Accepting (The Return of the Nine book 2) Read online

  Life on Gaia is predictable, boring, and just what Tiera needs to keep herself calm. When she is arrested and forced to visit her friend Ziggy and Ziggy's new shapeshifting husband, the last thing on her mind is making a new friend in an alien fairy who looks like he works out.

  Tonos has flirted his way through the universe and now that he has met this Gaian, his mind has changed from flirting to making sure that Tiera does not make a run for home. With the power of her will, he might just find his way to love.

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  Accepting

  Copyright © 2012 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-210-9

  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.

  Published by Devine Destinies

  An imprint of eXtasy Books

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  Accepting

  Return of the Nine 2

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Tiera MacKenzie could not believe her ears. “My friend is what?”

  “She is the embodiment of the potential of our race. Signy has a talent for instantly absorbing and applying knowledge, and that is something most attractive to the Nine.” The military representative was impatient. “You must come with us.”

  Ziggy had been gone for forty-eight hours, and now Tiera was facing the Gaian military officers that Mrs. Alora had described to her when Ziggy was taken.

  Tiera rubbed her forehead with two fingers. “Why must I come with you?”

  “As Signy’s friend, you have been invited to stay on the mother ship of the Nine. To keep her happy, her spouse has ordered that you be brought up for an extended visit. Bring what you think you will need, because we will be leaving in five minutes, and you will be with us.”

  Tiera arched her eyebrow. “Really?”

  He crossed his arms. “Really. You can do what you will with your time, but you are coming with us. The government wants to continue good relations with the Nine, and if your presence is the price, they will pay it.”

  Tiera called her mother and quickly filled her in while she grabbed a duffel and filled it. “No, Mom, I don’t know what they want. No, apparently, Ziggy is on the mother ship, and they want me to visit her. No, I don’t know how long I will be gone. I will keep you posted. Love you.”

  She hung up and lifted the bag filled with underwear, comfy dresses and two pairs of shoes. Stomping back to the front door, she walked past the man in uniform and out to his vehicle. Tiera tossed the bag into the back seat and buckled into the front seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

  He didn’t say a word, merely got in, put the vehicle in gear and drove to the launch port. The cars in front and behind did the same, forming a secure column.

  When he stopped, she got out, grabbed her bag and marched to the shuttle with its walkway down.

  “Where am I supposed to be?”

  A surprised member of the Nine with a distinctly damp appearance waved her to a chair and gently took her bag from her. He spoke carefully. “Please use the harness. It is for your safety.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.” Tiera fastened the harness, watched as the pilot sealed the hatch and they lifted off.

  “Am I your only passenger?”

  He nodded. “The Potential has asked for you, and so, we will deliver you to her since she cannot come down.”

  That was news to Tiera. “Why can’t she come down?”

  “She is newly bonded. Councillor Rothaway will not let her go.” There was a slight colour to the male’s cheeks as he spoke, a blue flush under the pale green skin.

  The phrasing was odd, but Tiera nodded and kept silent as they climbed through the atmosphere toward the huge bulk of the mother ship of the Nine.

  Nine different races that had emerged from the same species were represented on that ship. That the Nine had also once lived on Gaia was not a coincidence. Something on the planet, or in the planet itself, changed the races that lived there.

  Tiera had known about Ziggy’s talent for knowing things simply by touching others. You could not grow up with someone without picking up on things like that.

  When the marauding Tokkel had captured Ziggy, Tiera had been worried. When she reappeared with her body intact and her features grim, Tiera had let her speak at her own pace. Eventually, the whole story came out, and Tiera had sworn to keep her friend’s confidence.

  With the shuttle passing through the atmosphere and into the darkness, the stars grew clearer and brighter than she had ever seen them, but they soon faded again as they approached the docking area of the mother ship.

  A sense of urgency started in her body. She was going where few humans had gone before, and she had been invited to stay overnight. Only dignitaries and pilots had ever had the honour before today, well, them and Ziggy.

  The docking procedure was probably fascinating, but Tiera was busy looking at and cataloguing the variety of races in the docking bay.

  People whose origins were in water, fire, forests, air, rock and others were all there, each in a specialized environmental suit that allowed them to work with exposure to space.

  As the shuttle settled, she heard a clamping sound. The shuttle was then hauled forward by a mechanism under the landing gear. They were pulled into a compartment that sealed behind them.

  The hiss of gas was audible, and when a light on the console turned blue, the pilot unclasped his harness and retrieved her bag.

  “An escort has been arranged for you. He will take you to the Potential.”

  “You mean Ziggy.”

  He grinned, showing distinctly pointed teeth. “We are very big on titles.”

  She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Thank you for your kindness, Pilot.”

  “Arcolothi.” He bowed low.

