Chapter 5
FIVE
After patching up her cuts and scrapes with the first-aid kit in the bathroom, Samantha had gone to bed. Her sleep had been disjointed; she’d tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position thanks to the aches racking her battered body. As if her many bruises weren’t enough, her mind raced with a thousand what-ifs.
What if she wasn’t strong enough to make it here? What if she never found work? What if she ran into that gang again while she was alone?
But, more than anything, she couldn’t stop thinking of a certain sedhi whose lightest touch had set her body ablaze.
She woke the next morning feeling more exhausted than she had when she’d lain down. Raising her arm, she traced her fingertips over her wrist, touching the same place Alkorin’s fingers had so gently brushed. It didn’t matter that his hands were cybernetic, it had been his touch.
And his eyes…
They’d captivated her, had looked through her, directly into her heart, and it felt like he already knew her. His intensity frightened Sam as much as it tempted her.
He’s dangerous.
Sam repeated those words in her head as she waded through the crowded Undercity streets in search of work. She almost hadn’t gone out; the thought of leaving had made her nauseous, but the thought of giving up, of acting like a coward, was more sickening still.
In a city filled with billions of people, Sam was just a speck of dust. She was lost, with no direction, no guidance, no friends, no family. But that didn’t mean there was no hope. There was a way forward, there was a future for her here somewhere. She just had to keep moving forward if she wanted to find it.
After three hours of wandering the streets, her feet were sore, and weariness weighed heavily upon her bruised body. Whether she wanted to or not, it seemed like she’d have little choice but to head home soon. That familiar discouragement began falling into place after another shopkeeper turned her away.
Until a female borian met Sam’s gaze and approached her.
Samantha froze, swallowing hard. The muscular borian was at least a head taller than her. The woman’s hair was weaved into countless thin braids that were pulled back and tied behind her head in a thick bundle, and her deeply tanned skin made her piercing blue eyes stand out. There was an intimidating intensity about the borian.
“I hear you’re looking for work,” the woman said in Universal Speech.
Samantha’s heart leapt. “Yes!”
“Good.” The borian grasped Sam’s wrist and all but dragger her into a nearby booth; Sam had to jog to keep up with the woman’s longer stride.
Once they were inside the booth, the borian released Samantha and turned to face her. “Today only. That spawn of a skek left me to run the kitchen by myself.” She pointed toward the back of the enclosed booth. “You wash and clean as I cook. Understood?”
Sam smiled and nodded. Even if it was only for a day, it was more than she’d expected. It was a start. “Got it.”
The day flew by at a hectic pace. The borian, Sarai, took orders and cooked with speed and confidence, multitasking effortlessly. Sam scrubbed every pot, pan, skillet, plate, and utensil that was brought to her, kept all the counters clean, and mopped the floor several times to keep it free of grease and bits of food.
The work was demanding. Samantha’s breaks were barely long enough to catch her breath, and by the time Sarai closed the booth, Sam was close to collapsing.
But it was fulfilling work.
She helped Sarai straighten up and prep for the next day. When they were done, the borian grinned and slapped Samantha on the back, nearly knocking her over.
“You did well, terran!” Sarai eyed Samantha critically. “Your size is deceiving. In truth, I did not expect you to keep up. You surprised me.”
Samantha smiled. Were her cheeks not already flushed from exertion, she was certain they’d be red from the praise. “Thanks for giving me the chance, Sarai.”
Sarai grunted and plucked something from her apron. “Here.”
Sam extended her hand, and the borian dropped a credit chip onto her waiting palm. It didn’t matter how much was on it. She closed her fingers around the chip and held it to her chest as an immense sense of accomplishment swept through her. “Thank you. Thank you so much. ”
Sarai arched a thick, black brow. “Never seen anyone so happy to wash dishes.”
“I just… You have no idea how much it means to me. That you gave me a chance. It’s…it’s been hard.”
The borian woman stared at Samantha silently for a moment before she patted Sam’s back, softer than before. “It’s rough down here, but you have strength, terran. Here.” Sarai turned, picked up a food container, and held it out to Samantha. “You earned it.”
Samantha accepted the box; it was warm, and wisps of steam drifted out through the tiny gaps beneath the lid. “Thank you, Sarai.”
The borian grunted and turned away, but not before Sam caught a change of color on her cheeks. “Now go home. And watch your back.”
Samantha left the food booth feeling better than she had since arriving in Arthos. It gave her hope that there were others out there like Sarai, others willing to give her a shot.
