I was working to establish a dominant position when my mind betrayed me with a sudden, vivid flash of memory: Sasha pressed against me behind Vyk’s coats, her quick, shallowbreathing, the way her chest had risen and fallen as she’d fought to stay silent. The scent of her hair, the heat of her body, the way she’d felt so right in my arms despite the danger.
The distraction nearly cost me a head injury as the cadet’s knee ricocheted toward my face. I dodged at the last second; the impact missing my temple by millimeters, and I forced myself to refocus on the fight.
What the hell was wrong with me? I was in combat, facing an opponent who was clearly skilled enough to do actual damage, and I was thinking about a woman who seemed determined to get us both killed.
Scolding myself for the lapse in concentration, I shifted my weight and used the cadet’s momentum against him, finally pinning him to the mat with an arm lock that left him unable to move without risking injury.
“Yield,” he said after a moment, his voice tight with frustration but holding no resentment.
I released him immediately and stood, offering my hand to help him up. “You’re a tough opponent,” I said, meaning it. “Good technique, cadet. You would make a fine Inferno Force warrior.”
He grinned, revealing the eager boy beneath the tough Drexian. “Thank you, sir. That was an honor.”
But as I left the ring and nodded my thanks to Kann, I couldn’t shake the unsettling realization that the fight had revealed two uncomfortable truths. First, I wasn’t as battle-ready as I should have been. Months of captivity had degraded my conditioning in ways that would take more time to reverse than I’d expected.
Second, and more troubling, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sasha. Even in the middle of combat, when my entire focus should have been on survival and victory, my mind had wandered to her. That kind of distraction could get me killed in an actual battle.
I grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and wiped the sweat from my face, tasting salt and the metallic bite of adrenaline. The physical challenge had helped burn off some of my frustration, but it had also shown me something I didn’t want to acknowledge.
It was time for me to return to Inferno Force, where I belonged. Time to get back to doing what I was trained to do before I went soft. Before a reckless woman with dark eyes and a dangerous smile compromised everything I’d worked to become.
The problem was I’d told her I would help. And despite knowing it was probably the worst decision I could make, I couldn’t bring myself to leave her to her own devices. Just like in the Kronock prison, I couldn’t leave without saving her.
Even if staying meant risking everything. Despite every instinct screaming that I should walk away, I knew I’d be right there with her when she made her next reckless decision.
I huffed out a breath. “Some battles are lost before they even begin.”
Chapter
Eleven
Sasha
Ileaned back on the bench, nursing a glass of something that tasted like liquid fire and watching the Drexian cards being tossed on the wooden table. The staff dining room was empty, save for one long table Ariana and her friends crowded around as they played the complicated game.
“I learned everything I know from Tivek,” Fiona said with a wicked grin, laying down another card with theatrical flair and winking at the Drexian security chief. “He taught me specifically so I could beat you, darling.”
Vyk’s answering laugh was warm and genuine, completely at odds with his intimidating facade. “You should ask him for more lessons, because I’m about to clean you out.”
“We’ll see about that,” she shot back, her eyes glinting.
The easy banter between them made my cheeks warm as I remembered being trapped behind Vyk’s coats just hours earlier, listening to sounds that were definitely not meant for anaudience. I took another sip of my drink and tried to push that mortifying memory aside.
Around the table, the other couples had settled into their own comfortable rhythms. Volten and Ariana were technically still playing, but they were more interested in sitting close enough that their thighs touched, occasionally whispering to each other in a way that suggested the cards were secondary to simply being together.
Jess had already folded but remained at the table, leaning close to Morgan as they compared notes about strategy. Their friendship was easy, the kind I’d always envied but never seemed to cultivate myself. I’d been too focused on advancement and too competitive to let my guard down enough for female friendship.
Kann and Britta had both folded early and were now deep in conversation about some mechanical modification to the academy’s holochambers, their discussion punctuated by bursts of laughter.
Tivek sat beside Morgan, and I studied the intense Drexian who was so outwardly different from his brother. His spine was straighter, his expression was more focused, and he spared his surprisingly warm smiles for Morgan. I still couldn’t reconcile that he was merely the admiral’s adjunct, but Drexian hierarchy was not my area of expertise.
And then there was Deklyn. I deliberately avoided looking at him, though I could feel his gaze on me. He’d folded early and was now rooting for his brother with occasional commentary that showed he understood the game far better than his casual attitude suggested. Whenever I glimpsed him from the corner of my eye, I recalled how he had pressed against me in Vyk’s office,the warmth of his breath on my ear, and the solid strength of his arm around my waist.
The memory made my pulse skip in ways that were definitely not helpful.
“Does the admiral ever join these games?” I asked partly out of genuine curiosity and partly to distract myself from thoughts of Deklyn’s muscular arms.
“Admiral Zoran?” Vyk shook his head with a slight smile. “He’s never been much for cards.”
