The explanation sounded hollow even to my own ears, but I pressed on before Ariana could ask more questions.
“We want everyone to come to the station for the wedding,” I said, trying to inject excitement into my tone. “Everyone who worked on the rescue mission, Admiral Zoran and his wife, all your friends from the Academy. It’s going to be incredible.”
I paused, then played what I hoped would be my trump card. “Ariana, I want you to be my maid of honor.”
The effect was immediate and heartbreaking. My sister’s eyes filled with tears, and for a moment all pure joy replaced the hurt and confusion on her face.
“I... of course,” she whispered. “I’d be honored.”
“I have to run,” I said before she could ask any more questions that I wasn’t prepared to answer. “There’s so much planning to do, and?—”
“So much planning!” Reina chimed in again, playing her part perfectly. “Serge has about a million ideas, and we need to narrow them down before he swags the entire station in flowers.”
“I’ll see you when you get here,” I promised, already reaching for the connection controls. “I love you, Ari.”
“I love you too,” she said, but her expression was still confused, still questioning.
The connection ended, leaving us staring at a blank screen. Nina looked between Reina and me with obvious curiosity, but she was too polite to ask the questions I could see forming on her face.
“Thank you so much for your help,” I said to Nina, forcing another smile. “I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime,” she said warmly. “And congratulations again.”
As we left Nina’s office and walked back through the corridors toward our deck, Reina leaned close to whisper, “I think they believed us. Your sister looked shocked, but not suspicious.”
I wasn’t so sure. Ariana had known me her entire life, had seen through every lie I’d ever tried to tell her when we were children. The look on her face suggested she knew something wasn’t quite right, even if she couldn’t put her finger on what.
“Ariana’s not stupid,” I said. “She knows me better than anyone. If anyone’s going to see through this deception, it’s my sister.”
“Then you’ll just have to be extra convincing when she gets here,” Reina said pragmatically. “Lucky for you, you’ve got a very attractive fake fiancé to help sell the illusion.”
The thought of having to convince my sister that I was madly in love with Deklyn sent a flutter of panic through my chest. It was one thing to fool strangers or casual acquaintances. It was another entirely to lie to the person who’d known me longest and loved me most.
But as we rode the inclinator back up to the tropical paradise where Deklyn and I would have to continue our charade, I reminded myself why I was doing this. Someone had betrayed me, had left me to rot in an alien prison while they played their political games. They deserved whatever consequences my deception might bring.
I just hoped I could pull it off without destroying the relationship with my sister that we’d been rebuilding. And I hoped I could survive weeks of pretending to be in love with Deklyn without losing myself completely in the fantasy.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Deklyn
Iwas heading back toward our fantasy suite, eager to talk to Sasha about how my meeting with Captain Kalex had gone, when a blur of purple hair and flailing limbs intercepted me in the corridor.
“Deklyn!” Serge exclaimed, spinning me around with surprising strength for someone his size. “Perfect timing! I have the most marvelous news!”
Before I could protest, he was steering me toward an open inclinator, his hands gesticulating wildly as he chattered with unstoppable enthusiasm.
“The interest I’m building up for your wedding is absolutely astronomical,” he said, practically vibrating with excitement as the inclinator doors shut and the compartment moved. “I’ve already spoken to Mandy on the Boat—she handles a lot of the tribute bride program there, you know—and she’s absolutely thrilled about the coverage potential.”
The inclinator whisked us through the station’s interior, and I caught glimpses of other levels through the transparent sections.
“She’s reached out to her contacts in Los Angeles,” Serge continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Between you and me, she has lots of contacts in Hollywood who are trying to make up to her after being rather dismissive before she became a famous tribute bride. Amazing how success changes people’s attitudes, isn’t it?”
I made a noncommittal sound, not sure I wanted to know the details of whatever drama had played out in Earth’s entertainment industry.
“The point is,” Serge said, his voice rising with excitement again, “Mandy is having an Earth TV crew come to the Island to livestream the wedding and broadcast it around the world! Can you imagine? Billions will see your love story!”
