“You have to push, Trix. You’ve only got two more left,” Zayton says and nudges my legs open wider.
My head flops back against the mountain of pillows behind me. “I’ll try.”
“Good. Now push!”
My stomach muscles bunch up, and I feel like I’m about to push out another baby. I stop not even halfway through the push, feeling as if there’s a tampon that won’t come out of my vagina. “What happened?” I ask through the pain.
“He’s stuck.” Zayton crouches down, then glances up at me from between my legs. “His shoulder is caught; he went sideways coming down the birth canal. I need to get him out.” He holds up a hand, and his talons appear. He’s always hidden them, able to reform them into human fingers for my benefit.
I close my eyes and stare up at the ceiling. “Do it. But make it quick.”
There’s a whoosh of air, and then I feel pain. A sharp, piercing pain that explodes down below. Holy hell, and I thought giving birth hurt. I let out a loud screech but keep my eyes closed. I feel hands grasping inside me as my vagina opens up wider. Something slick and wet is pouring out of me, and I can’t tell it to stop.
When I open my eyes, Zayton is holding the other two babies. “Xavion and Xantha,” he says in a quiet voice before turning to set them down in the cradles. One boy and one girl.
I take shallow breaths, feeling like my life is fading away. The liquid I’m losing is blood. I’m losing too much blood. I can’t make it stop. “Zay…ton…”
“Trixie? Trixie!” Zayton is shouting, and his face is distorted as my vision swims in and out of focus. “Can you hear me? Stay with me!” I feel a pressure on my hand, and then my wrist is slit open and more liquid is flowing, but his skin feels warm against my cold, and my vision fades to black.
Zayton
“Trixie, please. You have to wake up. Please. I can’t lose you.” I cradle her close to my body, her head hanging limp against my chest. My hearts ache as I feel her life slowly seep away to nothingness, her mind having gone unconscious a few minutes prior.
I feel the energy in the room shift. All of the babies are quiet. Starlings sleep a couple months after being born to enhance their abilities and extend their life spans. They won’t need to eat for several more months. But what am I do to if Trixie doesn’t survive? I’ve given her my blood, hoping that perhaps it’ll heal her the way it’s healed my kind. I can’t lose her; she means the entire world to me. Her skin feels cold against mine, and I close my eyes when racing footsteps come from the entrance to the hovercraft and several bodies push their way into my quarters.
“Crown prince, we came as quickly as we were able.” Their voices grow muffled as I continue to stare down at Trixie. Her chest rises and falls, but her breaths are still shallow. They’re numbered, and I don’t dare to look away for fear of her lungs giving out all too soon. I’m not ready to say goodbye.
“Zayton.” A woman’s voice is speaking in a familiar language, though I don’t process her saying my name until she repeats it.
My head jerks up, and my eyes focus on the woman towering over us. “Mother? What are you doing here?” I haven’t had the need to speak in the native tongue of the Starling since meeting Trixie; I’d never felt a reason too, until now, it seems.
Mother crouches down to our level and reaches out to touch Trixie’s pale cheek. “We came to help, just as we promised.”
My eyebrows furrow as I stare at my mother. “We?”
“We.” My eyes flicker beyond my mother to where my siblings are standing. Zona is the one that marches forward to drop down onto her knees, continuing to speak. “Your offspring are all on the other ship. Latesha, Launay, and Daron are helping.” Zante remains standing quietly from where we’re gathered on the floor. I’d taken Trixie off the bed and curled up on the floor with her as she bled out before giving her my blood. “How is she?”
I look down at my beautiful bride and trace a hand across her cheek tenderly. “She doesn’t have much longer. My blood…It didn’t work.”
“We don’t know that for sure, Zayton. Bring her to the medical ward.” Mother stands up, and I watch her movement, wondering why it will matter. Trixie’s dying, and the stars that run through my veins, the blood that keeps me alive, won’t do the same for my beloved mate.
Epilogue: Zona
Two Years Later
The small, portable screen shows my family and me the same thing every day. An unchanging woman who lies sprawled out on a bed in the medical ward, always sleeping, never waking. Every day, one of my family watches her. Every twenty-four hours, we change who watches.
We need Trixie to wake up. It’s been far too long since I’d last seen her beautiful eyes and heard her laughter. I miss my sister-in-law more times than I can count. We need her just as much as Zayton does.
My brother will never admit aloud that he needs help caring for his five offspring. He can’t do it by himself, although he’ll try to tell us all differently. My hands grip the portable screen tighter. It’s my turn to watch, and so far, there’s no sign of movement. Trixie still breathes, but the blood Zayton gave her keeps her in a sleep-like state. The blood healed her well enough, beyond the point that she wasn’t in any danger of dying, but she still sleeps. We can’t fathom why.
Trixie is in the medical ward, a prism chamber big enough for a bed and that’s about it. Vines pulsate with the same ethereal white glow as Starling veins do, wrapped around her frail body pumping more of our offered blood into Trixie’s veins. Zayton had more donations of blood samples from people all over SaxZon than he knew what to deal with.
