Dark Choices - I. T. Lucas Page 0,75

needs the separate communication system?”

“Kalugal and his men.”

His eyes widened. “Are they moving in? No one told me anything about it.”

Edna lifted a hand. “Relax. No one is moving in yet. Rufsur and I are just playing around with ideas. It will make life easier for all the new couples if no one needs to leave their community and cross over to the other. But there are privacy and safety considerations that we need to figure out before presenting the idea to Kian and Kalugal.”

William’s smart eyes filled with compassion. “It’s not about the other couples, is it?”

“It is, but it’s also about Rufsur and me. We want to be together, but neither of us can leave and cross over to the other side.”

He nodded. “You can count on my help.”

“Thank you.”

53

Kalugal

“Good morning, Rufsur.” Kalugal put the newspaper down. “Or rather good afternoon. I didn’t expect to see you until dinner at Kian’s.”

Usually, he read the news online, but there was nothing like holding an actual newspaper in his hands and browsing through sections that he would have been unaware of otherwise.

It had been such a nice surprise to discover that the clan had a daily delivery of various newspapers, and that they were free for anyone to take. Most read them in the café and returned them to the stack when they were done, but Kalugal figured it was okay to take a few home with him and return them later.

Jacki cast Rufsur a worried look. “Is everything alright? You look agitated.”

“Everything is fine, but I need to talk to Kalugal.” He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Man to man. I need his advice on something. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. You guys have been best friends for decades. I’m the newcomer.”

Kalugal wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I have no secrets from you. Whatever Rufsur wants to talk to me about, he can say it in front of you.”

Cupping his cheek, she leaned and kissed him on the lips. “That might be true for you, but not for Rufsur. He doesn’t have to share with me anything he doesn’t want to.” She leaned back against the couch’s overstuffed cushions and gave his back a shove. “You can go outside and have your man-to-man talk in the backyard.”

“Are you sure that you don’t mind?”

“I’m sure.” She reached for the television remote. “I’ll watch the latest Jumanji movie. I just love Dwayne Johnson. Usually, I don’t like bald men, but he is so handsome even without hair. He has such a charming smile.”

“Right.” Kalugal grimaced. “It’s all about the smile. The mountain of muscles has nothing to do with his screen appeal.”

Laughing, Jacki gave him another shove. “Go already. And just for your information, it is the smile. If I was only interested in muscles, I would watch a nature documentary about gorillas.”

That wrested a chuckle out of Rufsur, who up until then had seemed so tense that Kalugal suspected that he was itching for a fistfight, not a talk.

Would the cuff activate if he used his compulsion power on one of his own? Not that he anticipated a need for it, but it was an interesting hypothetical question. Relying on his ability to compel an attacker, Kalugal hadn’t been training as seriously as he should, and Rufsur could probably overpower him with ease.

Out in the backyard, he activated the fountain the way Kian had shown him and sat on the rim. “What’s bugging you, Rufsur?”

His lieutenant didn’t join him on the fountain’s surround. Instead, he dragged over two chairs, which implied that this wasn’t going to be a short talk.

“This will be more comfortable.” Rufsur sat down and motioned for Kalugal to join him.

“Thank you.”

“I need your advice.”

“You’ve already said that.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m trying to find the right words.” Rufsur rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “It’s about Edna and me.”

Kalugal lifted a brow. “Trouble in paradise?”

“On the contrary. We are talking about having a child together.”

“Not a good idea. Given how we grew up, neither of us knows much about parenting, but I imagine that it would be difficult for you to see your child only once in a while.”

“That’s why I need your advice. What should I do?”

“Is Edna willing to leave the village and come live with you?”

“She can’t. As a councilwoman, she knows too much, and Kian would never allow her to do that. Besides, it’s an important position, and I wouldn’t ask her to give