Alkorin came to mind on the heels of that thought.
But don’t mistake me for a hero; I’ve not acted selflessly tonight.
He’d been kind, yet by his own admission, he’d not helped without expecting something in return. But what did she have to offer? What could he possibly want from her?
You’re beautiful, Samantha, and I find myself eager to be in your company.
Biting the inside of her lower lip, Samantha clutched the food container closer to her chest. There was nothing special about her. How could someone like him find her beautiful? She was…
Worthless. Weak.
Sam quickly silenced that voice, locking it in the depths of her mind .
Thankfully, she made it back to her apartment complex without trouble. She’d kept to the outskirts of the crowds, avoided open alleyways, and checked her surroundings frequently; she wouldn’t forget the lessons of the previous day.
She entered the building and took the elevator up to her floor, standing against the back wall and avoiding eye contact with the other passengers who came and went.
Once the elevator reached her destination, Samantha slipped out. She crept to the corner of the elevator space, which was offset from the main hallway, took in a deep breath, and leaned forward to peek into the corridor.
Rakkob stood outside his apartment, speaking to an unfamiliar azhera.
Samantha straightened.
Damnit!
Just need to move fast, ignore him, and get inside. I’m not going to let him ruin my day.
Wrapping her arms securely around the food box, Samantha slouched down, bowed her head, and turned the corner. She walked swiftly toward her apartment, keeping close to the wall.
“Little terran!” Rakkob boomed as she neared.
Of course it was too much to hope that he wouldn’t notice me.
Grinning, he stepped away from the doorway of his apartment and approached her. He extended an arm and placed his hand against the wall in front of Sam as though to block her path. “Look here, Cida. Didn’t I tell you a pretty terran lived here?”
The azhera turned and settled his orange eyes on Sam. He made a rumbling sound in his chest.
Samantha didn’t slow; she ducked beneath Rakkob’s arm and hurried to her door. Before she could raise her ID chip to the scanner, Rakkob caught her wrist in a vise-like grip. She released a startled breath and nearly dropped her food as he yanked her closer. A sweet, smoky scent wafted from him.
Rakkob leaned down until he was eye level with her. His grin was gone, having been replaced by a scowl. “It’s rude to ignore someone talking to you. Didn’t they teach you that where you come from?”
“Let me go,” Samantha said quietly.
He tightened his grip on her wrist; much more pressure, and her bones would snap. “I don’t think I will.”
Cida leaned closer and sniffed, his cat-like nostrils flaring. “She smells good beneath the stench of food.”
“Perhaps a taste, then?” Rakkob said, bringing her hand to his mouth.
Samantha smashed the box of food into his face. Rakkob released his hold on her and reeled back, throwing his hands up to grab the container. It was enough of an opening for Samantha to dash to the door, scan her ID chip, and get inside. She slapped the interior control and looked up to see Rakkob’s furious expression—with bits of food clinging to his face—as he lunged at her.
The door slid shut just before he could cross the threshold.
He slammed into the other side, producing a heavy, metallic clunk , and Sam leapt away.
“You’ll pay for that, terran ji’tas !” Rakkob yelled over Cida’s laughter.
Samantha stood, trembling, as the cren pounded the door—it felt like hours passed, but it couldn’t have been more than a minute before he gave up.
“What am I going to do now?” she asked herself quietly.
Rakkob was pissed, and he didn’t strike her as the kind to keep his hands to himself even when he was calm .
If you need anything, Samantha, do not hesitate to contact me.
She looked down at her holocom.
Anything.
Had Alkorin meant it?
No, she couldn’t bother him. He hadn’t really meant for her to call him for anything, it was nothing more than politeness. Just an attempt to make her feel a little better before he moved on with his life.
You’re beautiful, Samantha, and I find myself eager to be in your company.
Those words replayed over and over inside her head, with one sticking out more than the rest.
Beautiful .
But I’m not. I’m not…beautiful.
And yet the way he’d looked at her as he said it almost made her believe it was true.
After a final glance at the front door, she turned toward the rest of her apartment. It was a simple unit, with the living room, bedroom, and kitchen contained within one space. Only the bathroom was a separate room.
Sam was exhausted, but she was also starving. She walked to the kitchen and opened a cupboard, pulling out a wrapped food tray. Placing the tray on the counter, she stared down at it for a few seconds before releasing a sigh.
“So much for the food Sarai gave me,” she muttered, but her lips tilted up into a smirk as she recalled the bits of vegetable clinging to Rakkob’s eyebrows. “Serves him right.”
