“Sit back down,” she commands and I immediately obey.
“All you need to know is that we have tested the sample used on you, and it’s a hybrid DNA strain.” My brow wrinkles. I don’t know what that means, but I’m afraid to question her again in case she gets antsy and ceases all further discussion. She smiles knowingly and, for whatever reason, decides to take pity on me. “You are, in fact, part human, part Tor, and part Saven.”
Knock me down with a feather. I slither down in the chair. Stars above. What other shocks are hurtling my way? My brain hurts from all the traumatizing revelations. “So, the DNA strain used on me was from someone who was the product of a Tor-Saven relationship?” I ask, making the obvious connection. She nods, and I drag my lower lip between my teeth as I sort my jumbled thoughts out in my head. “And that’s why Logan and I share an Eterno bond? Because the Saven blood in my genetic composition has synced with his?”
“Correct. I’m not sure why your sample was switched, but I have to say it was sheer genius. It gave that extra level of authenticity to the attraction. Logan never suspected there was any other agenda at work.”
“Yet you still expect me to kill him, even though he’s my soul mate?” I’m slightly embarrassed verbalizing it, but it’s the truth. For the first time in twenty-four hours, a flurry of delicious warmth floods through me. I welcome it with open arms, allowing it to build me back up. No matter which way you look at it, Logan and I are meant for one another. Whether it’s the unaltered version or the Tor version of the future, we belong together.
Axton climbs quickly to his feet. “He isn’t your soul mate! Haven’t you learned anything today?” His knuckles are clenched so tight they blanch white.
“Quiet, Axton.” Griselda silences him with one stern look.
“I don’t care what he is or isn’t to you,” she says, giving me her full attention again. “That is completely irrelevant. You will fulfill your mission, either way, and Logan will die. Your cooperation is no longer necessary.” She flashes a winning smile, knocking air out of my lungs.
Apprehension trickles down my spine. “What are you planning?” My tongue feels heavy in my mouth.
“There are a few options. We can recondition you and send you back a couple of days in time. Or I’ll use you as bait to lure Logan here, and then Alinka will take care of him.”
“No!” I screech, eyes popping wide.
She laughs, clearly amused by my abject horror. My heart hammers in my chest, and blood rushes to my head, blurring my vision. A thunderous pounding begins in my ears, building in velocity as something inherent cracks inside me. Like an internal switch being flicked, a surge of heat zips through me, filling every nerve ending, cell, tissue, and limb with formidable power. It infuses my body and strengthens my mind. A pink haze covers my eyes.
Griselda jumps up off her chair, stumbling slightly as she screams for Axton in a panic-laden voice. He appears at her side, his wide-eyed look matching hers in an instant. They back away as I swing off the chair and stalk toward them. My body surges with intoxicating energy.
The guards rush me from the side, but I’m too quick for them. Spinning around, I thrust out my palm, and a strip of fire bursts forth slamming into the first one. He crumples to the floor, screaming as his body contorts wildly. The smell of charred, burning flesh itches my nostrils. The second guard whirls around, racing to the exit. I stream a layer of fire into his back just as he slams his palm into a button on the wall. Arching forward, he yelps before dropping to the ground in obvious pain. A loud blaring siren rings out, stabbing my ears with its painful song. No doubt, the cavalry is on their way.
I pivot around a second too late. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Axton advancing on me. Bravely, or perhaps stupidly, he grabs me from behind, pinning my arms at my side. Fire pulses in my palms. “Stop this, Sadie. I’m begging you. For me. Please.”
My response dies on my tongue as Griselda lunges at me, pressing a cold solid block against my temple. A blanket of darkness clouds my vision before turning its invasive powers on my mind. Everything turns black and I pass out.
CHAPTER 5
My body feels like a dead weight as I slowly regain consciousness. Aches and pains torture my limbs as I roll over onto the flat of my back. I moan low at the base of my throat. “Careful,” Axton cautions.
