Sky didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded. Titus’s lips curled into a sad smile. “I will meet you at the feast.” Titus stiffly nodded to Sky, but she could see a sparkle in his eyes. She pondered if this was the beginning of new possibilities for their relationship and hoped that this small spark of hope wouldn’t come around to bite her in the ass later.
When the door closed, Phoenix nuzzled his face in Sky’s neck, causing her to giggle at his playfulness. She pushed at him, but he didn’t pull away until he trailed a line of kisses from her chin to collar bone.
“Why do you make my body war with my brain? It’s completely unfair,” Sky moaned as she pressed in closer, her mark pulsating in agreement.
“To make sure I’m always on your mind,” he whispered before kissing her temple and stepping away. “Now, let’s go. What do you think would happen if we shadowed directly in the middle of the feast crowd?”
Sky smiled mischievously. “There’s only one way to find out.”
Apparently, two people appearing from nothing would indeed cause quite a scene. Hordes of people ran away in panic before realizing that it was only Sky and Phoenix. They held back their amusement until they found the table where Jo, Raiden, Rana, and Deviant sat, roaring with laughter.
Once Sky calmed down, she greeted her friends and introduced Phoenix to those who hadn’t met him.
“So, Phoenix, what are your intentions regarding my security chief?” Jo asked with a snicker.
Phoenix leaned toward Sky and whispered loud enough for the entire table to hear. “Will everyone be prying into our relationship?”
“With Jo, nothing is sacred. You will learn that the more you are around her.”
“So you will come back to the Kismet, Sky?” Raiden asked.
“I haven’t discussed the next step with Rana or Phoenix,” Sky answered. Her heart screamed yes, but Luz’s mark sent a jolt down her spine.
“I have already approached Rana and was prepared to wait until later to bring it up with you, Sky, but I have invited the both of you to join me on the Deliverance.” Deviant leaned forward and spoke softly. “I understand that you have a premonition of sorts that urges you to stay with Rana, and while I wouldn’t have believed in such mysticism before my trip to Kore, Rana’s testimony plus Phoenix’s display of power earlier was quite illuminating.”
“Rana?” Sky turned to her friend. Rana’s cheeks were rosy as she avoided Sky’s gaze and picked at the edge of the table with her fingernail.
“I have accepted his offer. It feels like the right thing.” Rana lifted her eyes and Sky stared into the mechanical depths, wishing for the first time that her friend could emote with her implants. “You don’t have to come along. I understand that you have a commitment to the Kismet.”
“I also have a commitment to you. I promised to be your champion, and I cannot guard you when I’m on a separate ship.”
“The Kismet docks with the Deliverance on a regular basis, so you would see Rana often if you’d rather resume your post,” Jo stated between bites of meat. Sky wrinkled her nose at Jo’s uncouth eating habits. Jo caught the disgusted look and smiled, proudly displaying the bits of meat in her teeth.
“How you find her attractive, I’ll never know,” Sky said to Raiden.
“Truly, love is blind,” Rana added.
“Love has nothing to do with it. I’m just that talented in the bedroom. Right, Rai?” Jo turned her meaty smile to Raiden.
“You definitely have all the right moves, my love,” Raiden answered with adoration shining in his bright emerald eyes.
Sky sank into her thoughts as her friends bantered around her. For the first time in her life, she felt conflicted. Surprisingly, her mark was silent on the issue. Her chest ached at the thought of leaving Rana, but being around Jo made her homesick for the aging freighter. Her heart and mind had warred with each other before, but this time no matter what she chose, she would lose. Leaving Kore would mean leaving Phoenix, and Sky didn’t want to give him up yet.
There was no way she could decide. Sky leaned toward Phoenix, who anticipated her need and was already moving to her.
“You make the choice,” she demanded.
“It’s not my choice to make,” he answered.
“You’re not going to try and influence me to stay?”
“I want you with me, but I will not clip your wings, Sky.” Phoenix lightly kissed her ear.
“What are the lovebirds whispering about?” Jo laughed.
“She’s conflicted,” Phoenix answered.
“About what? No matter which ship you board, you will be able to see the other on a regular basis.” Jo’s brow wrinkled in confusion, but then rose as she smiled impishly. “You love him.”
“Yes,” Sky admitted boldly.
“Well then, Phoenix, I officially offer you a position on my security team.” Jo addressed Phoenix with a gleam in her eye.
“I, uh—” Phoenix started.
“I would also like to extend an offer of employment on the Deliverance,” Deviant interrupted. “We could use your experience as a warrior to train new recruits.”
“Wow,” Phoenix breathed. “I will go wherever Sky goes.”
“Very well.” Deviant leaned forward and met Sky’s gaze. His eyes burned with zeal, and Sky felt the urge to lean back but restrained herself. “I have a proposition that I think would work well for everyone. You can rotate positions between deliveries once you’re certain Rana has settled in on the Deliverance. That way, you can take care of your duties on the Kismet and remain loyal to your commitment to Rana.”
