“How badly are you hurting right now? And don’t even attempt to lie to me.”
I sigh loudly, making sure he heard. “My stomach, back, and ribs are throbbing, and my head feels like someone stuffed an obese hedgehog inside.”
He looks at me strangely. “A hedge what?”
I laugh. “Never came across that one, huh?”
He shakes his head, fighting a smile as he nudges the door to our apartment open with his hip. Rylan trails in behind us, promptly closing the door. Logan lays me down on the couch, and I wince as a dull ache spreads across my back. Perching on the edge of the couch, he leans down, pressing his head against my chest, listening to the thud, thud of my heart. My fingers weave in and out of his hair as Rylan discreetly turns his back. “I thought you were dead, Sadie. I felt your consciousness ebbing, and I’ve never been more scared in my life.”
“I know, babe, but I’m okay. I made it out, and we’ve alleviated both threats. Don’t dwell on the ‘what ifs’ because it’ll only upset you. We should be celebrating.” I say it as much to convince myself. Leaving death and destruction in my wake again doesn’t feel like much cause for celebration. Nor is the state of my “relationship” with Ax or how things were left on that front. But we have neutralized a significant enemy, and I’m not going to lie and say I’m not happy about that.
His arms wrap around my waist, and I press a kiss into his hair, gratefully inhaling the clean, citrusy smell. My fingers continue to roam through his thick, inky black hair, and he sighs contentedly. Our line is blissfully tangled, and our joint emotions rejoice in reunion. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too. We’ve definitely turned into one of those pathetic couples who can’t even tolerate twenty-four hours apart.”
“Even twenty-four seconds is too long. And it’s not pathetic to want to spend every conceivable second with the person you love most in the universe. I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again now: I don’t ever want to do that again.” He lifts his head and looks up at me. “I don’t care what’s going on or what demands are placed on either of us, we go nowhere without each other from now on.” Altering his position, he slides in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and I snuggle into him. I’m back where I belong and it feels great.
“You might as well just glue me to your side,” I joke, happy to prolong the inevitable for as long as possible.
“That’s not actually a bad idea.”
I roll my eyes. “We can’t stay together twenty-four-seven, but let’s make a rule that we always end up together at night.”
“I like that rule.” Logan runs his hands up and down my arms, and his body trembles underneath me.
“Thought you might.” My lips pull up into a smile.
His jovial mood turns serious as I sense his errant emotions. “Are you okay?”
The silence is deafening, and his hands stop moving on my arms. “I want to kill him.”
My natural instinct is to appeal to his compassionate side, to ask him to imagine it from Ax’s perspective, but that would be dismissive of Logan’s feelings, and that isn’t fair. He is entitled to feel what he’s feeling, and I won’t take that from him. “I know. I get it.”
“I can’t understand how you can forgive him so easily.”
With great effort, I twist around so I’m facing him. Our faces are so close our noses are touching. “There was nothing easy about it, Logan, but I’m not sorry I did it.”
His hands trace a delicate line across my bruised wrists, and he doesn’t hold anything back. I feel everything he feels, and it devastates me. “I won’t ever forgive him for this. He hurt you, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it … have you any idea how it felt to be trapped here knowing what was about to happen and being too far away to stop it?” His face transforms, twisting in agony, and he’s on the verge of losing all control.
“Rylan, could you wait outside please. Logan will call you in when he’s ready.”
He exits the room without argument, and the second the door snicks shut, Logan breaks down, sobbing into my hair, as all his pent-up emotions rise to the surface.
I circle my arms around his neck, holding him close. Tears roll quietly down my cheeks as the magnitude of everything that’s happened in the space of our short separation registers full force. “I’m so sorry about King Coryn and Dante. I wish I had been there with you.”
“I don’t know how much more of this I can stomach, Sadie.”
