Return of the Nine

Published by: eXtasy Books

Author : Viola Grace

ISBN :978-1-4874-4304-7

Page :440

Word Count :120000

Publication Date :2025-03-12

Series : Return of the Nine#0

Heat Level :

Available Formats :

Category : Fantasy Romance , Science Fiction Romance , Anthology , What's New

BrandsExtasy Books
Product Code: 978-1-4874-4304-7

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Knowing

Ziggy absorbs technical information with the lightest touch of her hand. What will she learn when full contact with a shifter is on the menu?

Accepting

Tiera is glad to see her friend after her new elevation to the Potential of Gaia, but accepting a ship full of aliens is a little too much to ask.

Hiding

Making herself unseen was Daphne’s skill until a forest encounter made her want to be noticed by the new Ambassador of the Nine.

Guiding

Taking care of folks in the wild is her hobby, but when two of the Shadow Folk need her help getting everyone out alive, her skills as a guide will be tested.

Collecting

Collecting the tools needed for survival is her talent, but a male of the Water Folk is something she is dying to add to her collection.

Hunting

Ancient cities and the need to hunt give Nik a few clients who are out of this world.

Designing

A reclusive inventor meets a man who will give her wings. Well…he will let her use his.

Seeing

Seeing while her eyes are tied is a blessing and a burden. She is obsessed and determined to find those who have been lost.

Tracking

Joining her sister to find their parents across the stars leaves Ianka in the company of a Fury with courtship on his mind.

Ziggy struggled against the bonds that held her down. The Tokkel were working on another captured human and the screaming was getting to her. One of the four armed beasts was about to mark the interior of her ankle with a glyph similar to the ones on the restrained humans around her.

As the needle started to buzz, she kicked wildly, causing the creature to snarl at her and call for another to hold her down.

With two of the Tokkel working on her she tried to scream behind her gag, but only muffled whines emerged. Closing her eyes at the pain, she focussed on the hands holding her down.

The contact gave her the chance she needed. Every other alien had been wearing a glove-like membrane but the male holding her had bare hands. She used their physical connection to reach into his mind and pull out all the information she could.

He blinked and shook his head violently, trying to clear it. She held her breath, but he spoke to his companion and in seconds, she could understand what he said.

“That was weird. We must have dipped into the atmosphere for a moment.”

The tattoo artist looked up. “Why?”

“Didn’t you feel that? The whole ship rocked.” He was holding her leg with two clawed hands.

“I didn’t feel anything.”

He had made a few passes with the needle when the entire ship shuddered.

Ziggy held perfectly still as a disembodied voice blared out, “Intruder alert. All hands to battle stations.”

Her persecutors immediately left her and the rest of the humans for their battle stations.

Ziggy bent her arm as far as she could and caressed the switch that would release her. It took three tries and she knew that she would be bruised for weeks, but a hiss sounded and the restraints retracted to free her limbs.

She hopped to her feet and unbuckled her gag. Looking around she saw four Gaians who had been captured with her and she released them from their restraints. “Keep quiet.”

They didn’t need to be told twice, they kept darting frightened looks toward the door.

Ziggy’s thoughts ran through the stolen knowledge and she nodded. “There are escape pods just outside the door. I can launch you.”

One of the wounded was holding a flap of skin to his side. “Just show us where to go.”

She shuddered at the pain in his expression but paused to slap a wide bandage from a nearby storage cabinet across his side. “That should hold you.”

He looked at her with glazed eyes. “How do you know this stuff?”

She shrugged. “Just a hunch, now let’s get you back to the surface. Hopefully the attack will have ceased by now.”

The other subjects were looking at each other but they seemed as eager to get off the ship as she was.