Lover Beware 04 - Only Human

course I found out what I could about you."
    One corner of his mouth tipped up, more in irony than humor. "You're perceptive. Has it occurred to you that if I've been creating an image, whatever information is available about me would be part of that image?"
    "And not necessarily true, you mean? But the image tells me things, too. Like what you want people to believe about lupi. Why does your father so seldom appear in public?"
    He studied her for a moment, his mouth drawn into a thin line, as grimly expressive as those remarkable eyebrows. "You should ask him that. He prefers not to come into the city, however. You'll have to go to Clanhome."
    "I tried that. They wouldn't let me inside the gates. I've called. A very polite young woman told me she'd pass on my message. You can get me in, though."
    "I could get you in, yes, but just getting inside the gates won't do you any good. No one would answer your questions.

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    EILEEN WILKS
    You need the backing of the Lupois. Give me a few days to arrange things."
    Or to hide whatever needed to be hidden. "What needs arranging?"
    "My father is away right now. Wait until he returns."
    The muscles along her cheeks and jaws tightened. He was concealing something, and doing a clumsy job of it. "Why can't you arrange for me to speak with people at Clanhome yourself? Aren't you in charge with your father gone?"
    "It doesn't work that way." His fingers stroked up and down the mug absently.
    "How does it work, then?"
    "I'm not like a vice-president, able to step in if the real leader is unavailable. I'm the prince and the heir, and..." His smile flickered. "A poster boy for my people. I have no authority of my own. I simply uphold the Lupois's authority."
    "Okay." He seemed to think he was telling her something significant, but nothing he'd said so far was startling. "How do you get to be prince, anyway? Is it strictly hereditary?"
    "To be named prince, I had to prove three things. That I was of royal blood, yes, though we do not follow primogeni-ture. My father has two other sons, both older than I am."
    "I didn't know that."
    "Very few do. My brothers, unfortunately, did not succeed at the second test. Since a king must be able to pass on his power, the prince must be able to sire children. As you know, I have two sons."
    Had he gotten those sons on their mothers in order to become prince? The possibility left a foul taste in her mouth.
    "And the third thing?"
    "That I could tear out the throat of any who issued a formal challenge."
    That left her with nothing whatsoever to say.
    His mouth crooked up on one side, but there was no smile in his eyes. "Think about it. The Lupois rules for life. If anyone disagrees with his decisions, they have two alternatives.
    They can try to change his mind. Or they can kill him."
    Slowly the ramifications sank in. "When you say you support his authority, does that mean you're a sort of bodyguard?
    Or are you more like his muscle?"
    "Both, perhaps, in the sense that the army is the 'muscle'

    Only Human
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    of the president. We are not a passive people, but we have great respect for honor and custom. Any member of the clan may challenge the Lupois."
    "What does this challenge consist of?"
    "Battle. In wolf form."
    A sick certainty grew in the pit of her stomach. "A trial by combat, you mean. Your father is over sixty. He couldn't defend himself against a young opponent. You do that for him.
    You answer any formal challenges to his authority."
    He didn't answer, just looked at her gravely the way an adult might watch a child struggling to understand some complicated matter.
    She did not like being patronized. She didn't much care for the implications, either. "How is the winner determined in one of these battles?"
    "It varies, depending on the nature of the challenge and the will of the Lupois. In a serious challenge to the Lupois's authority, the winner is the one still alive at the end. Don't look so shocked, Detective. It's only illegal to kill one of us when we're on two feet, after all."

    C hapt e r 5
    THE SUN HAD set, but the sky still flew crimson and purple flags in the west. A boy who should have been inside at this hour whizzed by on his skateboard. Lily's breath heaved in her chest as she neared the outdoor stairs to her apartment.
    Sweat trickled down her temples and stung her eyes. Worf s claws clicked dully on the concrete beside her. His big head drooped, but he was panting happily.
    Lily's dog was undoubtedly a good deal more