Free Temporal Shift (Entangled Select Otherworld) by Nina Croft

not?”
    She gave her companion a last long look and stepped toward him. “Let’s go then.”
    “Saffira.” Thorne spoke her name and she twisted to look back at him.
    “What?”
    “Remember what I told you?”
    She grinned, suddenly looking younger. “I always remember. Just sometimes I choose to ignore you.”
    He shook his head.
    “So what did he tell you?” Devlin asked as they entered the transporter bubble. “Docking bay,” he murmured.
    “He told me that I should play hard to get. That men get a little scared if a woman comes on to them.”
    His lips twitched. “I’m not scared.”
    “Maybe you should be,” she muttered.
    He looked down at her, a long way down. “Of a little thing like you?”
    She cocked her head to one side and studied him. “Do you always judge a person by their size? Is bigger always stronger, better?””
    “Not better, no. Stronger, usually.”
    The doors opened onto the docking bay, and he headed across to where an impressive array of shuttles stood in neat lines. Shuttles of every size, from one-man capsules to vessels almost as big as the old Blood Hunter .
    “There are so many,” Saffira murmured from beside him. She was looking in awe.
    “This ship was designed by Callum, and you could say no expense was spared.”
    “You don’t like him, do you?”
    Devlin thought for a second, which brought him up short. A month back, he wouldn’t have hesitated. Did he hate Callum? “I hate what he represents. I hate the Collective and the fact that for political expediency they allowed my family to be slaughtered.”
    “They did?”
    “Didn’t you learn that in your history lessons? The Collective downgraded all genetically modified organisms to animal status. That allowed the Church to kill us without repercussions.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be—it’s history. But as to Callum Meridian—the man. No, I don’t hate him. He’s made mistakes, but who hasn’t? And he’s a lazy egotistical bastard who thinks just because he’s the Leader of the Goddamn Universe he has the right to tell people what to do.”
    She smiled. “Doesn’t he? I suppose someone has to. Is that what you’d like if your rebels win? To rule the universe.”
    “Hell, no.”
    “So what do you want?”
    He shifted, uncomfortable at the direction of the conversation. Rico had once warned him that it was a mistake to make his whole life about revenge. That there were only two possible outcomes. Either he failed and was basically fucked, or he succeeded and was left with no purpose, no life, no nothing—basically fucked. Devlin reckoned it was official—he was fucked. Win or lose, there was no future for him. He was too damaged by hate. And maybe too much of a coward to ever try to get close to anybody again when he’d lost everyone he’d ever loved. He looked up to find her watching him, her brows drawn together in a frown, as though she was trying to work out what made him tick. He could have told her. Hate, rage, the need for revenge. “I want to destroy the Church and kill the man who murdered my brother. After that…” He had no clue. “So what about you—do you plan to rule if your little rebellion wins?”
    “No. If we succeed, we will get the planet we always dreamed of. And Thorne will lead us as he should have done all those years ago. And I’ll…” she shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends… But first we have to win.”
    She looked so earnest and sure, her eyes glowing with passion. He dropped his gaze, lingering on the swell of her breasts under the horrible jumpsuit. She had beautiful breasts, full and firm and… He shook himself as his dick twitched, reminding him that he was still horny as hell. Maybe they could have a quickie in the shuttle.
    He raised his eyes and found her giving him a strange look. Perhaps it was time to change the subject before she got back onto that weird time travel shit again. “Come on, let’s find your transport.” How quick would