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,notbecause 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, brows 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 ofShay’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?”