Accepting (The Return of the Nine book 2)

by Grace, Viola

  It was amazing when she looked at Tonos that he had completely transformed from the good-natured winged man who had met her at the shuttle. His hair formed a wide halo, his pointed ears were exposed and literally twitching with every sound, his body was more massive and his wings held a metallic sheen that had been absent when she arrived.

  Tonos shook his head. “They want to treat me, to make this go away. I won’t let them.”

  Ziggy cleared her throat. “No, Tonos. Now that Tiera has exposed her talent to manipulate, she needs to be recorded for the archives of the Nine. It is protocol to record all new psychic evolutions, no matter the race.”

  He blinked, and his eyes focussed. “Of course. I will take you to medical and make sure that you are not harmed.”

  Ziggy and Rothaway led the way, Tonos and Tiera followed and the Wilder that Rothaway had spoken to made a call on one of the wall terminals.

  Their procession was slow, and no one tried to halt them. “Is it normal for the halls to be this empty?”

  Tonos growled, “They have been alerted that I am unstable. The halls have been cleared all the way to medical so no one is injured.”

  He seemed to be more coherent and less instinctive.

  “What is going on? I know that you are exhibiting signs of finding your mate, but I am the only one here.”

  He paused and turned to her. “You honestly can’t feel it?”

  She blinked and then gasped when he surged toward her and bent her back in a kiss that stole her breath and her ability to think coherently.

  When he righted her, he smiled and the pointed teeth that were endemic to the Nine were exposed. “Does that clarify things?”

  She blinked. “No. But I want to try whatever you had for dessert.”

  He laughed and some more sanity came back to him.

  As they turned to re-join their companions, Rothaway looked resigned, and Ziggy looked horrified. The councillor turned his wife, and they continued to lead the way to medical.

  Tonos’s grip on her hand was still warm and still sent pulses of energy up her arm, but she didn’t mind. Despite what her logic said, her instincts were screaming that he was the only one for her.

  “Do your people put out pheromones?”

  “Yes. They help in the seduction process. Are they working?” His amusement was palpable.

  She blushed to her toes and was convinced that he could gauge exactly how far the colouration went. Fortunately for her, they arrived at medical at that moment.

  Standing in the gel-lined container with an audience was a little weird, but the tall woman executing the exam was encouraging. “Breathe, Tiera MacKenzie. We need regular baselines.”

  “I will breathe if Tonos gets whatever shot he needs. I am not going to give you a baseline until he calms down and his wings are no longer deadly.”

  Tonos flicked his wings out. “No. I don’t want it to stop.”

  “Fine, don’t stop it, but slow it down. I am not going anywhere for a while.”

  His wings shifted and made the sound of steel sliding on steel.

  She crossed her arms from within the safety of the scanner. “I am not getting out of here unless you take that shot or supplement or whatever.”

  The giantess moved to a cabinet and prepared something that looked like a gun. “I will administer the shot now, Tonos, if you are willing.”

  From within the capsule, Tiera focussed her peculiar talent on Tonos, and he nodded. “I will take the shot.”

  When Dr. Meevin moved and gave Tonos the shot, Rothaway reached out to catch him. His wings quivered, and they began to return to normal.

  Tiera nodded and leaned back to begin her scans. She made herself feel as normal as she could and relaxed into the embrace of the gel.

  It took less than ten minutes for the scanners to chirp and the machine to right itself and release her.

  Dr. Meevin was stunned, “We have never seen a psychic talent of this nature. You can actually force people around to your way of thinking.”

  Tiera grinned, “It has been very handy in dealing with weddings. I can use my thoughts to bully folks into doing what I want. It isn’t subtle or graceful, but it gets the job done.”

  Dr. Meevin shook her head. “This changes everything about your stay here, as well as your interaction with Tonos. It was no wonder he fell for you, you radiate power, my dear.”

  Ziggy grinned, “I told you so.”

