A reclusive inventor meets a man who will give her wings. Well, he will let her use his.

Ula has hidden from her own people in an effort to cease pressure from local government to create weapons against the Nine. When a man with wings comes knocking, she slams the door in his face.

Deniir has gotten as much information on the designer as he can, but seeing her taming some of the wild flying predators out back eases her rude dismissal of his presence. She is as wild as the beasts she uses to get airborne, and he sees the means to get her to follow him to the stars.

Offer her complete freedom and she will follow him wherever he leads.

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Designing

Copyright © 2013 Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-77111-625-1

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

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Designing

Return of the Nine Book 7

By

Viola Grace

Chapter One

The heap of leather and metal on the table was drawing a lot of speculation as to how a primitive with limited resources managed to repurpose an instrument of torture.

“I cannot understand how the Gaian understood the tech, let alone reprogrammed it.” The head engineer of the Nine warship scowled and prodded the leather. It contracted immediately.

“She has a talent for it, much as the other men and women who have been coming to our attention. I wouldn’t put anything past the Gaians at this point. They are surprising us at every turn, Father.” Deniir laughed.

“I want to talk to the engineer who created this. This is an amazing work of design and practicality.”

“That will be difficult, Father. She has retired from active use of her talent and has withdrawn to the cliffs. She sees no one.” Deniir frowned. “She has even cut herself off from her friends.”

His father shifted his shoulders restlessly. “How do you know that?”

“I asked. Cavos’s mate is a friend of the designer. She is the one who used to wear the harness. Her spinal cord had been damaged, and yet, this woman rigged the straps to keep her friend upright and mobile for years before it failed.”

“Extremely impressive. For a primitive to take apart and reassemble Tokkel technology is a feat that deserves to be investigated. I would like to interview her.”

Deniir frowned. “She will not leave her home. Even her friends do not have permission to visit.”

“Then, you will have to convince her that she needs to take a tour of our facilities. I believe that the opportunity will entice her. She can have full run of a design station and access to all our tech. That has to be tempting, even if she is in retirement.”

Deniir looked at his father. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am very serious. A mind like this needs to be encouraged, not allowed to hide in the darkness. Bring her into the light.”

He straightened and made a formal bow. “Yes, Master Engineer Darthuun. I will bring this woman into the light, whether she wishes to be here or not.”

* * * *

“Are you sure this is her home?” Deniir turned to ask the woman who had escorted him up the mountain.

Niika smiled. “It is where she lives. This is as far as I will take you. Whether you succeed or fail, you do it on your own.”

He frowned. “You don’t visit her?”

“Of course I do. The third day after the second moon is full. We have a schedule but that isn’t suitable for your timeline, and she can see us from here, so you had better stop looming over me.” Niika grinned at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

Deniir snorted and turned to Niika’s mate. “Cavos, can’t you do something?”

He grinned. “I am doing something. I am letting you take my mate away from our restoration of the underground Stone Folk city. We have a life to begin, Deniir, and while I respect your mission, it is yours and not mine.”

Deniir stared up at the small door set into the side of the mountain, and he nodded. “Thank you for your assistance. I will take it from here.”

He shifted his cloak around him and made his way up the narrow path that led to the door in the stone. To his shock, he caught the gleam of small monitoring cameras as he progressed toward the entrance.

He stepped on the doormat laid out and knocked on the door in the cliff face. He heard rustling inside and the top half of the door swung open, and a woman with pale skin and crimson hair faced him. “What do you want?”

“Greetings, Ularica. My name is Deniir, and I am an engineer of the People of the Light on the Nine mother ship.”

She stared at him impassively and blinked slowly.

“Uh, well, you are invited to the mother ship in an effort to get you to tour the engineering department.”

She nodded. “Not interested. Please leave.”

To his surprise, she shut the upper half of the door, and he could hear her footsteps receding inside.

“Damn.”

He heard a noise that was familiar. Birds. He followed a narrow path around the corner of the stone wall until the path ended. Sighing with curiosity, he removed his cloak and fluffed out his wings.

He flexed them a few times and then launched himself into the darkness of the space between mountains. His wing beats were heavy, but it eased as he worked out into the light and the warmer air lifted him until he was facing an entire flock of absolutely huge raptors.

The giant birds watched him warily as he settled on a thick jutting branch. He looked at the birds carefully, and he spotted two of them wearing what appeared to be saddles. The way the woman had been heading to the back of her home, she had something distracting on her mind, and there was nothing more distracting than flying. He simply had to wait, and perching in the tree was second nature.

She would come out to ride one of her birds, and he would make his pitch in the air.

* * * *

Ula felt a little guilty about closing the door on the man from the Nine, but she was so tired of folks wanting to use her talent for military purposes that it was a reflex she now regretted.

She sighed and quickly braided her hair. She knew just the thing to clear her head, and the flock was right outside.

A quick change into riding gear and she was ready to go for one of her personal pleasures and fly through the Gaian sky.

The rocs were nice birds and large enough to carry a human without difficulty, but they were impossible to domesticate. She didn’t have any issue with domestication; she rode them wild.

Ula clicked her tongue rapidly, and one of the birds screeched in response. Outside her balcony was a rock suitable for a landing site, and her favourite bird came at her call.

“Good afternoon, Bertrum.” She clicked her tongue again, and he settled onto the perch she had built for him. “Ready for some exercise?”

Bert settled and let her mount. She slid her feet into the stirrups and latched her flying belt into the saddle. Bertrum and his mate Eleth wore her saddles constantly. They were the only rocs that didn’t fight her every time. Ula suspected that the two birds actually thought of the harnesses as some kind of mating bands. They certainly clung together and preened when they were wearing them.

Once she was in place, she made a low chuffing noise and Bert took off. It was time to get the only freedom she had anymore; it was time to ride the wind.

Chapter Two

Her eyes teared until she pulled her goggles into place. Bert was in fine form today. He wheeled, darted and spiralled around the cliffs of her home until she could do nothing but hang on for dear life.

Once he had gotten used to her weight, Bert began to climb.

She clung to him as he headed straight for the clouds. As the roaring in her ears eased, she heard a strange noise. There were heavy wing beats nearby, and they didn’t belong to a roc.

She turned her head and had to blink several times behind her goggles. There was a flying man gaining on them, and he bore a startling resemblance to the Nine representative who had been at her door.

She rocked back in her stirrups, and Bert slowed his forward progress. She shouted. “What the hell?”

“I would like to speak with you, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make that meeting happen.” He flew next to them and smiled brightly at her as he kept pace.

“You have wings.”

“I do. Now, shall we continue this conversation on the ground or do you want me to continue to pace you?”

She was so startled, she gave Bert the signal to land. He spiralled down, and she dismounted on a rocky strut jutting from the canyon below. Bert shuffled and took off, leaving her alone with the winged rep.

Ula put her hands on her leather-clad hips and looked up at the lean man looking down at her. “So? Talk.”

“I would like you to come to the mother ship and take a look at our research and development department. I believe that you have skills that we can learn from and a way of viewing technology that is fresh and new.”

She looked him up and down, and her mind tried to work out the means by which he flew. “Why does the Nine want to speak to me?”

“Because of the repurposing of the Tokkel torture straps. If you could teach our men to think a little more outside the standard, we might just be able to have a higher crash-survival rate.” He blinked, and he exhibited a second set of eyelids. Under the standard lids, he had a clear inner lid that was probably designed for flight.

Ula throttled down her curiosity. It tended to get her into trouble. She did not want to be curious about this man. Nor did she want to wonder how someone who looked so dense could fly.

“I don’t want to go to the mother ship.”

“Please. We have many engineers and researchers who have not yet been able to learn your language. The translators on the ship would enable them to learn how to change the way they look at items in order to think outside common parameters.”

She gave him a sceptical look. “You have to be kidding me.”

