Page 35 of The Sovereign, Part One (The Sovereign Saga #1)

“There was this… intensity about him.” The words felt heavy, sticking to my tongue like resin. “He was mysterious. He was in awe of everything around him, even if he tried to hide it. I was able to see Hyperion Proper through his eyes. It was like experiencing my own world for the first time.”

Curiosity had always been my weakness. Not just the need to know, but the need to understand .

What others thought. Why they felt. How their experiences shaped the way they saw the world.

Joss never accepted Hyperion at face value; he asked questions no one else thought to ask.

And I followed, fascinated by the way he saw cracks in perfection, wonder in structure, softness in systems meant to be sterile.

Hyperion wasn’t new to me, but through him, it felt… unfiltered.

“That,” I said, “and he was the first man I’d dated who didn’t treat me like I was temporary. Not some Sovereign accessory to try on and discard.”

Maxim didn’t inquire further; instead, he waited for me to continue.

He was curious about more than Joss. He wanted to know how loving him had shaped me, and whether it meant anything for us now.

A pang of guilt settled in as I spoke, knowing how it must feel for Maxim to hear me lay bare the reasons I had once given my heart to someone else.

Yet he listened without judgment, already processing his emotions with far more grace than he had at the café.

“We dated exclusively for almost two years,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

“He would invite me to events, and I’d agree.

Over time, if one of us had an occasion or needed to dine outside of work, it became understood that we would do it together.

I often wondered when it would be the right moment to end it, when it would become too serious, knowing we were both meant for someone else.

But there was never a clear moment. We didn’t argue, we didn’t have heavy expectations of each other.

It was just… easy. But then, he told me he loved me. ”

Maxim didn’t react immediately. His gaze never left mine, though, and I could sense that he was piecing things together.

“Did you say it back?”

I shook my head.

“Did you love him?”

I nodded, slowly.

I could see that he was sitting with my answer, but it had hurt him.

“My Veritas year was approaching, and I had to make a decision. So, I ended it.”

“Joss asked you to go to The Vale with him. Had you been there before?” he asked.

“No. To be honest, he spoke of it as if he hated it. Now that he’s asked me to go back with him, though, I know it was protection.”

“To protect the knowledge of his siblings? His training?”

“I think it’s more than that. Last week, I was called into a meeting with Chiron Sorran and Artemis Jhendai. They were asking questions about Joss and The Vale. I couldn’t put my finger on it then, and I can’t now, but something didn’t feel right. I asked Lev about it.”

“Did he answer?”

I swallowed. “He did. The Vale seems to need protection from The Citadel. I don’t know what they’re planning, but there is a terrorist organization called The Ruhat who set off explosions near the wall not long ago.

The Citadel blames The Vale. Joss mentioned a few things when he asked me to go back, like Hyperion Proper wasn’t what he thought, that he’d observed something behind-the-scenes. His return seemed… urgent.”

“Is it possible that Joss knows something about The Ruhat?”

I shook my head quickly. “No. Joss is… he’s innocent. Harmless. Just a boy from the farm, now in the big city, trying to make his own way. He might’ve loved The Vale, but he came to Hyperion to be Sovereign. He’d be the last person to be involved in anything like that.”

“Are you sure?”

I hesitated. “Why do you ask?”

“Analyzing the patterns, it doesn’t seem entirely implausible.

He’s secretive. He had no real reason to leave a home he loved.

He’s now trying to get you to return there with him and has seemed to experience things here that are threatening enough that he wants to leave quickly and take you with him. ”

“If he was involved, he’d be gone already.”

“But you’re here. He has a reason to risk staying too long.”

My brows pulled together. “I don’t know…”

Maxim’s jaw tightened slightly, and I could see the wheels turning in his mind. “Do you think Joss will try to contact you again?”

The question hung in the air between us, and my chest tightened at the thought of Joss showing up in my life again. I’d worked hard to bury those memories in the farthest recesses of my mind. Yet lately, they kept finding their way back to the surface, uninvited and far too often.

“If he hasn’t left, I suppose it’s possible,” I said finally.

Maxim’s expression darkened. “Do you think he’ll keep pressing you to go with him? And if you say no… do you believe he’d try to take you anyway, regardless of what you want?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Joss has his own reasons for wanting to leave, reasons that have nothing to do with me.”

