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I looked at Morgan's face and made a decision. I wouldn't let her see my own rising dread. Instead, I straightened my back and met her gaze steadily.

"Then we'll just have to find our own way home," I said with more confidence than I felt.

But how do you find your way home when you don't even know where you are?

For the first time since I’d taken my oath as a Shadow, I felt truly lost.

Chapter

Thirty-Four

Deklyn

The ship's hull creaked and groaned as we dropped out of the jump, the sensation of being compressed fading almost instantly. My hands flew across the navigation console, confirming what my gut already knew.

“We made it,” I said, more to myself than anyone else.

Drex hung before us, but the gray and blue swirling cloud cover had never looked so beautiful before.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I called over my shoulder, unable to keep the smirk from my voice, "welcome to Drex. We'll be landing at the Academy shortly."

The cheer that erupted behind me was deafening, a mixture of laughter, whoops, and sighs of relief that bounced off the walls of the ship. I could practically feel the tension draining from the air, replaced by the electric buzz of victory.

Next to me, Sasha's eyes were wide as she took in the sight of my home world. She'd been unbelievably calm throughout ourescape, but now that we were truly safe, I could see the slight tremble in her hands.

"That's Drex?" she asked quietly, her voice barely audible over the celebration behind us.

"Home sweet home," I replied, my eyes still scanning the readouts. "Well, for some of us. From what I hear, it’s not much like Earth.”

She snorted, a sound that somehow managed to be both delicate and dismissive. “As long as it’s nothing like that Kronock prison, bring it on.”

I couldn't help but grin. Most humans would be shell-shocked after what she'd been through, but Sasha had fire. They might have damaged her body and tested her will, but they hadn’t broken her.

Before I could respond, footsteps approached the cockpit, and I turned to see Ariana and Volten. Ariana's eyes were locked on her sister, tear tracks visible on her cheeks despite her wide smile.

"You're hogging my cockpit, Inferno Force,” Volten said, crossing his arms with mock seriousness. "And my sister-in-law."

“Sister-in-law?” Sasha and I said at the same time as Ariana swatted the Drexian pilot.

Sasha spun around. “You got married without me?”

Ariana shot daggers at Volten. “No, I did not.” But then her expression softened. “But I’m not ruling it out.”

Sasha grinned. “I guess I have a lot to catch up on.”

“And I have all the time in the world to tell you about it.” Ariana’s eyes welled with tears. “After I feed you.”

“I won’t argue with that plan.” Sasha stood and allowed her sister to pull her into another hug. The two of them clung to each other, and I found myself looking away, feeling like an intruder on their moment.

Behind us, the celebration continued to grow. I turned in my seat to observe, watching as the various members of the rescue team reveled in their victory.

Fiona had her arms wrapped around Commander Vyk's waist, her head buried in his chest while he stood stiffly, his expression a mixture of pleasure and profound discomfort at the public display. His hand eventually settled on her back, a small concession that made Fiona beam up at him.

"Is it odd that I’m excited to get back to our tower?” one of the females asked another.

“Is it weirder than I’m excited about Drexian stew?”

They collapsed in laughter, which was almost contagious. Even the admiral was congratulating the various cadets and crew.