Saven Defiance (The Saven Series Book 4) Read Free Page B

Logan and how—according to Neve, Haydn and Logan—Dante has constantly sought ways to provoke Logan into physical retaliation. That Logan is trapped in Dante’s lair is more than just concerning. We have to get him out of there, and fast. There is no time to spare.
    Another thought occurs to me. “How long has he had him?” Time is like some abstract concept to me at the moment.
    “Three days. More than enough time to …”
    I gasp, clamping a hand over my distressed mouth. Neve grabs me into her arms. “I’m sure he’s still alive, Sadie. If Dante had already killed him, we’d know about it. He won’t miss out on the opportunity to gloat.”
    “If that’s the case,” I ask, trying to quell my burgeoning hysteria, “what’s his game plan?” I ease out of her embrace, pulling my knees into my chest. “We need to figure out what he’s up to.”
    “He wants Logan out of the picture so there’s no one to contest his leadership,” Haydn says in a grim tone.
    “Why hasn’t he done it yet? Why wait?” What new, sick game is Dante concocting now?
    “It’s like Neve says, he wants to turn it into a spectacle. He probably already has the wheels in motion.” There is no tenor to Haydn’s tone. It is flat and unfeeling, and that touches a raw nerve.
    “You don’t have to sound so uncaring!” I spit out. “Have you already given up on him?”
    Haydn hops out of his seat super-fast, putting his face right in mine. His aggressive stance is intimidating, but I stand my ground, refusing to cower.
    Ax wraps his arms around my waist, drawing me against his sturdy chest.
    “We wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for you!” he yells, glowering at Ax and me. “And you don’t get to tell me what I do or don’t feel. You’ve done enough damage as it is.”
    I say nothing to defend myself because there isn’t much I can say. Haydn’s right. I set all this in motion. I am to blame. But that’s of no use to anyone right now, least of all Logan. He needs me to stay strong.
    I shuck out of Ax’s arms. “I think we should stick to Logan’s plan and enter the palace via the tunnel.” I’m deliberately ignoring Haydn’s outburst and the thorny atmosphere in the room. “Have we enough weapons onboard? Enough fuel to get us to Saven?”
    Neve swings her head to Rylan, silently diverting the questions his way. “Just about, on both counts,” he confirms.
    “Well, unless anyone else has another, better plan?” Neve throws it out there.
    “Infiltrating the palace isn’t going to be easy, no matter what route we take. But I don’t think Logan would betray those plans no matter what torture was inflicted on him,” Rylan adds. Neve and I wince in unison. “I can have a few guys I know meet us there. We’ll need greater numbers if we’re to stand any chance of success.”
    “Sort it,” I command. “How long will it take us to get to Saven?”
    “That’s the difficult part.” He scrubs a hand over his bristly jaw. “We’ll have to use the hyperdrive or it’ll take far too long. I can program it to transport us over the far side of Narik. Then we can invoke the invisibility shield to travel the remainder of the journey to Saven. There’s still some risk of tracking, but I don’t see any other option. Now that Dante has Logan, he’s most likely forgotten about us. We should be okay.”
    “I’m not sure I share your optimism,” Neve says.
    “Nor I,” Haydn agrees.
    “I know it’s risky, but what choice do we have?” My eyes roam over every face. “We have to get him out of there. Logan has to live. The fate of the entire world—mine and yours—depends on him. I’ve seen it.”
    “I say we do it,” Neve says doggedly. “I’m in.”
    One by one, everyone confirms their agreement, except for the two Tor. Ax scowls as I verbalize my commitment. Izzy looks confused. “Can we talk to you in private?” he asks me.
    Ax and Izzy follow me out into the corridor. Flattening my