"And you're not going to explain that, are you?"
A moment of wordless communication passed between us. He realized that I knew he was keeping something from me, and I realized he wasn't going to tell me what it was. Not now, maybe not ever. I scowled into his frigid beauty.
"So what was 'Carbomb' telling you before?"
His eyebrows pulled tighter. "Oh, you noticed that, did you?"
I shrugged hard, never breaking eye contact. "Of course."
He looked at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before answering. "He wanted to tell me some news—news that he didn't know whether you were worth being told."
"Well am I?"
I looked at me thoughtfully again, gauging. Things had never been this intense between us before and I wondered why not. "I suppose, if only because I'm going to be a little... over-bearing for the next few days—or weeks—or however long it takes—and I wouldn't want you to think I'm naturally a tyrant."
I breathed a sigh of relief. Things seemed back to normal. "What's wrong?" I asked him.
"Nothing, per se. Maybe something. Alice just sees some visitors coming soon, on account of her psychic-vision ability. These visitors have heard of us, and they're curious."
"Visitors? Curious?"
"Yes... well, they aren't like us, of course—in diet, I mean. They still eat people, and you're one of those and, you know... ?"
I shivered, shaking my head and wishing that I didn't know.
"Finally, a rational response!" he murmured. "I was beginning to think you had no sense of self-preservation at all."
I let that one pass, looking away to watch it float by, my eyes wandering around that spacious modern room.

329

Chapter 15

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