My eyes flicker open. My vision is hazy as I try to focus on my surroundings. I blink repeatedly. Gradually, the fog clears and I prop up on my elbows. I look around my small room, my eyes lingering a beat too long on the drawings on the wall.
It’s only now I realize that every picture depicts him and me. Two peas in a pod. Stuck to each other like glue. Two halves of the same whole. Nausea swirls unpleasantly in my stomach.
I’m in my bed, Axton seated on a chair at my side. My tongue darts out, moistening my dry lips. It tastes like ten-day-old garbage in my mouth. My cheeks crease in clear distaste. “Here.” He hands me a glass. “Drink this. It’ll help.” Briefly, I consider flinging the contents into his face, but my personal need is too great. Reluctantly, I sit up and take the offered liquid, draining it in one go.
A glint of light radiates from my wrist and I freeze. A thin silver cuff band encases each of my wrists. Turning my hands palm up, I inspect the seamless band on all sides. There is only a tiny sliver of a gap between my skin and the cold metal, not even enough room for my pinkie to fit through. My head tilts up until I’m eye level with Axton. “What are they?”
“Deflective shields. You won’t be able to use your gift while you are wearing them.”
“My what?”
“Your ability to summon and wield fire.” There’s an almost awe-like quality to his gaze.
Funny how he considers it a gift, and something to hero-worship, when I’m terrified of the sensations that swarm my system every time the fire ignites my insides. Uncontrollable, untrained power is not a cause for celebration. I haven’t forgotten how I almost killed my boyfriend while in the clutches of my talent. Nor Griselda’s hijacking of my mind.
“Can I ask you a question?” I fold my arms over my chest.
“Anything,” he replies eagerly.
“How did your mother take control of my mind back on the ship?”
A vein throbs in his neck. “I hate that she did that to you, but it was necessary to ensure the mission was completed.” His fists clench at his sides as he sighs in exasperation. “Not that it was.” Ignoring his manifest unhappiness, I shoot an encouraging look his way, and he continues to explain. “That implant in your neck is linked to a high-tech system she uses to force people to do her bidding.” A thunderous look passes over his face as he shakes his head. “I know it’s sick, but she’s a sick individual.”
My eyes widen in surprise. It’s not that difficult to spot the obvious friction in their relationship, but still.
“She can set commands that trigger responses in you. It also enables her to invade your mind and take control of your thoughts, actions, and speech processes.”
“Why do you continue to support her?” The question just pops out of my mouth. I’d really like to know the answer because everything I’ve seen of him so far indicates a strong degree of unhappiness and distrust. So, I don’t understand why he continues to do her bidding.
“I don’t. I …” A look of abject sorrow appears on his face. “She’s the only parent I have, and I keep thinking that she’ll come around, that one day she’ll admit that she loves me, but …” His voice peters out again.
My heart throbs painfully on his behalf, and I have a hard time not reaching out to comfort him.
The realization confuses and upsets me.
“I’ve never supported her treatment of you,” he adds, “but I thought if I cooperated that I would have some influence, over time, that I could stop her. But she is relentless. Unstoppable.”
The images of my previous tortured existence bounce around my head in vivid detail. Added to the latest revelation, it’s almost more than I can bear
. I seethe inside at the thoughts of all the ways I’ve been violated. I can’t believe she has the ability to get into my head and control my thoughts and actions. Are there other things I still don’t know about? “Didn’t she do enough to me?” I yell, dragging my hands roughly through my hair as frustration gets the better of me.
He stretches over, extracting my hands from where they are fisting knots in my hair. “She sent you back to Earth without your memories, and though you’d been fully conditioned to respond to cognitive prompts and reminders, she wasn’t prepared to take the chance that you wouldn’t follow through.”
“Now you’re defending her?” I raise my palms in front of me as incredulity slips into my tone.
“Shista, no! I deplore everything she did to you.” He batters his forearms. “I’m sorry, Sadie. I should have found some way to stop her.”
He sounds so sincere, and I have little trouble believing him. “Can it be removed?”
“No. Not without risk to you.”