His thoughts flow through my mind and I’m shocked. “We’re all under pressure, Logan, you more than anyone, but you’re doing an amazing job in hugely difficult circumstances. I know that’s only the stress speaking—that you don’t really want to abdicate. Besides, what the heck would we do without alien enemies to defeat and disgruntled nations to lead? Life would be way too boring,” I tease.
“You make it sound like we’re on the set of a movie.” He sniffs.
“I wish.” I bend down and press my lips to his. “You’ve got this, babe.” I kiss him again. “I’m so proud of you, and I believe in you, and I’m with you every step of the way.” This time he kisses me tenderly and with infinite care.
A rap on the door breaks us apart. He grips my head firmly, a look of fierce passion on his face. “I fucking love the bones of you, Sadie Chandler, and don’t you ever forget it.” He gently places me upright on the couch, while he pads to the door. He straightens his shoulders before opening it, and I smile to myself.
Haydn steps into the room with a man and woman wearing white jumpsuits. The man carries a large metallic case which he sets down on the dining room table. Rylan and Logan are whispering at the door as Haydn helps me up, keeping a hand on my lower back as he ushers me into the bedroom. He gives me a quick, gentle hug. “I should never have doubted you. You’re amazing.”
I blush to the tips of my toes, and he chuckles. I swat his arm. His eyes latch on mine, and his smiling mouth turns down. “I was with Logan when it happened. I had to steal his comport to stop him from going after you.” He rubs a tender spot on his jaw. “Punches may have been thrown.” He pulls me back into his arms. “I was terrified I’d done the wrong thing, and if anything had happened to you …” He shakes his head.
“It wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but Ax recovered in time, and I know he didn’t mean it. Desperation and grief can do funny things to people.”
“You are the most compassionate person I know, Sadie, and while I don’t always understand your choices, I always admire them. You’re good people.”
I throw back my head and laugh, and it feels so damn good. He looks confused. I muss up his hair. “You sound so human, Haydn, and a lot less serious than when I first met you.”
“We’ve all changed, Sadie.”
“Yes. Yes, we have.”
The medics fix me up in our room while Logan, Haydn, and Rylan converse in the sitting room. After the medics depart, I run a bath, yawning fiercely as I slip under the comforting warmth of the water. The door creaks open and Logan steps in. Kneeling down by the tub, he scans my body from head to toe, checking for any lingering injuries.
“I’m good as new. Just feel like I could sleep for a few centuries,” I admit, yawning again.
He leans down, kissing me deeply. “I’d love nothing more than to slide in there with you, but I’ve got an urgent situation to deal with.” I open my mouth to demand details, but he silences me with another kiss. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. Get some sleep and I’ll be beside you when you wake. I’ll fill you in then.”
I don’t argue because I know I’m of little use to him exhausted and brain tired, so after a quick bath, I crawl into bed, promptly conking out the second my head hits the pillow.
Logan is true to his word, and I wake the next morning with him wrapped around me like a koala. I turn into him, planting delicate kisses all over his chest. With his eyes still closed, he fuses our mouths, kissing me slow and deep. His blue eyes sparkle with love and lust when he fi
nally opens them, repositioning us so he’s on top of me. Without a word, he joins our bodies together as his mouth worships every inch of my skin. I lose myself in loving him, happy to forget the outside world and whatever the latest crisis is, for now.
We are holding hands as we walk to the conference room to attend the weekly Royal Advisory Council meeting. “How is Win doing? Were they able to fix his injuries?” I ask.
“He’s perfectly fine, even though it took an eternity for Dali to accept that fact. I’ve never seen her hover so much. I’m not sure Win is too comfortable with being fussed over.” He chuckles.
“I haven’t seen them in ages.”
“We’re catching up with them after this. We need to brainstorm before we attend the U.P.C. meeting.”
My mood is grave again. “How frequent are the attacks?” I ask, recalling everything he told me this morning.
