“Because he has bigger guns?”
She snorted. “Because he doesn’t fear using them.”
Shade felt sweat prick the back of his neck. For fuck’s sake, they’d been in the cruiser for five minutes, and she already had him talking like a Nightchaser.
He tried to steer the conversation to safer territory. “The Overseer brought order.”
“The Overseer broughtmurder, and I’ll jump out of this boat right now if you start trying to convince me otherwise.”
Shade blew out a breath. This wasn’t a path he’d wanted to go down with her tonight. He already understood that she was radical to the core. “You do realize that most people would report you for a statement like that?”
“Are you most people?” she challenged, facing him straight on.
He hoped not. He sure as hell didn’t want to be. “You got a parachute?” he teased, since she’d just threatened to jump out.
She didn’t look impressed.
“I control the locks, Ms. Bailey.”
Her chin went up. “I can override any lock.”
Interesting tidbit. Was that how she stole the good stuff? “Since the locking mechanism is on my side, good luck overriding me first,” Shade said.
Her eyes narrowed as her razor-sharp gaze shifted over the lighted panels. Her mouth thinned, and shehmphed.
Shade grinned. This was turning fun again.
Tess had spirit. She made every sentence feel like a dare—like she was daring him to be different. To be more. He’d wanted more from the women he’d dated in the last decade, but all he’d found were people trying so hard to conform that they’d left him feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. Even in private, no one was willing to make a ripple for fear of where that wave might wash up—and who it could drag under. He didn’t blame them, but there was nothing exciting about it, especially in bed. The galactic ideal was boring as fuck.
Tess finally grinned back. “You’re just trying to rile me up.”
“Guilty,” he said with a wink, although that hadn’t been entirely it.
The city disappeared behind them, giving way to green fields and then to a tangle of foliage. They flew over the forest, and Tess inched away from the window while still avidly staring down. She looked like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to jump in with both feet or run away screaming. It was cute.
“We have dragons,” Shade said, nodding toward the darkening treetops. “That’s where they live.”
She gasped, and her head whipped around. “What? Really?”
Damn. He couldn’t help smiling again. “Just kidding.”
“Why would you do that?” Tess’s hand snapped out and thumped him hard across the chest. “Dragons don’t exist.”
His lips twitched. “Maybe they did—at one point.”
She shook her head. “Next you’ll be telling me there are mermaids in your ocean.”
Shade sighed. “Ah, wouldn’t that be nice. I’d come to the beach every day, if that were the case.”
He thought she mutteredmenunder her breath.
Tess looked like she was having fun again. So was he. That was a problem—and yet he didn’t want it to stop.
The cruiser’s com buzzed, and Shade glanced at the caller ID. His pulse surged. Solan and Raquel.
He reached over and rejected the communication.
“Do you need to answer that?” Tess asked.
