Shay flicked her gaze back and forth between the tall, confident sedhi and the small, shy human. They were of two different species and two wildly different, opposite personalities. And yet they meshed like two halves of the same whole.
Shay had absolutely no question of how deeply and truly they felt for one another. Was it possible for her to have that sort of thing? Was it possible to have that with Drakkal?
“Don’t mind him,” Drakkal said, pulling her attention away from the couple. “He’s like that most of the time. He manages to do surprisingly decent work when he actually sits down to do it. Enough about him, though…”
Drakkal introduced her to everyone else one at a time. The ilthurii was Sekk’thi, the blue cren were brothers, Kiloq and Koroq, and the brown-skinned vorgal was Urgand. Drakkal presented the big, white-haired cren last, calling him Razi.
Despite his intimidating size, obvious strength, and three-centimeter-long tusks, Razi’s smile was warm.
“So, who is your partner?” Shay asked Drakkal.
“Let her guess,” Thargen suggested. “More fun that way.”
Drakkal shook his head. “Don’t you have a new gun to shoot or something?”
“Yeah, but I wanted someone to shoot it at before I used it.”
Shay jabbed a thumb at Thargen and grinned. “I like him.”
One of those low, threatening growls rolled up from Drakkal’s chest.
Urgand patted Thargen’s shoulder. “It’s a shame. All you wanted was a new friend. It’s been fun, Thargen. Die with honor.”
Those doubts Shay had long been harboring about this whole thing rose to the forefront and finally died. Drakkal hadn’t been lying. This place, these people, really were nothing like anything she’d known before. Sure, she’d been in groups whose members had slung shit at one another, but never in this good-natured, familiar fashion. The people she’d run with in the past had often taken to beating each other bloody rather than laughing and moving on. It had all been about reputation and ego for that sort—if they were insulted, they had to escalate their response to save face.
This made her think of the few times she’d been with her father while he was with other soldiers, when every word, no matter how insulting or rude on the surface, had been exchanged with an underpinning respect and admiration that completely altered their meanings. Dad had often called the men and women he’d served with his brothers and sisters. Was this what he meant? Was this the sort of camaraderie he’d known?
Drakkal turned his head toward Shay and eyed her. “You’re not allowed to like him.”
She tilted her head and arched a brow. “Excuse me?”
“I’m your boss now, remember?”
Shay shifted her weight from one leg to the other, crossed her arms over her chest, and held his gaze, trying really hard not to let the corners of her lips twitch up. “Yeah, and?”
“And…you’re supposed to listen to me?” Drakkal cringed at his own words.
“You’re my boss, not my master. Wanna know what happened when my last boss tried to push me around?”
Drakkal scowled. His ears drooped, and his tail lashed behind him.
A few of the others covered their mouths—likely to hold in the laughter sparkling in their eyes.
“I like her too, Drak,” Arcanthus said. “So glad I decided to let you hire her.”
With a final glare at Drakkal, Shay turned her attention to Arcanthus. She took him in again, this time in his entirety—the confidence, bordering on arrogance, of his stance and expression; his silky crimson robes; his sleek and expensive-looking cybernetic limbs.
“You’re his partner?” she asked.
Arcanthus’s brow furrowed, and his amused grin fell. “Why did you ask like you don’t believe it?”
Shay shrugged. “You just don’t put out that commanding vibe.”
Thargen barked laughter. “Finally, someone said what we all—”
“Time to get back to work,” Urgand said quickly, cutting the other vorgal off. “Doors won’t guard themselves.”
Arcanthus kept his center eye on Shay while turning the other two to glare at Thargen. “Attacked in my own home. And here I mistakenly thought us all friends.”
“We are friends,” Kiloq said, grinning around his tusks.
“That’s why we tell you these things,” Koroq added, picking up where his brother left off.
Samantha wiped her eyes, seemingly unable to stop laughing.