Sky nudged Phoenix. “What do you think?”
“It’s a fair compromise.”
“I agree.” Sky bit her lip. Although Phoenix had already stated that he was willing to go where she went, Sky didn’t want him to feel forced into leaving Kore behind. “Are you certain you want to leave? I know my soul belongs out there, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to follow me.”
“Sky, my love, I have no attachment to Kore. What better place for someone who carries shadow and starlight in their soul than out there among the source of my power?”
“You’ll go on this adventure with me?”
Phoenix cupped Sky’s cheeks with his warm hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I want to go on every adventure with you.”
Sky couldn’t believe that everything she wanted was falling into place. She ran her fingers through Phoenix’s hair, resting her hand at the base of his neck, and pulled him closer. Their foreheads touched and Sky’s mark exploded with sensation. Without looking away from Phoenix, she addressed the table.
“When do we leave?”
Epilogue
Rana.
Rana sat on the floor of the observation deck on the Deliverance, her arms wrapped around both legs as she rested her chin on her knees. The view was breathtaking. Streaks of multi-colored light flashed in a rhythmic dance that had a soothing effect on Rana’s anxiety-ridden mind. Her cybernetic eyes picked up every color of the spectrum as they sped along to their next destination.
Most people thought the cosmos was a vast empty domain with spatterings of stars, planets, nebulas, and black holes. Rana knew differently. The infinite space around them teemed with color; waves of all kinds—light, electromagnetic, gamma, radio, and gravity—filled the emptiness with beauty. She never shared her discovery. The loveliness of the void was meant just for her. It grounded Rana when she felt troubled.
Right now, her secret celestial prism did nothing to quell her tormented soul.
Rana had always known she was spoiled. Regulus doted on her like any loving father. He nurtured her natural talents despite her disability and the disgusted looks he received from his fellow Elitians. He went above the law and allowed the medical corporation to attempt seven optical transfers, even forced all her half-siblings to donate DNA for experimental procedures, with no success. When nothing else could be done, her father pressured the tech corporatio
n to create the most advanced optical cybernetics for his youngest daughter. Rana always received the latest and greatest before the product was released to the masses.
Rana wasn’t an idiot. She knew the laws requiring the families of disabled Elitians to hand their lesser relatives over to the corporations for recycling. Rana’s own mother had urged Regulus to send Rana to the corporations to save the family group. He had refused.
Then why attempt to kill her after all that?
Rana was at a loss. Since her awakening on the Kismet, Rana had been exposed to views antithetical to her own core values. She hadn’t known that millions of people opposed the Elitian way of life. Rana never put a face to those donated cells and organs that kept Elitians young and alive for rotations beyond natural aging. Befriending Jo and Sky had augmented her reality in a confusing way. One that Rana denied until she saw the faces of those men and women who were to be sent to Leonis for harvesting.
They were innocent. Real, living people. In the moment, Rana could picture their families and futures that were to be cut short because a small contingent of people on a distant world were too vain to grow old and die. Rage and guilt had assaulted her, and Rana had made a huge mistake—one that could have had terrible repercussions for her closest friend.
Her vision spectrum shifted, taking away the lovely colors as her tear ducts began to spill. Rana hated crying, but she had a sensitive soul. Her earliest memories were of weeping because her defect caused her birth mother a lifetime of stress. It took many years of heartache and abuse from her many mothers and siblings to learn how to hide emotion, but right then—on a rebel ship—Rana just wanted to let it all out.
A soft giggle stilled Rana’s sorrow. Sky and Phoenix entered the observation deck hand-in-hand and gazing at each other as if they were alone in the universe. They might as well have been, since Rana was nestled in a dark corner, completely out of sight.
For a moment, Rana thought it would be rude to hide away and watch their private moment, but when Phoenix leaned in for a kiss, a gaping pit opened where Rana felt her heart should be. She unwrapped one arm from her legs and pressed her hand against her chest in an attempt to dull the ache.
All Rana’s life, women had been wicked and cruel to her, with exception of Jo and Sky. It wasn’t fair to them for Rana to stew in jealously over their newfound romances. She loved her friends, and they above all others deserved to find happiness.
Then why couldn’t she stop envy’s spread?
Rana had always been a romantic at heart and spent many nights in her personal library dreaming, longing for a man to see past her flaws and sweep her off her feet, but she knew it would never happen. No Elitian man wanted an abomination for a wife. Rana had accepted her lot in life when she was still a child: she would forever be single and stuck in a loveless life.
But now she had the love of two wonderful friends and the adoration of millions of people who saw Rana as a figurehead of hope in a galaxy where there was none. With the help of the Common Citizen’s Insurgence, Rana could make a difference. The disfigured, unwanted youngest daughter of the chancellor would now lead an army to liberate the oppressed.
In this she could find fulfillment.
As Rana lost herself in thought, her optical sensors dulled to allow her mind to wander. It was one of the wonderful things about being partially cyborg. Rana could literally shut her sight off and feel almost alone when the pressures of life felt overwhelming, but the peace was short lived.
