Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Fiona

M y infuriated huffs echoed in the stark corridor, each breath punctuating my anger and each step a defiant drumbeat against the stone floor as my fingers curled into fists at my sides, the nails digging into my palms. I navigated the labyrinth of the Academy, the interconnected passageways and buildings now familiar to me, even though they’d been intimidating when I’d first arrived.

A lot had changed since I’d first stepped through the stone archway of the ancient, alien school, but one thing hadn’t. I still had no intention of taking crap from any of the cocky Drexians who thought they were better than me just because I was a human. Worse even for the old-school aliens used to an all-male military school? A female human .

Unlike the first day I walked through the door of the Drexian Academy, no cadets rushed through the corridors with their footfall echoing off curved ceilings and their voices bouncing off polished, black rock. The cadets had completed the year at the alien training school, which meant most had left for a break, leaving the buildings empty and silent. Silent except for my pounding steps, as I stormed across open air bridges between towers and up the wide, curving stairs of the main hall.

Every corner I rounded brought me closer to Vyk's office, and with each step, my resolve hardened. The security chief was the worst when it came to arrogant Drexians who disdained humans, but I didn’t care about what he thought of me now. My rage fueled me, lending an edge to my stride and a clench to my jaw.

As I reached the door to Vyk's office, I didn't hesitate. No polite knock, no waiting to be granted entry. I slammed my palm against the iron door, somewhat surprised when it slid aside with a hiss, and I strode inside with fury eager to be released.

I took a beat to take in the Drexian’s domain, noting that it was exactly what I would expect from a former Inferno Force commander who was notorious for his interrogation techniques. Weapons hung on the stone walls, some of them battered and worn, and there was no rug on the black floor or welcoming fire burning. Vyk sat behind his stark desk, all imposing muscle and battle-hardened presence, his silver scruff catching the flickering light as he looked up. His eyes were icy and his expression unreadable, yet even he couldn't fully mask the spark of curiosity as he registered my presence.

When I reached his desk, I braced my hands on the surface and heaved in a breath before unleashing my storm of complaints. The air between us thrummed with tension, the fact that we were both members of the Academy staff doing nothing to soften the edges of our standoff. This collision of worlds, human and Drexian, old ways and new, male and female, had been a long time in the making. And it wouldn’t be pretty.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you want to tell me why there are still beasts in the dungeons?”

He leaned back, his cold gaze never leaving mine. “I did not know I owed a…Strategy instructor any explanations on how I protect this school.”

The deep rumble of his voice was so calm that it enraged me even more. I could almost hear the unspoken words beneath the velvet purr. Human. Female. He didn’t think he owed someone like me anything.

“Don’t you mean you don’t owe a human any explanations?” I shot back.

“Your species is irrelevant. I do not allow any instructors to dictate the security protocols for the Academy.”

“Security protocols? Is that what you call keeping alien monsters in the same building where cadets learn? Is that what you called what happened in the trials—” I cut myself off, realizing I was losing composure. Dredging up his part in the deadly maze would not endear me to him, although I wasn’t sure I cared. I straightened up, took a measured breath, and fixed him with a piercing gaze. “Your job is to protect the cadets and this school. Not expose them to more danger.”

He flicked his gaze away for a beat. “The Drexian Academy has never been about coddling cadets. Our warriors must be the toughest to survive and defeat our enemies. If humans wish to be true allies, they must meet the same standards and survive the same dangers.”

I gritted my teeth, despising the truth in his words. Human cadets had proven themselves to be just as capable during the trials, so why had the discovery of beasts remaining in the dungeons set me off like it had? Why had it ignited my fury and propelled me to confront the Drexian I knew was responsible? “Haven’t we already met the same standards? No humans have died or washed out of your brutal school yet.”

He inclined his head a touch as if studying my face. “That is true.”

“Does that bother you? Do you hate the fact that you haven’t been able to prove that we’re weaker than Drexians?”

He stood and pressed his own palms to the desk, his impressive height making him tower over me. “Do not pretend to know my mind.”

I flinched at this. Before I’d entered his office, I would have sworn that he despised humans, and most of all, that he despised me. But as his eyes burned into me, there was more than anger flashing behind them. I didn’t step back, even though I couldn’t explain the pulse of desire that hummed between us.

There should be nothing but mutual disdain and a healthy amount of suspicion. Vyk had proved that he didn’t believe humans were worthy of teaching at the school or attending it, which meant the last female he would ever desire would be me, a Strategy instructor, who was both a woman and from Earth .

My heart hammered against my chest, fueled by a mixture of arousal and fear. Why did the Drexian have to be a big, gruff, silver fox packed with muscle? And why did the thought of him coming even an inch closer both excite and terrify me?

Vyk's office suddenly felt smaller, as if the tension between us filled every crevice, yet he remained motionless as he held my gaze.

“I don’t claim to know you at all.” The warble in my voice betrayed me. “But the beast in the dungeon is proof that you haven’t changed.”

A vein in his temple pulsed—a crack in his otherwise impenetrable fa?ade. “I regret what happened in the trials, but I do not owe you an apology. I have made amends to the admiral. If he still believes—"

I couldn’t stifle the mirthless laugh that erupted from my lips. “It isn’t me who deserves an apology. It’s the cadets who died trying to prove themselves in a sabotaged maze. Drexian cadets.”

He drew in a ragged breath, his jaw so tight I could hear the teeth grind as he squared his shoulders. “Are all females like you?”

The change of subject caught me off guard. “What?”

“You came in here uninvited and challenged a Drexian twice your size who could snap you in half.” His voice dropped to a deadly hum. “Aren’t you afraid?”

My heart skipped a beat as a trickle of fear slid down my spine. Now that he put it like that, maybe he hadn’t been the best Drexian to insult. But I refused to let anyone frighten me. I hadn’t gotten to where I was in the military by letting bigger guys scare me. Almost every guy was bigger than me, but not many were as smart or as clever. Not that storming into Vyk’s office had been my smartest move.

I slowly curled my hands until they were two fists on his desk. “Do I look like I’m afraid?”

“You do not.” His gaze wandered to my lips, and he drew in a quick breath before his eyes returned to mine, and he stiffened. “But maybe you should fear me.”

Something in his expression made me want to push his limits, even though my instincts told me I shouldn’t. I leaned my face forward so that I could feel the warmth of his breath. “Would you like that?”

In the electric space between us, neither one of us moved. Neither breathed. Then Vyk growled and jerked back, putting distance between us. “I will have the beast removed, Captain.”

I was so shocked by his reversal that I could only gape at him.

“Is there anything else?” He dropped back into his chair, his gaze locking onto his tablet as he made a point of not looking at me.

I shook my head as I backed away, too startled by what had transpired to utter another word as I left his office. I should have felt victorious that I’d won. He’d agreed to remove the monster just like I’d demanded.

Then why did I feel like I’d merely awoken the real beast?