by Ruby Dixon
I chuckle as she plants another kiss on my mouth. "Let me take a look at you, my mate."
"In a minute," she tells me, and then kisses me again, this time teasing my lips with her tongue. Ah, she is playful this day, my mate. Hopefully this means the new kit she carries in her belly has settled more.
I wait, patient, as she kisses me once more and then releases me. I straighten and take her hands in mine, stepping backward and studying my beaming mate with a critical eye. When I left, she was thin, her belly flat in the early days of her carrying. She is slightly rounded now, her color better, and her cheeks are plump. "You are well, my sweet resonance?"
"Never better," Georgie tells me, and puts a hand to her gently swelling stomach. "Right after you left, it was like he decided that he was fine with everything. No more puking. Now I'm just hungry all the time." She sighs, but it is a happy one. "I hope you don't mind your mate fattening up."
"I can think of nothing better," I tell her, pleased. I clasp her hand tightly in mine and then glance around. "My girls…?"
"Hiding." She grimaces. "We didn't know if it was safe. They're in the longhouse. Someone said they saw a big monster in the skies, and then it was chaos. I didn't realize it was you guys—"
"The monster is truth," I admit, and then pull my mate against my shoulder, tucking her under my arm before she can ask more questions. I gesture at Vuh-ron-ca and Ash-tar, who stand behind us. "These are two of the newcomers. One of them can become a monster."
"A dragon," Vuh-ron-ca corrects me, and then her cheeks flush as she looks at her mate.
"A drakoni," Ash-tar corrects his mate, grinning. "But I like 'monster.' It sounds fearsome."
My Georgie puts a hand to her mouth. "Oh! I didn't realize you'd brought newcomers. I was so focused on looking for you." She pushes out of my grip, giving my stomach a gentle pat before she turns into “chief's wife.” "Welcome! I'm Georgie, Vektal's mate. Were there only two of you in the spaceship?"
"Oh no," Vuh-ron-ca says with a smile, even as she extends her hand to my mate. "There were twenty all right. And there are a bunch of islanders, too."
My mate turns back to me, a bewildered look on her face. "Islanders?"
"It is a very long story, my sweet resonance," I tell her. I am proud of how quickly she approaches the others, ready to make them comfortable and at home with us. She is the perfect mate for a chief. I watch her as she greets them both, and my gaze slides to the soft curve of her bottom. It is plumper than before, and I approve of this. I approve of this very much. Just the sight of her tailless bottom makes my cock remember how long it has been since I have claimed my mate.
Ah, but it is good to be home.
"Papa," a familiar little voice cries out, and my heart thumps with pure joy.
I turn, and racing out from the longhouse is my oldest daughter, Talie. She holds little Vekka's hand, letting her younger sister toddle alongside her as fast as she can. In fact, she races so fast that I am sure Vekka is going to fall forward, so I rush to meet them, and manage to scoop up both daughters just in time. "My girls," I call out, and I cannot stop grinning. "Look at you!"
"Yes, look at you both, disobeying your mother," Georgie calls out, exasperated, but I hear the laughter in her voice.
I kiss both of them over and over, alternating kisses between the two of them, much like how Georgie kissed me so many times. I have missed these little ones as much as I missed my sweet resonance. "Have you been good?" I ask as Talie gives me a smacking kiss and Vekka gives me a wet press of her mouth to my cheek. "Listened to your mama?"
"Most of the time," my Talie says, sounding so adult. "You aren't going to go away again, are you, Papa?"
Such a difficult question to answer. "Not this night," I assure them both, and turn to my mate, my arms full of my kits. My heart is so full of joy in this moment that I cannot stop smiling. Being chief is good. Helping the others in their journey to survive, that is good. But being Papa and mate?
That is best of all.
Georgie ushers Vuh-ron-ca and Ash-tar forward. "I have a million questions for everyone. Just promise me that everyone that's not here is well and I'll be able to relax."
I glance out at the rest of the tribe that has gathered around. There are anxious mothers, anxious sons, worried parents. I feel guilty that there was not enough room on Ash-tar's back to bring all home. "Everyone is quite healthy," I reassure them. "We could not fit all on Ash-tar's back, but there will be more trips to the Icehome camp and more returning home as quickly as possible."
