Page 81 of Legend

“She isn’t the only one who’s been trying to reach us,” Ariana continued. “I’m guessing there will be at least one ship arriving soon to give us the news they couldn’t transmit.”

Dread tickled the back of my neck. “What news?”

“A faction of the Sythian swarm has broken off and Drex is now within its potential path.” Ariana straightened and glared at the man lying at our feet. “And he knew about it. He was supposed to warn us.”

Fiona’s expression was dark and deadly as she narrowed her gaze at the man she had once called colleague. “Instead, he wanted to see the Drexians and the Academy suffer. He wanted to take me with him, which is probably why he requested the assignment. He would save me, and I was supposed to fall into his arms with gratitude.”

Ariana patted her friend on the arm. “We all have toxic exes. Not all of them try to eliminate an entire school, but this is not on you, Fi.”

“It is not,” I said, regaining my focus and sharpening my gaze on the traitor beneath me. “Why did you not tell me earlier?”

“I haven’t known—”

“But you knew all this time we’ve been talking.” I raked a hand through my hair.

“Sorry, I guess I got caught up in,” she waved a hand at me then at herself, “us.”

I liked thinking that we were an us, but there wasn’t time to dwell on how much had changed since the card game. “Now that we know, we need to prepare for the onslaught.”

Ariana nodded. “I ran into Britta and Morgan while I was searching for you, Fiona. Britta is working on restoring communications and Morgan went to brief the Academy Master.”

I continued to be impressed by the humans, and the female flight instructor was no exception. I wished to continue my conversation with Fiona, but now was not the time. I had something I needed to do first.

I bent down and heaved the limp captain from the floor. “Our guest will no longer be leaving and saving his own skin.”

Fiona looked at him with pure venom. “The dungeons?”

I gave a single nod.

“For the first time, I wish there were monsters down there,” she said.

I met her gaze and gave her a small smile. “Then for the first time, we are in agreement.”

Chapter

Sixty-Three

Fiona

Ariana kept pace with me as we hurried down the corridor. Part of me didn’t know where we were going, but a bigger part of me didn’t care.

Vyk had taken Devon to the dungeons, which meant that I no longer had to think about the guy, or my past, or worry that he could be lurking somewhere waiting to corner me. I hadn’t realized how on edge I’d been since he’d arrived. My gut had told me from the beginning that I couldn’t trust him, even though I’d tried to ignore it. I’d told myself that I was overreacting and that he was a decent guy, the same BS that women always fed ourselves when we knew better.

Devon was not a good guy. I might have made a mistake by sleeping with him once, but there was no way that I was going to let that haunt me. And there was no way I was going toallow myself to feel guilty for misjudging a guy who’d done a damn good job of fooling everyone.

But not Vyk.

I grinned to myself as I remembered that Vyk had instantly disliked Devon. He hadn’t trusted him, and he’d told me from the start. Turns out the security chief’s battle instincts were right, although I suspected he disliked the captain for many reasons.

“Volt!” Relief filled Ariana’s voice as we entered the main hall, and she spotted her fellow flight instructor and boyfriend.

He was escorting another Drexian pilot and wore a stern expression. It softened when he saw Ariana, though. He inclined his head toward the other pilot. “Captain Gorman will not be needing his transport pilot anymore.”

“Not since he’s currently residing in the dungeons,” I told him.

Ariana glanced at me. “He was planning on taking Fi with him when he escaped and left the rest of us to face the Sythians on our own.”

The pilot’s mouth gaped, and his bronze skin paled a few shades. “I had no idea.”

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