by Tana Stone
Jingled—A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Romance Holiday Novella
Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors #7
Tana Stone
Broadmoor Books
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Also by Tana Stone
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter One
Reina bustled down the corridor, her shoes echoing off the shiny floor as she took long steps. She touched a spindly hand to the bobbing blue swish of hair that extended over her head and sighed.
The human women were at it again.
As a tribute bride liaison, she was used to handling requests from the human females the Drexians brought up to the space station. It wasn’t unusual for her to deal with everything from hysteria to disbelief to anger when the Earthlings learned they’d been abducted from their planet to be brides for a warrior race of aliens. Although most of the women were eventually happy with the arrangement—especially after they saw the hunky Drexians—Reina was not unaccustomed to drama.
As a Vexling—a species known for their attention to detail and desire to please—her instinct was to solve every problem and keep everyone happy. And she really did want her tribute brides to be happy, although sometimes she wished they didn’t rope her into every scheme they came up with. She’d been involved in last-minute bridal showers, surprise weddings, and even something one tribute had insisted on called a gender-reveal party. Humans’ need to know the gender of their children so they could then dress them in certain colors baffled her, but she’d gone along with it.
And now this.
She reached the inclinator and swiped her hand over a panel to one side, waiting for a moment before the compartment doors swished open, and she stepped inside between a Gatzoid tapping away on a tablet and a Neebix holding his tail politely in front of him.
The inclinator was crowded today, no doubt everyone busy as the space station got back to normal operations. It had been many weeks since the station—known by most as the Boat—had taken on new tribute brides, or even allowed incoming transports of Drexians. The attacks by their enemy, the Kronock, along with sabotage of the station and the discovery of traitors within the Drexian leadership, had kept them on high alert. Like everyone, she was glad things were returning to normal, although the latest request by the tribute brides was not normal.
“Reina?”
She turned and spotted another Vexling at the back of the compartment, his nearly transparent hair extending high above the other heads. Her pulse fluttered, and she hoped her gray cheeks did not betray her surprise and pleasure at seeing Vivan.
“Greetings of the day to you,” she said, extending the formal Vexling greeting, since they were in the company of so many others.
“Thank you,” he said, as he wiggled his way to stand next to her at the front of the compartment that surged upward. “To you, as well.”
Reina darted a quick glance at the fellow Vexling. Like all of her species, he was tall and lanky, although Reina had always thought that Vivan had a squarer jaw than most Vexling males. She knew he worked in the station’s procurement department, determining what items were needed from Earth during the transports to the surface to obtain tribute brides. Vivan had often been the one to help her, when her brides required something specific and did not want a holographic version.
The Boat relied on sophisticated holographic technology to create much of the fantasy settings for the humans, but some things could not be manufactured by light diffraction. That was why the space station had an entire department devoted to procuring specific items from Earth to make the human women feel at home. Since they were the key to the Drexian’s survival, their happiness was paramount.
“You must be busy,” Reina said.
Vivan nodded. “It has been many cycles since a transport returned from Earth. We are eager for its arrival.” He focused his gaze on her. “You must also be glad to receive new tribute brides.”
“Of course,” Reina said, although truthfully, she was relieved the brides would not be arriving that day.
Despite loving her job, she had welcomed the slower pace of things when the transports of the tribute brides had been halted. Her work partner, Serge, had grown increasingly impatient not having a wedding to plan. She, however, had enjoyed getting to know some of her recent brides, instead of having to immediately move on to the next arrival.
Vivan’s large eyes studied her. “You seem worried, Reina.”
“Not worried.” She shook her head. “Perplexed. Maybe you can help me.”
He took her hand. “You know I will always help you.”
Reina knew her cheeks were flushing as the inclinator door opened, and she was grateful when everyone around them exited. She and Vivan did not step off, and the doors slid shut again, although the compartment did not move.
“Reina?” His voice was quiet, but it made her jerk her head to meet his gaze.
All Vexling eyes were gold, yet his seemed more luminous to her. She swallowed and tried to focus her mind. What did she need to ask him? It had seemed important, but now she couldn’t remember. Think, Reina. She closed her own eyes to shut out the distraction of Vivan’s.
“Christmas,” she said, her eyes snapping open.
“Christmas?” he repeated, tilting his head at her.
“A human holiday,” she went on. “We’ve had tributes want to celebrate it before, but usually they did it in their suites. Now a group of my brides want to throw a station-wide Christmas party.”
“That sounds intriguing.” He did not drop her hand. “What is involved in a Christmas party?”
“From what I can gather there is a lot of food, many drinks, singing songs called carols, and presents given out by a fat, human man wearing red.”
Vivan’s high forehead wrinkled. “We do not have any fat male humans, nor do I think it would be practical to procure any.”
