never will. He’s a freak. I don’t want to go on the glacier with him, I don’t want to play handball with him, and to be honest, I hope you guys break up.”
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as Ulf walked in with his gym bag. “Hello darling,” he said to Ingrid, giving her a kiss. “Good afternoon, Anna. Any plans for the evening, or would you like to join us?” he asked as if he hadn’t overheard the end of their argument. “I have three VIP passes for the music festival.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Ingrid said. “What a nice idea. Don’t you think, Anna?”
“No. I don’t. And I’m not going.”
“Anna, what did we just agree—”
Ulf put a hand on Ingrid’s shoulder. “It’s okay. If she has other plans, she doesn’t need to come with us. It was just an offer.”
Ingrid looked up adoringly at Ulf. “You’re so understanding.”
Anna snorted and stomped out of the room, blocking out their murmurings while she flipped open her computer in the little office space that no one else ever used. She scanned her e-mails, hoping that June had changed her mind and was staying in town for the weekend. But deep down Anna knew her friend was desperate to see her boyfriend even if she tried not to talk about it too much. Being apart from him was killing her.
“Here,” Ulf said, catching Anna off guard. He dropped a VIP pass on the keyboard. “You can come join me after Ingrid goes to work at 11:00. The party won’t really start until then, anyhow.” He leaned against the desk, nearly sitting on her laptop. “And then I can begin your introduction to the wonderful world of nightlife. I have so much to teach you, my sweet little Anna. And it will be such a pleasure to do so.” He reached out to touch her cheek.
Anna flew back, knocking the chair over. “Get away from me,” she hissed.
“So much passion,” Ulf said with an appraising glance up and down her body. “I can’t wait to show you a better use for it.” He flashed his wolf-like smile. “See you tonight.”
* * *
Rakan paced back and forth in their living room. “No.”
“You don’t have much choice, unless you want to go against Yarlung’s orders.”
Rakan stopped pacing and growled. Dvara was enjoying the situation a little too much.
“You read the minds of our herds all the time,” Dvara said. “What’s the difference?”
Rakan exploded. “She’s a human. The herds are animals.” He took a deep breath. “When we read their minds it’s to help the herd as a whole. But if I were to read Anna’s mind it wouldn’t be to help her. It would just be to get information. And I’d have to pretend to have a relationship with her to get close enough to do it. It’s not like the herds whose minds I can read from far away. They project everything to each other. I just listen in. Humans aren’t like that. I’d need to…” get close enough to smell her skin, to taste her lips and to feel her energy pulse under my hands… Rakan turned and pummeled the punching bag that they had hung for training. The real problem was that he wanted to get closer to Anna. But humans couldn’t mind-speak. All they could do was be close physically. And that wasn’t what he wanted. It wasn’t enough.
“Why are you so uptight?” interrupted Dvara. “She’d be willing.”
“I’m not uptight.” He trembled with the effort it took to keep from yelling. “Using humans like that is wrong. It’s a violation of their being. It’s demeaning. And I won’t do it.”
“Rakan,” Dvara said gently, “what if you could do it without sleeping with her? I mean… maybe if you just start talking to her and see if you can lead her to answer your questions, see if you can read the images she’s remembering while you’re holding her hand or something? Would that still seem like something unethical to you?”
“I don’t know.” Rakan sank to the couch. “Do you really think it could work?”
Dvara shrugged.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as Ulf walked in with his gym bag. “Hello darling,” he said to Ingrid, giving her a kiss. “Good afternoon, Anna. Any plans for the evening, or would you like to join us?” he asked as if he hadn’t overheard the end of their argument. “I have three VIP passes for the music festival.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Ingrid said. “What a nice idea. Don’t you think, Anna?”
“No. I don’t. And I’m not going.”
“Anna, what did we just agree—”
Ulf put a hand on Ingrid’s shoulder. “It’s okay. If she has other plans, she doesn’t need to come with us. It was just an offer.”
Ingrid looked up adoringly at Ulf. “You’re so understanding.”
Anna snorted and stomped out of the room, blocking out their murmurings while she flipped open her computer in the little office space that no one else ever used. She scanned her e-mails, hoping that June had changed her mind and was staying in town for the weekend. But deep down Anna knew her friend was desperate to see her boyfriend even if she tried not to talk about it too much. Being apart from him was killing her.
“Here,” Ulf said, catching Anna off guard. He dropped a VIP pass on the keyboard. “You can come join me after Ingrid goes to work at 11:00. The party won’t really start until then, anyhow.” He leaned against the desk, nearly sitting on her laptop. “And then I can begin your introduction to the wonderful world of nightlife. I have so much to teach you, my sweet little Anna. And it will be such a pleasure to do so.” He reached out to touch her cheek.
Anna flew back, knocking the chair over. “Get away from me,” she hissed.
“So much passion,” Ulf said with an appraising glance up and down her body. “I can’t wait to show you a better use for it.” He flashed his wolf-like smile. “See you tonight.”
* * *
Rakan paced back and forth in their living room. “No.”
“You don’t have much choice, unless you want to go against Yarlung’s orders.”
Rakan stopped pacing and growled. Dvara was enjoying the situation a little too much.
“You read the minds of our herds all the time,” Dvara said. “What’s the difference?”
Rakan exploded. “She’s a human. The herds are animals.” He took a deep breath. “When we read their minds it’s to help the herd as a whole. But if I were to read Anna’s mind it wouldn’t be to help her. It would just be to get information. And I’d have to pretend to have a relationship with her to get close enough to do it. It’s not like the herds whose minds I can read from far away. They project everything to each other. I just listen in. Humans aren’t like that. I’d need to…” get close enough to smell her skin, to taste her lips and to feel her energy pulse under my hands… Rakan turned and pummeled the punching bag that they had hung for training. The real problem was that he wanted to get closer to Anna. But humans couldn’t mind-speak. All they could do was be close physically. And that wasn’t what he wanted. It wasn’t enough.
“Why are you so uptight?” interrupted Dvara. “She’d be willing.”
“I’m not uptight.” He trembled with the effort it took to keep from yelling. “Using humans like that is wrong. It’s a violation of their being. It’s demeaning. And I won’t do it.”
“Rakan,” Dvara said gently, “what if you could do it without sleeping with her? I mean… maybe if you just start talking to her and see if you can lead her to answer your questions, see if you can read the images she’s remembering while you’re holding her hand or something? Would that still seem like something unethical to you?”
“I don’t know.” Rakan sank to the couch. “Do you really think it could work?”
Dvara shrugged.
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