Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
Six days passed without incident—no attempted communications from Vaund, no run-ins with the Syndicate, no sign of them taking action through any of the channels Arcanthus was monitoring. As grateful as he was for the quiet, he refused to grow complacent.
Something was going to happen. Some move would be made. He often reminded himself that his home was safe, secure, and well-hidden, but he found no reassurance in those thoughts. He had too much on the line, now. Too much to lose.
It was only Samantha’s steady presence that prevented him from being consumed by dread.
And you’re not going to give in to it now, Arc.
Only one thing mattered in this moment—finding Samantha. His core crew had taken quite a liking to her, and she’d spent a lot of time with them while he worked. Arc hadn’t fully shaken his jealousy. The possessive, instinctual side of him wanted her all to himself, even though that would’ve meant locking her away in his bedroom, alone, for hours-long stretches, but he’d come to terms with it because she was happy .
Samantha had flourished during her stay here, faster than he’d ever thought possible.
The night after he’d spoken with Vaund, as he and Samantha had lain together in the dark of his bedroom, he’d turned his mind toward doing something just for her. They couldn’t leave—the Syndicate could access surveillance feeds from around the city as easily as Arcanthus could, and Vaund knew Sam’s face—so he wanted to give her something special to make up for it.
Though he couldn’t deny that part of him wanted to give her a gift to make himself feel better, to assuage some of his guilt for her being trapped here, he just wanted to see her smile that big smile—the one that made her eyes sparkle—more than anything.
With the boxed gift tucked beneath one arm, he strode through the corridors, heading to the place where she seemed to spend most of her time when she wasn’t with him—the lounge. His heart quickened with each step closer to his destination.
He knew their mating bond had something to do with her endlessly strengthening pull on him, but he knew, also, that this was something far deeper. Each time they were apart—even knowing that she was in the same building, never more than a few minutes’ walk away—he found himself longing to get back to her side. The more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her.
Arcanthus was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on his work, and increasingly difficult to care. He knew it should’ve alarmed him, but…why? They’d find a new normal eventually, despite Vaund and the Syndicate, and Arc had credits enough to maintain his lifestyle indefinitely thanks to several passive income streams he’d established over the years.
He paused when he entered the lounge. The only person inside was Razi, who was seated upon one of the couches. Despite his hurry to find Samantha, Arcanthus walked up behind Razi and watched the screen that held the cren’s attention. It was a volturian show in which a handsome male and a beautiful female were lamenting the hostility between their bloodlines—one of seemingly several factors preventing them from outwardly professing their love for one another.
Arcanthus snorted. “And people call me overly dramatic.”
Razi started and spun to face Arcanthus with wide eyes, tipping the bowl that had been perched atop his lap. Dozens of assorted nuts scattered across the floor.
The cren scowled and muttered, “Not polite to sneak up on people like that.”
“I pay you to be vigilant, Razi. That comprises the majority of your duties.”
“Not when I’m on break.” The cren grumbled to himself as he turned away and gathered up the snacks that had landed on his thighs. “And it’s not overly dramatic. It’s tragic .”
Arcanthus smirked. “There is certainly a tragedy unfolding before my eyes. Do you happen to know where Samantha is?”
“Tried to get her to watch with me. She said she was heading to the training room.”
“Why? Don’t I give her enough exercise?”
Razi twisted and threw a handful of nuts at Arcanthus.
Arc raised a hand to shield himself, tucking the gift behind his body to protect it. “That’s just uncalled for, cren.”
When Razi launched another volley, Arcanthus retreated, pausing only after reaching the door. “You’re cleaning that up!”
Before Razi could throw anything with greater mass, Arcanthus ducked into the hallway. He walked as quickly as he could without running as he made his way toward the training room, slowing only when he reached the entry.
He pressed the button to open the door and stepped inside .
Arcanthus froze just beyond the threshold.
