“Clara sounds as though she is very fond of him,” he stated.
Kara merely nodded before returning her attention to watching her daughter skate on the frozen lake.
“Clara!”
Malekith spun at the sound of Chase’s voice, a threatening snarl rattling in his throat, his lips pulling back to bare his fangs and his tail snapping in front of him, his stinger beginning to drip venom.
“You!” Kara growled, her voice quivering with rage and hatred.
Chase stormed through the crowd of locals and tourists causing them to stop and stare, muttering under his breath and cursing with every word as he trudged through the snow to where Malekith and Kara stood, two men following in his wake. As Kara stepped forward, Malekith held out his arm to stop her; she glared up at him, her golden eyes growing stormy.
“Hello, Kara,” Chase greeted her absently, his attention focused on Malekith. “Long time, no see.”
“Not long enough,” she spat.
Chase shrugged.
“I’m here for Clara.”
“I know why you are here,” Malekith snarled, a menacing growl rumbling in his chest, “and I will not allow you anywhere near her. You no longer have any claim to her. Leave.”
Feigning nonchalance, Chase lifted his gloved hands and brushed imaginary snow from his expensive black coat. “That is where you are wrong, Commander Ska’arzal.”
“My daughter is not your plaything to be thrown away when you’re done breaking her!” Kara cried. She gripped Malekith’s arm, her fingers biting in to his bicep. She gazed up at him imploringly. “Do something,” she begged him. “Please!”
“As I have said, Commander Ska’arzal can do nothing,” Chase told her sternly. “He may work with the Interstellar Alliance but the Alliance is not the only organization with an interest in Earth.”
Malekith stiffened with rage. His tail lashed in front of him, his stinger dripping with venom that hissed and melted the snow at his feet.
“Earth is under the protection of the Interstellar Alliance and Lady Lilyanna, Empress of the Andromeda Galaxy,” he snarled.
Chase paled. The two men standing behind him shifted uncomfortably.
No one was to know that the Empress had accepted his request to grant protection to the little-known planet that was Earth. This meant that, technically, Empress Lilyanna ruled over Earth as she did the millions of planets in her own galaxy. Lilyanna, while kind, had a reputation for being ruthless when it came to protecting her people. Earth and its people were now hers.
“That’s not… it can’t—” one of the men sputtered.
The other turned to Chase.
“This changes things,” he said.
“It doesn’t change a damn thing,” Chase spat, anger twisting his handsome features into something ugly. He bared his teeth, his eyes flicking over Malekith’s shoulder in search of Clara. “You owe me—”
“That was before we knew she was Commander Ska’arzal’s ta’lla!” one of the men shouted.
Blind rage clouded his mind when those damning words penetrated his ears. His lips drawing back to bare his fangs, Malekith lowered his head and pointed his horns at Chase, his breath blasting from his nostrils in silver steam. Venom dripped from his stinger, the tip of his tail quivering.
The Interstellar Alliance had strict laws in place against slavery and the abduction of people from planets not yet allied with them. However, the black market profited greatly from a slave trade that spanned several galaxies – including the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxies – and everyone knew that the Ir’eils provided slaves for that particular market. Malekith’s eyes narrowed, his pupils contracting into thin slits. The Ir’eils had created a major intergalactic incident when they declared that the blue-and-green planet known as Earth was now under their sovereignty.
A planet with 7 billion slaves would generate a valuable profit, he thought, the realization falling heavily upon his shoulders. And when I stopped them…
No, he mentally berated himself. They merely stopped openly attacking the planet; they never stopped acquiring their slaves.
Malekith remembered when he first caught a glimpse of Chase, how he thought he had seen an Ir’eil but must have been mistaken.
Now…
“What difference does that make?” Chase snapped. He turned to face the two men standing behind him, crossing his arms over his chest, his fingers tapping impatiently against his bicep. “You’re afraid of a Malnorian and a few pathetic humans? What can any of them do to stop the three of us?”
“You’re awfully brave for a man surrounded,” Kara taunted him.
Chase glanced around, noting the crowd that had gathered and rolled his shoulders back as though preparing for a fight. Malekith smirked; having fought alongside humans during the war, he recognized a fellow warrior versus an attempt at intimidation. While Chase may have frightened and abused Clara with his larger build, Chase was not bigger than Malekith and, unlike his ta’lla, he knew how to fight.
He took a menacing step forward, whipping his tail in front of the two other men, allowing them to see just how much venom coated his stinger.
“The two of you are not Ir’eil,” he said, his deep voice rumbling with authority. “I do not know what planet you hail from but I will tell you once more that Earth and her people are protected. The two of you have broken the law and shall be punished accordingly for it.”
When the two men began to protest, Malekith interrupted them with, “As the one in charge of overseeing the safety of Earth and her residents, I can terminate the both of you here and now with no fear of ramifications on my part. Obey me and I just may show you mercy.”
He glanced over at Kara.
“Call the local authorities, please, Kara.”
Malekith turned to face Chase, the Ir’eil still wearing his human guise.
