“I do. Stealing that was sheer luck, and-I’m not sure the transmitter is still his highest priority.” He took a deep breath, wondering if she’d run out in the corridor screaming at this next revelation. “Are you ready for another shock-one as bad as I laid on you this morning?”

She toyed with the component. “That I’ve been sleeping with something that’s not even human? What could be worse?

“God, you do know how to hurt a man, don’t you.”

She frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just that I still don’t see how it could be true. After all, if you can interbreed with humans, then.”

“.we must be human? Well, maybe what we know of genetics is kind of like Newtonian mechanics-just a special case? Or maybe all life in the galaxy is descended from a common ancestor?”

“Occam’s Razor. Who needs all life in the galaxy when Earth has enough spontaneous mutation? If such a spaceship had really crashed on Earth, somebody would have noticed!”

She was trying to convince herself that his stock was human so she could sleep with him freely. He wanted it almost enough to let her do it, too. Very quietly, he said, “Somebody did notice.”

“What?” She frowned. “You mean those silly old cave paintings?”

“No. We think it was in the early seventeenth century-late in Russia’s Muscovite period. Near Vanavara.”

“Look, check your facts before you lie to me. The hit near Vanavara was in 1908, not the seventeenth century!”

“By the eighteen hundreds, we were in Transylvania,” he continued. “In 1908, it was clear that scientists would know what that ship was when they found it. There wasn’t much left after the crash, but that had not destroyed the interstellar drive. In 1908, with atomic power being discovered on Earth and satellites not far off, the remains had to go. Four luren returned to trigger that explosion, and minimize the damage without leaving telltale traces like radioactive dust.” He resisted the impulse to recite their names, as Abbot had taught him. “They never returned.”

She thought that over. “You mean that ship out there could-my God, it could blow half the moon away!”

“It’s not likely to blow. What is surprising is that in 1908, we still retained enough knowledge to explode the drive. They’re designed not to do that.”

“What is amazing,” she countered, “is that you’d do it at all. What was your last link with-home. Was it the Tourists or the Residents?”

“I doubt there were such factions then.” He eyed the . “They all knew what humans would do if they ever suspected us.” Titus had not lived through such a purge. “Just think about how it makes you feel, to know what I am.” But I’m not trying to kill you!“

“That’s only because you love me. What about Abbot?”

“I’d want to get him, even if he was human. He’s an overgrown bully with delusions of godhood.”

“He just believes differently than we do. And he’s terrified of humans.” Abbot had known luren who’d fled Eastern Europe during an uprising against vampires.

“You’re defending him again! Whose side are you on!”

He studied the power source housing. I wish I knew.

“Titus, we might have to kill him.”

“I couldn’t, not just because it’s against luren law. There’s a deeper-real physical inhibition.” He’d never actually triggered it, but he knew it lurked within him.

“But you have defied him. You told me so.”

“Only when he let me.” He relived that paralyzing blast of raw power Abbot had leveled at Ebony, freezing Titus too. Why didn’t he use that power in the men’s room on Goddard? Because he was playing with his son, fostering his son’s strength. He was overconfident.

“He’ll let you once too often and we’ll get rid of him.”

“He’d be replaced. At least Abbot might be won over.”

“Who are you kidding?”

“Myself, maybe. But I think it’s our only real hope. Use his very strengths against him-his sense of honor. He isn’t as bad as some of the Tourists.”

“Then I’d hate to meet the real McCoy.”

“Yes, you would. Look, that was sheer genius, getting Colby to fire Abbot. If she hadn’t already been heavily under Abbot’s Influence, you’d have gotten him sent home.”

“I know. Before Abbot came in, she was ready to kick him off the Project. I don’t understand why you let him change her mind like that. And then you defended him!”

“She was fighting the Influence!” he explained.

“Well, good!” she misunderstood. “She’s no faint hearted, simpering clinger!”

“Which is not good! You want to know why that team blew up our ship? Because we fear humans! Think! How would humans tell Residents from Tourists? And who’d bother?”

“But– ”

“Abbot has been playing fast and loose with human minds all over this station. What if people discover that someone is warping the minds of those making important decisions for all humanity-and is doing so for the advantage of his own species as separate from humanity?”

“But that’s why Abbot has to be-”

“Yes, but how long until they discover me too, then trace us back to Earth? Our lifestyle is horrifying and we have power over humans. How long until panic triggers a global witch hunt? Look how you felt about sleeping with an alien from outer space, and you’ve known me all my life. You love me, for pity’s sake-and look how you feel. Think, Inea. What is the only reason I’d ever side with Abbot?”

“To keep all your people safe.”

“So I had to prevent Carol from seeing the illogic of not firing Abbot despite what he’d done, then deducing that she’d been Influenced by him.” He peered at his disposable shoes. “Betraying you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I hope I never have to do it again, but I will if I must. So, before you try again, you’ve got to tell me because, no matter how hard I try to tell you everything, there’ll always be something you don’t know.”

“You haven’t been doing a very good job of telling me everything so far. Like, for example, why did Abbot tell you to call me off, as if I were your dog-or as if you’d Marked me, and he couldn’t deal with me himself?”

“I haven’t Marked you! I’ve never lied to you. Not about where the ship crashed, or when, or anything, and especially not about Marking you!”

She arched her brows and waited.

He told her the deal he’d struck with Abbot in the cryo-lab. So now you’re safe from him. He’ll keep his word.“

“And if he doesn’t?”

“He won’t go for you. He’ll come for me, directly-and he can do almost anything he wants with me.” He told her of the data Abbot had kept to prove to a luren court that Titus had gone feral. “So if you break luren law, it’s my neck.”

“That’s not fair. I don’t even know luren law.”

“So check with me before doing anything.”

She shook her head and scrubbed at her face with one hand. “This’s all too much for me. I guess I’m tired.” She got up. “Well, if your deal with Abbot is your big shocker for the night, the one you asked if I was ready for-”

“It wasn’t.” He had to force the words out.

She sank back into the chair searching his face.

There was only one way to say it. “I’ve been trying to tell you-the luren in the cryogenic chamber-the reason we risked our lives with that bomb is that he’s still alive.”

For a moment, her expression didn’t change. Then it went wooden. “Oh.” After a long while, she added, “I should have guessed. You must think I’m awfully dumb.”

“It’s just too many shocks too fast. I haven’t been too bright lately either.”

“What are we going to do? I mean if they warm the corpse– I mean, dormant luren-to get a cloning specimen, it’ll come alive-won’t it-he? He’ll be ravenous. He’ll kill somebody. We’ve got to tell Carol. Somebody has to-”

“Carol is under Abbot’s control, and Abbot signed Carol’s name to the order to try the cloning, or got her to sign it and made her forget.”

“Abbot. Abbot! He’ll father it-him!”