“I am,” Sasha confirmed, and I caught the slight tension that entered her voice at the mention of her sister.
Without warning, Reina pulled Sasha into an enthusiastic hug that seemed to catch her completely off guard. “I was at the Academy until recently,” Reina explained, still holding onto Sasha’s shoulders. “I knew Ariana well, and all she ever talked about was rescuing her sister. She was so focused on bringing you home.”
I saw something flicker across Sasha’s face. Was it guilt, maybe, or regret?
Serge, meanwhile, had been listening with growing excitement, his purple hair flushing pink at the roots. “Wait. Are you the human who was held captive by the Kronock?”
Sasha nodded. “And Deklyn is the Drexian who rescued me.”
At this, Serge actually swayed on his feet, pressing a hand to his chest and flattening the puff of shiny green-and-yellow fabric knotted at his neck. “Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit!”
Sasha’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“He loves Earth expressions,” Reina said in a stage whisper.
Serge ignored her as he clapped his hands. “You’ve come here to recover from your ordeal .”
I was about to explain that we weren’t there to recover when a wicked grin spread across Sasha’s face as she looked at me.
“Actually,” she said, her voice taking on a sweetness that immediately put me on high alert, “we’re here for a different reason entirely. We’re engaged, and we want to have our wedding here.”
Her words made the world tilt sideways around me. Engaged? Wedding? What the hell was she playing at?
Serge let out a shriek of pure joy that made nearby mechanics flinch. “This is perfect! Absolutely perfect! The rescued prisoner and her brave Inferno Force hero! It will be the wedding of the century!” He began pacing in tight circles, his purple hair now fully pink. “We’ll need the Grand Pavilion, no, the entire Celestial Garden level! Everyone from Earth will want to attend, not to mention all those who’ll want to watch from afar!”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” Sasha whispered, but only I was close enough to hear her, and the calculating look in her eyes sent a chill down my spine.
I stared at her in shock as I began to understand what she was doing. This wasn’t just an impulsive lie to explain our presence here and mess with me. This was strategy. Twisted, brilliant, absolutely insane strategy.
Chapter
Seventeen
Sasha
My plan was brilliant, even if I did say so myself. Announcing a fake engagement to Deklyn had been pure inspiration born of desperation, but the more I thought about it, the more perfect it became. If word got out that the rescued Earth pilot was getting married to the Drexian who rescued her, it would indeed draw attention from across the galaxy. All the people who might have been involved in the decision to abandon me would have a perfect excuse to travel here. And once they were here, in a controlled environment, I could find the guilty party.
“You’re insane,” Deklyn whispered as Serge continued his enthusiastic rambling, but I just smiled that wicked smile I knew drove him crazy.
Then I noticed Reina watching us, her eyes slightly narrowed. “Congratulations, though I have to say, you two don’t exactly look like an engaged couple.”
“My big, hunky Drexian is a little shy.” I moved closer to Deklyn and slipped my arm through his with casual possessiveness. The solid warmth of his bicep beneath my fingers sent an unwelcome flutter through my chest that I ruthlessly ignored. “You know these tough Inferno Force types.”
I felt him tense under my touch, saw the way his jaw tightened as he fought to maintain his composure. Good. Let him be uncomfortable. He was the one who’d tried to cut me out of my mission.
“Oh, we know Inferno Force,” Serge said, giving me a knowing wink.
If only he knew that we’d spent half our time together arguing and the other half trying not to get killed.
“When were you thinking of having the ceremony?” Reina asked, her expression still placid.
“Soon,” I said, leaning in to Dek, “Very soon. We don’t want to wait any longer than necessary.”
Serge began leading us out of the hangar bay, babbling about wedding options and gesturing wildly with his hands. The space station was even more impressive once we’d left the utilitarian hangar bay. It was all sleek white surfaces and curved walls, with clear panels overlooking the towering center of the station crisscrossed with walkways and zooming inclinators.
“Oh, this will be magnificent!” Serge chattered as we walked down the corridor. “We’ll make it the social event of the year! Maybe even the decade! I bet I can get it televised on Earth!”
This was exactly what I wanted to hear, but I kept my expression simply pleased rather than triumphant. Beside me, Deklyn leaned close enough that his breath tickled my ear.
