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The moment that Tiera stood, Tonos clamped a hand around her wrist. She twisted her wrist in his grip but he held on. “What are you doing?”

Rothaway spoke calmly, “Tonos, unhand her, and get yourself to medical.”

Tiera blinked in shock when Tonos bent forward and his wing swung out toward Rothaway.

The Wilder seemed to be on the lookout for the motion, and Rothaway jumped back, keeping his body between Ziggy and the metallic wing.

“What the hell, Tonos? What happened to your wings? They weren’t like this when we sat down.”

Tiera was trying to calm him down, but a red light was glowing in his green eyes.

“They are as they are meant to be, Miss Tiera. Nothing that should worry you. I will protect you. I told you that.”

Rothaway said something to a nearby Wilder, and the other male nodded. “Tiera, I think we should take a tour of medical. You and Tonos can come behind us. We will lead if that is all right.”

Ziggy had a worried expression on her face, and that convinced Tiera that something was beyond wrong. “That sounds wonderful. I am sure that Tonos would be happy to escort me.”

It was amazing when she looked at Tonos that he had completely transformed from the good-natured winged man who had met her at the shuttle. His hair formed a wide halo, his pointed ears were exposed and literally twitching with every sound, his body was more massive and his wings held a metallic sheen that had been absent when she arrived.

Tonos shook his head. “They want to treat me, to make this go away. I won’t let them.”

Ziggy cleared her throat. “No, Tonos. Now that Tiera has exposed her talent to manipulate, she needs to be recorded for the archives of the Nine. It is protocol to record all new psychic evolutions, no matter the race.”

He blinked, and his eyes focussed. “Of course. I will take you to medical and make sure that you are not harmed.”

Ziggy and Rothaway led the way, Tonos and Tiera followed and the Wilder that Rothaway had spoken to made a call on one of the wall terminals.

Their procession was slow, and no one tried to halt them. “Is it normal for the halls to be this empty?”

Tonos growled, “They have been alerted that I am unstable. The halls have been cleared all the way to medical so no one is injured.”

He seemed to be more coherent and less instinctive.

“What is going on? I know that you are exhibiting signs of finding your mate, but I am the only one here.”

He paused and turned to her. “You honestly can’t feel it?”

She blinked and then gasped when he surged toward her and bent her back in a kiss that stole her breath and her ability to think coherently.

When he righted her, he smiled and the pointed teeth that were endemic to the Nine were exposed. “Does that clarify things?”

She blinked. “No. But I want to try whatever you had for dessert.”

He laughed and some more sanity came back to him.

As they turned to re-join their companions, Rothaway looked resigned, and Ziggy looked horrified. The councillor turned his wife, and they continued to lead the way to medical.

Tonos’s grip on her hand was still warm and still sent pulses of energy up her arm, but she didn’t mind. Despite what her logic said, her instincts were screaming that he was the only one for her.

“Do your people put out pheromones?”

“Yes. They help in the seduction process. Are they working?”

His amusement was palpable.

She blushed to her toes and was convinced that he could gauge exactly how far the colouration went. Fortunately for her, they arrived at medical at that moment.

Standing in the gel-lined container with an audience was a little weird, but the tall woman executing the exam was encouraging. “Breathe, Tiera MacKenzie. We need regular baselines.”

“I will breathe if Tonos gets whatever shot he needs. I am not going to give you a baseline until he calms down and his wings are no longer deadly.”

Tonos flicked his wings out. “No. I don’t want it to stop.”

“Fine, don’t stop it, but slow it down. I am not going anywhere for a while.”

His wings shifted and made the sound of steel sliding on steel.

She crossed her arms from within the safety of the scanner. “I am not getting out of here unless you take that shot or supplement or whatever.”

The giantess moved to a cabinet and prepared something that looked like a gun. “I will administer the shot now, Tonos, if you are willing.”

From within the capsule, Tiera focussed her peculiar talent on Tonos, and he nodded. “I will take the shot.”

When Dr. Meevin moved and gave Tonos the shot, Rothaway reached out to catch him. His wings quivered, and they began to return to normal.

Tiera nodded and leaned back to begin her scans. She made herself feel as normal as she could and relaxed into the embrace of the gel.

It took less than ten minutes for the scanners to chirp and the machine to right itself and release her.

Dr. Meevin was stunned, “We have never seen a psychic talent of this nature. You can actually force people around to your way of thinking.”

Tiera grinned, “It has been very handy in dealing with weddings. I can use my thoughts to bully folks into doing what I want. It isn’t subtle or graceful, but it gets the job done.”

Dr. Meevin shook her head. “This changes everything about your stay here, as well as your interaction with Tonos. It was no wonder he fell for you, you radiate power, my dear.”

Ziggy grinned, “I told you so.”

Tiera exited the pod and walked back into the main area of medical, cautiously approaching Tonos.

Rothaway stopped her. “It would be best if you didn’t touch him again, not until he is in complete control of himself.”

“Um, what next?”

Ziggy took her arm. “I take you back to your quarters and get you tucked in, and then, we try and figure this out in the morning.”

“The morning sounds non-threatening. Let’s try that.”

She yawned and was only too happy to have her friend escort her to her quarters.

Tonos was sitting up, and he smiled and waved farewell as they left him with Rothaway.

“Will he be okay?”

Ziggy sighed. “He will be fine. Rothaway went through five years of the suppressing agent after all. He came through it okay.”

Tiera let her friend rush her out of medical and down the hall. Rothaway would take care of Tonos.

“Are you all right?”

Tonos nodded. “That serum has a kick, but I am feeling more lucid.”

“Excellent.”

Tonos rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at his friend. “Did I really claim her in front of you?”

“You made your intentions plain. She’s yours.”

He grinned and flicked his wings. “Excellent. I can do a slow courtship, but knowing that she will be on record as officially mine will help keep the transformation at bay.”

Rothaway laughed, “Good luck with that. Just smelling Signy wore on my self-control. If you want to engage in a courtship, I would speed it up, not slow it down.”

He nodded as he absorbed the idea of a fast track to his woman. “Thanks for the advice. Where is she?”

“Ziggy took her back to her rooms. She is fine, safe. You don’t need to worry.”

Tonos shuddered as he remembered his actions, “Did I destroy any chance of an easy union with my actions?”

Rothaway clapped him on the shoulder. “If she had not been aware of what was going on, perhaps . . . but I know for a fact that your prospective lady knew what was happening every time you two touched.”

“She did?”

“She did. Signy was quite firm on the fact that she had told Tiera what touching you could mean. Apparently, Tiera does not find you objectionable and initiated contact with you several times according to your dinner partners.”

Hope and relief warred in Tonos’s mind. “Really?”

Rothaway grinned, “Really. Now, as soon as we get you checked out and stabilized, I will get you back to your quarters and join my bride in mine.”

Tonos turned to face the scowling Dr. Meevin and surrendered to his boss’s ministrations. She was businesslike, thorough and by the time she was finished stabilizing him, he felt almost normal again.

“Thanks, Doc.”

He flexed his wings as the chemical reaction that had hardened them slowly reversed.

“You should have come to me the moment you saw the signs, Tonos. You know better.”

He groaned and rubbed his face with both hands. “I didn’t think that this was possible. I mean I bumped into plenty of Gaians during the ceremonies the day before yesterday and nothing happened.”

Dr. Meevin shook her head. “You have also bumped into plenty women of the Nine. You know that the bonding isn’t mandatory after contact. It is chance, happenstance, nothing more.”

Tonos smiled and looked at the only physician on board who had bothered learning about Gaian physiology. “No, my dear Doctor, it is fate.”