“Please don’t punish him,” Marie said.
Her mate gasped and put a hand on her shoulder but she stood defiant.
“Please, it made everyone so happy. I know we shouldn’t have gone behind your back, but please. It’s Christmas magic,” Marie said, her bottom lip trembling.
The General let out a long sigh. He glanced at me before waving at the crowd. “Fine, finish your meals and songs. But I want this all cleaned up before shift change.”
A cheer rang out through the room. The violin music started up a moment later, playing another Christmas carol that the humans sang along to.
“Thank you, sir,” I said.
“I’m not going to forget this, Captain,” He said. “I expect you to keep better control of your bride from now on.”
I suppressed a laugh, knowing that it was easier to control the entire mothership than it was to control Rianne. “I’ll do my best, sir.”
“Very well,” The General said. “I’ll be writing up your incident papers tonight.”
“Yes, sir,” I said.
The General loved his paperwork and status quo to a fault. I didn’t care about another write-up in my file, though. Not when the incident brought so much joy to the crew.
“Oh, and you may go retrieve your mate,” He added. “Let her know that we’re going to keep an eye on her.. Anymore direct defiance will not be tolerated.”
Rianne
I was banished to the security office, not even given a chance to explain myself. Letting me wait in my mate’s room wasn’t even considered. As of right now, I had deliberately disobeyed the advice Xavir had given me.
I kept my head down, listening to the air whistle through the intake vents. I was alone in the office, but I knew enough about the security in the mothership to know that someone was watching me from a camera hidden in one of the many lights.
The only person that would make me feel better now was Xavir. I hadn’t seen him since the General had me taken away. He was probably fighting to prevent me from being banished or worse.
I hoped the other Tributes were alright. I would take the blame. I would take the fall for them; it was my idea. They only wanted to have a little bit of holiday fun. It wasn’t their fault that the aliens in charge were a bunch of Grinches.
The door slid open, and I looked up, dreading what was going to happen. My fears were unfounded, thankfully, because it was Xavir who walked in.
“Xavir!” I said, jumping to my feet.
“It’s ok,” He said, pulling me close. “The General was swayed by the warriors and their mates. He’s forgiven us.”
“Thank goodness,” I said, the tension in my body fading away and relief washing over me. “I was so scared. I was worried I got everyone in trouble.”
“Nope, just me,” Xavir said with a chuckle.
I wasn’t sure if he was being serious or not.
Xavir shook his head.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” He added. “Don’t stress out about it.”
I leaned against him, feeling his strong arms wrap around me.
“Just … try not to get into any more trouble, ok?” Xavir asked.
I laughed; based on my record so far, that wasn’t going to be easy. “I’ll do my best.”
“What now?” He asked.
“I was hoping we could go back to the party if that’s still an option.”
Xavir grinned.
“It is. And I think they’re finally getting the hang of Xmas carols,” He said.
I took my mate’s hand and pushed up onto my toes to kiss his cheek.
“Then, let’s go.”
Xavir held me for a moment longer, moving the kiss down to my lips and tasting me.
“Merry Christmas, Rianne.”
Enjoyed this story? Be sure to leave a review! You can read what happens to some of the other Tributes in TAKEN AS TRIBUTE (The Zexian Tributes 1).
About the Author
Luna Wren has been addicted to steamy sci-fi romance for years. She's finally decided to write down some of her own stories and share them. Follow her on Amazon or Facebook for updates and exclusive sneak peeks!
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The Zexian Tributes
Taken as Tribute (The Zexian Tributes 1)
The Stolen Tribute (The Zexian Tributes 2)
The First Tribute (The Zexian Tributes 3)*
Stand-Alone Alien Romances
Accidentally Abducted
*coming soon
A Very Alien Christmas: A Limited Edition Collection of Holiday Alien Romance Page 30