Her face grew red again, and she looked away. It was fascinating how her body changed in response to her emotions, like the rare gems deep within the palace’s vaults. Kaias looked down at her body. He wondered how similar her anatomy was to a Vrex woman. Were her sensitive spots the same as theirs?
 
 “Olivia,” he repeated, taking the time to feel how his tongue rolled with her name.
 
 If he lowered his head between her legs, would he find the most tender and sensitive flesh? Would there be lips to kiss thoroughly and a bundle of nerves he could lavish over? His cock trembled at the thoughts running through his mind.
 
 Kaias wanted to find out and to practice her name on those nerves. Practice made perfect, and he was liking the way her name rolled with his tongue. He wanted her to appreciate her name for that as well.
 
 “You've perfected it,” Olivia murmured.
 
 “No,” Kaias disagreed, “but I'd like to.”
 
 “Well,” Olivia coughed. Her face took on a deeper shade of red. “I think we'll work on Brian's name next.”
 
 Kaias narrowed his eyes. He lowered his hand from her collarbone and straightened himself. He didn't want to learn Bri-ahn's name correctly. The man wasn't worth that energy.
 
 “No,” Kaias said, leaving no room for continued conversation about it. “We will do the ceremony now.”
 
 He looked to the High Sister, “If you would do us the honor, Aema?”
 
 The woman clasped her hands over her chest and bowed her head. “Let us begin.”
 
 CHAPTER SIX
 
 The High Sister gathered everyone out of the reception room. They walked down the marble halls, passing rooms filled with sisters of all ages doing various duties. Hymns echoed down from a chamber, sending chills down Olivia’s body. This was a part of the temple that no one was allowed to enter.
 
 Olivia glanced at Eun-Ji. Her friend nodded, unable to hide her own sense of awe. Eun-Ji was the closest to the Sisterhood, but even she had never stepped into the most sacred spaces of the temple. Olivia wondered what more could be learned in these halls.
 
 They stopped at the top of a large staircase. It led down and out of the temple, into a dense forest of flowers and trees. Olivia stepped out and held her breath.
 
 The forest was unlike the ones outside of the temple. It seemed older, almost prehistoric. Winding ivy reached out from the trees, fanning its large leaves out. Each leaf was the size of an average adult, leaving shade for anyone who stepped into the forest grounds. Flowers of all shapes and sizes sprouted from the moss and ground. Large shelf fungi grew from trees. It was as if they had entered into a different world, even in Vrex standards.
 
 “No one is allowed to speak past this point,” the High Sister said, reverently. “Past these steps is our most sacred ground. Any blood spilled or words spoken will be consumed.”
 
 The woman looked at Olivia. “Please inform the humans that they are not allowed in this space if they cannot keep quiet. We cannot guarantee safety against the gods.”
 
 Olivia nodded and translated what was said. Brian nodded and pulled out a camera.
 
 “What are you doing?” Olivia hissed.
 
 “Documentation,” Brian shrugged.
 
 “No,” Eun-Ji shook her head, “this is like taking photos of the Pope’s private bathroom or the Queen of England’s underwear drawer.”
 
 “It’s a forest.” Brian rolled his eyes.
 
 “It is sacred ground,” Olivia argued.
 
 “She said no talking,” Brian said, “I can keep my mouth shut. But she never said we couldn’t take pictures.”
 
 “Only because they don’t have an equivalent technology,” Eun-Ji commented.
 
 Brian shrugged. “Que sera sera.”
 
 Olivia wanted to hit him. Brian was being immature. He was pushing the limits once again, all because he couldn't get what he wanted. And he used their mission as his reasoning. What angered her about it was that he wasn't wrong. This was important to the growing relationship between the two planets. But it didn't sit well with her.
 
 Her eyes wandered to Eun-Ji for help, but when there was nothing, she looked to Kaias. His dark eyes were narrowed as he stared at her. There was an unspoken question that forced her to inhale deeply. There was no doubt in her mind that he was questioning her, wanting to know if she could be trusted, and wondering what was going on with the humans. Olivia turned to Brian and glared at him.
 
 “You’re a prick,” Olivia growled out. She snatched the camera from his hands and tossed it to a guard. The Vrex male stumbled, but caught it in time.