  Tiera exited the pod and walked back into the main area of medical, cautiously approaching Tonos.

  Rothaway stopped her. “It would be best if you didn’t touch him again, not until he is in complete control of himself.”

  “Um, what next?”

  Ziggy took her arm. “I take you back to your quarters and get you tucked in, and then, we try and figure this out in the morning.”

  “The morning sounds non-threatening. Let’s try that.” She yawned and was only too happy to have her friend escort her to her quarters.

  Tonos was sitting up, and he smiled and waved farewell as they left him with Rothaway.

  “Will he be okay?”

  Ziggy sighed. “He will be fine. Rothaway went through five years of the suppressing agent after all. He came through it okay.”

  Tiera let her friend rush her out of medical and down the hall. Rothaway would take care of Tonos.

  * * * *

  “Are you all right?”

  Tonos nodded. “That serum has a kick, but I am feeling more lucid.”

  “Excellent.”

  Tonos rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at his friend. “Did I really claim her in front of you?”

  “You made your intentions plain. She’s yours.”

  He grinned and flicked his wings. “Excellent. I can do a slow courtship, but knowing that she will be on record as officially mine will help keep the transformation at bay.”

  Rothaway laughed, “Good luck with that. Just smelling Signy wore on my self-control. If you want to engage in a courtship, I would speed it up, not slow it down.”

  He nodded as he absorbed the idea of a fast track to his woman. “Thanks for the advice. Where is she?”

  “Ziggy took her back to her rooms. She is fine, safe. You don’t need to worry.”

  Tonos shuddered as he remembered his actions, “Did I destroy any chance of an easy union with my actions?”

  Rothaway clapped him on the shoulder. “If she had not been aware of what was going on, perhaps…but I know for a fact that your prospective lady knew what was happening every time you two touched.”

  “She did?”

  “She did. Signy was quite firm on the fact that she had told Tiera what touching you could mean. Apparently, Tiera does not find you objectionable and initiated contact with you several times according to your dinner partners.”

  Hope and relief warred in Tonos’s mind. “Really?”

  Rothaway grinned, “Really. Now, as soon as we get you checked out and stabilized, I will get you back to your quarters and join my bride in mine.”

  Tonos turned to face the scowling Dr. Meevin and surrendered to his boss’s ministrations. She was businesslike, thorough and by the time she was finished stabilizing him, he felt almost normal again.

  “Thanks, Doc.” He flexed his wings as the chemical reaction that had hardened them slowly reversed.

  “You should have come to me the moment you saw the signs, Tonos. You know better.”

  He groaned and rubbed his face with both hands. “I didn’t think that this was possible. I mean I bumped into plenty of Gaians during the ceremonies the day before yesterday and nothing happened.”

  Dr. Meevin shook her head. “You have also bumped into plenty women of the Nine. You know that the bonding isn’t mandatory after contact. It is chance, happenstance, nothing more.”

  Tonos smiled and looked at the only physician on board who had bothered learning about Gaian physiology. “No, my dear Doctor, it is fate.”

  Chapter Six

&nb
sp; After two hours of girl time, Tiera felt that she and Ziggy were finally working on the same wavelength.

  “So, you saw all the signs that Tonos was attaching to you, and you didn’t say anything? You are either brave or stupid, Tier.” Ziggy was sitting on the couch with her feet up and her gown pooling under her.

  Tiera lifted a glass of wine to her friend and smiled. “I am thinking a bit of both. I should have told you, but the odds were so remote as to be ridiculous, right?”

  Ziggy grinned, “You know, he wasn’t even supposed to be the one to meet you at the shuttle.”

  “He wasn’t?”

  “Nope. One of the Forest folk was assigned, but he pulled duty on the bridge at the last minute due to a staffing shortage. Tonos is a battlefield medic, so he has most of his time off as long as he does drills and exercises.”

  Tiera absently licked her lower lip. “That explains why he is in such good shape.”