  “I am Tiera.” She tried to mimic his bow, and she must have done all right, because he grinned at her again. Tiera hoisted her bag back onto her shoulder and headed through the open hatch.

  There was a small path and another doorway. She really hoped that her guide was there, because she had no idea how to find Ziggy or how many of the Nine had bothered to learn Gaian.

  Her steps slowed as she exited the doorway, and when a man who had been leaning against the wall stood straight and smiled at her, she knew that he was either her guide or he was going to hit on her. Either way, she was in for some conversation.

  “Tiera MacKenzie?”

  “I am.” She inclined her head.

  “I am Tonos, your guide to the mother ship of the Nine.” He bowed low and fluttered large, elegant insect-like wings. “I am of the People of the Air, so do pardon my wings.”

  Tiera looked at the wings and smiled. “I find them very fetching.”

  �
��Thank you, Signy Rothaway has pronounced them to be creepy.”

  A giggle escaped her. “That sounds like Ziggy.”

  “Please, let me take your bag and show you to your quarters.”

  He took her bag from her and slung it over one muscular arm and offered her the other. “Please allow me.”

  She touched his arm, and to her surprise, his skin actually rippled slightly under her touch. His wings fluttered and his eyes widened at the light contact. She pulled her hand away, but he grabbed it and placed it back on his forearm.

  His eyes grew heavy lidded as he straightened his shoulders and tried to behave like nothing had happened. “So, what do you do for a living, Miss Tiera?”

  She followed his lead as he walked toward a pod situated on a rail. “I am a caterer. I prepare large amounts of food for weddings and such.”

  “Do you find this work fulfilling?”

  Tiera grinned at the memories that his words evoked, “Well, it certainly is more than I ever imagined it could be. It is a challenge and a torture at the same time.”

  He settled her inside the pod and stowed her bag behind her. “I thought to give you a tour of the ship and this is the best way to do it. Are you ready?”

  Tiera thought about it, she was in space, waiting to see her friend who had disappeared a few days earlier and was now the living proof that humanity had potential to evolve into something else. Ziggy had also married a councillor of the Nine who could shift his shape into something else in that short span of time.

  She exhaled deeply and smiled, “Yes. I think I am.”

  Chapter Two

  “Where is she?” Ziggy was pacing back and forth in front of the V.I.P. room that Tiera had been assigned.

  Rothaway was watching her as she wrung her hands and swished her skirts. “She is getting a tour of the ship, Signy. There is no reason to worry.”

  Ziggy whirled on him and snarled, “Worry? The forest representative was called elsewhere, and she ended up with that pervy little Fairy.”

  He got to his feet and wrapped her in his arms, purring and calming her down.

  She chuckled and looked up at him, “You know, before I got your blood, there was a lot more self-control going on in my mind.”

  He laughed. “All this change in a few hours. I can only imagine how savage you will be if we reproduce.”

  She looked up at him in shock, but he quickly distracted her. “Is that not your friend?”

  Ziggy whirled and faced Tiera walking on the arm of Tonos, the pervy Fairy.

  Tiera smiled and ran forward, stopping just an inch from her.

  Ziggy had no hesitation and wrapped her arms around her friend, initiating a hug that ended in a squeak. Her strength was increasing as the blood that she had swapped with Rothaway continued to make her into a Wilder wife.

  “Sorry, about that, Tiera. I suspected that I was never going to see you again, so I kind of panicked.”

  Tiera’s face was pale, and she gave her friend a wobbly smile.

  Ziggy immediately straightened and pressed Tiera’s palm to the lock. “We have to code it to you, Tier.”

  Taking in the shock in her best friend’s face, Ziggy ushered her through the opening door and spoke to Rothaway, “Wait out here. Tier and I have a bit to discuss. Tonos, give me that bag.”

  Tonos seemed as bewildered as Rothaway, but he did as she asked. Her enhanced senses caused her to bristle a little at the scent he had left on her friend’s duffel, but she kept her arm around Tiera’s shoulders and brought her into the bedroom.

  Seating her on the bed, she knelt and looked into Tiera’s eyes, trying to understand what had happened to shock Tiera so deeply.

  “Aw…hon. What is it?” Ziggy held her hands, and to her relief, Tiera began to speak.

  * * * *

  Tiera couldn’t believe it. She was on a spaceship, surrounded by aliens and even her best friend in all of Gaia was no longer hers.

  “I am having a problem adapting. Tonos took me on a tour.”

  “If that little perv did anything to you…” Ziggy flexed her hands.

  It was that defensive reflex that brought out a smile on Tiera’s face. “No. He was perfect and polite. When I stopped responding to his comments and descriptions of the zones of the craft, he brought me right here.”

  “What was the problem?”

  Tiera looked down into Ziggy’s face, her friend’s earnest query touched her heart. “What is always the problem with me, Ziggy?”

