Page 24 of Return of the Nine

“The blood keys him to me and me to him. It is freaky at times, but I am trying to get used to it. When you finish the cutting, you put the dagger back into the altar, and your union is now official by the laws of the Nine.”

“And you didn’t think that was weird?”

Ziggy cackled, “I thought it was nuts. If it weren’t for Rothaway being serious and focussed, I would have made a run for it. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere but I would have taken off.”

Tiera grinned, “So, we don’t touch the men of the Nine.”

Ziggy snickered, “Not unless you want to chance being stuck up her indefinitely. I can tell you, once they find a mate, they are not eager to let them go.”

Tiera tried to forget the peculiar shudder that had run through Tonos when she touched his arm, the fluttering of his wings and the flexing of the muscles in his body-builder physique.

Ziggy caught on to her change in expression. “What? What did you do?”

Tiera bit her lip.

“Wait, who did you touch and what happened?”

“It was probably nothing. I am sure it was nothing. It couldn’t have been anything, I am sure that he was just cold or something.”

Zig leaned forward. “He shivered? Did anything else happen?”

Tiera winced, “His wings flicked, eyes heated up and he licked his lips repeatedly. He said he was fine, but how would we know if he was affected?”

Zig closed her eyes and found the information. “The Air Folk signal that they have found a mate with a change to their wings. The delicate veins harden and the panels become as hard as steel. Basically, if he has been affected, he is now carrying four swords on his back.”

Tiera winced, “What would that be for?”

“Fighting over females. It is possible for a female to be perfect for more than one male, and so they fought to get her to be theirs exclusively. If that wasn’t possible, they would try and abduct the woman and keep her with them until the bonding had been enacted.”

“And the women just stand for this?”

Zig smiled, “When it happens, you will know. You will do whatever it takes to get your male and nothing will stand in your way. A ninety-eight percent chance is way better than the odds of knowing that a Gaian man is meant for you.”

Tiera leaned back, “So, you have embraced becoming one of the Nine completely then?”

Ziggy shook herself and sat up. “In the last few days, I have learned more about space, the races who live out here and the history of our world than I had ever imagined. The Nine came here because they wanted to know what could possibly attract the Tokkel to their old world. They stayed because we showed potential to become more than simple colonists on a temptingworld.”

The wordpotentialsuddenly snapped Tiera into understanding. “You are the reason that they are here. You are our Potential, Ziggy.”

Her friend’s blush was enough proof. “It wasn’t my idea.”

Tiera laughed. “I know it wasn’t, but it is weird how things turn out. If you hadn’t been going to get those crocuses for your mom, you wouldn’t have been taken, wouldn’t have escaped and wouldn’t have met Rothaway for the first time. You have always been so very special, and you spent your time hiding it. I am glad that it is out in the light of day.”

They sat in silence until Tiera couldn’t stand it anymore and dragged in a deep breath. “Fine, so what do the women of the People of the Air look like? What colour are their wings?”

“Only the men have wings. It is sexist, but it is how they evolved.”

Tiera leaned forward and whispered, “How sexually compatible are they with Gaians?”

“I don’t know if it is because of three generations growing up on Gaia changed our bits to match but we fit together very well. Any minor shifts are being corrected by the blood exchange.”

They chatted about minor matters, the rumour mill that was talking about Ziggy’s sudden departure from the surface. Many folks said she was being arrested for war crimes, and in a funny way, they were right. If she hadn’t assaulted Rothaway to knock him out, none of this would have happened.

“So, why is he going to get me clothing? I brought plenty of stuff.”

Ziggy grinned, “They are not impressed with Gaian clothing. They like their women to look like women and not cargo operators on leave.”

“Hey, I have some very nice stuff.”

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