Arcanthus leaned aside to look down at Sam, who he was still holding against his side. “You too? Is there no loyalty to be found in this place? Why do I pay all of you?”
Drakkal snickered and folded his arms across his chest. “You don’t. I do.”
“A technicality, azhera.”
“Yeah. Anyway, Urgand’s right. Some of you have work to do. Plenty of time to get to know Shay later.” Drakkal kept his eyes on Arcanthus and lifted his brows. “That means you, too.”
“You’re not my master, either—or my boss, for that matter. I just want it to be clear that I am returning to work of my own volition, not because you told me to.” Arcanthus turned toward Shay. “Despite your questionable taste in males”—he flicked his central eye toward Drakkal—“it truly has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Welcome.”
Shay grinned. “Thanks.”
Everyone stopped to say their goodbyes and nice-to-meet-yous on their way out until only Drakkal, Shay, Arcanthus, and Samantha remained.
Samantha extracted herself from Arcanthus’s hold, who didn’t appear eager to relinquish it, and made her way closer to Shay. “Would you like to see your room?”
Shay recognized the barely contained excitement in Sam and couldn’t fault her for it. Samantha was the first human Shay had seen in a long time, and she imagined the reverse was true for Samantha. Shay never would’ve guessed how comforting it would be to see another terran face-to-face after all these months. “Actually, yeah. My feet are killing me.”
“Come on, then. I’ll show you.” Samantha looked at Arcanthus over her shoulder. “I’ll meet you in the workshop later.”
“I might have to come looking for you much sooner than that, little flower,” Arcanthus said with a smoldering light in his eyes.
“Focus, Arc,” Drakkal said, shaking his head—but there was a similar light in his eyes when he met Shay’s gaze. “I have to talk some business with him, but I will find you soon, kiraia. Do you need anything?”
“I’m sure Samantha can help with anything I need,” Shay said, adjusting the backpack strap on her shoulder.
His nostrils flared slightly, and his ears dipped just a hair. “Whatever you need, I’ll find a way. This is your home now. I’ll do whatever I must to make it feel that way.”
The solemnity and dedication in his voice obliterated her lingering irritation from their earlier exchange—not that she had been particularly annoyed over it. She knew things were…different for nonhumans. That he was running on some pretty strong, testosterone-fueled instincts. So long as he got her point, everything was good.
Shay smiled at him and walked over to Samantha, who was waiting by the door. “See you later, Drakkal.”
Before he could respond, Shay and Samantha stepped into the corridor. The door closed softly behind them.
“Sorry if I act overly excited,” Samantha said as she led Shay down the hallway. “It’s just… It’s been a long time since I came here, and you’re the first human I’ve seen.”
“How long has it been?” Shay asked.
“A little over a year.” Sam gestured to Shay’s bag. “Want me to take that?”
“Nah, I’m good. But thanks.” Shay let her gaze wander over the walls and doors as she moved past them. “So…were you kidnapped and brought to this city, too?”
“No. I actually came here through the UTF’s Emigration Assistance Initiative. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, but I know it was nowhere near as hard as what you’ve gone through.” Sam frowned, bro
ws drawn low. “Drak didn’t go into many details, but he told us where he found you. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
Shay scratched at her arm uncomfortably, though she didn’t feel it through her sleeve. “It’s fine. Not like it’s your fault or anything.”
“No, I know it’s not. It’s just…” She took a deep breath and let out a small, nervous laugh. “I don’t think I would have survived that.”
Shay turned her face toward Samantha and ran her gaze over the woman. Despite Sam’s timidity, there was something below the surface, something stronger than steel—something Shay’s dad had taught her to recognize. In any encounter, physical strength was only one aspect that could affect the outcome. Often, it wasn’t even the most important aspect. Whether Samantha had only recently found her inner strength didn’t matter, because it was there now.
“I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy, but I think you would’ve found a way,” Shay said.
Samantha shrugged and looked away. “I don’t know…”
Something Drakkal had said suddenly rose to the surface of Shay’s mind—from when he’d been telling her how he’d lost his arm.
