Saven Disclosure (The Saven Series Book 2)

by Siobhan Davis

  “This one is my favorite,” Evana says, as the music changes and an eerie, sad harmony sweeps through the room. She tosses the last page in the shredder device the second Haydn materializes in the room.

  “You’re up,” he says, extending his hand to me.

  This time I don’t hesitate. Hurling myself at Evana, I hug her tight. “I’ll find your Glenn. I promise,” I whisper in her ear. She kisses my cheek, and I spot the telltale glean of moisture on her skin.

  “Dr. Taylor.” Haydn bows reverentially as he holds me flush against his body and pushes the switch on his comport.

  We reappear in a white-walled rectangular room. Three men, swathed in head-to-toe gold-colored scrubs, stand at the top of the hospital bed awaiting me. The king lounges against the glass window, half-looking out into the hypnotic canvas of space and half-looking at me. The air is warm and dry, floating around me like an itchy blanket, stretching my skin taut and irritating my nostrils. Anxiety of the worst kind sends my blood pressure sky high.

  A muffled command is issued. “Please remove your jacket and shoes and climb up on the bed.”

  I slip my jacket off and wiggle out of my shoes, handing both to Haydn. Our eyes connect, and concern radiates off him in waves. He isn’t liking this any more than I am.

  My hands are clammy as one of the men helps me up onto the bed. I lie down, imploring the thundering in my ears to quiet down. My body quivers as my hands and feet are tied to the bed. My eyes pop wide as I seek out Haydn. He has that hazy faraway look on his face.

  An icy chill pervades the length of me as a blinding light dazzles me from overhead. A thin blue line scans my body from head to toe, and I’m struggling to lockdown my panic. Foreign whisperings clutter my eardrums as a sudden darkness ambushes me. Visions flash in front of my eyes and I twitch.

  Strong hold.

  Fingers digging into my flesh.

  Piercing pain.

  Eyelids fluttering shut.

  Screams. Awful gut-wrenching screams growing louder and louder.

  I thrash about on the bed. “No!” I wail, tugging my hands and legs against my restraints. “Let me go! Don’t do this to me.” My voice cracks, and tears stream out of my eyes as I whimper.

  “Continue.” The king’s unyielding instruction breaks me out of my trance.

  My eyes immediately find Haydn. Alarm is etched on his face as he takes a step toward me.

  “Officer Rox.” The king’s tone is a veiled warning. “Do not interfere in official business.”

  Haydn is hugely conflicted. It’s written all over his face, clear as day.

  A large flash outside the window distracts me. Rotating my head, I peruse the weird distortion in space. Waves of light gray mix with spirals of white, purple, and blue, as the air rumbles and tumbles in circular fashion. It’s a bit like looking at the swirling froth on a cappuccino. Intermittent flashes of brilliant white light spread far-reaching tentacles as the distortion moves closer and closer to the ship. Ripples of alternating sequence push and pull as the distortion takes on a more comprehensive tubular shape. It continues to barrel toward us with alarming velocity.

  “Get her out of here!” the king yells suddenly, his horror-struck eyes fixated on the disturbance outside. “Now. Go.” Yanking Haydn by the arm, he thrusts him at me as the doctors work swiftly to free my binds. Haydn clenches my jacket and shoes in his hand as he reaches for me. I don’t need to be told twice. I hop off the bed, clinging onto Haydn as he stabs the button on his comport, and the room disappears.

  The minute we arrive back in the apartment, I dash to the bathroom and heave repeatedly into the toilet bowl. Haydn descends to his knees beside me, smoothing my hair back from my face.

  When there’s nothing left to expel, I slump dejectedly against him. My body quakes with renewed fear as my hands spread wide over his muscular arm. Haydn holds me close, my back against his chest.

  “Sadie!” Logan urgently calls out. “Where are you?”

  He crashes into the bathroom a minute later, almost losing his balance. He frowns momentarily. Bending down, he cradles my face. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here.” Tenderly, he lifts me up and carries me to my room. I bury my nose in his neck as my fingers delve into his hair. The rampant trembling hasn’t subsided, and I quiver in his arms.

