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the ship to share her wisdom then. That was under your control, and it is appreciated.”
    She grinned, “For that, you are welcome.”
    He was going to reach for her hand but a wing stopped him, flicking out with the sudden aim of a weapon. Deniir raised an eyebrow at Trull, and the other man excused himself and left.
    Ula took her cup and sipped from it. “That was rude. How long are you going to keep doing it?”
    He shrugged. “Until I have a mate of my own, it seems.” He gave her an innocent smile.
    She focussed on the menu and made a selection. “Focus on finding a match for your lunch. Leave your mate to the future.”
    “I am an engineer, I make my own future.” He winked and gave his focus to the menu.
     

Chapter Eight
     
     
    The next two days went by in a blur of flirting and stolen kisses. When she was able to think straight, she knew that there was only one thing to do. She had to talk to his mother.
    Ula made the arrangements with Darthuun, and he left her alone in his office while she waited nervously for the connection to be made to the Light home world.
    A woman finally filled the screen, her midnight hair showed streaks of white and silver. “Greetings, child.”
    “Hello, Maurikan. I am Ularica of Gaia, and I want to ask you something.”
    The woman’s clear features smiled, “So my husband has said. What do you wish to know?”
    “Do all of the People of the Light separate when they have children? Darthuun has no answer for me.”
    Maurikan grimaced. “I did not marry him for his tact. No, our choice was so that Deniir could get his position on the mother ship. There was no other way for Deniir to leave home as we always travel with family until we are mated, and he had to leave. There was nothing for him here.”
    “No woman with big wings begging to be his?” She grinned.
    She laughed and then sobered. “Not one that made his heart beat faster. When you can’t find your mate at home, it is time to take to the stars.”
    “Oh. I see.”
    “No, I don’t think you do. You must understand that the Nine do not find their mates via casual contact. Our very souls cry out to us when we meet the one we are destined to be with. In the case of the Light, our minds reach out first and determine if we are like-minded. Once that is out of the way, our bodies follow suit. When Darthuun asked me to let him travel with Deniir to the stars, I said yes, because we were of the same mind. Our daughters grow and flourish in his absence, and it hurts him, but he is doing it for our son, which enriches us both.”
    “So, if Deniir gets married, Darthuun can go home?”
    Maurikan nodded. “Yes, Deniir will have his new family to start. So, if you say yes, there will be more than two hearts involved.”
    Ula blushed, “What do you mean, if I say yes? He hasn’t asked me anything.”
    “Really? Close your eyes and listen for a moment to what your soul is hearing. Listen to the question that you have been avoiding.” Deniir’s mother widened her snow-white wings and raised them high until they framed her completely in the screen.
    Ula closed her eyes and heard the question she had avoided. Will you be mine?
    It echoed in every corner of her thoughts, and she couldn’t believe that she had missed it.
    Blushing, she opened her eyes. “I didn’t hear it.”
    Maurikan smiled. “I know. I ignored Darthuun for two months before I gave in.”
    “Does it bother you that I don’t have wings?” She blurted it out.
    “No. I have known that he was going to find a wingless woman for his mate. It was a logical direction. Now, while I have enjoyed this conversation, Darthuun is waiting restlessly outside the door and talking to both of you is giving me a bit of a brain ache.”
    “Well, it was nice meeting you.”
    “The same here, also your grasp of our language is quite impressive. Your bond is quite strong.”
    Ula snorted. “So I have been told. Have a good day, Maurikan.”
    Maurikan inclined her head