Jingled

by Tana Stone

  She yelped when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. She twisted around to look up at him. “Are you okay?”

  He lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed her gently. “I am now.”

  She turned to face him. “Don’t tell me you called me out of a meeting for a kiss.”

  He gave a slow shake of his head. “Not just one kiss.” He captured her mouth with his before she could protest, his lips warm and soft as they moved against hers.

  Shreya let herself sink into the kiss, moaning when he parted her lips with a hard sweep of his tongue and deepened the kiss. Her arms went instinctively around his neck, as his tongue caressed hers. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing heavy, and she felt lightheaded.

  “I will let you get back to your meeting,” he said.

  “I should knee you in the balls again.”

  One eyebrow quirked up. “I hope you do not. That wasn’t a pleasant experience.”

  She thought about her attempts to escape from him when he’d held her captive. “Neither was you tying me up.”

  Vox brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. “Oh, I don’t know about that. The way your body reacted, I think you actually enjoyed it.”

  Her face heated at the memory. “You’re begging to be slapped.”

  Bending his head so his lips brushed her ear, he whispered, “And you’re begging for me to tie you up again, aren’t you?”

  Shreya opened her mouth to argue, but Vox nipped one earlobe quickly before stepping back. He gave her a wicked grin then turned and walked away.

  “You bloody bastard,” she muttered to herself, admiring the view as she watched him cross the promenade and disappear into an inclinator compartment. Her pulse was racing and her panties were wet. She hated to admit how right he was.

  Chapter Eight

  One week later

  Reina bustled down the corridor toward the promenade, her arms laden with boxes and bags. She’d spent the past week not only working with the Earth women to pull together the holiday party, but also trying to decide the perfect gifts to get for everyone. Now that the party was in a matter of hours, she felt like a bundle of nerves. Would the party feel Christmasy enough for the tribute brides on the station? Would they like the presents she’d selected for them? Would Vivan actually come to the party?

  The last thought made her heart flutter. Ever since the fellow Vexling had arrived on the station a year ago, she’d had a hard time keeping her mind off him. She wasn’t sure if it was the wider set of his jaw or the luminous quality of his gold eyes, but he’d always struck her as one of the most handsome males of her species. The humans may be attracted to the bulky Drexians, but she preferred lanky limbs and long necks. Reina wished she had a free hand with which to fan herself as mental images of Vivan made her cheeks burn.

  “At last!” Serge’s voice jerked her from her thoughts and pulled her back to reality, as she entered the promenade and saw him perched on a ladder holding a digital megaphone to his mouth as he directed the party setup. “Presents under the tree, Reina. Chop, chop! No time to waste!”

  She noticed the equally small Perogling, Cerise, holding the base of Serge’s ladder, her curly pink wig reaching almost to the top step where Serge teetered. Cerise had arrived on the station with Shreya, after helping the human escape from a particularly dangerous planet. Now she lived in the independent section of the Boat, and shadowed Serge. Reina had welcomed her as an addition to their team because the high-strung Gatazoid now spent more of his time giving lengthy instruction to his mentee and less time worrying out loud to her.

  Hurrying forward, Reina dodged Gatazoids setting out elaborate trays of food on long tables, and brown-horned Neebix in snug pants pushing levitating carts of glassware toward the bars. Without a free hand, she could only incline her head at Mandy, who stood next to Ella, appraising the towering tree that rose several stories into the air and was draped in swags of red ribbon and sparkling, gold balls. Piles of colorfully wrapped boxes already circled the base of the tree, and Reina tucked her armload of presents in with the rest.

  “Isn’t it amazing?” Mandy asked, walking over to Reina at the base of the Christmas tree. “Ella had to set up special holographic emitters on the promenade just so we could create a tree this large.”

  Reina knew that it had been impossible to bring a live tree from Earth, much to the dismay of the humans. Not only did the Drexians not relish the idea of tracking down and cutting a tree on Earth, their transport ships were not large enough to bring a thirty-foot tall, spiky tree. Luckily, Ella was skilled enough with holographic programming to create a convincing version. It even smelled like pine. Or at least, that was what they told her, to explain the sharp scent that made her nose twitch.

