Ana proposes to go hiking in the national park after the finals but Christian is against that. It is too close to La Push for his liking. He argues that Ana is leaving Vancouver and might want to say goodbye. They agree to go hiking around Portland in the end.
Kate is as curious as ever about the whole thing, of course, and on the day of their finals, Elliot starts bugging Christian about getting out of town. Christian turns him down, initially, claiming that he has other plans already. That gets Elliot interested. Christian mentions this to Ana who mentions it to Kate in turn. Before they know, they make plans for all four of them to go hiking. Christian is quite sure that Elliot is motivated by his curiosity about Christian's private life.
It sours Christian's mood somewhat. He doesn't do dates and this looks like a double date. The affair is making him uneasy and he decides that he needs to make a move soon. Ana needs to sign an NDA and than he needs to tell her the truth about himself. Perhaps this very weekend.
The girls finish their last exams, head home to change, and are picked there by the guys. They head out of the city and leave the car at a parking lot near a beginning of a hiking trail. Ana is as enthusiastic as dog on a family trip and runs circles around them. Christian wonders how long will that energy last.
As afternoon progresses, it becomes clear that Elliot and Kate like each other. Christian finds that hypocritical - he runs away from one girl only to find another? Ana notices it as well and becomes concerned.
"Hey, what kind of a guy is your brother?" she asks Christian on one of the occasions when there is some distance between them and the others.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, every time Kate goes through a breakup, she starts using the rabbits as plushies, cuddling them all day long and even taking them to bed. Do you know how annoying it is when there's rabbit hair everywhere? Plus, I don't want to see her hurt."
"Well, it's a little late for that. This wouldn't be happening if we were doing things my way."
"Your way?"
Christian throws a glance at Kate and Elliot who are catching up to them, laughing at some joke. "Later," he mouths to Ana.
At one point, Ana disappears. The men ask Kate where has she gone and whether they should wait for her.
"Nah, she'll catch up later," she says.
When they return to the car, Kate and Elliot decide to go to a bar. Christian and Ana decline to join them, which is no surprise. Being a law obeying citizen, Kate gives her pocket gun to Ana inconspicuously.
As they drive, Elliot checks his phone. He hides it from Kate but Christian can tell that he has received messages from his latest ex.
"Don't stay out too late," calls Ana after Kate when they drop them off.
"Oh, get a life. I'll call you later."
Christian asks Ana whether they could talk. They head to The Heathman.
"You still haven't answered," she reminds him on the way.
"Well, let's just say that my brother is quite promiscuous so I hope your boss sells tools for cleaning rabbit hair away. If your friend wants a long and stable relationship, she should marry a catholic. However, that's none of our business and I think she can take care of herself."
In his room, Christian gets them glasses of water.
"Ana, you've told me that you understand why someone like me needs to protect himself. This goes beyond merely knowing whether somebody around me isn't a wanted criminal. There are also legal aspects, questions of privacy, organization, logistics, and in case of a relationship with a woman, personal aspects. However, I suspect that this isn't so novel for someone from your background."
"You are quite right, though it's a somewhat different level for us."
Christian wonders what is she talking about. Some security protocols for relatives of high politicians? Perhaps he'll be able to convince the authorities that his people can take over that.
"I'm sure it is. But it's not just about protection for me. You see, I don't do normal relationships. What I need from a relationships is different from what most people want."
"Well, I'm not most people. Enlighten me."
"Not here, not now. No more of these games. What are you doing this weekend?"
"I'm working tomorrow. We start packing at Sunday for our move to Seattle. Then I'm working all week."
"Do you have a place at Seattle already?"
"Yes. Kate's parents bought her a condo in the Pike Market District. I'll be staying with her."
"Good. Not far from me. You could come to my place next weekend, have a dinner, and I'll tell you everything. Or, if you want, we can fly there tomorrow. We could have done that today but my helicopter is in Seattle."
Ana scratches her scalp with two fingers and remarks, "Look, I'm quite sure that you aren't trying to impress me with your helicopter but for the record, I'll say what you probably already know: I come from money. Third generation of money, to be precise. That means that while my parents and siblings have always lived simply, we never wanted for anything either. Student loans or applying for scholarship? No experience with that."
"Believe me, my helicopter serves purely for convenient transportation. In fact, I've never flown a girl in it before."
"Were there other girls?"