“You know that I can’t allow you to return to the Mothership,” he growled.
Chase bared his teeth.
“What makes you think the Mothership isn’t here right now?” he provoked.
Malekith’s smirk grew into a malicious smile.
“If the Mothership so much as enters this solar system, General Detlef has orders to destroy it using any means possible.”
Chase turned white.
It was not an idle threat. Both of them knew that the Interstellar Alliance had some of the best weapons technology in the universe and were more than capable of destroying the Ir’eil Mothership if they so desired.
“You – You – ” Chase sputtered, his body trembling with anger.
His eyes flicked towards Clara again and Malekith had enough.
With a roar, he threw himself at Chase and the two males tussled in the snow.
Malekith should have easily overpowered Chase; even in his true form, that of an Ir’eil, he was much smaller than Malekith and relied upon technology to fight his battles – not his own strength – but he shimmered out of existence and reappeared a few feet away. Chase’s handsome features twisted and distorted, the technology that masked his true appearance wavering with Chase’s high emotions.
Rolling to his knees, Malekith stared at him.
“Afraid?” he challenged him.
“Of you?” Chase retorted. He scoffed. “Never.”
Malekith grinned. “You should be.”
And he inclined his head toward the puncture wound located just under Chase’s neck, where his heart should be.
Chase’s eyes widened.
“That’s right,” Malekith rumbled, climbing to his feet. “The venom a male Malnorian produces is some of the most potent venom in all the galaxies.”
Chase sank to his knees, his hands clutching at the wound in his chest, and the crowd recoiled as the technology finally dissolved, revealing Chase’s true form: a Roswell Gray.
But then Chase did something that Malekith did not expect.
He laughed.
“You think you’re Earth’s mightiest hero, Malekith S
ka’arzal?” Chase wheezed, black liquid beginning to ooze from his mouth, maniacal laughter edging his voice.
“What are you talking about?”
Chase continued to chuckle, his dark eyes beginning to dull as Malekith’s venom worked its way through his system.
“Clara is not the only one we are interested in.”
And his black blood bubbling on his lips, Chase died with his horrible laughter ringing in Malekith’s ears.
6
Clara
Two days later.
She sat on the sofa by the edge of the fire, her legs curled under her, dressed in sweatpants and a red wool sweater that brought out the golden tone of her skin and hints of amber in her hair. She gazed down at the flickering flames, watching them dance and sway back and forth as they hungrily devoured the logs that fueled them, her hands curled around a mug of steaming hot chocolate. She hummed along quietly to one of her favourite childhood Christmas carols, the soft music filling the cabin with a feeling of joy and peace. One of the logs snapped causing several dozen sparks to flurry up the chimney.
Outside, the snow fell from a silvery-gray sky, blanketing the world in white. Turning her head, she watched Malekith shovel the driveway, his horns sticking out awkwardly from the bright red hat she’d placed on his head earlier that morning.
“Well,” her mother said, sitting down beside her with a groan, a brilliant smile upon her face, “I like him.”
Clara laughed, the happiness that had slowly begun bubbling inside her days ago now encompassing every part of her.
“I do too,” she said. Sighing, she rested her head on her mother’s shoulder; her mother pressed a kiss to her brow.
The two of them sat in companionable silence for several minutes, simply enjoying being in each other’s company and happy that they could spend the holidays together.
The door opened and Malekith stomped inside, his horns shining with streaks of blue and purple fire, his tail swinging lazily behind him. When he caught her watching him, he offered her a warm smile. Sitting down beside her, he stole her mug of hot chocolate and took a long sip that left a trail of whipped cream on his upper lip.
Laughing, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his, her tongue slowly licking the sweet froth from his lip and he pulled her into his lap. With a soft moan, she deepened the kiss, oblivious to her mother, oblivious to the world around her, knowing only that she was happy in Malekith’s arms.
“Okay, okay,” a familiar voice boomed beside her, “enough swapping spit, you two.”
Rising to her feet with a shriek, Clara threw her arms around her brother’s neck.
“Hello, sis,” TJ whispered, wrapping his arms around her to return her embrace. “It’s been a long time.”
Her golden eyes shining, Clara drew back just enough to playfully slap her brother’s shoulder.
“TJ,” she said, her voice husky with emotion, “this is Malekith.”
TJ, a male version of his sister, held out his hand, which Malekith accepted.
“You,” TJ rasped, his eyes shining brightly with the hint of tears. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “You gave me my sister back. Thank you!”
And, as Clara glanced around at her family, her mother weeping quietly on the sofa, her brother trying hard not to cry and Malekith’s hands settling on her waist, she knew that her wish had come true.
She was home.
She was happy.
She was loved.
The End.
Acknowledgments
Thank you so much for reading Clara’s Christmas Wish!
I hope you loved reading about Malekith and Clara as much as I did writing about them.
I wish to thank S. J. Sanders for giving me a chance to publish my first short story and for being incredibly patient with me about my incessant questions about this whole process and, most of all, for helping me make my dreams come true. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
I would also like to thank the lovely ladies who read my story from the very beginning and all the way through to the end, not only encouraging me but also pointing out any mistakes. I never would have been able to do this without you two:
Thank you, Itta!