"But everyone's safe?" Stay-see steps forward, asking. At her side, she cradles an arm around Air-ee-aw-nuh, who is deathly pale and trembling.
"They are all well," I reassure them. "And they have sent gifts since they could not be here tonight. Especially Zolaya."
Air-ee-aw-nuh gives me a timid smile and squeezes Stay-see's hand, some of the color returning to her face. "Thank God."
"Well, if there are stories to be told, I want to hear them," Georgie declares, moving forward and gesturing at the longhouse. "We were all just about to enjoy our No-Poison feast before you got here. Now we have all new stories to hear over dinner. Come on, then!"
"No-Poison?" I hear Vuh-ron-ca ask.
"Long story," Georgie tells her, pulling her forward. "Vektal, will you bring the girls?" My mate looks over at me.
I nod, hefting them onto my shoulders. "Hold on to Papa's horns," I say to my daughters. "And tell me if you were good while I was gone."
"Very good," Talie says, all confidence. "Mama says I am getting a special No-Poison gift tonight." She pats my forehead. "I think it was you, wasn't it, Papa?"
And I feel as if my heart has melted in my chest. "Maybe it was." I glance over at my beautiful mate, and she is looking over at me, her eyes soft with love. She heard that, too, it seems.
Ah, but it is good to be home.
“But what of the others?” The female known as Shail steps forward. She is Vaza’s pleasure-mate, and she has little Rukhar at her side. He holds her hand tightly. “What of Rukh and Harlow? Liz and Raahosh? Don’t they want to come home and see their babies?”
Ah. I nod at her. “They do, but there was no room this time. With Ash-tar’s permission, once he and his mate have spent a few days with the healer, they will return to the Icehome village. The kits may go with them. There is no danger there.”
Rukhar’s young face lights up in a smile.
“If it’s not dangerous,” Gail says, but she does not sound certain.
“It is not,” I reassure her. “There is already one kit there.”
“A kit?” my mate asks, surprised. “Whose?”
“The islanders brought with them an orphaned kit. No more than a few turns of the moons old. They feed him eggs and take turns watching him.”
“Islanders?” my mate exclaims.
“Eggs?” Shail retorts, aghast. “Oh hell, no. Someone needs to step up and parent that baby.” She points at herself. “And I know just the woman.” She gives Rukhar’s hand a little shake. “Looks like you’re gonna have company heading back to that beach, little man.”
This is a good thing. Shail is very good with kits, and Vaza will go with her. He is experienced with hunting and fishing, and another set of hands will be useful. “Leezh and Raahosh will want their girls with them, as well.”
“We can bring the children,” Shail assures me.
“Are there many females?” Sessah asks, stepping forward. His eyes are bright with interest.
“Many,” I assure him, and I suspect I have found yet another volunteer to visit the Icehome tribe.
This is all perfect. Kits will be reunited with family, and newcomers will welcome the help of those at ease with our land. And I…I will get to stay home with my mate and kits and know that my tribes—both of them—are doing well.
I cast a look over at my Georgie, and I see she is giving me a look of promise that suggests many, many things when we are alone again.
Ah yes. It is very good to be home.
11
ELLY
Despite my best efforts to look as if I’m still asleep, my stomach rumbles.
Bek rubs my butt. “I know you are awake.” His voice is soft and I can feel his tail still twined around my knee. My body’s spooned against his and I’m in no particular hurry to move. “We should join the others in the celebration. They will be looking for us.”
I half-groan and hide my face under the furs. I don’t want to move from this spot. “I’m fine. Let’s just stay here.”
Bek leans in and nibbles on my shoulder. “If nothing else, let us go eat.”
I wait for him to comment on how thin I am, or point out that I haven’t been eating like I should, but when I hear his stomach rumble, I feel guilty. Maybe he’s the hungry one. “All right, but promise we won’t stay long. I want tonight to be about us.” And the next day, and the next day, and the next day…I’m greedy like that.
“It will be,” Bek promises me. “We will come back to our hut and roll back the smoke-flap so we can look at the stars together.”
