No. She was not going to think about a future without him. Instead, she watched as he rose and stretched. His body gleamed in the moonlight reflecting off the snow, all smooth, pale ivory. He was perfect, she thought wistfully, her gaze traveling down across wide muscled shoulder to a ridged abdomen to that long, thick cock, impressive even in its softened state.
It twitched as she stared at it and she heard him give a low, satisfied laugh. Startled, she looked up to find him watching her.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I will forget my task.”
“I wouldn’t want you to do that.” Actually, part of her did want him to forget and just come back to her, but she waved him on his way.
He returned almost immediately, and the warm, damp cloth soothed her swollen flesh. She sighed happily as he discarded it and drew her into his arms.
“You don’t mind being improper and sleeping with me?” she asked hopefully as she nestled closer.
“There is nowhere else I would rather be.”
Refusing to think about the future, she let the sincerity of his words accompany her into sleep.
She awoke the next morning to find him watching her. Although she could tell it was daytime, the light was still dim. She glanced at the window to see the snow falling heavily once more.
“Looks like the storm hasn’t passed after all,” she said, smiling up at him.
“Good.” He was still studying her face.
“Good?”
“It means there is no possibility of you leaving me.”
“I…”
Words failed her, but perhaps it didn’t matter. He bent his head and kissed her and she poured all of her unspoken emotion into their kiss. His response was as passionate as she could have hoped for, but just as she began to writhe beneath him, a sharp, determined knock sounded on the door.
“Why is this door locked now?” Whit yelled. “Puppy has to go out.”
“Back to reality,” she whispered.
He flashed her a smile, dropped a last kiss on her lips, and went to take care of their… family. Longing swept over her but she forced it aside.
But it was hard to keep it buried as the day progressed. They passed the time much as they had the previous day. Watching him with the children, having Cinna snuggle against her for a story, and listening to Whit tell her about a wild scheme he’d just concocted made it all too easy to forget that this was just a moment out of time. An artificial slice of happiness created by a legend and a snowstorm.
That night, he didn’t hesitate. As soon as the children were in bed, he picked her up and carried her to the bed, his mouth hungry and demanding.
The feeling that time was running out haunted her, and she didn’t want to waste time sleeping. After the first round of lovemaking, she took him in her mouth, and his shocked cries of pleasure were so loud she was afraid he would wake the children. Fortunately, they remained undisturbed and he insisted on reciprocating. Despite his lack of experience, he proved to be a fast learner, his long, agile tongue drawing climax after climax from her quivering body until she finally fell into an exhausted sleep.
The next morning the snow stopped.
Chapter Fourteen
Jaelle spent the morning peering anxiously out of the window but despite her muttered prayers, the storm did not return. The clouds covering the mountain dissipated and the sky turned a clear, sparkling blue. At last she sighed and went looking for Krampasarian.
She found him sitting in his command chair, staring thoughtfully at the bank of instruments. Her courage almost failed her, and she was about to depart silently when he looked up and saw her. That devastatingly attractive smile crossed his face as he reached out his hand to her.
“You are walking well,” he observed as she crossed the room.
“I can manage well enough with the cane.”
When she reached him, he pulled her down into his lap and kissed her with unexpected fierceness. She was breathless by the time he raised his head.
“What was that for?”
“Because you helped me solve my problem.”
When he didn’t continue, she poked his side with an impatient finger. “Well go on. What problem?”
“You remember what you told me about your ancestor? That the ship went off course?”
The familiar wave of sadness washed over her. “Yes, I remember. She never forgave herself.”
“I do not think that she was to blame.”
“That’s sweet of you, but how can you tell after all this time?”
He held up her old electronic device. “I managed to get this working.”
“That’s wonderful. Thank you!”
“You are very welcome. But in the process of repairing it, I read the first few entries. The experience she described is exactly what happened to me. My navigation system became useless also. I assumed that it was the result of sabotage, especially given the destruction in the engine compartment.” His dark eyes glittered with excitement. “But I no longer think that is the explanation. While the other damage was definitely due to sabotage, I believe there is something in this sector of the galaxy that affects navigation. It happened to me just as it happened to your ancestor.”
A story flitted through her mind. Some ancient legend that her grandmother had told her. “There was a place on Earth that was supposed to be like that,” she said slowly. “A place where ships – ships that went on water – lost their way. But my grandmother said it was just a fanciful tale.”
“Perhaps not.” He tugged her more closely against his chest as he stared out of the window. “This area is not well known and our ships tend to avoid it. But I was impatient to reach my destination, and it appeared to be the fastest route.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the sun sparkle on the snow, and she considered his theory. Was it possible that her many times great-grandmother’s guilt had been misplaced all these years? That her family’s need to atone was based on nothing more than natural phenomena?
