Saven Deliverance

by Siobhan Davis

  “I’m sorry.” She eases back, rubbing her sorrowful eyes. “For your father and all the loss of life.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for, Sadie. He sealed his own fate.”

  Win appears in my line of sight, hobbling toward us, in obvious pain. His face is barely recognizable behind all the bruising. Landing a hand on Dali’s shoulder, he pierces me with concerned eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” I answer truthfully.

  “You were incredibly brave, and we owe our lives to you. Thank you.”

  My cheeks burst strawberry red, and Logan chuckles, his anger now a fleeting memory. I smile at Win before refocusing on my husband. “Let me up,” I plead, pushing up on my elbows. “I’m already healing. My back doesn’t feel as sore.”

  With great care, he helps me to my feet, keeping a firm hold on me as I buckle, my knees almost giving out. “I’m fine,” I protest before he can chastise me. “A little exhausted but I’m fine. More than fine,” I say, spotting Haydn, Vin, Jarod, Ax, and Izzy approaching. One by one, they hug me—even Ax—and Logan doesn’t spew vitriol. Coming as close to death as we did puts certain things in perspective. “How’s Deputy Tre?” I ask.

  “He’s receiving medical treatment, and I know no more than that although I did ask to be kept updated,” Logan confirms.

  I nod my head, before switching my attention to Vin. “How bad is the damage?” I ask, leaning back against Logan for support.

  “Hard to gauge exactly, and debris from the mother ship is still falling to land.” At his words, I lift my head, staring at the sky, cluttered with floating black confetti-like particles. Shadows no longer darken the ground, and skies empty of alien ships for the first time in months gives me a much-needed boost.

  “How many …” I can’t articulate the rest of my sentence, but Vin understands what I’m asking.

  “We managed to evacuate thousands of residents, but casualties are still high, unfortunately.”

  A sacred hush descends over our group. Logan’s thoughts reflect my own as he thinks about Neve and Alex, his father, Jenna, Dante, and countless others who lost their lives so we could live to see this day. “We should organize something in commemoration,” I suggest.

  He holds me closer to him. “We will, Angel. We will.”

  “So what now?” I look around at my friends.

  “Now,” Logan says, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I’m taking you back to the compound to rest. That’s all you need to concern yourself with.”

  “But—”

  “Logan is right,” Vin interjects. “You have done enough. I’m meeting with my father and the president shortly to start discussing the recovery plan. Our soldiers are trawling the streets with medics, and people are being airlifted to hospitals if they can’t be treated on the street. Military personnel are taking the remaining Amaretti to one of our warehouse facilities for processing. Dali and Win will help us decide what’s best for their people. We have as much in hand as we can so there is nothing for you to worry about.”

  I cave under the mountain of pressure. “All right, but make sure you keep us informed. I want to know what’s happening, and as soon as I feel up to it, I’m coming back here to help.”

  “That’s a given,” Logan says, tightening his grip around me.

  “I’m going to head off,” Haydn says. “I want to check in with our officers and make sure they are following orders.” He presses a soft kiss to my cheek. “Get some rest and I’ll catch up with you both later.”

  Ax looks nervous as he kicks at dirt on the ground with the toe of his boot. Jarod gives me a quick wave before he departs with Vin, Dali, and Win, leaving only Logan and myself, Ax and Izzy.

  Logan releases me, and I step toward Ax, gently taking his hands in mine. “What are your plans?”

  “I need to return to Torc.” His eyes are apologetic.

  “That’s okay, Ax. I understand duty calls. I—”

  A chilling click echoes directly behind me, and a hysterical laugh filters through the air. Everything inside me freezes as I turn around in slow motion. Ax and Izzy move into action instantly, stepping directly ahead of Logan and me, partially blocking us from view.

  “Always such a disappointment, Axton,” the VP sneers, tut-tutting as Ax and Izzy raise their weapons and aim at him. “Your mother would be turning in her grave, if she had one.” He cackles gleefully. “And don’t even bother with those,” he says, advancing stealthily. “I’m protected.” He smirks, gesturing at himself and the steel suit covering him from head to toe. The only part of him that’s exposed is his face, but that is all I need to work with.