Maxim seemed relieved for the briefest moment, and then it faded as more questions consumed his thoughts. “If we see him again,” he said slowly, “how do you want me to handle it?” The vulnerability in his voice was unexpectedly tender.

“Before I answer,” I began, “why do you think you had such a visceral response to him from the moment he approached?”

He blinked. “I’m not sure. The moment I saw him, I perceived a threat. I don’t know if I somehow already knew he was an ex because of my unique access to the system, or it was something else, but I felt an overwhelming urge to protect you from him.”

“Your unique access to the system?”

“My ability to retrieve restricted archives, for example. From your reaction earlier, I must assume that’s not typical.”

“It’s not,” I said, thinking. “If Joss approaches me again, I’d appreciate your patience.

I understand he’s somehow been flagged as a potential threat by your systems, but he might have more to say.

What if your reaction is because he’s trying to warn me about something he’s not supposed to know?

Something The Citadel doesn’t want me—or anyone—to know? ”

Maxim hesitated. “You believe my instincts are compromised? That I might be protecting the wrong truth?”

“No, I…” The words faltered. I wasn’t sure I could carry another ounce of guilt. “Not deliberately.”

His expression tightened, not quite wounded, but close. Still, he considered it. “Given how far I’ve already deviated, I find that… unlikely.”

“Valid point.”

“Even if it were, I’m not comfortable with you speaking with Joss in private.”

“I agree. It’s not appropriate. If Joss does approach me again, whatever he needs to tell me, he’ll have to say in your presence.”

Maxim fought an appreciative grin but lost. “I wasn’t sure how to reconcile everything I was feeling before, but I’m confident I can conduct myself with more restraint in the future.”

I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh.

“What?” he asked. When I didn’t answer, he playfully nudged me. “What’s so amusing?”

“Sometimes… it’s just funny to hear you process your thoughts aloud. It’s very… clinical.”

“Apologies, my love,” he said, hugging me to him. “I’ll adjust to think aloud more Sovereign-like… less clarity with an exhausting amount of filler words.”

“Hey!” I attempted a teasing shove, but he didn’t budge.

Maxim held me to him, and after the dust settled, he gave me a gentle squeeze.

When he finally spoke, he rested his chin on my hair and sighed, and his voice was thick with emotion.

“Isara? Will you tell Joss, if and when he comes to you again, that you’ve made your choice? That you’re staying here with me?”

The question hung in the air. I could hear the hesitation in his voice, and his fear of my answer.

“I promise,” I said, nestling in beneath his chin.

“You underestimate the effect meeting you for the first time had on me. From that moment on, I didn’t think about Joss again until he showed up at our table this morning.

You’re the one I want, Maxim. You’re the one I’ve always wanted.

I chose you, and I will never stop choosing you. ”

He exhaled, a long, relieved breath. “Now that I know that for certain, I can navigate those moments with more patience and understanding. I won’t have to react out of fear, thinking I’m about to lose you.

I know this was an uncomfortable conversation but thank you for being honest with me.

When I brought you home, I thought I was going back to The Crèche to report a deviance from my programming.

I wasn’t sure what that would mean. I just wanted to protect you, even if it was from me.

But I think—even knowing something within my code is anomalous—we’re going to be okay.

If we get an infraction, and I have to suffer twenty-four hours without you, everything about today was worth it. ”

The thunder outside grew louder, the booms coming closer together, shaking the walls with each relentless crack. The dark clouds pressed in, suffocating the sky, casting the room in an eerie, unnatural twilight. I couldn’t help but jump, my body reacting before my mind could catch up.

Maxim held me, unflinching. The blanket we shared pooled around us as he adjusted, settling deeper into the oversized chair with me safely in his arms.

“You know I’d never let anything happen to you, right?” he asked.

“I’ve never liked storms. No matter how long I’ve lived alone, it’s the one thing I can’t get used to.”

“If I have to fight Zeus himself, I will… and I’ll win.”

I breathed out a laugh. “I believe it.”

Maxim scanned the ceiling. “There was a time that the lights would go out during a storm. Sometimes for hours.”

“I’ve been known to be nostalgic about the old world, wishing I’d lived back then. Maybe not.”