Rana heard Sky abruptly stand with a gasp. Rana silently commanded her vision back on and watched Sky read something on her UAB.
“What is it?” Phoenix’s eyes sparkled with worry while shadows danced around his feet.
Sky ignored her lover and approached a wall opposite of the viewing port. She placed her hand against the dark surface, and the wall transformed into a massive holoscreen.
“Deliverance AI, display CyNet news feed from Leonis.”
The holoscreen pulsed for a moment before a grim-faced Elitian man loomed over the room. Rana stood as he began to speak.
“We will continue to relay information as it comes in, but for those who are now tuning in, I am sad to report that an explosive has detonated in GCA headquarters while the consulate was in session this afternoon. Peacekeepers are on the scene, but there has been no word on how many lives were lost this cycle. Reporters are the building covering the proceedings, and their live feeds at the time of the explosion show no obvious perpetrators.”
Rana choked on her cry, bringing attention to herself. Sky rushed over to Rana and draped her in a constricting hug.
“This wasn’t the insurgence, was it?” Rana gasped between sobs. She knew every member of the consulate. Most of them were never kind to her, but they didn’t deserve to be obliterated. She knew joining the CCI meant that she was on the opposing side, but such violent loss of life weighed heavy on Rana’s sensitive heart.
“No. The CCI have not engaged with the GCA. Jo told me that right now we are recruiting and training,” Sky whispered soothingly as she petted Rana’s hair.
“We have received an update from the Peacekeeper representative. Due to the location of the detonation, it is believed that the entire consulate has been lost. There has been no word on the location of chancellor Regulus at this moment. We will display a live feed of the devastation, but be warned, the image is graphic and may disturb those with weak constitutions.”
The screen changed to show the GCA headquarters, or what was left of it. Rana covered her mouth with her hands as she took in the complete destruction. There was nothing left of the former structure. Everything was reduced to ashes. Rana knew that there were absolutely no survivors.
“Chancellor Regulus’s personal assistant has contacted Leonis News. He is alive and well on Carme. When his daughter, Rana, was reported missing, the chancellor agonized over the loss of his youngest child and decided to take an impromptu sabbatical with his family group to grieve in peace.”
Sky snorted, “Grieve in peace my ass. That bastard. I would bet my favorite swords that he and Eltanin are behind this. It’s convenient that Regulus is safely on Carme and Eltanin is on the opposite side of the system harassing the clans while the consulate is vaporized. He’s using your disappearance as a distraction.”
Rana wanted to smile at her friend’s indignation on her behalf. She instead pondered her own reactions to the news. Though devastated at the loss of life, it had not occurred to her at all to worry about her father.
“It doesn’t matter,” Rana stated. Her hands began to shake, yet another weakness she’d never overcome, but this time she didn’t hide them. Let everyone know that she was nervous. Rana was tired of hiding herself from the rest of the system. “Soon everyone will know the truth.”
“You’re right, but it still angers me to see him use you in such a way.”
Rana turned, giving her back to the holoscreen and her friend as she approached the thin mixture of alloys that separated her from the coldness of space. She pressed her forehead against the glass and shifted her vision, allowing the celestial colors to replace the darkness.
Self-doubt had dissipated and left behind a steely determination. Rana would defeat Regulus and Eltanin, and then she would abolish the laws that oppressed millions.
This was her vow, and she would see it through no matter the price.
Even if the cost was the very breath in her lungs.
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Also by Donnielle Tyner
The As We Ris
e Saga
Rogue
Savage
Heretic - Coming early 2018
The Caelian Cycle
Lost
Bound
Redeem: A Caelian Cycle Novella
Shift
Acknowledgments
Writing Savage has been an incredible experience. During the process of editing Rogue, I decided to take my writing more seriously-treating it more like a part-time job instead of a hobby. My wonderful husband agreed and we worked out a schedule in hopes to find a balance.
So far it has worked. Savage has been my quickest book to date. It took me less than three months from writing to publishing. It has been a wild ride, but I have learned so much and I know at least a few of my readers will appreciate such a quick turnaround for the As We Rise Saga.
So I must say a HUGE thank you to my family-especially my husband who has graciously taken over running our household most evenings to I can work.
To my readers. Thank you for taking a chance on me. It doesn’t matter how you felt about my writing style, characters, or even if you noticed mistakes that slipped through the cracks-I appreciate and love you. It blows my mind that you chose to spend your valuable time on a story from my imagination- I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you my wonderful beta readers-Brittney Miller, Daphne Muniz, and Rebecca Gipson-your input is invaluable.
Writing a book is hard, but marketing feels almost impossible, but I am lucky to have Najla Qamber an amazing cover artist that create art from my ramblings.
A cover is only as good as the book and while I am the one who spends hours hunched over my laptop, it is Jessica Nelson-goddess and editor-who polishes my words until they are smooth.
As We Rise: Savage (As We Rise Saga Book 2) Page 17