  I push in between Ax and Izzy, ignoring Logan’s protests in my head. “What do you want?”

  “And there she is. The girl of the moment. Reveling in your achievements, are you, Sadie, darling?” Sarcasm is thick in his tone as he brandishes a weapon through the air. Panic almost chokes me as I recognize the gun. It’s a replica of the one Glenn Taylor gave me back when he was G and I was being coerced into killing Logan. I search my memory, recalling what I can about it. G said I only had to point it at Logan’s stomach and one shot would emit an electrical charge that would react against his cellular structure causing massive internal damage and immediate death. I’ve no idea what that weapon would do to a non-Saven or a hybrid like me, but the threat to Logan’s life is very real.

  I shove Logan behind me, even though my body doesn’t fully shield him.

  The VP laughs again, continuing to stroll toward us. His swagger projects uber confidence that worries me no end. I force myself to remain calm and attempt to summon my incendio gift, but the well appears dry. A slight pulsing in my veins is the only indication of the slumbering giant. Panic and fear consumes me, and I’m more rattled than I’ve been in ages. I’ve become so accustomed to having access to my gift that I’ve barely thought about protecting myself the old-fashioned way.

  “Shoot him,” I mutter to Ax and Izzy as the VP starts making ground, rapidly closing the gap between us.

  Ax and Izzy open fire, but the shots deflect off some invisible shield surrounding his body. They continue pumping bullets into him to no avail. “Aim for his head,” I hiss.

  “I’m trying,” Izzy shrieks. “But that force field is throwing off our aim.”

  “I’m getting tired of this,” the VP says, faking a yawn, as we start retreating. “It’s futile to resist. Haven’t you worked it out by now? You can’t outrun fate.”

  “Let’s teleport away,” I tell Logan.

  “I won’t be able to get all of us out of here in time. Someone will get hurt, possibly killed. And if we leave, he’s still at large, and he won’t stop coming after us. We won’t get a better chance to finish him once and for all.”

  “We can’t finish him! He’s too well protected!” Hysteria bubbles up my throat.

  “You can do it, Angel. I know you can.”

  “I can’t, Logan. I’ve tried, but I’ve worn myself out, and my reserves are drained. Even if I could summon my gift, it probably won’t penetrate that shield.”

  “Try harder, Sadie, or we’re all as good as dead. Don’t tell me you can’t do this when I know you can. You’re not giving it one hundred percent.”

  If we weren’t in the middle of our latest life or death situation, I would knock him into next week for that statement. Does he think I’m not trying? That I want to be a sitting duck? That I’m only giving it a halfhearted attempt? Rage starts to build in the pit of my stomach at his gall. The absolute nerve of him, the … what the hell is he doing?

  Logan has been moving surreptitiously behind me, and I watch with horrorstruck eyes as he approaches the VP from the other side. I move to go to him, but Ax holds me back. “He knows what he’s doing,” he whispers.

  Logan holds up his hands and walks toward the VP until they are virtually toe-to-toe. “You want me? Here I am.”

  “You would sacrifice yourself for her? An alien construct of monstrous propo
rtions?”

  Logan grits his teeth. “She is the best person I know, and I would lay down my life for hers over and over again.”

  “I’ve always thought true love is such a load of old bull, and your fawning over her is pathetic.” His mouth pulls into a grimace. “But you!” He swivels toward me, keeping his gun pointed at Logan. “You are a disgrace to our kind! You could’ve done so much, but you threw it all away for love!” He says the word like it’s a personal affront.

  “If anyone’s a disgrace, it’s you. You turned your back on your humanity without a second thought. You brokered the deal that sentenced thousands of stars to slavery and many more to their deaths. You colluded with aliens to invade Earth, and look at what they did to our planet?” I thrust my arms out at the surrounding devastation.

  “There’s too much human in you, Sadie. That’s always been your biggest problem. Only humans could look at alien invasion as something bad.”

  He seems so willing to disregard his origins and it makes me sick.

  “It could’ve been great for this planet!” he continues, really on a roll now. “It would’ve been if you and your friends hadn’t interfered. I had the perfect life, riches beyond my wildest dreams and unimaginable power was only a hairsbreadth away. But you destroyed it all! After everything I did to protect you!”