She unwrapped the tray, slid it into the heating unit, and started the device. As she waited for the food, her eyes strayed again to her holocom. Turning her arm, she brushed a finger along the inside of her wrist. She could almost imagine the feel of Alkorin’s touch .
The heating unit beeped, snapping her back to reality.
Stop it! Stop doing this to yourself.
She removed the food tray, sat down at the small table, and stared blankly at the floor as the food cooled. Once she was sure it wouldn’t scald her mouth, she ate; she barely tasted anything.
Several times, she caught herself glancing at her holocom. It was as though the device called to her subconscious.
No, it wasn’t the holocom. He called to her. The alien with hypnotic, glowing eyes—three eyes, how crazy was that?—horns, a tail, and one hell of a sexy body.
“And what would I say? Oh, hi, remember me? The pathetic human who cried all over your masculine chest?”
Samantha huffed and shoved the half-eaten tray away. Scooting her chair back, she stood and walked to the bathroom. She stripped along the way, tossing her filthy, grease-spattered clothing onto the floor.
She stopped in the bathroom doorway and looked back at her discarded clothes. Her fingers twitched with the urge to pick them up. The mess was so minor, so insignificant, but it would have been a massive issue while she was with James.
Locking her legs in place, she drew in a deep breath. She didn’t have to pick them up now. This was her life. She was in control, not him. If she wanted to leave her dirty shirt on the floor for a day, a week, for the whole damned year, it was her choice.
Samantha faced forward, entered the bathroom, and took a hot shower, relishing the soothing feel of water cascading over her aching body. Her mind summoned images of Alkorin every time she saw the holocom on her wrist.
While she’d worked with Sarai, she’d been too distracted to think about him, but now, with nothing else to occupy her thoughts…he was all she could think about. Worse, her body reacted to those mental images; the memory of his touch, however innocent it may have been, created a new ache inside her.
After her shower, she hurriedly dried off, threw on an oversized shirt, brushed her hair, and checked her palms. Looking at her hands now, no one ever could’ve guessed they’d been scraped to all hell the day before. As basic as this apartment was, the first-aid kit contained some pretty amazing supplies. Too bad there wasn’t a full-body salve she could slather on to heal her numerous bruises.
Sam exited the bathroom, turned down the lights, and crawled into bed. Once she’d settled down, she stared up at the ceiling. Despite weariness creeping in from all sides, she lay awake and restless for some time. Eventually, she turned onto her side and stretched, extending one arm in front of her.
Her eyes fell on the holocom, and she frowned.
What if he really had been serious about her calling if she needed anything? Wouldn’t it be stupid not to take him up on that offer? Rakkob wasn’t going to leave her alone. If anything, he was more likely to seek her out and harass her. She’d gone well beyond ignoring him now.
She’d smashed greasy food into his face.
What would it hurt to call Alkorin? The worst he could do was say he didn’t remember her.
Sam rolled onto her stomach. Her hair fell around her face as she activated her holocom, bringing up the control screen. She unlocked it and went into her contacts.
Her heart quickened.
“This is dumb. He was just being polite. He doesn’t actually want to talk to me.”
Arcanthus’s fingers flew through commands as he pieced together a profile for the identification chip he was working on. Despite the distractions that had risen over the last few days, he’d managed to bury himself in his work, his state of focus enhanced by the almost total silence of his workshop. Even the tanks on the walls were quieted thanks to the sound dampening fields he’d enabled.
So, when his holocom chimed with an incoming call, its sound was more like a grenade detonating beside his ear than a gentle alert. He jumped up with enough force to hurt his tail—which caught on the top of the cutout in his chair—and came down hard on the cushion.
He grimaced. “Fuck!”
Heart pounding and jaw clenched, he released a heavy breath through his nostrils. He was annoyed at both himself and his people. He’d told them no interruptions until he stated otherwise, save for those concerning Samantha. But Kiloq and Koroq had been sending him information via text, not through calls.
Without looking, he brushed a finger over the holocom’s activation button to connect the call.
“What is it?” he demanded.
“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called,” said a soft, feminine voice before the call went dead.
Arcanthus froze. For a moment, it was difficult to breathe, and the thumping of his heart echoed in his ears. He turned his head to look down at his holocom. Its display was inactive.
Maybe I’m overworking. Pushed myself to the point of auditory hallucinations.
It couldn’t have been Samantha calling him; she seemed much too timid for that. She’d been genuinely grateful for his help last night, but she’d also been frightened of his closeness, embarrassed by his offers of further assistance. His plan had been to allow her a couple days before arranging another chance meeting.
