Page 32 of Legend

“No one regrets leaving their life behind?” His gaze bored into me, his expression no longer light and cheery. “No one regrets the way they left things?”

My stomach bottomed out. There it was. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten me sneaking out and leaving the planet. Who would forget that? What red-blooded man wouldn’t take that personally? I had been an absolute idiot to think that Devon would come here and not want to talk about it, not want an explanation. Running off to a planet all the way across the galaxyclearly hadn’t been far enough to escape an awkward conversation about my bad behavior.

I swallowed hard as I searched for the words that would defuse the situation and ensure that his entire visit wasn’t torturous. But my gaze caught on movement behind him, movement in the doorway.

Vyk took up most of the doorway with his broad arms folded over his chest. From his fierce expression, I suspected that he had heard at least part of my conversation with Devon. I was positive he’d heard the last bit, which meant he’d heard Devon asking me if I regretted the way I’d left things. Anyone with half a brain would know what the man was implying, and as much as I thought Vyk was an arrogant ass, I knew he wasn’t dumb.

There was no reason I should have felt guilty as I stood with Devon in front of me waiting for an answer and Vyk watching. I owed the Drexian nothing. Then why did I feel like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t? Why was my heart racing and my palms itchy? Why did I have an urge to insist that there was nothing between me and Devon, aside from the fact that there wasn’t? But I didn’t have a chance to so much as open my mouth before Vyk stepped into my office, the heavy thud of his boots making Devon whirl around and snap to attention. I watched both military officers draw themselves up to their full height in a matter of seconds like two animals posturing before a battle.

I held my breath, knowing better than to step into the middle of a battle.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Vyk

Iheard 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.”

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