Page 39 of Revealed

What was he doing in there? I shook my head as I noticed that his attention was focused on something I couldn't quite see.

I was about to enter the shop and ask my friend why he was surrounded by wedding dresses when movement caught my eye. Varek stepped to the side, revealing a figure on the platform. A beautiful female in a flowing white dress.

My heart lurched and then stopped beating entirely.

Allie.

She was even more breathtaking than I remembered. The white dress hugged her curves, making her look like some sort of Earth goddess. A delicate veil framed her face, and even from this distance, I could see the blue of her eyes.

But it wasn't her beauty that made time stop and everything around me—every sound, every movement, every breath—cease. It was the way Varek looked at her. The way he reached out and took her hand, an entranced smile on his face.

In that moment, everything clicked into place with devastating clarity. Allie's Drexian match, the one she'd come to the Boat to marry, was Varek. My friend. My fellow Blade. My brother-in-arms.

The station seemed to tilt to one side as all the air was driven from my lungs. How could this be happening? Of all the Drexians on this station, how could Allie have been matched with Varek?

I watched, frozen in place, as Reina bustled around Allie, and Varek beamed as if he had defeated a fleet of Kronock invaders single handedly.

This was why Allie hadn't rejected her match. This was why she'd agreed to be a tribute bride. Varek was everything a female could want—strong, handsome, kind. A respected officer with a promising career ahead of him. Of course she would be happy with him.

I stumbled back from the window, nearly colliding with a group of giggling human women. They gave me curious looks, but I barely noticed. There was only one thought playing on repeat in my head, only one cruel truth.

Allie would never be mine.

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

Allie

My heart raced as I stood in the bridal salon, trying to process everything that was happening. The Drexian in front of me, Varek, seemed nice enough. He had a kind smile and gentle eyes. But he was a stranger. There was no connection, no shared history. We hadn't survived an alien invasion together or shared intimate secrets in the dark of night.

Most importantly, he wasn't Maxxon.

A commotion from the corner of my eye caught my attention. I peered towards the glass front of the salon, but all I could see was the back of a Drexian vanishing into a crowd of women. Something gnawed at the back of my brain, an uneasy feeling I couldn't shake.

Reina's voice filtered through my thoughts, her words a blur of wedding plans and assurance that Serge would be thrilled with the gown. I tried to focus, but my mind kept drifting.

"Allie?" Varek's deep voice snapped me back to reality. "Did you hear me?"

I blinked, realizing he must have asked me something. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

His smile was patient. "I asked if you like the dress. Is this what you want to wear for our wedding?”

I opened my mouth to say yes, but then changed my mind. I needed to stall, to buy myself some time. Maxxon might be gone, but there was no way I was ready to marry a stranger, agreement or not.

"I need to think about it," I forced out a cheery laugh, or the closest I could come to one. "You know what they say, a girl never gets the first dress she tries on."

Reina immediately began fluttering around me. "Oh, of course! We have so many more dresses for you to try. Randi! Monti!"

The two alien stylists appeared as if by magic, arms already full of white fabric. But the thought of trying on more dresses made me feel like I was caught in a swirling eddy and being pulled under fast.

"Actually," I said quickly, "I'm feeling pretty tired from the trip. The jumps were harder on my body than I’d expected. Maybe we could do this another time?”

Varek took my hand and pressed a gentle kiss to my knuckles. "Of course. You should be well-rested for our wedding and honeymoon."

Shit shit shit. Honeymoon? The look on his face told me exactly what he was thinking about doing on our honeymoon. I snatched back my hands and backed off the platform. This wasmoving way too fast. I mumbled something about needing to change and practically fled to the dressing room.

As I quickly changed back into my own clothes, I found myself wishing the dressing room had a window I could use to escape. I was no stranger to dodging unwanted attention, having snuck out of my fair share of back doors and windows in the past. But there was no escape route here.

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