Christian smirks and replies, "I think the fact that nobody knows about them is a testament to how orderly I like to keep things. Though I'm willing to make an exception if you want."
Ana nods, pondering over that. "You know, I think I should make one thing clear," she emphasizes, raising her finger. "I'm not looking for a short-term relationship."
Christian spreads his hands in a gesture saying that he is game.
"You should also know that my understanding of long-term differs from yours."
Christian repeats the gesture and adds, "You may change your mind after I tell you everything."
"Very well, I'm curious. Let's do it tomorrow as you said."
"Splendid. I'll make arrangements."
They have a call with Kate and Elliot. In the end, they go pick them up. Christian drops the girls at their place.
Elliot gives Kate a big kiss when they say goodnight to each other while Christian stands by the car and rolls his eyes at the spectacle. Ana attempts to give a chaste peck to Christian. It is very awkward and he gives her a slight head shake and points at their company with his eyes.
"Well?" asks Kate once they are inside.
"We made plans for tomorrow. And how was your evening?"
"Oh, the same actually. He's taking me to a dinner at The Heathman."
"That's nice. Though, I think..."
"What?"
"Well, you know how guys are in this time and day. You should be careful. You know, estimate whether it has any future first."
"Oh, worry about your own troubles. Actually, that was the main reason Elliot came along today. He was curious about Christian's private life. I can't say my reasons were that different."
"Oh come on, my life isn't that interesting."
"Hey, you are the one who runs around, chasing vampires."
"That was only that one time I've told you about!"
And her father was watching her back. And the vampire was blown up by a military drone in the end anyway. It mattered little to Kate.
Christian and Elliot go hiking on their own next day. Kate gives Ana a lift to Clayton's.
Taylor arrives in afternoon - he will need to bring the pilot back to Seattle. He choses this time to mention that he served with John in the army - and that he wouldn't like keeping this fact secret from Ana. Christian offers no substantial commentary to this reveal. For him, it is just another in the long string of things which are out of his control. He intends to deal with most of them but in this case, he'll have to make an exception. He can hardly fire a man for having served with the governor.
They pick Ana up when she leaves work. She is wearing the same clothes as for the interview. That's good because Christian intends to propose a contract to her. She carries a bag. Christian opens door for her and, once inside, introduces the driver.
"You look familiar," she tells him. "Have we met before?"
She knows that's not true. She has seen his face in one of John's photos.
"No, I don't believe so. However, I served under your brother for a while. Before he was promoted to captain."
"Aha! Now I remember. I've seen you in a photo."
"Excuse me, can we get going?" cuts in Christian.
"Right away, sir," replies Taylor and starts the car.
"It was a photo from a soccer game," continues Ana.
"I remember that. We played against another unit. Your brother was a goalkeeper."
He wants to add that it seemed to him that John was letting some of the goals to pass but he decides that he has annoyed his boss enough for one day. Ana seriously considers dropping the thing as well. After all, there is no telling what Taylor thinks about the situation and she may be making it weirder than it needs to be. But in the end, she decides not give up so easily.
"Does he know that you are in neighborhood? He would love to see you."
"I'm sure he's busy."
"Nonsense. I mean, yes, he is, but he always makes time for old comrades."
Afterwards, Ana asks Christian about his day. He mentions the hiking with Elliot and returns the question. She tells him that work was dull.
"You know, there's another reason your helicopter won't impress me as much as you would like," says Ana after a moment of silence. "I just want you to know because I wouldn't want you to think that I'm bratty or something."
"Very well, let's hear it."
"I flew in a Black Hawk once. I'm sure you agree that it's, you know, cooler."
"From a certain point of view, sure."
Christian isn't petty but he wonders what is Ana going to think once she realizes that he'll be piloting.
They arrive to a heliport. Ana is about to get out but than she decides to commit one last bit of awkwardness. She leans forward and tells Taylor, "Look, I know how this may look. I wouldn't want you to think something weird. He says that he wants to talk."
Taylor hesitates and answers, "I assure you, you can take that literary."
"Ana?" prompts her Christian, offering her his hand.
He gives Taylor a slight nod and leads Ana to an elevator.
"Ana, Taylor is a very competent employee and it wasn't easy to find him."
"Good for you. Your point?"
"Don't fraternize with my staff."
"Oh please."
Ana tries to take his hand, half-expecting him to reject her, but he lets her. Once again, he wonders why is her hand so hot.