  Placing me in bed, he tugs the comforter up over me before toeing off his boots and getting in beside me. I twist sideways, coiling into him. His body curls around me, and his soothing warmth helps calm my frayed nerves. “How are you here?” I whisper.

  “Haydn contacted me. I came as soon as I could.” His lips brush my hair as he pulls me in closer.

  “I spoke with Evana,” I silently convey, looking up into his beautiful eyes. “She told me there was some anomaly in my blood work and that was the reason your father wanted additional tests done. She advised me to be careful.”

  “I know nothing about this.”

  “She also said he won’t permit us to Eterno connect. Is that true?” I reach up and trail my finger along his cheek.

  He visibly grinds his teeth. “Did they hurt you?” He blatantly avoids answering my question.

  “No. They never got the chance.”

  “And they won’t ever.” Reaching out, he smooths my hair behind my ears.

  “I don’t understand why your father stopped. He seemed scared by that disturbance in space, but it doesn’t make sense.”

  He sits bolt upright in the bed. “What? I need to speak to Haydn.” Peeling back the covers, he eases out of the bed. I climb out behind him.

  “What happened up there?” Logan asks the instant we arrive in the kitchen. Haydn is huddled over the stove, the most delectable smells perfuming the air. My tummy rumbles garishly reminding me that I haven’t eaten anything in hours.

  “This is nearly ready,” he says, ignoring Logan and speaking directly to me. “I know you must be starving. Take a seat and I’ll serve up.”

  “Haydn.” Logan sounds frustrated.

  “The Tor made an appearance,” Haydn says, ladling out portions of pasta. “Or at least, I assume they did. We didn’t hang around long enough for the wormhole to open. Your father freaked and told me to get Sadie out.”

  Logan rubs his tense jaw. “They aren’t the only ones who can time travel, though they hate us the most, so perhaps it’s logical to presume it was them,” he muses as Haydn passes a plate to him.

  “Why would the Tor get involved? I don’t understand,” I ask, accepting the plate Haydn offers me.

  “It was probably coincidence, and my father was merely invoking precautionary measures to protect you in case things went downhill. It’s interesting all the same.” Logan looks immersed in thought.

  “Does your father know why they targeted Thalassic City and what their plans are?” I ask, thinking it might be a good opportunity to learn something new I can pass on to G to keep him sated.

  “Not yet, but there has been an unprecedented surge in time travel disturbance, and he’s certain they are most definitely up to something.”

  “Why are they an enemy of the Saven?” I scoop up a forkful of pasta at Haydn’s stern gaze.

  Logan halts mid-bite. “You remember I told you we had assumed the life form of another alien race prior to the human life form?” I nod, easily remembering that convo. “We assimilated the Tor life form for two hundred years, and from what my father has told me, our two races co-existed in close proximity for most of that time. There were interracial marriages and interracial settlements on both planet Torc and Saven. When the effects of the conscience loss became pronounced, both races turned on one another, and there was a messy bloodbath that cost huge lives on both sides. Families were ripped apart as each race—for the most part—sided with their own kind. It’s not a pleasant part of our history.”

  Haydn pierces me with a venomous look, and I shovel pasta into my mouth as I flip him off with my other hand. Logan watches the exchange with a puzzled look on his face.

&n
bsp; “So this is some type of revenge?” I ask, refocusing the discussion.

  “It’s our best guess, and my father has always expected a retaliation. He thinks the Tor are concerned over our impending conscience acquisition and alliance with the Amaretti. Power in the galaxy is shifting, and they are fearful of being on the outskirts or possibly becoming a target for colonization. There could also be any other number of reasons. Intergalactic politics is extremely complicated.” Logan unscrews the cap on his water bottle and drinks slowly.

  I set my fork down. “So this isn’t anything to do with Earth? We are purely a means to an end?”

  “I think so, but with so many players, it’s hard to be conclusive on anything. We need to ensure the human race doesn’t become collateral damage. It’s a delicate balancing act, and if the Tor are preparing to strike, it adds further complexity. The situation is extremely tenuous.” Logan rubs his temples in a repeated circular fashion. I can almost see his stress as if it’s a tangible load pressing down on his shoulders.

