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“Are you sure? I mean really, really sure?”
    “I have never been more sure of anything in my…mmphff.”
    Tiera lunged toward him, slid her hand into his hair and pressed a kiss to his hard mouth before he could say anything else.
    His body trembled and his wings flicked restlessly. He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to him while she continued to stroke his lips with her own, occasionally flicking her tongue against the seam of his lips.
    Tonos dragged a deep breath into his lungs, and the hands on her back gripped her, pulling her back to create a distance between them. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he struggled for control.
    “Step away from him, Tier.” Ziggy’s voice was calm, and she was standing next to her mate.
    “I believe you have something to ask me, Tonos.” Rothaway scowled at him.
    Tonos helped her out of the pod and down the steps of the platform with one hand holding hers.
    Tiera looked earnestly at Rothaway, “Please tell me that he isn’t it trouble. It was all my fault. I kissed him.”
    Rothaway nodded. “We know. We saw. He still has to ask me something. He knows the protocol.”
    Tonos nodded and stepped in front of Tiera. “Lord Rothaway, may I have the hand of your charge in legal and moral bonding?”
    Ziggy was grinning.
    Rothaway inclined his head. “Provided that you honour her and keep her safe.”
    Rothaway winced as Ziggy drove her elbow into his side. “And you will have to allow my mate unlimited access to your lady.”
    “Of course. So, it is approved then?”
    “It is.”
    “You will act as my second?”
    “My mate and I will witness and guard you.”
    Tonos grinned. “Thank you for the honour.”
    Tiera poked him. “What is going on?”
    Ziggy snorted, “Tonos just proposed to you via Rothaway, and my darling husband accepted due to your confirmation through the initialization of the kiss with Tonos in front of witnesses. You said yes, so he has the right to wed you. It is backward from the Gaian standard, but everyone gets their say.”
    Tiera blinked. “Just like that?”
    Ziggy laughed. “Come along. We will get you dressed for your mating and by then Tonos should have finished the chemical flush at medical that will allow him a normal wedding night.”
    The blush that fired her cheeks made her friend laugh. “Wait. What will I tell my mom?”
    “Tell her that you are getting married to one of the Nine. She will be upset and probably want to cater a reception on Gaia, but she will get over it if you are happy.” Ziggy grinned. “Shall we go and make that call?”
     
    It went surprisingly well until Tiera mentioned that she was marrying a Fairy.
    “He’s gay, dear?”
    “No, Mom. He has huge wings like a Terran dragonfly. I have never actually seen him fly, but I have seen others of his race zipping around the mother ship.”
    “I don’t know what the hurry is.”
    Tiera debated how to tell her mother and settled on, “It is a tradition of the Nine. We had dinner and a date and now we are getting married.”
    “Why can’t you wait?”
    “It isn’t the way they do things, Mom.” An image filled Tiera’s mind of her mother meeting Tonos for the first time with his wings deadly silver and his eyes red. Oh, that would go over well.
    “Can we at least meet him?”
    “After the wedding, Mom. I will have him make arrangements to come for a visit. Is that okay?”
    Her mother sighed heavily. “If you are happy, then I am happy. I just wish I had made his acquaintance before you decided he was the one for you.”
    “He is a good guy Mom, and a medic, so he has a good job.” Tiera had no idea if that was true, but it sounded plausible.
    To one side where Teva could not see her, Ziggy was chortling silently. Tiera looked around for something to throw at her friend and then got an idea. “I can stay up here with Ziggy. She is so lonely, Mom. It’s sad really.”
    A cushion flipped and landed squarely in Tiera’s face. Teva