Page 7 of Legend

She squared her shoulders, preparing to depart. "And Vyk, don't think you can play the good guy by letting me win." Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, as if she could already see me contemplating a strategic loss to win her favor.

"Trust me, I wouldn't dream of it," I replied, but she was already turning away.

“Good," she called over her shoulder. “Where would be the fun in that?”

I didn’t even try to pull my gaze from her shapely ass, thinking of things that would be much more fun than cards. But none of that was within the realm of possibility when the female despised me so completely.

“But not for long.” I murmured into the quiet. My pulse quickened with the thrill of the upcoming challenge. The game was a chance to show the female captain that I was more than a hardened Drexian who cared only for battle and blood. But, as I’d promised, I had no intention of letting her win. There was more at stake than mere credits or pride. And I knew what I wanted to claim when I won.

Chapter

Five

Ariana

“We have to wait for her.” I put a hand on Volten’s arm once we stepped outside the doors to the Stacks. Jess had already walked ahead, but Volten had waited with me, along with his friends. “Fiona is right behind me.”

Volt, Kann, and Torq glanced around, as if they’d just realized that Fiona wasn’t with us.

“I’m sure she won’t be long,” I added, hoping the Drexians wouldn’t ask too many questions about why Fiona had lingered and who had lingered with her.

“While you wait, I am going to take a little trip to the kitchens.” Kann rubbed his hands together and nudged Voltenin the side. “Care to join me?”

Volt cut a momentary glance at me before shaking his head. “Go without me.”

I gave him a gentle shove. “Go. I know how much you two eating machines love stealing bread from the cooks after hours. I’m fine waiting for Fi by myself.”

Volt eyed me as if trying to determine if I meant the words I said. “You do not mind?”

I shook my head. After the tense meeting discussing my sister’s fate, I wouldn’t mind a few moments alone. I adored Volten, but like all Drexians, he took up a lot of space and made a lot of noise. I would not say no to some alone time. “I don’t mind, as long as you bring me some.”

He grinned, brushing my side-swept bangs from my eyes, before running one finger along my jawbone and tipping my chin up. “My quarters again?”

My cheeks warmed as I felt the eyes of the other Drexians on me. I was glad that Volten did not feel the need to be shy about his affection for me, but it was hard to be discreet when everyone in the academy knew you were shacking up. That didn’t mean I wanted to start sleeping alone. Not when sleeping in Volten’s strong arms was one of the few things that was keeping me sane. “I’ll meet you there later.”

He growl-hummed as he kissed me, and frissons of desire sizzled my lips and made heat churn in my core as I pressed a hand to his chest to push him away and ground myself.

“I wish I had a female to warm my bed,” Kann said, making no secret of staring at us.

Volten gave me a slow wink as he pivoted to his friend. “That would mean settling on only one female.”

Kann grinned wickedly. “Would it?”

Torq shook his head. “If you wish to warm your bed with one of the human females at the academy. I might not know much about them yet, but I do not think they like to share.”

“Some do,” I told them, enjoying watching their mouths fall open. “But none of the women that I know here would be into that.”

“Too bad.” Kann shot Volten a pointed look. “I could go to one of the nearby outpost bars, but I seem to have lost my wingman.”

Volten shook his head hard. “I was not a good wingman even before I lost all interest in chasing alien females.”

Kann slapped him on the back. “What do you mean? You were great. All the females wanted me because you were so bad at charming them.”

Everyone laughed, including Volten, who bent down and whispered into my ear, “At least I was charming enough to seduce you.”

His breath tickled my ear and sent a shiver of pleasure down my back. “I thought I was the one who seduced you?”

“Speaking of human females at the academy,” Torq said as he turned to Kann. “I thought I saw you with one of the cadets the other day.”

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