  Without overthinking it, I lift up, balancing on the ledge of the stool. Raising my hands to his shoulders, I bury my fingers in his taut flesh, kneading and unknotting with every manipulation of my fingers. He closes his eyes and tilts back, moaning lowly. “That feels so good,” he groans. Haydn watches my fingertips with surprising intensity. Catching my observant eyes, he looks away and starts clearing the table.

  Logan twists around unexpectedly and kisses me. Anticipating a gentle peck, I’m caught off guard when his mouth plunders mine with frenzied hunger and his tongue swirls possessively between my lips. Heat, that has everything to do with my surging hormones, floods my system, and I’m kissing him back with the same ardor. “Let’s take this back to your room.” Logan breaks the kiss and takes my hand.

  Haydn is occupied washing dishes, pretending not to notice. “Thanks for dinner,” I call out, as Logan steers me to my bedroom.

  He shuts the door and backs me up to my bed. I fall back on the unmade comforter as he crawls over my body, his eyes sweeping every inch of me. I tremble with unbridled desire. In next to no time, our limbs are entwined as our mouths fuse together in the longest make-out session. I pour every ounce of myself into each brush of my lips, powering my kisses with the ferocity of my longing, hoping he feels how much I’ve missed him. His hands explore my body with fervent adoration, and my fingers sneak under his shirt, covering all the contours and angles of his ripped upper body. I’m on the verge of losing control, and it’s like nothing I’ve felt before. We’re locked as tightly as two people can be, and it’s still not enough.

  In this moment, there is no me, no him. Only us. One entity. One heart. One existence.

  My skin is on fire with every touch, every contact, and my body throbs with unfamiliar need. We’re dangerously close to throwing caution to the wind. Logan’s body pulses and trembles over and under me, and I know he’s feeling it too. I want to give into it, to go there with him. I want him to be my first, my last, my one and only. I want to give myself to him fully; heart, mind, body and soul, but I can’t. The acknowledgment assaults me with soul-shattering clarity.

  Summoning restraint from somewhere, I reluctantly break away, panting as if I’ve just run a marathon. We stare at each other, chests vibrating in unison. My fingers brush my swollen lips, and he grins.

  “Stars, Sadie,” Logan says in a breathless voice. “I need you so much. I want you so much.” He growls low at the back of his throat as he looks at me with unashamed desire. “You’ve no idea.”

  Bending over, I kiss him gently. “Believe me, I do. Lie with me.” I tug him alongside me as I crawl under the covers. Grasping his hands, I snuggle into his embrace, fixing his arms around my waist.

  “I love you, Angel.” He presses a light kiss to my temple, and I angle my head, kissing him again on the lips. “Try to sleep.”

  Logan stays with me until I fall asleep.

  When I wake the next morning, I am lying alone in my bed. A single pink rose rests on the pillow beside me alongside a note. Opening it up, I smile to myself.

  Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe, sleeping beauty. Miss you. Love you. Logan.

  The next couple of days pass by in a whirlwind. Between rigorous training sessions with Haydn—both before and after work—and the VP’s crazy schedule that has required late nights most every night this week, I’ve little free time to myself.

  Nighttime is a different story entirely.

  Lying in bed, everything swirls through my mind denying any chance of a peaceful slumber. So far, Logan’s tentative probing of his father hasn’t yielded any results, and he remains in the dark over the king’s exact plans for me. I’m also conscious that the deadline G gave me is fast approaching, and every extra day that passes increases my concern for Ella. Friday can’t come quick enough.

  Thursday arrives along with a change in the weather. Strips of sunlight creep through the gaps in the skies, sending splinters of radiant light flooding the land below. Relying on my trusty wig and sunglasses disguise, I walk to work with the ever-loyal Haydn trailing in my wake. It’s amazing how a little dose of sunshine can elevate my spirits, even with everything going on. On days like today, I feel like anything is possible, and it gives me a much-needed boost of optimism.