“No. From what your friends and the administrators of the colony have told us, you have a knack for creating anything they need out of scavenged tech. We would like you to share that knack with us so that we can evolve past our narrow views of our own technology. We are in danger of becoming locked in a ship that needs to evolve, and we are unable to help her. Our minds do not work that way.”

Ula paced to the edge of the stone and looked down into the canyon. She thought about the concept of trying to teach others how her mind worked, and it was amusing and intriguing. No one had wanted to learn from her before. They simply wanted the results of her work, not the process that had created it.

“What do I get out of it if I agree to head up to the mother ship?” She turned to face him and his wings were extended, sheltering her from the wind. It was sweet.

“I am authorized to offer you patents on anything you create, followed by bonuses for their practicality. You will have full run of our research and development department and all supplies and tech they can provide.”

Ula felt a stirring of excitement. “Wait, you mean I will be able to see lists of tech and requisition what I want to play with? No one will complain?”

“They will be honoured to assist your efforts. I have not heard one person complain about the end result of your work.”

She laughed. “That is politic. They complain because I won’t do more. I have created self-thawing sidewalks, improved healing facilities with upgraded machines, and they still want more. I refuse to work in weaponry. Is that clear?”

He nodded. “It is clear. No weapons. So, you will come?”

She let out a shrill whistle, and Bert returned to her side. She clucked to him as she hauled herself into the saddle. “I will come with you for no more than seven days. At the end of that time, I wish to be returned here to my home. Is that clear?”

Deniir nodded. “Yes, of course. I can have it drawn up in a contract if you like.”

“It probably wouldn’t hurt. I will meet you back at my home, and we can hash out the details.”

She doubled checked her goggles and gently squeezed Bert with her heels. He waddled to the edge of the cliff and dropped straight down, opening his wings on the way to catch himself and begin the climb. Ularica used her control straps to steer him home, and then, she hopped off her mount and went inside to give him his treat. The treat being citrus was shocking to some people, but they didn’t watch the rocs. The rocs flew through primarily desolate areas. They almost became intoxicated with the appearance of a large juicy fruit. Bert opened his mouth when she approached with it, and he quickly flew off.

“Where is he going?” Deniir settled next to her on the stone path that led out of the rocs’ canyon and into her home.

“To give it to Eleth, his mate. I think she is going to nest soon, and I hope they do it nearby. I do love to watch the little ones.”

He nodded.

“Are your people born with wings or do you develop them later in life?” She almost clapped her hand over her mouth but the question was out.

“The buds are there, but the wings only develop in late adolescence. It is our last stage of development.”

“Ah. Interesting.” Her mind was whirling, and she wanted to see him fly again so that she could design a pair of wings for herself. Inwardly, she winced. Any new stimuli and she couldn’t turn her talent off. The urge to create was overwhelming.

He tucked his wings tight to his back and they folded to press against his body until they no longer resembled wings and instead appeared to be a fanciful cloak thrown over his shoulders.

Ula scowled as she realised that her curiosity was going to back her into a corner again. This time, she wasn’t going to be able to hide in her mountain home. Once she was on that star ship, she was going to be examined, interviewed and put through her paces.

There was no hiding anymore. It was time to face the very men that parts of her government wanted her to destroy. She hoped that telepathy wasn’t common, because she was going to be looking at them and wondering if they were aware how close they were to death at the hands of the Gaian primitives.

“Give me a few minutes to pack a bag.”

He inclined his head. “Take your time. I am in no hurry.”

Her tension was probably confusing him but that was for the best. The day that she had come up with a way to destroy the mother ship of the Nine was the day she destroyed all her research and climbed the mountain, never to return to the cities of her world. They didn’t need the power she could bring them. They would grow slowly and the world would evolve them in its own time. She didn’t need to turn them into murdering bastards. If they wanted to turn destructive, they could do it without her help.

She was getting out and up.

Chapter Three

Daphne was elegantly welcoming, as befitted the wife of the ambassador. Ula greeted her formally, and the moment they were inside the embassy, she was treated to a hug that made her squeak.

“I am glad to see you too, Daph. Now, put me down.” Ula kicked her heels.

Daphne set her on the floor. “It has been over a year.”

“I know. I am sorry, but they have been watching for me.”

Daphne scowled. “Not here they won’t. My husband would kick them into next week.”

“Do you have a pot of tea handy?”

Daphne laughed and led her into the main floor parlour where a tea set was waiting for them.

“You are going up to the ship?” Daphne poured, and Ula busied herself loading the teacups.

“Apparently. I think it might be good for me. I have been too insular, even for me. A week on their ship will give me a new perspective, and they might get something out of it as well.”

Daphne nodded and sipped at her tea. “I have no doubt about that. While no one from the Nine Corp of Engineers has come down before, I think they are about to get a rather serious education.”

Ula smiled slowly and sipped at her tea. “That is why I am going.”

Deniir was a competent pilot, but being inside the ship, Ula saw at least four items she would change for convenience based on what she knew of the Nine races and their physical needs.

Her pilot spoke to her. “How does your talent work?”

“You want to know now?”

“Well, I wanted to make conversation, and it is a subject of interest.”

“Ah. Well, I look at things and see what can be done to make them perfect. If they are already sound, I can see all the components that make up their form and disassemble them in my mind, identifying the components individually for their optimum versatility.”

“And you can use those components.”

“Of course. Even if I only have primitive tools, I can still take most things apart. They simply part in the precise weak points that I identify. It just takes practice.”

“How did you alter the torture harness?”

“Trial and error, combined with terror that a friend would be paralyzed for life if I didn’t succeed.” She shrugged. The redesigning process was a bit of a blur. The wound in Niika’s back was never far from her mind, and she had just acted. No thought required.

“You can create on instinct?”

“I don’t create. I never create. I just redesign using components at hand.” She shrugged. Her mind was running through her inventory and coming up with components to create a set of wings. There was no stopping it; she was going to build them. She had no idea if she would ever have the nerve to try and use them.

She opened the door to her home, and he came in, gasping in shock. Ula smiled and kept moving. “I will just pack a bag. You can dig around and play with whatever you like.”

She heard a few of her machines click and twist as he examined them.

Shaking her head and thinking about boys and toys, she grabbed a bag and shoved in a few days’ worth of clothing. She usually wore leathers to work. It cut down on fire from sparks when she welded. No one wanted to run around the house while on fire.

She looked around and shrugged, returning to Deniir before he found her fire extinguisher.

She paused when a shout and a hiss preceded the white cloud of vapour that tumbled down the hall toward her. “Breathe through your mouth for a moment. The taste will fade.”

When she turned the corner, his gold hair was sticking up straight, his face betrayed his shock, and the expression on that face was priceless.

He closed his mouth, and it took him a few attempts to speak. “What in the name of the first feathers was that?”

His mouth sounded dry, so she moved to the side of her workspace and poured him a glass of water out of her storage canister. “Drink this.”

He shuddered and swallowed rapidly, obviously running his tongue around the edges of his mouth.

She stifled her grin. “That is the fire-suppression system. It is an herbal extract that Emharo found for me in some underwater plant life. I powder it and then put it under pressure in a canister.”

He blinked. “So I see. What was the cloud of gas?”

“It absorbs all heat in the area, including the heat from open sources. Fortunately, it does not take heat from anything biological. I don’t know how it works, but it does.” She shrugged. “I just design and build things, I don’t always know how they work.”

He blinked. “That doesn’t seem right.”

Ula snorted. “Welcome to my world. Are you ready to leave?”

He carefully put down the canister and nodded. “Yes, please. I am terrified of how you get rid of household pests.”

She chuckled as they exited through the front door, and she armed her defensive systems. No one was going to get any of her projects without blowing the entire house to hell and back. There was nothing safer than a pile of radioactive matter blasting up through the floor to dissolve the floor if the right code wasn’t entered.

“Will your workshop be secure?”

She laughed. “I think so. It has the best lock I could design.”

“In that case, I believe we should be on our way.”