Oh. I love doing that with him. It’s been far too long. Pleased, I turn and give him a fierce kiss before rising out of bed to get dressed. The nights are getting colder, which means that bundling up in all my fur wraps is a job all on its own. I’m busy concentrating on putting on my layers when I notice Bek is at my side, a leather-wrapped bundle in his hands.
Wordless, he holds it out to me.
I look up at him in surprise. “What…?”
“Your No-Poison gifts. I have not collected leaves for you, but I can do so tomorrow.” He nudges the package toward me. “Please. Take it.”
I do, and it feels lumpy and heavy all at once. I blink up at him, still astonished. “You made me presents?”
He nods, his expression a little stern, as if he’s uncomfortable…or shy. “I could think of nothing else but my mate while we were separated. Every rock made me think of something new to show you, every bird in the sky something we were not sharing together. So I collected you things so we could share them when I returned.”
My eyes blur with tears. I carefully set the present down on our bed and then fling my arms around his waist, burying my face against his chest. “I love it.”
With a chuckle, Bek rubs my back. “You have not even looked at what I have given you yet.”
I don’t need to. His words have been the best gift I’ve ever been given. Even if it’s a bag full of sand, I’ll adore it because of the thought behind it. I squeeze him tightly, so full of love for him that I could burst.
We sit down on the furs, facing each other, and I unwrap my package with reverence. There, laid out in front of me, are mementos from his travels. He explains each one as I pick through them. There’s a pretty stone from the walk there, a tiny, shiny component stolen from the alien ship. There’s a bag of salt from the ocean, and since I know how treasured spices are around here, this is a huge gift on its own. There are tiny, spiny things that have dried into the shapes of wiggly, spiralized stars. And there’s a bag of shells. The shells are similar to the ones on earth—pearly, swirly, ridged—but still alien enough for me to gasp over their shapes and wonder at the creatures that filled them. Each shell has a small set of holes drilled through it, and I hold one up to Bek, a question in my eyes.
“Ah. Yes.” He touches the one I hold in my palm, his fingers skating over my skin. “I wanted to make you a necklace. Something pretty to wear. But then I remembered the collars…and I did not think you would like it. So I drilled holes in them that you may sew them to a tunic and admire them that way.”
I blink rapidly, because I’m going to start crying. It’s the most thoughtful gift I could imagine. He remembers what I like and dislike. He remembers me when he walks on the shores. More than that, I imagine him sitting by the fire each night, carefully drilling holes in the tiny, delicate shells so he can gift them to me.
And now I can make myself a tunic that shows everyone just how much Bek loves me. “It’s wonderful.”
The smile that lights his face is the warmest, most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Tonight, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
In several worlds, actually.
Also this month - from The Club!
Need your holiday fix? Kati Wilde, Alexa Riley, and Ella Goode are also writing Christmas stories! Watch for the following to be released over the next few days!
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
by Alexa Riley
THE LAST CHRISTMAS PRESENT
by Ella Goode
ALL HE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS
by Kati Wilde
Cast of Characters
At Croatoan
Mated Couples and their kits
________
Vektal (Vehk-tall) – The chief of the sa-khui. Mated to Georgie.
Georgie – Human woman (and unofficial leader of the human females). Has taken on a dual-leadership role with her mate. Currently pregnant with her third kit.
Talie (Tah-lee) – Their first daughter.
Vekka (Veh-kah) – Their second daughter.
_______
Maylak (May-lack) – Tribe healer. Mated to Kashrem.
Kashrem (Cash-rehm) - Her mate, also a leather-worker.
Esha (Esh-uh) – Their teenage daughter.
Makash (Muh-cash) — Their younger son.
_______
Sevvah (Sev-uh) – Tribe elder, mother to Aehako, Rokan, and Sessah
Oshen (Aw-shen) – Tribe elder, her mate
Sessah (Ses-uh) - Their youngest son
_______
Ereven (Air-uh-ven) Hunter, mated to Claire. Currently at Icehome beach.
