Destiny Rising Read online

  Table of Contents

  Greek Translations

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  Epilogue

  The True Calling Short Story Collection

  A Special Note from the Author

  About the Author

  Saven: Deception Sample

  Books by Siobhan Davis

  Copyright

  GREEK TRANSLATIONS

  Είναι ήπιο με το αγόρι – Be gentle with the boy.

  Γλυκιά μία – Sweet one.

  PART I - ARIANA

  CHAPTER 1

  Every color imaginable floats in front of my eyes. Temporary whiplash sets in as my head jerks back and forth, surveying the myriad of different fish swimming freely outside the glass window of the observation deck. It’s a pretty cool hiding place. Soothing in its own way. Well, as soothing as anything could be considering my current predicament.

  Mercifully, I’ve been left undisturbed for the last hour—undisturbed by other humans that is.

  My thoughts, however, are entirely another matter.

  Severely disturbed is more akin to how I feel at the swarm of memories that are presently invading my mind.

  Forced to flee when the government unexpectedly attacked Saoirse’s facility in Florida, I can barely recall our arrival here in the underwater military Command Center. It hadn’t actually taken that long to travel here even though we are thousands of miles out at sea and scraping the bottom of the ocean floor. That’s the beauty of the Velo network, I suppose. Designed specifically as a high-velocity transportation system, it can travel at the speed of light. Okay, so I made that last bit up, but it’s probably not far from the truth.

  Vaguely remembering Cal going to sort out our accommodation, I had taken flight at the first opportunity. I’d wandered aimlessly for a while until I stumbled into the main lobby area. Levels stretched upward as far as I could see. Curious to discover what was at the top, I’d hopped in the elevator and ended up here.

  The observation deck reminds me a little of the Empire State Building or the Rockefeller Center but without all the buildings and the crowds. The view is still spectacular though.

  Scooting forward on my knees, I press my nose to the glass and stare at the multi-colored fish as they dance on by. The water outside is eerily calm and there’s barely a ripple.

  The one observation I’ve made so far about our new home is how weird it smells. If I were standing at the top of the Empire State Building now, I’d inhale the fresh minty air and feel the sting on my skin as wind whistled by, whipping my hair around my face. There’s nothing here but a sterile, clinical-type odor that reminds me of a hospital ward, or the whiff you get when you sit in a brand new car for the first time. I wiggle my nose as my nostrils itch aggravatingly. I hope I’m not allergic.

  Approaching footsteps break my reverie, and my heart rate rockets when I sense who it is.

  There’s no hiding from him.

  Not now. Not ever.

  “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

  Glancing up, I automatically sweep him from head to toe. Sculptured jawline, check. Sparkling blue eyes, double check. Defined chest and abs, oh, yeah. Before I can continue my ogling, he drops to his knees beside me. My body still presses into the glass, but he gently tugs on my shoulders, easing me back. Twisting around, he snags me onto his lap.

  My gaze remains latched onto his, and I know I need to stop staring. But I can’t force myself to look away, almost like it’s an inhuman feat I’m incapable of achieving. “I feel like man-candy.” Cal smirks.

  I snort in a most unattractive manner. “I can easily get behind that,” I say, visualizing getting all up in his personal space. Yeah, my mind is still in the gutter, though I’m totally blaming my pregnancy hormones for that.

  Threading his fingers in mine, Cal stares at me pensively. “Talk to me. What’s going on?” Panic builds in my chest and I avert my eyes.

  Mission accomplished on the whole staring thing.

  “Nothing much,” I mutter, focusing on my feet. I won’t lie to his face.

  “Is it him? Do you remember?”

  Even though he’s somewhat hit the nail on the head, there’s no way I’m admitting to that right now and not until I’ve spoken to Zane about the horrific memory that’s hijacked my mind and threatened my sanity. Though I’m unsure if I’ll ever get to do that, for we’ve been separated again, and this time I fear there’s no returning from it.

  Zane has been in a coma since he took a bullet for me in the woods outside the Clementia compound. Miraculously, I’d still been able to communicate with him through my mind, but that connection is lost now and I’m terrified for him. Even when we were living on different worlds, we’d found a way to communicate. Now there is nothing but a blank, empty void, and I’m so afraid of what that means.

  I’m still mad at him though.

  I’d confided in him about the weird dreams I’ve been having these last couple of weeks. He knew; yet, he said nothing and tried to brush it off. “That sounds very mundane,” he’d said. ‘Mundane’ indeed. I had sensed something was off, but given everything else going on at that time, I’d let it drop.

  I know what he would say if he were here now and I could confront him. I was only trying to protect you.

  By lying to me.

  I’m so sick of all the deceptions, well intentioned or not. And I direct that thought at myself too. I’m the worst culprit, and I hate myself for it. Nonetheless, I’m not breathing a word to Cal about the abhorrent memory that has resurfaced, threatening to derail me completely.

  I don’t think I even like me anymore, so how on earth can I expect him to if he finds out? Though the temptation to share the burden is riding me hard, I can’t risk losing Cal again. “I remember some stuff, but it’s not what you think. It’s just the enormity of everything and where I am. I had such plans for my life, you know? None of this was on my agenda.” I shake my head and bite down on my lip. Risking a peek at him, I note his narrowed eyes and taut jawline. Jeez, I’m such an idiot. I can’t seem to stop putting my foot in it.