“From what I understand, humans often dress like this fat man, and use padding to look larger than they are.”
Vivan’s blinked a few times. “Fascinating. As long as I have been procuring things from Earth, I continue to be surprised by what humans enjoy. One day I will have to tell you about the Slinky.”
“I would like that,” Reina said, jumping slightly as the inclinator doors opened, and a pair of Drexian warriors entered.
Vivan dropped her hand, and they moved to the back of the compartment as the Drexians activated the inclinator and it rotated before accelerating.
“How can I help with this Christmas party?” Vivan asked in a low voice, as the Drexians discussed the Kronock.
“I don’t suppose we have any tall, pointy trees on the station?” Reina asked, looking ahead.
“Do trees have something to do with the fat human in red?”
Reina tried to recall what Mandy and Bridget had said about the trees. Christmas trees, they’d called them. They’d both been talking so fast that it had been hard to make sense of it all. “I think they cover the trees with balls and the fat man puts the presents around the bottom.”
“This is very strange indeed,” Vivan muttered. “I can see why you are concerned.”
“The tribute brides want to have this Christmas party on the promenade in a week’s time. I’d hate to tell them no, especially since some of them have been through quite a lot.”
“I heard about the re
ject who was rescued from the Kronock hybrid. I am glad she is all right.” Vivan glanced at her. “After all the things that have happened on the station, maybe a party would be good for everyone.”
The inclinator stopped and the two Drexians got off. Vivan also stepped off. “I should get to work before they send out someone to procure me.”
Reina giggled. “Of course.”
“I will see what I can do about these Christmas things,” he said, giving her a small bow with his head before starting to walk away.
Reina shot a hand between the inclinator doors before they closed. “Would you come?”
Vivan turned back around. “Come?”
“To the party?” Reina asked before she could think better of it.
A small smile curled his gray lips. “If you will be there, I would not miss it.”
Reina let the doors close and sagged against the walls of the compartment, her hands fluttering at her throat. Now she had more than the Christmas party to worry about.
Chapter Two
Dorn clung to the ladder that dangled into the holographic ocean outside his fantasy suite. The water was a blue so clear he could see all the way to the white-sand bottom, and his heart rate increased as he remembered sinking to the depths of the simulated South Pacific sea. “It sounds to me like you should be working on this party you and Bridget came up with, instead of torturing your mate.”
“This is not torture. It’s swimming.”
Dorn grunted, clearly disagreeing with her assessment. “Explain to me again why I have to do this.”
“Because you promised you’d let me teach you how to swim,” his wife said from a few feet away where she treaded water in a shiny, gold bikini. “And because you almost drowned once already.”
He shot her a look. “And why was that?”
She splashed him. “You deserved to get pushed in. You were being a dick.”
He emitted a low growl, licking the salty beads of water from his lips. “And you were being stubborn and impossible.”
“Yet look how far we’ve come.” She gave him a wicked grin as she spread her arms wide and floated on her back, the slight swell of her pregnant belly poking above the water. “Who would have guessed that we could have gone from almost killing each other to being deliriously happy and expecting our first baby?”
Dorn felt a rush of emotion as he watched his mate and the child she carried in her belly. After years of commanding the Inferno Force on the outskirts, he’d never imagined that he would have anything close to the happiness he’d found with his human. Before he’d been assigned a tribute bride, he’d been happy leading his rough group of warriors and content finding scraps of pleasure in victory. Now, everything was different. He was different. He cleared his throat. “Not me.”
“Dorn,” Mandy said, her voice becoming stern as she swam closer. “You’ve practiced in the plunge pool. You know the strokes. You can do this. Besides, I need to meet Bridget soon to work on the party, so let’s move it, big guy.”
He scowled at her, and then looked longingly at the fluffy towels stretched out across the pair of loungers on the teakwood deck, wishing he were there, instead of in the water. “Drexians do not have…” he paused, searching for the unfamiliar word, “Christmas.”
“Not until now, you mean,” Mandy corrected. “I promise that you’ll love it. Presents, songs, cookies. It’s the best. And if anyplace needs a little Christmas spirit, it’s the Boat.”
She might have a point there, Dorn thought. Morale on the station had been low since the Kronock attack and the discovery of a mole inside the Drexian leadership. A party might help, even if it was for a strange human holiday. He sighed as he eyed the water around him. “You promise not to be excessive with this party.”
“Excessive?” She gave him an expression of mock horror. “When have you ever known me to be excessive?”
He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she laughed.
“Fine, I’ll keep it under control. I may not have a choice. It’s not like this place is brimming with holiday decor. We’re probably going to have to have Ella do everything holographically.”
