The Alien Reindeer's Flight (A Winter Starr Book 14)

by S. A. Ravel

  The grunting woke her. There were too many inflections for it to be from an animal. It almost sounded like speech. Like people speaking.

  Did he take me to Jericho while I was asleep?

  Audrey opened her eyes. Two beings stood on the far side of a room dimly lit in cool light. Beings was the best word Audrey could come up with. They stood on two legs. They had a single head with two eyes and arms with two hands. But that was where the similarities ended.

  Grayish-brown fur covered their faces. Their noses and mouths came out three inches from their jaws, fused by giant slits that served as nostrils. To make room for the massive bridge needed to hold that schnoz in place, the beings’ eyes had shifted to the side of their face.

  Audrey blinked. Either the bathwater was spiked with something strong or two humanoid reindeer were chatting across the room from her. Pointy ears near the top of their heads swiveled toward Audrey’s bed, then toward one another as both of them turned to look at her.

  Oh hell no!

  “Take me back. Now!” Audrey braced her hands against the lumpy mattress and pushed herself up. The blanket was softer and more appealing, but she pushed it aside to. They had replaced her pants and shirt with a loose version of Haj’s jumpsuit. Or maybe she was too small for all the ones they had on hand. Swinging her legs off the side, she pressed her soles to the floor and climbed to her feet.

  The room lurched around her, spinning in time with her heartbeat. Suddenly, the weight of the air in the room was too much for Audrey’s shoulders. Her arms slumped as she let her body follow the force of gravity to the floor.

  The beings honked again, both frantic. They rushed toward Audrey, reaching for her arms.

  She pulled away. “Don’t touch me! I said I want to go home!” Her heart raced and her head ached. If anyone called her bluff, they would find out mighty quick just how weak she felt. She couldn’t have pushed them away if she wanted to.

  The doors slid open and four more bipedal beings walked through. Based on their sizes and shapes, Audrey figured there were three males and one female. One of them–a male judging by his size–wore long black robes with elaborate patterns embroidered along the hem in silver thread. The second male wore similar robes, but the designs on his robes were less elaborate. The third male, Haj, stood behind the other two. The female had the most elaborate robes of the three and stood just a hair in front of them.

  The robed males spoke to one another in their strange honking language. Haj looked at her. He didn’t speak, but somehow the look in his eye spoke loud and clear.

  They were in the shit. Bad. At least Haj was. It wasn’t her idea to…do whatever put her on an alien planet while she treaded water through the pain.

  But Haj had only brought her here because she was hurt. If the raiders hadn’t driven them from the depot early, if they hadn’t caught up to them, Audrey would still be on Earth.

  The male with the fancy robes turned toward her and dipped his head, his ears pressing flat against his head.

  “Greetings of the Joyful Mother to you, ambassador of humanity.” Like Haj, he spoke heavily accented English, but there was no hesitation to his speech. “We welcome you. Though, we wish the circumstances were better.”

  “Circumstances?” Ambassador? Audrey tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. He meant more than her getting shot and ending up on a strange planet. “Who is we, who are you, and how do I get back?”

  The fancy robed male hesitated. “I am Ujiwan, the senior official of the village. You are in a House of Healing, the finest in the area. You may have noticed your wound has healed…”

  Audrey hadn’t noticed. Her eyes darted to her shoulder. She rotated the joint carefully. The bullet had destroyed the bone, Audrey was sure of it, but now the sharp pain had faded to a dull ache.

  “How long have I been asleep?” Dread crept over her. Even with the best medical care on Earth–which she didn’t have–the wound would have taken weeks or months to heal back home.

  Haj spoke before anyone else could. “Fewer than twelve hours by your reckoning. For most of Earth, Christmas is tomorrow.”

  Audrey heaved a sigh of relief. “Great, so now that I’m all patched up and Haj is back where he’s supposed to be, when can I go back home?”

  The three robed aliens exchanged glances.

  “We do not allow humans on Tarandus,” Ujiwan said finally. “Your presence must be reported to the Grand Hidren and they must give permission for your return through the portal. At the moment, they are away.”

