But there was nothing I could do except play my part and hope it was enough.
“Another round,” Admiral Zoran declared. “We’re celebrating the union of two heroes, after all.”
As glasses were refilled, and conversation resumed, I caught Tivek watching me. He knew the weight of maintaining cover identities, the exhausting mental effort required to keep lies straight while appearing calm.
Despite all the planning and preparation, despite the allies we’d gathered and the evidence we’d uncovered, I had the growing feeling that Sasha’s quest for justice was going to cost us all more than we were prepared to pay.
Chapter
Thirty-Three
Sasha
Isank onto the plush lounge chair on our balcony, staring out at the perfect blue water that stretched to the holographic mountain in the distance.
The day had been a blur of forced smiles and careful answers, starting with the flower selection that should have been romantic but felt like another elaborate performance. Halfway through our appointment, the TV crew had arrived with their cameras and bright lights, turning what was already a stressful charade into a full-blown production.
I rubbed my forehead, where a persistent headache had been building since morning. The stress of maintaining our deception was gnawing at me from the inside, made worse by Ariana’s questions and concerned looks. My sister had always seen through my lies, even as children. Now she was watching me with a worried intensity that meant she suspected something was very wrong.
And she was right about our father. General Marcus Bowman had trained his entire career to read people, to detect deception and weakness. If I couldn’t fool Ariana, how was I supposed to convince a man whose job it was to interrogate enemies?
Maybe I’d bitten off more than I could chew. Maybe this elaborate plan was a mistake too big to fix, and I was going to drag everyone I cared about down with me.
The soft sound of the suite door opening made me turn. Deklyn stepped onto the balcony, looking as weary as I felt. His usually perfect uniform was slightly wrinkled, and he looked as if he had been running his hands through his dark, mussed hair. The sight of him made the clench in my chest loosen slightly.
“Rough day?” he asked, settling into the lounge chair beside mine.
“You could say that,” I managed, trying to keep my voice steady.
But as I looked at his face, saw the concern and exhaustion there, something inside me splintered. Tears welled up in my eyes, which was so completely out of character for me I didn’t know what to do with them. I’d survived months in a Kronock prison without crying. I’d endured interrogation and isolation and the constant fear of death without breaking down. But the weight of lying to everyone I cared about, of manipulating good people for my own ends, was harder to bear.
Deklyn was on his feet instantly, pulling me up and into his arms before the first tear could fall. I buried my face against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent that made me feel safe despite everything.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whispered against his uniform. “Ariana knows something’s wrong. She’s going to keep pushing,and when my father gets here…” I drew in an unsteady breath. “Dek, what if we’re making a huge mistake?”
His hand stroked my hair, the touch so soothing that I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders.
“My brother and Admiral Zoran are both working with us now. The admiral has made sure that all the military and governmental higher-ups who could have been involved in your abandonment will be at the wedding.”
I pulled back to look at him, surprised. “The admiral knows?”
“He’s known all along about the treachery on Earth, and he wants to help us expose it. We’ve come so far,” he continued, his hands framing my face with careful tenderness. “We can’t turn back now.”
I nodded, even though part of me regretted involving so many people in my quest for revenge. Each person who knew our secret could have their life upended when the truth came out.
But I didn’t regret growing closer to Deklyn. I didn’t regret seeing the gentle warrior who held me through nightmares, who put my needs before his own safety, who looked at me like I was worth risking everything for. I’d never regret that.
It hit me suddenly, with startling clarity, that the one thing I wasn’t lying about was how I felt about him. My feelings for Deklyn were real and growing stronger every day.
I opened my mouth to tell him when the suite door slid open.
“Deklyn!” Serge’s voice rang across the space, filled with theatrical outrage. “There you are!”
I jumped away from Deklyn, startled by the sudden intrusion, and turned to see our wedding planner standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. His purple hair was pink at the roots, and he wore an expression of betrayal.
“You ran off!” Serge accused, pointing a dramatically accusing finger at Deklyn.
I looked up at Deklyn, who had the grace to look guilty about his escape. “Serge, I’m sorry, I?—”