  “Are all Christmas trees on Earth this large?” she asked, tipping her head back to see the star on top.

  Mandy laughed. “Not even close. Most trees have to fit in people’s living rooms, so they’re about six or seven feet tall. Ella went all-out on this one.”

  Reina scanned the open-air space. The shops that lined the walkway were closed, and the café tables that usually clustered outside them were now draped in shimmering, green cloth, and topped with arrangements of red flowers. The potted trees had been draped in sparkly garland, and even the central fountain had been decked out, the cherub rising up from the center now wearing a red-and-green wreath around his neck. Even though Reina had no personal connection to the Christmas the humans loved so much, she had to admit that the decor made everything feel more festive and party-like.

  “Looking for Vivan?” Mandy asked, in a furtive voice.

  Reina blinked a few times. She hadn’t been, but the mention of his name made her heartbeat quicken. “Vivan?”

  Mandy nudged her. “Come on, Reina. It’s obvious you like the guy. Every time we’ve mentioned him over the past week, your face has done exactly what it’s doing now.”

  Reina pressed her fingers to her cheeks. “What is it doing?”

  “Well, it has color in it for one. That’s unusual. And your pupils are dilated. I don’t know about Vexlings, but in humans that’s a major sign.”

  Reina gave a quick shake of her head. “Vivan and I are old family friends. That’s all.”

  Mandy raised an eyebrow. “Are Vexlings on the station allowed to date?”

  “Yes, I suppose so.” There was no rule against it, although there were far fewer male Vexlings than females. Since their planet had been nearly destroyed, their species had fewer males in general.

  “Good.” Mandy squeezed her arm. “I’d hate for us to be the cause of you getting in trouble.”

  Reina fluttered her fingers at her throat. “Why would you get me in trouble?”

  “Christmas is a time for family and togetherness and love. Not that my Christmases growing up were like that, but that’s what it’s supposed to be.” Mandy rubbed a hand across her belly and smiled. “Maybe it’s because I’m crazy in love myself, or maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones, but I want everyone to be as happy as I am. And even though this is an alien space station, I want this to be the best Christmas ever. For everyone.”

  Reina looked at the tribute bride. She did seem to glow with happiness, but she wasn’t sure what the woman was going on about.

  “Like they say in Love, Actually, which is the best holiday movie ever, by the way,” Mandy continued, “if you can’t say it at Christmas when can you say it?”

  “Say what, dear?” Reina asked, wondering if she should check the tribute for a fever.

  “That you like Vivan, of course!” Mandy beamed at her. “Before the end of the party, the girls and I are going to make sure that you get your happy ending, too.”

  Reina swallowed hard, her heart hammering in her chest as Mandy flitted away to talk with Dorn. This Christmas thing was turning out to be more complicated than she’d expected.

  Chapter Nine

  Mandy gave Reina one final smile over her should
er, leaving her to join Dorn near Santa’s workshop on the other side of the enormous Christmas tree. He stood in his dark Drexian uniform, the sash with his commendations and medals draped across one shoulder, with his arms folded over his broad chest. He stared at the brightly colored backdrop for the ornate chair.

  She slipped an arm around his waist. “What do you think?”

  His shoulders relaxed as he wrapped an arm around her, the corner of his mouth twitching up. “This is where Kax will sit when he is dressed as the fat man in red?”

  “Santa,” Mandy corrected him for, what she was sure was, the hundredth time. She was also sure that Dorn did it on purpose each time. “And yes. People can come sit on Santa’s lap and tell them what they want.”

  Dorn’s hint of a smile became a full-blown grin. “This I am looking forward to.”

  Mandy swatted his chest, which was so hard and muscular she knew he’d barely felt it. “Be nice, or I’ll make you take a turn as Santa.”

  The smile vanished. “You wouldn’t.”

