Page 52 of Shielded Heart 1
The bathroom walls and ceiling were crafted of a black, marble-like material, through which ran glowing blue lines—but instead of tracing endless paths across the surfaces, these lines wavered and undulated to cast an ambient light on the walls not unlike sunlight reflecting off water.
A large rectangular pool lay in the center of the room, illuminated from within by soft blue light. The steps leading into it were positioned on the side closest to the bathroom entrance. Samantha guessed the rectangular panel suspended above the far end of the pool was the shower. The black, bowl-shaped thing in the corner was likely the toilet, and nearby it stood a wide counter with a deep, built-in sink. A tall mirror ran the length of the counter.
Sam’s imagination produced an image of Arcanthus standing in front of that mirror, flexing and admiring himself, and she couldn’t hold in her laughter.
She stepped through the open doorway, and sparkling lights came to life on the ceiling. Samantha turned her face toward them; they were like a field of white and blue stars, twinkling above an ocean. It was beautiful.
A pile of folded clothing rested atop the counter with a pair of slip-on shoes atop it and a hairbrush, toothbrush, and toothpaste beside it. Seeing those things, things she’d so often taken for granted, produced a grateful pang in her chest. She had nothingat the moment, and this little gesture meant the world to her.
Her sedhi was arrogant, but he was also kind and considerate.
My sedhi.
Samantha clenched her fists at her sides and bit her lip. She could still taste him on it.
Washe hers?
How long would his desire for her last? Was he only interested because she was part of a species considered rare and exotic here in Arthos? Would his fascination with her wither and fade?
Worthless. Weak.
She gritted her teeth and shook her head sharply.
“No!”
She wasn’t weak. Arcanthus had called herbrave. She hadn’t cowered, whimpered, or cried when he’d come to save her; she’d followed his orders, had taken the blaster, and…
I killed them.
That knowledge made her sick to her stomach, but she’d done what was necessary. She’d persevered in the face of danger. She’d overcome her fear. And, when it mattered most, she’d defended someone she cared about.
I am strong.
She’d come to Arthos for a fresh start, for a new life, but what had she done to initiate that apart from changing her surroundings? When she’d stepped off that ship, she was still a scared young woman who was too afraid to speak up, who was frightened of everyone and everything around her. The sameyoung woman who hid herself beneath baggy clothing. If she wanted a new life, she needed to make the effort. Sheneeded to change.
She…needed to let go of the past.
James was countless light years away; he couldn’t harm her anymore. Why was she still letting him suffocate her mentally? Why was she still letting him chip away at her soul?
Drawing in a shuddering breath, Samantha crossed to the toilet and relieved herself. It took a few moments to figure out the controls, but once she was clean, she tugged her pants up and walked to the sink. A stranger greeted her in the mirror.
Samantha rarely looked at her reflection. She’d always been afraid to stare into her own increasingly lifeless eyes, afraid to witness her sadness head-on, afraid to see the bruises and cuts James left on her body.
The woman staring at her now had the same large, dark eyes she’d known all her life, but there was something new within them, something in defiance of the sadness that still dominated her gaze—sparks of hope glimmered in the darkness.
And through those sparks of hope, she could see deeper—Samantha was still in there. She hadn’t been defeated yet.
She picked up the toothbrush and toothpaste, squeezing some of the latter onto the former, and activated the brush. Its gentle vibration tickled her gums; she found it oddly relaxing. As she was finishing, she noticed a button atop the counter, nearly nestled against the mirror. She pressed it.
A small section of the mirror slid up to reveal a square storage space. Smiling, she placed her toothbrush inside, standing it next to another toothbrush thathadto be Arcanthus’s.
After closing the panel, she turned toward the pool and approached it. Her apartment only had a stand-up shower. This was impossibly luxurious in comparison.
She stripped, wincing at the small puff of dust that rose from her clothes when she dropped them on the floor. Her hair couldn’t have been much better. She removed her socks last, and she was surprised to find the marble-like floor warm under the soles of her feet.
Moving to the edge of the pool, Samantha dipped her toes into the water. It was comfortably hot with wisps of steam rising from its surface, and its scent suggested it was already filled with some sort of cleaning agent. She descended the steps. The waterline was at her belly button when her feet touched the bottom of the pool. Smiling, she skimmed her hands over the water’s surface before ducking down to submerge her shoulders.
She moved slowly toward the overhead panel, relishing the water’s warmth. There were buttons along the nearby edge of the pool; she pressed one. Soft blue lights came on overhead. A moment later, hot water rained from the panel. Sam stood up, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back, content to let the water wash over her.