My friend and his mate are the ones who killed him. She saved my life. He was about to finish me off before she intervened.
Shay found herself looking over Sam again. “Holy shit.”
Startled, Samantha met Shay’s gaze. “What? Did I…say something wrong?”
“No,” Shay said, shaking her head and chuckling. “You’re the one who saved Drakkal’s ass, aren’t you? When he lost his arm?”
This time, Samantha only lifted one shoulder. “I would’ve died, too, if Arcanthus hadn’t showed up.”
“No, you don’t get to do that, Sam. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a fucking badass, and you need to own that.”
“I didn’t do much, really…”
“If you went toe-to-toe even for a few seconds with a guy who could beat down Drakkal like that, you’re a certified badass. There’s not really any argument against it.”
Sam smiled even as her cheeks flushed further. “Thanks, Shay. That…means a lot.”
Shay’s own cheeks warmed; it was weird having someone thank her so sincerely. It was weird having a positive effect on someone, especially someone she didn’t know.
Man, I really screwed myself up after Dad died.
That thought led her to another realization, one that almost stopped her dead in her tracks—it had been almost ten years since her father’s death. A whole decade, more than a third of her life, that she’d filled with what? Bitterness, anger, stupidity? Regret?
Maybe this really is my chance to finally turn it around. To finally make Dad proud…
To finally make Mom proud.
The threat of tears stung her eyes, and Shay cleared her throat. She needed a subject change—and damned fast. “So, a sedhi, huh?”
Samantha laughed. “It’s a long story, but yeah. I’m…mated to a sedhi.”
“How does that work?”
Though it seemed impossible, Samantha grew even redder than before.
Now it was Shay who laughed. “I don’t mean how it works, you know, between the two of you, but how do a human and sedhi become mates? Just like…”
“Like a human and an azhera?” Sam asked.
“Yeah.”
The other woman shrugged. “It’s some kind of chemical thing, but it’s also something more. It’s hard to explain. Some species, like sedhi and azhera, have these strong mate-driven instincts that recognize that certain someone and push them toward that person. Me and Arcanthus think it might’ve been partly because of the mutative compound the Consortium gives to people when they come here. Even people who are smuggled in illegally usually get it, because it’s basically required to survive in this place. It changes us. Terrans, anyway. Not who we are, but our bodies. Makes us more adaptable to pretty much everything.”
“Yeah, I know a little about that stuff. They gave it to me, too,” Shay said. “They said it allows humans to get knocked up by aliens.”
Murgen had droned on and on about how he couldn’t wait to breed her after she’d given birth.
“Yeah. It does,” Samantha said.
“What does it mean to be someone’s mate?”
“Truthfully? Everything.” Sam reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I know that’s not really helpful, but it’s like…there just aren’t adequate words, I guess. It’s attraction and…lust, but its friendship and affection, it’s love…and it’s so much more. Not that it’s all those things right away, of course. But it became all those things for Arc and me.”
“Can they sniff out more than one mate?” Shay asked.
Sam laughed, shaking her head. “I mean, I can’t speak for every species, but… I don’t think so. Arcanthus knew I was his before we even met. He just…saw my profile in the ID system and knew. And he lost interest in everyone else from that moment.”
Shay pulled back and furrowed her brow. “Are you saying you’re like…soul mates?”
“I guess that’s what we are, isn’t it? I know it sounds crazy but… Look at me. Do you really think someone like him would have picked me out in the crowd?”
Shay frowned. “Why wouldn’t he? You’re a beautiful, badass woman.”
Sam’s cheeks flushed. “Thank you. But I mean, he was so”—she threw her hands up and swept her arms out—“big. I mean his personality. He’s so confident and smooth and so, so sexy, and when we met, I was just…me. Quiet, shy, timid. I couldn’t compare. So if it wasn’t instinct, if it wasn’t this magical, wonderful thing that led him to me… What could it really have been other than fate?”