  The VP has another hectic day ahead of him, and I’m rushed off my feet. When Jarod arrives in the doorway at lunchtime, a somber expression on his face, my stomach plummets to my toes. “You coming to lunch?” he asks, pointedly staring at his feet.

  “I think I’ll skip. I’m way too busy.”

  His chin kicks up and his eyes penetrate mine. “I think you need to make time.”

  Dammit. It’s as I suspect. I’m being summoned. I scowl as I reluctantly grab my jacket.

  “Remember what we agreed?” Jarod whispers, as the elevator doors slide shut. I recall our conversation from the previous evening. “Stick to the plan for now,” he says.

  “I will. It’s not like there are any other options.”

  This time when we reach the basement, I’m prepared as we step out into the softly lit corridor. Bo leers before he slaps the dark-colored cloth down over my head with more gusto than necessary. Vin discreetly cautions him as he guides me forward.

  Similar to the last time, a blindfold is secured around my eyes before I’m presented to G.

  “Ms. Owens. I trust you’ve reflected on our previous discussion, and that you have reached the appropriate decision.” He doesn’t bother with formalities, and I actually respect him for that. I’d much rather get straight to the matter at hand.

  Of course, there is no way I can agree to kill Logan, his father, and brother, and I had considered admitting the truth and turning G down flat. However, Jarod strongly advised against this course of action, saying G doesn’t react well to being challenged, and it isn’t safe for me to be excluded from the organization at this juncture. He suggested agreeing for now until we can identify a way to extract me from the commitment.

  And I’ve no choice, primarily because my greatest concern is that he’ll issue the assignment to someone else if I don’t agree. At least this way, I can adopt a delay-and-deflect strategy until I can figure out how to protect Logan. I don’t relish the thought of having to explain this to him in the future; he’ll be furious with me, and rightly so.

  I wet my lips and bolster my confidence. “I have given it due consideration, and I will agree to do this, provided Jarod can accompany me.” That was my idea, and while Jarod is no fan of the Saven, he readily agreed as a means of protecting me.

  “Are you incapable of delivering in your own capacity?” G asks. I can hear the derision in his voice.

  “I cannot say whether I am or am not capable of killing them on my own. It will all depend on how the opportunity presents itself. I do believe I stand a greater chance of success if Jarod has my back. Besides, we always work well as a team.”

  “And if I refuse?” I imagine G is cocking his head to the side.r />
  Discreetly, I scrub my sweaty palms along the side of my skirt. “Then I’ll understand this is a suicide mission, and that this is the extent of my value. Is that what you mean to imply?”

  He steps closer to me, and his foot brushes against mine. “On the contrary, there is much you can do to aid our efforts outside this task. However, consenting to Jarod’s involvement means I am risking two of my most important assets, and the odds need to be weighed up.”

  I don’t like how murder has been relegated to a mere task and I’ve been designated an asset, as if I’m not even human. A bitter taste settles in my mouth.

  G paces quietly in front of us, and each second that passes cranks my anxiety-ometer a notch higher.

  “If I may be permitted to speak, sir,” Jarod says, speaking up for the first time.

  “What is on your mind, Jarod?”

  “Your motto is ‘we protect our own,’ and Sadie is extremely precious to me. I’m not sure I could continue my work if anything should happen to her because we didn’t afford her adequate protection. I don’t think her request is unreasonable, and so you are aware, I am more than comfortable with it.”

  “Ah,” G says, his voice softening. “You love her.”

  I open my mouth to protest, but someone pinches my arm, hard. I clamp my lips shut.

  “I do,” Jarod says. “And I’d give my life for her. Please let me do this with her.”

  “I admire your courage and your honesty. I would hate to lose either of you, but very well, young man. You can accompany her.”

  I relax a smidgeon.

  “Thank you, sir,” Jarod says.

  “Bring me the gun,” G says to someone. “Hold out your hand, Sadie.”

  Reluctantly, I duly oblige. An icy cold object lands on my palm. “This is a special weapon we’ve developed. All you need to do is point it at the lower abdominal area and press the trigger. Then it’ll work its magic.” He sounds overtly pleased with himself.

  My hands ball into angry knots at my side. “What does it do?” I ask through gritted teeth.