Temporal Shift (Entangled Select Otherworld) by Nina Croft Read Free Book Online Page B

silky soft. She closed her mouth. She was in danger of drooling. As his hand went to the weapons belt at his waist, she swallowed a gulp. He flicked the catch and tossed the belt onto the bed. His hand moved to the fastener of his pants and her gaze flew to his face.
    He was watching her. Again, she had an almost overwhelming urge to peek into his mind, get some sense of what he was feeling. If anything.
    Then a lazy smile curved the corners of his stern mouth and her breath hitched as she caught a glimpse of the man she knew so well.
    “Never seen a naked man before, little girl?”
    Her brows drew together at the “little girl,” but she managed a serene smile in return. “I’m twenty-one. And only you. And only in my dreams.”
    “Shit, not that crap again.” The smile vanished to be replaced by a scowl. His hand dropped and then came up to run through his hair. “I need that shower.”
    He turned, and she stared, fascinated, at his back. Faint but distinct black rings filled with gold covered the smooth expanse of skin. She itched with the need to trace those rosettes. He must be genetically modified. There were no GMs on the Espera . Probably because the colonists had been a breakaway group from the Church of Everlasting Life. But she knew from her history lessons that they existed. And how they had been persecuted by the Church. Was that the source of his bitterness? The key to understanding and ultimately healing this hard, damaged man?
    It gave them something in common. All her people were GMs now. Modified in some way by the DNA of the Old Ones.
    Before she could move toward him, he was gone, disappearing through another door opposite. “Feel free to go at any time.” His words just beat the closing door.
    Saffira sank down onto the bed behind her. Why couldn’t life be like her dreams? With every fiber of her being, she knew that she and Devlin were meant to be together. But he wasn’t what she’d expected.
    She rubbed her forehead where a vision poked little needles of pain into her skull. Most of the time they would haunt her in her sleep. But occasionally, one would come to her waking mind, prodding insistently until she allowed it to take over her conscious thoughts. Those were the strongest, the visions that held the most truth. Right now, one was hovering, wanting out. First, she needed to get to her sisters so they could help interpret what she saw. And tether her to the present if her mind wandered too deeply into another time.
    After tugging her ponytail free, she ran her fingers through her thick hair, trying to ease the ache. Should she leave? Go find Thorne? Tell him they needed to get to the Keep? And they needed the Blood Hunter to take them there. She was unclear what role the ship and her crew had to play in the prophecy, but she sensed they were vitally important.
    She glanced from the door where Devlin had disappeared to the other, which led out of the room. Forcing her feet toward the exit, she examined the door. There was no visible sign of how to open it. Devlin had spoken to it.
    “Open,” she said. Nothing happened. “Open.” Nothing. She tried pushing, sliding, finally kicking when nothing else worked. “Goddamn stupid door.”
    A chuckle came from behind her and she whirled around. Devlin stood just inside the room. He’d pulled on his pants but his feet and chest were bare. “You attacking my door?”
    She tore her gaze from his chest. “Stupid thing won’t open.”
    “No, it’s programmed to my voice.”
    “So why did you tell me to go?”
    That lazy smile curved his lips again. “I forgot.”
    He strolled toward her. There was something different about him. She couldn’t think what. Then it came to her—the tension was gone. Only now could she see how uptight he’d been. She wasn’t sure she liked the change. Or at least she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable with it. Before, she’d sensed his anger and rage, but she had never felt threatened by the emotions.