by Leslie Chase
There were dozens of moments like that as Christmas cheer rained down across the colony. Despite the horrors of the occupation, despite the cold and the dark, each human soul lit up with a moment of joy and warmth. The colonists found themselves happier than they’d been in months as they gathered in the light of the moons.
Lovers held hands. Children hugged their parents. Strangers smiled at each other. Nicholasville came alive, the night filled with sounds of joy and laughter, warm light spilling out over the cold white snow.
Above it all, we soared through the sky. The icy air bit deep into my skin, and without the blessing Dhannar had given me I’d have frozen solid. But I didn’t care how cold it was: the excitement of flight, of being drawn through the sky like this, filled me with a joy that few things could match.
The scroogians chasing us fell back, shots becoming less and less accurate. I glanced in their direction, saw them clutching their heads and howling. Psychic vampires who fed on misery weren’t enjoying the change in diet.
“Ho, ho, ho, motherfuckers,” I shouted, throwing a handful of glittering happiness at the nearest flier and laughing. The pilot veered off, course unsteady, and the rest followed him. They fled back toward their warship as I flung more cheer their way.
Below, a crowd gathered, watching and pointing up and cheering. With a laugh, I threw another handful of cheer down at them, ignoring the fleeing scroogians.
They were no threat now, and I had better things to think about.
16
Dhannar
The air filled with Christmas cheer around me and I breathed deep, exulting in the moment. Megan, my beloved mate, had done it. Below us, the humans celebrated. Above, the scroogian warship shuddered and lifted for space. If they were lucky, the ship would function long enough to get them home.
I let them have that chance. It was all the Christmas present they would get this year.
Behind me, Megan laughed and called out again. The sound of her joy filled me with energy, and I turned in a tight circle, tight enough that she shrieked in mixed fear and delight.
Megan. The best present a man could wish for was the love of a good woman, and fate had sent me the most wonderful of all.
Another circuit of the colony and the containers were empty, my energy waned, and Megan’s teeth started to chatter. Up here even my protection wasn’t enough, not in the skimpy clothes the scroogians had dressed her in. I would admit that it looked appealing, yes, but it was emphatically not a practical outfit.
I angled down, managing a soft landing on the colony’s central street. Gasps and whispers met us as I slowed to a walk, drawing Megan’s stolen flier behind me.
Silence fell, rippling out in a circle as the colonists turned to stare.
“Uh, hi everyone,” Megan said awkwardly. “I think we’re safe now.”
A confused voice broke the crowd’s silence, and it was as though a floodgate had opened. Questions poured forth in an endless stream, coming far faster than Megan could answer them. The colonists started to close in, and I almost took to the skies again to get Megan away from the overwhelming pressure.
“Quiet,” a woman shouted, pushing through to the front. For a wonder, the humans listened.
“Mom,” Megan shouted, leaping from the flier and wrapping her arms around the newcomer. “Oh my god, I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I knew you’d be okay,” her mother lied, the relief clear in her face and voice. “But, if you’ll pardon the expression, how the flying fuck did you do that? And what, exactly, did you do?”
“Um.” Megan looked at me, at her mother, and took a deep breath. “Mom, this is Dhannar. He saved my life and drove off the scroogians. Dhannar, this is my mother, Carol Wilson.”
In theory, the existence of the reilendeer is a secret. We don’t want, or need, the attention that comes with the human authorities knowing we exist. Looking at the crowd surrounding us, I realized that on this planet the secret was dead. Everyone had seen a flying reindeer; it wasn’t worth fighting over the details.
So I shifted, shrugging my way out of the straps holding me to the flier, and extended my hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Wilson.”
All around us, the humans took a step back. Mutterings and murmurs spread fast, but Mrs. Wilson just blinked, looked at her daughter, then took my hand.
“I, um,” she started, frowned, looked me up and down, then continued. “I’m sorry, we’re in your debt and I don’t wish to sound ungrateful. But would you mind terribly if someone got you something to wear?”