Zayton has been busy these two years that Trixie has been asleep. After returning to SaxZon with five offspring, he took up his place on the throne and became the ruler. With five children, he’s guaranteed to be the longest-standing ruler our world has ever seen, and all of us doubt that he will step down unless his lifespan ends. He talked about it once. I had to punch him across the face to get him to snap out of it. Without Trixie, his life has no meaning.
I don’t blame him, because I’ve been searching for my mate and find that, sometimes, I feel like I can’t live with myself either, that maybe things would just be better off if I weren’t around. Mother wouldn’t have to worry about my mate being found; Zante wouldn’t have to deal with my pettiness. Zayton wouldn’t need to constantly make sure I stay out of trouble. And yet, I still remain here, even now, lying on the bed in the room that Trixie and I shared for over eight years.
I tilt back my head to stare up at the sky. The stars are somehow a little dull and don’t shine as bright, as if they, too, grieve Trixie’s absence. Her loss is too great, even in the galaxies. SaxZon needs Trixie; we are in desperate need of our queen. The queen who learned all she did during her studies to become the ruler that would stand by Zayton’s side for the remainder of his days.
Feeling energy shift around me, I turn my head, my eyes flickering, not sensing anyone in the room. Hearing a soft cry, my head jerks down, and my eyes widen in surprise as I hold up the portable screen for a closer inspection. I take in the prism chamber and notice something is different. I bolt for the entryway, dropping the portable screen on the bed as I lightspeed to Zayton. He’ll be thrilled; we will all be.
In less than one minute, I burst through the closed doors to the throne room, scarcely breathing as I drop my arms and notice that I’ve interrupted a private meeting between my brother and the councilors.
Zayton is already on his feet, his eyes frantic with worry. A smile graces my lips, and tears fill my eyes. “It’s Trixie.”
He’s in front of me in a flash. He grips my shoulders gently, his hands trembling. “Is she okay? What happened?”
“Zayton…” I take a steady breath, feeling my own two hearts doubling in time with my brother’s. “She’s awake.”
The Alien and the Elf
Tricia Schneider
About The Alien and the Elf
My name is Noelle, and I'm an elf. I w
as minding my own business, testing a newly installed engine on Santa's sleigh when it suffered a slight malfunction, and I found myself spiraling out of control. Then a bright beam of light hits, and I'm taken onboard a spaceship. Jaxar is a sexy, to-die-for, green-skinned alien who thinks I'm intruding on his salvage. He's never met an elf. Well, I've never met an alien. With no way to get home, I need Jaxar's help. Can we work together to fix Santa's sleigh in time to save Christmas?
Chapter 1
After adjusting the dials correctly, I smiled with satisfaction. Everything looked good. All the numbers lined up with where they should be, the altitude and speed were correct.
The sleigh was flying!
Strong winds whipped my blonde hair frantically behind me. I was grateful I had the foresight to gather it into a ponytail beneath the white-trimmed red hat I wore.
Standard issue uniform, of course. The candy cane stripped shirt and red vest complimented the red hat, as did the mistletoe green leggings.
At this altitude and time of year, I should be wearing a parka, but surprisingly the vent from the newly installed engines in the sleigh kept me cozy warm.
Along with the heat from the new engine I installed, there would be no need to endanger the reindeer during Santa’s annual voyage tomorrow night. It had been a long time in coming, but the other elves and I finally perfected the technology that would enable the sleigh to fly without the need of the magic reindeer.
What a blessing this was!
I leaned back, content with the trial run of the experimental engine. Relaxed, I took in the sight of the city far below. Seattle, if the instruments read correctly.
Which they did.
The lights sparkled like stars among the buildings nestled on the ground. The thin sliver of moonlight illuminated the world below me, making it easier to see the distance between the city and the sleigh.
It was breathtaking. No wonder Santa enjoyed this job so much. If other cities sparkled like this one, it must be a wondrous sight.
Far ahead, another light caught my eye. It was a star, far brighter than the rest. At first, I paid it no mind until I noticed it seemed to get closer at a rapid rate.
My smile faltered as I squinted to see it better. Maybe it wasn’t a star, after all? Could it be the space station hovering in orbit above the earth, the metal glinting with the sun’s light that the North American continent could no longer see in the sleepy hours of the night?
Maybe a satellite?
It must be because it looked larger than a star.
A button flashed red on the brand-new console, diverting my attention from the bright light in the sky.
I frowned, tapping the button.
“That shouldn’t be blinking.”
Why was it blinking?
It didn’t take long for me to figure out something was terribly wrong. The cherry red sleigh bucked beneath my feet, the newly installed engines groaning under sudden strain. My knees buckled and my bottom slammed hard onto the lightly cushioned seats. I gripped the steering wheel, another addition added to the sleigh, and refused to let go as the sleigh dipped in the sky. It righted itself for several seconds, giving me time to catch my breath before plunging again. This time it spiraled downward, a trail of smoke billowing behind me.
The fingers of my right hand slipped. My body lifted from the seat as the force of the fall pulled me from the sleigh.
Seatbelts! I told him I should install seatbelts!
Without those precious straps to keep me secured in place, my fingers strained to keep me connected to the sleigh. If I let go… if my hand slipped free… I’d be toast.
