Anger flicked through Xi that hadnothing to do with frustration—though he felt that, as well. “Yousaid to them that ‘we’ were her men,” he reminded Tau.
“She said. I onlyrepeated.”
Quan frowned. “Well, if we are not hermen why have you claimed her?”
“Because I am herman.”
Xi did not know about Quan, but he hadto struggle with the desire to assault assassin Tau. “I think I amweary of conversation and must rest my avatar,” he said tightly.Getting up, he stalked to the food tent, disposed of his containersand headed to the edge of the camp to find a place tosleep.
Quan joined him after a fewminutes.
He did not want to ask and he promisedhimself that he would not. And yet, it began to eat at him until hefelt compelled to ask. “Where is Tau?”
“He has gone to sleep nearthe female—to protect her, he said.”
Xi had known he did not truly want toknow.
He was not entirely certain of why itbothered him so much, but there was no denying it did. He haddisliked it when Tau had behaved so possessively of her, refusingto allow either he or Quan to touch her or to help her in anyway.And his resentment had grown as Tau’s possessive behaviorcontinued.
Now he was claiming herashiswoman—asifhe had any use for one!
It must be the avatar, he decided. Hehad begun to think of himself as a creature as they were—which hewas not. The drones were only borrowed. And they would be fortunateindeed if they managed to maintain their strength until they hadtracked down the traitor and captured him or destroyedhim.
He supposed they could be made tofunction as completely physical as the beings they mimicked, butwhy do that? What would be the point of it? He was still not one ofthem. He would not be able to experience what they were ableto—regardless of the sensory perception they couldattain.
So why even try?
So that he could become a creaturelike the traitor?
The traitors?
Addicted to sensations that wereabnormal for them? Corrupting?
He would lose his mind as the othershad.
And then where would theybe?
Lost! He and Quan would be lost, wouldbe destroyed by the Assassin they had been assigned to work with incapturing the others who had gone insane, gone rogue, and becometraitors to their people.
Because they cared for nothing beyondtheir own satisfaction.
Chapter Four
Surprise and confusion flickeredthrough Ultima when she rose toward awareness and detected peoplearound her—movement with purpose.
She opened her eyes finally and staredat the hand that held hers for a moment before she lifted her gazeto study the owner.
It was the stranger, she discovered,who’d saved her life.
He was sleeping. His head, propped onthe bed beside her, was dipped toward his chest, but she recognizedthe ragged mop of blond streaked hair.
As if her gaze had awakened him, heblinked, stared for a moment into space—as if trying to determinewhere he was, and then lifted his head and looked ather.
His expression was emotionless, buthis cold blue eyes flickered with the thoughts colliding in hismind.
What was he thinking, she wondered ashis gaze scanned her face?
“You are better. I thoughtthat you would ….” He frowned. “Cease to exist.”
