Page 33 of Shielded Heart

“I don’t want you to go anywhere,” she said softly. “It’s just… I can’t. Not…not yet.”

“I know, little terran, I know. Just remember thatthis”—he took hold of her wrist and smoothed her palm over his chest—“is yours, whenever you are ready.”

Her cheeks reddened further, but she moved infinitesimally closer, tracing part of hisqalwith her fingertip before nodding.

Arcanthus smiled, and he couldn’t keep his tongue from slipping out to lick her lingering taste from his lips. He knew what he had to do, but it washard; he’d never imagined it could be so difficult to walk away.

He released his hold on her and stepped back. “Thank you for the tea, Samantha.”

She leaned forward as though she meant to follow him, stopping herself by grasping the edge of the counter. “But…you didn’t like it.”

“I very much enjoyed it from your lips.”

Her eyes rounded, and she brought a hand to her mouth.

“Dream of me, my flower. I’ll dream of you again tonight.”

Arcanthus left the apartment, ignoring the painful ache in his groin, ignoring the instincts demanding he go back to her, demanding he give her the pleasure she deserved. Demanding he erase the bad memories weighing so heavily upon her.

When her door closed behind him, he paused to glare at her neighbor’s apartment. The borian was scared—for now. How long before Rakkob’s fear turned to anger and resentment and pushed him to make another move on Samantha?

Growling, Arcanthus forced himself to walk along the hall. As he rode the elevator down, he activated his holocom and sent a message to Kiloq and Koroq.

Borian living across the hall from the terran is a problem. Rakkob. Needs to be removed by the authorities.

Just as the elevator reached the ground floor, their reply arrived.

On it, boss.

Someone had harmed Arcanthus’s mate. Someone had done lasting damage to her. He doubted it had been Rakkob, but the borian had only added to her emotional burden. Whether he had learned his lesson or not, Rakkob had not paid enough of a price, he’d not suffered enough for his mistreatment of Samantha.

As Arcanthus moved down the corridor leading to the exit, Koroq walked past, heading toward the elevators. He and Arc exchanged a nod; nothing more was necessary.

Arc’s anger simmered while he walked to the car, and a fine layer of frustration gradually settled atop it. The best he could hope for was that Samantha would grow comfortable enough to tell him what had happened to her. Learning who had scarred her heart wouldn’t necessarily enable Arcanthus to avenge her pain, but it would be a start toward helping her heal.

It only annoyed him more that, despite the complicated logistics, part of him was seriously considering a trip halfway across the universe—to Earth—to find the one who’d wronged her…

“I don’t know anything about her situation,” he muttered.

He’d only become more irritated if he followed that path of thought any further.

Arcanthus would do anything to ease her suffering and take away her pain; she was hismate. He didn’t enjoy his sense of helplessness, but he couldn’t do anything about it currently. She’d tell him when she was ready to, or she wouldn’t tell him at all; either way, the choice was hers. She wouldn’t share anything until he’d built trust with her.

Besides, it wasn’t like he’d rushed to tell her all about his past, or how he’d lost his limbs, or even the truth about his name and profession.

He tugged open the front passenger door of the hovercar and climbed in beside Drakkal, slamming the door shut once his legs were inside.

Arcanthus sighed. “I already know what you’re going to say. I’m—”

“I’m never going to sit in the car while you try to get a female to fuck you again, Arcanthus,” Drakkal said. “And if you disrespect me in front of her one more time, I’m going to break off one of your arms and shove it up your ass to show you what it’sreallylike to be fucked.”

Arcanthus stared at Drakkal with wide eyes and parted lips. “I suppose Ididn’tknow what you were going to say, after all.”

Drakkal’s brows fell, and he grimaced as he turned his attention forward. “You’rethe predictable one here, Arc.”

Chuckling, Arcanthus leaned back in his seat, settling a foot on the console. “You may well be correct there, Drak. Know that everything I said was out of the deepest respect and admiration for you.”

“Funny way to show it. But youhavetaken many blows to the head over the years. Must be catching up to you.” Drakkal guided the hovercar up, merging into the flow of traffic along the Undercity’s ceiling. “You’ve never gone to a female’s house before. That why you finished so quickly?”

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