Page 61 of Shielded Heart

“Understandably so.” Arcanthus dropped his gaze to the floor. His cock finally retracted into his slit, its ache subsiding as numbness spread through him. If Drakkal interrupting hadn’t been enough to dampen the mood,thiswas overkill.

“This can’t be a coincidence, Arc.”

“But why? Why after all this time? This…this was probably just because of Samantha. He was scouting her because she’s a terran, and the Syndicate traffics in slaves. They just saw me as a potential threat—”

“You said they went to her apartment and asked her aboutyou,” Drakkal said firmly, calling Arc’s eyes back to him. “You were recognized.”

Arcanthus’s heart pounded. Memories threatened to flood to the surface—memories of suffering, betrayal, terror—and he barely held them back. “But I’ve never seen this Straek before a few days ago. Have you? There’s no way he could’ve known who I am.”

“But someone whodoesknow you must’ve seen those pictures.”

“There’s no way to say that with any certainty.”

Drakkal’s nostrils flared, and he lifted a hand to scratch his cheek. “Arcanthus, you asked me a long time ago to tell you when I thought you weren’t thinking straight, and—”

“Caldorius is millions of light years away, and it was ten years ago. I’m dead as far as they’re concerned.Dead. Now I’m supposed to believe they’ve found me here, in a city of billions? This doesn’t—”

“Arc,” Drakkal growled, his fur bristling, “shut the fuck up!Kraasz ka’val, I don’t want it to be true anymore than you do, but I can’t sit here while you delude yourself. It doesn’t matter who or why, we have to assume they know who you are, and that they’re willing to finish what they started. I can excuse some of your stupidity—you needed to have your mate, whether you understood it or not—but it has to stopnow. You’re the smartest person I know. Start fucking acting like it.”

Arcanthus snapped his mouth shut. A torrent of emotions roiled inside him, swelling from his gut to constrict his chest and throat. He struggled to hold his friend’s gaze, but he couldn’t.

“They know you’re in the Infinite City, Arc. They devoted a lot of resources to take you out at Samantha’s, and compared to us, their resources are essentially infinite—this is the damned Syndicate. The time for fooling around is over.” Drakkal pushed himself to his feet and walked up to Arcanthus, crouching in front of him. He put his large hand on the back of Arc’s head and forced the sedhi to look him in the eye. “I fought in those pits for years. I saw horrible things more times than I can count. But nothing was worse than the day I found you—the day I found what wasleftof you.”

Arcanthus clenched his jaw. His breath was ragged, his throat on fire.

Drakkal’s eyes were intent and unwavering. “If they come again, I will fight until the end. I will lay down my life for you. I would’ve died in those pits if you hadn’t pulled me out. If you hadn’ttrustedme. But if they find you, Arc, they’re not going to stop until there’s nothing left for me to bring to a medic.

“From now on, you’re not dealing with any customers face-to-face, and you’re not leaving this compound. I’m not going to tolerate any arguments. You’re going to listen to me for once.”

Arcanthus shook his head and extended an arm, cupping the back of Drakkal’s thick neck. Though he didn’t feel humor inside—there was too much turmoil, too much worry—he forced a smile to his lips. “If I never listened to you, I’d have died a long time ago…and, consequently, your life would’ve beena lotless stressful.”

Drakkal snorted, his mouth tilting in a smirk. “You can’t even give a compliment without being an asshole.”

“I’m always sure to utilize my strengths.”

They lowered their arms, and Drakkal moved back onto the other couch.

Arcanthus raked his fingers through his hair, sweeping it back out of his face and behind his horns. “Is this Straek still alive?”

“As far as I know.”

“I want to have a chat with him.”

“You know what that means. They find out, and it’s war.”

“You were at the apartment complex, Drak. It already is.”

The azhera frowned, and his mane stood up, but he offered no argument.

“Get some people on it,” Arcanthus said. “We need to move as quickly—and discreetly—as possible.”

“All right. I’ll get it rolling.” Drakkal rubbed the back of his neck, moved his hand to his face, and sniffed. “Kraasz ka’val, Arcanthus. You couldn’t clean your hands before you let me in? It’s enough that the air smells of her, butIdon’t need to smell like her, too.”

Arcanthus lifted his hand and sniffed his fingers; they smelled of Samantha’s nectar. He closed his eyes and extended his tongue, licking her faint, lingering taste from his fingertip.

“If you start touching yourself, I’m going to kick you,” Drakkal said.

Arcanthus threw back his head and laughed. “If I start touching myself, you’ll be in the blast zone.” When his laughter faded, he glared at Drakkal. “Now go wash your mane. I’ll kickyouif you still bear her scent the next time I see you.”

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