“Look,” he said, suddenly weary of the verbal fencing, realizing she had steered him away from what he wanted to say. “I’ve said some things about you during the past two months, about your lack of concern, about your commitments, and about your insensitivities. I want to apologize for them.”

“What? Do I hear something that sounds faintly like a conscience?”

“You have a lot of reason to be bitter, but then so do I. So for once why don’t we stop talking to each other as if it’s an artillery duel. I want to say something and your blistering replies don’t help.”

She looked at him steadily and then finally said, “Okay, I’m listening.”

“In the past three days you—well, frankly, you’ve really surprised me. I thought I was going to have to drag you every step of the way.”

“And you haven’t!” she snapped.

He stopped and sighed, shaking his head in frustration.

Her eyes softened slightly, and the tightness around her mouth gradually relaxed. “I’m sorry. I’ll just listen.”

“I knew it was going to be a rough few days. I expected you to be—” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought you were going to be a pampered, whining female and that by the time these four days were up, I’d be a screaming wreck.”

“I have been all you say. It’s just that I’ve kept it all inside.”

“Maybe so, but even that says a lot. I was wrong about you. You are courageous, determined, and, I’ve got to admit, you’ve earned my respect.”

That took her by surprise, and for once she had no reply.

“You lack only one thing for making an outstanding Guardian.”

Instantly she was defensive again, the coolness back in her voice. “Oh?”

“You’ve got the courage and the ingenuity and the determination—”

“But?”

“What you lack is conviction. You don’t have the emotional nature, or perhaps a better word would be spiritual nature, to be a Guardian.”

“And maybe,” she said quickly, “the problem is that you don’t really know my nature.”

“I meant that as a compliment, but you may be right. I don’t know Nicole the person, only Nicole the Monitor. But I do feel I know her. If the Major or Travis had had the rifle the other night, they wouldn’t have shot at my feet.”

“I wish I hadn’t either.”

His head came up slowly, and his eyes challenged hers. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes.”

He laughed softly. “I think you do.”

“I do!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’d be free now.”

“Free of what?”

“Free of you!”

“If you’d killed me the other night,” he said, “you’d never be free of me again, and you know it. That would haunt you for the rest of your life.”