He offered her his arm, and she inclined her head. “Thank you, but contact is not necessary. I have heard that your kind is sensitive to it, and I don’t want to take any chances.”

Deniir looked a little put out, but she merely smiled and walked down the narrow path that led away from her home. She heard a sharp chirp from behind her and turned.

Deniir had folded his cuff back and was typing rapidly with two fingers. “There. We should be seeing the pick-up in a few minutes.”

“You have shuttle clearance for the interior?”

“I do. The engineers have been providing your people with any number of handy devices. They are appreciative.”

She snorted. “Just watch it. They can turn on you before you know it.”

Ula rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the sky. A tiny speck appeared, and as they continued to walk down the path to the plateau, it grew larger in the sky until she was being pummelled by the blasts of air that it gave off in its effort to land.

Deniir stood between her and the landing shuttle and opened his wings, creating a windbreak.

She spit out a few bits of grit. “Thank you.”

“It is a hazard on loose soil like this. How is it that you live in a dormant volcano?”

“Oh, it was the hardest place to get to; so after a while, the politicians stopped sending parties up here to negotiate with me.” She kept her eyes closed and waited until the jets of air stopped trying to knock her over.

“Please come with me. We are about to leave for the mother ship.” He lowered and snugged down his wings again, covering them with his cloak.

She nodded and dusted her features as she headed to the ship. Her leathers creaked slightly as she walked up the steps, and a voice spoke in peculiar, liquid tones.

Deniir responded and then translated. “Our pilot is Lenur of the Water People, and he has apologised for the landing. He was not expecting the sediment.”

“Tell him it is fine. If I couldn’t handle dirt, I wouldn’t have gone into my current line of work.”

The pilot spoke rapidly again, and there was no mistaking the amusement.

“He says thank you for your graciousness, pretty lady; now, take a seat before take off breaks your nose.”

Blinking, she followed Deniir’s lead. When they were settled in seats and strapped in, the ship rumbled under them, and Ula felt the peculiarity of take off.

Her hands gripped the arms of her chair, and she occupied her mind by looking around the cabin for materials and design flaws.

She found seven design flaws and thirty-two pieces that she could remove and use in her workshop. By the time she finished calculating where to place the items she had located, they were on their way to the mother ship through empty space.

Ula could see Gaia beneath her, and she had to admit, it was a beautiful planet.

“How are you taking to spaceflight?”

She jumped at Deniir’s voice as his breath heated her cheek. He was peering out the window beside her.

She studiously pointed her face toward the window and kept it there. “I think I am adjusting fine. I have found any number of things to occupy my attention.”

“Like what?”

“I have identified seven improvements in this space that would make it more efficient and comfortable.” She chuckled.

“Can you make me a list?”

She blinked. “Are you serious?”

“Of course. The Nine are always seeking means by which we can change and improve. We would welcome a few new designs.”

“That is refreshing. Can I choose what changes to include?”

“Of course. It is your design.” He smiled and directed her to look away from Gaia toward the huge ship surrounded by tiny buzzing shuttles. “Welcome to the mother ship of the Nine.”

She looked forward, and her talent kicked in. There were enough tiny changes to be made to keep her designing for a lifetime.

Chapter Four

“You have guest quarters assigned to you. Would you care to see them first?” Deniir watched her carefully as she disembarked from the shuttle.

“Yes, please. I can drop my bag and wash my face and centre myself. It should only take three minutes or so.” She smiled hopefully.

“Of course. This way.” Deniir bowed slightly and gestured for her to accompany him.

They walked through the halls, and several men bowed as they passed. Deniir inclined his head but didn’t stop to talk.

She asked, “You have a rank here?”

“I am a master engineer, second only to my father, Darthuun. You will meet him when we go to the research and development department.”

“I am guessing that you have a rank beyond that.”

He grinned and shrugged. “The ranks of my people do not matter here. That is not how our hierarchy works.”

She registered what he had said. “You work with your father?”

“Yes. It is not always easy, but I enjoy it. He is an excellent engineer.”

She sighed. “You are very lucky.”

They passed a couple, and she blinked. “Is she a tree?”

“One of the Forest Folk, yes. Like the ambassador on Gaia.”

“I haven’t actually met Daphne’s husband. I haven’t seen any of the Nine either. This is all quite interesting, but please, tell me if I am staring.”

“You are doing very well so far.” He chuckled.

A man with fluttering fairy wings was coming toward them, and as he passed, he drifted in close to Ula.

Deniir moved so swiftly, she only heard the snap of his wings as he flared them, flicking the other man away from her before she could even shift her weight.

“Back off.”

The fairy held up his hands and stayed back.

Deniir waited, with the man pinned to the wall by his wingtip. When he received some signal that Ula couldn’t see, he released the other man and snapped his wings together behind his back. He didn’t flatten them but left them raised and the arches framed his head on either side.

As they started to move again, she asked, “What was that?”

“There are far more men than women on board. You are a new female and therefore worth trying to claim. The women of Gaia are prized mates here.” He smiled slightly.

“I see. What was his species?”

“The People of the Air. They are generally harmless unless they are in a thwarted bond.”

“How does that work?”

“Well, I will have the instruction manual for dealing with the Nine forwarded to your quarters.” He smiled, “Your planet-mate, Ziggy, is the Potential of Gaia, and she has created a species-by-species information sheet for any of your kind on the mother ship.”

“That was thoughtful of her.”

Of course, Ula had heard of Ziggy and her ensconcement on the mother ship. While she didn’t let her friends visit, she did communicate via com system. She knew who had married what; she simply had no images of the species that her friends were now sleeping with.

“It is. Apparently, our etiquette is a little hard to master.”

Ula snorted. Gaians were fairly tactile, and being told not to make skin-to-skin contact was awkward for them. Having the members of the Nine bond to them without contact was even more bizarre, but there was nothing to do about the pheromones. Matches were made on the chemical plane, and there was little that would deter a determined member of the Nine.

“Yes, sure. You could say that.”

They headed to a rail that ran into the wall, and at his guidance, she stood on the platform. A small pod came along, and he gestured for her to precede him.

Ula settled in the pod, and he tightened his wings again to fit in next to her. With quick motions, he entered something into the pod’s computer, and the next moment, they were off.

“I have just programmed the path to the VIP quarters where you will be housed for the duration of your stay. This pod will take us to the nearest station, and we will walk from there.”

“Sounds fine.”

The rest of the trip consisted of Deniir being curiously tense and Ula staring out the window as the interior of the ship whizzed past.

The pod glided to a halt, and Deniir got to his feet, waiting for her to join him.

She stepped out with her bag still slung over her shoulder. The feel of the ship had gone from port to residential neighbourhood.

She walked with him past two guards at the side of a corridor with strange markings over the archway. Deniir identified himself and introduced her then led her into the hall, to the quarters set aside for her.

Ula stepped into the rooms cautiously. The entryway was large, echoing and opening into a larger communal dining and living room. It was larger than anything she had seen in her life.

“How is it that there is so much space allocated to one person?”

“Well, these are my quarters. Your room is this way.”

She blinked rapidly. “I beg your pardon?”

“As you will be working exclusively with the engineers, it behooves us to keep you safe. Nothing is safer than these quarters.” He walked with her to the wall. “This room is my father’s, the next room is mine, the third room is yours.”

“You live with your parent?”

“We do. We learn from our gender parent. My sisters remained with my mother to learn civic engineering and politics.”

“When do you leave your gender parent?”

“When we form a family of our own. Many mates remain together, but my father wanted to leave on the mother ship, so I went with him as a matter of tradition.” Deniir cocked his head. “Do you not have a relationship with your parents?”

She swallowed and shook her head. “They were lost in the first Tokkel raids.”

“I am sorry for your loss.”

“Well, that loss triggered my talent, so it isn’t all bad.” She tried not to be maudlin, but she missed them and the families of her friends were salt in the wound. She loved them, but it hurt to be with them.