  It took Audrey a solid minute to parse through the logic. As she tried, her frustration only grew. What the hell kind of twisted reasoning banned her from a place but kept her there?

  “When will they be back?” she asked, frantic. “I need to be home by tomorrow.”

  “That is not something we would share with a human.” Ujiwan tilted his chin up toward the ceiling and straightened to his full height. Everything about his posture said he wasn’t going to share and she should have known better than to ask.

  For the first time in her life, Audrey contemplated slugging a reindeer. She looked at Haj. He gestured for her to stay calm. Stay calm? There were fewer than twenty-four hours to go until the sit and sip and she was who knew how many lightyears away from home. If there was ever a time for her to panic, Audrey was sure this was it.

  The female Tarandian stepped forward. There was nearly a foot difference in their heights and the alien woman had the advantage. Her ears wiggled slightly, making the dangling earrings in the pointed lobes shake. She took Audrey’s hands in hers, rubbing furry fingers against her skin.

  “I am Das’hel, wajirae of Hidren Thule.” She looked down at Audrey with glimmering eyes the same shade of gold as Haj’s.

  Haj’s sister? Audrey stole an inquisitive glance in Haj’s direction. He nodded quickly in confirmation.

  Dash continued as if she didn’t see the exchange. “Matters are…more complicated than need be explained while you are still recovering. For now, my mother wishes to welcome you into our Hidren’s den.”

  “I believe it would be safer for you to remain here,” Ujiwan snapped. “As I have informed the wajirae.”

  The look Dash threw Fancy Robes over her shoulder was cold enough to freeze lava. “And I told you, we do not intend to leave an aijan of our Hidren to wallow in the healers’ dens.”

  Fancy robes sniffed. “Her status as aijan is chief among the matters that will be brought before the Grand Hidren. Earthling or no, we have our ways.”

  “I’ve heard the story of their meeting, as have you. Three miracles of the goddess brought them together. If you think you can separate them against her wishes, I welcome you to try.” Dash didn’t seem fazed by the nasty glare Ujiwan threw her. “When the Grand Hidren is ready for her testimony, you will know where to find her. If…that is what she wishes.”

  Audrey nodded numbly. If she couldn’t go home, the last place she wanted to be was alone on a strange planet.

  Without another word, Dash turned and walked toward the door. In her long robes, each step seemed to make her glide across the surface. The third male, who had yet to speak, stepped aside. Haj did too. All three looked to the ground as she passed, but Haj took a quick glance at her back. Fierce pride burned in his eyes for a moment and then he turned to Audrey.

  Haj grabbed a pair of boots by the door and brushed past Ujiwan, walking to Audrey’s side. He passed the boots to her and hovered beside her as she slipped into them. When she finished, he wrapped an arm around her. He and Fancy Robes exchanged frigid glances as he led her from the room.

  When they were in the hallway and away from the door, he leaned down near her ear and whispered, “I’ll explain when we’re alone.”

  You damn well better.

  The four of them–three Tarandians and one human–walked down a long corridor lined with doors on both sides. Most were closed, but through the few open ones, Audrey saw they led to rooms like the one she’d woken
up in.

  Dash led them outside where a vehicle the size of a van waited. The door slid open to reveal two long sofa seats faced each other. With a boost from Haj, Audrey stepped into the interior and flopped down on the seat. Das’hel and the Tarandian in the simple robes sat across from her. Haj slid in beside her, taking her hand in his.

  Not that she was complaining, but he had been laying the public displays of affection on thick since she woke up. Maybe that was one thing he would explain when they got where they were going.

  The “village” was a collection of two dozen buildings arranged in circles separated by a snow-covered road. A handful of Tarandians wandered the streets, glancing at Audrey and honking to one another. The four of them got into the van and rode in silence away from the village.

  Under any other circumstances, Audrey would have looked out the window or asked questions or even tried to be sociable. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Phoebe and the sit and sip. None of the reiliendeer wanted to say it, but it didn’t sound like they would have her back to Earth, much less in her home, by Christmas Day. She stared at her fingers as the cold realization settled over her.

