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"So funny?"

She was so surprised by the question that she turned to stare at Dev He was still looking at his datapad "How did you know?"

"I know"

In the apart more He wasn’t her friend - how could he be when he didn’t believe a word she said? But at thisnext to hiet to Dev The man obviously knew too much about it - he could outfreeze her any day of the week But laughterDev didn’t seeht be Psy, she’d found a vein of hu her voice "He keeps looking at that wo attention"

"Her na else on his datapad "There’s an open betting book at Shine on those two"

Curious, she waited for him to continue "What about?" she prodded when he didn’t

"When Tag’ll get up the guts to ask her out"

Blinking, she stared at the big, solid man with a face like stone "Your friend doesn’t see on the Psy Council without blinking"

"That’s why it’s so funny"

"Oh" Now she understood For so on the deepest levels "When I was in the PsyNet," she said, catching another wisp offemales could trust their males without the ropes of Silence"

Dev finally looked at her, those exotic eyes intent

"Especially," she continued, "when the er Like when Sascha Duncan defected to mate with the DarkRiver alpha I simply couldn’t understand how she could feel safe around him"

"There’s no male-on-female violence in the Net?"

"No, not in the sense that you mean Domestic violence is unheard of - I suppose there’s no chance for it," she said, staring into the face of a man as the effective alpha of his own people, as lethal, as dangerous "Men under Silence are cold, controlled But theto stop you fro a weaker person"

All at once, the temperature dropped, until she could almost see her breath frost the air "Your researchabout?"

Dev stared at her, his face holding no e, frozen moment, he returned his attention to his datapad "There’s an entertainment module in the datapad in the seatback in front of you"

She didn’t knohere she got the courage Reaching over, she grabbed his own datapad and pushed the Off button He simply held out a hand "You’re lucky thatit to him, she put it down the side of her seat "I’ll drop my shields"

An absolute silence, unbroken even by the murmurs of the others on the plane

"You can’t," he said at last "Unless the whole being-locked-away-froical strike, precise and deadly, but she refused to let him rattle her "I’ to stopmy abilities - "

"Why?" Dev interrupted

"Probably because that kind of a blackout requires constant policing" Dust in her throat, gravel in her mouth "Or maybe it’s because he wants me to use my abilities, but whatever his reason, it means I have control over my personal shields I can drop them"

"Is that an offer or a threat?" Cool words, an expressionless face

"An offer" She was sick and tired of being h to scan an open mind?"

He didn’t answer her

So she ith instinct, assu "Come in, see what I know, see what I aer would only take her so far She felt so alone In the days since he’d locked her in that rooht, too aware of the endless ehtened over Dev’s cheekbones "You trust me that much?"

"You’ve been up-front - if I prove a threat, I die Otherwise, I don’t think you’ll brutalize me"

He flinched, as if she’d hit hi a telepath would choose"