Authors: Siobhan Davis
Tags: #Teen & Young Adult, #Romance, #Science Fiction & Dystopian, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Aliens, #Paranormal & Fantasy, #Dystopian
Saven Deception
Copyright © Siobhan Davis 2015. Siobhan Davis asserts the
moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved
under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Men in Black II quotes © Robert Gordon, Barry Fanaro,
Columbia Pictures (a division of Sony Pictures).
Work of Fiction
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,
incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or events is entirely
coincidental.
Conditions of Sale
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the
nonexclusive nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book
on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, shared, transmitted,
downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any
information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether
electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express
written permission of the Author.
E-Book edition © December 2015
ASIN: B0167DZCME
Editor: Kelly Hartigan (XterraWeb)
editing.xterraweb.com
Cover design by Kremena Stoqnova
Girl cover image © Aaron Tyree. Licensed under Creative
Commons Attribution – NC 2.5 Generic
Boy cover image and background © Bigstockphoto.com
CONSCIENCE
“
A knowledge or sense of right and wrong, with an urge to do
right; moral judgment that opposes the violation of a previously recognized
ethical principle and that leads to feelings of guilt if one violates such a
principle
.”
Source: Collins American
English Dictionary.
Dr. Evana Taylor locked her office door and walked briskly
out of the building. Tugging the collar of her brown cashmere coat up over the
nape of her neck, she strode across the empty parking lot, the wind whipping
her long copper-colored hair in a mass of tangles all over her face.
Though it wasn’t yet November, the cold
weather had arrived with a bang. The icy layer snaking through the dark night
air slapped her skin as brutally as a punch to the face. Wincing, she picked up
speed and walked with renewed vigor, desperate for the warmth and safety of her
car.
Her thoughts flipped to her husband and
she sighed. Her recurring tardiness angered him. It was becoming more of a
regular occurrence as her client list grew, and she sensed his mounting
frustration. Since she had received the coveted NextGen Psychologist Award, she
was in high demand. Her research on cognitive behavioral therapy continued to
win her numerous accolades, and she was cresting a wave she’d only ever dreamed
about.
This was her once-in-a-lifetime chance to
develop the type of career she’d always desired and an opportunity to build a nest
egg that would secure her family’s future. Although it required personal
sacrifices—most of which she was willing to make—she deplored missing her son’s
bedtime. Peeking at her watch, she sighed loudly. She would have to wait until
morning now to see her little Glenn.
An ominous sense of foreboding swept over
Evana and she instinctually glanced over her shoulder. The Psychiatric Facility
was bathed in eerie darkness; the only visible light a dim glow from the small
security desk in the front lobby. Shaking off her paranoia, she picked up her
pace and strode with purpose toward her car.
A monstrous gust of wind swept the length
of the lot, and tiny hairs rose to attention on the back of her neck.
Inexplicable fear sent her heart rate skyrocketing as blood stampeded through
her veins. In her haste to reach her car, Evana tripped over her feet and took
a tumble. Silently cursing, she pushed off her hands as a blinding ray of light
immersed her form on the ground.
Shielding her eyes, she looked up and
froze. An icy tremor ripped up and down her spine as her body became weightless,
and she began to float off the ground. She tried resisting the pull, but her
muscles stubbornly refused to cooperate. She opened her mouth to scream, but
her vocal cords were paralyzed, and the scream lay dying on her tongue. Trapped
within herself, she had no way to release her panic.
As she ascended, she fought the urge to
close her eyes. But her lids grew heavy and cumbersome, and eventually darkness
swooped in and laid claim to her.
***
Heat radiated underneath Evana’s body, and she was cocooned
in a heady sensation that feathered skin deep. A steady thrumming sound
reverberated around her, and the gentle swaying motion of her surroundings,
combined with the pleasurable warmth, enveloped her in a heavenly blanket. A
satisfied moan escaped her lips.
“She is conscious,” a voice said in a
lilting, heavily accented tone. Evana’s heart slammed against her ribcage as
renewed panic set in.