  “You hate change…ohh.” Ziggy got up and took a seat next to her.

  Tiera felt the bed dip, but she was still disconnected from the world around her. It was a defence mechanism that she had always fallen back on in the past, despite its inconvenience.

  “I am sorry, Ziggy. This should be a happy time for you, and I am delighted that you met someone. It will just take me time to work it into my thoughts. I should be a little un-kinked in the morning.” Tiera smiled at her friend’s hug.

  Three days ago, Ziggy had just been the best friend a girl could have. Now she had a strength that wasn’t hidden behind sarcasm anymore. Oh, the sarcasm was still bright and shining but the strength was right beside it now. The change in her best friend was more striking than anything else, and it was also the most frightening.

  “I know that it is sudden, and I know that it will take time for you to get used to it. That is why Rothaway sent for you. Since I can’t go to you, you are invited here for as long as you like.” Ziggy took her hand.

  “You are touching me a lot. I know you can’t read emotions, so what are you after?” Her words came out far more blunt than she had intended.

  “I am seeking to comfort you. Just two days with Rothaway has taught me the powerful effect that touch can have. You are calmer now, yes?”

  Tiera laughed at the perky tone of Ziggy’s voice. “Yes. I am. Now, what do you have against Tonos?”

  Ziggy sighed and Tiera followed her gaze into the other room.

  “Can they hear us?”

  Ziggy grimaced. “Without a doubt. The Wilder have excellent hearing, and from what I know, the People of the Air do as well. It was in their base species before the Nine split. I can’t believe that our folklore has them on record, and no one ever figured out that someone somewhere had seen aliens.”

  Tiera laughed. “It figures that you figured it out, Zig.”

  “It’s what I do.”

  They sat holding hands while Tiera’s world spun and finally settled inside her.

  “Better?”

  She laughed, “Better.”

  “Then, I will introduce you to my husband.”

  “Wait. What is your problem with Tonos?”

  “He is way too flirty for one of the Nine. And those wings of his are so…”

  “Creepy.” The masculine voice from the doorway was amused.

  Tiera smiled. “I don’t think they are creepy.”

  His wings flicked in response to her words. “I thank you, Miss Tiera. I will take my leave of you now, but know that I enjoyed our time together very much.”

  “Thank you for the tour.”

  He bowed and left the room.

  Ziggy’s man came forward and occupied the doorway. “I am pleased to meet you, Tiera MacKenzie. Signy has been quite agitated that you come, so she would not be the only Gaian on board.”

  His blunt honesty made her laugh. “I am pleased to meet you, Rothaway. Ziggy has told me nothing about you, so I am dying to learn more.”

  She and Ziggy got to their feet. Ziggy paused her husband with one hand. “Let me just explain the workings of the lav to her, and we will join you in the outer room.”

  Tiera nodded. “Good call.”

  It took a few minutes to get everything just right, but when they left the lav, Tiera was fairly confident about her grasp of the procedure.

  The next thing to learn was how to summon a hot beverage, but that lesson was taught with an interested Rothaway looking on.

&nbs
p; Sipping at a cup of tea, Tiera asked him, “How many of the Nine have learned Gaian?”

  He shrugged. “Everyone on the mother ship.”

  That surprised her. “But, I had an aquatic pilot, and he had a problem with speaking. He got the words right, but his mouth moved funny.”

  Rothaway smiled, “You caught that? His species does not speak in their home environment. Learning any spoken language is difficult for them.”

  Since this was her home for the interim, she took a seat at the table, and Ziggy and Rothaway soon joined her. “So, how does one go about learning an alien language in an effective manner, and how could the entire ship have done it with Gaian?”

  He grinned and showed some very sharp teeth. “We do it via subliminal training. It helps to keep our minds on our duties during the day. A few of the races have representatives with a talent for language, and they were the first ones to speak with your people.”

  Tiera sat back and just came out with it. “How is it possible that you meet an alien woman and decide within hours that she is the one for you?”

  Rothaway blinked and then grinned at Ziggy. “You didn’t tell her?”

  Ziggy was blushing. “There was no opportunity.”

  “Shall I?”

  “No. That’s fine. I will tell her. Tier, do you remember when I said that I met a member of the Nine and he had some men with him and they escaped from the ship I was on?”

  Tiera blinked, “Yes, you said he was unwell so you stuffed him in the pod and hit the button.”

  Rothaway arched a brow. “Unwell?”

  Ziggy’s face was on fire with a blush. “Well, he wasn’t sick. I needed to get him out of there, so I kissed him, mugged his mind and shoved him into the pod while he was stunned. That is what started the bond. He has been waiting for me since that day.”

  Tiera nodded as she absorbed the information that her friend had molested a wounded man. It was Ziggy from top to toe. She never did anything in the right order and this was proof.