Chapter 39

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

Vyk

“ I t is me,” I husked as Fiona squirmed in my grasp, attempting to elbow me in the side.

She stilled, and I released my hand over her mouth as soon as I was sure she would not scream. Then she whirled around, her eyes flashing murder. “What’s with the grabbing? Why does everyone in this grekking school grab people from behind?”

I enjoyed hearing her use a Drexian curse, but I could not smile. “This academy was forged from violence and secrecy. It still holds that legacy in its walls.”

She glared at me. “It’s been a while since battles were fought here. I think we can dispense with the hands over the mouth.”

“I thought you might make a scene if I startled you. ”

She put her waist and jutted out one hip. “How about not startling me?”

I huffed out a breath. This was not going the way I’d intended. “My apologies, but I wished to speak with you.”

“I’m surprised.” She jerked her head toward the open doors of the banquet hall. “I would have thought you were all talked out.”

I frowned at this. So, she had noticed that I had talked with Captain Gorman for most of the dinner. “It was a welcome banquet. I was being welcoming.”

Her eyes became slits. “What’s up with that? You’ve never been welcoming before. Not when I arrived at the academy with the others from Earth. Not when the new class of cadets joined the school. Not when other Drexian warriors have visited. But you went from not trusting Devon to chatting with him like he’s your best friend. What gives?”

“What gives?” I repeated her question, not certain what that exact phrase meant, even though I knew what she wanted to know. I should have expected someone as clever as Fiona, an Assassin instructor, to detect deception.

“You don’t like Devon. I know that because you told me, and you put him through the gauntlet to torment him.” She held up a hand to quell any protests. “Don’t deny it. But you changed your tune by the time this banquet rolled around. I want to know why.”

I did not want to lie to her. She might despise me, but I could not stomach the thought of piling lies onto lies with her. If I did, it would be impossible to untangle myself. It would be impossible to move forward. I decided to go with the truth, but not all of it.

“Admiral Zoran expects me to treat our visitor with respect, and he wishes the captain’s report to Earth to reflect positively on the human exchange.”

She rocked back on the heels of her boots. “Are you telling me that you’re cozying up to Devon so you can make sure the humans stay at the academy?”

“That is what I am saying.”

She laughed, the sound bouncing off the high ceiling. “Well, that’s quite the about-face, isn’t it? You went from trying to get rid of the humans to kissing ass to keep us here?”

I blinked at her a few times as I tried to digest her words. “I might have shown the captain hospitality, but I promise that I did not kiss any part of him.”

She grinned widely, and I wondered why she was suddenly enjoying our conversation. “It’s an Earth expression, but trust me, sweetie, you were.”

The term of endearment was surprising, but from her tone I did not believe that she meant it. Humans were so confusing, and their language and expressions made no sense.

Fiona stepped closer to me, and I instinctively took a step back toward the shadows hugging the walls. “Do you want to know what I think?” She did not wait for me to answer. “I think you are keeping your enemies close.”

I chose not to respond, since any denial would be a lie.

“It’s not a bad strategy,” she continued. “It might be what I would do if there was someone I didn’t trust. Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer is smart, especially if you’re the kind who doesn’t trust easily.”

Again, the accusation that I did not trust.

“You do know that your plan has a few flaws, though. For one, if you intend to keep this up, you’ll have to spend a lot more time with Devon, and I know humans annoy you. And I’m pretty sure you can’t do anything with him that will injure him again, which means you’re left with safe activities. Drexians are bored to tears with safe things.”

“I am an Iron. I do not have to risk my life to enjoy myself.”

Her brows peaked. “That’s right. I always forget that you’re an Iron, because being an engineer doesn’t fit with you being an Inferno Force Commander and having a reputation for being ruthless.”

I clenched my jaw to stifle the urge to tell her all the things she did not know about me. Instead, I took a deep breath and stepped closer to her so that she had to either back up or tip her head back to meet my eyes. “Maybe you do not understand me as much as you think you do.”

She did not step away, so she dropped her head back to continue holding my gaze. “I never claimed to understand you.”

“But you have opinions about me. Opinions based on what you think you know.”

Pink tinged her cheeks as she folded her arms over her chest. “Why are we talking about me? This is about you and your plan regarding Devon. ”

“A plan you are certain you understand, even though you admit you do not understand me.”

She cocked her head to one side. “You’re clever. Now I can see why you were an Iron. But you hide all that shrewd, strategic thinking behind a tough exterior. Maybe I should try to find out why, but what I really want to know is if you plan to put the envoy from Earth in danger—again.”

“You are worried I will hurt him? You are concerned your captain is in danger from me?”

Irritation flickered across her face. “He isn’t my captain, but yes, I’m worried that your friendly act is only covering up sinister intentions. You may have wanted to see the back of all the humans since we arrived, but I would really like to stay, so forgive me if I don’t trust the intentions of a Drexian who has been against me from the beginning.”

Her words were like blades piercing my heart, but they were nothing I did not deserve. “I promise you that I no longer wish for humans to leave the academy.”

Because that would mean you would leave the academy. That would mean I would never see you again.

She opened her mouth to snap back, but then turned abruptly when footsteps emerged from the doorway to the banquet hall. I did not recognize the voices, although I could tell one was female and one was male.

Fiona pushed me back into the shadowy recesses of the corridor, slapping a hand over my mouth when I started to question her. “Now it’s your turn to be quiet and my turn to be grabby.”