“This is your room. You may come and go as you please, but it would be better if you waited for one of us to accompany you. We do not wish you to run afoul of any of the Nine males on the hunt for a mate.”

She nodded tersely. “Please get me that information sheet. I want to know what I am dealing with.”

She opened the door and quickly did what she had to do. She figured out how to use the en suite and scrubbed the grit from her features, quickly putting down and then binding up the red hair that she had been given courtesy of her mother’s genes.

When she was ready, she left her room and nodded to Deniir. “Okay, we can go now.”

He nodded. “Your data station has the list and descriptions of the species of the Nine as well as a list of the subspecies that are emerging.”

“Good. Now, take me to your engineers.” It wasn’t the historical take me to your leader, but she supposed it would have to do.

Chapter Five

Research and development on the mother ship of the Nine was a wonderland of half-finished inventions that left Ula’s mouth watering. She wanted to dive in and finish everything.

“Master Engineer Darthuun, this is Ularica Forniel, Master Designer of Gaia.” Deniir smiled as he made the introductions.

Ula winced. “We don’t actually use titles like that.”

Darthuun looked at her with a calculating smile, his golden eyes were measuring her. “Are you the one who repurposed the torture straps?”

“I am.”

“Then, you are a Master Designer and that is how you will be addressed during your stay on the mother ship. Has Deniir taken you and shown you your quarters?”

“He has. They are very suitable. I only need a place to sleep after a day’s hard work. With no sun to tell me what time it is, I am depending on you and Deniir to tell me when to stop and sleep. Is that acceptable?”

Deniir nodded. “I will maintain a schedule for you.”

Darthuun looked between them. “Deniir, take her on a tour and find out where she would like to start while she is here.”

Deniir winked. “Yes, Father.”

He jerked his head and she pattered after him, ready for her tour of the wonderful works that were coming together on all the workstations.

“You have no interest in weaponry, do you?”

She shook her head. “That is not an area I have any interest in.”

“Right. We will show you the healing units and move on from there then.”

She grinned and rubbed her hands together. It was time to play on a scale she had never imagined.

The man working with the healing units smiled. “Welcome, Master Designer. I am Engineer Trull.”

She kept her hands at her sides and inclined her head. “Pleased to meet you, Trull. What are you working on?”

“A portable tissue regenerator that can tell the difference between muscle and veins. So far, I am not having a lot of success.”

“May I have a look?” Ula was fighting the urge to go up on her toes to look over the man’s shoulder. Trull had all the charm of a block of granite, so Ula was guessing that stone had something to do with his people.

Deniir cleared his throat. “We will complete our tour first, and then, you are welcome to choose any project you wish to work on and whatever you need will be brought to your workstation.”

She perked up, “I have a workstation?”

“As you mentioned, it is not really common for the sexes to mix within the ship. We have prepared a station where you can communicate with the engineers and still remain free of any…interference.” He twisted his lips.

Engineer Trull nodded. “Sound thinking, Master Deniir.”

Deniir continued on their tour. They saw propulsion units, survival kits, emergency limb replacement as well as food-service equipment and prep units. There was literally something for every mood, and Ula couldn’t wait to get started.

Her stomach growled and Deniir grinned. “Thank goodness. I was beginning to suspect that you didn’t eat. You seem indefatigable.”

She snorted. “No, just very excited at the prospect of working on something without having to scrounge for parts. Where can we eat?”

“My father is making dinner for you. He wishes to speak with you at his leisure, and since you are staying with us, it will make for an entertaining evening.”

Ula sighed and curled her itching fingers into fists. “Wonderful. Can I get a notepad and a pen or something to start making notes?”

“Of course. Would you like to change for dinner?”

They were walking out of the research and development centre and back in the wide hallway.

She blushed. “Um, all my clothing is like this. I don’t live in a place where dressing for dinner is required.”

He blinked and inclined his head. “Of course. We will make a quick stop before going home then.”

“Why?”

“So we can obtain a gown for you.”

“I don’t have any currency.”

His lips twitched. “Actually, you do. We opened an account for you for the reworking of the torture harness. The modifications you made are going into some of those portable splints that we viewed earlier. They are all based on your designs, and there are already orders for the splints and braces on all of our Nine resident worlds.”

“So, I have an account?”

“You have a patent that is worth quite a lot. The pre-orders are being divided between you and the current team off shooting your work. You each get five percent of the pre-orders. It is more than enough for some new clothing, but as it is our silly tradition that requires it, my father and I will pay for your formal clothing. You are welcome to pay for as much casual clothing as you like.”

Ula was stunned. Back on Gaia, she had been paid with nothing more than the satisfaction she had been helping people. Here, she had earned money just for helping a friend in need, years earlier. The mother ship was truly a different place.

The dress shop was peculiar. She stood on a platform and a beam of light took her measurements. After that, racks of clothing in her size eased out and she noted that they all had a similar vein of style. The backs were all designed for wings.

A shadow eased forward. “Greetings, lady.”

“Um, hello.”

“I am sensing that the formal gowns of the People of the Light are not to your liking.”

“Well, I don’t have wings, so…”

“I can seal the backs easily. Will that help?” The shadow dipped and was obviously bowing.

“It will be helpful, thank you. I will take this one and this one.” She pointed to one in white and one emerald green. Both colours looked amazing with her hair and were not too heavily jewelled.

“I will make the alterations and be back in a moment.”

She smiled and inclined her head. “I was wondering if you had anything more practical?”

“Like what you are wearing?”

“Yeah, a bodysuit where nothing will get in the way.”

The shadow turned to the back with the gowns and returned with a glittering deep amethyst bodysuit, complete with a hard sole for the foot. “How is this?”

“A little girly, but I will take it.”

“Wonderful, lady. I will package it with the others.”

Deniir came over and asked her, “Have you made your choices?”

“I have. The proprietor is making some slight alterations. I am not a huge fan of having my back exposed when there is no reason for it.”

Deniir blushed. “No, I suppose not.”

The shadow appeared with a parcel held forward. “Here you are, lady. Thank you for your business.”

Deniir moved forward and extended a small object to the shadow. A slight click and the shadow retracted.

“Have a good evening.” He disappeared into the back of the shop, and the clothing in Ula’s size followed him.

Ula blinked and looked down at the parcel. “Oh, I owe you for a bodysuit.”

“I am sure you will have plenty of opportunity to pay me back. I will get you a credit chip tomorrow so you can access your accounts.”

“Is that what you just paid with?”

He nodded. “We don’t use hard currency unless we are on the surface of our own worlds. Here on the ship, we use electronic funds.”

It made sense, but it was beyond what she was used to on Gaia.

They returned to the VIP area and Deniir’s quarters.

The scent of cooking food made Ula’s mouth water. Darthuun was in the kitchen with an apron tied around his waist and his wings tightly folded to his back.

“Good evening, Master Designer.”

“Please, call me Ula, Master Engineer.”

“Ula, call me Darthuun. Feel free to refresh yourself before dinner.”

Ula looked at Deniir and gave him a knowing look. “I suspected you would say something like that. I will be out in a moment.”

She took her bundle to her assigned room and headed for the en suite lav.

A quick light shower and some hair brushing later, she was ready to try on one of the dresses.

The white dress was her choice for the evening, but it didn’t go with her hair being down. Sighing, she twisted her hair up into two buns, one on either side of her head. It exposed her neck and gave her better presentation.

With the dress hiding her bare feet, she tiptoed out into the common area where she was treated to the sight of two men in the kitchen and a platter of small bite-sized items on the table in the conversation area.

“Is there anything that I can do?” She offered it even though she had no clue what was going on in that kitchen. Utensils that she had never seen before were being flipped around casually.

The two men turned and looked at her before Darthuun quickly turned back to the meal. “No, Ula. Please have a seat and a snack. Deniir will bring you something to drink. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.”

She went to the comfortable seating area, and she took a position that would allow her to watch the goings on in the kitchen. Two men with wings were making her dinner and one of them was pouring her a drink. She was going to wake up anytime now. What a pity.