  A look of utter disgust sweeps over my face. “Killing my sister is hardly an act of protection.”

  He scoffs. “I’m not talking about that! I looked out for you from the start. I made sure you were chosen for The Experimento, and I doctored your medical reports when you were in Thalassic City so no one would learn your real identity. And have you forgotten how I interjected to save you in the underwater warehouse when King Adjani was threatening to kill you?”

  Funny, my recollection is somewhat different. Logan saved me from that fate, not the VP.

  “And it wasn't a coincidence that you ended up working for me. We could’ve achieved so much together, with Griselda’s backing, but you ruined everything! You foolish girl. Now it’s time to pay.” This whole time I’ve been purposely ignoring Logan as he inches away from the gun, allowing our conversation to distract the VP so this could play out however Logan has planned it.

  He makes his move—bringing his leg up and kicking the gun out of the VP’s hand while his attention is focused on me. Ax, Izzy, and I make a run for it, racing toward them as they both drop to the ground, lunging for the gun. The VP’s hands latch onto it first just as Logan throws himself on top of him, reaching for the weapon as he tries to pin the VP to the asphalt. Both their hands are gripped around the gun as they wrestle for control. Butterflies slam against my ribcage in sheer panic. The gun veers up and down, swinging equally skyward and in our direction, and then a huge zapping sound whizzes through the air as an electrical charge comes straight at us. I dive sideways, narrowly avoiding impact.

  “No!” Ax’s shrill cry ties my insides into knots. I pivot around, my heart almost stopping when I spot Izzy convulsing on the ground, her body jerking up and down as an electrical whip lashes her all over. Rage thunders through me, infusing me with energy, and I welcome the surge of my incendio gift as it races to the surface. I spin back around, elevating my wrist. The VP sends me a smug, gloating look as he kicks Logan off him, regaining control of the gun. Sharp, stabbing pains impact my mind, and I scream, dropping to my knees as I clutch my head in my hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Logan soars through the air, landing painfully on his back. The VP struggles to his feet as I climb to mine, battling to regain control of my mind.

  I stumble toward Logan, barely keeping upright as pain vaults around my skull, making it almost impossible to channel inner composure. But it doesn’t matter, because fury and rage are winning this battle, and my gift resurrects as a fiery thirst for vengeance propels me forward. I push my body harder than I’ve ever pushed it, charging toward Logan while flames creep over my wrists.

  The VP stands over Logan, pinning him to the floor with his foot as he points the weapon at his stomach. A guttural roar lets loose from my lips as I project forward, flying through the air and knocking into Logan, covering him like a human shield. Fire bursts free of my wrist, and I angle my arm, aiming it at the VP.

  A strip of crackling blue energy trickles through the air, making a beeline for me, and my horrified expression matches the VP’s as he’s hit by a blast of red-hot flames.

  Pain rips through me, and I buck and thrash about on top of Logan as my body jerks involuntarily. Stinging pain lances me on all sides and I’m struggling to breathe. My eyelids grow heavy and my limbs go weak, and I feel my consciousness slipping away.

  Darkness encroaches.

  Luring me silently.

  Coaxing me like a seductive lover.

  And I float away.

  Feeling blissful.

  Until there’s nothing.

  CHAPTER 24

  Logan

  Sadie’s eyes roll back in her head before she goes limp on top of me. The ever-present tingle in my spine is fading until I care barely feel a twinge. Enclosing my arms around her waist, I sit up, holding her to my chest. “Angel, can you hear me? Sadie! Say something! Do something!”

  I palm her face and it’s cold. So cold. Gently, I shake her shoulders. “Sadie! Wake up, please! Baby, please wake up!” Tears pool in my eyes, mingling with sheer terror, ripping my heart into shreds. I hug her to me, calling out silently as I attempt to force my way in, but it’s like she’s built a steel cage around her mind, and I can’t sense her let alone reach out to her.

  Tears roll freely down my face as I kiss the top of her head, inhaling the scent that is so uniquely hers. I rock back and forth, beseeching her to wake up. “Please, baby. Don’t leave me. Come back to me. I can’t cope without you.” A strangled sob rips from the very core of my heart, and I don’t hold back, rocking her in my arms, crying as I continuously squeeze her to me.