  Ziggy laughed. “No, that is all due to his being one of the People of the Air. He has to be fit to fly. If the others want to be insulting, they call them flitters.”

  “They are the Fairies of our folklore, aren’t they?”

  Ziggy nodded and held out her glass for more wine. “They are indeed, as are the Giants, Dryads, Dwarves, were-creatures, Mermen, the Balance and, of course, the Darkness.”

  “Balance? Darkness? I haven’t heard anything about them in the news vids and certainly didn’t see any at dinner.” Tiera watched as Ziggy got rapidly tipsy.

  “They are around, but they keep to themselves. They don’t bother with the other races, but I have heard they are pretty impressive in battle.”

  A knock on the door brought their girl talk to a halt. With a grin, Tiera greeted Rothaway and gestured for him to take his bride back to their rooms. “She is an easy drunk. Never could hold her liquor.”

  He scooped Ziggy up carefully and smiled at Tiera. “Thank you for coming to the ship. She was a little adrift when she first arrived. You have given her the anchor that she needed.”

  Tiera grinned, “You are that anchor now, I am merely a buoy that helps her find her location. Once she sails past me into clear water, she won’t need me anymore.”

  He frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “It is a nautical reference, just get Ziggy to explain it when she wakes up. She knows everything.”

  He inclined his head and smiled ruefully as Ziggy started to snore delicately.

  Tiera covered her mouth as a belly laugh started, and she saw him out. Ziggy would call her in the morning, and the sight of that huge man looking down at her friend made Tiera smile the whole way through her evening routine right until she tucked herself into bed.

  The knock woke her from a restless dream that featured fluttering wings and a kiss that tasted like berries.

  She flipped back the covers and padded to the door in her t-shirt. She opened it and smiled, but her smile froze on her face. “Tonos, what are you doing here?”

  He inclined his head. “I thought to continue your tour of the ship. No contact, I promise.”

  She looked down and blushed furiously. “I will get dressed. Give me a moment.”

  She beat a retreat to the bedroom and quickly dug through her clothing to find something with long sleeves and a pair of casual pants. She scooped up her underwear and headed for the lav.

  The blast of energy and light cleaned her from the sleep and oils of the night, and her hair went into a braid quickly.

  Why she was so eager to see him again after the debacle of last night was beyond her, but she slithered into her trousers and pulled on the loose shirt with a deliberate air of concealment.

  Whether he had seen her body outlined or not, today he was seeing her buttoned down and unapproachable. It had worked for her for years, and she was willing to test it on a warrior of the Nine.

  He blinked in surprise when she came out of the bedroom. “You look…comfortable.”

  She smiled. “Now that your link has been undone, I thought concealment and avoiding contact was the best option.”

  He nodded. “It can’t hurt. Now, would you like breakfast here or near the observatory?”

  She grinned. “The observatory, please.” Her mind screamed at her that this was a stupid idea. She was nowhere near her comfort zone when it came to being in a new area, and yet, her hormones jumped up and down at the thought of being near him.

  She was wearing running shoes, socks, loose slacks and a loose-weave, baggy, button-down shirt. The shirt cuffs were long enough to cover her palms, and that made it safe in her mind.

  She smiled brightly and walked past him and into the hallway.

  Everyone that they passed was wearing a uniform or gown, but she kept her head high and walked at Tonos’s side.

  “So, how did you find medical last night?” Tonos’s question caught her by surprise.

  “Um, it was fine, I suppose. I have no idea what she was measuring, but I hope she found everything she was looking for.”

  “What is the nature of your talent, precisely?”

  Tiera laughed, “I wondered when you would ask that and not be all weird and creepy about it. My talent as far as I know is to convince people to come around to my way of thinking. It wears off if I am doing it to manipulate, but if I am insistent or believe in what I am saying, it sticks. The change becomes permanent when they accept what I have done to their train of thought. Mind you, if I am just trying to get them to shut up, it wears off when they realize I was not correct.”