  She arched an eyebrow at him. “Wouldn’t I?”

  Her mate groaned. “You are an impossible female.” He pulled her tighter. “Good thing you are mine.”

  “Oh, yeah?” She wiggled closer to him. Back on Earth, she would have freaked if a guy had called her “his,” but now she loved when Dorn claimed her. She knew that Drexians mated for life, and the thought that this hot, hunky, ass-kicking warrior wanted no one else but her made her pulse quicken. The idea of being mated to an alien may have taken some getting used to—especially an alpha who was used to getting his way like Dorn—but now she couldn’t imagine anything better than Dorn calling her his.

  He nodded, raking a hand through the dark, shaggy hair that curled around the nape of his neck. “You need someone who can keep you under control.” He moved his other hand down to the curve of her ass, tapping it sharply.

  Mandy’s core heated. She’d never been one to take orders, or fall in line easily before, but she loved when her mate got dominant. He made her feel delicate and feminine compared to his massive bulk—and his massive everything. Rubbing a hand over his chest, she let it drift south a few inches, and felt his impressive length harden against her hip. “What were you saying about control?”

  “Minx,” he said, his voice a low purr.

  “Am I interrupting?” Dorn’s brother’s voice made them both look up.

  Kax was not yet in his Santa suit. He also wore his Drexian military uniform, but where Dorn’s hair was long and his face covered in scruff, his brother wore his hair short, and barely a day’s worth of stubble on his cheeks. If they didn’t both have eyes an identical shade of vivid green, it would have been hard to know they were related.

  “Of course not.” Dorn straightened, but did not drop his arm from around her waist. “I was merely inspecting your throne, big brother.”

  Kax rolled his eyes. “I do not know how my mate talked me into this.”

  Mandy thought of her best friend Bridget’s lithe body and her toned, dancer’s legs. She could guess pretty easily how he’d gotten suckered into it. “It will be great. Everyone will love it.”

  Kax grunted then turned to Dorn and stepped closer. “I wanted to talk to you before the party.”

  Dorn must have noticed the solemn tone his brother had taken. The teasing grin fell from his face. “What is it?”

  Kax glanced around before continuing. “We were right about the Kronock. They aren’t happy we took the hybrid cyborg from them.”

  Dorn shifted from one foot to the other. “They put a lot of time into him, and from what Vox said, he was key to their plan to invade Earth. I’m sure it was a big blow.”

  A Vexling with an armful of gold garland hurried by humming “All I Want for Christmas,” and Mandy stepped to the side so he could pass.

  Kax waited until the willowy alien was several feet away. “Some of my informants have reported increased Kronock activity.”

  “What kind of activity?” Dorn asked.

  “They seem to be ramping up production of their new battleships.”

  Dorn scowled. “The ones with jump technology?”

  Kax nodded. “Courtesy of our Drexian traitors. My spies also report chatter about a major attack.”

  “Grek,” Dorn said, muttering the curse under his breath.

  Mandy held up a hand. “Wait a second. Does this mean they’re still going to attack Earth, even though you rescued Vox?”

  “We don’t know,” Kax admitted. “We don’t have anyone inside the Kronock empire, so all this is hearsay from aliens who do business with them. Luckily for us, the Kronock like to brag.”

  Mandy’s mouth went dry. She’d seen the Kronock, up close and personal. If she thought the Drexian were badasses, the Kronock were terrifying and ruthless. After surviving one attack by them—and almost losing Dorn—she had no desire to experience any more encounters with the scaly, alien monsters. Just thinking about their clawed limbs and gray scales made her shudder.

  Dorn gave her a small squeeze. “Don’t worry, cinnara. We won’t let them destroy your home world.”

  Mandy gazed up at him and squeezed him back. She loved when he used the Drexian term of endearment. “I know you won’t.” She glanced at Kax. “Should we go ahead with the party?”

  “Of course.” He managed a smile. “None of the reports we’ve received noted an imminent threat. I suspect we have several rotations before they would make a move. I have a feeling they’re still regrouping after losing Vox. It will take them some time to come up with another strategy, although this one may rely less on sophisticated science and more on brute force.”