I was afraid he was going to say that. “Well, what about my gift?” The word is like poison on my tongue. “Is there some way of reversing it? And how am I even able to wield that kind of power?”
He leans forward on his knees until his face is only a hairsbreadth from mine. I ignore the almost overwhelming urge to jerk back. He needs to believe I’m starting to trust him again so that he continues to open up to me.
In the cold light of day, what seemed puke inducing yesterday now seems like an opportunity. One that I must take advantage of. Whatever relationship Axton and I had is most definitely in the past. A past I knew nothing about. A past I don’t want to revisit. In any shape or form.
But he doesn’t need to know that.
Axton is my only possible ally, and it would be foolish to continue to cold-shoulder him. I have to get out of here, off this wretched planet, and find a way back to Logan before it’s too late. And it’s not just his life, his future that needs protecting, but the fate of the world. From what I’ve seen of the future, he is the lynchpin that achieves peace in the galaxy. I can’t let Griselda proceed with her plans. Too many lives are at stake.
Logan must survive.
That is the only truth.
The only goal.
My sole mission.
So, I need Axton in my corner. I have to get him on my side if I’m to stand any chance of escaping. He needs to believe that I’m coming around to his version of the future, whatever that may be. While the thought is distasteful, I know what I need to do.
I sit perfectly still as his face creeps closer to mine. His eyes roam my face with abject longing. Quelling my mounting nausea, I smile shyly at him.
His face lights up as he smiles back at me. “No one knows. No one has been gifted like that for over one hundred years. It’s … amazing. You’re … amazing.” Reaching between us, he gently takes my hands in his.
I let him.
His skin is warm to the touch and not altogether unpleasant as I thread my fingers in his. His eyes flit between my face and our conjoined hands, and his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. Intense emotion burns the back of his eyes, and a surge of guilt swamps me.
Surely, it can’t be this easy to convince him?
“I know you’re overwhelmed,” he continues, stroking his thumb across the back of my hand, “but I have something to show you that’s going to help you come to terms with everything. I meant what I said yesterday, you can trust me. You are the only person that matters in my world. You always have been, and you always will be.”
There is no way I can deny the sincerity of his words because he wears them like a badge of honor. While I still don’t know exactly what happened between us, he loves me. I see that quite clearly, because he’s looking at me in the same adoring way that Logan does.
I whip my hands from his and avert my gaze. I don’t know how I should respond to that declaration, and I figure a healthy amount of denial is natural anyway. I want him to trust me, not suspect that I have ulterior motives. “So, um, how can I get these bands off?” I deliberately switch the subject as I peek up at him through hooded lashes.
He sits back in his chair as an unhappy gush of air leaks out of his mouth. His eye twitches while he ponders my question. “You can’t. Mother has the key, and she is the only one who can release you. She won’t do that until you’ve been tested. Until you can learn to control it.”
I balk at the prospect of more experimentation, and I’m powerless to halt my body’s natural reaction as I shiver all over.
“Hey.” Axton sits up straighter. “It won’t hurt. I promise.”
I snort. “You don’t appear to have much choice when it comes to what your mother intends to do with me.”
“This is different!” he snaps. “Once my mother understands what we’ve done, she will have to answer to me. I won’t let her hurt you anymore.” His chin juts up defiantly.
“What do you mean?” I whisper.
Leaning forward, he cups my face in his hands. “This is your future, Sadie. Right here with me. This is where you belong, and I’m never letting you go again.”
I can’t mask the horrified shock that distorts my face. He pulls back as if I’d slapped him. He digs his fingernails into his thigh as his shoulders cord with tension. His cheeks leach of blood as a hurt look transforms his features in a nanosecond. I feel awful, conscious that I’m the cause of his anxiety.
Launching himself out of the chair, he turns abruptly toward the door. “I’ll get you something to eat, and then I’m going to show you something that will allow you to reconcile this.” He says all this with his back to me, and I’m glad because a new layer of revulsion has been added to the shock on my face. I’d really rather he didn’t see that lest he figures out that this is all an act.
