Temporal Shift (Entangled Select Otherworld) by Nina Croft Page B

guessing not.”
    There wasn’t really anything she could say to that. So she shrugged. “He gave me ice cream.”
    Rico’s smile widened. “He knows how to impress a girl, our Devlin.”
    “Piss off,” Devlin growled.
    Were they the most frequently spoken words on the Blood Hunter ? Saffira was guessing so. She dragged her gaze from Devlin and searched the room for Thorne, found him leaning against the far wall, arms folded across his chest watching everybody, his expression blank. He caught her gaze and nodded.
    “Excuse me,” she murmured and headed on over.
    “Are you all right?” he asked, scrutinizing her features.
    “Of course I’m all right. Perfectly all right, and my virginity is still intact if that’s what you want to know.” She sounded grumpy, but then, she felt grumpy.
    A smile flickered across his face, rare amusement flashing in his eyes. Thorne was way too serious. “Good,” he said. “The man’s dangerous.”
    She frowned. “Why? And is he any more dangerous than the others?” She thought they all seemed pretty dangerous, except maybe Daisy.
    “Because he’s driven by hate and rage. He wants revenge more than he wants anything else—including you.”
    She knew that. She’d sensed his emotions. But people could change.
    “Besides,” Thorne continued, “You don’t have a hankering to get into anyone else’s pants—”
    “Thorne!”
    “You know, it’s been a long time for me, but I do remember that it’s not good to be quite so obvious.”
    “Obvious?” she snapped.
    “You’re positively salivating every time you look at him. Maybe you should try to be a little more…hard to get.”
    “I know you—you’d like me to play so hard to get that I never get got. Besides, I’m not sure I should be taking relationship advice from someone who hasn’t gotten laid in nearly ten thousand years.”
    He grinned at her reply.
    She loved this man. She’d been taken away from her own parents when she was born, and Thorne had taken care of her since. He loved her too, at least she had always presumed he did, though Thorne wasn’t one for flowery words. But he had her best interests at heart, even if his first call was to their cause.
    “Maybe so,” he said. “But we need to stay focused. You can’t afford to be distracted right now.”
    He was right. But she also knew that Devlin had a part to play in the past as well as the future. She just couldn’t see it clearly right now. A stab of pain in her forehead reminded her of the vision tugging at her mind. She rubbed the spot between her brows to ease the tension. Thorne’s eyes sharpened on her. “Are you okay?”
    She nodded. “Yes, but we need to get to the Keep and soon.”
    “A vision?”
    “A whopper.” And it had to do with the Blood Hunter . “They can’t leave, Thorne. We need them.”
    “Are you sure? You’re not letting your interest in the man influence you?”
    “Maybe, but he has a part to play too. And I’m as sure as I’ve ever been.”
    He nodded once. “Let’s hope they cooperate, then.”
    “And if not?”
    “We’ll find a way to persuade them.”
    She bit her lip. “I’d prefer their voluntary cooperation if possible.”
    “I’ll try my best to be nicely persuasive.” He gave her a wolfish grin. “I can be nice.”
    “Hmmm.” Sometimes it was hard to remember that Thorne was the oldest and most powerful of the Others. That if he’d wanted to he could probably annihilate this whole ship with a thought. But it was probably best to keep quiet about that for now. Someone clapped their hands behind her and she turned. Tannis had risen to her feet and stood in the center of the room.
    “Can we get on with this?” she said. “Because, personally, I would like to see the back of this shithole.” She rubbed her head. “I am so not happy with the fact that those assholes can zap my brain anytime they like.”
    That didn’t sound too hopeful.
    “So, Devlin,” Tannis continued, “How’s