  The silence ended abruptly when the van stopped and everyone got out. Haj’s family home was almost a village unto itself. There were at least a dozen buildings in the same curved, packed-earth style. The building were smaller and packed more closely than the central village. A stone fence that came up to Audrey’s chest surrounded the property.

  Unlike the central village, there was no one on the street. Audrey started to relax until she realized there was nobody there to welcome Haj home either. Even the male in the simple robes left soon after they arrived. Haj noticed it too and judging by the deflated look on his now furry face, he was devastated.

  “Where is everyone?” Audrey asked. It seemed like a cold homecoming celebration to her, but what did she know about the traditions of aliens? She hadn’t known there were aliens until a few days ago. Now she’d slept with one and followed him home like a bad one-night-stand.

  “It is meal time for us,” Das’hel said. “Hidren congregate, but we sleep and take nourishment in our own homes with our own blood-kind.”

  Most of those words made no sense to Audrey. She opened her mouth to ask Das’hel to explain, but Haj stopped her by taking her hand.

  “And so must we,” Haj said. “Is there a guest den where we may rest?”

  Despite the long snout, a distinctly wicked smile came across Das’hel’s face. “Fresh from the Seed and you can’t wait to get her alone again? Mother had the younger males repair the den in the grove.”

  Haj pulled her closer and nodded in gratitude. “My aijan will need physical nourishment, Dash. She cannot survive on chir.”

  “It has been seen to.” Dash stepped forward and took Haj’s free hand. “This is a night to be remembered. Stop worrying and enjoy it, brother.”

  Dash raised on her hooves to press her cheek to Haj’s. She looked at Audrey and nodded, then walked away, presumably to her own den.

  “Younger or older?” Audrey asked.

  “Das’hel is the youngest and the best of us.” He rubbed Audrey’s shoulder, but his expression darkened as he watched Dash round a corner and disappear. “Our den is more isolated. We can talk freely there.”

  The last thing Audrey wanted was to talk. If they talked, she had too many questions to pick just one. And if they talked, he might remind her of the truth she didn’t want to process yet: she would never speak to Phoebe again.

  “Can you change back to how you were before, on Earth?” she asked.

  Haj’s ears swiveled toward her. “Does this form frighten you?”

  He didn’t wait for her to respond. Haj climbed to his feet and let his arms fall to his sides. The fur retreated into his skin. When he looked up, he was a human man again. At least, he looked like one.

  “It reminds me I’m not back home.” If things were so bad he was willing to answer questions, then something told Audrey she should stay as grounded as possible.

  Haj nodded. “Your next question?”

  “Those hugs you were giving out earlier, are they up for grabs now?”

  Haj’erel furrowed his brow. “I do not understand.”

  She swallowed. “Will you hold me?”

  Without hesitation, Haj'erel came to her, wrapping his thick arms around her form and pulling her close. She let her head rest against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

  "You will be safe, Audrey," Haj whispered into her hair. "You have my word.”

  Haj'erel wanted her to ask questions, but Audrey wasn't ready to talk yet. The last twenty-four hours of her life had been a marathon of bad luck and abject failures. She wanted to forget all about it in favor of something comforting. She wanted Haj'erel's lips on hers.

  Rising on her toes, Audrey pressed a tentative kiss to Haj's lips. That was all the encouragement he needed. His hand slid to the small of her back. His greedy tongue slid forward, dancing along her lips until she gave him entry.

  Yes, this. She could get lost in this. Abandon herself to the waves of pleasure that came from Haj'erel's hungry lips and grasping fingers. He knew his way around the jumpsuits. She fumbled to get his collar snaps loose, but in no time at all he had hers undone and her suit on the floor.

  Without warning, Haj'erel pulled back, panting gently. His golden eye blazed with desire, but there was hesitation in them too. "Are you sure?”

  "Never been surer of anything in my life." Audrey pulled his mouth back down to hers. No more questions. No more talking.