“How is the reject adjusting to not being a reject anymore?” Dorn asked, eyeing the crystal-clear water suspiciously. He knew his friend Dakar was thrilled to be living with the human who’d once rejected being a tribute bride, but he hadn’t seen much of the human herself, since they’d returned from their rescue mission to save another reject bride from a rogue cyborg Drexian.
“She’s great. I may even convince her to have a Christmas wedding.” Mandy dipped her hair back in the water. “But enough stalling. It’s time for you to show me what you’ve got, big guy.”
“Come closer, and I will show you what I’ve got, mate.”
Wagging a finger at him, she stayed out of his reach. “Nice try. You want to get some before I have to go meet Bridget? You’d better start swimming.”
Mandy would make an effective commander, he thought, with a mixture of annoyance and admiration. She was certainly more confident than she’d been when she’d first arrived on the station. Back then, she’d been insecure and frightened, and she’d tried to hide it by being demanding and difficult. It was almost hard to remember how different she’d been before she’d finally opened up to him, made friends with the other tribute brides, and found her place on the Boat
He glanced back at her. “If I sink to the bottom again, you will not be able to retrieve me in your condition.”
“First of all,” she said. “I’m pregnant, not infirm. And if you’re really worried, I guess you’ll just have to be sure you don’t sink.”
“You’re still impossible,” he said, the corners of his mouth quirking, despite his best intentions.
“So you’ve told me.” She clapped her hands, sending a small spray of water into the air. “More swimming. Less talking.”
Dorn knew the only way to shut her up was to actually swim. He took a deep breath and pushed off from the ladder, pulling his arms through the water as his body dipped below the surface. Kicking his legs forcefully, he was propelled to Mandy within seconds.
“You did it!”
She looked so happy, Dorn couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. He slowed and started to scissor his feet under him like her, and soon he was bobbing upright in the water.
“I knew you could do it.” Mandy threw her arms around him and for a moment, his body sank under the surface. He kicked harder and resurfaced, wrapping an arm around his mate and keeping both of their heads out of the water.
She laughed and swiped her face, flicking drops off. “Sorry. I got too excited.”
“I like it when you are excited.”
Her expression shifted from excited to wary to amused. “Oh, no.” She fluttered her feet as she attempted to kick away from him. “I know what that look means.”
Dorn moved one hand to touch the firm curve of her belly. “Don’t worry. I cannot get you more pregnant than you already are. I am not a Krenginian.”
“Good to know.” She shook her head. “But I still have to meet Bridget in half an hour.”
He swam them over to the ladder, spinning so that he sat on a rung submerged in water and pulling her to straddle him. “I am a Drexian warrior. I excel at efficiency.”
She swatted him, wiggling, even though he held her in place by the hips. “You excel at distracting me and making me forget everything else.”
He shrugged and assumed his most innocent expression, positioning her so that she rubbed against his hard cock. “Is it my fault that being with child has made you insatiable?”
Dropping her head back, she groaned. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He let his gaze drift from her long brown hair streaming wet down her back, to her rounded breasts barely covered by the triangles of gold fabric. “Nothing is wrong with you. You are perfect.”
Another groan, as she rocked forward, grinding against him through the fabric of their bathing suits.
Dorn moved one hand from her belly to her face, cupping her jaw and dragging a finger across her lips.
She captured his finger in her mouth, sucking it as she looked down at him, her eyes burning with intensity.
Gods, he thought, as he watched her take his finger into her mouth. He fought to keep his own eyes from rolling up into the back of his head. Dipping his hand under the water, he pushed aside her bikini bottom and parted her soft folds, finding her wet nub and circling it with his thumb.
Mandy sucked harder on his finger, moving her hips and moaning.
Dorn swirled his thumb faster, and her movements became jerky. She leaned back, and Dorn pulled his finger from her mouth and moved it to one breast, slipping it under the bikini top and flicking her hard nipple. He sank a finger into her tight heat, while his thumb continued to circle her slick nub.
Mandy crushed her mouth to his, her kiss desperate as she writhed in his lap, her legs straddling his waist. He matched the strokes of his tongue to the strokes of his finger inside her, savoring the heat of both. Dorn increased his pace as he felt her body quiver and her hands claw at his shoulders.
Tearing away from the kiss, she threw her head back and bucked against him, her body spasming as it contracted around his finger. He felt the ripples as she came, watching her face contort in ecstasy and finally relax as she slumped onto him.
“Dorn.” Her voice was soft and breathy.
“Yes, mate?” He lifted her by the hips again, this time holding her as he flipped her around so that she was on the stairs. Her elbows rested on the deck and her knees rested on one of the lower rungs. He tucked himself between her legs and untied one side of her bikini bottom.
“What are you doing?” she asked, twisting her head to watch the strings of her bikini fall apart.