It took his mind several moments to process what he was witnessing—Sekk’thi lunged at Samantha, grabbed hold of the terran’s extended arm, and dropped into a roll, throwing Sam down onto the mat hard. Before Samantha could recover, the ilthurii trapped her in a full body choke hold, pinning the terran on the floor.
If there were logical explanations for what he’d just seen, they were lost on him; his instincts poured fire into his veins and blasted him forward, leaving room for only one thought— protect my mate .
It was his growl as he charged across the room that alerted the females to his presence. Sekk’thi and Samantha both looked up at him, the latter’s face red with exertion, and their eyes widened in unison. The ilthurii released her hold and shifted onto her knees, and Sam sat up, shoulders heaving with her panting breaths.
She threw her arms up, palms toward him. “Arc, stop!”
Samantha’s voice cut through the crimson haze that had settled over Arcanthus’s mind; he skidded to a halt less than a meter away from her and shook his head sharply. “I don’t… What is this, Samantha?”
Sekk’thi had risen to her feet behind his mate, her scaled brows slightly arched. Ilthurii didn’t have many flexible parts of their face, but it was amazing how subtle changes could so powerfully alter their expressions.
Samantha glanced back at Sekk’thi before returning her eyes to Arc’s. “She’s been training me.”
Arcanthus furrowed his brow, arms falling limp—save for the hold he maintained on the packaged gift. “Training you for what?”
“Just…training me.”
“She was choking you! ”
Sekk’thi scratched her snout. “She did not say uncle.”
Arcanthus lifted his arms again, palms up, and opened his mouth to speak. After a few moments of stammering, he managed to ask, “Why the hell would she say uncle , of all things?”
Samantha’s smile was tinged with a bit of self-consciousness as she laughed.
Sekk’thi snickered. “That is what I asked. She said it was an Earth saying. It means I surrender .”
Arcanthus turned his attention to Samantha. “Why wouldn’t you just say I surrender ?”
“Fewer syllables,” both females replied simultaneously. They exchanged a glance with one another and burst into laughter.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Arcanthus lowered his gaze. “So…you’re teaching her how to fight by throwing her around?”
Sekk’thi snorted. “How did you learn? By holding hands and talking until someone died of boredom?”
Arcanthus shook his head and sighed. “By being thrown around. In the mud, in my case.”
The ilthurii threw up her hands and tilted her head, silently claiming victory.
“That doesn’t mean it’s okay to throw her around, ilthurii. She’s…small.”
Samantha pushed herself to her feet, narrowing her eyes. “That doesn’t stop you from being rough.” She lifted her chin, claiming her own little victory. “You don’t hear me complaining. As a matter of fact, I believe I beg—uh…” She glanced at Sekk’thi, as though suddenly aware she had an audience, and cleared her throat, her already red cheeks darkening. “Anyway, I’m fine.”
“Firstly, little terran, what we do in the bedroom, in the bath, in my workshop, and that one time in the lounge, is entirely between the two of us and is a completely different situation. Secondly—”
“The lounge ?” Sekk’thi asked. “Do not tell me you mated on one of the couches.”
Samantha clasped her hands behind her back. “Um…”
“It was one of the tables,” Arcanthus said. “Well, it started on one of the tables, and moved to—no, I’m not going to let you send me on a tangent. Secondly”—he pointed a finger at Sekk’thi—“you did not have my permission, as your mentor and employer, to toss my mate around, in a training scenario or otherwise.”
Sekk’thi rolled her eyes. “As though I would ask your permission.”
Arcanthus chose to ignore the comment. “Thirdly, I have to know—is she any good?”
“Samantha shows promise, and she has taken well to the blaster.”
“You’re training her with blasters? I can’t believe that you would—” Arcanthus snapped his mouth shut and closed his eyes.
Instincts. These pesky instincts. Sam needs to learn because of the world I’ve dragged her into.
“My apologies, ladies,” he said in a softer tone. “I simply would have preferred to have been informed when this training began rather than stumbling in on it. Now, Sekk’thi, if you’re done abusing my mate, I’m going to take her.”
