Page 51 of Legend

“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 Ishouldtry 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’tmycaptain, 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.”

Chapter

Forty

Fiona

“So, you are hiding from the captain?” Vyk asked, as he pressed his hand to the panel beside his door and it slid open.

I rushed inside with a furtive glance over my shoulder. “I’m not hiding.”

He followed me slowly. “No? Then why did you put a hand over my mouth and drag me into the shadows when he passed by?”

I exhaled loudly. “I just didn’t want to deal with him, okay? Besides, Britta was distracting him, and it would have ruined all her hard work if he’d spotted us.”

I strode toward the crackling fire, grateful for the warmth. It seemed strange that I’d been in the room not even a full day ago, yet so much had happened.

“You are sure you did not want him to see you with me?”

I snapped my head to him. “It’s not you. I promise.”

That wasn’t exactly true. No one knew about my deal with Vyk. No one knew that I’d lost a bet with him. No one knew that I was forging some kind of bizarre relationship with the gruff security chief. Not even I understood what we were doing, or why I was starting to soften toward the jerk.

He made a noise deep in his throat that told me he believed me about as much as I believed myself, but he didn’t press me. Instead, he crossed to a low wooden chest and opened the doors.

I did a double take. “I thought that was for clothes. It’s a booze cabinet?”

He turned as he retrieved a bottle of amber-hued liquid. “I have collected bottles from all over the galaxy during my time with Inferno Force.” He inclined his head toward a tall cabinet against another wall. “My clothes are in there, but they are not as interesting.”

I’d never seen the Drexian in anything but his academy uniform or black clothing for working out, so it made sense that he prioritized his liquor collection. Part of me wanted to peek in his wardrobe and see if the uniforms were as neatly hung as I suspected, but I wasn’t bold enough to do that. Not yet.

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