Page 125 of Return of the Nine

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 myworkshop 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.

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