Page 105 of Tamed By Her Touch

“I am a physician. And besides, I want to know the answer to this riddle as badly as you do.”

The Titus Four laboratory had automated blood-drawing equipment, which Clair was deeply grateful for because she had no desire to accidentally stab their hostess with an unfamiliar alien needle. Maera placed her arm into a curved recess on the side of the workbench, and a moment later a small vial filled with shimmering dark violet blood.

Clair stared in surprised at the sample.

“Your blood is purple?”

Maera frowned.

“Is yours not?”

Clair shook her head.

“No, it’s red.”

“How strange,” Maera remarked.

Clair laughed.

“That’s what I was thinking about yours.”

They exchanged smiles and then got down to work.

Clair placed the sample into the analyzer and watched as the holographic display began processing. For several seconds nothing happened…then the molecular profile appeared.

There were thousands of compounds represented, of course, but the analyzer had automatically highlighted substances related to the veloria sample. VEL-7 was not among them. Instead there was something else—a new molecule. It was similar to VEL-7 but not the same.

Clair leaned so close to the hologram her nose nearly passed through it.

“Well, hello there,” she murmured.

Maera came closer.

“What do you see?”

“This.”

Clair pulled the new compound up beside the original VEL-7 molecule. They were clearly related but several of the outer molecular groups had been stripped away and a new reactive structure had formed at the center.

“The precursor is gone,” Clair whispered.

“And this has replaced it?” Maera pointed at the second compound.

“I think so.”

Clair’s heart was pounding now. This was the feeling she lived for—the instant when nature stopped looking random and started revealing a pattern.

“Your body changed it,” she said to Maera.

Maera stared at the two molecules.

“You are certain?”

“No. Not yet.” Clair was already thinking through controls. “We need blood from someone who hasn’t consumed veloria recently, preferably another woman from Titus Four. Then maybe samples taken before and after ingestion. And I’d like male blood too.”

“Varell will gladly provide a sample,” Maera offered.

Clair nodded.