Page 25 of Revenge (Warriors of the Drexian Academy #6)

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Deklyn

T he officers' lounge was a world apart from the holographic wonders of the fantasy suites or the cheery shops on the Promenade.

There were no glossy white walls or pulsing colored light, no Earth music piped in, no artificial environments.

The dimly lit lounge with black furniture and an equally dark matching floor and ceiling seemed to be made for Drexians.

The centerpiece was a long ebony bar that stretched along one wall, its surface polished to a mirror finish that reflected the bottles lined up behind it.

The mirrored wall displayed shelves upon shelves of liquor from across the galaxy filled with liquids that ranged from crystal clear to deep amber to electric blue.

Some glowed faintly with their own light; others seemed to shift and swirl as I watched.

The far wall was entirely transparent, offering an unobstructed view of the stars beyond. Ships moved in the distance like fireflies, their running lights tracing patterns against the infinite black.

I settled onto one of the tall stools at the bar, studying the exotic bottles behind the purple-jowled bartender.

"Quite a collection, isn't it?"

I turned to see Captain Kalex approaching, followed by a tall Drexian with dark hair pulled high into a topknot.

"Impressive," I agreed, gesturing toward the display. "I don't recognize half of these."

"Vekron," Kalex said, indicating his companion as they settled onto stools beside me. "He's Nina's husband and handles all the holotechnology for the station. Vekron, this is Lieutenant Deklyn, our newly engaged hero."

Vekron tipped his head with a warm smile. "Congratulations on your engagement. Nina was impressed by your fiancée.”

"I'm a lucky man,” I said, trying to inject the right amount of pride and affection into my voice.

"I've gotten word about the television crew arriving from Earth," Kalex said, signaling the bartender. "And several dignitaries have already signaled their intention to attend. This is going to be quite the event."

The words sent a chill through me even as I recognized that this was exactly what Sasha wanted. The plan was working, drawing the attention of exactly the people she hoped to confront. But it felt like being on a runaway spaceship, hurtling toward a destination I couldn't see clearly.

"Three Noovian whiskeys," Kalex told the bartender, then raised his glass when the drinks arrived. "To your future bride."

"To Sasha," I echoed, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue despite the smoothness of the whiskey.

“I spoke to the Academy Master. He said your Earth pilot is quite strong-willed,” Kalex said, swirling his whiskey in the bottom of his faceted glass.

I chuckled. That was an understatement. “That is true, but I know few pilots who aren’t.”

"My wife, Zoey is the same way.” Kalex took another drink. "I highly recommend human women with spirit. They keep life interesting."

Another vast understatement about Sasha.

Things were never dull around her, but I wondered if we would truly be good for each other if this were real.

We argued constantly, challenged each other at every turn, and seemed to bring out both the best and worst in each other.

Yet there was no one who had ever captivated me the way she did, no one who made me feel so alive even when she was driving me completely insane.

I was lost in these thoughts when the captain’s expression suddenly shifted, his eyes widening as he looked toward the entrance.

"Well," he murmured, "this should be interesting."

I turned to follow his gaze and felt my blood turn to ice. Tivek was striding across the lounge toward us, his expression unreadable but his posture stiff.

I quickly slid off my barstool, moving to intercept him before he reached the bar. My brother's embrace was firm, but his words were furtive.

“What do you think you're doing, brother?" he whispered against my ear, his voice tight.

I stiffened, my mind racing. How much did he know? Had someone at the Academy figured out that our engagement was fake? Had Admiral Zoran seen through our deception and sent Tivek to investigate?

Then I remembered what I'd learned in Zoran's office, the communications about Shadow operations and undercover work. My brother had been lying to me for years, maintaining a cover identity so deep that even his own family had been fooled.

I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, then leaned close to whisper a question. "I could ask you the same thing, Shadow."

The effect was immediate and dramatic. Tivek's eyes widened, his carefully maintained composure cracking for the first time in years. For a moment, he looked exactly like the little brother I remembered from our childhood.

“How did you—" he started, then stopped himself, glancing around the lounge to make sure we weren't being overheard.

“Does it matter?” I asked. “You have your secrets, and I have mine.”

His jaw tightened, and I could see him calculating possibilities, trying to figure out how much I knew and what it meant for both of us.

"We need to talk," he said finally. "Privately."

I nodded toward Kalex and Vekron, who were politely pretending not to notice our intense conversation. "Let me make my apologies.”

But as I turned back toward the bar, I realized Tivek knew me well enough to be suspicious about what I was doing.

And I knew enough about his secret life to understand that he was far more than the academy adjunct he pretended to be.

The question was whether we could trust each other with the truth, or if our respective deceptions would tear us apart.