Sekk’thi waved her hand. “I release her into your care.”
Arcanthus turned to face Samantha fully, offering her his free hand.
Sam stepped forward and laced her fingers with his. “I wasn’t keeping it from you. It…just kind of happened, and I never thought to mention it. ”
He walked her toward the exit, leaning closer. “I’m not upset, Samantha. I’m glad. And proud of you. But stepping in on that scene without any context… It triggered the instincts you’ve awoken in me.”
She grimaced. “Sorry.”
He turned his head to glance at her. Her skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat, and her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, revealing her slender, elegant neck. She was dressed in a shirt and pants, both of which were form-fitting. He was certain that the Samantha of two weeks ago would never have worn such clothing if she knew anyone would see her in it.
“Don’t be sorry, little terran,” he said as they entered the corridor. “I’m actually rather turned on right now. Maybe we can find some unconventional uses for what you’ve been learning…”
That Samantha still blushed when he said such things, despite how many times they’d joined since she’d come here, only made him want her more—and, on a deeper level, it made him adore her.
“Maybe,” she said, peeking up at him with a grin.
His mouth curled into a grin of his own. “We both know there’s no maybe involved.”
She tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and glanced at the package in his hand. “What’s that?”
Arcanthus lifted it slightly. “A gift for you.”
Her eyes rounded. “For me?”
“There are no other astoundingly beautiful terrans around, so it must be for you. But you’ll have to wait until we’re back in our room.”
Sam’s grin somehow widened, and Arc could almost feel the excitement radiating from her.
They headed to the bedroom at a brisk pace, matching each other’s strides perfectly despite their haste. Once they were inside with the door closed, Samantha released his hand, stepped forward, and turned to face him, bouncing on her toes with palpable anticipation.
Arcanthus shifted the gift behind his back, closed the distance between them, and slipped his free arm around Sam, drawing her into a deep, lingering kiss. She closed her eyes and moaned, her body going pliant against his as she slid her hands up to his neck.
The slightly salty flavor of her sweat reminded him of their past joinings, and arousal stirred low in his belly, causing his cock to partially extrude. When he broke the kiss, he ran his tongue over his lips to savor her taste. “Maybe the gift can wait…”
Samantha’s eyes darkened, and she slid one of her hands down between their bodies to cup him between his legs. Arcanthus grunted. She smiled as she stroked a finger along his slit, teasing him through his loincloth.
“But can you?” she asked.
He caught his lower lip between his teeth to suppress a groan as faint currents of pleasure crackled outward from his groin. She’d learned, clearly, that his self-control was a delicate thing—that she could shatter it and take command with just a little boldness, with just a little touch.
It would’ve been so easy to toss the gift aside, tear off his loincloth, and give in. It would’ve been so easy to accept whatever pleasure she offered. There was no denying that he wanted it. The mere thought of her hand on his shaft was enough to send a thrill up his spine and almost make him spill like an untried whelp.
But he wanted to see her satisfaction more. He wanted to see if the gift made her face light up, wanted to see if it would coax that special smile out of her, the one she reserved only for him. The smile whose radiance was so great that it burned away all his worries and fears for a little while because it told him that, despite everything, Samantha was truly happy.
Arcanthus drew in a deep, steadying breath. He gently removed her hand from his groin, lifting it to his mouth to press a kiss atop it. “I can wait. For a few more minutes, at least.”
He released her hand and raised the gift, holding the thin, rectangular package up on one palm. “For you, my flower.”
She accepted the gift, glancing up at him for a moment before giving it her attention. Her fingers flexed around the box, and her smile softened. “I haven’t been given a gift since the birthday right before my dad passed.”
“Consider this the first of many,” Arcanthus replied, battling the urge to take her in his arms.
She offered him another glance, flashing her white teeth in a widening smile, and tore away the paper wrapping from the gift. Her breath caught. “Is-Is this…?”