Parking lot. Lights. Body floating upward
. Too
afraid to open her eyes and confront reality, Evana prayed, as she’d never
prayed before in her life.
“Dr. Taylor,” a strange voice said, “open
your eyes.” Her eyes fluttered open upon his command despite her reluctance and
fear.
A man and woman loomed over her,
scrutinizing her as if she was a mutant insect or a science experiment gone
wrong. Anxiety prickled underneath the surface of her skin, but she was
immediately drawn to the man, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
He was tall—well over six foot—and in his
early forties, if she had to hazard a guess. His jet-black hair was graying at
the temples, and fine silver lines weaved an artistic path across his head. It
gave him a distinguished look, a regal presence, as if he was a member of old
royalty or some lauded dynasty. The curve of his taut jawline and the smooth
even lines of his skin revealed a face that was remarkably well preserved for a
man of his years. Frowning, she wondered if her initial assessment of his age
was wide of the mark.
One thing she was sure of: He was the most
beautiful man she’d ever met. Mesmerized, she couldn’t look away.
That assessment held until she zeroed in
on his eyes, which were a startling azure blue at first glance. Upon closer
inspection, she spotted the cold, harsh, inhumane glare lying underneath. His
eyes scanned the line of her body with barely contained disgust, and she
shivered despite the warm blanket of air encasing her on all sides. When his
eyes fixed on hers, she drew in a sharp gasp at the blatant hostility reflected
in his stare.
Outwardly, he may look like a man, but she
knew, deep down inside, he wasn’t human.
Terror spiked inside her, yet strangely,
she found herself taking his offered hand and swinging her legs off the
elevated bed.
“We’re so glad you could join us, Doctor,”
he said in that weird intonation, his words clearly at odds with his chilling
facial expression. He made it sound like she’d accepted a formal dinner invite
when this was a clinical case of alien abduction. Fear battled with acceptance
in her mind as she placed one foot in front of the other.
She walked alongside him, the woman
trailing at their heels. He led her down a sleek passageway and brought her
into a huge room, which appeared to be a personal chamber of sorts. Only then
did Evana heed her surroundings.
Large tinted glass windows rimmed the
perimeter of the room on all sides, granting her a breath-stealing front row
seat. Earth was clearly visible in the frame, like a gigantic circular blue
ball with sporadic green and white streaks crisscrossing the circumference. Stars
twinkled and sparkled against the inky black backdrop of outer space.
She stumbled clumsily as the reality of
the situation hit her full force. The man slung an arm around her waist and
steadied her. “Take a seat.”
She slumped down on the narrow couch.
The woman moved her hand in a graceful
sweeping motion, and a holographic screen materialized in the space in front of
them. Evana tried to swallow her fear at the displayed image of her husband and
son. Failing, she let out a strangled cry.
“Cooperate and they will come to no harm.
Refuse and you will never see them again.” The woman spoke without any trace of
emotion, any hint of hesitation.
“What do you want from me?” Evana asked in
a shaky voice.
“We require your psychological expertise,”
the man responded.
“For what purpose?” Wrapping her arms
around herself, Evana fought to stave off the violent trembling taking hold of
her.
“We need you to train us how to behave
like humans. How to emulate their actions and thought processes.”
“Why?” Evana asked the question though she
dreaded the reply.
“Because, when the time comes, we want to
blend in without detection.”
A messy ball of emotion pressed down on
Evana’s chest as his words sunk in. Staring at the image of her husband and
son, a single tear slid down her cheek. An amused grin tugged up the corners of
his mouth.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?”
He shook his head.
She paused considerably before responding.
Knowing she was making a deal with the devil, she also understood she was
damned no matter what choice she made. “Okay.”
“Perfect.” He rose to his full height.
“Leave us, Leandra.” He dismissed the woman with a disrespectful wave of his
hand.
“My king.” She bowed at the waist.
As she walked out of the room, she threw a
scathing look at Evana. It was a look loaded with vengeful promise. Evana’s
whole body shuddered as repressed fear surged into every cell, every tissue,
every nerve ending.
“This way,” the king said, gesturing with
his hand. “Let me introduce you to your students.”