That shocked a laugh from the crowd, breaking the tension, and just like that we were all friends. Someone thrust a blanket into my hand, and I wrapped it obligingly around my waist. Someone else offered me a bottle of beer, which I took gladly. Other humans clustered around Megan, demanding to hear her story and know how we’d saved them from the scroogians.
I pushed through the crowd to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder and glaring at those who pressed too close. Taking my hand in hers, Megan took a deep breath and started talking, sticking to the simplest version of what she’d been through.
As soon as she finished, the questions began, but her mother stared them down.
“I’m sure Megan will be glad to tell us all about it soon enough,” she said. “We all have questions, but this isn’t the time for them. Right now, she’s earned a rest, and I think we’ve all got some organizing to do. It’s still Christmas, after all. Maybe, if we pull together, we can scrounge up a meal for everyone.”
People nodded, some unwillingly, some enthusiastically. A few had already started to haul tables out into the street, and someone started playing a cheerful tune on a violin. I smiled.
There would be time for questions later, plenty of it. Before that, celebrations were in order.
I took Megan’s hand and led her away from the crowd, following Mrs. Wilson inside one of the colony houses. As soon as we were out of sight, Megan fell back against me and stifled a sob.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” she said as her mother turned back to look at us. “I’m so sorry.”
“What on Earth or off it do you have to be sorry for?” Mrs. Wilson sounded as bewildered as I was. “You get dragged away by the aliens, and the next thing I know you’re saving the day and they’re running back where they came from. I’m proud of you.”
Megan shook her head, clutching at me. “That was all Dhannar,” she said. “I just made a mess of things.”
That was more than I could bear. With gentle strength, I turned her around to face me and looked down at her sternly.
“I would not have succeeded at this without you,” I said. “You saved my life, just as I saved yours. Remember, you were the one who figured out how to get off the ship with everything we needed.”
Megan shook her head, refusing to be convinced. Stubborn as ever, even about accepting the credit.
“You did it,” I insisted, lifting her off her feet and holding her close. “Beloved, thanks to you we did everything we could hope for.”
She gasped, and her heart raced as it always did when I held her. But there was still a touch of melancholy to her voice when she answered.
“We lost everyone’s Christmas, though. All the presents, all the decorations, the trees, they’re all still aboard the scroogian ship.” She squeezed me tight, resting her head on my shoulder. “I mean, we did good, but—”
“But nothing,” Megan’s mother interrupted. “First, none of that is your fault. Don’t blame yourself for what others do, Megan, it’ll only bring you heartache. Second, what does it matter? I’ve got you. We’ve all got each other. That’s what’s important about Christmas, not the presents under the tree.”
Megan nodded, though she looked unconvinced. Her mother smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Don’t be hard on yourself, love. Besides, you have brought me a present.”
“Oh?” My mate sounded wary, twisting so she could see her mother.
“This lovely young m
an,” she said, grinning up at me. “I’ve wanted you to meet someone nice for years, and you’ve done so much better than I’d expected. A heroic alien warrior? You’ve outdone yourself.”
I bowed low, watching Megan out of the corner of my eye. Her face glowed red and she looked away, but I glimpsed her smile before she hid it. My beloved was happy that her mother approved, and so was I.
“Thank you, Mrs. Wilson,” I said. “I shall take good care of Megan, I promise.”
“I know,” Mrs. Wilson said brightly. “If you don’t, no one will ever find your body.”
Caught by surprise, I laughed and nodded. I should have expected such fire from my mate’s family. In any case, it was a fair warning.
Megan took it less well, letting out an outraged “Mom!”
Mrs. Wilson just laughed and returned my nod. We understood each other. “Well now, you two have been busy and I’m sure you need your rest. And we all need food, so I’ll go see what I can do to help with the cookout. It won’t be a proper Christmas dinner, but it’ll be fun.”