  Dorn let out a breath. “That is their strength.”

  Mandy looked from one brother to the other. “But things just went back to normal. A new group of tribute brides recently arrived, from what Serge told me. Does this mean all that stops again?”

  Kax’s brows pinched together. “For a while at least. I’ve already talked to Captain Varden. He’s going to place the station’s defenses on high alert and increase our fighter patrols. When they come, we’ll be ready.”

  Dorn gave his brother a sharp nod.

  Mandy bit her lower lip and glanced around at the preparations for the party. It felt odd to be celebrating, when a vicious enemy might be making plans to destroy Earth and them. Then again, what was the point of surviving if you couldn’t enjoy life a little? She ran a hand over her taut belly. She refused to let the possibility of something bad ruin her happiness. Being abducted, brought to the Boat, and being matched with Dorn had given her a second chance at life—a happy life—and she wasn’t going to let a bunch of awful Kronock spoil that. Not today, at least.

  She took a deep breath. “I’m going to go find Bridge. I think she was picking up your Santa suit from Monti and Randi.”

  Kax gave her a weak smile. “I’m not sure if I think that’s worse news than the Kronock movement.”

  “Ha-ha.” She slapped his arm playfully. “If nothing else, it will take your mind off things.”

  Dorn rocked back on his heels. “I know I won’t be able to think of anything else.”

  Kax narrowed his eyes at his brother, then shifted his gaze over to Mandy. “Doesn’t this Santa also give out lumps of coal? Does he ever use this coal as a projectile weapon?”

  “No.” Mandy laughed. “Santa is supposed to make people happy. Not wound them.”

  “Too bad,” Kax grumbled.

  Mandy slapped her mate on the ass as she stepped away, leveling a finger at both men. “It’s Christmas. That means it’s the season for being jolly. No more talk of alien invasion until after the holidays.”

  That’s something she’d never thought she’d say, Mandy thought, as she left both men looking very out of place amid the merry decor and blinking lights. As she headed for the bridal salon they’d tasked with creating the Santa suit, she hoped her wish for Christmas would come true. Was it too much to hope for peace on Earth when she
knew about the Kronock?

  Chapter Ten

  Bridget eyed the red-and-white suit that the pair of alien dress designers held up for her inspection. She sat on one of the white, tufted chairs in the ornate shop, the crystal chandelier glittering overhead and sending prisms of light bouncing off the high ceiling. The walls of the shop that weren’t lined with mirrors were covered in hanging gowns—mounds of fluffy white fabric billowing out from hangers. The Drexians had done an admirable job of making the bridal salon look like it might on Earth, aside from the levitating platform where brides could look at themselves from all angles as it rotated in mid-air.

  The only things not feminine and frilly in the shop were the pair of aliens standing in front of her in black Nehru jackets that reached below their knees. She didn’t know what species Monti and Randi were, but they looked surprisingly humanoid, except for their metallic hair—one gold and one silver—and the fact that they never blinked. Of course, she had no idea what other alien traits they could be hiding under their long jackets and skinny pants—a short tail, a spiked spine, gills? She shook the thought from her mind and took a tiny sip of her drink, flinching from the taste.

  They’d insisted on handing her a glass of bubbly, even though she was no longer a bride shopping for a dress, and the pink alien drink literally bubbled up as she held the glass flute in one hand. Usually, she loved the alien version of champagne, but today the fruity scent made her stomach churn. The stress of the party planning must be getting to her, she thought.

  “What do you think?” Monti asked, his voice chirpy.

  Bridget set the glass down on a side table and smoothed her palms down the front of her forest-green cocktail dress. “The colors are perfect.”

  Monti beamed at Randi, who touched a hand to his spiky, gold hair and gave her a Cheshire-cat grin.

  “I’m not sure about the sparkles,” Bridget said, choosing her words carefully. She knew that the alien designers could be touchy about critique.