They reach the roof. There is an Eurocopter waiting. Christian secures Ana's bag.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you not to touch anything," he states when he opens her door for her.
"Are you going to pilot?" she asks as he helps her into a seat.
"I'm fully qualified to."
He buckles her in.
"I like this harness," he whispers and gives her a chaste kiss on her cheek.
Ana grins at his brief disruption of his careful facade of self control. Is there something about the idea of immobilizing her that appeals to him?
Christian starts the engines and goes through preflight checks. They take off.
Ana can barely make out the ground from inside the cockpit. That means Christian is completely blind. She would be able to see better if she was outside and there were no lights blinding her.
"How long till we get there?" she asks.
"Less than an hour total. There's a helipad where I live."
Convenient. Maybe she could park the truck there, if needed. She wonders what the big reveal is going to be. Most likely some routine paperwork to protect himself. Then again, maybe he'll surprise her. She is most certainly going to surprise him.
Lights of Seattle come into view.
"You like flying," remarks Ana.
"It requires control and concentration."
"Makes sense."
There is some more exchange between Christian and air traffic control.
"Do you like the view?" he asks afterwards.
"The lights are blinding me. I can't see much yet."
Christian finds the answer odd (it was the lights he was talking about) but he has learned to roll with it.
They reach the city and before too long, a skyscraper with the word Escala painted on it comes into view. Christian sets the helicopter down and switches the ignition off.
"We are here," he says.
"Thank you for the ride. I'll have to repay you in kind one day. If things work out."
What a hell is she talking about? Is she learning to fly Cessna?
He unbuckles their seatbelts.
"A pilot will arrive soon," he tels her. "You can be back in Portland by midnight if you don't like what I have to say. However, there's a room prepared for you and it's getting late so I would advise you to leave it for morning."
They get into an elevator.
"So, you just want to talk," remarks Ana.
"Indeed," confirms Christian as the doors open and he leads her into a foyer. "I'll tell you what kind of a relationship I would like. You don't have to make your mind about it immediately, of course. I expect you'll need some time to think. We can talk again after you have moved to Seattle."
They continue to the main living area.
"It's huge here," comments Ana. "My grandparents live in a mansion that's similar in some aspects but it's, you know, way more compact. More defensible that way. Doesn't this give you agoraphobia?"
So it is confirmed, Ana claims that her grandparents are still alive and kicking. However, Christian is in no mood to question her about it.
"It's not your grandparents I want to discuss today. Can I take your jacket?"
Absolutely not - she has a gun under it. She shakes her head.
"Would you like some wine?"
"I don't drink wine. Mineral water will do fine. Do you play piano?"
There is a shiny black grand piano in a corner.
"Yes. Do you?"
"Mother taught me some. It's grandpa and John who are the pianists in our family."
Christian sucks in an exasperated breath. He doesn't wish to discuss her family. He gets her the drink and than excuses himself. Ana unzips her bag and takes out a fancy looking folder. She considers unloading her gun and putting it in the bag but there is a camera in the room and the chances are that there will be no point anyway.
Christian returns, bearing a few printed A4s stapled together. She didn't hear a printer - it must had been waiting there for him.
"This is a nondisclosure agreement. It means you can't talk about what I tell you or what I show you. That's it. Anything else requires further paperwork."
He holds out a pen.
"Understandable. Though you'll understand soon that I have no interest in talking about you with press. This is an NDA from the government. No taking you to a court bullshit, the real deal. You can sign it with your own pen but I have a special memorial quill and ink for you here. However, I propose we take this somewhere where there's no CCTV. How about your study?"
"There's a camera there as well," responds Christian absent-mindedly, staring at the folder in Ana's hands. What a hell is she playing at?
In the end, they go to a sub-bedroom prepared for Ana. She can smell that it has been painted recently. She closes the blinds.
"Ana, what is this?"
"What? Are you the only one who's allowed to give people papers to sign? The only difference is that yours is between us and the courts while this one is between you and uncle Sam."
"Well, call me a skeptic."
"Look, Kate and her parents signed the same. Do you really wish to be left out of something that your friend Kavanagh has been part of for years?"
Kavanagh isn't a friend - he is a business associate. It doesn't matter. Christian is increasingly less inclined to believe anything coming out of Ana's mouth. He opens the folder. The document inside looks like a first edition of a copy of the declaration of independence. It appears to claim to be an official document from the government. Doesn't that break some laws?