He exits the room without another word, and I flop down on the bed reconsidering his usefulness. If he is so intent on keeping me here, perhaps he isn’t the ally I thought he was.
The quiet click of the door alerts me to an unwelcome guest. I’m pulling myself up in the bed as a pair of hands circles my neck and I’m shoved backward. Unforgiving pink eyes glare at me as the alien girl from the ship holds me down. Her skin looks smooth as a baby’s, and I can’t detect injuries of any kind. The Tor must have an advanced form of medicine, like the Rind, if they can eradicate that level of skin damage as if it never existed.
She tightens her hold on my neck, and my lungs holler for air. My hands wrap around her wrists, and I tug hard, attempting to loosen her grip. My throat constricts and alarm widens my eyes. She smiles, gloating with gleeful abandon. Stars blur my vision as I lash out at her with my hands. I thrash about on the bed, as panic continues to build.
I think she’s going to kill me.
All of a sudden, the pressure releases. Removing her hands from my neck, she steps back and plants herself in the chair Axton vacated only minutes earlier. I pant, my mouth opening and closing in noisy bursts as my body struggles to recalibrate. Her low chuckle has the desired effect. Though I’m still breathless and sore, I lunge at her. “Careful now,” she says, flinging me back on the bed without much effort, “I don’t require much incentive to start round two.”
“What do you want?” I rasp, massaging my sore neck. I sit upright on the outside of the bed, fixing my back against the headrest.
“What a loaded question,” she replies, pretending to consider it as she taps a finger off the side of her face. “Your head on a stick for starters, but considering Griselda won’t let me touch her precious creation”—she enunciates the word with blatant hostility—“then I’ll just have to settle for second best. Your boyfriend can take your place.” She cracks her knuckles as she grins at me.
“You leave Logan alone!” I glower menacingly at her.
She emits a sardonic laugh. “I have to admit that I find the whole situation very amusing.” Leaning back in the chair, she braces her hands behind her head. “If you’d only seen Griselda’s face when you evict
ed her from your mind! It was priceless. Her prized possession failed her.” She cackles enthusiastically. “I’ve seen her riled up plenty of times but never like that. Putting up with you is almost worth it to see her crack like that.”
I glare even harder at her.
“You still hate me then?” She cocks her head to the side.
“Apparently,” I croak, my throat raw and burning.
“The feeling is mutual. Always has been.”
“Why?” I tuck my hair behind my ears.
“It must be so annoying not remembering anything.” She looks far from sympathetic.
I shrug. “I don’t need to remember. I have people in my life that matter to me. That’s all that counts. The rest of the stuff I can do without knowing.”
“Like your beloved crown prince, I suppose?” A downright evil glint flashes across her eyes, and all the tiny hairs rise on the back of my neck. “I can’t deny he’s hot, and I wouldn’t mind a piece of him,” she admits. There’s a hungry sheen to her gaze that I don’t think is orchestrated. My gut contracts as I scowl at her. “I should have some fun with him before I kill him. At least he’ll leave this world with a smile on his face.”
I lunge at her again, but she’s anticipating it. Her hand juts out and she punches me in the face. I fall back on the bed as black splotches mar my vision. My head spins and an involuntary groan slips out of my mouth. Her warm breath heats my skin as she hovers over me, peering keenly into my face. “Do that again, and I will kill you. I don’t care about the consequences.”
“Get out.” My voice is harsh, barely controlled.
She snorts, most unattractively.
“I mean it. Axton will be back any second now, and I don’t think you want to be anywhere in the vicinity when I tell him what you’ve done to me.”
“You think you can wrap him around your little finger again? No way. I’m not letting it happen a second time.” She pinches the bridge of her nose as her jaw snaps tight.
A flash of emotion flickers across her face, and I think I may have found her Achilles’ heel. Perhaps it’s unwise to press her buttons, but I can’t stop myself. “You want him? But he doesn’t want you because he loves me.”
Saven Denial (The Saven Series Book 3) Page 5