Excerpt of Temporal Shift by Nina Croft

“I see time, the past and the present, glimpses of possible
futures.”

“Of course you do,” Devlin muttered. She was obviously not
quite right in the brain. That was no doubt why she needed a
protector. Her lips twitched. So she found him funny, did
she? “What is it you want with us?”

“I need you to help me save my people. And…” She cast a
quick glance at her companion and her lips twitched again.
“And I want you to be my lover.”

Had he heard her right? “Come again?”

She stared into his eyes, and he couldn’t look away. “I’ve
seen us together. In the future we are lovers.”

Someone snorted. Devlin finally tore his gaze from her to
where Rico lounged in the open doorway. “Your reaction
wasn’t very flattering, Starke. I’d take her up on the offer
if I were you. You’ve been a little tense lately.”

“Fuck off,” Devlin snarled. He didn’t mind a quick
post-fight shag, but he wasn’t signing on to be anyone’s
preordained fucking lover. No way. Anyway, he didn’t make
love. He had sex.

And did she really believe that crap?

She was staring at him expectantly. Just what exactly did
she want him to do? He glanced at Thorne, who stood beside
her, an expression of resignation on his face. Maybe he was
used to her making outrageous statements. Maybe that was why
she needed a protector, because she threw herself at any and
every available man. She’d fixed on him because no one else
was available. That was all it was. Maybe that’s how the two
of them worked. She drew in the men, lured them into a sense
of security with that lover crap and then they…

Then they did what?

He had no fucking clue.

“It’s true,” she murmured. “In the future, we are lovers.”

What was he supposed to say? He had no clue about that
either, so he kept his mouth shut.

Rico had no such problems. “How long in the future?” he
asked, strolling into the room.

Saffira turned to him, her eyes wary. “I don’t know.”

“Is it likely to be anytime soon?”

She shrugged. “The future is not set.”

He turned to Devlin. “You might want to go wash up, just to
be prepared. You’re a little…” He nodded at Devlin who
glanced down at himself. His clothes were stained with blood
from where he’d knifed one of the flying things.

Rico was trying to wind him up, and he refused to be wound.
“Can we get back to the fucking point here?”

“Good idea, lover boy,” Captain Tannis said as she entered
the room with Callum at her back. “Let’s get to the point.”

Callum followed her into the room and seated himself on one
of the huge chairs specifically designed with wings in mind.
“Why don’t we all sit down and we can find out what else our
visitors have to say aside from the fact that she wants to
screw Devlin. Which is a little worrying.” He studied
Saffira, his head cocked to one side and a small smile on
his face. “She doesn’t look deranged.”

“Ha, ha,” Devlin said and flung himself on a chair opposite.

Rico took the seat beside him and pulled a flask from his
inner pocket. “Here.” He handed it to Devlin. “You look like
you need a drink.”

Devlin unscrewed the top, took a large swallow, and nearly
choked. He wasn’t used to Rico’s whiskey yet, but it did
have a soothing effect on his nerves. Taking another gulp,
he settled back in his chair, let the warmth wash through
him. His gaze strayed to the girl. She was extraordinarily
pretty with that red hair and creamy skin. Perhaps he should
just accept it, go with the flow. Who was he to argue
against fate?