Page 16 of Revenge (Warriors of the Drexian Academy #6)
Chapter
Sixteen
Deklyn
I stood at the top of the ship’s ramp as it lowered. Beside me, Sasha shifted her weight and huffed out breath as if she was fighting to keep her temper in check.
“What exactly is your plan here?” she asked, her voice deceptively calm. “Detouring to a station devoted to matching human brides with Drexians?”
“I can’t let you fly off to Earth in the furious state you’re in,” I said simply. “You need time to cool down and think strategically instead of emotionally.”
She turned to glare at me, her dark eyes flashing danger. “You haven’t seen furious yet.”
Before I could respond, movement at the bottom of the ramp caught my attention.
Two figures were hurrying toward us across the floor of the hangar bay.
One was short with spiky purple hair that clashed with his bright green suit, and the other tall and willowy with enormous eyes and an elaborate blue vertical swirl of hair that made her appear nearly seven feet tall.
As we walked down the ramp, the purple-haired alien reached us first, practically vibrating with excitement. Then both aliens stopped short, their expressions shifting from anticipation to confusion as they took in our appearance.
“You aren’t tribute brides,” the purple-haired alien said, his voice carrying a note of deflation that suggested this was a significant disappointment.
“No,” I said, offering what I hoped was a diplomatic smile. “I’m Deklyn of Inferno Force, and this is Sasha Bowman. We’ve just arrived from the Drexian Academy.”
The taller alien stepped forward and extended thin fingers. “I’m Reina, and this disappointed Gatazoid is Serge. Welcome to the Island.”
Then her gaze sharpened as she looked at Sasha more closely. “Bowman?” She blinked rapidly a few times. “Are you Ariana’s sister?”
“I am,” Sasha confirmed, and I caught the slight tension that entered her voice at the mention of her sister.
Without warning, Reina pulled Sasha into an enthusiastic hug that seemed to catch her completely off guard.
“I was at the Academy until recently,” Reina explained, still holding onto Sasha’s shoulders.
“I knew Ariana well, and all she ever talked about was rescuing her sister. She was so focused on bringing you home.”
I saw something flicker across Sasha’s face. Was it guilt, maybe, or regret?
Serge, meanwhile, had been listening with growing excitement, his purple hair flushing pink at the roots. “Wait. Are you the human who was held captive by the Kronock?”
Sasha nodded. “And Deklyn is the Drexian who rescued me.”
At this, Serge actually swayed on his feet, pressing a hand to his chest and flattening the puff of shiny green-and-yellow fabric knotted at his neck. “Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit!”
Sasha’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“He loves Earth expressions,” Reina said in a stage whisper.
Serge ignored her as he clapped his hands. “You’ve come here to recover from your ordeal .”
I was about to explain that we weren’t there to recover when a wicked grin spread across Sasha’s face as she looked at me.
“Actually,” she said, her voice taking on a sweetness that immediately put me on high alert, “we’re here for a different reason entirely. We’re engaged, and we want to have our wedding here.”
Her words made the world tilt sideways around me. Engaged? Wedding? What the hell was she playing at?
Serge let out a shriek of pure joy that made nearby mechanics flinch.
“This is perfect! Absolutely perfect! The rescued prisoner and her brave Inferno Force hero! It will be the wedding of the century!” He began pacing in tight circles, his purple hair now fully pink.
“We’ll need the Grand Pavilion, no, the entire Celestial Garden level!
Everyone from Earth will want to attend, not to mention all those who’ll want to watch from afar! ”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” Sasha whispered, but only I was close enough to hear her, and the calculating look in her eyes sent a chill down my spine.
I stared at her in shock as I began to understand what she was doing. This wasn’t just an impulsive lie to explain our presence here and mess with me. This was strategy. Twisted, brilliant, absolutely insane strategy.