“Our intel is a little sketchy, and I’m waiting for Jarod to confirm the specifics, but it looks like the Amaretti are attacking the larger human cities first. I’ve ordered the Saven ships on Earth to protect the humans at all costs, but we are vastly outnumbered, and if fighting breaks out on a wide scale, innocents will be caught in the crossfire. It might be best to let the Amaretti take full control of a few strongholds while we map out the best strategy.”
I scratch my head, hugely uncomfortable with the notion of allowing the Amaretti to take further control of Earth in any kind of capacity.
“We’ll gather our intel, map out our approach, and then appeal to the U.P.C. for support. If they agree, we’ll have Earth back in the hands of the humans overnight.” He lifts my hand and kisses my palm. “Try not to worry.”
“And if they don’t support us?”
“Then we’ll have no choice but to go it alone.”
Hostility wafts through the air like fog as I step into the conference room. There is little love lost between me and the Royal Advisory Council, and everyone knows it. Logan calls the meeting to order, and I follow proceedings with interest, although I keep my opinions to myself. Until we come to the subject of the stars still on Saven and the new serum being tested to accelerate conscience development.
“We understand your position regarding the humans, My King,” a tall man says from the end of the table, “but surely it’s time for them to return to Earth?”
“It isn’t safe for them to return yet,” I interject, working hard to contain my anger. I still haven’t forgotten the ordeal the stars have endured since they “volunteered” for a new life on Saven. As soon as they arrived, they were incarcerated in a giant warehouse and all but left to rot. Dante had planned to suck their consciences dry, but luckily we got here before too many lost their lives. “They are as keen to return home as you are to see them leave,” I add, “but attacks have resumed on Earth, and the situation has become tenuous again. Would you return them to a hostile environment and let them take their chances?” My voice raises a notch, as I start to lose the emotional battle.
“Tread carefully, Sadie.” I appreciate that Logan doesn’t tell me to stop.
“They are distracting our soldiers from their duty. If they must remain here in the short term, perhaps enforced segregation could be enacted.”
I lean forward in my seat. “What do you mean by that?”
“It appears some of them are fraternizing with human girls.”
The look of sheer distaste on his face rubs me up wrong, and I can’t help baiting him. “Are you saying you disapprove of Saven-human relationships? Opposed to it, even?” I smile sweetly at him.
“Yes!” he snaps. “Of course, I disapprove.”
Logan stiffens in his seat.
“Funny, no one on this council was opposed to the idea when King Adjani presented it as an opportunity to steal the human’s conscience. But now that couples are falling in love, naturally, and with no risk to either party, you reject it? Want to toss the humans back to Earth to meet whatever fate lies in store for them?”
Logan plants his hand on my thigh, under the table, and I back down. “I see nothing wrong with our soldiers falling in love, and it reduces dependency on our new serum. Besides, the humans are only here short term, unless any of them choose to remain here indefinitely, which I will permit.” A flurry of protests breaks out around the table.
“Quiet.” Logan’s strong, firm voice reverberates around the room. “Advisor Rylan has been working with myself and Sadie on a range of new policy initiatives. I, we”—he squeezes my hand—“understand that these changes can only be implemented gradually, but we’ve devised a schedule, and we’d like you all to take away the information and review same before the next meeting.” Rylan clicks a button, and the digital file loads onto each advisor’s personal portal. “Has anyone else anything to add?” Logan scans the mute room. “Good, then let’s move on to the next item on the agenda.”
Logan nods at Rylan, and he opens the door, admitting a tall man and woman in pristine white pantsuits. Rylan shows them to seats, before resuming his position alongside Logan’s other side.
“Let me introduce our esteemed medicians, Doctors Quixa and Jampa. Thank you for attending.” Logan’s gaze wanders around the table. “When my father first proposed the plan for conscience development, I wanted to explore the medical and technological options available to us before inflicting ourselves on the humans. My father didn’t agree, and I had no choice but to accept his instruction. At least outwardly.” His tongue darts out, tracing the line of his lips. “However, I spoke with Doctor Quixa, and he agreed to set up a covert research team under my command. They have worked tirelessly this past year to identify a medical solution.”
