He gave me a narrow-eyed look that shifted instantly from hot to cold. “Not for a fake wedding, no.”
The words stung more than they should have, and I looked away from him toward the holographic vista beyond the windows. The artificial paradise was beautiful, but there was something hollow about it that matched the hollow feeling growing inside me.
“I’m sorry.” I glanced back at him. “I know this puts you in an awkward situation you don’t deserve. Especially after you’ve rescued me multiple times.”
For a moment, his expression softened, and I glimpsed something that might have been affection in his gaze. But then his walls went back up, and he gave me a curt nod.
“We’re in it now, sweetheart. We just need to see it through so you can get some peace.” He waved toward the bed. “You can take that. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
I started to protest, but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.
“I’m used to hard bunks on spaceships,” he said. “The couch is probably more comfortable than anything I’ve slept on in months.”
He moved toward the door, and I felt a sudden panic at the thought of being alone with my thoughts and the implications of what I’d set in motion.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to go talk to the station’s captain,” he said, pausing with his hand on the door panel. “Get word to my Inferno Force ship that I’ll be delayed and send a message to my brother explaining the situation. Tivek’s not going to be happy if he learns about our engagement through official channels.”
The mention of his brother sent another wave of guilt through me. “He’s going to think we’ve lost our minds.”
“He’s going to think a lot of things,” Deklyn said grimly. “Most of them are probably true.”
As he moved to leave, I realized I had my own uncomfortable conversations to navigate. “I need to talk to Ariana before she hears about this from anyone else.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, and then he was gone, leaving me alone in the romantic fantasy suite with nothing but my doubts for company.
I was still staring at the closed door when a soft knock interrupted my brooding. I opened it to find Reina standing in the corridor, her blue hair almost brushing the ceiling.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” she said with a smile that seemed knowing in a way that made my stomach clench with worry. “I thought you might need some assistance settling in.”
“Actually,” I said, stepping back to let her enter, “I need to make a call to the Academy. Is that something you can arrange?”
“Of course,” she said, moving into the suite. “The Island has excellent communications facilities. But first, I have a question.”
I felt my blood turn to ice. “Oh?”
She turned to face me directly, her large eyes serious despite her gentle tone. “Why are you pretending to be engaged?”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. How had she figured it out so quickly? Had I been that obvious? Had Deklyn?
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said weakly, but even to my own ears the denial sounded pathetic.
Reina’s smile was kind but implacable. “I’ve been around enough couples to know when it’s real. You two have chemistry but you’re not engaged.”
“We don’t look like we’re in love?” I asked, stalling before the truth inevitably spilled from me.
“Oh, I’m sure Deklyn is in love with you, but I’m equally sure that he was shocked when you claimed the two of you were engaged.”
I got stuck on the first thing she’d said.Deklyn was in love with me? That was impossible. He wasn’t the type to fall in love.
“You’re wrong,” I said, but my voice lacked conviction.
Reina raised an eyebrow that conveyed both skepticism and sympathy. “Am I?”
I stared at her for a long moment, weighing my options. I could continue to lie, but she’d already seen through the deception. Icould try to bluster my way past her suspicions, but something told me Reina wasn’t easily fooled. Or I could take a risk and trust her.
“All right,” I said finally, sinking into one of the chairs with a sigh. “We’re not engaged. But this is the only way I can get Earth officials here so I can find out who left me to die in that Kronock prison.”