It was bizarre to have a stranger open up like this, to confide in Shay so soon, but in a way, it also felt good. Shay lifted her hand, hesitated, and placed it on Samantha’s arm. They both came to a stop. “You were definitely selling yourself short.”
Samantha laughed. “You’re incredibly nice.”
Shay arched a brow. “You don’t know me very well. We’ll see if you still think that by the end of the week.”
Sam’s smile only grew. “I guess we will see. But yeah, I was selling myself short. I came to Arthos to get out of an abusive relationship. Whatever confidence I had before that asshole, I had nothing left by the time I finally built the nerve to run. There’s no way I would’ve ever brought myself to approach Arc back then. I didn’t believe a man like him could even see a woman like me. He pushed me to believe in myself…by believing in me when I didn’t. Everyone here did. Drakkal, too, even though he was leery of me at first.”
Shay frowned. “Of you?”
Samantha’s smile widened into a full-fledged grin. “He thought I was a dangerous distraction for Arcanthus.”
A laugh burst out of Shay. “I guess he was right.”
“More than you know.”
They resumed walking, turning right at the next intersecting hallway. Shay’s feet were hurting, and she had to pee something fierce, but she wanted Samantha to keep talking. She needed to know more. There was just something niggling in the back of her mind, something that made her feel uneasy and on edge. It was like that little voice that had kept telling her this was all too good to be true.
“So, if it’s a chemical thing, do they not have a choice in the matter?” Shay asked as nonchalantly as she could.
“Yes and no. They’re drawn to that mate, but it’s all instinctual at first. Emotions have nothing to do with it, other than lust. They can fight it and ignore it. It’s not necessarily easy, but it’s possible. So they can’t prevent themselves from feeling it, but they can prevent themselves from acting on it.”
Which meant Drakkal really wanted Shay.
“What’s he like?” Shay asked. “Drakkal.”
“He can be…intense. I was scared of him, at first. There was the whole him not liking me around thing early on, and he’s pretty hard to read.”
Shay chuckled. “Resting bitch
face.”
Samantha smiled. “Yeah. He’s…I don’t know. He’s trustworthy and exceedingly loyal. He’s very focused most of the time, and he can come off as being overly serious, but he jokes around just like everyone else. Even more, when it comes to Arcanthus. They’ve known each other a long time, and are pretty much like brothers to each other. But Drakkal’s very guarded. He doesn’t like to show much real emotion, even though I know he feels it. He just locks it away and tries to show everyone the big, strong azhera.
“And he’s very protective of his friends. Like”—her smile faded, and she dropped her gaze—“like willing to die to keep them safe.”
Those words caused a deep, sharp ache in Shay’s chest, so strong that her next breath was a struggle.
Just like my father.
That reminder hurt, but what hurt even more was the thought that followed—she wasn’t sure if she could endure that sort of pain again. She wasn’t sure she could endure another loss like that. Her fear of it was so strong, so intense, that she didn’t know if she could even bring herself to take a chance on it, regardless of how small the likelihood of her fear coming to fruition was.
And is it really that small? He runs security for a criminal organization. There’s bound to be trouble. That’s how he lost his arm, isn’t it? And just look at what happened at Murgen’s.
I almost killed Drakkal down there. What would’ve happened if the rest of Murgen’s security team had been alerted?
“Here we are!” Samantha announced.
Shay looked up to find herself in front of a door; she’d not realized just how lost she’d become in her own thoughts. Samantha pressed the button on the panel, opening the door, and stepped into the room. Shay followed; she was immediately struck by how big and beautiful the room was.
It had to easily be at least three times as big as the apartment she’d just left behind. The carpet was a deep violet, which complimented the light blue accents evident throughout the room—and both colors worked surprisingly well with the more neutral gray of the walls. A wide, square light panel hung from the ceiling directly over the large bed, casting a clear, inviting glow on the neatly made, navy-blue bedding.
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