Disgruntled whisperings echo around the room, and their reaction is the reverse of my own reaction when Logan confided in me about what he’d done. I remember what he told me in Thalassic City and how keen he was to identify another route to conscience development. That he went behind his father’s back, knowing the consequences should he be discovered, confirms everything I know about him. He is good and honorable and smart, and I’m so proud of him for having the guts to follow his instincts. He knew another solution could be found, and he risked his own position to bring us to this point.
It doesn’t surprise me that the narrow-minded people in this room take issue with his actions despite their inconsistent response to rule breaking.
Logan raises his hand in warning, and the murmurings stop. “If I hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t now have a workable solution. One that involves achieving our aims without restricting any other races right to freedom.”
Logan turns his head to the female doctor. “Can you please update the council on your recent discovery?”
The woman speaks clearly, projecting her voice around the room. “The latest version of the serum we have been working on has delivered successful results in the test subjects. This represents a significant breakthrough in our work. We believe we have a workable serum that will trigger conscience development.”
“That is truly excellent news,” Logan says, his hope infusing my mind. “How long does it take the serum to work?”
Dr. Quixa speaks up. “From initial tests, it appears that the lifecycle duration will vary from Saven to Saven, but in all cases, full conscience development will occur no later than two months after inoculation.”
“Have you noticed any side effects?” I ask. “Are there any risks to our people?” I don’t miss the few sneers that are directed my way when I pose that question.
“A small proportion of test subjects have suffered some ill-effects, but they are mild and not life-threatening.”
“How do you propose to manage the distribution and monitoring of the program?” Rylan asks.
“Our suggestion is to distribute it to the guard corps first and then move sector by sector, using the Brainiacs to assess strength of mind, and choosing those most susceptible to the serum to undergo inoculation first. We will need to hire additional entry-level medicians to support our work
if we are to move this process along quickly.”
“Do it,” Logan says. “Submit the requisition to Advisor Rylan, and once it’s approved, commence the recruitment. Send the distribution plan directly to me, and copy every member of this council, please.”
CHAPTER 12
Logan dismisses the meeting after that, and I can’t say I’m sorry. Tension seeps out of my pores, and I relax in my chair for the first time in an hour. Dali comes bounding into the room once the last advisor has exited, flinging herself at me. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“Ditto.” I jump up and give her a quick hug. Win hangs back, as is his usual tendency. “Hey, you okay?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah. You?”
“I’m good.”
Logan wraps his arms around me from behind, resting his chin atop my head. I hold onto his arms, loving the feel of his warm, smooth skin under the tips of my fingers. Dali smiles sadly, and I give her a funny look.
“I’ve ordered lunch, but I think we should get started,” Logan supplies. “We’ve a lot to discuss before the meeting tomorrow.”
Once we are all seated—Haydn and Rylan too—Logan opens up a comm line to Earth, and Jarod’s grim face appears on the holoscreen over the center of the table. “Hey guys,” he greets us, scanning our faces in turn, his eyes lingering on mine a bit longer as he offers me a small smile. “Kicked any alien butt lately?”
I can’t fight my grin. “Might have. You?”
He sighs, all trace of good humor gone. “I wish. Stepping outside the warehouse is akin to a suicide mission these days. Besides, I’ve been holed up in here, trying to locate the prez.”
“Any success with that?” Logan asks.
“Yeah, that’s the one good piece of news I have. I’ve found them, hiding in an underground fallout shelter in Wisconsin.”
“Wisconsin?” My voice carries my surprise.
“I know, right? Anyway, they’re there. I’ve been communicating with them, and they are expecting your visit. Got to be honest, Sadie, those chicken shits make me so frigging mad. So embarrassed to be human. Turns out Dante didn’t incarcerate them. He told them once they didn’t interfere with his plans he would leave them alone, so they took off like the pussies they are. Couldn’t give a crap about the rest of us.” He shakes his head. “Un-fucking-believable.”
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