Page 22 of Star Crossed Delta

SABA

S aba caught the sound of Koda tearing away late in the night.

The door downstairs slammed shut, and when she peeked through the curtains, she saw him, racing away and disappearing into the shadows.

Something was wrong.

A knot formed in Saba’s stomach, unease settling over her like a suffocating shroud.

Suddenly, she caught more movement in the dark and jolted.

The unmistakable silhouette of a man, not Koda, was walking towards the front steps.

She strained to make out the figure moving through the shadows beyond the garden, but the darkened bushes and distance obscured his features.

He prowled with unhurried purpose across the gravel drive toward the lodge’s front door, the crunch of his steps cutting in the quiet.

Saba’s breath caught when a shard of moonlight fell on his face..

Zolan Asivan.

Why he was here this late at night was beyond her.

Unless he had news for her.

The entryway lights lit his lean, angular, handsome face.

His piercing dark eyes flicked to her second floor and locked with hers through the window, sending a shiver down her spine.

She met his gaze with a tilted head and raised brows.

He was pushing the envelope and about to get both of them in trouble.

After a beat, he wrenched his eyes away, moving toward the front door with purposeful strides.

Saba hesitated, unsure whether to confront or ignore his presence.

Besides, the Akkadian code stated that a married woman could not receive a single man in her home late at night unless her husband were present.

Still, a righteous stubbornness came over her.

Not being a strict acolyte of her order’s old-fashioned tenets, and with a stab of rebelliousness, she made her way downstairs.

She was dressed in silk pajamas and drew the edges of the robe she wore over them close as she approached the entrance.

The cold marble floor chilled her bare feet as she cracked the door open.

‘My apologies for the unexpected visit,’ Zolan said, smooth like dark chocolate.

Saba’s muscles tensed, a flicker of apprehension dancing along her spine.

‘Zolan. Do you seek my husband?’

He smirked again. ‘ Nada , I do not, unless I want my throat ripped apart.’

She shook her head, confused. ‘So why are you here?’

‘To speak with you. I won’t hurt you. You of all people should know that.’

Saba studied him then with a sigh, stepped back to let him in.

He strode in and before she had a chance to press him for more answers, he gestured toward the grand drawing room.

‘May we speak in there?’ he asked, his tone courteous but tinged with urgency.

She hung back, torn between her curiosity and a nagging sense of caution. But something in the way he held himself, the quiet intensity in his eyes, made her nod in acquiescence.

She led the way into the opulent room, sensing his gaze.

Inside, she indicated to the drinks cabinet, but he shook his head and declined.

Zolan took a step closer, his manliness and presence commanding. ‘I apologize for the unexpected visit, but it was the only time I thought I’d get you alone.’

She tilted her head, giving him a disbelieving look. ‘How do you know Mak is not here?’

‘I’ve been watching your home for a few hours now. I observed his departure. Then his strong man’s rather hasty one. Is all alright?’

‘What’s not acceptable is your behavior,’ Saba clipped.

Zolan’s lips quirked in a half-smile at her remark, but his eyes remained grave. ‘I assure you, ?arim , my intentions are far from nefarious,’ he said, his voice like velvet wrapped around steel. ‘I am your kin, after all.’

‘My secret kin,’ she snapped.

‘True, and I hate to witness my family treated with disdain like Mak did to you at the wedding.’

‘How could you tell?’ she murmured.

‘It was plain to see that he had no clue who you were after he unveiled you. The look on his face said as much. He didn’t hide his anger, but you made a difficult choice that you don’t deserve to be maltreated for. Tis not a way a woman, not in the least the ?arim , should be handled.’

‘Handled?’ she scoffed at the old-fashioned notion. ‘How would you propose I be dealt with?’ she asked.

‘Like a Queen, like an equal.’

She raised a brow. ‘Is that how you treat her ?’

His face softened, and she observed a flash of deep emotion in his eyes. ‘It is,’ his voice deepened.

She studied him. Relaxing somewhat, for it was clear he treasured the one love they shared in secret.

‘How is she?’ she murmured.

His mouth quirked, and she discerned what she was drawn to in him. ‘She’s well. She’ll send word soon.’

Still, she was furious. ‘ Fokk you Zolan, and fokk her too.’

He raised a brow at her ire. ‘I understand your wrath, ?arim , but we can’t change what’s happened now. What brought me great joy was Mak’s surprise at seeing you at the wedding,’ he muttered with a smirk.

‘Do you hate him that much?’

‘His father ruined our family’s lives years ago. Why shouldn’t we exact revenge?’

‘So Shiloh is just an instrument in your campaign against the Sauvage family?’ she hissed.

