Drakkal furrowed his brow and tilted his head. “Callingwhatshit?”
Shay straightened in her seat, keeping her narrowed eyes locked with his. “You might have a friend who’s good with computers, but you’re not working for some standup security firm. You weren’t at Murgen’s talking about security, you were selling him an ID chip. If you want my trust, lies are not going to win it.”
He leaned farther forward, settling more weight onto his elbows, and lowered his voice. “And I’m going to guess you weren’t exactly legitimate before you wound up in his basement.”
She eased closer until their faces were only a handspan apart. “Yeah. Been there, done that, and I’m tired of being hurt and getting backstabbed. I’m not going down that road again.”
“This isn’t like that, Shay.”
“That’s what everyone says. I’m not getting involved in that life again, not when I have someone who’ll be depending on me.”
She scooted across the seat as though to exit the booth.
Drakkal extended a hand, catching her wrist before she could get up. She whipped her face toward him, lips pressed tight.
“It’snotlike that,” he said firmly. “This isn’t some street gang…bulkshit, or whatever shit you said before. I trust everyone there with my life. I won’t lie to you and say I haven’t done terrible things, Shay, but we’re not bad people.”
The muscles in her arm relaxed as she lowered herself onto the seat. “Are you going to be truthful with me?”
He couldn’t bring himself to release her arm, not yet; there seemed too great a chance of her running, and he didn’t want to chase her through the city again. “Yes, but not here. Ithink you know certain matters are best not discussed in public.”
She searched his face before finally saying, “At my place then. After we leave here. But all I’m agreeing to is hearing you out, that clear?”
Drakkal released her arm, but before he could answer, a tall, pointy-eared borian arrived at their table with a large tray full of food. When the borian let go of the tray, it hovered in the air beside him. He quickly transferred the plates of steaming food from the tray, along with a pitcher of water and two glasses, to the table.
Shay’s attention shifted to the meal; she didn’t notice the borian staring at her, didn’t notice the hungry light in his eyes.
Drakkal couldn’t notice anythingbutthe light in the borian’s eyes.
“Can I get you anything else?” the borian asked in accented Universal Speech. He didn’t look away from Shay.
“No,” Drakkal growled.
The borian swayed a little closer to Shay, brows falling low.
Shay, oblivious, shoved one of the fried glehorn strips into her mouth and moaned as she leaned back in her seat, arms going slack at her sides. Closing her eyes, she chewed slowly. “So. Damn.Good.”
The server bowed, his lips stretching into a wide grin. “I’m glad everything is to the female’s liking. If she would?—”
Utensils clattered as Drakkal closed his cybernetic hand around the blade of one of the knives, finally drawing the borian’s attention.
Drakkal squeezed the blade between his metal fingers and snarled, “Go.” When he opened his hand, the knife—now twisted and warped into an unidentifiable shape—dropped to the tablewith a clatter.
“Yes sir, sorry sir,” the borian said hurriedly before snatching the tray out of the air and quickly retreating.
Once the server had vanished through the kitchen doors, Drakkal carefully settled his prosthetic hand on the table and turned his head to face Shay again.
She was still chewing, but her eyes were upon him now, sparkling with humor that mirrored her crooked grin. She swallowed the food in her mouth. “Feisty kitty.”
Despite the agitation of a moment ago, Drakkal smirked. “I broke the arm of the last person who called mefeisty kitty.”
Shay chuckled. “Yeah, but you didn’t threaten to break my arm. You threatened to eat me.”
“It wasn’t a threat, terran. It was a promise.”
She slid her plate closer and skewered a chunk of meat with a knife, lips curling into a teasing smile. Just before she took a bite, she said, “I know.”
This female is going to drive me to madness.