  “No! No! Shista, Sadie, no!” Axton’s guttural scream perfectly verbalizes how I’m feeling on the inside. He sinks to his knees beside me, his grief-stricken look locking on mine. “Is she …”

  I shake my head. “I can still feel her life force, but it’s faint. I can’t reach her. It’s like she’s gone into lockdown.”

  “Get up, Logan. She needs medical attention before it’s too late.” He grips my elbow.

  “Where is he?” I ask through gritted teeth.

  “He’s gone. She killed him.” He glances over his shoulder, and my eyes latch on the charred, faceless body in the steel jumpsuit. Guess there were some things his force field couldn’t withstand.

  “Good.” I attempt to get to my feet, but I’m in an awkward position, and I don’t want to risk dropping my love. “Here, take her.” Axton cradles Sadie in his arms, as I push off the ground.

  Tears leak out of his eyes as he hugs her to him, tenderly kissing her cheek. His face pales. “She’s freezing, Logan. We’re running out of time!” His voice is bordering on hysteria.

  “I need to take her to High Elder Jaxa.” I extend my arms for her. Axton presses a kiss to her forehead before handing her back to me. “I don’t want to leave her, but Izzy needs me too.” He motions behind him, and I turn, spotting Izzy lying flat on her back on the ground, completely unconscious.

  “Get her. We’ll all go together. She was hit with the same weapon, and hopefully our medicians can figure out how to heal both of them.”

  Izzy and Sadie are cocooned in floating chambers, side by side, in the critical unit of the Saven Medical Facility. They are alive but trapped in a deep coma. The medicians are pulling all-nighters to try to figure out a way to bring them back to us.

  Axton and I pace the floor anxiously, not speaking, but for once, the silence isn’t layered with tension.

  High Elder Jaxa steps into the room, and I head straight for him, Axton trailing hot on my heels. “Please tell me you have a solution.” I accost him without greeting. Tradition be damned at a time like this. �
��Please tell me you can bring her back to me. I can mind walk to bring her out of this, right?” I plant my hands on his shoulders, eyeballing him with fierce concentration as my anxiety re-emerges.

  “Take a seat, My King.” He leads me to a bench, and I sit down with Axton by my side. I rub a hand over my taut jaw.

  “Her mind has indeed retreated into that protective inner shell, and we can’t attempt to lure her out until the medicians have found a way to heal her physical injuries. Can you tell us anything about the weapon that was used on both of them?”

  I shake my head.

  “It was powered by some kind of electrical current, from what I witnessed,” Axton says, “but I’ve never seen that exact weapon before. It certainly doesn’t look like anything we use on Torc.”

  “Could your mother be behind this? Could she have supplied it to the VP?” I ask.

  He shrugs. “I guess it’s possible. I can go through her notes again and see if I find anything.”

  I move to unstrap my comport, but Axton puts a hand out to stop me. “I have my own, remember?” he taps Sadie’s comport, firmly secured around his wrist.

  I swallow the bile in my mouth. “Go now. I’ll let you know if anything changes. I’m going to ask Haydn to go back to the city and see if he can find the gun so we can get it analyzed.”

  “Okay, but make sure you let me know the minute anything happens.” He stands up.

  “I promise.” And I mean it. Despite our differences, I would never shut him out of this.

  He walks to Sadie’s cot, resting his forehead against the cool glass chamber as he stares at her. He does the same with Izzy before nodding at me as he teleports back to Torc.

  I connect to Haydn’s mind and relay my instruction. My knee taps fruitlessly off the floor as I lean my head back, scarcely holding it together.

  I should never have goaded her back there.

  Should never have used her like that.

  I’ve observed enough the last few weeks to know that quieting her mind isn’t the only way to summon her gift. The opposite also rings true—when her emotions are heightened to extreme levels, it also works, albeit with less control. When I saw how exhausted she was, and how hard she was trying to pull up her gift, I thought a little incentive would do the trick, so I deliberately taunted her, deliberately offered myself as the sacrificial lamb, fully believing that she could wield her gift and put an end to him once and for all.