The crowd murmured as Dradix took his seat. Olivia believed the Deltan's statement. No, she sensed Dradix spoke the truth as earlier she had sensed Drucinda's sheer dread and horror of the Kloog. There was no artifice or lying in their words. Whatever the pair-bonding ceremony had done to her mind, she now possessed some extrasensory knowledge of the emotional state of individuals.
The roar of the assembled councilors and advisors faded into nothingness as she closed her eyes and visualized what was happening to her. An image of the golden boy Moreau stood before her on an empty plain under a velvet black sky tinted with the light of a red gas giant.
Olivia... You are one of us in the link between predator and prey.
If that's the case, Moreau, then why can't I get a good reading on you?
Because I will not allow it.
Why not?
I can’t afford to get too close to anyone, especially my intended mate. I am the pawn in a bigger game than either of us can imagine. We are both pawns. We are both predator and prey. It's part of our destinies to save our worlds, but we may never know how and when it will take place.
It's always riddles with you vampires! Why can't you just speak what's on your mind? I'm reading your mind after all, right?
The vision and the voice faded as the chamber's noise filled her ears. Olivia opened her eyes and sighed. The councilors bickered among themselves like so many spoiled children, wanting their way, never open to another's point of view. It wasn't until she had gotten to her feet and walked toward the great conference table Olivia realized how much she wanted to shout.
"All right! Settle down now." The shocked faces which greeted Olivia fueled her determination. "You have some serious things to discuss and leveling the blame on the Alphans or each other at this point isn't going to help. Your true enemies aren't each other or the..." She paused, not wanting to cause pain to the Pure Bloods present by vocalizing the dreaded name. "Your true enemies aren't your old foes but your new foe."
"Who might this new foe be?" Councilor Kai asked.
Olivia turned to the woman and cried, "People from Earth, of course! Don't you all get it? For better or worse, you have admitted your biggest weakness to the inhabitants of my world. You can't trust us not to use this knowledge to our own advantage, and I have an idea the particular human beings the Alphans contacted to do their deals for technology aren’t exactly the most trustworthy of Earth's inhabitants."
"Roland Grundfest is far from honorable," Hernando said, rising from his seat. "He is unable to keep secrets as well. This past week before I left Earth, the news accounts told of an upcoming 'big deal' between Grundfest and some others which would change Earth for generations to come."
Hernando turned and walked the length of the table, stopping in front of Olivia. Smiling, he took her hand. "Don't you see how Olivia once again has come to our aid? Her recent actions have helped to expose this ill-conceived plan of Clan Alpha and gotten to the heart of the matter. Our world is vulnerable because it is too secretive. We don't trust each other, and we hide our own fear beneath masks of pride and tradition. We can no longer afford to divide into factions. Instead, we must unite and deal with our problems together if we are to survive both the threat of the Earthmen and the—our old foes."
Olivia blushed at his praise. "You're not mad at me?" she whispered.
Hernando took her other hand in his and squeezed. "How can I be mad at the only person outspoken and brave enough to save two worlds?"
Chapter Eight
"You've done well, my child." Valori stood at the foot of Olivia's bed at Clan Alpha House. "Get some rest now. It's been a long day."
Olivia yawned and pulled the blankets up to her chin. "Thanks again, Valori. We would have never been able to shut down the rogue Portal without your help. I knew you had it in you to become a high priestess. Remember how your scent potion helped me escape from BloodDark and Clan Alpha the first time I came here?"
Valori smiled and turned to exit. "Yes, I remember."
"Of course, now I'm their guest and not a captive, but still..."
"Get to sleep," Valori said, chuckling.
Olivia knew sleep would elude her. It had been exciting, hadn't it? She had crashed a top-secret meeting of the ruling council, and made them listen to reason. She might yet save this fledgling coalition government and rescue their fragile world in the bargain. What would the crazy people of BloodDark ever do without me?
Why should we ever do without you?
She sat up in bed and stared into the darkness. "Hernando? Are you nearby?" She had never heard his voice in her mind before, but she had suspected at times he could hear her thoughts.
I'm downstairs in the entrance hall talking with Moreau and Caveman and a few others. I want you to sleep. We'll need your energy tomorrow. I promise, your note to your parents is in the diplomatic bag and going out first thing. It's time to come clean with them on what you've been up to these past few weeks. You can tell me more about your discoveries, too, in time.
No, I want to confess to you now. Olivia didn't want to waste another minute of her life keeping secrets from Hernando. I shouldn't have lied to you and my folks. I really did think I could solve the mystery of the unauthorized Portal without becoming more involved in the machinations of Moreau and Clan Alpha. I know now I didn't have all the information I needed to make a good decision. I'm