Thank you, Ann!
Thank you to Paulina Woods for helping me with my first chapter.
And a final thank you to Jessica Grayson, who was kind enough to read through my complete story and demand that I continue writing (I will, I promise!).
About Julie L. Vance
Clara’s Christmas Wish is my very first published work.
I fell into the sci-fi romance genre completely by accident although I have always been an avid reader of paranormal romances. What do you know, it turned out to be one of the best things that happened to me this year.
When I’m not anxiously awaiting the release of some new romance books by some of my favourite authors, I love playing on my PlayStation or watching Netflix and Disney+.
Claimed For Christmas
Tempest Luna
Christmas should be about cookies and presents, not running for your life.
Guess the giant cockroach-like aliens who invaded Earth didn’t get the memo. Jerks.
Pulled out of the debris on the brink of death, Jayce is rescued by two very large, very green aliens determined to save her.
She thinks she’s dreaming. Until they tell her she’s their mate.
Now, stuck between a rock and two hard aliens, what’s a girl to do?
She can either accept that Torin-Ka and Macar-Na are her mates, or run and hope she can save Earth by herself.
1
Jayce
All Jayce wanted was a pint of beer and a pizza loaded with so much pepperoni, it’d clog every one of her arteries. Her day had sucked ass, and if she couldn’t unwind, she feared she’d snap into a dozen pieces. Three days before Christmas was always a lonely time at the hospital, and since she had no family to speak of, she always offered to swap shifts with the residents who did. Sure, she’d get almost two full weeks off in January, but would she even make it until then?
The cheesy holiday soundtrack from the bar’s sound system set her nerves on edge, but Teddy’s Pub offered the cheapest beer in ten miles, and the pizza place next door delivered right to the bar.
Sliding onto her usual corner stool, she nodded at the bartender who grabbed a pint glass and filled it with her favorite Pilsner. “You look like something the cat dragged out behind the barn to eat,” he said as he set the beer down.
“You really know how to make a girl feel better.”
Lyle, who’d been working the bar for as long as she’d lived in Akron, wore an old, ratty Santa hat and a T-shirt that read, “Ho, ho, ho, and away we go!” Swiping a rag over the sticky bartop, he cocked a brow. “Oh, shit. You were working today. After…”
Before Jayce could answer, another patron lifted his glass, asking for a refill, and Lyle ambled away.
Her memories played on a loop in her head, and she chugged half of her beer. It wouldn’t be enough. Hell, Lyle could offer her the whole keg and she’d still remember the horror of triaging two dozen burn victims from an explosion a block from City Hall.
The office building had crumbled into charred, blackened debris, and Jayce and her fellow doctors and nurses had treated the survivors.
The smell of burnt flesh was something she would never forget. She’d had to live in it for the past eight hours. Even after showering four times before she’d changed back into her street clothes and heading for the bar, she could still smell it.
With another couple of chugs, Jayce finished the first beer and signaled for another. But before Lyle could cross to her, the entire building started to shake, and exhausted, Jayce fell off the stool and landed on her ass.
What the hell?
Smoke started to fill the bar, and Jayce rubbed her temples. This wasn’t really happening. Was it? She was hallucinating. Exhaustion. But then a beam from the ceiling cracked, and what looked
like liquid fire rained down from the crack in the roof. Jayce scrambled to the corner of the room and dove under a heavy wood table with two other women. They had to get out of here. Now.
“Are you all right?” she asked them as she grabbed one of them by the arm and shook her. The ground vibrated, unlike any earthquake Jayce had ever felt, and bright lights seared her eyes until she slapped her free hand over her shuttered lids.
The woman next to her screamed like she was being turned inside out, and the scent of burnt flesh filled her nose once more. Clicking, like the sound of a hundred crickets, surrounded her, and when she parted her fingers slightly, she saw thick, shiny, black…things moving by the table. Were those legs? Where were the feet?
And then...the whole world seemed to jolt, and Jayce flew across the room, so fast and so far, her stomach pitched, almost like she was on a roller coaster. The black things watched her now, and she could see their entire forms. Not crickets, but massive, eight-foot-tall bug-like creatures that moved quickly, firing projectiles all around the bar.
The other two women screamed, and one voice fell away, then the other. Jayce tried to grab for them as a swirling vortex of frigid air surrounded her body, but the tips of her fingers found fabric for only a split second.
The bright light made it impossible to see anything, and as she cried out, she hit the wall, so hard, her back snapped in two. The pain made her wail, and one of the bug-like creatures skittered towards her until a hulking form slammed into it, and a high-pitched whine threatened to burst her eardrums.
Her skin started to burn, and a shadow dimmed the bright lights. Jayce tried to move, to get away, to do anything, but she couldn’t, and then she felt like a heavy drape fell over her entire body, so soft and warm, she could do nothing but give in to the darkness and sleep.
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