Page 34 of Shielded Heart 1
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,” 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. 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?”
“Do you truly think so poorly of me?” Arcanthus asked with a scoff. “We didn’t do anything inappropriate.”
No, nothing at all inappropriate. That kiss had beenright, had made more sense than anything in Arcanthus’s life.
“You’re not nearly as funny as you think.”
“Not a joke, Drakkal. Samantha is a…delicate creature, at least outwardly. I want her to be comfortable at every step along the way.”
“Who are you, and what did you do with Arcanthus?” Drakkal glanced at Arc from the corner of his eye.
“This is different. It’s…serious.”
“Oh,nowyou want to be serious? You haven’t taken any of my warnings seriously, but I’m supposed to suddenly give you the benefit of the doubt?”
“So, I’ve taken a few risks,” Arc replied with a flick of his wrist. “I’m fine. I’m more concerned about her. Terrans are still considered exotic, and she’s been accosted several times in the few days she’s been in the city. There was a groalthuun taking pictures of her today.”
Drakkal grunted and tightened his grip on the controls, his claws extending slightly. “Trafficker, probably.”
“Hence my concern.”
“You’re the one who exposed her to it. Exposed yourself, too.”
“Oh, I’ve not yet begun to expose myself, Drakkal. You’ll know when I do so—even you won’t be able to look away.”
“Kraasz ka’val, Arcanthus. You’re lucky I like you.”
“Yes, I am.”
EIGHT
Vaund didn’t look up when a knock sounded at the door. He maintained his slouched posture in his kraug-hide chair, his long, claw-like fingers curled over the ends of the armrests. Reports flitted through his optical feed. Columns and columns of data detailed expenditures and earnings, all of it nonexistent as far as the Consortium was concerned—the records would be sent to the Inner Reach Syndicate’s headquarters before local copies were destroyed.
The only sound in the knock’s wake was that of his respiratory pumps maintaining a constant airflow into and out of his lungs. The years had, unfortunately, only increased his awareness of the noise.
He perused the currently displayed report to its end, tallying everything on a small side screen at the lower edge of his vision. Once he’d confirmed the totals were accurate, he allowed his attention to stray from his work; a minute had passed since the knock, and there’d been no follow up.
Vaund considered it a sign that his subordinates understoodhim well. They knew to wait until he acknowledged them rather than cause a second interruption.
“Enter,” he said, a low buzz running beneath his artificially replicated voice.
