And you have shown that you can fight, she continued. But I need to make sure this mission is a success. Not just for the sake of her reputation, but for the cause for which she fought.
We all have something at stake. Even though she had been raking him over the plasma coils, his voice held surprising gentleness. Black Wraiths are the 8 thWings best weapon. None of us can afford to lose them. The whole resistance is counting on us.
She blew out a breath. Oh, when you say it like that, I dont know why I should be worried.
His chuckle held low warmth. No pressure.
She couldnt stop her answering smile, but when she glanced over at him, his laugh faded and he lookedstunned.
What?
He shook his head, and returned his attention back to the tracking screen.
Calder, tell me.
This is strange, he finally admitted. Me, sitting here in a Phantom cockpit with the famous hero Lieutenant Celene Jur.
Oh, gods, this again.
No one can outfly you, he continued, or best you at shooting. They say you once took out six PRAXIS Wasps on your own.
Seven, actually. It wouldve been eight, but the fucker crashed his own ship into an asteroid as he tried to get away.
He shook his head. Youre legendary. Idolized. And here I am, your partner on a maximum-level priority mission. His laugh was rueful. Never thought that when I finally talked to you, it would be under these circumstances.
You thought about talking to me?
He blushed again. Celene had never imagined shed find a man who blushed attractive, preferring to keep company with men who were just as outspoken and brash as she, fellow hotshot pilots who bragged and liked to show off. Practically everyone in the Black Wraith Squad fit that description. A bunch of loud-mouthed swaggerers. Her included. They boasted to one another about being in command at all times, dominating any situation. At least among her fellow Black Wraith pilots, no one considered her to be a living legend. She was a friend, and they were her friends.
Which didnt translate to satisfying romantic relationships. Kell was proof of that.
She now looked at Lieutenant Nils Calder. There was something endearing about his flushed cheeks, as if he couldnt control his responseto her.
Perhaps once or twice, he muttered. I cant remember. It isnt important.
Seems pretty important to me.
The tracking device needs further enhancement. He surged to his feet and moved out of the cockpit, into the main body of the ship. Leaving her alone and bewildered at the controls.
Gods, did Calder have a crush on her? If he did, that might explain his blushes, his awkwardness when they came into close contact. She didnt know whether to be amused, flattered or horrified. He wasnt unattractive; far from it. And if he could solve complex engineering conundrums, imagine what he might do if he set his inventive mind toward seduction.
But it was another case of someone wanting Stainless Jur. Not Celene. She was just as fallible as any organic creature.
At some point on this mission, just like all the men with whom she had tried to get close, Calder was going to discover that the hero he venerated was only a woman.
By tacit agreement, neither of them spoke about their earlier conversation. When Calder returned to the cockpit, sliding his long body into the seat beside hers, she made sure not to stare at himthough it was something of a challenge. Something about the way in which he inhabited his physicality, as if learning and testing its limits, captivated her attention. He reminded her of a siyahwolf raised in captivity, finally released into the wild. What might he do, when he learned the full measure of his strength?
Right now, all his energy was focused on tracking the power signature. Its getting stronger. Still too far away to calculate its exact position, but we are headed in the right direction.
Distance?
He shook his head. Unknown. Could be a matter of a few days, at least.
Terrific. Nervous energy hummed along her body. She didnt realize that she was tapping her hand against the controls until Calder placed his hand over hers. His touch came as a surprise, the feel of his large, warm hand covering her sending a visceral jolt through her.
Throttle down, Jur, he murmured, or youll burn your engines out too soon.
Tough for me to sit still if Im not on patrol or in combat. Bad habit.
He raised his brows. Stainless Jur doesnt have any bad habits.
Damn, it was starting already. Soon he would discover she was not the paragon everyone imagined her to be, and then hed be another man looking at her in angry disappointment.
Stainless Jur has none. She tugged her hand free. I have plenty.
He shifted back, his expression distant, and then he returned his focus to the tracking screen.
They flew on in tense wordlessness. He did not look at her with veneration. He did not look at her at all.
Celene knew silence. Shed flown enough patrols to grow used to it. Chatter between ships had to be kept to a minimum in case the frequencies were monitored. A Wraith usually held a lone pilot, but it could also be configured to accommodate a gunner. Even when her ship contained herself and another, they talked infrequently, for security purposes. It was an easy silence.