Viola Grace - - Return of the Nine 03 - Hiding by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online

the area. It is a sacred space, and we must treat it as such.”
    Archivist Utasi nodded and smiled. “It will be an honour just to scan the place where so many of our people began.”
    “It has missed your people.” The words came out of Daphne’s mouth before she could stop them.
    Everyone involved in the conversation paused and stared at her.
    Apolan caressed her arm. “Has it, Daphne?”
    “It has. All those lives bound together in its presence, and then, you went away and my folk have not seen it, nor are we ready to use it. Well, most of us cannot use it. There are a growing number who can and will, but they are not here yet.” Daphne felt a pressure on her mind, and Apolan caressed her arm in a slow pattern.
    “Are you speaking for the forest, Daphne?”
    She frowned, “No, for the cavern. It is the heart of Gaia after all.”
    The archivist was rapt, as was the registrar. The attention that she was getting made her uncomfortable, so she did what she did best—she hid.
    Snuggled against Apolan’s chest, she held tight to him and pulled herself in. She heard comments and felt Apolan’s body vibrate as he spoke.
    The room went silent, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We are alone again. You can come back.”
    She looked up at him and smiled. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting that.”
    “The conversation or being used to speak for a five-thousand-year-old consciousness?”
    With nothing in her field of vision but him, she cupped her hand around the back of his neck and drew his mouth down to hers. “Yes.”
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    “Daphne, are you sure?” His hands were stroking her back as she pressed kisses across his face and down his neck.
    “As sure as I can be. I need to be with you, Apolan.” Her hands stroked the heat of his body, the rigidity of his muscles and the smooth texture of his skin.
    Apolan didn’t need to be told twice and swiftly took her to his bedroom, setting her on the edge of the bed while he removed her clothing with feverish intensity. His clothing followed hers into a heap on the floor.
    As he moved over her, stroking, waking, caressing, she shivered and returned each touch with one of her own. While the Forest folk looked to be made of bark and moss, they felt wonderful.
    Apolan took care with her, bringing her to the edge of sanity before he moved over her and joined them. Their connection went from tenuous to flaring life as he surged into her, and her body surrendered to the sensations he woke inside her.
    Her mind chanted to her as her heartbeat slowed in the aftermath, For better or for worse.
     
    Dawn was streaming through the skylight when fingers caressed her shoulder. “Good morning, dearest wife.”
    She smiled and blushed, turning into his arms. “Good morning, husband. What is on your agenda today?”
    “You are the only item on my agenda, though I believe I have something for you.” He rolled to his knees, and he had a box in his hand.
    “The crystal chamber forced my hand, but we would have ended up here eventually. While my folk are known for their patience, none of us have had to deal with a Gaian before, and so my self-control was waning quickly. This is the earpiece that my great grandmother wore every day of her mated life. While the one creates a link, this one shows any and all members of the Nine that you are taken.”
    She smiled and opened the box. It was indeed the matching earpiece, set with the same tiny stones. Apolan helped her set it in place, and once it was, he pressed a kiss to her earlobe and then worked his way down her neck.
    Daphne sighed happily and relaxed into his arms. She was naked next to a stranger, but right now, the last thing she wanted was to hide. It might not be self-confidence, but it was a good first step.
     

     
    One week later…
    She was standing next to Apolan in the receiving line and accepting the congratulations of every dignitary of the Nine that was willing to walk on Gaia.
    When Mayor Tetra