Page 25 of Shielded Heart

Alkorin chuckled, calling her attention back to him. He smiled down at her, his gaze burning with want, and she had the sense he knew what was really on her mind.

“Arthos is very big and very old,” he said. “It’s not without its blemishes, as you already know, but neither is it lacking in beauty. Still, I find myself as unable to put that beauty into words as I am to encapsulate yours in any language I know.”

Drakkal snorted.

Samantha’s cheeks flamed in embarrassment. She tried to ease away from Alkorin, but his hand tightened around her thigh—not enough to hurt, but enough to halt her retreat.

“It is something to behold, not to describe.” He leaned toward her, his face stopping extremely close to hers. “Embrace yourself, Samantha. Embrace this world. There is happiness to be claimed here, with a little boldness.”

Samantha turned her face toward him, but she didn’t meet his eyes. Instead, her gaze fell upon his lips. His bottom lip was fuller than the top, and the glowing mark at its center only made it more tantalizing.

“I’m not…bold.”

His lips stretched into a grin, revealing his fangs. They should have given her pause, should have frightened her, but they only aroused her further.

“You are.” His hand slid a centimeter closer to her pelvis. “You just haven’t realized it yet.”

Her heart leapt, and she dropped her hand over his. A thrill pulsed through her, igniting a flood of liquid heat between her legs. Panic and desire warred in her mind, each threatening to conquer her, to reduce her to an unthinking creature driven only by instinct.

This…this wasn’t normal. Couldn’t be. She’d never felt anything close to this, her body had never reacted like this.

Samantha’s arm trembled; she didn’t know if she wanted to prevent his hand from moving higher orforceit to. Her craving for his touch equaled her fear of it at that moment; she was afraid of what he made her feel.

What is he doing to me?

“Hmm…” Alkorin’s grin softened into a smile. He brought his free hand to her face and brushed her hair back, tucking it gently behind her ear. His fingers lingered there, lightly stroking the rounded shell, his touch delicate despite the size and strength of his hand. After a few moments, he lowered that hand to her chin and tilted her head back, making her lift her gaze to his.

“You will blossom soon enough, little flower,” he said softly, “and then you will realize your own beauty. I look forward to witnessing it.”

He stroked her lower lip with the pad of his thumb before he pulled away, returning to his prior position; his other hand remained upon her thigh.

Samantha stared at him as he looked out the window; she ran her gaze over his profile, from the piercings in his long, pointed ear up to his dark horns. She squeezed his hand a little more firmly. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there ogling him; it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, but it felt like it had been both much longer and not nearly long enough when the world outside finally caught her attention.

She leaned forward to look past Alkorin as the hovercar emerged from the tunnel it had been traveling through. The windows—which had been crystal clear from within despite the dark tint on the outside—dimmed slightly to soften the bright light from the sky.

She’d seen Arthos from above after completing the registration process, had stared out the window of the shuttle that had brought her to her new apartment complex with her jaw slack and her eyes wide, and the sight was no less astounding this time. The city was comprised of countless buildings of staggering height and variety. Metal and glass gleamed everywhere, an endless stream of vehicles filled the air, and people of every size and shape bustled beneath a colorful sky dominated by an immense quasar.

The Undercity was all deep shadows contrasted by flamboyant neon lights and pulsing holos; the city above was polished chrome and gold complemented by pure, natural light and the vibrant greens, purples, and reds of living plants—at least the parts of each area she’d seen for herself. Like Alkorin had said, it was impossible to put Arthos into words.

They called it the Infinite City, and Samantha understood why; it seemed to go on forever, stretching to the distant horizon and beyond, ever changing and yet allone.

Samantha was so absorbed by the sights that she didn’t realize how close she’d come to Alkorin until he dipped his head, pressed his nose to her hair, and inhaled.

He groaned softly and lifted his hand from her thigh, moving it to her lower back. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to believe you’re doing this by accident, Samantha.”

Sam stilled. Had he really justsniffedher? “D-Doing what?”

“Teasingme.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m not! I swear! I was just—”

Grasping Samantha by the hips, Alkorin turned her toward him and drew her onto his lap so she straddled his muscular thighs. She put her arms out, flattening her palms against the back of the seat to either side of his head to prevent herself from falling against his chest. Her hair tumbled down, brushing over the exposed skin of his chest, and Alkorin grinned up at her, his half-lidded eyes gleaming with desire.

“Whoops,” he said. “I can be so clumsy sometimes.”

“That was on purpose,” Sam shot back.

His smile tilted to one side. “The burden of proof rests upon you, whereasyourest upon me.”

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