Chapter Six

Sitting and enjoying the appetizers while the food was under a heater nearby was peculiar. Generally, Ula ate as soon as her food was hot.

“So, what do you think of our little facility?” Darthuun munched at one of the vegetable and cheesy appetizers.

“It looks well organized, and I can hardly wait to play with some of the designs that I came up with today.”

Deniir blinked. “Damn. I forgot. Just a moment.”

He disappeared into his quarters and emerged with a flat screen. He slid a stylus out of the side and settled next to her on the backless couch she was sitting on.

He ran through a quick tutorial, and when she started to make notes, he nodded with approval. “You catch on quickly.”

“Well, I am reading this in Gaian, so it makes it easier.” She bent her head and made a few more notes.

When Darthuun’s laughter reached her, she looked up and blinked.

“I don’t understand. What was funny?”

Deniir’s cheeks took on a darker colour. “Nothing. My father is simply very old and rather insane.”

She looked back to the data pad and flicked through until she saw what she was looking for. A Gaian Guide to the Nine.

She flicked past the other members until she found the mating habits of the People of the Light.

Her hands tightened on the data pad, and she heard it protest her grip. “I see. So, I am not reading this in Gaian. I am reading it in Nine Common.”

Darthuun was still amused. “Apparently. I have been speaking our tongue to you since you arrived this evening. My son seems to have invaded your mind.”

“My speech centre, certainly. I did wonder why all the engineers were so easy to understand when Deniir had made it clear that they hadn’t learned Gaian yet.”

“It is understandable. I didn’t know, nor did he, that a bonding could happen with casual contact.”

Ula frowned. “We haven’t had any contact. Not even a handshake.”

Darthuun blinked. “Really?”

Deniir nodded. “Really. Ula made it very clear that she was aware of the dangers of contact with our kind, and we maintained a circumspect distance.”

Darthuun frowned. “That is unusual, but her ability to use your linguistic skills is proof that there is a bond.”

“But, the bond will be broken when I return home, correct?” Ula’s voice was firm. She wasn’t leaving room for anyone to disagree.

Darthuun shrugged. “I do not know. I have never heard of a spontaneous link in the last five generations.”

Deniir rubbed the back of his neck. “This is going to require some research.”

Ula frowned. “Should I stay somewhere else?”

Both men said, “No!”

She jerked back at their vehemence. “Um, okay.”

Deniir spoke more calmly. “I mean, it would be awkward for you to be in the home of a mated couple, and that is the only safe place for you right now.”

Ula was about to say something, but Darthuun got to his feet. “Dinner is ready. You have to let it rest or all the juice runs out when you cut into it.”

Ula shrugged and rose to her feet, lifting the hem of her gown as she crossed to the dining table.

Deniir held her chair out, and she settled carefully on the narrow-backed seat. When Deniir took a seat to one side of her and Darthuun took the other side, she had the feeling that she was the guest of honour.

Dinner passed as each food was described and a small portion was put on her plate. She used the eating prongs in the method that Deniir showed her, and soon, she was making inroads into the food that Darthuun had so carefully prepared.

“So, Ula. How long have you been a designer of the useful and fascinating?”

She blinked. “Since the Tokkel raids. When the first scout landed, a friend of mine was injured and that was when my mind sort of split and the images started to appear.”

Darthuun blinked. “Not before then?”

“There were a few small creations before then but nothing on a truly useful scale.”

Deniir spoke quietly, “You mentioned that your parents had passed on.”

Ula focussed on her meal. “They were taken in one of the first Tokkel ships, along with twenty others that we can pinpoint. They are presumed dead.”

The two men with her paused. Deniir asked, “Didn’t any of your people go looking for them?”

She snorted. “We don’t have space technology yet. There was no way for us to find them, and by then, the other attacks started and they were simply casualties of the Tokkel.”

Deniir winced. “Of course.”

Silence fell and Ula took pity on them. “Don’t fret about it. It isn’t something that most people know. Even on Gaia, everyone forgets the first few to disappear.”

“Do you think that they could still be alive?” Darthuun’s tone was soothing.

“I doubt it, but anything is possible. If there were a way to find them, I would be on it immediately.” She blinked. “Do you have gene trackers?”

Deniir blinked. “Only for short distances.”

She lifted the data pad and scribbled more notes for the morning before she tucked it back under her chair. “I apologise, but I wanted to make a note to look into the gene trackers.”

Deniir nodded with a smile. “As long as it doesn’t involve fire suppression, I will help where I can.”

She snorted. “I don’t think fire suppression will be needed, but there may be some propulsion required.”

He chuckled and inclined his head. “May I add that you look lovely this evening. That gown suits you.”

“Thank you. The ways of buying clothing amongst the Nine are peculiar, but I am sure I will adapt. Dinner is wonderful by the way.”

Darthuun blushed and his feathers fluffed up. “Thank you. Your compliment is well received.”

She sipped some of her beverage and nibbled on a few more morsels from her plate. It was a good meal, but then, any meal she didn’t have to make for herself counted in the plus column.

She asked Deniir, “How is it that your wing can be used as a weapon? It looks so soft.”

Darthuun looked at his son, “Yes, how are they used as weapons?”

“Well, there are tendon struts that stiffen when we need to defend our…friends or family. We can spike an opponent to the wall, using the tip of the wing as a stabbing weapon and the flexibility inherent in the rest of the wing makes it a multi-directional weapon.”

“Ah, that would explain it.” She smiled, and she placed her eating prongs carefully on the edge of the plate. A yawn was inside her, trying to get out. She blinked furiously trying to stay awake.

Deniir suddenly noticed. “You are tired. I am so sorry. I am a horrible host. Please, get some rest.”

“Is it all right? I mean, I could help with dishes.”

“Go and rest. Tomorrow, we intend to work you until you fall asleep at your workstation.” He winked at her and inclined his head.

She rose to her feet. “Thank you for a lovely meal and interesting conversation, Darthuun, Deniir. I am going to do some homework and then get some rest.”

Ula slipped past them and headed for her room with the data pad in her hand. She had some research on the bonding of the People of the Light to do. Finding out that mates shared a mind across distances was something that scared her. No wonder Darthuun was so calm at leaving his wife. They were still inseparable.

Ula rubbed her forehead. She didn’t feel different, but then, she hadn’t felt first contact with Deniir either.

She shook her head and made notes on a gene tracker coupled with a Tokkel tracer. If she could find the parts, she might be able to locate the retreating Tokkel who might still have some Gaians on board. It had been years, but there was still a chance that there were marks in space that would allow the lost to be found. It was so thin a chance as to be ephemeral, but she had to take it.

Ula was going to make a tracking beacon, and if there were any of her people out in space, she would know. She would finally know.

Chapter Seven

The purple bodysuit fit her faithfully, and Deniir’s wings were up and out as they walked to the R and D department.

“Is the suit too much?” She was getting more than what she would consider normal attention.

Deniir cleared his throat. “No. You look amazing. It is just very...fitted.”

“Well, I normally wear leather, but I get the feeling that it would mark me as a bit of a barbarian up here.” She chortled.

After breakfast with Darthuun, they had begun their commute while the master engineer did the dishes.

“I like your tool belt.” Deniir grinned.

Her belt was wrought with woven strips of various leathers and metals. She considered it her emergency designing supply. Her basic tools rode on her hips and rocked as she took every step.

“Thanks. It was a gift from my friends before I moved.” She tapped it with her fingers.

“Why do you live so far from your people?”

She rubbed the back of her neck. “I had a disagreement with the administration about the direction of my creations, so I simply removed myself from their influence.”

“I sense there is a story behind that.”

She shuddered. “Not one you want to hear.”

He nodded. “Accepted. I reserve the right to ask again.”

“Fair enough.” She smiled and entered the R and D section of the mother ship with a sense of anticipation.

Today, she was going to play with big toys, and she couldn’t wait.

