Read Viola Grace - - Return of the Nine 03 - Hiding for Free Online Page B

can.” He held his hand out and escorted her through the guards watching the front doors.
    The Wildings lifted their heads and sniffed at the couple. “Ambassador. Congratulations on finding of your bride.”
    Apolan smiled, “Thank you. Daphne Harrow Leoraki is about to be registered.”
    She clung to his hand as the Wildings very obviously scented her.
    “You may want to complete the union. It could become awkward if her people object and bad for her if you wait too long.”
    Apolan nodded his head and continued to pull her further into the new building.
    Daphne asked quietly, “What did he mean?”
    “Each race of the Nine has its courtship rituals. The Wildings and the People of the Air trigger a heat in their mates. The Shadows put a piece of their darkness into their prospective mate that grows to fill her. The Forest people are more subtle. We match our minds to that of our chosen companion using a mechanical means. It is a little bit sneaky, but we get by.”
    She paused as they entered his private quarters. “What do you mean mechanical ?”
    “A small bit of resonance technology that routes conscious thought through our minds until our mind shifts to match that of our mate. It’s complicated, and I am not sure about why it works, but my family has one of the best acquisition records for perfect matches. I suppose part of it is luck, but most of it is instinct. The moment I met you, I knew that you were the one for me, and I brought out a family heirloom.”
    She blinked, wide-eyed as she touched the earpiece. “This is a machine?”
    “It translates for you by running what you hear through my mind.”
    She wanted to take it off, but her hand didn’t move. “It’s an heirloom? Your family always hijacks brains?”
    He took her hands and stared into her eyes. “I did not hijack, I simply learned the patterns of your mind and helped you to learn the common language of the Nine as well as anything you thought about learning. We also only use the mechanical means with women not born of the Nine. My great grandmother was from outside the Nine, and while she challenged my great grandfather, they lived happily for a very long time. The earpiece that you are using was designed for her.”
    She blinked in surprise. “Your great grandmother?”
    He smiled, “I will tell you all about her, but first, we have to register our union. Come with me.”
    At a loss for words, she walked with him into his private study. He sat in the chair and to her shock, the moment he had made the call to the ship, he yanked her into his lap.
    A com officer was on the other end of the visual, and he looked at them in surprise. “Ambassador Leoraki, how may I direct your call?”
    “I need a conference call between the historical archive and the registry office.”
    The com officer looked a little confused, and his wings fluttered. “That is an interesting combination.”
    Apolan’s voice was wry. “I am aware of it.”
    The officer’s cheeks darkened, and his fingers moved across the keyboard. “Connections are being processed.”
    A moment later, the screen was split, and they were looking at two people. One of the Stone people was staring at them from the left and Forest person was on the right.
    The Stone representative cocked his head. “Ambassador, what can I do for you?”
    “Registrar Yessik, I would like to register the bonding between myself and the Gaian, Daphne Harrow.”
    The grey man frowned, “I thought you were going to wait until our garden was operational.”
    “That brings me to the reason that I am also speaking to Archivist Utasi. My mate found the original bonding cavern, and the crystal has bound us together already.”
    The woman with the nut brown skin, hair and eyes looked excited. “You know where it is?”
    “I have been there, and I will give you the coordinates when you come down for the celebration next week. I will expect that you bring what you need and that you take care not to disturb