Claire – Mated to Ereven
Erevair (Air-uh-vair) - Their first child, a son
Relvi (Rell-vee) – Their second child, a daughter
_______
Liz – Raahosh’s mate and huntress. Currently at Icehome beach.
Raahosh (Rah-hosh) – Her mate. A hunter and brother to Rukh. Currently at Icehome beach.
Raashel (Rah-shel) – Their daughter.
Aayla (Ay-lah) – Their second daughter
_______
Stacy – Mated to Pashov. Unofficial tribe cook.
Pashov (Pah-showv) – son of Kemli and Borran, brother to Farli, Zennek, and Salukh. Mate of Stacy. Currently at Icehome beach.
Pacy (Pay-see) – Their first son.
Tash (Tash) – Their second son.
_______
Nora – Mate to Dagesh. Currently pregnant after a second resonance.
Dagesh (Dah-zhesh) (the g sound is swallowed) – Her mate. A hunter.
Anna & Elsa – Their twin daughters.
_______
Harlow – Mate to Rukh. Once ‘mechanic’ to the Elders’ Cave. Currently pregnant after a second resonance. Currently at Icehome beach.
Rukh (Rookh) – Former exile and loner. Original name Maarukh. (Mah-rookh). Brother to Raahosh. Mate to Harlow. Father to Rukhar. Currently at Icehome beach.
Rukhar (Roo-car) – Their son.
_______
Megan – Mate to Cashol. Mother to Holvek.
Cashol (Cash-awl) – Mate to Megan. Hunter. Father to Holvek. Currently at Icehome beach.
Holvek (Haul-vehk) – their son.
_______
Marlene (Mar-lenn) – Human mate to Zennek. French.
Zennek (Zehn-eck) – Mate to Marlene. Father to Zalene. Brother to Pashov, Salukh, and Farli. Currently at Icehome beach.
Zalene (Zah-lenn) – daughter to Marlene and Zennek.
_______
Ariana – Human female. Mate to Zolaya. Currently pregnant. Basic school ‘teacher’ to tribal kits.
Zolaya (Zoh-lay-uh) – Hunter and mate to Ariana. Father to Analay. Currently at Icehome beach.
Analay (Ah-nuh-lay) – Their son.
_______
Tiffany – Human female. Mated to Salukh. Tribal botanist.
Salukh (Sah-luke
) – Hunter. Son of Kemli and Borran, brother to Farli, Zennek, and Pashov. Currently at Icehome beach.
Lukti (Lookh-tee) – Their son.
_______
Aehako (Eye-ha-koh) –Mate to Kira, father to Kae. Son of Sevvah and Oshen, brother to Rokan and Sessah.
Kira – Human woman, mate to Aehako, mother of Kae. Was the first to be abducted by aliens and wore an ear-translator for a long time.
Kae (Ki –rhymes with ‘fly’) – Their daughter.
_______
Kemli (Kemm-lee) – Female elder, mother to Salukh, Pashov, Zennek, and Farli. Tribe herbalist.
Borran (Bore-awn) – Her mate, elder. Tribe brewer.
_______
Josie – Human woman. Mated to Haeden. Currently pregnant for a third time.
Haeden (Hi-den) – Hunter. Previously resonated to Zalah, but she died (along with his khui) in the khui-sickness before resonance could be completed. Now mated to Josie.
Joden (Joe-den) – Their first child, a son.
Joha (Joe-hah) – Their second child, a daughter.
_______
Rokan (Row-can) – Oldest son to Sevvah and Oshen. Brother to Aehako and Sessah. Adult male hunter. Now mated to Lila. Has ‘sixth’ sense.
Lila – Maddie’s sister. Once hearing impaired, recently reacquired on The Tranquil Lady via med bay. Resonated to Rokan. Currently pregnant for a second time.
Rollan (Row-lun) – Their first child, a son.
_______
Hassen (Hass-en) – Hunter. Previously exiled. Mated to Maddie. Currently at Icehome beach.
Maddie – Lila’s sister. Found in second crash. Mated to Hassen.
Masan (Mah-senn) – Their son.
_______
Asha (Ah-shuh) – Mate to Hemalo. Mother to Hashala (deceased) and Shema.