“A tablet, yes. I believe this is the preferred model for most artists in the city.” He gestured to one side of it. “The stylus attaches itself there. It has touch controls, holographic projections, everything you might need. I figured it would be a good starting—”
Samantha threw herself against Arcanthus, clutching him in a tight embrace. Her tears flowed immediately onto his chest.
Arcanthus put his arms around her and held her close, cradling the base of her skull with one hand. “You’re crying because you’re so overwhelmed by my thoughtfulness, right?”
She laughed, the sound rich and genuine despite being made husky by her tears. “Yes. I…didn’t know you actually listened.”
He shifted his hands to her shoulders and leaned back to look down at her. “Samantha, I’ve been enraptured by your every word since the first one you spoke to me.”
Though her eyes were watery, she smiled in exactly the way he’d hoped for. “I know that now.”
Arcanthus moved a hand to her chin and brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “Good. Know it always. And I suppose it goes without saying that I am willing to offer my services, should you require a live model.”
“I think”—she moved her hand to the clasps of his loincloth—“that I should take a closer look…just to make sure you’re a subject I want to depict. I want to keep my artistic standards high.”
She unfastened the clasp. His loincloth, under wrapping and all, slid down his legs to pool on the floor. Samantha pressed kisses down his throat and chest, stopping to take his right nipple into her mouth.
Arc hissed through his teeth as her tongue flicked around his piercing.
Samantha smiled and released it. She lowered herself to her knees, keeping one hand on his hip, and set her tablet down beside her.
Arcanthus groaned as his cock pushed out from his slit, tendrils writhing in eagerness for her touch. “Who taught you to be so wicked, little terran?”
She moved her other hand to his tendrils and stroked each in turn, allowing them to caress and curl around her fingers. Arc’s muscles tensed, and he drew in a sharp breath, overwhelmed by the feel of her touch. His tail straightened for an instant before sweeping side to side, restless in his anticipation.
“A devilish fiend,” she said, pulling her hand free of his tendrils to grasp his base.
The tendrils sealed, forming a solid shaft. Desire burned in the pit of his stomach. “Seems this fiend was an excellent teacher.”
Samantha leaned closer and brushed her lips over the tip of his cock. Her eyes were dark and hungry. “It helps when the student is so eager.”
Her lips slid over him, and she sucked him deep into her hot, wet mouth. A hiss ripped from this throat. The gentle scrape of her teeth sent delightful jolts through his shaft.
He whispered something—it might have been her name, or it might have been a wordless utterance of pleasure—and reached forward. His fingers felt oddly clumsy as he removed the tie from her hair and spread her dark locks about her shoulders. He slipped his hands into her hair and grazed his fingertips along her scalp, transfixed by the way her lips stretched around his cock.
When she rolled her tongue—stroking the sensitive nodules along his shaft and pulling him deeper still—Arcanthus couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. His grip on her hair tightened, and his head tipped back. He feared any more would make his knees buckle, but he didn’t want her to stop.
He never wanted her to stop.
“ Fuck , you’re good at that, my flower,” he rasped.
She moaned, slid her hand from his hip to his ass, grasped the underside of his tail, and squeezed.
A strange, thrilling sensation arced up his spine, and his lower belly clenched, increasing the building pressure in his cock. He growled, and his hips bucked; he felt his tendrils stirring, felt them preparing to spread apart for his fast-approaching climax.
Samantha suddenly pulled her mouth away and stood, shoving her leggings down and kicking them aside. She pulled her shirt off over her head before crawling onto the bed, and—on hands and knees—presented her curvy ass and glistening sex to him.
Arcanthus shuddered, clamped a hand around the base of his shaft, and swiftly crossed the space separating them. He placed his free hand on her hip, positioned the tip of his cock against her center, and thrust into her.
“Arc…” Samantha gasped, pushing back against him, her sex clamping around his shaft.
Her heat nearly undid him. He bent forward, bracing himself with one hand on the bed, and drew in a deep breath. The air was perfumed with her intoxicating scent.
