"I saw it in some communications in Admiral Zoran's office," he said, his voice low. "Messages between the admiral and Shadow Command discussing your operations. It was coded, but I knew it was you.”
I opened and closed my mouth, startled that my brother had admitted to being in the admiral’s office without authorization. Before I could remind him of his Drexian honor, he held up a hand. “It wasn’t my idea. I was following Sasha. She’s determined to discover who on Earth wanted to stop her rescue.”
I felt pieces clicking into place with uncomfortable clarity. "That's why you and Sasha are here, isn’t it? That’s why you’re suddenly engaged. Because of something she discovered in Zoran's office."
Deklyn nodded grimly. "I warned her against breaking in, but she wouldn't listen to reason."
I released a breath. “I’m familiar with human females and their strong wills.”
Deklyn’s eyebrow quirked. “Yes, I know you are.”
My face heated, but I tried to ignore his pointed comment. “I’m not here to discuss my personal life. I’m here to discuss yours.”
Deklyn’s eyes narrowed. “You want honesty from me when you’ve been hiding who you are? Why didn’t you tell me, Tiv?”
It was the quiet hurt in his voice that made my chest tight. I stared down at my glass, watching the whiskey swirl as I searched for the right words.
"I couldn't," I said finally. "Even though I wanted to, more times than I like to admit." I looked up to meet his gaze. "Every time you bragged about Inferno Force, every time you talked about real warriors and dangerous missions, I wanted to tell you I was out there too, that I was serving Drex in ways you couldn't imagine."
Deklyn shook his head, looking at me as if seeing me for the first time. "And all this time no one knew you were the one carrying out the most dangerous missions."
"The Shadows don't get recognition," I said simply. "That's rather the point."
"Tiv," he said, and there was something raw in his voice that made me look up sharply. "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel you needed to prove yourself. I got caught up in the Inferno Force competition and the need to be seen as strong and fearless. I never meant to make you feel less worthy.”
The apology was unexpected and more welcome than I wanted to admit. This was the brother I'd always looked up to, the one whose approval had meant everything to me even when I couldn't tell him why I deserved it.
"Now that you know my secret," I said, raising my glass slightly, "you tell me the truth. Why are you really here? I know you better than to believe you'd get engaged so quickly.” I dropped my voice to a mumble. “Or at all.”
Deklyn hesitated, his fingers drumming against the table's surface. Then his expression hardened.
“Swear to keep this secret," he said. "Not just from the Drexians on the station, but from your handlers, from Admiral Zoran, from everyone."
I was struck by his intensity and the pleading look in his gaze. I didn’t hesitate. “You have my word."
He leaned closer, his voice barely audible above the low hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses. "Sasha discovered that someone in Earth's command structure orderedher abandonment. Someone high in Earth Planetary Defense Command classified her as an acceptable loss and forbade any rescue attempts. She wants them to pay for their treachery, but first she has to find them.”
I knew the orders from Drexian High Command. The orders the admiral had defied because he knew it was wrong. I hadn’t known that Earth had forbidden a rescue. “And your engagement is…?”
“Bait,” Deklyn said. “She's hoping to draw all the important Earth officials here, then confront them with the evidence. Find out who was behind the decision and make them face the consequences."
I stared at him. I’d risked my life on that rescue mission, had nearly lost Morgan, and all because Earth's own leadership had written off one of their pilots. Not only written her off, but forbidden her rescue. The betrayal was inexplicable and monstrous, and I understood Sasha's anger completely.
“This is madness,” I finally said.
He released a long breath. “You have no idea.”
I leaned closer. “You’ve never wanted to take a mate. You’ve always made that quite clear.”
He flinched at this. He hadn’t been shy about his feelings in the past or his opinions on the distraction of females. “I’m not taking a mate. I’m only pretending to be engaged.”
My gaze rolled skyward. “I know you, Dek. You don’t do anything halfway.”
He met my gaze. “I promised to help Sasha find out who left her to rot. My mission to save her isn’t complete until I do this for her.”
I locked eyes with him for another few beats, then sighed. “Fine. I can see you’re determined, and I know what it means when you decide something. There’s no talking you out of it.”
“There isn’t.”
