Free Accepting (The Return of the Nine book 2) by Viola Grace Page A

Tiera was busy looking at and cataloguing the variety of races in the docking bay.
    People whose origins were in water, fire, forests, air, rock and others were all there, each in a specialized environmental suit that allowed them to work with exposure to space.
    As the shuttle settled, she heard a clamping sound. The shuttle was then hauled forward by a mechanism under the landing gear. They were pulled into a compartment that sealed behind them.
    The hiss of gas was audible, and when a light on the console turned blue, the pilot unclasped his harness and retrieved her bag.
    “An escort has been arranged for you. He will take you to the Potential.”
    “You mean Ziggy.”
    He grinned, showing distinctly pointed teeth. “We are very big on titles.”
    She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Thank you for your kindness, Pilot.”
    “Arcolothi.” He bowed low.
    “I am Tiera.” She tried to mimic his bow, and she must have done all right, because he grinned at her again. Tiera hoisted her bag back onto her shoulder and headed through the open hatch.
    There was a small path and another doorway. She really hoped that her guide was there, because she had no idea how to find Ziggy or how many of the Nine had bothered to learn Gaian.
    Her steps slowed as she exited the doorway, and when a man who had been leaning against the wall stood straight and smiled at her, she knew that he was either her guide or he was going to hit on her. Either way, she was in for some conversation.
    “Tiera MacKenzie?”
    “I am.” She inclined her head.
    “I am Tonos, your guide to the mother ship of the Nine.” He bowed low and fluttered large, elegant insect-like wings. “I am of the People of the Air, so do pardon my wings.”
    Tiera looked at the wings and smiled. “I find them very fetching.”
    “Thank you, Signy Rothaway has pronounced them to be creepy.”
    A giggle escaped her. “That sounds like Ziggy.”
    “Please, let me take your bag and show you to your quarters.”
    He took her bag from her and slung it over one muscular arm and offered her the other. “Please allow me.”
    She touched his arm, and to her surprise, his skin actually rippled slightly under her touch. His wings fluttered and his eyes widened at the light contact. She pulled her hand away, but he grabbed it and placed it back on his forearm.
    His eyes grew heavy lidded as he straightened his shoulders and tried to behave like nothing had happened. “So, what do you do for a living, Miss Tiera?”
    She followed his lead as he walked toward a pod situated on a rail. “I am a caterer. I prepare large amounts of food for weddings and such.”
    “Do you find this work fulfilling?”
    Tiera grinned at the memories that his words evoked, “Well, it certainly is more than I ever imagined it could be. It is a challenge and a torture at the same time.”
    He settled her inside the pod and stowed her bag behind her. “I thought to give you a tour of the ship and this is the best way to do it. Are you ready?”
    Tiera thought about it, she was in space, waiting to see her friend who had disappeared a few days earlier and was now the living proof that humanity had potential to evolve into something else. Ziggy had also married a councillor of the Nine who could shift his shape into something else in that short span of time.
    She exhaled deeply and smiled, “Yes. I think I am.”
     

 
     
    Chapter Two
     
     
    “Where is she?” Ziggy was pacing back and forth in front of the V.I.P. 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