Page 47 of Legend

“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?

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

Fiona

The scraping of silverware and the clunking of goblets on the wooden table had slowed as the welcome banquet came to an end. I’d managed to push enough of my food around my plate, so it looked like I’d eaten when I’d really just nibbled on a roll of warm, yeasty bread.

Ariana leaned closer to me on my left side. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’ve done.”

I sighed. Of course, Ariana had noticed. She might not be an Assassin trained to notice small details, but she was my closest friend at the academy, and she knew I loved eating. “I’m not that hungry.”

She eyed my plate. “When are you not hungry, Fi?”

“When Vyk and Devon are sitting next to each other and acting like they’re best buds.”

Ariana followed my gaze across the room to the head of the table to where the Drexian and human were talking and laughing. I’d seen the way Vyk had looked at Devon when he’d walked in on us that morning. I’d seen the hardness in Vyk’s eyes when he had told me that he didn’t trust him. And now he was acting like they had known each other for years?

“Maybe they’ve found common ground,” my friend suggested. “They are both military officers.”

More like that common ground was me, I thought. What was Devon telling Vyk about me? What about my past was he revealing, courtesy of the powerful Drexian wine?

“Have you ever seen Vyk like this?” I asked Ariana. “Have you ever seen him laughing, even with Drexians he knows?”

Ariana hesitated, nibbling the corner of her lip. “No, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

I gave her a side-eye glance. “So, it’s just a coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Admiral Zoran slid his chair back, the legs scraping loudly on the stone floor. He’d already given a welcome toast to Devon at the start of the meal, but he looked poised to do it again. Would this night ever end? I was still supposed to pay Commander Vyk a visit, although I dreaded it now.

“Thank you all for joining me in welcoming Captain Gorman, and I trust all of you will help me show him the best of the Academy during his stay.”

Everyone lifted their goblets one last time, and I tossed back the remnants of my wine, glad I’d already developed a tolerance to the stuff. The last thing I needed now was to be drunk.

Zoran did not sit again, but instead, he pulled out his wife’s chair for her and gave her his hand to help her stand. That was the signal for everyone else to stand, as well.

I lost no time in pushing back my chair and jumping to my feet. “At least that’s over.”

Ariana stood, but she was distracted by Volten slipping his hand in hers, so I turned to Morgan, who’d been sitting on my other side.

“That wasn’t so bad,” she said, touching a hand to her stomach. “The food was good, and we were all the way across the room from the guy you wanted us to keep away from you. This task isn’t going to be hard after—”

A sharp elbow in the ribs caused her words to drift off, but a glance to one side told me why. Devon was making a beeline for us, for me.

“Grekkinghell,” I muttered, finding the Drexian curse oddly satisfying.

Before the captain could reach me, Jess stepped into his path. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Jess, short for Jessica. I’m a cadet in the School of Strategy, and I would love to tell you all about my experience being a human at the academy.”

Devon blinked slowly at her, as if trying to focus his gaze. “What?”

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