Page 113 of Shielded Heart 1
Samantha had, at best, seconds to act. She raked her gaze over Vaund, searching for something, for anything, but he was covered from head to toe in black, and her vision was already darkening…
He tilted his head, and her eyes fell on the hoses connected to the side of his helmet, just behind where a human’s ear would’ve been.
Throwing all her strength and willpower into themovement, she bent her abdomen, swung her legs up, and kicked the hoses. Her heel hit one of the connectors, and it loosened. Air hissed from the damaged valve, and Vaund let out a raspy grunt. Samantha hurriedly hammered her heel into the hose again, breaking it free.
Vaund released her and dropped his sword, clawing at the disconnected hose and open valve. His wheezing breath sounded painful; were she not otherwise occupied, Sam might’ve found something poetically just about that. She landed hard on her backside, immediately moving her hand to her neck as she sucked in several hungry breaths.
She glanced at Drakkal. He was unmoving save for the shallow rise and fall of his chest.
Focus, Sam. Don’t have much time.
Her eyes landed on the fallen energy sword, which had embedded itself in the floor with its handle angled upward. It slowly sank deeper and deeper into the concrete as its blade melted the surrounding material.
Samantha scrambled forward and grasped the sword’s handle. The blade’s dull vibrations coursed up her arms as she pulled the weapon up; it slid free with unexpected ease. She forced herself to her feet, ignoring the weakness in her knees and the fire in her throat as she swung the sword at Vaund.
Vaund swayed back, his gangly frame twisting to avoid the pulsing blade. He kept one hand on the disconnected tube as Samantha recovered from her first swing and attacked again. He raised his other arm. The blade burned through his sleeve and bounced off some sort of dark metal beneath, leaving a narrow, glowing orange trail.
“A spirited creature,” he said, his voice seemingly unaffected by his labored breathing. “I may have to break you in myself.”
“Samantha!” Arcanthus yelled from somewherebehind her.
Growling, Samantha reversed the blade and lunged forward, taking another swing.
Vaund deflected the blade with his forearm again, but this time, he released the hose. His hand clamped over both of hers, locking her arms in place. His other hand joined the first immediately, and before Samantha could react, Vaund had pried the sword out of her grasp. He spun her like she weighed nothing and clamped an arm around her neck, tugging her against his rigid chest.
She found herself facing Arcanthus. He stood in front of the workshop door, staring past her with glowing, hate-filled eyes. The blaster in his left hand was aimed at Vaund, and his tail flicked restlessly behind him.
“Arcan—”
Vaund tightened his hold, silencing Samantha. She clutched his forearm with both hands, but he was too strong for her to break free.
He drew in a strained breath as heavy footfalls approached from the hallway behind him. “Don’t shoot the sedhi. I’m going to take care of him myself.”
Several of the gunmen who’d been chasing Sam and her companions entered her peripheral vision with their weapons aimed at Arcanthus.
Vaund raised his sword, stopping the thrumming blade a centimeter from Samantha’s eye. She tried to lean back, but there was no way to move, nowhere to go. Half her field of vision was Arcanthus, his features more demonic than ever in his rage and worry, and the other half was dominated by her imminent death.
She wished that she could tell Arc again how much she loved him. Wished she could tell him that, for once, shewasn’tsorry. When it came to him, Samantha had no regrets.
TWENTY-SIX
Arcanthus’s heart went several moments without beating, and his breath remained caught in his throat. The slightest twitch of Vaund’s hand would cause immense pain and damage to Samantha. Consuming rage and chilling fear warred for supremacy inside him.
“Drop the weapon, sedhi,” Vaund said.
There were only a few meters between Arc and Sam, between Arc and Vaund, but he couldn’t take a shot. There was too much danger to her. Too great a chance that Vaund’s helmet was armored against blaster fire.
Gritting his teeth, Arcanthus dipped his central eye to Drakkal; the azhera appeared to be breathing but was otherwise still. His left arm lay on the floor a meter away from his body, severed cleanly just above his elbow. That sparked fresh anger in Arc’s gut. It was too close to what Vaund had done to him all those years ago.
Arcanthus slowly shifted his finger off the blaster’s trigger, angled the barrel down, and tossed the weapon toward Vaund. It clattered to a stop near Vaund’s feet.
“If you hurt her, Vaund, I’ll—”
“You’re in no position to make threats, sedhi.” Vaund inclined his chin toward the door behind Arcanthus. “Tell your people to come out.”
“They’re not in there,” Arcanthus replied. He could only hope they’d moved fast enough—and that they’d closed the hatch behind them.
Vaund was silent but for the strained sound of his breaths.
