Page 11

“Where is she?”

Ziggy was pacing back and forth in front of the VIP 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.

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.

Tiera grinned. “Congratulations on the end of a long wait, Rothaway. She was worth every second of it.”

He lifted Ziggy’s hand to his lips, and Tiera teared up at the genuine affection in his eyes. “I would have waited until the stars burned out for this woman, though I may have gone mad in the process.”

Tiera sipped at her tea and felt her world settle around her with another mental click. She just needed to know a little more of the customs of the place that she found herself, and it would be like being on a holiday that someone else had booked. Fun, but out of her control.