She expected to feel anger, but instead, she felt only sadness. And oddly enough, a sense of pride. Whatever their motivations, her family had done their best to keep the darkness of ignorance at bay and she was proud to have had even a small part in that.
“Do you realize what this means?”
She was so lost in her thoughts that Krampasarian’s voice made her jump.
“No, what does it mean?”
“It means that there is much less work to be done than I had anticipated. The physical repairs are completed. I had assumed that it would require an equal amount of time to repair the navigation system, but as the navigation system is not broken, then the ship can leave almost immediately.” He smiled triumphantly.
“Leave?” The thought of losing him made her heart ache but pride made her force a smile. “We will… miss you.”
“Miss me? Why would you miss me? You are all coming with me.”
He spoke with complete certainty and for a moment she wanted to believe him, to believe that she and the children could accompany him and be a family. But…
“You know that’s impossible,” she said as she tried to climb to her feet.
He refused to let her go. “Of course it’s possible. The ship will be quite safe. Are you worried that I will lose the way again? Do not be. I am sure that I can retrace my path based on the ship’s records.”
“And then what?” She reached up and brushed her fingers through the silky waves of his hair. “Will your society accept an alien female and two alien children?”
He had told her enough about the Tandroki that she already knew the answer. She saw the moment that he came to the same conclusion.
“I am Commander Krampasarian D’Marchandar. Of course they will accept you,” he said firmly, but she could see the hint of doubt beneath the arrogance.
“No, my love. They will not. And even if by some slim chance they did, that way of life would not make me happy or make the children happy.”
“I don’t think we could afford the price of those ‘suitable’ things.” She forced another smile and attempted to stand up again. This time he let her go. “And I… I like the snow. It will always remind me of you.”
Her voice trembled on the last words, and she turned and fled. She didn’t want him to see her cry.
Krampasarian stared after Jaelle, anger rapidly replacing his sorrow. She refused to accompany him? She would rather remain on this primitive planet than leave with him? There was so much that he wanted to show her, so much that would delight her, and yet she had turned him down. And the children too – they would have so many more opportunities in his world.
But would they? The specter of doubt crept past his anger. It was true that Tandroki society was insular and resistant to outsiders. They, of course, negotiated with other races and arranged for trade deals and mutual protection, but those relationships maintained an even more stringent formality than they practiced amongst themselves.
But this would be different, he argued with himself. He had an impeccable background and an unblemished reputation. Of course they would accept his family.
Family.
The word brought his racing thoughts to a halt. It meant something very different in his society. It meant connections and heritage, not love and affection. She was right, he realized. When he returned to his world, he would have to give up everything that he had found here. He couldn’t ask them to give it up as well.
The ache in his chest felt like a physical wound. He rubbed the spot but found no comfort. Outside the sun reflecting off the snow made a mockery of the darkness sweeping over him.
But perhaps the brightness was deceptive. Perhaps another storm was on the way or the path too clogged with snow. Even though he knew that additional time together would not remove the agony of parting, he sent his drones out to investigate, hoping to find a reason for them to stay.
Whit came to join him just as he was bending over the screens. “Whatcha doing?”
“I sent the drones - the birds - out to see what conditions are like outside.”
“Wow. It’s like you can see through their eyes. There’s Jaelle’s cottage and the village and - look!” The boy leaned closer, his eyes widening. “Look at all the people coming up the mountain. Do you think they’re coming to find us?”
“Yes.” His eyes closed in despair. He should not allow the villagers to find the ship, to find him. It would only raise questions they had put aside long ago.
“I gotta tell Jaelle!”
Whit rushed away, and Krampasarian forced himself to stand. As he walked slowly through the ship, he felt like the old man he had seen in the market, but he was crippled by sorrow rather than age. Jaelle was already gathering her belongings while the boy chattered excitedly. Her smile wavered as she looked at him.
“Whit tells me that there’s a search party. We should probably go and meet them before they make it all the way up here.”
No! His mind shouted the rebuttal but he forced himself to nod instead.
Everyone was dressed and at the door before Cinna suddenly seemed to realize that he wasn’t joining them. She looked up at him, her lip trembling. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
“No, little one. I don’t belong down there.” He was afraid he no longer belonged anywhere.
“Then I wanna stay with you.”
“We have to go, sweetheart,” Jaelle said gently. “Everyone is looking for us. You don’t want Linnea to be worried, do you?”
“I ‘spose not.” The little girl nodded, but then she flung her arms around his legs. “I love you, Krampus.”
The lump in his throat made it almost impossible to speak as he dropped his hand to her soft curls. “I love you too, little one.”
She squeezed his legs again, then turned and buried her face in Jaelle’s skirts. Jaelle’s eyes were bright with tears, but she didn’t speak. Whit sniffed, then extended his hand the way the males in the village did when they greeted each other.
“Bye, Krampus. Thanks for taking us.”
His fingers tightened on the boy’s small hand, before he reluctantly let him go. “It has been a pleasure having you here.”
