Chapter 36

Chapter

Thirty-Six

Vyk

“ I hope you do not hold it against me for the brutality of the gauntlet,” I said as I patted the human captain on the back. “You made an impressive showing, especially for a first attempt. Most cadets do not make it as far as you on their first go.”

Captain Gorman had looked both alarmed and hesitant when I had first approached, but I was doing my best to appear jovial and friendly. Now that I had decided to win the man’s trust, I had to change my strategy. I no longer wished to humiliate him and show him up. I wanted to prove that I was his friend.

“The gauntlet was not so bad,” he said, managing a laugh.

“I should not have taken you so soon after you arrived. Jumping is hard on the body.“ I did not add that it was harder on humans because they were naturally weaker and less resilient. “I was too excited to show you all of our academy.”

“I hold no ill will. The training facilities in the School of Battle are impressive.”

I leaned closer to him and dropped my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “ Next, I will have to show you the holo-chambers. They are very entertaining.”

Concern flickered across his face. “Don’t you also use the holo-chambers for military training?”

“The Blades do, but I prefer to enjoy different simulations.” I nudged him with my elbow. “The pleasure planet Pariza is especially enjoyable.”

His brows popped up. “Pleasure planet?”

“They have devoted themselves to being a destination for traveling warriors so there are sunny beaches and warm seas. Not to mention the barely dressed females and males eager to show visitors of all orientations a good time.”

His mouth gaped. “This is a holo-chamber program?”

“It is a real planet that had been recreated for our holo-chamber. Access is restricted, otherwise cadets would do nothing but disappear into the holo-chamber, but as the security chief, I have access.”

He cleared his throat. “I would be very interested in seeing that.”

The human no longer looked wary in my presence. There was nothing like dangling the idea of a pleasure planet to redeem myself .

Admiral Zoran took his seat at the top of the U-shaped table with his wife taking the seat next to him. I knew that our guest of honor would be on his other side, so I steered Captain Gorman toward his seat so I could take the one beside him.

Once we were seated, I picked up my goblet. “As the chief of security for the academy, I am the one you will want to talk to when it comes to the safety of the cadets, human and Drexian. Since we will be spending a lot of time together, we should get to know each other.” I nudged him again. “Aside from our visits to the holo-chamber.”

He chuckled as he reached for his own goblet. “My visit is not supposed to be a long one.”

I forced myself to look sad. “That is too bad. I understand you are acquainted with one of our human instructors.”

He took a drink, hiding behind the rim of the goblet as his gaze darted around the room.

Fiona was not here yet. I knew without even glancing. I would feel her if she was. Her energy shifted something in the air when she was near me.

Gorman replaced his goblet onto the wooden table. “I was stationed with Captain Douglas before she was assigned to come here.”

“Captain Douglas,” I repeated, as if I did not know exactly who she was, as if I had not been prodding him to speak of her, as if I was not manipulating him for information.

He bobbed his head up and down. “You came into her office this morning.”

“Ah, yes. The Strategy instructor. Do you know her well? ”

Something dark crossed his gaze. “I thought I did, but I don’t think she’s the type to let anyone know her well.”

I nodded as if I knew what he meant. “I hope your reunion was pleasant and she welcomed you to the academy.”

He choked back a laugh and picked up his drink again. “Not the way I hoped she would.”

I took a swig from my own goblet, the tart Drexian wine preventing me from speaking, which was probably a good thing. Taking a drink also prevented me from planting a fist in the man’s face, which would not have helped me make friends with him. I would have to ignore his innuendo, even though the suggestion that he had hoped for an intimate welcome from Fiona made my blood simmer in my veins.

“One thing I have learned about human females is they are unpredictable.”

Gorman swallowed a gulp of wine and barked out a laugh. “Then you’ve learned all there is to know about them. Don’t ever think you understand women, because I promise you that you don’t.”

A frisson of energy tickled the back of my neck, and I looked up to see Fiona walk into the room flanked by several other females. I recognized one as an Iron, one as the flight instructor dating Volten, and one as Torq’s mate. But I only knew Ariana and Fiona by name.

I attempted to glance away before Gorman noticed, but I was too late.

“Speak of the devil,” he muttered .

“You believe she is an evil deity?” That seemed extreme, even for a stubborn, hot-tempered human like Fiona.

“It’s a figure of speech,” he said, not taking his gaze from her as she and her friends took seats at the far end of the table. “I don’t think she’s evil, even if she did sleep with me and ditch me.”

My back bristled as I absorbed what he’d let slip. “You were involved with the captain on Earth?”

He jerked his gaze from her and focused on his goblet of wine. I should have warned him that Drexian wine was known to be potent, and humans should go slowly, but looser lips would give me the information I wanted. “I would not say involved. It was one night. I hoped it would be more, but she left for here the next morning.” He took a drink of wine and shook his head. “She did not even bother to tell me. I woke up, and she was gone. Then I heard that she’d shipped out—way out.”

Part of me felt a rush of satisfaction that Fiona had left the man without a backward glance, but another part of me wondered what she had been running from. I slid my gaze to her and found her shrewd gaze pinned to me. Was the captain the only secret she did not want following her to the academy?