Suddenly, a beam of light flashed above me, blinding me with its intensity. I closed my eyes to block the light, but that made the sickening tumult in my tummy worse. I was going down and I couldn’t see.
And then slowly the descent stopped.
With my right hand fastened in a death grip onto the wheel of the sleigh, my body floated with delicious freedom above it. The sleigh was no longer falling. Neither was I. We were floating, suspended in the air.
I tried blinking my eyes open, but the light was too bright to see beyond. Not feeling comfortable or safe hovering in the air, I slowly worked to move my body back onto the seat of the sleigh. I blindly sought the steering wheel with my free hand, gripping it like a life preserver. Seconds after my bottom re-connected with the seat cushions, I heard metal scraping against metal above me.
What was that?
Then the blinding light was gone, and I was swallowed by darkness.
Chapter 2
After the creaking of metal silenced, I felt the sleigh bump against something solid. The sensation of floating dissipated. Again, I was firmly entrenched in my seat.
The light vanished. Everything went black. I blinked several times, panic rising when I began to suspect the bright light had blinded me completely. I couldn’t see until I spotted the red light flashing from the console on the sleigh.
No, I wasn’t blind. I was in some dark place where I could no longer see the stars.
Unsure what to do, I remained in my seat contemplating what just happened.
Had I died? Did the sleigh crash? Was this what happened after elves died? Humans often spoke of a light at the end of a tunnel. Well, I had seen a light. Not so much a tunnel, but—
The lights flickered around me, illuminating a rather large room.
Okay, so I wasn’t dead.
The room was expansive. Far larger than the biggest workshop at home. I’d never been in such a spacious room. There were no windows. Only two doors, one on either end of the large space.
Piles of metal cluttered the area. Random parts of twisted machines. Wait… Was that a rocket on the other end of the room?
I tapped my finger on the wheel and bit my lip.
“Um…”
Where in all the land of peppermint was I?
And then a man appeared in one of the doorways.
Well, I thought it was a man. He looked like a man at first glance, but as he approached, I realized how wrong my assumption was when I took in the sight of smooth green skin.
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t help it. I’d never seen a man with such skin. It glistened as he strode forward, his body moving like an animal stalking prey, smooth, fluid movements, his muscles bunching in anticipation of attack.
It was mesmerizing to watch his body move as he walked.
Other than the tantalizing green skin, he wore clothes as any other man would wear. Well, maybe not many human men. This one wore brown trousers and a leather vest revealing his large, well-cared for green abdomen and biceps.
As he closed the distance between us, I could better see his facial features. He had dark eyes, a strong nose and determined chin covered with a dusting of dark hair. The black on top of his head was sheared short and a silver chain dangled on the lobe of his left ear.
He had the look of a green-skinned pirate. I shivered in anticipation as he approached. I had never been struck by a man’s appearance before, but this one knocked my candy-cane striped socks right off from under my booted feet.
“Who are you?” I asked as he drew closer, grateful it had taken some time for him to reach me so I could find my voice. “What is this place?” I swept my gaze around the overly large room as my rather small in comparison sleigh sat off-center.
The green-skinned alien lifted his arm to point a cylindrical metal object at me. I’d never seen a ray-gun before, but I assumed this is what one might look like.
I raised my hands at the intense expression on the alien’s face.
That’s what he was, wasn’t he?
An alien?
I was trying to piece together the facts as my brain fought the evidence right before my eyes.
A bright light beaming me up.
A green-skinned man with a ray gun pointed at me.
Yeah. I’d been abducted by an alien.
Wait until the elves at the North Pole heard about this one.
“What is your purpose here?” The alien barked as he drew closer, keeping the ray gun leveled at my chest.
I swallowed hard as I took in the sight of the sexy alien holding a weapon at my heart.
“My purpose?” I frowned. What did he mean by that?
“What are your intentions?”
My frown only deepened, but a spark of irritation lit, chasing some of the fear away.
“My intentions?” I lowered my raised hands, feeling foolish for standing there like I was some criminal. I had done nothing wrong. In fact, I’d been minding my own business until he came along and abducted me. “I intended to fly my sleigh to test the engines. Everything was going peachy, until you came along with that bright-ass light of yours.”
The alien’s mouth quirked, but he kept the weapon trained on me, stepping closer.
“You were flying an unknown spacecraft above Seattle. I’ve never seen anything like it. Again, I ask, what are your intentions with this planet?”
“My intentions with this planet?” I scoffed. “This is my planet. I live here. I intend to live the rest of my life here unless you end it with that ray gun of yours.” I crossed my arms over my chest, as if to protect my heart should he shoot me. “What about you? You’re not from around here. What are your intentions?”
“You can’t be human.” The alien glowered as he ignored my question, his dark brows lowering with a brush of confusion. “I’ve never seen a human in such a spacecraft. Where did you get it?”
His gaze left mine. He lowered the weapon, so it wasn’t trained at my heart any longer, then he moved to stalk the sleigh, circling it as he inspected it with curious eyes.
A Very Alien Christmas: A Limited Edition Collection of Holiday Alien Romance Page 25