"Is this a joke?" he asks.
Ana gives him an expansive box containing a real writing quill.
"Sorry, no crystal inkwell," she says, giving him a small ink bottle. Even the mere bottle looks more fancy than anything he has ever seen in shops.
"A little advice from someone who thinks decades ahead," continues Ana. "You might want to sacrifice a few seconds now to dip that quill instead of using a pen. This quill is something you want to show to your grandchildren when you tell them about this day, not this pen."
Christian's eyes skim over the text. Compared to his own NDA, it is ridiculously simple.
"This isn't real," he objects. "Why should I sign this?"
"Because it's your chance to achieve greatness. I have a feeling that your early life wasn't kind to you. Well guess what, it wasn't to my grandma either. And yet, she grew to be one of the most important people of last few decades. Sign, and you'll be able to get government contracts you couldn't reach before. Sign, and you shall leave your mark on this world."
What do you say to that? It is becoming increasingly clear that Ana is just a no one from nowhere whose brother had some luck in politics. Though it is obvious that their mother has inherited some money and social standing from her parents.
"And if I give this the respect it deserves and completely disregard what it says?"
"Yes, as you might have noticed, there's no penalty specified. No jail time, no fine. It's meant to serve as a red pill. The only penalty is a blue pill. With a few exceptions. But for all it's worth, I hope you stay with us. Read it, I'll read your contract."
There isn't much to read. It is just one page. He hears some quick fluttering of pages.
"I can't sign this," says Ana suddenly, putting his printed papers aside. "It's been broken already."
"What?"
"What did you expect? The entire tribe knows about us."
He should have known better.
"I hoped that you would be more discreet!"
"Don't worry. My mom is on top of it. For now, she'll keep everyone of our backs. No matter. We can go over your NDA and revise it. Or you can sign mine and see that there's no need for me to sign yours. After all, my secret is bigger than yours. No offense."
"How can I sign something that's not even real?"
"Oh, it's real. Because unlike what you have for me, this isn't just a paper. There's real power behind it. Your signature means that you are fully informed in this regard."
How very much like the submission contract on Christian's desk. Christian sighs in exasperation and rubs his eyes with his fingers.
"You want me to sign? OK, I'll sign."
Ana uncorks the vial with ink. Christian dips the quill and signs as "Master of the Universe". Ana chuckles when she sees that but Christian has no time to ask what's funny. A strange dim glow flashes through the lettering of the document and his signature.
"This serves even better than your legal name," explains Ana.
"What is this?" demands Christian, convinced that it is just a trick.
The document starts smoldering like hot embers. Ana closes the folder and when she reopens it, the document is gone.
"Nice touch, isn't it?" she comments.
"Well, you had your jest. I was hoping to have a serious conversation."
"The document you've just signed has been transported to an archive. However, I understand that it will take a little more than that to convince you."
"How? By showing me more tricks?"
"To begin with."
Ana hikes up her sleeves and holds her hands in front of herself, palms towards each other. Crackling electricity surges between them.
"Do you have some kind of a gadget hidden there?" asks Christian when it is over. He takes Ana's hands and examines them, looking for something hidden in her sleeves.
"I'll give you a more solid proof soon enough. For now, I ask you to listen. I'll be blunt: Dragons are real."
"What?!" That was the last thing he expected to hear.
"Dragons. And a lot of other things. But dragons are most important. You'll get a basic briefing later. For now, you need to hear about me and my tribe. Not here though, too risky. People watching this window would have seen only some lights through the blinds till now but what I have to show you should be shown somewhere without windows."
Christian thinks that the red room fits this criteria but there is no way he is taking her there before she signs the NDA.
"How about my bathroom?"
"Is it spacey enough?"
"Yes. Why? Do you intend to turn into a dragon?"
"That's not a real thing," refutes Ana, raising her index finger. "Dragons turning into people. Or anything else. They can't do that."
They go to Christian's bedroom. They could have gone there right at the beginning as it provides the same privacy as the other room. Alas, Christian didn't want to bring her to his private space before. He points at the door leading to the bathroom.
"OK, I'll tell you what I'm going to do so you don't freak out. Some people have an ability to turn into an animal. Birds, cats, dogs, and so on. It's different for every person. However, we Quileutes are special by sharing the same animal - a giant wolf. Every wolf is different but it's never anything else for us."
Christian rubs his forehead. He is getting tired of this.
"The downside is that unlike the others, we can't take our clothes with us and I don't want to destroy my suit. Since I haven't signed any of your paperwork yet, I guess you don't want me to take my clothes off in front of you."
Christian makes an angry gesture with his hand.
"OK, give me a moment, then follow when I call you. And please, do try not to panic."
Christian shakes his head. What a farce. He feared that Ana would find his proposal weird but so far, he is the one weirded out.
In the bathroom, Ana works at a superhuman speed. She unloads her pistol and puts it in a lock-box in her bag. She makes sure not to make too much noise with the weapon. Then she exchanges her clothes for a big towel and calls Christian.
"That was quick," he remarks as he walks in.
He has barely any time to notice how toned she is before she changes into a wolf right in front of his shocked eyes. He experiences a strong feeling of disconnection and strangely enough, he wonders why her pelt is dark rusty brown when her hair is black in her human form.
Ana turns back, picking the towel up as she gets upright.
"No running and screaming so far, that's good," she comments. "On the other hand, you seem to be in shock. I'll turn again. You can scratch me behind my ears if it makes it any more real for you."
This time, she walks up to him and leans her head to give him better access. Like a sleepwalker, he raises his hand and does as she suggested. It seems she finds it pleasant. When he retracts his hand, she licks it before she can stop herself.
Christian seems to be more contemplative than shocked at the moment. Ana returns to her human form.
"Sorry about that," she says. "Could you wait for me outside?"
Once again, Christian ponders about something rather irrelevant: Would it be alright for him to wash his hand or would it hurt Ana's feelings? After all, he wouldn't need to wash himself if Ana licked him in her human form. He walks out.
Ana dresses quickly and re-arms herself. One never knows. When she joins Christian outside, he is wiping his hand with a tissue.
"Look at this way," she jokes. "I could have licked your face."
Christian turns to her slowly.
"So, you are a werewolf?"
"No, I've explained already. It's a magical ability. Have you ever played DnD?"
"Can't say I have. I know what's it about though."
"Well, there's this class which has the same ability. Think about it that way. Though grandma believes that there must be a reason why the entire tribe has the same animal form. That is, at least those of us who do this."
Ana pauses and adds, "Look, I hope I don't have to tell you not to say anything about us to anybody. The thing you signed, US government merely lends its name to it - they don't own secrets such as the one of dragon existence and no American law prohibits you from talking about them. However, some Quileutes do work for the military so you would be actually committing a treason in this case. This is one of those exceptions I've mentioned."
"Why have you revealed this to me then?"
"Two reasons. There's a lot of changes going on recently and we need talented people such as yourself. That's the reason why we have brought the Kavanaghs into the fold."
"And the other reason?"
"More of the same but personal. I like you. We Quileutes have a nose for that. Which was the reason why I tripped when I entered your office. I was caught of guard."
Christian opts not to ask about the latter for the moment.
"What does being brought into the fold mean?" he asks instead.
"You tell me. Your company deals with telecommunications, right? Quantum entanglement technology was known to this world for ages. If you could create pairs of devices which would be connected anywhere in the universe with no delay, would you be able to make that work commercially?"
Christian's business side takes over for a moment.
"Just pairs? I don't know. Affordable satellite connection, that's the direction we are going in right now. I would have to think about that. My employees would have to think about that."
"See? That's the kind of benefit people like you bring to the table. However, I'm kind of surprised that you don't wonder about the very first and biggest bomb I told you."
Christian gives her a confused look.
"The dragons?" complements Ana.
"Honestly, I'm still processing the fact that you turn into a giant wolf."
"Does it creep you out?"
"No. For as long as you remember to keep it... separate."
"Separate from what?"
"Us. Speaking of that, what do you expect from the second half of your reason for telling me all this?"
Ana shrugs. "The usual. Just for longer. A few centuries longer."
Christian grinned internally when he heard the first part. The last sentence baffles him though.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm sure you've noticed that my brother is rather young looking for someone his age. Me and my siblings and Sue and her siblings are not entirely like the other Quileutes."
Christian doesn't say anything but gives her a questioning look and waits for her to continue.
"When a Quileute phases - turns into a wolf - regularly, he isn't aging. Or she, for that matter, but that's not so usual. Typically, when a Quileute wolf finds a wife, he retires and stops phasing. Then he ages normally and eventually dies of old age."
"And you don't?" asks Christian with absolutely no expectations regarding the answer.
"No. I can't turn it off so I'm going to be here for a while. I would like to have you for the ride. But, let's not worry about that for now."
Christian stares at her for a moment. Then he laughs sardonically.
"Have I said something funny? I was thinking that my proposal was rather boring."
"Are you sure? Are you sure you would like to have me along?"
Now it is Ana's turn to look back at him in confusion.
"What do you mean? I've told you that we have a nose for that. And you are the one who started with a background check."
"I mean that the first part of your offer is very tempting. However, I'm not sure someone like you would tolerate my lifestyle."
"Well, we can revise that NDA of yours and then you can tell me. I'm sure it won't be that terrible."
"I think the NDA is rather redundant now. Follow me."
As they go upstairs, Christian realizes that his dream of "punishing" Ana has dissipated like vapor above a kettle. There is nothing to punish her for, everything she has told him is true. Besides, the idea itself doesn't appeal to him as much as before. Even if she lets him, it will feel empty.
They reach a door. Christian produces a key from his pocket and unlocks it. Ana smells leather and wood and cleaning substances covering various human smells.
"You can tell me you aren't interested any time you want, I won't be upset," reminds her Christian. "The helicopter is still on stand-by."
"I would be just as OK with running back on foot. Just open the door."
Christian does that. Ana peeks in and observes for a moment. Than she starts laughing.
"Not the reaction I expected," confesses Christian.
"Sorry," chokes Ana out between guffaws. "I was just imagining you, being a total boss at work all day and then coming home and having your mistress tie you up and whip you by a riding crop."
"No, you've got that backward," refutes Christian. "I'm the dominant. I do this with women who agree to be a submissive."
"Huh. I see. Is that healthy? Boss at work, dominant at home? Not that I know anything about such things."
"I suspected as much. I'm sure you have a lot of questions."
"You bet. Do you ever do this with men?"
"No. I thought that I made it clear that I'm straight."
"So, you don't have any hidden desires to have any kind of... interaction with another man?"
"No!"
"What about when there are more of you here. Some rich society party, let's say. Then there are other men involved."
"I don't do parties! I believe in monogamy, for your information. It's all part of my rules so you'll be expected to practice it as well. For as long as you are in this arrangement with me, you can't see anyone else."
"Well, obviously, that's how it normally works. You are the one who's a wild-card here. So this will be strictly just you and me?"
"Yes. No other people. It's all in the rules. I'll show them to you later and we can go over this in detail."
He is talking about the contract on his desk.
"Very orderly. I can't say I'm surprised. Just a few more questions, I'm still processing this."
Processing? She is the one who turns into a wolf, thinks Christian.
"Ask away."
"What exactly do you do here?"
"Anything both sides are willing to do."
"Does that include, you know, the normal stuff?" She makes a gesture with her index finger and the thumb and the index finger of the other hand.
"Yes. That was the case with most women."
Ana stiffens. This touches on something she has been wondering about since entering the room.
"Hang on here, this is important. How many women have you ever been involved with?"
"I have been a dominant to fifteen submissives."
"You mean there were other women besides those?"
"I was a submissive myself before I became a dominant. Just like every other dominant. Somebody had to teach me all this."
He is glossing over the fact that he had paid teachers between Elena and his first proper submissive.
"Well, either way, that's a lot of women. You must have got a million STDs at this point!"
"Excuse me! All the women were tested and I am tested every six months."
"Well, not that there would be any danger of me catching anything anyway, I'm immune to such things. It's just the stigma of the matter and fifteen is a difficult number to swallow. Let me tell you, I have no desire to become number sixteen. However, I might be able to deal with it if I was number one - when counted from the end."
Christian sighs and responds, "Well, I can't say I'm opposed to that. This process is usually much simpler but that doesn't mean I enjoy repeating it over and over. However, there's no telling how long are you going to be willing to tolerate me."
"Well, as I implied earlier, relationships are quite long term where I come from. I said centuries but I meant forever. I would prefer not to end up like Arwen."
Christian doesn't even bother to ask at this point how is he supposed to live longer than Aragorn.
"That may be but it's also a question of your ability to accept my lifestyle. If you reject that, you are rejecting me."
"No weird parties for rich people," emphasizes Ana, rising her finger.
"I've told you I don't do those. Well, I'm expected to attend charity events but I trust you know all about that already. I meant my rules for a relationship. This is important. No rules, no relationship."
"You said you do only what both sides are OK with. I hope you don't expect me to dive into thumb screws right away."
"I. Don't. Have. Got. Any. Thumb screws."
Christian fetches the contract. Ana reads it at a superhuman speed, not bothering to hide it.
"OK, I've got a number of issues with this," she announces. "Some minor ones with individual points. For example, you know that I'm on a special diet so the rule about food can't apply to me."
"It's a standard contract. We'll tailor it to our needs."
"I'm not sure that will help. Other of my issues are quite major and with the contract as a whole."
"As I suspected. I stopped believing that you might ever be interested the moment I saw you change."
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not opposed to a man being in charge on the principle. After all, I come from quite a conservative background. It's just the way you ask for it."
Christian furrows his brows and waits for her to clarify.
"You think you can come and demand absolute obedience from me, just like that, with a snap of your fingers?" She snaps her fingers as she says that.
"No, with your pen-stroke," he rebuffs her. "And only for as long as you like."
"And you think that this somehow makes it better? Where I come from, any relationship between a man and a woman that even contemplates its dissolution is immoral! I've told you clearly - I want more than centuries, I want forever!"
"You contradict yourself! Why should you want forever when you aren't even willing to try?"
As before, he doesn't bother to ask how would this forever even work. In his mind, he imagines something similar to werewolves - something that is contagious and can be transferred from Ana to him. He is quite sure that he doesn't wish to become a furry, four-legged, rabbit-eating beast.
"Oh I'm willing more than just try. I can commit to this permanently. Under right conditions."
Christian runs his hands through his hair.
"OK, I'll bite," he says with an exasperated sigh. "Explain what you have in mind and I'll listen."
However, he doubts that Ana is interested in any kind of a relationship he is interested in. What a pity. If there are technologies waiting for their practical application, he would love to give it a try.
"Look, all your previous girls were socially isolated, with little to no ties to their families. They were absolutely free, right?"
"They weren't socially isolated!"
That's not entirely true. Most of the girls weren't part of anything bigger than themselves with the exception of the BDSM community.
"What I mean is that their freedom was theirs to give. Would you agree with that?"
"Of course they were free and consenting. Like any other adult of sound mind!"
"Very well, I'll be more blunt. I have a big family and I'm part of something bigger than myself. Both in familial and... well, let's call it business, manner. Do you think I'm studying literature for my own pleasure? No, everything I do and will do in this regard is directed by my grandfather. With the blessing of my parents, of course. Whom you disrespect with the very principle of your contract. At this moment, they still consider my personal life and my conduct their business. Now, under certain conditions, they will relinquish their responsibility over me. There's a certain ritual in which a father publicly..."
Something in Christian subconsciousness screams and makes him interrupt her at that moment.
"Now wait a minute! You are an adult and this is your private decision."
"Well, I'm fourteen, actually, but that's neither here..."
The admission floors Christian.
"What?! What have you just said?! Fourteen?!"
That's even younger than he was when he started his relationship with Elena.
"My kind reaches full maturity at seven. My mother married and started a family at that age. So, that makes me thirty in wolf years."
Christian rubs his face with his hands and turns away. "I need a drink," he states, walking away.
He finds a bottle of whiskey and pours himself a glass.
"You know, you shouldn't drink this late," warns him Ana. "It will disrupt the quality of your sleep."
Christian gives her an empty look.
"Would you like some?" he retorts. "Oh, wait a minute, you can't drink. You are fourteen years old!"
"And it wouldn't agree with my special diet. It smells like vomit to me. It wouldn't have any effect on me anyway, it's not compatible with my metabolism."
Christian makes no answer.
"Let me guess, you are getting overloaded."
"And confused."
"Yeah, better call it a day and give you a full briefing tomorrow morning. I mean, a full basic briefing, like the one Mr. Kavanagh received. And please, try not to imagine things and come to bad conclusions in the meantime. Wait for the full picture."
Christian nods.
"May I take a shower before going to bed?"
"Sure. I'll show you where your bathroom is. There are some PJs and bathrobes in your room."
He downs the rest of the drink despite Ana's scowling.