  “Have you done it to me?”

  She blinked, “No. I don’t recall thinking much while you are around. I seem to fly along on instinct.”

  His grin made her groan. “Please tell me I didn’t just say that.”

  He showed more of his shiny, white teeth.

  “Aw geez. I hereby retract my last statement.”

  “Too late, it is embedded in my memory. Now, would you prefer to walk the rest of the way or take the pod?”

  “How long is it?”

  “That is a personal question.” His smile was still in evidence.

  She sighed and refrained from smacking him by an extreme effort of will. “How long a walk, Tonos?”

  “Ten minutes.”

  “Then walk we shall.” She was about to stride off but realised she didn’t know where she was going. “Either catch up or I return to my quarters.”

  He laughed, and together, they went off in search of breakfast.

  Chapter Seven

  It took them two hours to finish laughing and talking over an endless parade of delicacies and teas. The Nine took breakfast very seriously.

  Tiera felt a little uncomfortable wearing such loose clothing when everyone around her was wearing semi-formal wear. She finally asked, “Isn’t there a version of the Nine clothing that isn’t elegant or formfitting?”

  Tonos sat back and sipped his tea. “Not on the mother ship. We save casual clothing for when we are ground bound. Up here, we are all on duty whether there is an active battle or not. We dress accordingly.”

  She winced. “So, my clothing choice?”

  “Is not appropriate, but you are not a member of the crew and so you can wear what you wish.”

  She sighed. “Is there any option for me that will keep us from touching but let me fit in a little bit more?”

  He grinned, “I thought you would never ask. Come along.”

  He got to his feet, pressed his fingers to the pay pad, and they walked out together.

  Tiera could feel the heat of his hand against her spine, but he never actually made contact. It was frustrating and intriguing all at the same time.

  They were in a commercial centre—kiosks, cafes and small shops lined the walkway.

  With him herding her along, they ended up in a shop that held clothing in a vast array of configurations. “Rikkait. I need a morph suit for the new Gaian representative.”

  A man made of shadows drifted forward and bowed. “I see. What sort
of colouring do you have in mind. Her skin will take to almost anything dark and strong.”

  When a tendril of the darkness touched her hand, she blinked in surprise. “What the hell.”

  “Rikkait. Stop that, or you will infringe on my claim on her, and a challenge will be in the air.”

  The tendril immediately retreated. “I apologize, Tonos, but you understand that I had to try.”

  “Understood, but try it again, and you will be looking at the stars through a pierced veil of darkness.”

  Tiera had to ask, “What is going on?”

  Tonos moved toward her, and the shadow receded. “Rikkait was trying to see if you were a compatible female, and when I informed him of my claim, he did the polite thing and ceased his efforts.”

  “I thought that after your treatment you…” She lifted her hands in a helpless gesture.

  “That I would no longer be affected by you? You are very mistaken. In fact, proximity to you has been wearing on my self-control since I first saw you this morning.”

  Rikkait extended his shadowy arms, and a deep purple suit was draped across them. “This should fit the bill. It is one of my newest and is very flattering to anyone who wears it.”

  Tonos took it from him and handed it to Tiera. “There is a changing room in the back. You can try it on in there. Rikkait will remain out here with me.”

  It took all of the tricks that Ziggy had shown her last night, but she managed to do up the closures until she was in a skin-tight suit that rippled and clasped her body faithfully until it was no longer a piece of fabric but was now her second skin.

  The collar was high, and all of her skin was concealed. The cuffs extended down across the back of her hand in a sort of fingerless glove. It would allow her to do everything that she needed to do without getting in her way.

  With an armload of folded clothing, she returned to the front of the small shop. “I think it fits?”

  Tonos had been speaking quietly when she emerged, but he fell silent and simply stared at her.

  Rikkait made a small laugh. “You look lovely. Shall I have those clothes sent to your room?”