Page 7 of Revenge (Warriors of the Drexian Academy #6)

Chapter

Seven

Sasha

T he flight simulator room hummed, banks of sleek pods powered up and ready for potential pilots to test their skills inside. I ran my fingers along the smooth surface of one of the simulation pods, dipping my head inside to marvel at how closely it resembled in cockpit of a fighter.

“This tech is incredible,” I said, genuinely impressed. “Light-years ahead of anything we have on Earth.”

Ariana leaned against another pod and grinned. She looked completely at home here, surrounded by alien technology that would have intimidated most Earth pilots. More than that, she looked happy—fulfilled in a way I’d never seen her before.

“The learning curve was steep,” she admitted, powering up one of the simulator pods. “But the first-years are picking it up faster than expected. Some of them are natural pilots.”

I watched her work, noting that she’d carved out a role that suited her perfectly. Part of me felt a stab of loss that my little sister had grown up and moved on without me, but something stronger overwhelmed it.

Pride.

In the past, I would have kept that feeling to myself. Our father had raised us to see each other as competition rather than allies, always pushing us to be better than the other, to prove ourselves worthy of his approval. But I was done with that destructive pattern.

“You know,” I said, patting the top of one of the consoles, “I’m really impressed that you’re the first human flight instructor at the Drexian Academy. It’s incredible, Ariana. I’m proud of you.”

She froze mid-motion as she turned to stare at me with wide eyes. “What?”

“I’m proud of you,” I repeated, meaning every word. “What you’ve accomplished here, how you’ve adapted to a completely alien environment and excelled. It’s amazing.”

For a moment, she just stood there looking stunned, like I’d spoken in a language she didn’t recognize. Then her face crumpled slightly, and she launched herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck in a fierce hug that nearly knocked me backward.

“Thank you,” she whispered against my shoulder, her voice thick with emotion. “ Just thank you.”

I held her tightly, breathing in the familiar scent of vanilla. When was the last time we’d hugged like this? When was the last time I’d told her I was proud of her instead of trying to one-up whatever accomplishment she’d achieved?

“I want things to be different.” I pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “I want us to be the sisters we never got to be before. Growing up, we were so busy competing that we forgot to actually be family.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, so similar to my own. “Sasha...”

“I survived in that prison because I knew you would find me,” I continued, the words spilling out before I could second-guess them. “I didn’t know how you’d do it, but I knew that if anyone was tough enough and stubborn enough to mount a rescue, it was my little sister.”

She sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Thinking you were dead nearly destroyed me. When I finally found out you were alive, there was nothing that would have stopped me from saving you. Nothing.”

The raw emotion in her voice made my throat tight. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for a moment. “I would have felt the same way,” I managed finally. “And I would have done the same thing.”

“Really?”

“Really.” I reached out and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear, the gesture achingly familiar from our childhood.

“You were the one person I mourned the most when I thought I might never escape. I regretted so many things, but mostly I regretted thinking of you as competition instead of my sister.”

Ariana pulled back slightly, studying my face with the scrutiny that made her such an excellent pilot. “Are you sure the Kronock didn’t replace you with a replica? Because the Sasha I grew up with would have said none of this.”

I laughed, the sound half sob and half genuine amusement. “No, they didn’t replace me. But going through what I did made me realize who I loved and what was truly important.”

Her expression grew solemn, concern creeping into her features. “Was it really awful? In the prison?”

Images flashed through my mind—the cold stone floor, the sound of claws on metal, the smell of unwashed reptile. But I pushed aside those memories and buried them beneath layers of protective instinct. Ariana didn’t need those nightmares in her head. She’d already suffered enough worrying about me.

I dredged up a smile, hoping it looked more convincing than it felt. “All that’s behind us now. Both of us.”

Before she could respond, footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, and Volten appeared in the doorway. He stopped short when he saw us, his expression shifting to one of polite embarrassment.

“Sorry,” he said, backing away. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You’re not,” I said quickly, stepping back from Ariana. “I should go anyway. You have a class to teach soon, right?”

Ariana nodded, but she pulled me into another fierce hug before letting me go. “I’m glad we talked.”

“Me too.”

As I headed toward the door, I wagged a finger at Volten with mock sternness. “You’d better treat my sister like gold, flyboy.”

His face lit up with one of those genuine smiles that transformed his usually serious features. He crossed to Ariana and swept her into his arms, spinning her once before setting her down. “She’s better than gold,” he said, his voice warm with affection as he looked down at her.

The love between them was so obvious it was almost embarrassing to witness. But instead of the stab of envy I would have expected, I felt only happiness for my sister. She deserved this kind of love, this easy partnership with someone who clearly adored her.

Part of me wondered what it would be like to have that kind of connection with someone. In the past, all the guys I’d been attracted to had turned out to be players. To a one, they were charming and exciting in the short term but ultimately interested in conquest rather than commitment.

Like Deklyn.

The thought of him sent an unwelcome flutter through my chest, along with a surge of irritation at my reaction.

He was exactly the type I needed to avoid—cocky, dangerous, the kind of guy who collected hearts like trophies.

The fact that he’d risked his life to save mine didn’t change his fundamental nature.

I needed to get over this attraction and focus on how he could help me. Nothing else.

I was almost to the corridor when Volten’s voice drifted after me.

“I just wanted to give you a quick kiss before I head out,” he was saying to Ariana. “I’m meeting with Commander Vyk to show him the tweaks I’ve made to the fighter jets after the mission.”

My pulse spiked so suddenly I had to stop walking to catch my breath. Commander Vyk was the academy’s security chief. If Volten was meeting with him, that meant Vyk wouldn’t be in his office. Which meant this was the perfect opportunity to do some reconnaissance.

The admiral’s office would be ideal, but it was also the most heavily secured location in the academy.

Vyk’s office would have been central to coordinating the rescue mission.

He would have known about the unauthorized nature of the operation and would have records of communications and decision-making processes.

If I were going to find proof of the conspiracy that had left me to rot, his office was the perfect place to start.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I forced myself to walk calmly down the corridor, away from the simulator room and toward the administrative wing where the senior staff had their offices.

I couldn’t afford to look suspicious or hurried, although who would ever guess the mind of the rescued Earth pilot was whirring with thoughts of breaking and entering?