‘I adore your sister,’ the man said. ‘I’d never weaponize our love.’

‘But you’d weaponize me. Hell, that makes me want to run to Mak and tell all, to witness him pummel your fokkin ’ punchable face.’

Zolan’s eyes narrowed. ‘You agreed to keep our relationship secret until the time is right.’

‘I’ll do as I please now. I am the ?arim . Regardless, why are you here? To gloat?’

‘ Nada , I came to pass on a message. Despite my loathing for my cousin, we face a greater enemy.’

A wave of unease washed over her at his statement.

What was he hinting at?

‘I have important intel that concerns both your husband and the Sauvage Corporation.’

Her curiosity mingled with a healthy dose of skepticism, but she couldn’t deny the intrigue that simmered beneath the surface of his words. ‘What facts?’ she prodded, trying to keep calm despite the tumult inside her.

Zolan took a moment to collect his thoughts, and his eyes fixed on a distant point past the ornate furnishings of the room. ‘Your husband is embroiled in matters far beyond his understanding,’ he began. ‘There are forces at play that seek to unravel not only his life but the fabric of our world.’

A chill raced down her spine at his words. ‘Why can’t you tell Mak yourself about this?’

‘Appears I can’t speak to your husband, Kaal, nor the Sauvage Strongmen or Signet strong guard.’

‘Why?’

Zolan’s gaze held hers with an intensity that made her skin prickle.

‘Because they are not ready to face the truth,’ he answered enigmatically, his timbre laced with foreboding.

‘Also, because they don’t trust me, given our families have been at each other’s throats for years, entwined in a web of secrets and power struggles. Nonetheless, here I am.’

Frustrated at his vague words, her patience was wearing thin. ‘Enough with the riddles, Zolan. If you need to tell me something, spit it out,’ she demanded, her voice sharper than intended.

Zolan’s eyes softened at her outburst as if he appreciated her directness. ‘Very well,’ he consented, a glint of respect in his gaze. ‘A powerful faction within the Syndicate establishment is targeting your husband. Some of them have tried to recruit me to undermine Mak.’

Her breath caught in her throat at his revelation, a thousand questions swirling in her mind. ‘What faction? Why would they target him?’ she pressed, her utterance just above a whisper as she struggled to process the gravity of his words.

His expression darkened, a shadow passing over his features like a storm cloud.

‘Tis a sect that calls itself Nightshade,’ he revealed, his inflection heavy with warning. ‘Control of the flotilla in its entirety - from its resources to its security is what they seek.’

‘ Fokk ,’ Saba whispered.

Her late-night visitor nodded. ‘They’re collaborating with Phantom Codex, which is determined to stop the Sauvage Corporation.

Codex is a covert network of elite business leaders, billionaires, cyber criminals, and rogue technologists who thrive in the darkest corners of the digital world.

It has built its empire on sophisticated digital attacks, dark web extortion schemes, and complex encryption scams, manipulating the smaller houses within the fleet from the shadows.

Unlike typical criminal syndicates, Codex operates with surgical precision, their operatives functioning in cells to maintain anonymity and avoid detection. ’

‘Damn,’ she breathed.

‘Indeed,’ Zolan went on. ‘Nightshade and, by extension, Phantom Codex view Sauvage as a grave threat. They loathe that the Sauvage family owns a significant portion of the energy, hydrogen, and synthetic steel production and distribution within the fleet.’

‘What do they want with Mak?’ she asked, her mind racing with possibilities, each more sinister than the last.

Zolan’s gaze bore into hers. ‘Their core mission is to dismantle Sauvage Corp’s defenses and expose its secrets using espionage, sabotage, and blackmail to cripple their operations,’ he stated in a blunt growl.

‘If they win this deadly chess game, it threatens to tip the balance of power and security within the flotilla. Worse, your husband’s position as head of the Sauvage family has made him a target for assassination.

They might have even been responsible for the attack -. ’

He paused and flicked his eyes to the door.

Saba flinched at the tread of distinctive footsteps marching toward them.

‘Saba!’

Mak’s roar reverberated through the lodge, and panic coursed through her.

Zolan’s gaze never wavered from hers as he assessed her expression.

‘Are you scared of him or of disappointing him?’ he muttered, his eyes narrowed on her.

‘My marriage is none of your business. It would be best if you left now,’ she urged.

‘As the lady orders.’

Zolan’s lips turned up; he gave her a mock salute and strode for the lounge door, which flung open before his hand fell on the knob.

Standing in the doorway was Mak, his handsome face cold with raw, unbridled frigidness.