  “I’m not explaining properly,” I say, wrapping my arm across his shoulders. “I want to be with you, but all the other stuff … it’s overwhelming. And it’s as if it’s just hit me, like an out-of-control juggernaut.”

  “You know you can tell me anything, right?” He twists a lock of my hair around his finger.

  He doesn’t believe me.

  “Of course. And I would if there was anything to tell. I’m just trying to get my head around everything.” I hate lying again because I’ve promised him that there will be no more secrets between us.

  But I can’t tell him this.

  I can’t. I won’t.

  I don’t want to see the look in his eyes when he realizes I’m not the person he thinks I am. I always thought I was a good person, but now? Now, I’m not so sure.

  My eyes dart to the glass again. “I wish I was a fish,” I blurt out.

  Cal almost chokes on his laugh. “What?”

  “Look at them,” I say, motioning with my hand. “They look content, right
?”

  “Okaaaay. I’ll play along.” He arches a brow.

  My eyes stare transfixed out the window. “Life must be so simple, just swimming along without a care in the world. And if they succumb to a predator, it would be fast. Two seconds of realization and then poof, over and out. No politics, no suffering, no impending war. No …” I clamp my mouth shut in time, the word ‘baby’ lying unspoken on my tongue.

  If Cal notices, he doesn’t let on. “Hhmm,” he says, his finger trailing a path down the side of my face. My skin tingles in every place where he touches me and I shudder. He smiles knowingly. “How do you know fish aren’t plagued with worries and concerns? That they don’t think and feel the same way we do?” His lips tug up at the corners.

  “Oh please! What do they have to worry about? Corrupt governments? Fake rebel movements? A deranged bitch with some kind of personal vendetta?”

  He frowns, his finger momentarily stalling on my cheek. “If you were a fish, which one would you be?”

  I’m caught off guard by the blatant diversion, but I decide to go with the flow.

  Anything to avoid a further convo about my recalled memories.

  I check out the current batch of beauties floating by the glass. “That one,” I say, pointing to a rather dainty looking cerise pink fish with a peachy snout. “That one’s pretty, right?”

  “Yeah, but pretty doesn’t do you justice.” He sits up straighter and leans toward the glass. “You’d be that one,” he says, pointing to a larger purple-colored fish, with vibrant orange fringing and blue-gold veins curling around its fins. The fish swims to the glass and looks in at us, almost as if it knows we are pointing it out. Its golden speckled snout has a decidedly elegant appearance, an almost regal presence.

  His choice is infinitely better than mine.

  “You still haven’t taken those rose-tinted glasses off, have you?” I peer closely at him. “In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you’ve upgraded to double glazing.” I grin. Goofing around helps enormously. I haven’t thought of the hideous memory for the last five minutes, although I’m thinking about it now.

  I sigh loudly.

  Cal looks at me pensively. “I love you,” he says out of nowhere, pressing his lips briefly to mine.

  “I love you too.” Wrapping my other arm around him, I cling to him and inhale the familiar fresh scent that always reminds me of a crisp, spring day in the woods back home in Connecticut. His hand tangles through my hair as my cheek rests on his shoulder. I could quite happily just sit here forever.

  Everything feels right when I’m with him like this.

  “As much as I hate to drag you away from your new family,” he admits, gesturing toward the glass, “my dad is waiting. He’s free to talk to you now and he’s not the most patient man.” He removes his hand from my hair.

  Slowly lifting my head, I stifle a yawn. “Guess it runs in the family,” I mumble under my breath. He mock punches me in the arm, and I laugh as if I don’t have a care in the whole world.

  “Might as well get it over and done with then. Come on.” Pushing off the glass, I straighten up, smoothing my hands over my wrinkled pants. A loud yawn escapes me.

  “It’s late. If you’re too tired, we can leave it for a few hours and talk to him in the morning instead.”

  “I need to talk to him now. It can’t wait.”

  Sighing, he slightly shakes his head. “Are you going to tell me what it’s about?” He jumps up and takes my hand in his.

  This at least is something I can share with him. “You remember when I had that vision of my mom … that last time,” I whisper, my voice trailing off. I can’t verbalize it because the pain of Mom’s death is too raw, and if I go there, I’m afraid that I’ll never resurface.

  Nodding his head, he clutches my hand more firmly as my eyes squeeze shut in a feeble attempt to ward off the dreadful image that is on the outer edges of my mind. “She said some things that didn’t make much sense at the time.” I open my eyes and level a stare at him. “She said to tell Nate not to forget his promise.” Cal’s eyes widen in surprise as we walk. “I didn’t know who she meant,” I explain, stepping into the elevator as soon as the doors glide open. “Then I heard Commander De Luca call your dad Nate back in Florida, and I made the connection.”

  Cal tucks me into his side. “Damn. That’s …”

  “Messed up?” I offer, looking up at him.

