Page 19 of Revenge (Warriors of the Drexian Academy #6)
Chapter
Nineteen
Sasha
I n the aftermath of the kiss, my lips tingled and my heart knocked against my ribs like it was trying to escape my chest. The memory of his firm lips made me want to pull him back and kiss him again, which was exactly the kind of thinking that would get me into trouble.
Maybe Deklyn was right. Maybe I was out of control, letting my emotions drive my decisions instead of cold logic. But I knew my plan could work. It had to work.
“So,” I said, trying to inject some normalcy into my voice as I moved away from him, putting distance between us before I did something else impulsive. “We need to figure out exactly how to make this convincing. Who do we need to get here?”
Deklyn ran a hand through his dark hair, and I tried not to notice the way the motion made his uniform stretch across his broad shoulders. “Earth Planetary Defense Command, obviously. Your former squadron leaders, anyone who would have been in the decision-making chain when you were captured.”
“The media will help,” I added, settling into one of the plush chairs and crossing my legs to keep myself from pacing.
The ecru cushions were soft beneath me, and the subtle scent of tropical flowers seemed to emanate from the fabric itself.
“If Serge can get this televised, it’ll put pressure on the higher-ups to attend. They’ll want to control the narrative.”
“Which means we’re going to have to go along with all of Serge’s wedding planning,” Deklyn said, his tone suggesting he found this prospect about as appealing as a Kronock interrogation session.
I felt a stab of guilt as I looked at his expression. “Do you care about the details? Do you have preferences for a fake wedding?”
He gave me a narrow-eyed look that shifted instantly from hot to cold. “Not for a fake wedding, no.”
The words stung more than they should have, and I looked away from him toward the holographic vista beyond the windows. The artificial paradise was beautiful, but there was something hollow about it that matched the hollow feeling growing inside me.
“I’m sorry.” I glanced back at him. “I know this puts you in an awkward situation you don’t deserve. Especially after you’ve rescued me multiple times.”
For a moment, his expression softened, and I glimpsed something that might have been affection in his gaze. But then his walls went back up, and he gave me a curt nod.
“We’re in it now, sweetheart. We just need to see it through so you can get some peace.” He waved toward the bed. “You can take that. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
I started to protest, but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.
“I’m used to hard bunks on spaceships,” he said. “The couch is probably more comfortable than anything I’ve slept on in months.”
He moved toward the door, and I felt a sudden panic at the thought of being alone with my thoughts and the implications of what I’d set in motion.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to go talk to the station’s captain,” he said, pausing with his hand on the door panel.
“Get word to my Inferno Force ship that I’ll be delayed and send a message to my brother explaining the situation.
Tivek’s not going to be happy if he learns about our engagement through official channels. ”
The mention of his brother sent another wave of guilt through me. “He’s going to think we’ve lost our minds.”
“He’s going to think a lot of things,” Deklyn said grimly. “Most of them are probably true.”
As he moved to leave, I realized I had my own uncomfortable conversations to navigate. “I need to talk to Ariana before she hears about this from anyone else.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, and then he was gone, leaving me alone in the romantic fantasy suite with nothing but my doubts for company.
I was still staring at the closed door when a soft knock interrupted my brooding. I opened it to find Reina standing in the corridor, her blue hair almost brushing the ceiling.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” she said with a smile that seemed knowing in a way that made my stomach clench with worry. “I thought you might need some assistance settling in.”
“Actually,” I said, stepping back to let her enter, “I need to make a call to the Academy. Is that something you can arrange?”
“Of course,” she said, moving into the suite. “The Island has excellent communications facilities. But first, I have a question.”
I felt my blood turn to ice. “Oh?”
She turned to face me directly, her large eyes serious despite her gentle tone. “Why are you pretending to be engaged?”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. How had she figured it out so quickly? Had I been that obvious? Had Deklyn?
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said weakly, but even to my own ears the denial sounded pathetic.
Reina’s smile was kind but implacable. “I’ve been around enough couples to know when it’s real. You two have chemistry but you’re not engaged.”
“We don’t look like we’re in love?” I asked, stalling before the truth inevitably spilled from me.
“Oh, I’m sure Deklyn is in love with you, but I’m equally sure that he was shocked when you claimed the two of you were engaged.”
I got stuck on the first thing she’d said.Deklyn was in love with me? That was impossible. He wasn’t the type to fall in love.
“You’re wrong,” I said, but my voice lacked conviction.
Reina raised an eyebrow that conveyed both skepticism and sympathy. “Am I?”
I stared at her for a long moment, weighing my options. I could continue to lie, but she’d already seen through the deception. I could try to bluster my way past her suspicions, but something told me Reina wasn’t easily fooled. Or I could take a risk and trust her.
“All right,” I said finally, sinking into one of the chairs with a sigh. “We’re not engaged. But this is the only way I can get Earth officials here so I can find out who left me to die in that Kronock prison.”
Reina’s expression shifted from knowing amusement to shock, then to outrage. “They abandoned you?”
“Someone in Earth’s Planetary Defense Command ordered the Drexians not to mount a rescue,” I said, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. “I was classified as an acceptable loss while I rotted in that cell for months.”
“That’s monstrous.”
The vehemence in her voice was oddly comforting. After carrying the betrayal alone or only sharing it with Dek, it felt good to have someone else share my outrage.
“So you see why I need to do this,” I said. “The wedding will draw everyone here, where I can expose them.”
Reina was quiet for a moment, her round eyes thoughtful. Then she smiled. “Then we’re going to make this the best fake wedding in the history of the galaxy.”
Relief flooded through me so powerfully I had to blink away tears. “You’ll keep the secret?”
“From everyone except you and Deklyn,” she promised. “Especially from Serge—he’d never be able to keep quiet about something like this. But between you and me? I think this plan of yours might actually work.”
“Thank you.” I stood and took her bony hands in mine. “I don’t know what I would have done if you’d exposed us.”
“Found another way, I’m sure.” She squeezed my hands. “You strike me as someone who doesn’t give up easily.”
She was right. I wasn’t going to let the people who’d abandoned me get away with it. Even if it meant pretending to be in love with someone I might be falling for. The thought sent another flutter of panic through my chest, but I pushed it aside.
Right now, I had a fake wedding to plan.