Four hours later, Deniir appeared at her side.

“Ula, what have you figured out for that portable healer?”

“It’s done. On the edge of the table there. It now generates a beam that works on the clotting principal. It identifies the proteins in the tissue by doing a calibration analysis of stable tissue and then the beam can be used to encourage the generation of healed tissue.” She flapped her hand at the unit.

“Already? Trull has been working on that for two years.” Deniir picked it up an examined it.

“Well, that is why you asked me here, right?”

She felt a touch on her shoulder, and she turned, blinking up at him. His features were calm and sober. “I brought you here to see how your mind worked, to see if you could inspire the engineers working here. I didn’t bring you here to drain your brain.”

“You are touching me.”

He nodded. “You need to be touched. I am getting the feeling that contact is a thing you left behind when you moved to your aerie.”

His wings shielded their conversation from the other engineers, and his hand moved from her shoulder to cup her neck.

She could feel the warmth of his fingers, and her heart stuttered in her chest. “It was my choice. My people or my self-respect. I chose me, I always choose me.”

“There doesn’t have to be a choice between doing what you love and being with someone. You can have socialization and job satisfaction.” His thumb skated along her jawline.

Ula stared up at him, and she was completely hypnotized by the warm, seductive scent of Deniir with the blend of a wild storm. It made her want to cuddle close for safety, and she guessed that it was a genetic ploy to have a female do just that.

“How did the planet do that?” She asked him softly.

“Do what?” He was leaning toward her.

“Key my species to respond to yours.”

“No one knows, but I am not complaining.”

His lips made contact with hers, and she felt an electric jolt of energy and a sparking of ideas that she had never even thought of involving technology that she hadn’t heard of. Thoughts that were not her own.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but Deniir’s hand tightened on her neck, keeping her lips pressed to his. Her mind organized the new information as it streamed into her thoughts, and she could only imagine that the same was happening to him.

She heard a throat clearing, and Deniir continued their kiss for another minute before leisurely lifting his head, a dazed look in his eyes. He smiled softly and caressed her cheek. “Hello.”

Ula blinked. “Hello. Learning to fly looked like fun.”

He grinned and grimaced a moment later. “And I understand your reasoning for your life of solitude. We will deal with that another day.”

The sound of Darthuun clearing his throat was repeated. “My son, as much as I enjoy the thought of you finding a partner, the pheromone cloud you two are producing is distracting the other engineers.”

Ula blushed. “Sorry, Darthuun.”

“My apologies, Father.”

The master engineer was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his wings flared out to frame him. He wore the same type of clothing that Deniir wore. A sleeveless shirt slit up the back to allow for the wings’ free movement and tight trousers that tucked into knee-high boots.

His sandy hair was caressed by silvery strands, which hinted at the changes that Deniir would eventually undergo.

“Ula has already made great strides on the portable healing unit.”

Darthuun looked sceptical. “How great?”

Ula smirked, “It is finished.”

It was hard to be smug while she was leaning against Deniir, but the moment she realised it was her own body shifting toward his on its own, she stepped back until she was leaning against her workstation.

Darthuun looked sceptical. “Really?”

Ula smirked and leaned over, grabbing the unit from where Deniir had set it down. Out of the way but within reach.

She grabbed a blade from her belt, and wincing, she placed her hand on the table and plunged the knife through her left hand, between the bones. The searing agony distracted her, and she heard Deniir shout and Darthuun gasp.

Through gritted teeth, she hissed, “Stand back. I have to do this.”

He stood back but it was reluctantly.

Her hand throbbed, but she picked up the new portable healer. She calibrated it against her forearm, and the moment it turned green, she pulled the knife out of her flesh, pressing the healing unit to the back of her hand.

The unit’s indicator light turned blue and the pain stopped. It was telling her nerves to calm down while it used the clotting and repair factors of her body to do their work in the most efficient way possible.

Once the blue light turned white, she rotated her hand to heal the interior of her palm.

When the light turned purple, the healing was done.

She raised her hand to Darthuun and flexed her palm. “I trust you will believe me now?”

He bowed low, his wings fully extended. “My apologies that my doubt caused you pain, Master Designer.”

“Testing a design on my own body is only what anyone should ask of themselves if they expect others to trust their lives to it.”

Deniir looked at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, and Darthuun bowed lower.

“Please get up, Darthuun.” She returned to her workstation and smiled at Deniir as she started back on the tracking pod that she was working on.

The master engineer stood up again and folded his wings in. “We thank you for your help. Are the schematics in the system?”

“They are. I took images of the unit as I built it.” She sealed the casing with a few snaps, and the small rocket was complete. She would need to build more, and one per day would increase her chances of finding any traces of those first few Gaians.

“If you are done with that project, it is time for the mid-day meal.” Deniir smiled. “Would you care to join me?”

She looked across her workstation at the pieces in progress but acknowledged that her mind would be clearer if she had something to eat. “I would enjoy that.”

Ula extended her hand to him, and he took it, bringing her bloody knuckles to his lips. Meeting his gaze over her hand, she smiled. It was an interesting way to start a relationship, but how much of a future could they have, separated by space and culture?

As if performing a magic trick, he reached into his shirt and removed a small object while their server poured their drinks. She was sticking to fruit juices and plain tea. She didn’t want to take chances on getting intoxicated.

“This is your debit chit. You can use it to buy anything on the mother ship, and you can use any terminal to check your balance.” He held it between two fingers and extended it to her.

She examined it, and it was a simple piece of recording media. A small chip that could easily be concealed within clothing was sitting in her palm. She lifted it and tucked it into her work belt. That would keep it safe until she could make a wristband that would keep it in place.

She smiled brightly and was startled when a man appeared at her elbow. It was Engineer Trull. He bowed low. “Thank you for your genius. I could never have shifted the design in that direction.”

“Thank Gaia for the inspiration. My poor brain does nothing that the planet didn’t put there. I am merely a tool of her design.”

“As are we all. Well, thank you for coming to the ship to share her wisdom then. That was under your control, and it is appreciated.”

She grinned, “For that, you are welcome.”

He was going to reach for her hand but a wing stopped him, flicking out with the sudden aim of a weapon. Deniir raised an eyebrow at Trull, and the other man excused himself and left.

Ula took her cup and sipped from it. “That was rude. How long are you going to keep doing it?”

He shrugged. “Until I have a mate of my own, it seems.” He gave her an innocent smile.

She focussed on the menu and made a selection. “Focus on finding a match for your lunch. Leave your mate to the future.”

“I am an engineer, I make my own future.” He winked and gave his focus to the menu.

Chapter Eight

The next two days went by in a blur of flirting and stolen kisses. When she was able to think straight, she knew that there was only one thing to do. She had to talk to his mother.

Ula made the arrangements with Darthuun, and he left her alone in his office while she waited nervously for the connection to be made to the Light home world.

A woman finally filled the screen, her midnight hair showed streaks of white and silver. “Greetings, child.”

“Hello, Maurikan. I am Ularica of Gaia, and I want to ask you something.”

The woman’s clear features smiled, “So my husband has said. What do you wish to know?”

“Do all of the People of the Light separate when they have children? Darthuun has no answer for me.”

Maurikan grimaced. “I did not marry him for his tact. No, our choice was so that Deniir could get his position on the mother ship. There was no other way for Deniir to leave home as we always travel with family until we are mated, and he had to leave. There was nothing for him here.”

“No woman with big wings begging to be his?” She grinned.

She laughed and then sobered. “Not one that made his heart beat faster. When you can’t find your mate at home, it is time to take to the stars.”

“Oh. I see.”

“No, I don’t think you do. You must understand that the Nine do not find their mates via casual contact. Our very souls cry out to us when we meet the one we are destined to be with. In the case of the Light, our minds reach out first and determine if we are like-minded. Once that is out of the way, our bodies follow suit. When Darthuun asked me to let him travel with Deniir to the stars, I said yes, because we were of the same mind. Our daughters grow and flourish in his absence, and it hurts him, but he is doing it for our son, which enriches us both.”

