Gift of the Beast: Holiday Starrs

by Sonia Nova

  The coppery smell filled Shea’s nostrils. She only realized she was hyperventilating when she started to get lightheaded. Garr couldn’t die. He couldn’t. She cared too much for him.

  Shea truly was an idiot. She had feelings for the man. She’d been trying to deny them for this entire trip, but there was nothing like seeing someone you cared for bleeding to death to bring your emotions into stark light.

  And now, it was too late.

  Tears splashed onto Garr’s blood-soaked stomach.

  “Garr, please. You can’t die. Stay with me.”

  He didn’t respond. Shea noticed his chest rising steadily, which meant that he wasn’t dead yet, merely unconscious. But with the injuries he had suffered, how long would it be until he bled out?

  When Lila had been taken, Shea had responded well. She’d found a way to save her daughter, even if she’d made the mistake of jumping straight into a trap. She needed to bring up the same practicality now. Crying over Garr wasn’t going to help him. It might not be too late, but it certainly would be if Shea let herself fall apart now.

  She just needed to keep him alive until someone came to take him to a hospital.

  Shea pulled Garr’s shirt up to examine the wound. It wasn’t as bad as she had thought. His skin was oddly charred and there was a lot of blood, but the wound didn’t seem to penetrate too deep. The Ezak-X had thick skin, and whatever weapon the Mehelians had used on him clearly hadn’t hit too hard.

  So, if he wasn’t bleeding to death, why was he unconscious?

  Shea quickly searched Garr’s body, looking for another wound. She missed it the first time, and only as she was going over him a second time did she find a small spot of blood in his neck. It looked like it was from some kind of dart.

  Relief washed through her. It had to be a tranquilizer dart. Likely similar to the one they had used on Lila. That’s why he was unconscious. It must have taken a huge amount of willpower from Garr to keep fighting even after he’d been tranquilized, but he’d clearly still done so. Shea felt appreciative of him. Without him, they wouldn’t have survived.

  Shea pressed her hands to his stomach wound. Somehow, the bleeding had already slowed by itself – most likely thanks to the Ezak-X’s healing properties – but it was still oozing, and she didn’t want him to lose any more blood.

  Sirens wailed in the distance, and Shea heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Thank God.

  Shea glanced back over at Lila, who was stirring again.

  “Mommy?”

  “I’m right here, baby,” Shea called. “Just lie still for a bit and keep your eyes closed.”

  “I want to go home.”

  “I know, honey. We’ll go home soon, I promise. We just need to wait for some people to get here to help Garr.”

  “Is Garr hurt?” Lila’s voice was still a little slurred, but she was sounding more and more coherent.

  “He’s just a little sleepy, honey.” No way was Shea going to mention the blood to her daughter. “He’s too heavy for me to carry, that’s all. Please, Lila, go to sleep.”

  “Why?”

  If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Shea would have laughed. Lila must be feeling better if she was starting on her ‘whys’ again. Her heart warmed for her daughter, but her mirth faded quickly when Lila started to get up.

  “No, Lila, stay down,” she said, maybe a little too urgently.

  “Why?” Lila asked.

  Shea struggled for an answer. She couldn’t exactly say it was because she didn’t want Lila to get traumatized by the sight of blood and dead bodies. The Mehelian tied up to the pole also seemed to be gaining awareness, and Shea didn’t want Lila anywhere near if she did end up having to shoot him.

  She considered leaving Garr for a moment to try to restrain Lila from investigating the rest of the room, but she realized the front of her shirt and pants were covered in blood. She must look quite the sight, even without the bodies in the background, and she didn’t want Lila to witness it.

  The room was too dark for Lila to see much from where she was, but if she got up and started looking around, she would certainly see far more than Shea wanted her to see.

  As she contemplated what to do, three figures burst through the still open door. At first, Shea thought it must be the police and an ambulance, but then she recognized Hazel, Zeriq, and Evan. They must have followed the sound of the gunshots here. Zeriq at least would have heard them.

  Evan didn’t even look at Shea, running straight for Lila. He pulled her into his arms, pressing her face to his shoulder so that she couldn’t see the carnage in the room.

