Chapter 26

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Vyk

I heard the voices before I reached the door.

Voices.

Not Fiona’s voice alone, or the silence that I had expected at the early hour, but two voices. And not two female voices. Not Fiona and the flight instructor, Ariana, who seemed to be by her side most often. Not even one of the female cadets from her school who I had seen with her. The other voice I heard drifting through the open doorway was deep and resonant, slipping into my bones and firing a possessive heat in the depths of my core.

“No one regrets leaving their life behind? No one regrets the way they left things? ”

That I heard clearly as I reached the doorway, pausing as I quickly assessed the situation. Captain Bowman was not talking to a Drexian or one of the human males at the academy. The human who stood so close to her that she had to lean away from him was no one I had seen before.

His uniform was not one from the Drexian Academy—dark and form-fitting. It was different colors, with a shirt that puffed out from the pants. Instead of heavy combat boots, his shoes were glossy and looked unsuitable for any kind of battle. Did humans fight in these uniforms? I saw no blaster or blade hanging from his waist, which explained why the Drexians had protected Earth for so long. Soldiers like this would never survive against the Kronock.

All these thoughts flitted swiftly through my mind. Just as briskly, I gathered that this human was the inspector from Earth, and that Fiona knew him. Not only did she know him, but there was also something between them. Something that made tension hang heavy in the air and her jaw tighten.

I considered lunging between the two. The sight of him so close to her sent rage coursing through my veins. I did not have to know anything more about the human to know that he was unworthy of her. The way he stood, the way he looked at her, the way he questioned her all told me that he was undeserving of someone as strong as Fiona.

I stood in the doorway waiting for her to snap back at him like she would at me. I waited for her to put him soundly in his place. Instead, her gaze darted over his shoulder and landed on me. There was an instant of surprise, of regret, and then of relief .

I took her expression as an invitation. If she wished me to leave, I knew from experience that she would have no problem telling me off. She wanted me there. She wanted me to intervene.

I stepped into Fiona’s office, the thudding of my feet announcing my presence better than my voice could. The human pivoted to face me, his stance changing in a flash. He stood taller, squared his shoulders, and leveled a questioning gaze at me.

He was not small, but I still stood a head taller than him, and I was well aware that my Drexian uniform only made my shoulders appear broader. Even if I was not the only one armed, the human would not have stood a chance against me.

As if assessing all this within the few breaths he took, the man extended a hand and strode toward me. “Captain Devon Gorman. I’m the special envoy from Earth.”

I took his hand, remembering the unusual human custom of shaking appendages, and pumped it up and down vigorously. “Commander Vyk of Inferno Force. I serve as the Academy’s security chief. Welcome to the Drexian Academy.”

Captain Gorman pulled his hand away with a tight smile as he wiggled his fingers. “Thank you.”

“You are a brave soldier to venture into the lair of the Assassins,” I said, sliding a glance to Fiona, who had taken a few steps to the side, so she now stood halfway between the two of us.

Gorman cocked his head to one side. “I meant to ask, Assassins? ”

“That’s what they call us in the School of Strategy,” Fiona said, her voice an octave higher than usual. “Assassins.”

Gorman gave her an indulgent smile. “The schools have cute nicknames?”

I stifled a growl. No one had ever dared to refer to a Blade or an Assassin as cute before.

“It’s part of the ancient lore,” Fiona said, before I could answer. “The Drexian schools were formed around the various types of warriors and skills. Before it was the School of Strategy, the Drexians had warriors who excelled at battle plans and probably at sneaking into enemy territory.”

“The Assassins were once deadly assassins. The Irons long ago forged creations and weapons from iron, although our engineers now work with more sophisticated tools.” I did not expect a human to understand the long and glorious military history of my people, but I would not tolerate him laughing at it. Not when Drexians had been protecting Earth since before he was born.

“Interesting,” the captain said, his voice telling me he thought it was anything but. He turned his attention to Fiona. “I had no idea you were so into military history.”

This made me frown. He must not know Fiona very well. Even I knew that the instructor favored ancient battle strategies and taught them often to her cadets. It was one of the things about her I had approved of, even when I did not approve of her presence at the academy.

I cleared my throat to draw his attention back to me. “I am sure you are eager to get a tour of the academy and learn about the security measures that have been put in place to protect the humans under the academy’s protection.”

The officer opened his mouth, and I wondered if he was searching for a reason not to agree with me. But if he was truly at the academy to inspect it and assess the success of the integration of humans into the school, there was no way he could.

I suspected that his visit to Drex had just as much to do with Fiona as it did with his purported mission, which was why I was determined to thwart him. Fiona might not be mine. I might not have any claim on her. But that did not quell the jealous haze that had settled over me like a heavy blanket that prickled my skin and quickened my pulse.

I did not care what claim this man might have on her. If she had ever been his, she was not his now. That much was clear from the way she avoided his gaze. And if I had anything to do with it, she would never be his.

It took considerable self-control not to flatten the man to the ground or, at the very least, challenge him to a battle of honor. I inhaled deeply and reminded myself that he was an envoy from Earth—a guest of the Academy—and the Admiral would be severely displeased with me if I bloodied him. That was fine. There were other ways to make him suffer.

“Come.” I motioned to him with one arm. “I will give you a tour and tell you every detail of our security protocols.”

“I don’t want to impose—”

I slapped the man hard on the back, sending him stumbling forward and then catching him before he fell. “I insist.”

I glanced back at Fiona as I steered the captain from her office. She did not look angry, but she did not look pleased. It was a mystery to me which of us had irritated her more. I would usually have guessed that it was me, but I got the sense she was glad I was taking the man from her presence.

I hoped so, because I intended to keep the human much too busy or too exhausted to bother her again.