Chapter 59

Chapter

Fifty-Nine

Fiona

M y hair was still damp from the shower, but I hadn’t bothered to dry it completely. I was already getting a late start to the day, not that I wanted to dwell on exactly why it was approaching midday, and I was only now heading to my office.

My pulse fluttered as I hurried through the dimly lit halls, and for once, I missed the cacophony of cadets that usually filled the school. It was easy to get lost in the crowd of burly Drexians, with their booming voices and thunderous stomping of boots. It was easy to pass unnoticed through the sea of dark uniforms, even if my blonde hair made me an anomaly among the dark-haired Drexians. It was still easy to be anonymous when the ancient school was brimming with activity.

Now that the cadets were on break, not so much .

That was why I power-walked from the female tower, taking steps two at a time even though my legs weren’t nearly long enough. I needed to get back to work and regain some of the focus I’d lost since Devon had arrived.

Not that the captain was completely to blame. He hadn’t been the one fucking me against the climbing wall. My cheeks warmed at the memory and flamed more furiously as I realized just how lucky we’d been not to get caught. My heart tripped at the very real truth that the possibility of getting caught had been part of what had made it so hot.

“You’re acting like a Wing,” I scolded myself as I strode under the School of Strategy’s archway. “An Assassin should know better than to take a risk like that.”

But that had been the thrill of it. It was something I knew I shouldn’t do, something I would never normally do, something that was a huge gamble. And I hated to gamble when the odds were against me.

I flashed back to the card game with Vyk. “Clearly, the commander makes me break all my usual rules.”

Despite having spent most of the night with him and now succumbing to him again this morning, I had no idea where things stood with Vyk—or where I wanted them to stand. I knew that he drove me crazy, but he also drove me crazy . He was the last guy I should want—a set-in-his-ways Drexian who had made no secret of his feelings about both women and humans—but he was the only one I couldn’t seem to resist. Every fiber of my being knew that he was the opposite of everything I stood for, everything I’d worked so hard to achieve, everything I claimed to believe in, yet his deep voice sent shivers down my spine, his touch electrified my skin, and his presence made it impossible for me to breathe normally.

I’d gone into our deal thinking that I could take charge and set the rules, but that had quickly fallen apart. Vyk was not the type to be managed, and all my strategic plans had flown out the window as soon as he’d touched me.

I cursed under my breath as it struck me that he’d countered all my arguments with kisses that had snatched my breath from me. I’d tracked him down to insist that I take the blame for striking Devon, but he hadn’t agreed to anything I’d said. He distracted me in the most thorough way, and only now did I realize that he had made no promises.

“The Drexian is maddening.” I fisted my hands by my side.

He’d insisted that I was his while making no promises to me. Was he toying with me or had he changed his mind about humans? I didn’t doubt that he wanted me, but was it anything more than a lust-fueled fling? I’d enjoyed my share of those, but for the first time, I didn’t like the idea of ending things.

I was typically the one who slipped out in the middle of the night. I was the one who wanted to keep things casual. So why did I want to change the rules now? What kind of spell had the Drexian cast over me? Sure, he was hot and hung, but was that really enough to make me think about spending more than a few sweaty nights together? Was I actually allowing myself to consider what it would be like to be with him for longer than a matter of weeks? Did I want more?

The real question was, did I want more than he did ?

I blew out a frustrated breath as I stomped through the door to my office, barely breaking stride to let the door glide open. My walk had done nothing to settle my thoughts or purge my brain of the swirling emotions making it impossible to focus on work. But I would have to concentrate, if I wanted to make any progress on the search for Ariana’s sister, and my own preparations for the coming year of classes.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I’d almost made it across the room and to my desk before I glanced up. Then I stopped short.

“Devon?” What was the captain doing sitting at my desk? I scanned his face, which showed only faint signs that he’d been knocked out by Vyk.

He stood, his expression inscrutable. Did he think I’d attacked him, or had Vyk already gotten to him and confessed?

“I am leaving.” He didn’t make a move toward me, so we remained on either side of my desk staring at each other.

His announcement did not surprise me, although my stomach clenched because I knew what it meant. “I think you got the wrong idea about the academy. I promise that it isn’t a dangerous place.”

He finally moved, stepping around the desk stiffly. “You are the one with the wrong idea about this place. If you stay here, you will not survive to return home.”

Well, that was dramatic, even for someone who clearly held a grudge against the Drexians because of his unpleasant visit.

“I know things haven’t gone like you probably expected they would, but— ”

“This is not about me, although I now know that you won’t be able to see the truth as long as you stay here surrounded by these…” his face contorted with rage for a moment, “usurpers.”

“The Drexians are our allies,” I reminded him.

“We do not need them,” he said through gritted teeth. “Not anymore.”

I had never known that Devon despised the Drexians so much, but it was obvious that he was beyond reason. “You never intended to give a fair report on the exchange, did you?”

He choked back a rough laugh that held no mirth. “None of that matters. Not when this academy won’t be standing for much longer.”

I went still. “What do you mean?”

He held out a hand. “I mean that I came here to take you back before the attack.”