  “Are you okay, sweetie-pie?”

  “I want to go home,” Lila mumbled again.

  “Of course. I’m taking you right now, Lila.”

  No one moved to stop Evan as he carried Lila out. The blood-soaked warehouse was no place for a child. Shea stared at Evan as he went. He’d run directly into what he knew might be a dangerous situation, and then made getting Lila out of the distressing area his top priority.

  Maybe he did care for Lila more than Shea had given him credit for. Or perhaps this experience had opened his eyes. Nearly losing someone you loved did tend to bring your feelings to the surface. Shea looked affectionately down at Garr, who was starting to stir.

  As awful as all this was, if it made Evan realize that he wanted to be a better father to Lila, Shea would take that as a pretty spectacular consolation prize. If he actually put in some effort and stopped his nasty remarks, maybe she would even invite him to Space City to spend time with Lila.

  It would be strictly for Lila, though. Even if Evan dumped Tiffany tonight and begged for Shea back, she wouldn’t be even vaguely tempted. He’d had his chance with her, and he’d blown it. Maybe he would be a better partner to Tiffany than he had been to her. Shea hoped so.

  Hazel rushed to her side. “Oh my, God. Is he–?”

  “He’s alive,” Shea said.

  She looked down at Garr again. He definitely seemed to be waking up. His nose twitched and his eyelids fluttered. The sirens were getting closer.

  Zeriq knelt down on Shea’s other side.

  “Step back, Shea. He might be disoriented when he wakes up.”

  “He’s bleeding.”

  “Not anymore.”

  Shea removed her hands and found that Zeriq was right. The bleeding had stopped completely.

  “Seriously, Shea, move back.”

  Shea moved back just in time. Garr’s eyes opened in a snap. He jerked violently, and would have knocked her flat on her back if she had still been by his side.

  Zeriq backed up a little too. “Calm, Garr. You are safe. Lila and Shea are safe. The Mehelians have been taken care of.”

  Garr flailed a little, but seemed to calm after a couple of seconds.

  “I’m right here, Garr.” Shea cautiously approached him, taking his hand. “I’m fine. We’re all safe.”

  She couldn’t even imagine what he was feeling right now. The fight with the Mehelians was bound to have brought up some very painful memories for him from his life before freedom.

  “Lila?” Garr groaned.

  Shea’s heart squeezed. Of course, his first query once he knew she was safe would be for Lila. Garr was just too good to be true.

  “She’s fine. Evan has taken her home. We should probably wait for the police to arrive before we join them. The paramedics will want to take a look at you too. You probably need to go to hospital.”

  “No,” Garr growled. “No hospital. Christmas.”

  “Garr, you could be hurt worse than you realize,” Shea admonished. “It’s safer for them to check you out, just in case.”

  Garr shook his head stubbornly. Zeriq came up behind Shea. “Let him be. I know I’ve had enough needles stuck in me to last a lifetime. I can’t blame Garr for not wanting to go.”

  Shea wasn’t happy about it, but she couldn’t exactly ask Garr to do something that could bring back traumatic memories.

  “
Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.

  Garr nodded. “I heal fast. Sleep it off.”

  Shea glanced at Zeriq in disbelief. Even if the wound had stopped bleeding, it didn’t seem like an injury that you could just sleep off.

  Zeriq shrugged his shoulder. “All Ezak-X have accelerated healing,” he said. “Some more than others. If he says he can sleep it off, let him sleep it off.”

  He helped Garr to his feet, and they all went to the entrance of the warehouse. Shea watched Garr carefully as he walked, but he seemed steady on his feet. She still would have preferred if he’d been willing to go to a hospital, but at least, he seemed to be recovering fast.

  The shock of everything started to hit her as the adrenaline wore off.

  “We’ll stay back and talk to the police.” Hazel said. “They’ll probably want to question you two too, but we’ll bring them to the house. You go be with Lila.”

  “Thanks, Hazel.” Shea would’ve hugged her sister, but considering the blood on her clothes, she decided against it.

