“She swallowed beautifully. Like she was born to it,” Lorian says. “Our claim, marked in her body before she’s even spread her legs for either of us.”
“She is ours now. Everyone in that hall saw it, and everyone but her knows it.”
EVE
After an hour at the reception desk, my nerves are frayed.
Lira asks, “Are you okay?”
I don’t tell her about my dreams or the neural crystal from Rafe. I tell her about what’s to come. “I'm meeting with the Sovereign Directors tonight. They confirmed the time late last night. And after breakfast today, I feel shaken. What was that special drink all about?”
Her green eyes widen, then narrow as though she’s measuring her words. “Eve… you truly don’t know?”
I shake my head. “Of course I don't know. It wasn’t in my employee handbook.”
“No, it wouldn’t be.” For a moment she looks as if she’ll say more, then she presses her lips together. “The only thing you need to understand is that no one at our level has ever been given such a thing so publicly before.”
“What is thatsupposed to mean?”
“It means protection,” she says in a low voice. “If the Sovereigns wanted you as Lorian wanted Denise, as a quasi-companion, they would not have bothered with the formality. But this morning, they marked you with a cultural ritual.”
“Marked me?”
“Yes. And everyone in that hall saw it. They’ll know now you stand under the Sovereigns’ notice in a way that sets you apart from the rest of us.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“If they offered that kind of protection to me, I would be honored for the rest of my life,” she replies.
“I’m nervous about meeting them privately,” I admit.
“I envy you, and so does every woman on Reima Two. I’ve only ever met them privately once, when I first signed my contract for the Celestial Spire. It was in Alba; by law, Reima Two doesn’t allow women to leave the planet without certain safeguards. It was a big deal. The Sovereigns were there, and doctors had to be present to confirm I wasn’t being coerced. But it was over in a few minutes. I signed my name, the doctors assured everyone I was doing this of my own volition, and then the Sovereigns thanked me for taking the position.”
Her words make me feel even more nervous. “What if I’m a disappointment to them?”
“You won’t be. If they chose you, it means they already see something in you. And besides, they’re devastatingly handsome. Every woman imagines herself in their orbit, even if it’s only fantasy. You’ll understand when you meet them.” Then her voice drops to a near-whisper. “Just be careful around Sovereign Lorian. Remember that things became complicated for Denise when she let him get too close.”
The warning makes me uncomfortably aware of the Venus Lock pressing against me.
“Oh, and there's a High Table tonight,” Lira adds. “So you’ll see them from across the dining hall after your private audience.”
A double assault. High Table with all its rigid rituals after my private audience with the Sovereigns themselves. “Will I be given that special drink again?”
She looks at me like I’m a deer in the headlights. “I don’t think so, but I can’t say for sure.”
Before I can push her for more information, we receive notification a guest is on their way in.
24
YOUR FORMAL INTRODUCTION, EVE
The restof my shift passes in a blur of alien guests and unfamiliar protocols.
At 10:45 Lira asks me, “Would you like me to escort you to the Executive Conference Chamber?”
My mouth is dry. I swallow. “Yes, if that’s allowed.”
“I can walk with you to the door,” she says.
