Page 117 of Shielded Heart 1
“I would hope so,” Arcanthus replied. He turned his face toward hers. “Are you all right?”
Samantha reached up, grabbed his jaw, and pressed her mouth against his. She kissed him hard, kissed him with the despair she’d felt at the possibility of losing him, with the relief she felt for having him safe in her arms, with all the love brimming inside of her. She slid her hands up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself tighter against him. He returned the kiss with the same raw, unguarded emotions that flowed through her, holding her like he’d never let go again.
Arcanthus groaned when they finally broke the kiss, slipping his tongue out to lick his lips. “There’s a little voice in the back of my mind that says it’s an inappropriate time to want to make love to you, Samantha, but I am unreasonably aroused right now.”
Laughter burst out of Samantha; it hurt her sore throat, but she didn’t care. She could feel the evidence of his arousal against her thigh, and she’d have been lying if she said she wasn’t feeling a spark of desire herself, but…
Sam’s eyes widened. “Drakkal!”
Arcanthus’s brows rose in alarm. He slipped his arms out from beneath her, pushed himself to his feet, and took her hand to help her stand. “Go to him. I’ll be right there.”
Samantha rushed back to Drakkal’s side. He lay exactly where she’d left him, blood matting his mane. She pressed her hand to his neck, searching for a pulse through his thick fur,and gasped when he stirred. She settled her palm on his chest and leaned toward him. “Drakkal?”
Arcanthus grunted behind her. Samantha glanced over her shoulder to see him standing over Vaund with the blue energy sword in his right hand. He leaned down, grabbed something with his free hand—his body was blocking her view of it—and swung the blade. Straightening, he tossed the object aside—Vaund’s armored head, now cleanly detached from his body.
Movement from Drakkal called Sam’s attention back to him. He lifted his head off the floor slightly, eyelids fluttering open, before dropping it again. “Vrek’osh,” he grumbled, “my skull feels like a tralix stepped on it.”
Relief flooded Samantha. “You got hit pretty hard. You might have a concussion.”
Drakkal’s expression hardened. “Can’t feel my arm. How bad did he get me?”
“The good news is that your arm looks fine,” Arcanthus said from behind Samantha. “It just happens to be separated from your body.”
Samantha turned her head to look at Arcanthus with disbelieving eyes. “Arc!”
The azhera’s nostrils flared with a heavy exhalation, and he opened his eyes again; they were clearer, this time, more alert and determined. “Still three limbs ahead of you, sedhi.”
Arcanthus moved to Drakkal’s side and crouched, slipping a hand beneath the azhera’s uninjured arm. “Let’s get you on your feet, old friend. We need to leave before any moreguestsshow up.”
Samantha stood up. “The others?”
“They made it into the escape tunnel,” Arcanthus said as he helped Drakkal up, taking the azhera’s weight on his shoulder. “Anyone who didn’t is probably already dead.”
Her heart seized at the thought of losing any of her newfriends—her new family. She’d only just found the place she belonged, and they’d taken her into their fold so readily, had treated her as one of their own from the start. She couldn’t bear to lose any of them.
Arcanthus used the tip of his tail to activate his holocom and opened the workshop blast door fully, revealing the destruction within. The couches were charred, the floor scorched with blast marks, and bodies—or at least pieces of bodies—were scattered everywhere, blasted into ash. The air was thick with the stench of burned flesh.
Sam walked beside Arc as he and Drakkal entered the workshop. Neither of the males seemed affected by the carnage around them. She tried to emulate their indifference, telling herself that thoseweren’tcorpses, that the blackened piles of ashhadn’tbeen people a few minutes ago. Her stomach churned and twisted, and she pressed her lips together, clutching Arcanthus. He slid his tail around her waist, offering wordless comfort.
They mounted the steps to the platform. His desk was in pieces, and much of the equipment against the surrounding walls was damaged or destroyed, though several of the screens were still operational. One of the entrances had been blasted open, and the door lay in several large, deformed chunks nearby.
Arc input a command on one of the surviving holo screens; a hatch slid open at the center of the platform, revealing to a set of steep, illuminated steps. The opening was too narrow for them to descend side-by-side. Arcanthus directed Samantha down first.
Her gaze lingered on Arcanthus and Drakkal before she took in a deep breath, turned, and descended into the narrow tunnel.
She was greeted by several blasters pointed at her. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped.
“Samantha,” Sekk’thi gasped. Razi, Kiloq, Koroq, Thargen, and Urgand stood near her, blocking the tunnel with their bodies. Several other people Samantha didn’t know were behind them; they must’ve been more members of the security team.
They all lowered their weapons, looks of relief softening their expressions.
Sekk’thi shoved her way forward and pulled Samantha into a tight, one-armed embrace. “You tough, stupid little terran. I am glad you are safe.”
Samantha pulled away from Sekk’thi and glanced at the ilthurii’s right arm, which was tucked tight against her side. “You’re hurt!”
“I will be fine, Samantha. I have had worse.”
“You were supposed to be with us, terran,” Kiloq said, scowling.
