Page 124 of Return of the Nine

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 airand 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 toget 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?”

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