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Do you have any objections to this?” Rothaway had a smile at the corner of his mouth.
    Ekinar was glad that they couldn’t see his grin, but then, Rothaway could probably smell the change in his biology at this distance. “I have no objection.”
    “Good.” He pressed a few controls, and an orb rose in the centre of the room, mere feet from where Ekinar stood.
    Ekinar could feel the curiosity in his mate even before her face appeared in the orb.
    She grinned down at him. “You called?”
    His heartbeat sped up, and the tendrils of his shadow reached out for her before he could call them back. He was sure that the council had noticed.
    Rothaway cleared his throat. “The council of the Nine needs you to fill in the details of what occurred during your trek through the Shadow Lands.”
    Teyha sobered, her mood chilling through their link. “Shall I begin at the beginning?”
    “Please, and leave nothing out. Careers are at stake.”
    Teyha shrugged and left nothing out.
    Ekinar winced at her initial opinion of him and his shadow as creepy .
    The rest of her story was plain and direct, including things she had noted that he had not.
    The chair in the shuttle had been set for a far larger male, so Darku’s claim that Hiska had landed the ship was ridiculous. Hiska had bruising consistent with someone gripping her forearms and forcing them onto the controls.
    When she finished her statement, she appeared outwardly patient, but Ekinar could feel the curiosity in her from orbit.
    He grinned at the way she was able to hide what she was truly feeling with a calm demeanour. Inside, she was hopping up and down to find out what was going on.
    The council nodded and Rothaway spoke. “Ekinar, no charges will be filed, but we have decided to sentence you to a minimum of six months on Gaia, after which, we will assess your situation and consider allowing your return to the mother ship.”
    Ekinar was stunned.
    Rothaway smiled, “While you are on Gaia, we will outfit you with equipment and recording devices to investigate all of the available ruined cities. I trust that you can find a reliable guide, Emissary Rossing?”
    He fought his howl of relief. “It is an acceptable compromise for my participation in this covert activity. May I reside at the embassy?”
    “Ambassador Leoraki has the Shadow Folk floor ready for you. You may take one of the two-seater shuttles and leave whenever you are ready.”
    He nodded and bowed shortly. “Thank you, Councillors.”
    The bubble with Teyha remained.
    Rothaway waved for him to leave. “You are dismissed, Emissary. Enjoy your new posting.”
    Confused, he exited the hall and took the rail to his quarters. He could feel Teyha’s emotions go from shocked to confused, then finally pleased, and he was damned if he didn’t want to know what the hell they were talking about.
     
    * * * *
     
    Facing the representatives of the Nine felt peculiar, but since Teyha was sitting in the embassy back on Gaia, she felt comfortable telling the absolute truth.
    When Ekinar was dismissed, she wondered why they still wanted to talk to her, but before she could ask, the Shadow Folk contingent stood up.
    “What is your name, miss?”
    “Teyha Wynn. What may I call you?” She raised her brows and waited.
    A low chuckle came from within the shifting shadows. “Representative Naluriak Rossing-Deenar. I believe you are about to become my sister-in-law.”
    Shock rippled through Teyha. “What? I am sorry, but Ekinar never mentioned anything of the kind.” She snorted. “Mind you, I didn’t know he had sister either.”
    Naluriak laughed. “We are not a forthcoming folk. You will eventually draw him out, but he is already within you, learning your moods.”
    Blinking rapidly, she asked again, “What?”
    “He kissed you, yes?”
    “Yes.”
    “And in doing so, he placed a tiny bit of his shadow, or his soul, within you. He has been using it to monitor your moods.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “In