"Excuse me," Olivia muttered as a haughty looking Pure Blood woman came at her at a hundred miles per hour. Olivia jumped to the side of the hall to avoid crashing into a well-dressed lady in burgundy in an outfit complete with bustle and high collar. The woman flounced past Olivia with a harrumph and hurried down the stairs in a swish of her long skirts. "Must be dinnertime, but I didn't hear the gong."
She looked up and down the hallway. The coast was clear. This floor housed bedroom suites and private offices for the most part, so there was no need to be seen polishing the silver. Olivia put the candelabra down on a small side table to free her hands. The first two doors revealed large, empty adjoining rooms. Odd. The house overflowed with Alphans and potential brides, so why wouldn't they utilize every space available?
The third door revealed the reason why. Ten feet from the entry Professor Mahvet sat slumped at his desk with his back to her, his head in his hands.
Olivia sighed. He looked so sad. Could it be the two empty rooms she'd just checked were to be his and Kate's? She made to go, but before she could slip away Mahvet raised his head.
"Kate? Is it you?" he asked.
Olivia froze. So far she hadn't run into any Pure Bloods who even gave a hint they saw her as anything other than one of their servants in her wanderings of the corridors with a candelabra. She'd called them experts at ignoring people they felt were beneath them. She, in turn, had acted like she knew where she was going and what she was doing, so she hadn't raised any alarms. Mahvet had sensed her as human, however. Could he be trusted?
"It's okay, you can come in." He turned around. "Ah, Lauren, is it? Or is it Olivia? Our clan leaders are split on what to call you."
Olivia entered the study and closed the door behind her. Not knowing how best to react to being caught, she figured a direct approach was best. She willed her nerves to settle and plastered a smile on her face. "You can call me Olivia. Professor, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?" He arched a bushy brownish-gray eyebrow and steepled his fingers as he considered her like an erring student. "What can I do for you?"
"First of all, you can tell Kate you don't want to break it off. She's devastated at the thought of losing you if you couldn't tell. Second, I..." Olivia paused. Should she trust him? He appeared to be a decent sort for a Pure Blood, but it was still risky. Time wasn't on her side. She should have found the illicit Portal by now and returned to Earth. Perhaps trusting Mahvet was a chance worth taking.
She unclenched her fists and continued. "I could use some help locating something."
"That's two favors and not one. I can't do much about the first one, alas." He sighed. "It's out of my hands now. Kate and I can be... friends... but it's all we can ever be." He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Now, what's this thing you're trying to locate?"
Olivia bit her lip. Maybe Mahvet wasn't the maverick type to go against the heads of his household after all? He appeared reluctant to fight for his and Kate's happiness. Had she misread his openness to share his knowledge of BloodDark with others and his willingness to learn more about Earth as an indication of an open mind? There was one way to find out for certain.
"Professor, has it ever occurred to you all you've been taught about your clan isn't the whole truth?" she blurted. "Maybe the reason they want to keep you and Kate apart is they know your offspring could possess abilities which would rival their own powers?"
Whoa. How did I come up with that? Olivia surprised herself with her summation. It's something I learned from Moreau in passing and another part I gathered from Valori added together. Will he accept it?
A look of doubt cast a shadow over Mahvet’s angular features. "The truth? What is truth?" He shrugged and continued, "Is your truth the same as mine? I believe I read that very question in a book about one of your great philosopher-prophets. His accusers didn't want to accept his truth and so they had him executed—quite brutally from what I gather. I supposed he got the better of them when he came back to life three days later. It must have been quite shocking."
Olivia smiled. "Yes, it changed the world, and he was right. Truth is truth—and if it's hidden away and altered, it ceases to be the truth and becomes a lie."
She took a step forward and softened her tone. "You know you care for Kate, and she cares for you. I see it on both of your faces. Everyone can see it. You two would be very happy together. Don't deny the truth."
Olivia sensed Mahvet 's resolve to follow his clan leaders' order was wavering in spite of his proper manners. She continued to present her argument. "No one should prevent your happiness together from having the chance it deserves. No one."
Mahvet took a deep breath. "You're right. It is our happiness and our lives—not theirs. We should have the power to make of our love as we want." He settled back in his chair and folded his hands together in thought. "Yes, we should be together. It doesn't matter what Drucinda says. She's out of favor at the moment anyway, from what I heard earlier today. The new priestess Valori might be willing to bless our bonding."
"She would—I know she would do it. If you helped me to locate this object she wants me to find, you will get on Valori's good