  Haj'erel's hands grasped her rear, strong fingers sinking into the soft flesh. He lifted, using the leverage to take Audrey off her feet. She clamped her legs around him, not releasing as he carried her to the bed and set her down. He pulled away just long enough to ditch his own jumpsuit, then he was back, lips and tongue grazing over her bare skin. Fingers dipped between her already slick folds, coaxing her to higher arousal. She'd never known a man who had the power to make her wet from a mere kiss until Haj'erel.

  And when he slid between her legs, sliding his hard cock home like a knife in its sheath, Audrey got her wish. He moved into her gently at first. Too gently. She needed thighs slapping against hers and fingers digging into her flesh. She needed release!

  When Audrey thrust back with twice the thrust and speed, her sexy reindeer got the message. Haj'erel leaned back, gripping Audrey's hips, fucking her with abandon.

  For a few beautiful seconds as Haj'erel pounded into her, as the first shocks of orgasm rippled through her, Audrey forgot about the sit and sip. She forgot about Christmas and Aunt Ruth's decaying house. Haj cried out above her. His hot seed spilled into her. She forgot about all the problems waiting for her back on Earth, none of which she'd solved.

  Beneath Haj'erel, for just a few moments, Audrey was free.

  You're never gonna feel this again.

  Tears pricked at her eyes. She tried to turn her face toward the door so Haj'erel wouldn't see as she wiped them away. Never. She would never feel the connection she felt to Haj'erel again and he wasn't even human. It couldn't have just been because he kept saving her.

  Haj pressed a sweet kiss to Audrey's lips then slid out of bed. He padded to the fire and crouched beside it, focusing on the embers as he stoked them. For the first time, Audrey inspected her temporary lodgings. What the Tarandians called a guest den turned out to be a one room home with a bed, a room with a toilet but no bathroom that Audrey could see, an open pantry full of sacks, and a hearth with a dying fire.

  From a race that had the technology to sneak onto Earth undetected, Audrey had expected more.

  “It’s cozy,” she said, trying to put a nice face on the situation. It was closer to rustic. She could do rustic. After four years in the decaying remains of Aunt Ruth’s house, Audrey was just happy to have four walls and a roof that didn’t leak. At least, she hoped it didn’t leak.

  “It’s a hovel unbefitting your presence,” Haj
’erel said, pulling her closer to his blazing hot chest. “But it is all my deeds have earned. I know you have questions, Audrey. It’s safe to ask them as long as we are here.”

  That was easier, but she suspected the question would be harder for Haj’erel to answer.

  “What does aijan mean?”

  Haj’s shoulders slumped. He turned his eye toward the hearth and sighed. “I hoped that wouldn’t be first, but I should have known better with you, Audrey. To my people, that word means that you are mine. My mate. My love.”

  Audrey’s mouth fell open in pure shock. Holy shit!

  10

  Haj’erel

  Haj’erel watched his aijan’s face, waiting for her to unleash a verbal torrent of rage. It was no better than he deserved. For a few precious minutes he had held her in his arms, felt her touch on his face and her taste on his lips. He knew those moments were stolen. They did not belong to him.

  Yet Audrey did not curse him. She did not raise her voice. “Why would you tell them that?”

  That one he’d hoped she wouldn’t ask at all. He sighed and lowered himself beside the fire. His time in the Seed had healed his nagging injuries, but only his aijan’s chir could truly revitalize him. The fire restarted, he turned back to Audrey.

  “Because it is true,” he said, leaning back to look at her. “My people feel a pull toward their mates. Perhaps you have felt a pull towards me.”

  Audrey’s cheeks flushed and it pleased Haj’erel to see she felt the same instinctive draw to him he felt to her.

  But it wasn’t happiness he saw in his aijan’s expression. Her breath came in short gasps. Her fingers moved to her midsection and tugged at the fabric.

  Should he have lied to her? No. They had so little time left together, he would not sour it with lies. Haj’erel wanted to go to her, to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but he didn’t have the energy to move.

  “We are not bound yet, Audrey,” he said. Audrey’s breath seemed to ease. Haj’erel’s chest tightened. “Unless a claim is made, the pull means nothing. Dash knows the truth. The others believe I have claimed you because that lie was the only way I could convince them to save your life.”