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  Instead of armor or what Six had called his “exoskeleton” her visitor had on a long, black leather coat that reminded Mei-Li of something you might see a Nazi wearing in an old movie. It buttoned at his boney chin and fell straight down to his black boots.

  “Um, hello?” she said at last since he just stood there. “Is there something I can do for you?”

  “Oh, I think not, my dear. I heard that my dear friend Six was here with his bride and I just stopped by to pay my respects.”

  “Oh, uh…” Mei-Li said uncertainly. “I mean, we’re not actually married or anything. He just came to…to claim me, that’s all.”

  “And who could blame him for wanting to lay claim to such an enchanting creature as yourself?” He grinned widely, exposing a vast array of gleaming steel teeth. The teeth turned what might have been a charming expression into a grotesque one.

  “Um, thank you.” Mei-Li took a step back involuntarily. To her dismay, this prompted the tall, skeletal man with the metal teeth to take a step forward so that he was now in the room with her.

  “I see you’re admiring my new dental work,” he said, grinning wider than ever.

  With a start, Mei-Li realized she’d been staring rudely at his mouth. Quickly, she dragged her gaze away.

  “It’s very…striking,” she said weakly.

  “All part of my new oral-nasal enhancement,” the man proclaimed. Or was he a Kindred? He was certainly tall enough but he lacked the well developed muscles Mei-Li had always assumed were a feature of every Kindred warrior. He was thin almost to the point of emaciation with narrow shoulders and pale skin stretched tightly over his sharp cheekbones.

  “That’s nice,” she said, trying to smile. “But I don’t think I caught your name?”

  “Because I didn’t tell you yet. How very rude of me.” He grinned again, alarmingly. “I am known as the Eyes of the Collective. Although perhaps I should be known as its nose.” He tapped the metal side of his knife blade nose significantly. “Especially after my latest enhancement. Has Six never mentioned me?”

  “He…no, I’m afraid he didn’t.” Mei-Li took another step back and once again, he followed her. “But we haven’t known each other very long.” Not that your short acquaintance stopped you from sucking face with him, whispered a critical little voice in the back of her head. Mei-Li pushed the thought away. Right now she had to be concerned with Mr. Scary Teeth—he looked like a freaking Bond villain and he kept on getting closer and closer. How could she get rid of him?

  “Well, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance…?” He paused significantly and Mei-Li said quickly,

  “Mei-Li Hastings. Nice to meet you.” Automatically, she held out her hand…then wished she hadn’t. She really didn’t want to touch those long, boney fingers she saw sticking out from under his black leather coat. Still, her hand was out now and she didn’t think she could retract it without looking rude.

  For a moment, her boney visitor simply stared at her outstretched hand, then his face broke into that horrible metal grin again.

  “Oh, I see—your people must touch each other in greeting. How quaint.”

  Slowly, he extended his own hand. It was long and narrow with prominent blue veins. White skin as thin as parchment paper was stretched over the knuckles. Mei-Li tried not to shiver when their fingers touched—his hand was so cold and dry it was like shaking hands with a corpse. Thankfully, the handshake was brief.

  “A charming custom, no doubt from your home world,” he said. “I understand you call it Earth?”

  “Well, yes…we do.” Mei-Li felt uneasy though she didn’t know why. It seemed wrong to hear her planet’s name come from those thin, liver-colored lips.

  “A lovely little world, I’m told. Rich in natural resources?”

  “I don’t know. I guess so.” Mei-Li frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “It doesn’t, my dear. Just making small talk. Just trying to put you at ease.” He grinned again, so widely Mei-Li was sure she would be able to count all his teeth—even the back ones—if she tried. Despite his stated intention, she thought she had never seen a facial expression less likely to put her “at ease.”

  “Well, it was nice to meet you,” she said, hoping to end the strange conversation and get rid of him. “But I really should go now. Six is going to be here literally any second. He has to take me up to see Yipper before we can go down to the planet.”

  “Ah, Yipper.” The man’s thin upper lip curled contemptuously. “Indeed.”

  The way he said it made Mei-Li wonder if something was wrong.

  “Don’t you like Yipper?” she asked. “I mean, is he a good surgeon?”

  “I have no feelings about him one way or another.” He shrugged his narrow, boney shoulders. “Like the others of my kind, I am without emotion.”

  “Oh, of course, I’m sorry. I just thought…the look on your…your face. Well, the left side of it anyway…” She trailed off, hoping she hadn’t offended him.

  “One can show the outward signs of emotion without actually feeling anything.” He winked at her with his one normal eye. “You might do well to remember that yourself during your Claiming Period.”

  Mei-Li frowned. “You can? I mean, of course you can but why would you bother? Showing emotion you don’t feel?”

  “Why, to set you at ease, my dear, of course! It has often been noted by myself and my colleagues that Feelers—those with emotions—are made…uncomfortable by those like myself who have none. The polite thing in such a situation is to feign emotion, even if one does not feel it. That is only aboard the medical barges of course, though. Down on the planet’s surface we have…other ways of dealing with Feelers.”

  “I see.” Mei-Li wondered if Six had been pretending earlier. Had he just been acting like he enjoyed their kiss? Was he actually just a soulless, unfeeling robot as he had claimed to be or was there something more to him? Was he—

  So…” The man with the steel teeth cleared his throat, interrupting her train of thought. “You must be going to get your enhancement.”

  “Yes, I am.” Mei-Li nodded.

  “And have you decided what you’ll have yet? Other than the emotion damper, of course.”

  “Emotion damper?” Mei-Li frowned.

  “At the back of your neck. Like this one, my dear.” He turned briefly and showed her a small silver and black button embedded at the nape of his boney neck. He was almost completely bald with just a fringe of closely shaved hair around his ears so it was easy to see. “You will be getting one, of course? Since Feelers are not allowed on Z4. As I told you, we have ways of dealing with them.”

  Mei-Li felt cold all over. “I…I was told I’d be given a special dispensation. I don’t want to lose my emotions.”

  “Of course you don’t.” His deep-set left eye gleamed. “Feelers never do. That is why we have to sniff them out.” He made a show of lifting his skull-like head and inhaling deeply through his nose. “Speaking of which, I can tell that a great deal of feeling has gone on in here recently. The air is just thick with it.”

  “I…um…” Mei-Li put a hand to her throat, feeling guilty. Could he actually smell how hot and bothered kissing Six had made her? Oh God, I hope not! “How can you possibly know that?” she asked. “How can you smell when people are…are feeling? Having emotions?”

  “Pheromones, my dear. Every living thing puts them out and they change subtly when strong emotions are in play.”

  “Oh, I see.” She wondered again if he could tell exactly what emotions she had been having but she wasn’t brave enough to ask. She pressed her thighs together as casually as she could.

  “I don’t think you do see, but you will, my dear. Your own pheromones, for instance, are very distinctive.” He inhaled deeply again. “Now that I’ve scented them I dare say I could find you anywhere just by sniffing around a little.”

  He gave a humorless laugh but Mei-Li didn’t smile back. She didn’t like the idea at all.