  By the time they got back to the house, the drugs seemed to have worn off Lila, who was completely awake and yattering about Christmas on Evan’s lap. It seemed that the last thing she remembered clearly was going outside to put the carrot back on the snowman’s nose. The rest was blurry and fading fast, which Shea was extremely grateful for.

  Evan was holding Lila close. He didn’t look like he was ever going to let her go. Shea smiled to herself. Hopefully, he would remember this the next time he had a scheduled visit with Lila.

  Lila was fine for now. She was happy, safe, and warm. Surrounded by her father and grandparents.

  The police her mother had called initially were still at the house, waiting for Shea and Garr in the kitchen. They asked Shea for a statement and Shea promised to give them one in a while. For now, she was still worried about Garr.

  He staggered as he climbed up the stairs to the guest room Shea’s parents had given him. Shea quickly inserted herself under his shoulder, supporting him. They shared a glance that made her heart thud.

  Garr had said that he would sleep off his injuries, but surely his wound wasn’t the cause of the staggering. Did he have a concussion? She hadn’t seen if he’d hit his head when he had fallen. Maybe she should watch over him while he slept, just in case.

  “You should sleep,” Shea said as she helped him on the bed. “It’s been a long night.”

  “You too,” Garr said.

  Shea smiled, still thrilled every time Garr chose to speak to her. Most people gave words easily, but he didn’t, and she took them as the gift they were.

  “I will. I just have to give the police a statement first,” Shea said. “Besides, I want to watch over you. You might have a concussion.”

  Garr looked like he didn’t believe a word of it. He shook his head as he got into bed. He looked at Shea in the darkness, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions Shea couldn’t quite recognize. He must’ve been more tired than he let on, because he quickly fell to a deep slumber.

  Shea watched him sleep. She gently brushed a lock of his hair behind his horns. His face was so peaceful when he slept, not at all like his usual closed-off visage. He’d been becoming less closed off with her recently though, at least when they were alone.

  She knew now that she had feelings for him. The way he’d been willing to sacrifice himself for her and Lila without a second thought… it meant more to her than he could ever imagine. Even if she hadn’t had growing feelings for him throughout this whole trip, Shea was sure his actions of tonight would still have left her feeling what she was now.

  She wanted Garr, badly.

  The question was, did he feel the same?

  Chapter 12

  Garr

  Garr opened his eyes to find Shea right next to his bed. She was sitting in a chair, watching him. Judging by her red eyes, she hadn’t slept all night, but she smiled as soon as she noticed that Garr was awake.

  “You didn’t sleep,” Garr accused as he sat up.

  “I wanted to watch you.”

  Garr wished that Shea wouldn’t risk her own health on his account. He was fine, and she needed her rest. He was glad that he was here at the house though, and not in a human hospital. Hospitals always made him feel uneasy. They reminded him far too much of his past live, as a toy to experiment on by the Krezlians.

  Besides, he had been invited to celebrate Christmas. He didn’t want to ruin it for Shea and the rest of them by spending the night in a hospital. He knew that Shea especially wanted to have him here.

  Lila, who Garr had previously not seen, got up from the floor and came over to him. She put a battered teddy bear on his bed.

  “This is Mr. Winkins. He’s my favorite, but Mom says you’re sick, so you can borrow him.”

  Garr’s heart squeezed. “Thank you, Lila.”

  Lila beamed as he said her name. He carefully took the teddy bear and tucked it into bed with him. Lila giggled.

  “Go and play with your dad now, sweetie,” Shea said. “Garr and I will be out in a bit to open Christmas presents.”

  When Lila left, Shea locked the door behind her. Garr sent her a questioning look.

  “I don’t want to be disturbed,” Shea said, leaning against the door. “I spoke with the police last night, and I just want to explain everything that happened to you.”

  Garr nodded, his mood turning serious. When Shea walked toward the bed, he immediately paused as he noticed a dark shadow around her neck. Bruises. The scent of dried blood drifted into his nose, and not all of it was his own. His heart plummeted in his chest.

  Shea was hurt.