“So, if Deniir gets married, Darthuun can go home?”

Maurikan nodded. “Yes, Deniir will have his new family to start. So, if you say yes, there will be more than two hearts involved.”

Ula blushed, “What do you mean, if I say yes? He hasn’t asked me anything.”

“Really? Close your eyes and listen for a moment to what your soul is hearing. Listen to the question that you have been avoiding.” Deniir’s mother widened her snow-white wings and raised them high until they framed her completely in the screen.

Ula closed her eyes and heard the question she had avoided. Will you be mine?

It echoed in every corner of her thoughts, and she couldn’t believe that she had missed it.

Blushing, she opened her eyes. “I didn’t hear it.”

Maurikan smiled. “I know. I ignored Darthuun for two months before I gave in.”

“Does it bother you that I don’t have wings?” She blurted it out.

“No. I have known that he was going to find a wingless woman for his mate. It was a logical direction. Now, while I have enjoyed this conversation, Darthuun is waiting restlessly outside the door and talking to both of you is giving me a bit of a brain ache.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you.”

“The same here, also your grasp of our language is quite impressive. Your bond is quite strong.”

Ula snorted. “So I have been told. Have a good day, Maurikan.”

Maurikan inclined her head and disconnected the call.

Ula straightened and headed back to her workstation. She opened the cabinet she had ordered and checked on her private project. The wings were almost complete, she just needed two more components, and when she checked her inbox, they were waiting for her. The energy cell was amazing and could power more than her simple construction.

The wings were her first truly personal project in years, and she wasn’t sure that she would get the help she needed to test it.

“Excuse me, are you Ularica?”

Ula turned her head and smiled at the woman that she knew by reputation only. “Signy?”

“Call me Ziggy. I got your message, and I was surprised that they have managed to sneak another Gaian on board.” She came forward and embraced Ula. “Belated welcome to the ship.”

Ula returned the hug. “Thank you. Now, will you help me with my project?”

“Right to the point, huh? Well, if you don’t want to use one of the People of the Light as backup, I suppose I can ask Tonos. He can probably manage a catch if he has to. Well, if Tiera lets him.”

Ula smiled. “Do you want to see them?”

“Of course. Would you like to come for dinner?” Ziggy looked hopeful.

“If I survive, I would love to as long as Deniir is also invited.”

“I will have Rothaway extend the invitation. Give me a moment to make the arrangements and I will have Tonos meet us at the central hub.”

“I will finish the wings. My com unit is available to you.” With her heart humming, she put in the final components before she slipped the wings on her back. The straps held them snugly to her body, and she moved into an open space to do the first extension tests.

The wings flared at her movements, and they flapped twice before tucking up and out of the way.

A wry voice said, “I hope you aren’t thinking of flying without me.”

She blinked. “Ah, Deniir. Yeah, I was going to take these for a maiden flight with someone else for backup.”

He was immediately in front of her, bristling with jealousy. “Who?”

“A friend of Ziggy’s. Tonos, I think she said. He is the husband of another Gaian.”

Air slowly left him. “Oh. The Prince of the Air. Of course. He’s a good choice, but I am going to be there anyway. Wait, where am I going to be?”

“We are going to the central hub. It’s the least gravity and the longest fall. If I can even get these to stick out enough to glide, that is definitely something.”

He nodded. “Sensible. You can have Tonos there as backup, but I am going to be there as his backup. You are not plummeting into the unknown with a piece of flapping metal at your back if I am not there.”

Ziggy returned and smiled. “All set. He can meet us there now if you like.”

Ula shifted with her wings on her back. They were surprisingly light, but that was the point. These were not for serious flight; they were purely recreational.

Deniir disappeared and came back with one of his cloaks. “No sense gathering more attention than is necessary.”

He settled it over her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss. She could feel his question hammering at her, but now was not the time. If she didn’t splat in the arboretum, it would be time to answer him.

Ziggy stood next to her friend Tiera and held her hand. Tonos was grinning and flexing his fairy wings.

“I will head out and keep out of your way as you launch. I will be ready when you are.” His tone was calm and encouraging.

Deniir removed her cloak and said, “When you first jump, you want to scoop the air. Once you have slowed, use the wings to flap for height and control your descent.”

She nodded and touched the head-based controls as well as the emergency devices on her harness. The harness controls were a last resort.

The walkway that they stood on was half a kilometre from the floor of the central hub. If she couldn’t figure it out, she would know soon enough.

Ula nodded to Tonos, and he flitted up and over the safety railing.

Deniir lifted her chin. “I can’t move as fast as Tonos can, but I will be there before anything bad can happen, all right?”

She nodded and breathed in. “All right. Now, shoo. I need to get into the air before I lose my nerve.”

He kissed her again before climbing to the railing and falling backward. His wings opened with ease, and huge sweeps kept him airborne twenty metres away.

The ladies gave her thumbs up, and it was now or never. Before anyone could stop her, including herself, Ula climbed the railing, extended her wings and jumped.

The wings beat slowly, and it was fifty metres before she got the rhythm. Tonos was on one side of her and Deniir the other as she changed direction and began to scoop her way through the air current being pushed up from the vents far below.

She climbed up and up, past Ziggy and Tiera and toward the observation bubble crafted in the centre of the ship. Deniir kept pace with her, beat by beat. Tonos zipped around and switched from side to side far more rapidly than she could.

The wings were a success, though she would definitely advise users to get some ground practice before jumping into the air and hoping for the best.

She heard Deniir call out. “Time to land, Ula!”

She nodded, and together, they started a slow spiral descent, controlled and careful. It took five minutes for her to touch down in the gardens, and by the time Deniir was next to her, a crowd was applauding wildly.

He put his arm around her and kissed her in full view of all the watching men and women. A gasp of surprise was the first sound, but soon, the applause returned.

“We have been asked to dinner by Councillor Rothaway and Ziggy. I think we should get ready.” Deniir kept his arm around her as they made their way through the crowd, his wings out and curled around her protectively.

She was heady with triumph as they made their way back to the VIP quarters, and once inside, she unbuckled her wings and casually said, “My answer is yes, by the way.”

Before he could respond, she dove into her quarters and locked the door a moment before a thud marked Deniir’s moment of impact.

Dinner was going to be entertaining.

Chapter Nine

Ula tried to stay calm, but next to her, Deniir was humming with tension. He wanted to be alone with her, and there was no doubt about it.

Rothaway had lovely manners and very sharp teeth. Ziggy dealt with him as if he wasn’t almost twice her size and could snap her in half, and he treated her as if she was a delicate flower he was afraid of crushing.

“So, you really built wings that enabled you to launch and fly immediately?” Rothaway leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

“Apparently. I got the idea the first time I saw Deniir, and it has been humming around in my thoughts since.” Ula sipped her wine.

Ziggy smiled, “Your grasp of the Wilder language is fairly exact.”

Ula looked at Deniir. “It is his fault. His languages are embedded in my mind, and apparently, he knows Wilder.”

Deniir grinned.

“So, when are you two going to formalize it?” Ziggy nibbled at a vegetable stalk.

Deniir turned his glass between thumb and forefinger. “After dinner. She agreed this afternoon after she survived her flight attempt.”

Ula looked at him. “After dinner?”

He shrugged. “It is either that or I go to medical again for a suppressor shot.”

She cocked her head, and Ziggy filled her in.

“When a male of the Nine is—thwarted—in love, he needs to get a shot or go a little feral. I have never seen one of the People of the Light go feral, but I am guessing that it can be a little violent. I know Tonos was.”

“Feral? What constitutes feral in the Light?”

Deniir took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Sharper teeth, our light glows through our skin and our feathers become coated with a light sedative.”

Rothaway snorted. “They also give off a sedating pheromone that knocks out all males in the area, giving them full access to the female of their choice. The light they emit blinds pursuers for half an hour, and they fly away with the female, hopefully gaining her agreement at some point.”

