"Annara? Are you there? I can't speak up much louder. I don't want them to think I’m muttering to myself. Annara?"
Olivia double-checked the frequency. She set it to the correct one. She and Annara had tested the tech before she left BloodDark after their attempted kidnapping, and they had made certain it was working before she transported via the Portal. Olivia had even seen several Overseers working near the Portal and around the clan house using similar devices, so they must work. She could think of no reason why her radio shouldn't be working...
Unless someone or something was jamming hers?
Olivia gave the palm-sized box a shake, and it made a faint crackle. "No, no this thing appears to be working. Maybe Annara's receiver isn't? Oh dear... Has she even returned to BloodDark yet?"
Olivia placed the communications device down on the mattress beside her and prepared herself to touch up her black toenail polish since she was wearing sandals with her black sleeveless cocktail dress. The skull-and-cross-bone decals on her fingernails—which coordinated perfectly with her dangling earrings—really sold the Goth look in her opinion. Just as she finished her left foot the radio squawked into life. "Olivia?" Annara's voice boomed out of the small speaker. "You there?"
Olivia capped the nail polish and put it aside. She grabbed the device, turning down the volume. "Yes, I'm here," she whispered. "I was worried when you didn't return my first call."
"I've been...detained."
She didn't like the sound of Annara's voice. Had Caveman discovered what they were up to? Had Hernando back on Earth discovered she wasn't attending college classes this week? She had told him she didn't want to be disturbed, and she would contact him when she was able. There were just too many variables to keep track of. Had she accounted for them all?
"How has your first day gone so far with Clan Alpha?"
Olivia blew out a long sigh of relief. At least it had only been a day and not a week. Her instincts had been right. "My first day has been...interesting. We had a short celebration last night and then we all pretty much collapsed and slept for a while. When I woke up, I took a short stroll and ran into my fiancé."
"Fiancé? I thought this was an introductory period to see if both parties were agreeable."
"I suppose it is, but they seem to want us paired off super fast. Tonight is the pairing meal I believe it's called."
"Already?" Even through the tinny sound of the small speaker Annara sounded incredulous. Olivia gulped. Had things sped up faster than either imagined they would? The mail-order spouses had been assured it would be at least an Earth month before any finalizing of the relationship. They had figured they had sufficient time for Olivia to search the premises, take notes and skedaddle before anyone's heart was broken too much.
"I know it does seem early, but after our brief get-together right after we got off the plane, you could say, they got down to business and started pairing us off."
"I was hoping you'd have scouted out the compound before then and left. Olivia, I must tell you something important. The pairing ceremony includes a—"
A knock on the door made her jump. She switched the device off and slid it under the blanket. "Yes?"
The heavy door swung open a couple of inches. "Are you ready, Lauren?"
He's anxious all right. Olivia smoothed her hair back into a black Scrunchie, adjusted her glasses and beamed a dazzling smile at Moreau. "Just about. Can you give me a few minutes?"
"A minute is a short time interval, correct?"
"It is. I'll meet you at the stairs, all right?"
He nodded, but his crestfallen stance indicated his disappointment at not escorting her out on his arm right away. "All right.
Whew. Too close. What if he heard me talking to Annara? How would I explain it? Olivia went back into the bathroom and reapplied her deodorant. She had broken out in a cold sweat.
*****
The pairing meal wasn't quite what Olivia had expected.
Instead of the hundreds who had jammed the grand hall for their first family gathering, this party was small and intimate and included Moreau and his immediate family and close friends. The quaint dining hall was tastefully decorated with what appeared to be painted portraits of their ancestors on its paneled walls. Intricately cast silver candelabra had been set on the low, long table. The short padded stools and banquet tables reminded Olivia of an ancient Roman feast. There were no other mail-order brides to be seen—not even her new friend Kate.
"Where is everybody?" she asked.
"Everybody who needs to be here has arrived save one," Moreau replied. He frowned. "Did you expect someone else to attend?"
She took pity on his confused expression. "Uh, no. I mean, are there other pairing meals going on tonight elsewhere? Are the brides with their partners?"
He smiled and flashed a sexy bit of fang. "I see. I don't know of any other pairing meals happening now, but there will be more soon. I'm sure most of our new guests are with their partners at the present time, getting to know them better."
Why don't you and I have the luxury of getting to know each other better before we're rushed to the altar? Olivia grinned and did her best not to appear nervous or worried, but she couldn't help it. Annara had been about to tell her something about the pairing ceremony itself when Moreau had knocked on the door and interrupted their conversation.
His timing is impeccable. Uncanny, the more I think about it.
Why oh why hadn't she asked more about the Pure Bloods' traditions before she agreed to take this mission? Annara had filled her in on a number of customs and traditions she was aware of, but Annara