Keeping one hand on her hip, he straightened and ran the other up her spine, twining his fingers in her hair. He grasped the strands and pulled her head back as he gyrated his hips. He used his hold on Sam to tug her into his thrusts, slamming their flesh together, burying himself ever deeper. The tightness of her sex was amplified by the new position; before long, the pressure in him had risen to impossible heights, and his breath was ragged.
He pushed himself faster, harder, his eyes fixed on the sensuous flare of her hips, on the graceful curve of her spine, on the quivering flesh of her ass—on the erotic way his cock glided in and out of her, glistening with her slick.
Her body suddenly tensed. She gasped, her breathy moans rising in volume as she came; the tremors running through her sex were more than he could resist.
Arching his back, Arcanthus roared. His tendrils split apart and grabbed hold of her soft inner flesh, spreading her open inside, and his seed flowed into her in great spurts that coincided with the waves of pleasure blasting through him. He snarled, baring his teeth and grinding against his mate, unable to get close enough to her.
When the waves finally faded, leaving him shuddering, he eased his hold on her hair. Samantha sagged down and laid her cheek on the blanket. Arcanthus leaned over her, gently kissing her ear, her neck, her back and shoulders, sampling that enticing, salty taste, worshipping her with his lips. Unwilling to move away, he remained in that position even after his tendrils released her.
Panting, she reached up and brushed her fingers along his horn and into his hair. She hummed softly, lips curving into a smile as he rained kisses upon her.
“You, by far, surpass my standards,” Samantha murmured.
Arcanthus grinned against her shoulder. “Was there ever any question?”
She wiggled her ass, sending another pulse of ecstasy through him. “I had my doubts.”
“You shouldn’t tell lies, little terran.”
“The truth is…you’re the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to me. And I…” Something had changed in her tone, and her body stiffened; her playful air had vanished in an instant.
Arcanthus gently withdrew from Samantha and rolled onto the bed, lying on his side next to her to look her in the eyes. There was a tightness in his chest, a heat that had nothing to do with their joining, a cloying sense of uncertainty and anticipation. “You what, Samantha?”
She glanced away briefly before turning onto her side to face him fully. She looked worried, looked vulnerable, like she was bracing herself for coming pain.
“I love you,” she said quickly.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected her to say—anything else, perhaps. Anything but those words.
And yet he knew they were the right words. They somehow encompassed all of it—everything he felt from her, everything he felt for her—despite their simplicity. Those words sank deep into his core, into his heart, and radiated warmth throughout his body, even into the flesh of limbs he no longer possessed. He’d been foolish to think having his mate was the pinnacle of satisfaction, the peak of happiness .
Because having his mate’s love lifted him to heights that shouldn’t have been possible.
Arcanthus smoothed the hair back from her face, staring into the unfathomable depths of her eyes. “I love you too, Samantha.”
She smiled, and it was so bright, so joyous, so beautiful that he almost couldn’t believe it was real. She leaned toward him and pressed her mouth to his, cupping his face between her hands.
Arcanthus looped his arm around her waist and tugged her flush against him.
It didn’t matter that they’d just joined; he needed her again. He rolled onto his back, pulling her atop him without breaking the kiss, and ran his hands up and down her back, over her ass and thighs, and along her arms before taking hold of his shaft.
Samantha lifted her hips, and he positioned himself at her entrance.
“I love you,” he whispered against her mouth as he slid into her, raising his hips to push deep.
She exhaled softly and repeated the words back to him breathlessly.
He kept her within his embrace, sharing her breath through their kisses. Together they found a tempo that allowed the flames of their passion to flow freely until they were both consumed from within by a raging inferno.
Well after their desire had been spent—as Samantha lay against him, sleeping—Arcanthus looked upon his beautiful mate, and his heart swelled.
He had everything he could ever want, everything he could ever need, right here in his arms. And he would destroy anyone who tried to take it from him.