger you face here. The attack put a whole new perspective on things. It’s why we’re leaving.”

  “I know. That’s why I came to talk to you. Why don’t you tell me these things?”

  “It’s all new to me. Having someone that I care about. I’m not very good at this, Serena. I’m not dealing well with it. I’m sorry I ran from you the other day. It was wrong. You make me do things that have me questioning myself all the time. But leaving … it’s all for you.”

  I take his hand and bring it to my mouth. “I’m sorry I’m such a pain.” Then I kiss it. “I’m also sorry I’m taking you away from doing your job.”

  “You’re more important to me than my job.”

  This makes my heart stutter. “Sabin.”

  “Hush. Now let me show you my favorite place here.”

  He starts the engine and the boat glides across the water again. We visit all of Sabin’s spots he used to swim as a boy with his siblings, and I wish I had my bathing suit so I could dive right in and explore. This place is magical. Several hours later, we pull back into the dock house.

  “Thank you. This was wonderful.”

  “Yes, it was. I should’ve done this a long time ago. You deserve to see the beauty of Nyan’trua.”

  A week passes and Sabin and I share a lot of intimate moments … not sexual, but he takes me places that are meaningful to him. Mostly, they revolve around things his family did. We always have a troop of men with us, for safety purposes, but Sabin opens up about himself and his love for Nyan’trua is clear. It’s easy to see why. This place is true paradise with its lovely mountains and sea, flowers and greenery. Edge was right. I love it.

  When I enter Sabin’s quarters, Helios is there, packing everything up. “Oh, hello Serena. I’m getting everything prepared for our departure. I have all of your things set to go. Sabin will be up in a minute.”

  “How soon?”

  “Um, maybe an hour.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  Helios turns his attention back to my things and then sets his transcender and they disappear. I’m not really looking forward to this travel thing again. It did funky things to my body and I slept forever when we arrived here. I’ve been thinking more about Sabin and haven’t had time to dwell on it, but now I get anxious.

  Sabin busts through the door as I sit on the bed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  How does he know?

  “You were screaming!”

  “No, I wasn’t!”

  “Yes, you were.” He kneels before me and takes my face in his hands. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine. I’m just a little freaked about this transcending thing again.”

  He exhales and lays his head on my lap. Do I affect him this much?

  “Yes, you do. I thought something happened to you.”

  His hair’s a mess, like he’s been whipping his hands through it. I thread my fingers into tangled strands, and gently massage his head. “It’s okay, Sabin. I know you’re worried about my safety and that’s why we’re leaving. I’m fine. Just scared about the method of transportation. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

  He lifts his head and his eyes, dark and passion-filled, link with mine and I have this sudden urge to kiss him. My fingers curl around his collar and I tug his face closer. That’s all the encouragement he needs and our lips collide in a heated kiss. Desire unfurls in my belly, radiating down to my sex, and my hand molds around his erection, which strains against his pants.

  Upon his lips I say, “No preliminaries, just you, inside of me. Now.” He nods once and strips me of my pants and panties. I fumble wit
h the fastening of his pants, and he brushes my hands to the side. Once he’s free, his eyes question, and I flick my head up and down in a quick response. He pulls my hips to the edge of the bed and moves his tip to my opening. In one swift move he thrusts inside and, oh, it’s so right.

  “Yes, just like that. Keep going. Hard and fast.”

  He takes one of my legs and bends it at the knee, allowing him to go even deeper. “Oh.”

  His other hand urges me on when he puts it beneath me, cupping my cheek. His fingers hold tight, almost bruising, and I want them to bruise me, to leave their marks behind as reminders. For a moment, our eyes meet and the way he looks at me—it’s like a cross between adoration and obsession. He makes me feel like I’m the only thing that has any kind of meaning for him. His mouth drops to my neck and kisses, licks, and then sucks the tender skin there. And the animal-like sounds he releases from deep within his throat make me want him even more. How can that be when I have him right now? Every touch of his sets a new fire to my body, running currents of heat throughout me.