  Part of the night’s events had been lost to him, since he had been unconscious. He’d been in too much pain last night to wonder exactly what had happened, but now that he saw the injuries on Shea, he couldn’t help but feel guilty. His breath caught in his throat and he could hardly think.

  He had been supposed to protect Shea and Lila. Clearly, he had failed.

  Shea didn’t seem to notice the turn his thoughts had taken. She took a seat on the bed next to Garr as she started recalling her conversation with the police officers.

  “The last Mehelian from the warehouse survived, and the police found two others lurking around the house. Apparently, the Mehelians had seen you, me, and Lila together, and had followed us here. They had intended snatch Maya as well once we left, but fortunately, we caught onto that, and once the police arrived at the house, there was no chance of that happening.”

  Her expression was grim, but she was clearly relieved nothing bad had befallen her niece.

  “The police connected the group of Mehelians to some other children’s disappearances. But this time, they had planned for more. Apparently, human children fetch a good price from the Krezlians, but hybrid children, adult females, and Ezak-X are even more valuable. They planned to abduct us all.”

  Garr’s heart lurched in his chest as he thought of Lila and Shea in the hands of his makers. The thought was unbearable, and it had nearly happened, because he’d failed to protect them.

  “Clearly, the Mehelians bit more than they could chew. Thanks to us, they won’t be abducting anyone else anymore.” She turned to Garr with a smile. “Garr, I want to thank you for last night. I don’t know how to come up with words big enough to tell you how much I appreciate what you did for Lila and me. It was–”

  “Shea, stop.” Garr’s stomach turned. He was already feeling guilty enough about everything as it was, but when Shea started to thank him, he couldn’t keep it in anymore. Her gratitude was entirely misplaced. “I didn’t protect you well enough.”

  Shea blinked. “What do you mean?”

  Garr didn’t like talking, but he was learning to talk to Shea, and he knew that he had to speak now.

  “The Mehelians…” He still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, but he knew there had been one more Mehelian still alive by the time he’d passed out. And Shea had said he’d survived. Clearly,
he had hurt her.

  Shea’s expression shifted and she took his hand in hers. Garr didn’t pull back. The warmth of her skin on his was too nice. Even if he didn’t deserve it.

  “Garr, I’m sorry,” she said empathetically. “I shouldn’t have rushed into the warehouse like that and put you in danger.” Her gaze shifted to Garr’s stomach. He could still feel the burn of the plasma shot, but while his skin was raw, it had healed nearly completely.

  Garr shook his head. Of course, she had run in at the sound of Lila’s voice. He should have done better. With the green light. At the warehouse. He had vowed to protect them, but he had failed. It was no wonder the Alliance military wouldn’t accept him. He was useless, after all.

  “Garr, it’s okay,” Shea said, squeezing his hand. “You may not have taken out the last Mehelian, but you did take out the ones before it. Without you, Lila and I wouldn’t have survived even to that point. You did protect us.”

  “No…” It wasn’t enough. Shea could have died. Lila too.

  Memories of his time at the hands of the Krezlians threatened to resurface, and a near-panic hit him. He had been powerless. Useless. Unable to do anything.

  He still was.

  “Garr.” Shea placed a hand on his cheek, grounding him in this moment. He turned to look at her, his eyes frantic. Somehow, her touch calmed her and he was able to see clearly. “It’s fine. We all made it in the end.”

  “How?” He still didn’t know what had happened to the last Mehelian.

  Shea smirked. “Never underestimate the power of a mother protecting her child. And a kitchen knife. I had it in my waistband and when the Mehelian…” She paused, feeling her neck, and Garr stiffened. “Well, I pulled it out and shoved it into his stomach.”

  She raised her shirt slightly, exposing a long red scrape at her hip, left by the knife. Garr brushed his finger over it gently. It didn’t look bad, but if he had been able to hold onto consciousness, it wouldn’t have happened at all.

  “It’s fine, Garr,” Shea said. “Nothing like your injuries. I may not heal overnight, but it will heal just fine. Without you, it would’ve all ended a lot worse. Without you, we wouldn’t have gotten Lila back. So, please, let me thank you.”