A small orchestra began to play a traditional Pure Blood ballad. Resonant string instruments played in the background while a soloist performed a reedy flute-like melody. Olivia smiled and nodded to her hosts a lot, but they kept silent. Then she noticed they weren't wearing translation devices on their wrists. Strange, didn't the Alphans want to speak to their mail-order brides?
The scent of the burning herbs, a full stomach and the warmth of the candlelight made her sleepy. Olivia tried her best to hide her yawns, but some of her fellow travelers were already crashed on low sofas and chairs scattered about the hall, dozing blissfully. Had they been drugged? If so, she couldn't risk her true identity being revealed. She needed to get outside and clear her head.
She took care to put down her goblet and plate on a solid surface and headed toward the door, hoping to get a lungful of fresh air. As she rounded a rather large and imposing Overseer doorman, her eyes locked with the largest and deepest blue orbs she'd ever seen on either world.
The Golden Boy... The gorgeous specimen I spotted on my first trip to this world. He stands out heads above the rest because he doesn't quite look Pure Blood, although he doesn't quite seem human. The radiant blond locks and his willowy stature make him a surfer god, but there's no ocean nearby I'm aware of. Where did he come from?
"Please don't go," the golden surfer god said in perfect English. "The festivities have only just started."
Olivia blinked once, twice and cleared her throat. "You speak English. How? I don't see a translator device on your wrist."
"Yes, some of us have mastered Earth's languages. We thought it best so we could communicate directly with our new mates."
In an instant, she felt weak in the knees. He's one of the vampire grooms? Oh my...I'd be so lucky to draw his name out of the hat. She stumbled as she tried to back up and free herself of his close presence, so overwhelming was his magnetism. He caught her by the elbow and guided her to a low bench near the entrance away from the main action.
"Thanks. I'm not sure what's gotten into me. I feel woozy."
"Woozy?" Golden Boy smiled. He was drop-dead sexy when he smiled and looked confused. "Oh, I see. You are feeling tired from your journey. The Portal does take much energy from the body. It is why we offer refreshing food and drink to our new guests, but a full sleep period is beneficial to recovery."
Olivia yawned and didn't attempt to hide her drowsiness. "You can say that again."
"I can?"
"Not literally."
They both laughed. Olivia had never felt so relaxed and less reserved around a handsome young man before...Well, not before she'd met Hernando.
Hernando. Remember why you're here. Keep focused on the mission. Stop flirting with this vampire hotty.
"What is your name?" he asked. "I am called Moreau."
"What a nice name. It's a character in one of my favorite H.G. Wells' books The Island of Dr. Moreau. It's a story about a mad scientist who creates half-human/half-animal creatures."
"Sounds like a noble profession." He leaned in closer. "What is your name?"
Olivia knew she was acting too chatty...too chatty for herself and way too chatty for the real Lauren. The fumes from the incense must be affecting her judgment. She straightened her back and smoothed down her skirt, turning her gaze away from her good-looking interrogator. "Um, my name is Lauren."
"Lauren. I like it. I like you, Lauren."
Before she could stop herself Olivia felt her head turn and her eyes focus upon Moreau's fathomless cobalt blue eyes. "I like you, too," she responded. "I like you a lot."
It wasn't her speaking. Another person had said the words, but she knew they had come from her mouth so they must be her thoughts, right? Would she be able to resist Moreau's hypnotic glance, his honeyed-words, his magnificent looks? The boy didn't need drugs or wine or intoxicants to trick a girl into falling into his arms. He just had to be himself.
Hernando. Think about Hernando and your spying mission. The other Portal, remember? Annara will be royally ticked off if you blow this, Ollie girl.
"You are to come with me," an Overseer announced breaking their tète-a-tète. Moreau turned and cast an evil look at the underling. "All humans are to report to their quarters for one rest period. The High Priestess' orders."
Olivia let a long sigh escape her lips. "Well, we can't go making enemies on day one." She slapped her hands on her thighs and stood up with a shaky motion. "Good night or good day or good whatever-it-is-here, Moreau."
He stood and took her hand for a moment in his. "A pleasant rest period, Lauren."
Like the good vampire mail-order bride she was pretending to be, she nodded and smiled, and then turned to follow the beefy Overseer as he led her and the others out of the hall, down a long corridor and into a large dormitory filled with cots, some already occupied by her fellow wannabe brides.
Saved by the goon, she thought as she lay upon the first empty cot she could find. Saved before she could spill her guts and give away her cover. If only she could ask Valori to mix up some sort of potion to overcome the mesmerism potential of Moreau and others like him. She needed a clear head—and a clean conscience afterward—to fulfill her mission.
"That's it. Tomorrow I'll see if I can locate