  “Touch yourself, Serena. I want to see your fingers on you.”

  Our eyes lock and he nods. My hand slips between us and he inches out to make room enough for us to watch. And it’s a complete turn on to see him thrusting and pivoting his hips against mine and watching my fingers rubbing my clit.

  “Gorgeous. Just perfect,” his hoarse voice says.

  “Oh god, I’m close. So close.” All I can think of is how good this feels.

  “Get there. I want to watch you fall.”

  When he says that, I circle myself and feel how wet I am. His cock slides against my fingers and as I watch, I come apart. My body spasms against his, and right then, I feel him tense and then find his release. He burrows into my neck, and then kisses it with dozens of tiny pecks. When we both find ourselves again, he lifts his head and offers me a lazy grin.

  Then he says, “Look.” We both watch as he pulls out, and his glistening cock is a beautiful sight. He lowers his head and kisses my thighs, my stomach, and my sex. “You’re exquisite.” Then he finds my lips again. “As much as I’d like to stay here, we have to prepare for travel.”

  “Thank you. For taking my mind off that.”

  “My pleasure.” He smirks. “Take a look around and make sure you have everything. Helios should’ve packed everything, but check just to make sure.”

  “Am I going forever?” The thought that I’ll never come back here crushes me. He must hear it in my voice because he turns to me and the way his eyes tug down at the corners scare me.

  “I don’t know. I can’t have you here, though, because clearly your life is in danger. Until we find the people or person responsible for my family’s death, and until we get Judgment Day back, you have to stay somewhere else.”

  “Where will you be?”

  “All over the fucking place.”

  The League came through with the men. We got an extra ten, which was far more than I had hoped for. Drey worked with them all day yesterday, and when he debriefed me, he said he felt good about their progress. Eventually, I hope they will be field worthy, but that will have to be put to a vote. The Seven are highly selective and careful about who they trust.

  “Drey, I want detailed progress updates. If you don’t think someone is up to it, get rid of them. Use your best judgment. I trust you. Clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I probably won’t see you for a couple of weeks unless you need me.”

  Drey is competent and I’m sure he will do an excellent job, which is why he was chosen. I return to the main room where everyone waits for me.

  “Everyone ready?”

  There are murmurs among the group.

  “I guess it’s time to suit up. Let’s go.”

  One by one we begin. I let the men go first, and then Serena and myself are last. I know she’s nervous, so I want her to watch the others so she can see how easy it is. By the time Verus moves to her, she’s not as anxious as she was the last time.

  “Ready?” I ask.

  She nods and I hold her hands as he layers her with her suit. It’s easier going this time. When he finishes, I ask, “All good?” She nods with a smile. Then it’s my turn.

  When Verus is finished, he gives the word and we’re off. Serena travels wrapped in my arms. She’s worried about getting weary again. I reassure her that she can sleep on the way.

  “Your suit is programmed for our final destination, so even if I don’t hold you, you’ll end up in the same place as the rest of us.”

  “I’d rather you held me. What if a giant asteroid smashes into us?”

  “It won’t. We outmaneuver them. We’re traveling faster than they are.”

  “Then what if we smash into one?”

  “We won’t. Our course is carefully plotted. Don’t worry,” I assure her.

  “Why can’t we see stars? I thought there were stars in outer space.”

  “There are stars, my inquisitive one. We’re traveling faster than their light can reach us.”

  “Damn.”

  A short while later, Serena sleeps against my chest. When we arrive at our island destination, we have our work cut out for us. The house Verus procured is an abandoned sugar plantation with several outbuildings, and everything is in disrepair.

  “Get to work and let’s get this place fixed up,” I tell the men. “I want everything functional in a couple of days.”

  “Not a problem,” Edge says.

  Verus programs and releases all the MSI and within no time, things are shaping up. We have the kitchen going, which really only consists of the processor. By the end of the day, our bedrooms are set up, and the sec center is about done. The bathrooms are near completion and Serena is still out in her travel-induced coma.