Grabbing her coat, she opened the door before turning back for a last word. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t, dears.”
With that she was gone, and Megan collapsed against me, shaking with suppressed laughter. “Oh god, Dhannar, I’m sorry about my mother. She can be so embarrassing when she wants to be.”
“I like her,” I said with a grin. “She has an appropriate idea of what to do with people who harm you.”
Megan shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so happy to have his life threatened.”
“She’s protecting you, my love. Of course I approve.” I brushed a strand of her red hair from her cheek, enjoying the flush that followed my touch. “You deserve a safe and happy life.”
“And now that I have you, I’ll have one,” Megan said. Green eyes flashed as she looked at me and smiled a mischievous smile. “I suppose we should get some rest, like she said?”
I chuckled at that and shook my head. “No, beloved, I have a better idea. Though it still involves your bed.”
The beautiful blush that spread across her face was all the invitation I needed to sweep her into my arms, throw her over my shoulder, and head for the stairs.
17
Megan
Heart pounding, I clung to Dhannar as he carried me to my room. This wasn’t how I’d imagined being carried across the threshold.
It was much, much better.
Dhannar lowered me to the bed, strong hands gentle on me, his fingers tracing across my body to make me arch and shiver and moan. He was in charge, in control, and I loved it more than I could say.
I bit my lip, suddenly nervous. Am I really going to do this?
It’s not the sex that had me nervous. Well, okay, yes that got the butterflies in my stomach going, but there was more to it than that. Dhannar sensed the change in me, frowning and pausing.
“Beloved, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I protested, cheeks burning. He waited, and I groaned. I had to say something. “I mean, I just… don’t you owe me a spanking?”
I’d meant that to come out sultry, sexy. Instead my voice trembled, but Dhannar’s ice-blue eyes flashed and he grinned.
“I do,” he said, running a hand down my thigh and wringing another groan from me. Even through the clothes, his touch drove me wild. “Are you certain you want me to collect it?”
I nodded quickly. “God yes.”
“Such a naughty girl,” he rumbled.
With no further warning, he grabbed and flipped me, pulling me across his lap face down. I drew breath to say something, I’m not sure what, only to let it out in a yelp when his hand came down firmly on my raised ass.
I gasped, wriggled, and tried to pull away. One firm hand held me effortlessly in place as the other landed another, harder slap.
My heart raced, breathing speeding up, my body ached for him. And I knew he wanted me — lying across his lap as I was, I felt his cock pressing against me, hard as iron.
With a single rough movement, he pulled off my pants, baring my reddening ass. I moaned and writhed against him, and he groaned. Another stroke onto my naked ass, and another. Steady blows that stung delightfully.
I surrendered to the sensation, to him. To my alien lover. He spanked me red and raw, then slid a hand between my legs and rumbled approval as he found me wet, eager, ready.
Teasing me with a gentle finger, he sent me into a spasm of pleasure, on the edge of an orgasm that seemed like it would blow my head off. But never quite pushing me over the edge.
“Mean,” I whimpered under my breath. Of course he heard me, lifting his hand for another firm smack that made me jump.
“What was that?” he asked, voice low, husky, hungry.
“Please,” I said. “Oh god, please, I need you.”
“What do you need, little one?” Dhannar asked, spanking me firmly and steadily. “What do you crave?”
“I want you,” I told him. “Fuck, please, I need your cock, I need it inside me.”
With a final slap to my stinging behind, Dhannar lifted me and pushed me down on the bed. I groaned, legs spreading as he stripped me with quick deliberate motions. My clothes tore apart in his hands and then I was naked, aching, desperate for his touch.
He didn’t keep me waiting. Discarding his own covering he joined me on the bed, bending over me to kiss my lips, my neck, my breasts. I reached for him, fingers curling around his beautiful, wonderful cock. Stroking him, making him swell even further. The ridges vibrated in my palm, making me arch and shudder.