“What if she doesn’t agree?”

Deniir answered, “If his mind is linked with hers and he has gone feral and she rejects him, he goes insane and crashes into a large body of water.”

Ula flinched. “So, finding a match is important to you.”

He kissed her hand again. “It is everything once we find a compatible female.”

Rothaway changed the conversation to the designs that Ula had improved on and Deniir proudly listed them. Ula blinked as the list went on and on. She had been busy, but it had felt so much like playing that it had zipped past in a joyful blur.

Ziggy whistled softly. “Impressive, Ula.”

“Thank you. It has been fun. I just have one question.”

The table at large turned to her as she looked to Deniir. “What happens next?”

He blinked and blushed.

Ziggy laughed and filled in. “She means where will you two live? Here or on Gaia?”

He frowned. “I thought here would be more conducive to your creativity.”

She smiled. “Good. I like it here, but I need to have my workshop moved up here. I don’t want any of my work left for the Gaian government.”

He nodded. “We can send a crew down—”

“No! I have to go down. I have booby-trapped the hell out of the place. If I am not there, the blast will be devastating and the volcano goes live.”

Rothaway grinned. “Thorough.”

“And I want to say goodbye to Emharo and Niika. I don’t have many friends down there, but they are two of the best.” She smiled. “Aside from that, I am done with my home. There is nothing there to keep me.”

Deniir’s hand tightened on hers. “In a few days, we will return to the surface. In the meantime, I will have a guard placed at all entry points to your home, just in case.”

“Good. Safety first. Well, safety when you can’t get away without it.”

He smiled, “Good motto. I will try and work it into our family crest.”

They all laughed together, and when Deniir’s tension couldn’t be ignored anymore, their group trouped off to the gardens to find the special copse that was open only to mating couples.

Ziggy hugged her for luck and gave her a quick whispered rundown of the procedure. Ula was not fond of the blood element, but it was integral to the Nine, so she was up for it.

Deniir took her hand, and together, they entered the sacred space to join their blood and their lives. Their minds and bodies would come later.

Ula knelt with the knife in her hand as Deniir bit her wrist; she sliced his own skin and their blood mingled on the blade, dripping down her hand to mix with his.

“I, Deniir of the House of Arkithan, son of Maurikan and Darthuun, do hereby pledge my life, body, mind and soul to you.” To her surprise, he started to glow with a golden tint.

She blinked. “I, Ularica Forniel, daughter of Ulana and Ricard, do hereby pledge my life, body, mind and soul to you.”

His light grew and he kissed her, the blade between them. Her wrist throbbed, and she felt warmth crawling up her skin to her elbow, her shoulder, spreading through her body.

Light started to creep through her; hers was white hot, his was a bright gold. Together, they rose to their feet, and he walked her to the stone where he held her hand as she slide the blade into the receptacle where their bloodlines would be registered as bonded.

“Hello, my bride.” He was beautiful, glowing with all the energy that she could feel in his thoughts but never quite understand.

“Hello, my groom. Well, are we going to stay here all day?” She blinked up at him as her light continued to spread.

He lifted her wrist to his lips, and she jolted in surprise as he licked the wound closed. She shivered as the touch of his tongue resonated in parts of her that had remained dormant until this point.

When he lifted his wrist to her lips, she could see that the cut was already healing, but she stuck her tongue out daintily and licked away the visible traces of blood. Her mouth felt lit up from the inside as if she had just consumed energy, which she supposed she had.

He pulled his hand away from her, and she could feel his body vibrating. Without another word, he lifted her in his arms and he headed back down the path, out of the mating garden.

Ziggy, Rothaway and Darthuun were waiting, but they flinched back as Deniir passed them. With huge sweeps of his wings, he lifted off with her weight in his arms, and a moment later, they were going down the halls with all the decorum of a loose meteor.

She could see the shadows that were cast in their wake, but her focus was on the winged man carrying her home.

He didn’t put her down until they were in his quarters and the door was locked.

She smiled up at him, her arms around his neck and her body pressed to his. “How do we turn the light off?”

“You will control it…after a while.” He nibbled at her lips, worked down her neck and he released her gown with a few deft moves.

She shivered at the cool of the air, but he wrapped his wings around her with that strangely comforting flexibility. Ula found and released the closures of his shirt, but she was afraid to pull in case it was hooked on his wings.

As his hands skimmed over her, she focussed on the heat that her body was generating. When he tipped her to the bed and tossed her shoes aside, his own clothing was not far behind.

Deniir entered her mind as he entered her body, his wings protected her on all sides as he moved with her, his light and hers blinded them both when they reached climax and his thoughts tangled inexorably with hers.

He shifted some of his weight off her but remained covering her. He kissed her, “Hello, mate.”

She smiled and returned the kiss. “Hello, mate. So, how long for the glow to fade?”

He chuckled. “Give it a week. You will have it throttled back by then.”

Ula sighed. “I don’t have a week. I have to get my stuff to safety.”

“Then, we will go down to Gaia with you glowing like the stars. I don’t see a problem.”

She covered her face and tried to imagine explaining herself to her friends. Mind you, they were mated to members of the Nine themselves, so they had probably seen stranger.

* * * *

Niika looked her over. “Well, you will save on power bills, and you can work until midnight or beyond without any problem.”

Ula crossed her arms and looked at Emharo. She beckoned for an insult.

“Nothing here. I think you could be a boon for either Niika’s cavern work or my underwater investigation. Where do we plug you in?” Emharo chortled.

Three shuttles had landed to take her stuff up to the mother ship. A steady stream of men carried objects that were understood only by Ula.

“You two aren’t upset that I am leaving?”

Niika put her hand on Ula’s. “You were not happy here and we are no longer at war. If we need your help, I know you will give it, and if I just want to visit, I am sure my other half would be happy to run around in space once again. I am having him do most of the hunting, and it is wearing on him.”

Ula chortled. “I have seen what you hunt. He is lucky he is still alive. So, does your guy do anything physically weird?”

Niika gave her an innocent look. “Like in bed?”

“No, like glowing.”

“Oh, that, yeah. He turns to living stone when I am threatened. Emharo’s breathes underwater, so he is weird from the get go. How is it flying?”

“You mean with him carrying me or with my mechanical wings?”

That led to a chat with the girls about the wings, and it was a good thing she had brought them with her, because they didn’t believe her.

With her wings in place, she got Deniir’s attention and she pointed up. He nodded. He would be with her in a moment.

“I have to take the harnesses off my rocs. I will be right back.”

She set the wings to flapping, and with a few steps and a jump, she was airborne and climbing.

Bertrum and Eleth greeted her with surprise as she set the wings for a laborious hover that was helped along by the updraft. With some effort, she landed near them and she stroked Bertrum. “I don’t know when I am going to be back, so I am taking these straps off. I know you like them, but if you got hung up on something, I would never forgive myself.”

She unbuckled the harness and slid it from him before she moved to Eleth. Eleth didn’t want to part with her pretties, but she eventually settled and let Ula slide the harness free.

“You miss them already.”

She looked up, and Deniir was perched high on the rocky cliff above her. “I do.”

He held his hand out. “Come on, you can ride me all you like. You can even use those straps on me.”

She laughed, and it was a good thing that her wings were not dependant on her ability to speak, because she laughed all the way to the shuttle, her hands filled with leather and her mind filled with light.

The stars were waiting.

Author’s Note

My next few months are more hectic than most, but when Return of the Nine…uh…returns…it will be Seeing that we end up in.

In Seeing, the probe has located something that could lead to the Tokkel fleet or it could be a red herring. A Gaian with an eye for trouble makes her way to the embassy and demands to be taken to the mother ship. She can see the missing now that someone is looking for them, and she will take anyone willing to travel with her on a trip through the stars and into danger.

Thanks for reading,

Viola Grace

http://www.violagrace.com

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viola@violagrace.com

About the Author

Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.