Page 36 of Shielded Heart

Two days had passed since Samantha had last seen Alkorin. Despite her urges to call him, they hadn’t spoken in that time. She felt miserable; confused and scared, too, but above all miserable.

She missed him.

By day, the sedhi had lurked in the forefront of her mind, and by night, he haunted her dreams, leaving her to awake a hot, sweaty mess with her sheets tangled around her. She kept thinking about the feel of his lean, strong body against hers, of his hands in her hair and on her backside, of his kiss.

Oh God, hiskiss.

She’d never known that a kiss could steal her breath, that it could claim her mind, body, and soul all at once. He’d made her forget everything—her past, her pain, her loss, her doubt, and her trepidation. His lips had left room inside her for only desire and need. Alkorin had wound her up so tight that a single stroke would snap her.

Her time with him had been wonderful—like floating through a waking dream. He was playful, charming, protective, andkind. Though he treated her with thoughtfulness, he didn’t act like she’d break at his slightest touch. He knew when to push and when to retreat; each time he pulled away, Samantha yearned to reach for him and bring him closer. He made her long for things she’d never experienced, made her long for things she never thought she could have.

She wantedhim. More than anything in this universe, she wanted the sedhi who set her blood on fire.

She just didn’t know how to overcome her uncertainty, her past experiences…

Didn’t know how to overcome herself.

Worthless. Weak.

Samantha gritted her teeth.

Her father had died when she was eighteen years old. The loss had left her utterly alone and directionless. She’d drifted aimlessly for a few months, bombarded by an endless stream of bills and calls from collection agencies seeking payment on her father’s debts—run up because of her grandmother’s illness and eventual death a couple years earlier.

And just as she’d realized she was at rock bottom—she’d been too naïve then to understand whatrock bottomactually meant—her savior had swooped in.

But instead of the arms of a hero, she’d fallen into the clutches of a monster who’d taken almosteverythingfrom her—her trust, her worth, her freedom, her veryself—before she escaped.

Samantha wasn’t sure who she was anymore. She felt like a phantom, a fading echo of who she’d been, the ghost of a girl who’d once laughed and loved despite how little she’d had. And even though she was half a universe away from James, she still felt the tatters of her soul slipping through her fingers like sand; she was losing a little more of herself every day.

If it continued, there’d be nothing left of her at all before long.

Worthless. Weak.

James had hurled those words at her so many times over the years she’d spent with him that she’d come to believe them.

He’d shown her kindness at first. He’d been charming, he’d been dedicated. But once they’d begun building a life together—once she’d moved in with him and he knew she had nowhere else to go—he showed his true face. The mask had come off to reveal the monster who’d lurked beneath.

The hope he’d instilled in her had been a lie.

And now there was Alkorin—Alkorin, who many people on Earth would’ve considered monstrous in appearance. Alkorin, who’d been kind and devoted in the short time they’d spent together. She wanted so badly totrusthim. Wanted so badly to believe he was the opposite of James. Alkorin gave her hope that everything would turn out fine. That she’d find a place here.

That she’d findherself.

But how could sheknow? How could she know the hope Alkorin provided was real, thathewas real? How could she know that she wasn’t following the same path from which she’d fled? She’d only known him a few days; that wasn’t nearly long enough to see what truly dwelled in a person’s heart.

Someone bumped into her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts as one of her packages slipped out of her arms. She stopped, but something caught her eye before she could apologize to the person she’d walked into. There were two large hovercars—thoughtanksmight’ve been a more accurate term—parked in front of her apartment complex, their gold, teal-accented bodies matching the armor of the Eternal Guard peacekeepers standing nearby.

The building’s entry doors swung open. Two peacekeepers walked out, dragging a restrained borian—Rakkob—between them.

“Fuck you!” Rakkob thrashed in their hold, his eyes wild. “It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it! It wasn’t mine! You’re fucking framing me!”

One of the peacekeepers beside the vehicles hurried forward and jabbed Rakkob in the chest with a staff-like weapon.

Rakkob convulsed, his body seizing for a couple seconds before he went limp. The peacekeepers didn’t miss a step; they hauled him to the back of one of the vehicles and tossed him inside.

A light tap on her shoulder nearly wrenched a scream from Samantha’s throat. She leapt forward and spun to face the alien who’d touched her, squeezing her purchases against her chest.

A male cren stared down at her, his yellow irises bright against his black sclerae. He had to be at least two meters tall—possibly a few centimeters taller than Alkorin, if she didn’t count the sedhi’s horns. The cren’s nose was sharp and hawk-like, complementing equally sharp features that led down to a strong but narrow chin. A curving tusk jutted from either side of his wide mouth, and his thick eyebrows were angled down over the bridge of his nose, lending extra menace to his already intimidating appearance. His ears were long and pointed, adorned with numerous piercings. The sides of his head were shaved, and the long hair on its top—its navy-blue hue several shades darker than his blue-gray skin—was pulled back in a tight ponytail.

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