The size of it had frightened me at first, but now I wanted it more than anything. Dhannar growled, pressing himself to me, and with one hard thrust buried his cock inside me. Filled me perfectly. My pussy gripped tight around him, stretched by each ridge of his huge shaft as it slid inside.
My cries shook the room as he fucked me, every touch a delight. Dhannar’s teeth closed on my shoulder, the bite driving me wild, pushing me closer… closer…
With a scream, I came. Arching under my alien lover, clutching at him, writhing. Stars filled my vision and I lost all control.
Dhannar followed me over the edge moments later, filling me. Our howls of joy joined into a chorus that filled the bedroom and then we collapsed, spent, clinging to each other.
“Oh. My. God.” The words came out in little gasps as I struggled to get my breath back. “Dhannar, that was amazing.”
He chuckled, stroked my hair, and kissed my forehead.
“It was,” he agreed, eyes sparkling. “You are marvelous, beloved, even when you are naughty. Especially when you’re naughty. And I’m not done with you yet.”
A shiver of anticipation ran through me and I looked away. On the one hand, yay! But on the other, would I even survive round two? Every inch of me trembled at the thought, I ached all over, and I could hardly lift my arms let alone do anything more.
Dhannar chuckled, running a hand along my flank possessively. God, I loved the way he did that. If someone had told me a month ago that I’d enjoy feeling claimed, I’d have laughed. But that was before I met Dhannar. His touch got a moan from my throat, and I swallowed, my doubts evaporating like morning dew.
Okay, it might kill me, but what a way to go, I thought as I turned back to kiss him on the lips. The contact was electric, waking reserves of energy I hadn’t known I had. I expected I’d need all of it.
“I’m yours,” I told Dhannar with a grin. “Do with me what you will.”
I’d never enjoyed giving someone a Christmas present more.
18
Epilogue
“Are you sure this is okay?” I looked dubiously at the stolen scroogian flier. Over the past year we’d put a lot of work into it, though no one had worked out how to bypass the gene lock. But I’d painted it, and others had contributed the bells and tinsel and holly leaves.
Some even said it was over the top, but I thought that it was just right. A beacon of Chri
stmas, lit by fairy lights and jingling as it hovered. And in the back, a new delivery of cheer brought in by Dhannar’s brother Blazzan.
Now that Christmas Day had finally come around again, I found myself reluctant to step aboard.
Dhannar laughed, pulling on the straps to give them a final test. Those were new, replacing the old ones completely — padded and comfortable, we’d made them to fit Dhannar’s reindeer form. Satisfied that they’d hold, he dropped them and turned to me.
“Don’t worry, my love,” he said. “I’m looking forward to this as much as you are.”
“It just doesn’t seem right,” I started, but he put his finger on my lips, silencing me.
“Shush, little one. You want to fly, don’t you?”
I nodded, heat spreading across my cheeks. A year spent with Dhannar and still I felt that tingle every time he touched me.
And, thankfully, he touched me a lot.
“It’s your dignity,” I muttered, jumping into the hovering sled and holding up my hands in surrender. “If it doesn’t bother you…”
“Beloved.” Dhannar met my gaze with a serious smile. “How is it undignified to carry the woman I love, or to give her joy? I want to show you the world, and this is the best way I know.”
He didn’t give me a chance to reply before he shifted, turning so that the straps fell across his reindeer shoulders and went taught. I doubted I’d ever get used to watching that transformation.
The flier’s bells jingled as he pulled it, first forward and then up. Golden sparks flew from his hooves and we were airborne, rising over the lights of Nicholasville. Diana’s gentle light shone down on the colony, and this year it looked much more festive. A tree in the center square, colorful lights strung up from building to building, snowmen standing watch. Wrapped up against the cold, people looked up at the sound of bells and waved as we passed overhead.
I waved back, laughing with giddy joy. Below, the party was starting, people coming together and sharing food as they had last year. Only this time, it wasn’t in the aftermath of an alien invasion. This time we were doing it out of love.
