Page 44 of Lies That Bind
“Great,” Roc said as he came up behind Tetra with Kian at his side. They all walked over to where Kohen and Anika were talking near Onyx.
“Thanks for keeping us all together,” Meera said meekly as she reached out and squeezed my hand.
Then, I was standing in front of Alek.
Sweet, handsome, loyal Alek.
He swallowed hard, his eyes running the length of me. “Aisling… I…” He met my gaze, and I was taken aback by the depth there, the emotion and vulnerability. “I’m so sorry to hear about your father.”
My father. Not the emperor. He recognized that I’d lost my only parent. My throat clogged with emotion, and I nodded. “Thank you, Alek.”
He glanced behind me at everyone talking to Kohen and gave me a weak salute. “I’m going to find my assigned bunk and get settled in. It’s been a long journey,” he said, picking up his duffle and walking off. Iniki flew down and landed on his shoulder, peering back at me.
Why did I feel sad when I saw Alek? Well, not sad for me. Sad for him. I felt bad at how things had transpired between us. He’d put himself out there, and I’d shot him down.
Would I have said yes to something with Alek if Kohen hadn’t existed?
Maybe… but Kohen did exist, and Alek was great… but he wasn’t Kohen.
“Come join us.” Kohen’s deep voice washed over my left shoulder, and my stomach tightened.
I spun, trying to hold off my grin. Stars, he had such a hold over me. Looking at him now, I couldn’t stop thinking about our kiss in the small closet room. I’d never been more attracted to a man.
“Join you where?” I asked, raising one eyebrow.
“There is a bar of sorts on base,” Kohen said and then walked over to the others.
I followed him. I’m pretty sure if my father were alive, he’d council me not to go with my friends to the bar on base as acting empress.
Chapter
Ten
The “bar” was a glorified mess hall that became the hangout spot from 8 p.m. onwards. Fleet personnel of all ages and ranks fanned out across tables and let their hair down. Some music was playing out of a speaker in the corner, and some people were drinking alcohol while others, probably on duty, sipped water.
They stiffened as I passed, sitting up straighter and standing at attention. Elaine would probably advise against fraternizing with the common soldiers. My father never did. But I wasn’t my father, and I wanted to be different.
“At ease,” I said as I walked by them. One by one, they all went back to muffled talking or dancing, but they still glanced nervously my way as if wondering why I was there. I noticed they weren’t just looking at me. They were glancing at Kohen and the other Imbrians with me in a suspicious manner. I hated it. I hated the division between us, but it had been there for so long that I wasn’t sure how to bridge the gap. As empress, I should be able to do something about that. Maybe it started small, maybe it started with me sitting at a table with my friends who were Imbrian and having a good time. Let the soldiers see us smiling and laughing the night away.
I realized then that there was a newfound freedom now that my father was gone. I felt guilty for thinking it, but now that I knew his disapproval wasn’t imminent, I could do what I wanted to a certain degree.
“It will take getting used to,” Tetra whispered to me as she braced herself on her cane. “An empress of the people,” she declared.
I grinned at my bestie, glad to have her with me.
We found a spot in the corner, and the second we sat down, Anika reached out and clasped my shoulder, keeping her voice low. “You blew their Red Palace sky high. That deserves a toast.”
Everyone chorused their agreement, and Meera disappeared with Dev to grab drinks and dinner.
“Hey, it wasn’t just me.” I tipped my head to Kohen, and Anika pulled her hand from my shoulder with a nod.
Was there jealousy on her face?
The drinks were served, water and juice for all of us, because we had to report for duty early in the morning. Nachos with candied shredded pork were set before me by Tetra. I said nothing when Kohen took a sip of my drink and a bite of my food first and then pushed it back in front of me after a few moments. He’d somehow become my food tester when Elaine wasn’t around. I’d protested yesterday, saying I didn’t want anything to happen to him, but he’d argued that we were both alive well into the future, so he wasn’t worried about it.
Anika raised her glass. “Toeveryoneinvolved in bringing justice to the Luskins.”
The table roared their approval, but they had no idea. No one had any idea that we’d killed Prime Leader Vlek when we’d attacked that building. Word had spread about the building going down, and it had boosted morale, but once I shared the contents of that letter with the admirals, the assassination of Luska’s highest commanding officer, who had tortured ourpeople for decades, would spread like wildfire. If they were excited now, they’d be thrilled when they heard that. But I trusted Elaine in this matter and wanted to execute her plan first and foremost before I told any of the admirals.