Frowning, he pulled up the communication log from his holocom on one of his desk screens. Samantha Dawn Wilder was listed as the most recent incoming call. He’d entered her information into his system when he’d first found her file, a pesky fact of which she never needed to learn.
He reached forward to initiate another call only to stop when he realized how he’d greeted her.
“Shit. That wasn’t my finest moment, was it?”
Sighing, he raked his fingers through his hair, tugging the long strands back, and initiated the call.
Soft notes played as the system sought a connection, waiting for her to accept. He’d never been so impatient for that sound to end. Seconds passed, each feeling longer than the last, and he dipped his chin, cursing himself for a fool. She’d reached out to him—a wholly unexpected move—and he’d scared her away.
The soft notes ended, and Arcanthus thought the call had disconnected until he heard her voice.
“Hi.”
Arcanthus straightened in his chair. “Samantha?”
She sounded surprised when she said, “You remembered me.”
He grinned. If he’d not had work to do, he’d likely have spent every moment thinking about her today—he nearly had, even with that workload. “I don’t see how it’d be possible to forget you, little terran.”
“I…I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“You don’t need to. I didn’t think you would call. Is everything all right?”
“Is it a bad time? I don’t want to disturb you. You sounded— ”
“Irritated?” He chuckled.
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry about that. Like I said, I didn’t expect you to call, so I assumed it was one of my employees contacting me even though I asked not to be disturbed. Had I been smart enough to look before I answered, I’d have spoken in a far more pleasant tone.”
“You don’t mind me calling you, then?”
“The only thing I would rather be doing right now is seeing you, Samantha.” He leaned back in his chair and lifted one leg, settling his ankle over his opposite knee.
“You could,” she said, and, after a gasp, hurried to add, “I mean that the holocoms have that option, not that that we needed to meet up, but… I mean, we could if you wanted and…” She groaned, and her next words were slightly muffled, as though she were covering her mouth. “Oh, I’m babbling.”
Fully aware of his state of dress—he wore only a loincloth, which would be below the optical receptor—Arcanthus moved his hands behind his head, locked his fingers together, and curled his long tail forward, flicking the command to enable image sharing.
“You’re…oh.” A moment later, Samantha’s image appeared in front of him. “Oh!”
She stared at him, wide-eyed, with her long brown hair hanging loose around her face. One of her shoulders was bare. She lay on her front atop a bed, the blanket rumpled around her, with the fabric clenched in one fist.
Arc’s grin widened; not only was her exposed shoulder more than he’d seen of her body thus far—the most tantalizing bit of flesh he’d ever seen—but she was in bed, in the dark. A wave of desire coursed through his veins, making his cock stir. “Handsome? Ravishing? Enticing? Please, stop me, or I’ll go on for a long while…and I’d much rather talk about you . ”
Her eyes dipped, and interest sparked within them.
“Gorgeous…” she breathed, then quickly covered her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.”
“I can. What’s harder to believe is that you seem unaware of your own beauty.”
She lowered her hand to the bedding. Her pink lips fell into a frown as she looked away. “You don’t need to lie to me, Alkorin.”
Dropping his raised foot to the floor, Arc leaned closer to the optical receptor and propped his elbows on the desk . “Look at me, Samantha.”
She hesitated but did as he asked.
“I’ve told many lies in my time. I cannot deny that. Truth has not always been my friend. But when I say this to you, it is meant with more sincerity than I can rightly express: you are the most beautiful female I have ever seen.”
Samantha ducked her head, and her hair shifted to partly shield her face from view. “I really don’t know what to say around you.”
He shrugged, forcing his arms to remain on the desk; his urge to reach toward her image was a foolish one, and it would only disappoint him when his fingers passed through the hologram. He wanted to show her just how beautiful she was. He wanted to touch her.
“You can say anything you want, Samantha.”
“It felt easier before. When…when you couldn’t see me. Or, at least, I thought it was easier. But…” Her gaze returned to him. “I like seeing you.”
“If one of us is going to be self-conscious, shouldn’t it be me? I’m underdressed for the conversation, it would seem.”
“I’m…not wearing much else, either,” she replied, cheeks turning red .
One corner of his mouth tilted farther upward. “I just learned something new about you, Samantha.”
“What did you learn?”
“That you enjoy teasing me.”
“That I—? I was just—” She covered her face and lowered it into the bedding. Her new position gave Arcanthus a fleeting glimpse of the curve of her lush bottom, clad in the white fabric of her underwear.
