The hours sped by unnoticed as they explored the beauty of each other’s personality in the nearly instantaneous communion of the mind-meld of the gestalt. Antoinette lay with her head in his lap. Looking up at him, she said, “You are sad, mon cher. I can feel it. What is wrong?”
”I’m upset, darling. Upset over the way I killed the General.”
She sat up with a lithe twist of her body and looked him in the eye. “Do not be. I am glad he is dead. He was an evil man and deserved to die.”
”I’m not upset that he’s dead. What worries me is the way I killed him. Steve told me that genetically I am at least half human and that is what controls my behavior and makes me a human being. But I killed the General like an animal. I ripped out his throat with my fangs! Antoinette, I’m afraid I’m reverting to animal instincts.”
She shook her head. “Non. I kill with my teeth and that does not make me less. He would have killed me, you had no choice.”
”But I did, Antoinette. That’s what makes it worse. With my speed and strength, I could have stopped him without killing him. I killed him because I wanted to. I enjoyed it! If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have done it sooner.”
She looked at him with love and sympathy in her dark eyes. “But of course you wanted to kill him, mon cher. He ordered me tortured and tried to kill me. I would kill anyone that treated you like that. When we get back to the Base, we can talk to Steve and get his advice.”
”No, Antoinette. It’s too late for that. I murdered him, and I have to turn myself in for it.”
Dismay flooded her face. “Non! You did not murder him, you killed him in self-defense. He was resisting arrest. Please, mon amant, you did not murder him!”
”Antoinette. Try to understand. I have got to do what is right and turn myself in. Don’t make it any harder for me.”
”Non. I do not understand. I will not understand! I do not understand why doing what is ‘right’ always means that I must lose you! That is not right!” She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. “But I do understand that you must do that which you believe in.”
”Antoinette, will you stand by me? I need you.”
She held him by the arms, fingers digging into his skin. “I have told you this before, and I will say it to you again. I will never let you go. I may not understand why you do something, but wherever you go, there I go with you. If they put you in the prison, then I will wait for you. I will write to you, I will visit you, I will be waiting for you when you get out.
”Oui, I will stand by you, now and forever.”
