Kate sighed. "It's sad they did so because of how we'd react to their need for our blood."
Olivia blinked. Kate wasn't under any illusion about the Pure Bloods' need for a continuous influx of new DNA, or her own role in providing it. "Uh, yeah, I think it was obvious from the onset most human beings weren't going to take too kindly to sharing their blood with strangers from another world. You can't blame the Pure Bloods for coming up with cover stories."
"No, I don't blame them at all."
Kate gazed across the dining hall and caught the eye of her intended, Mahvet. They nodded to each other and smiled. Kate blushed.
"We all do what we must to survive," Kate continued. "Now is the time to come clean and to confess the secrets of our past, I feel, for the good of both our peoples." She rose. "If you'll excuse me, I need to talk with the professor for a moment."
"Please do." Olivia couldn't help but grin at Kate's back as the petite woman in somber gray tweed made her way over to the table where most of the Alphan males sat during meal hour. Why Mahvet and Kate hadn't had a pairing ceremony yet was a mystery to her. They appeared ideal for each other—an academic and a researcher—very much like her own parents.
Her parents. She must finish her mission and return to them. So why was she so fascinated with the notion of matchmaking humans and Pure Bloods?
You said it yourself, Ollie girl: Human beings weren't going to take too kindly to sharing their blood with strangers from another world. You can't blame the Pure Bloods for coming up with cover stories. They had to make themselves the “bad guys” because that’s how’d they be seen, anyway.
Or was she coming up with "cover stories" and excuses for Moreau and his kind? Sure, the Pure Bloods she'd met weren't all as arrogant and condescending as he. At times, some were quite charming—like Kate's professor and many other scientists and academics. They had less time for putting on airs, preferring to spend their days learning about Earth and coming up with strategies the new BloodDark government could use to establish good relations with its humans, thereby allowing all of the planet's inhabitants to thrive.
Olivia realized now her time stuck in the Clan Alpha House hadn't been wasted. She'd learned a lot about what she'd thought were the native humans' and Quadsangs' common enemy. She understood now the Pure Bloods couldn't all be painted with the same brush. Some wanted to live in peace. They all survived using the methods they'd learned and perfected for centuries. To read evil intent into every Pure Blood's motives wasn't fair.
Still, not being upfront about their intentions and smuggling BloodDark's artworks to Earth to make money and connections behind the new ruling council's back... There were definitely some members of the Alphan leadership whose actions needed looking into.
Olivia sensed Moreau and his family were at the heart of it all. She glanced over at the patriarch's table and caught a glimpse of her intended sitting at his proper place beside his father. No, she was certain Moreau and his family were smuggling art. The inhuman straightness of Moreau's posture, the gleam of confidence in his cold, dark-blue eyes, the hard edges to his smile....
She sniffed. Her heightened sense of smell detected an unusual scent emanating from Moreau's direction. It triggered another troubling thought. Like father, like son. Together they gave off an air of superiority and invincibility, taunting others, daring them to catch them in the act. They were untouchable. Neither the laws of their society nor those of humankind applied to them—would never apply to them.
They are gods. Olivia swallowed hard. To deny their reality was an offense against them and the natural order of things. They'd do anything to protect and preserve what was theirs by divine right.
A horrible thought popped into her head: Would she become more and more like these sinister gods every day she spent in their presence?
A sudden disturbance at the adult males’ table jerked her out of her reverie.
"No, Kate, please don't go!"
Mahvet’s voice cut through the chatter, but Kate didn’t stop as she rushed from the room. Where was she storming off to? Had Mahvet said something to upset her? The other men at the table seemed to be restraining him, preventing him from following her.
Olivia sprang to her feet. Without hesitation, she ran after her friend and caught up with her in the dormitory.
"What happened back there?" Winded, Olivia flopped on the bed besides Kate's to catch her breath. "Did you and the professor have a misunderstanding? Oh, no... don't tell me you guys are breaking up."
"The latter." Kate pulled out her suitcase from under her bed and opened her nightstand drawers to pack. "They're sending me back to Earth with the next scheduled Portal transport session in a few hours." She turned her face away from Olivia and sucked in a shuddering breath. "It's all for the best." She began to sob.
Olivia jumped up and put her arm about her friend's shoulders. "It can’t be. You two are perfect for each other. I see how he looks at you during our classes. He adores you. You adore him."
"It's not enough," Kate managed in between sobs. "I can't serve his basic needs, and the clan will not waste resources on a human who can't fulfill her purpose toward them. It's either go home to Earth or be sent to the farms to work off my room and board like an indentured servant."
Olivia frowned. "No, they won't do it. You'll serve his needs fine. You guys are both eggheads who love history. I half-expect you’ll start your own college with full exchange-student privileges with Earth schools." She held her friend closer. "So what if you're too old to have children? I don't think Mahvet cares