Arcanthus caught his lower lip between his teeth and only held in a groan by exerting all his willpower. The tip of his cock extruded farther out of his slit, straining painfully against his loincloth’s under wrapping.
Whether it was intentional or not—and it really didn’t seem to be—she was teasing him. And it was the most exquisite torture he’d ever experienced.
But it was too much. If this continued, he would either scare her away or become aroused to the point at which he’d be unable to control himself. He doubted she would appreciate him stroking his shaft in front of her.
Though, based on the heat that had been in her gaze when it trailed over his bare chest…perhaps she would appreciate it.
Finesse, Arcanthus. This requires finesse.
“You never answered me before, little terran,” he said. “ Is everything all right?”
Samantha raised her head and ran a hand through her hair, pulling the strands back and to the sides. She lowered her brows as a troubled gleam entered her eyes. Arcanthus was instantly on guard, curling his fingers into fists. He knew without her saying anything that she’d had another unpleasant encounter.
“I…don’t really have the means, and I don’t know my way around the city, but I was hoping that you, or maybe somebody you know, could, well, take me on a tour of the surface? I…real ly don’t want to travel alone. I know it’s a lot for me to ask, and I completely understand if you say no because you’re busy—”
“Tomorrow.”
She drew her head back slightly, confusion wrinkling her brow. “What?”
“I will pick you up tomorrow, Samantha. Will the morning work? Whatever is morning to you, I mean.”
“Wait. You will ?”
He leaned his chin on one of his hands and grinned. “I’m a fool, but not so much of one as to pass up a chance to spend time with you.”
She blushed again; this time, it was accompanied by the hint of a smile on her pink lips. “I’d…like to see you too. In person, I mean.”
“Good. I’ll send a message before I leave.”
Her smile strengthened, shining in her eyes. It completely transformed her—for the duration of that smile, Arcanthus saw the vibrant, carefree female trapped in the prison of self-doubt and timidity she seemed to have constructed around herself. And she was breathtaking.
“Okay,” she said. “Goodnight, Alkorin.”
“Goodnight, Samantha. Dream of me. I’ll be dreaming of you.”
Her cheeks reddened further before she ended the connection.
Arcanthus sagged back in the chair, licked his lips, and finally released the groan that had been building in his chest. He dropped a hand to his pelvis and pressed down on his throbbing cock, which his loincloth could no longer hold back. His tail flicked back and forth over the floor.
“How am I going to show her around the surface with this jutting out the entire time? ”
He grinned to himself; there were far worse problems to have.
Less than a minute later, the rear entry door—designed to blend seamlessly into the wall when shut—slid open, and Drakkal strode in.
“I said I wasn’t to be disturbed,” Arcanthus said.
“Since when do I take orders from you?” Drakkal stopped beside Arc’s chair.
“I suppose I’m going to have to start restricting access to those doors in defense of my privacy.”
“Whatever, sedhi. There’s talk on the streets that someone’s planning a big smuggling job. Might have a lot of business about to come our—”
Drakkal’s words faltered when he glanced down at Arcanthus. “Why are you grinning like that?” His eyes dipped lower. “And why are you fondling yourself? You’re supposed to be working .”
Arc didn’t move his hand. “Would you like me to work , Drakkal?”
“Just because your arms are made of metal doesn’t mean I can’t tear them off.”
Snickering, Arcanthus moved his arms to the armrests of the chair, his cock thankfully retreating into his slit. The interruption had been enough to kill the mood. “I was hard at work. It’s only recently that I was diverted by a delectable distraction.”
Drakkal sighed and rolled his eyes. “The terran?”
“You know me so well. I’ll be taking her to the upper city tomorrow to show her the bountiful wonders.”
Drakkal growled. “Arcanthus, did we or did we not just have a talk about this?”
“Relax, Drak. I’ll be safe the entire time. ”
“Why, because you’re going to be careful? I don’t think you even know what that word means.”
“Careful? Me?” Arcanthus scoffed. “I’ll be safe because you are coming with me.”
Drakkal’s darkening expression only made Arcanthus’s grin stretch wider.
“You will have the honor of being my driver tomorrow, azhera,” Arc said.
Nostrils flaring and fur bristling, Drakkal asked through bared fangs, “Have I ever told you how much I hate you?”
“You have, but we both know it’s not true.” Arcanthus turned back to the screens on his desk. “Now get out. I have work to do, and you’re distracting me.”