  “Do you think she’ll sleep as long as she did the last time?” Edge asks.

  “Most likely.”

  Verus walks in and announces, “The insects here are a menace. I’ve deployed MSI on the perimeter of the property to destroy any invaders. I’ve never known them to be so vicious before. I was attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes.”

  “Ah, yes. They love human blood,” I say.

  “They love Nyan’truan blood, too. We haven’t spent much time outdoors in tropical climates before so beware. The bites itch like demonfire,”

  “What’s the problem?” Helios asks.

  “Look,” Verus says, holding out his arms. They are speckled with big red dots. “These are the bites of those rascals.” He scratches both arms.

  “Use the MSI’s to heal them.”

  “I did. Apparently they don’t work because they aren’t programmed to heal mosquito bites.”

  That’s disconcerting. It makes me wonder what else is out here that can cause issues. “Okay, beware of things such insects, poisonous bites, etc. When Serena awakens, we will ask her what might be dangerous.”

  “Maybe we should stay indoors until then,” Edge proposes.

  “Not a bad idea,” I concur.

  A day and a half later, Serena decides to join us. We are all in the makeshift kitchen, eating lunch, when she ambles in with her hair disheveled and creases in her face.

  “Well, good afternoon,” I say with a laugh.

  She squints in the brightness and asks, “How long?”

  “Only a day and a half this time.”

  “Oh, I’m getting better. I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.” She heads to the processor.

  “Sit, I don’t think we have any horse on the menu, but I can get you something,” I offer. “What do you want?”

  “Anything but horse.”

  I enter the codes for her favorite lunch and hand it to her. “Careful. It’s hot.”

  Then I get her some water. She drinks and drinks. I immediately turn back to get her some more.

  “Thank you. I was parched.”

  “Yes, but it’s good you’re drinking.”

  Then she exclaims, “What happened to your ar
ms, Verus?”

  “Mosquitos.”

  “They did that? You must be especially sensitive to them.”

  “Evidently so.”

  “It looks like you have the chicken pox. Do you have those marks anywhere else? Take off your shirt.”

  He does and his chest and abdomen are fine.

  “I swear I’ve never seen mosquito bites that bad.”

  “It must be the tropics or that I was outside a lot.”

  “Or maybe you’re overly sensitive to them. But we need bug spray.”

  “Bug spray?” I ask.

  “Yeah, it keeps the bugs off you.”

  I laugh, because that’s such an ancient form of repellent. “Oh, Verus set MSI’s on the perimeter of the property so they won’t let any mosquitoes, or other pests for that matter, get through.”

  “I hope it works. I don’t want to itch with those things. Those are extreme,” I motion to Verus’ arms.

  “They’ll work. Much better than your spray. Now please eat. It’s been a while since your last meal.”

  She turns her attention back to her food and eats with a contented look. As I observe her, a warmth fans over me as that beating thing in my chest expands to the size of a giant mountain. She makes me feel again. She’s brought back depth to my life and as I scrutinize her, a fierce protectiveness comes over me, letting me know that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I want her to be happy, satisfied, loved, cherished, all the things she never was before. As it smacks into me, I know I must tell her. She needs to know how I feel.

  Her strawberry scent drifts over to me and I clench my chair to prevent me from crawling across the table and grabbing her. Watching her mouth is driving me insane, so I squeeze my lids shut, hoping to get the sight out of my mind. But when I do, images of her naked and me fucking her take its place. Sweat beads on my forehead and I wipe it away with the back of my hand.

  “Sabin? You okay? You don’t look well,” Rafe notices.

  “I’m fine,” I say. “Think I’ll go to my quarters for a spell.” I practically tear up the chair in my haste to get out of there. I can’t possibly keep this up. I have to quit running from my feelings and tell her what’s in my heart, but what if she wants no part of me? What will I do then? I’m not sure I could deal with the heartbreak of her not wanting me. And here I keep thinking she’s fragile. Maybe I’m the fragile one after all.