  “I was going for strange but that works too. Okay, now I see why you need to speak to him. Does your dad know about this?” he asks, planting a light kiss on my forehead.

  “I haven’t had a chance to tell him yet. I figured I should ask your dad first.” As I state this, I question the wisdom of my decision. Our fathers don’t get on, that much is blatantly obvious. But neither of us understands why. Perhaps my going to Commander Remus first is not the best move, but it’s set in motion now.

  “Yeah, I think you should probably give your dad some time to cool down anyway.” His eyes crinkle at the corners as we step out into the corridor.

  “Oh no! Did something happen with you two?” I stop and pull him over to the side, allowing a couple of soldiers to overtake us.

  “Not exactly.” He pauses and I give him one of my special looks. “He insisted on sorting out the accommodation before he was taken to the medical wing. Options are limited here—three bunks to an apartment. Naturally, he wants all of you with him, but that wasn’t possible, so I signed you up for an apartment with myself and Ben, and that went down real swell as you can imagine.” His lips tug up slightly at the corners.

  “How was he when he left?”

  “Not a happy bunny, but there isn’t anything he can do about it. He’ll get over it.” Placing his hand across my lower back, he moves me forward.

  “Did he say anything else? Did he ask you about the baby?”

  Cal reaches out and unknots my clenched fists. “Relax, babe. He never mentioned it.”

  “Oh goodie, something else to look forward to,” I say, rubbing my nose. Cal inadvertently relayed the news about the baby on the Velo before I’d had the opportunity to formally tell Dad that I’m pregnant. If his wide-eyed startled first impression is anything to go by, I’m in a butt-load of trouble.

  “We’ll tell him together. It’s going to be fine. Now will you please chill? All this worrying can’t be good for the baby.” Resisting the urge to flip him off, I exhale deeply and try to calm my beating heart. I’m not sure how it’s affecting the baby, but I know for certain that all this stress isn’t good for me.

  Cal leads me down a wide corridor explaining that the numbered doors on my left are assigned accommodation. Scanning the edge of the exposed railing on my right, I experience a mad rush of vertigo and sway unsteadily on my feet. Cal whips me around to his other side with a surly look in his eyes. Rolling my eyes, I stop short of reprimanding him for treating me like a child. It’s not as if I was going to fall or pitch myself over the edge. “How many levels are there in this place?” I ask, as my eyes struggle to take in the vastness of the underwater compound.

  “Twenty floors. Apparently this was built by NASA originally as a backup facility, and Saoirse has been customizing it the last six months. It’s pretty damn impressive from what I’ve seen so far. Here,” he says, coming to a sudden stop. “This is my dad’s apartment. Mel and Jaden are bunking with him. We’re a few apartments down, and your family a few apartments below that. All nice and cozy.” He smirks as he presses his thumb into the tiny pad to the left of the doorframe.

  The thin silver door glides smoothly aside and Commander Remus waves us in.

  “Your brother and sister have gone to check out the cafeteria so we can talk in private. But it’s late so they won’t be long.” He motions toward a small white lacquered table tucked into the immediate right of the apartment.

  Cal pulls out one of the chairs and I quickly plop down. I cast a cursory glance around the space; it takes bijou to a whole new level. At the far
end is a free-standing locker surrounded by two bunks on one side and a larger bed on the other. Left of that is a narrow steel door, which I assume grants entry to the bathroom. A coffee station and wall-mounted screen is squeezed into the space in front of the table. That sums up the apartment in its entirety. Claustrophobia central. I shudder.

  “Is ours like this?” I turn to face Cal.

  “The very same.” Leaning his arm across the back of my chair, he slouches down in his seat.

  “Not much privacy then.” I frown.

  “We don’t have to worry about that,” he says, winking. Warmth spreads over my cheeks. “Ben on the other hand …” He smirks. My skin flushes even redder, and I stare at the tabletop, too embarrassed to look his dad in the eye.

  “Your mother used to blush all the time too,” Commander Remus says quietly.

  “What?” I ask, lifting my chin up, embarrassment all but forgotten. Cal sits up straighter in his chair.

  “I assume you want to talk to me about Anneka?” I nod, swallowing the large, painful lump that’s formed in the back of my throat. Setting his chin on his hand, he has a glazed faraway look in his eyes. It’s the look of someone reaching into the inner depths of his mind and remembering things long since buried.

  I wait patiently for him to begin. Cal drums his fingers restlessly on the table. After a couple of minutes, I plant my hand over his and pin him with a cautionary stare. He looks as nervous as I feel.

  “I was sixteen the first time I met your mother. She was a year younger,” Nate says, placing his hands in front of him. He looks me squarely in the eye. “You look a lot like she did at that age. You have your dad’s eyes, but the rest of you is pure Anneka.” I stare at him like I’m missing half my brain cells. Cal tenses at my side. “I fell in love with her the minute I laid eyes on her.”

  Jumping up, eyes on stilts, I stumble back against my chair, almost losing my balance. “What the what?” I shriek. Cal stands and places his hands on my shoulders, gently easing me back down into the seat. Moving his chair closer to mine, he wraps his arm across my shoulders as I struggle to comprehend what his dad has just said.