away. But he couldn’t. It had felt too good when she had held his Maii-a at the café. Intimate and warm. And soft. So soft.
“You think they’re all New Dragons?” Dvara paused on the porch. “It’s true that they look like New Dragons if you forget about their coloring that they’ve transformed. But five of them? That Yarlung and Khotan never detected before?”
Rakan didn’t answer. He was struggling to control his desire to morph.
“I can’t do this on my own, Rakan. Okay?” Dvara said sharply, dousing him with a wave of cold energy. “Maybe you should stop with the human girl if it’s going to mess you up like this. You need to figure out how they’re blocking their trails so that we can figure out who they are. Now. The longer we stay here, the easier it’ll be for them to kill us first. Our only hope is to move fast and attack them before they attack us.”
“The void-trails aren’t hiding their trails,” Rakan said, flickering out of control. “For the very simple reason that they aren’t dragons. Only the Old Dragon is hiding his trail. And he’s not one of them.”
“Well what else can they be?” growled Dvara. Her eyes flashed vermillion.
“I don’t know,” Rakan growled back, ready to fight. “But we can’t attack anyone until you learn to control your rök.”
Dvara snorted. “Speak for yourself, playboy.” And slammed the door in his face.
Chapter 8 Frustrations
A NNA WALKED HOME SLOWLY AFTER HANDBALL practice on Thursday. Pemba still hadn’t talked about getting together this weekend, and she wasn’t going to ask him. Not after he had refused to tell her what he and Dawa had been arguing about all week. Whatever it was, it made him impossible to be around. And didn’t help her like Dawa any better. How could she trust someone who behaved like two different people? Quiet and withdrawn at school and then so aggressive, even violent, on the court. And the coach seemed to have forgotten that handball was supposed to be a team sport. Even if one player was clearly a star. By the time Anna reached her apartment, she wasn’t sure if she was angrier with Pemba or Dawa.
“Hi, honey,” said her mom as Anna dumped her stuff in the hallway. “How was school?”
“Okay.”
“I know this is hard on you, Anna. And I’m sorry.” Her mom paused. “But can’t we make an effort? Maybe we can go see a movie together tomorrow, just the two of us…?”
Anna stared angrily at her mom. Why did she always think everything was about her? But her mom looked so hopeful, and so unsure, that Anna felt trapped. “Okay,” she mumbled. “Are you sure Ulf won’t mind?” She wanted her mom to be happy, but being at the movies with them both was more than she could handle.
Her mother laughed. “You’re so sweet. No, he won’t. He has to work. But even if he didn’t, he understands that girl time is important.”
Anna rolled her eyes and went up to her room. Girl time, not family time. Her mother never understood.
* * *
“Can I walk you home?” Rakan asked Anna after school the next day.
Anna looked at him, shrugged her shoulders and headed out of the schoolyard.
Rakan jogged after her. “I’ll take that as a yes?”
“Take it any way you want.”
Rakan grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“Maybe you should tell me.” She pulled her arm away. “You’ve been fighting with your sister all week and you won’t even tell me what it’s about. You never even told me what Draak meant.”
Rakan stared at her. Surprised that her anger stoked his desire to possess her. His rök lurched in frustration and Rakan struggled to force it back into submission. He couldn’t just throw her on the snow and take her. But he wanted to.
Anna turned and walked away. “Forget it, Pemba.”
Why did she always turn her back to him? He could barely control himself as it was. He ran after her and stopped her again. “Draak means dragon,” he blurted
“You think they’re all New Dragons?” Dvara paused on the porch. “It’s true that they look like New Dragons if you forget about their coloring that they’ve transformed. But five of them? That Yarlung and Khotan never detected before?”
Rakan didn’t answer. He was struggling to control his desire to morph.
“I can’t do this on my own, Rakan. Okay?” Dvara said sharply, dousing him with a wave of cold energy. “Maybe you should stop with the human girl if it’s going to mess you up like this. You need to figure out how they’re blocking their trails so that we can figure out who they are. Now. The longer we stay here, the easier it’ll be for them to kill us first. Our only hope is to move fast and attack them before they attack us.”
“The void-trails aren’t hiding their trails,” Rakan said, flickering out of control. “For the very simple reason that they aren’t dragons. Only the Old Dragon is hiding his trail. And he’s not one of them.”
“Well what else can they be?” growled Dvara. Her eyes flashed vermillion.
“I don’t know,” Rakan growled back, ready to fight. “But we can’t attack anyone until you learn to control your rök.”
Dvara snorted. “Speak for yourself, playboy.” And slammed the door in his face.
Chapter 8 Frustrations
A NNA WALKED HOME SLOWLY AFTER HANDBALL practice on Thursday. Pemba still hadn’t talked about getting together this weekend, and she wasn’t going to ask him. Not after he had refused to tell her what he and Dawa had been arguing about all week. Whatever it was, it made him impossible to be around. And didn’t help her like Dawa any better. How could she trust someone who behaved like two different people? Quiet and withdrawn at school and then so aggressive, even violent, on the court. And the coach seemed to have forgotten that handball was supposed to be a team sport. Even if one player was clearly a star. By the time Anna reached her apartment, she wasn’t sure if she was angrier with Pemba or Dawa.
“Hi, honey,” said her mom as Anna dumped her stuff in the hallway. “How was school?”
“Okay.”
“I know this is hard on you, Anna. And I’m sorry.” Her mom paused. “But can’t we make an effort? Maybe we can go see a movie together tomorrow, just the two of us…?”
Anna stared angrily at her mom. Why did she always think everything was about her? But her mom looked so hopeful, and so unsure, that Anna felt trapped. “Okay,” she mumbled. “Are you sure Ulf won’t mind?” She wanted her mom to be happy, but being at the movies with them both was more than she could handle.
Her mother laughed. “You’re so sweet. No, he won’t. He has to work. But even if he didn’t, he understands that girl time is important.”
Anna rolled her eyes and went up to her room. Girl time, not family time. Her mother never understood.
* * *
“Can I walk you home?” Rakan asked Anna after school the next day.
Anna looked at him, shrugged her shoulders and headed out of the schoolyard.
Rakan jogged after her. “I’ll take that as a yes?”
“Take it any way you want.”
Rakan grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“Maybe you should tell me.” She pulled her arm away. “You’ve been fighting with your sister all week and you won’t even tell me what it’s about. You never even told me what Draak meant.”
Rakan stared at her. Surprised that her anger stoked his desire to possess her. His rök lurched in frustration and Rakan struggled to force it back into submission. He couldn’t just throw her on the snow and take her. But he wanted to.
Anna turned and walked away. “Forget it, Pemba.”
Why did she always turn her back to him? He could barely control himself as it was. He ran after her and stopped her again. “Draak means dragon,” he blurted
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