Page 27 of Revenge (Warriors of the Drexian Academy #6)

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Sasha

I lay fully dressed on the enormous bed, staring up at the silk canopy that the fake tropical breeze stirred gently.

My ears still rang with the echoes of Serge's nonstop chatter from our afternoon of dress shopping.

It had been an endless stream of commentary about necklines and train lengths and the proper shade of ivory for someone with my complexion.

At least he'd talked so much I hadn't been required to contribute more than the occasional nod or murmur of agreement. But the constant need to appear excited, to play the role of blushing bride-to-be, had left me drained. I hadn’t anticipated how exhausting it would be to keep up the pretense, and it would only get worse once the TV crew arrived.

Then there would be more people to fool, more lies to maintain, more chances for someone to see through the carefully constructed charade.

I'd thought being trapped in that Kronock prison was the worst thing that could happen to me. But then I’d gotten out and discovered that I’d been abandoned. Discovering who’d been behind that decision had consumed me, sending me on the path of revenge. Being free hadn't made me feel free at all.

The rage toward those who had abandoned me burned constant and low in my chest, like a fire that never quite died. I wouldn't truly be free until they were held accountable, until they faced the consequences of writing off one of their own.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm the churning in my stomach, to find some center of peace in the storm of deception I'd created. The soft sounds of the distant waves and rustling palm fronds should have been soothing. Instead, they were a reminder that this paradise was as much a fraud as I was.

The door chimed and slid open, interrupting my brooding. I sat up quickly, expecting to see Deklyn returning from his evening with the station's officers.

"Dek, is that—" I started, then stopped short.

Deklyn stumbled through the doorway, but he wasn't alone. His brother Tivek was supporting most of his weight, half-carrying him into the suite.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

"What the hell?" I jumped to my feet, shocked to see the academy adjunct here and irritated that Deklyn was so drunk he could barely stand.

Tivek maneuvered his brother to the bed, and Deklyn sprawled across the white coverlet on his back, grinning with sloppy happiness.

"There's my beautiful fiancée," he slurred, his eyes unfocused but warm with affection that seemed entirely too genuine for comfort.

I bit back the urge to snap at him, reminding myself that we had an audience. Even drunk, our cover had to be maintained.

"Thank you for bringing back my fiancé," I said to Tivek. “I’m surprised to see you here, though.”

Tivek tipped his head to me, his expression somber. "I know everything."

My heart dropped, and I turned to glare at Deklyn, who held up both hands in a gesture of surrender.

"The spy dragged it out of me," he protested, his words slurring together.

"Since you know my secret," Tivek said calmly, "I know yours."

The words chilled me. He knew that we’d discovered his identity, and he now knew about our ruse. All because Deklyn clearly couldn’t keep his mouth shut when he drank. I was going to kill him. Slowly and painfully, with my bare hands.

But before I could say anything, Tivek continued. "I want to help."

I blinked; certain I'd misheard. "What?"

"Your plan to expose whoever in Earth's command structure abandoned you," he said, his voice quiet but intense. "I want to help you find them and make them face justice."

The offer was so unexpected that, for a moment, I couldn't process it. The straitlaced Tivek wanted to help us go rogue and defy both the Drexian leadership and Earth’s military?

Then I reminded myself that he was more than an adjunct.

Having a trained intelligence operative on our side could be exactly what we needed to pull this off.

"You'll keep our secret?" I asked, studying his face for any sign of deception.

"My entire life has been one big secret," he said with a slight smile. "What's one more?"

I swore him to secrecy anyway, making him promise on his honor as a warrior and his love for his brother. The words felt hollow even as I spoke them. How much did oaths matter when everything else was built on lies? Even so, I believed him when he swore to help us.

“I’ll leave you now.” Tivek gave a small bow, his lips quivering as he cast a last look at his brother sprawled on the bed.

“Thanks.” I tried to keep sarcasm from lacing my words as Deklyn flapped one hand at his departing brother.

"You told him everything," I said, settling onto the bed and fixing Deklyn with what I hoped was a withering stare.

"Had to," he mumbled, rolling onto his side to face me. "He knew something was wrong. Better to have him as an ally than an enemy."

He was probably right, but I couldn’t help feeling like things were unraveling. The plan only worked if we tightly controlled the information. Reina already knew, and now Tivek. I supposed it couldn’t be helped.

“I didn’t know Inferno Force warriors were such lightweights?” I teased.

“Noovian whiskey," he said as explanation. "Stronger than it tastes. And we were toasting my upcoming nuptials, so there was a lot."

The word 'nuptials' sent an unwelcome flutter through my chest. Even drunk and sprawled across the bed, Deklyn was dangerously attractive.

"I should let you sleep it off.” I slid off the bed.

"Stay," he said, his voice softer now. "Please."

I stiffened. Despite the lies and deception that surrounded us, there were moments when the fantasy felt dangerously close to reality. Moments when I forgot why falling for him would be the biggest mistake I could make.

“We’ll just sleep,” he promised.

I couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from my lips. He was too drunk to do anything else, but his promise was sweet. Ridiculous, but sweet.

I watched him laugh along with me, although I doubted he knew what was so funny.

But there was genuine affection in his unfocused gaze, and I felt something crack inside my chest. This was supposed to be simple.

Use him to get my revenge, then walk away.

But nothing about Deklyn had ever been simple.

I flopped onto the bed beside him. "Go to sleep, Dek.”

He rolled over and pulled me close to him, nuzzling his face in my neck. “Night, sweetheart.”

I groaned as his hard body spooned mine and his warm breath tickled my ear, sending tingles down my arms. So much for boundaries.