The boy sniffed again, then turned and stepped into the snow. A small blue bundle of fur darted after him, yipping happily. At least one of them was happy. Cinna finally released Jaelle’s skirts and followed Puppy.
Jaelle turned to him. “I meant what I said. I will think of you whenever it snows.”
And he would think of her always.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and then she too was gone.
He couldn’t stand to watch them walk away. Returning to the bridge of his ship, he tried to take comfort in the smooth efficiency of the now working equipment, but all he felt was cold and empty. An inquisitive chirp sounded and he looked up to see her drone perched on the instrument panel, watching him with what looked like curiosity.
“She is gone. They are all gone,” he found himself saying, his voice shockingly dead.
The drone seemed to droop in response and Krampasarian had an idea. He couldn’t stay himself but the drone was made to resemble the native creatures of this planet. Perhaps…
“Do you want to stay with her, Robin?”
The small creature hopped up and down in seeming excitement.
“Then go. The outer door is open.”
Without hesitating, the drone took off and he watched it fly away with a wistful smile. He knew she would appreciate the small creature and the technology that supported it would last many generations. It would be here to see Jaelle live out her life, to see the children grow, to see…
Unable to resist, he turned on Robin’s visual feed, watching as it winged swiftly through the woods. He rubbed his chest as Jaelle and the children appeared on the monitor, still walking away from him down the mountain. He would send Robin ahead, he decided, so that he would be waiting for them at Jaelle’s cottage.
But as the drone flew through the trees, it suddenly turned to one side. He frowned at the controls, trying to decide why it wasn’t responding, and then he noticed the picture on the monitor. The male who had attacked Jaelle was sitting in a small clearing, drinking, and his family was headed straight for him.
He ran for the door.
Chapter Fifteen
Jaelle stumbled through the woods, fighting the urge to return with every step. The only thing that kept her moving was the two children at her side. Cinna and Whit were staying with her from now on, she decided. She would do whatever she could to make sure that they were accepted by the village, but the love they shared was more important than any narrow-minded prejudice.
But even that decision didn’t heal her aching heart. She was so wrapped in her misery that she didn’t realize they were not alone until she heard the familiar, unpleasant voice.
“I knew you weren’t lost, you worthless little bastards,” Knut growled. “That damn woman didn’t have to close the tavern so everyone would search for you.”
She froze in place, automatically reaching for the children. They had reached a small clearing, barely more than a wider space between the trees, and Knut was perched on a boulder on the far side taking a swig from a brown bottle. He drained it and cast it aside, wiping a hand across thick lips that began to smile unpleasantly as he took in her appearance.
“And who are you?” He leered at her, his gaze traveling over her body with undisguised lust.
“She’s Jaelle, of course. Anybody could see that,” Whit said contemptuously. The boy stepped in front of her before she could stop him, his hands on his hips as he glared at the big man.
“Don’t you smart mouth me, you little bastard. Left me to do all the work, you did.” Knut advanced across the open space, licking his lips. “So you’re the real Jaelle. Tired of hiding beh
ind those ugly clothes, are you? Looking for a real man?”
“I already have a real man.” Had, her aching heart reminded her. “Now please move aside. I want to tell everyone that the children are safe.”
“Not so fast.” A big hand clamped down on her wrist with disturbing strength. “You owe me, you know.”
Even though her heart was beating wildly, she lifted her chin. “I don’t owe you anything.”
“Oh yes you do. That no good wife of mine finally confessed that you’ve been giving her something to stop me breeding her. You owe me a child.” He licked his lips again as he reached for the neckline of her dress. “Be a nice change from that useless bitch.”
“No! Don’t you touch her!” Whit grabbed Knut’s arm, but the big man slung him aside with contemptuous ease.
The boy’s small body went flying, and the crack echoed through the woods as his head hit a tree. Cinna gave a high-pitched scream while Puppy growled and bit ineffectually at Knut’s boots. Knut snarled and turned to Cinna with his hand raised.
“No!” Jaelle grabbed his fist. “Run, Cinna. Get help.”
The girl hesitated for a fraction of an instant, then took off, a small blue streak following along behind her. For a moment Jaelle thought she saw a familiar red bird circling Whit’s head, but then Knut snatched her attention back to him as he laughed cruelly.
“Who do you think is going to help you? You’re just an old witch.”
His breath stank of alcohol as he pulled her closer, despite her struggles. “Let me go. I have to help Whit.”
“He’s just a useless fucking orphan. No one cares about him, just like no one cares about you.”
“I care.”
The harsh voice reverberated across the clearing, and she looked up to see Krampasarian stalking towards them. His face was etched with rage, his claws extended, a terrifyingly alien sight. She had never been so glad to see someone.
Krampus and the Crone: A SciFi Alien Warrior Holiday Romance Page 9
