by S. E. Smith
Bo stopped at the bottom of the steps and dropped his ball so he could bark at her before picking it up again and racing toward the small stable and corral where Gloria now lived. Edna wasn’t far behind him. She laughed and scolded Bo for getting under her feet when she tried to open the gate. Gloria, the old mule, lifted her head and watched for a moment before lowering her head back down to the ground again.
Edna walked over to the stable. She opened the sliding door and hooked it. She had debated whether she wanted to take Bo and Gloria for a walk first or prepare Gloria’s stall. In the end, she decided she better place the fresh hay, water, and grain down first or she might not want to afterwards if it got too cold.
“Well, I have to say, it is certainly feeling like Christmas,” Edna said to the mule and dog when they stuck their heads in the doorway and watched her. “I need to teach you two how to do this. I think you both are enjoying watching me work far too much.”
Laughter filled the air when both animals backed out of the doorway and returned to the paddock. Shaking her head, Edna picked up the pitchfork and began spreading the straw. She sang as she worked.
Even after all these years, she still had her voice. She, Hanson, and Abby’s grandparents had worked in the entertainment business for decades before retiring. Hanson had been in film while she had been in music. They had met at a premiere party for one of Hanson’s movies and fallen in love at first sight. They had married six months after they met and had a wonderful forty years together before he passed away from a sudden heart attack five years ago.
Edna sighed as she finished spreading the straw. Replacing the pitchfork where it belonged, she picked up the two buckets she would need for the food and water. In a matter of minutes, Gloria’s bed was ready for the night.
Edna grabbed the lead rope from the hook by the door and stepped out. She had already put Gloria’s blanket on her earlier when the weather started to turn colder. Gloria trotted over to her when she saw the rope, knowing that meant they were going for a walk. Edna laughed again when Gloria nudged her gently with her head. She had nursed Gloria when she was barely a few hours old after her mother rejected her. Now, Gloria acted more like Bo than she did a mule.
“Well, at least you behave yourself with me,” Edna said out loud. “Let’s go up to the meadow and wish Abby a Happy Holiday. I’m sure she is sharing the holiday wherever she is. She always did love it. Who knows, maybe she’ll send me one of her alien men as a present.”
Gloria nibbled on the rope while Bo barked excitedly before picking up his tennis ball and racing for the path leading up to the high meadow. Edna couldn’t believe it had been almost three years since Abby left Earth to go to another world – an alien world filled with amazing and frightening things.
She had known deep in her heart that Abby hadn’t died at the hands of the deranged Sheriff who turned out to be a serial killer. If she had any doubts, they dissolved when she received the letter from Paul Grove’s friend and attorney, Chad Morrison. Chad had explained that Abby had sent back papers giving Edna the property she owned on the mountain.
Edna sighed as she walked along the path. She gazed around her at the forest. Some of the trees had lost all their leaves while others would remain green. Jack, Shelly, and Crystal had come up the week before with more boxes and stayed the weekend to help her clear the path and do some minor repairs on the barn and outside workshop.
Edna paused when she heard Bo’s frantic barking coming from up ahead. For a moment she felt a sense of déjà vu sweep over her. Shaking her head at the crazy thought, she pulled on Gloria’s lead rope.
“Come on, girl. Let’s go see what Bo has discovered this time. I hope it isn’t a bear that has decided to stay up for Santa,” Edna chuckled. “I can just see it now. He’ll probably be wearing one of those silly Santa hats, hoping for a pot of hon…ey. Oh, my!”
Edna’s voice died as she jerked to a stop at the entrance to the meadow. Her eyes were glued to where Bo was barking and sniffing. Instead of a Santa cap-wearing bear, there was a golden capsule and if she had to make a guess, she bet there was an alien inside.
“Oh, boy!” Edna whispered, dropping Gloria’s lead rope. “I guess I should be careful what I ask for.”
Chapter Four
Edna drew in a deep breath as she approached the golden ship. She had seen one similar to it only once before, when Zoran, Abby’s mate, had brought her up to the meadow to assure her that he would never harm her young friend. This one might be smaller, but it was made of the same material.
“Bo, come here, boy,” Edna called out in a soft voice as she walked closer to the gold creature. “You’re scaring it.”
Bo released a whine and laid down next to the shimmering ship. Edna wasn’t sure if it really qualified to be called a space ship. It looked barely large enough to hold one of the warriors, much less transport him anywhere. In fact, the closer she got to it, the more it looked like a type of coffin or one of those escape capsules from an alien movie set.
“It’s okay, darling,” Edna murmured in a soothing tone. “Bo didn’t mean to upset you. You just startled him, that’s all. I’ve seen one of you before. Zoran Reykill has a ship just like you. Do you know him?”
A smile curved Edna’s lips when the creature shimmered and swirled, as if excited to hear Zoran’s name. Pulling off her gloves, she tucked them in the pocket of her jacket before she reached out to touch the glowing surface. She hesitated just inches from it as a sudden wave of uncertainty swept through her. What if it wasn’t friendly? What if she was misunderstanding the swirls as excitement, when in reality it was trying to warn her to stay away from it?
The decision whether or not to touch the creature was taken out of her hands when Gloria came up behind her and nudged her in the back, knocking her forward. Edna gasped as her hands splayed across the smooth surface. It took a moment for her to realize that she could see through the top. Her gaze remained frozen on the breathtaking man lying peacefully inside.
“Is he… alive?” Edna asked in a barely audible voice.
At first, she had been afraid to ask her question out loud for fear of discovering that the man was dead. Warmth filled her and an image of the man sleeping washed through her. Her hands curled against the silky smooth surface as she resisted the urge to touch him.
She started when she felt her hands sink into the surface of the ship. Frightened, she pulled them out and stepped back several steps. Raising a trembling hand to her face, she stopped when she saw the dancing threads of gold moving up her arms.
Edna giggled when the head of a tiny dragon appeared at the end of one of the threads and the long length shifted into a dragon’s body and tail. It rubbed its head against her arm before winding around her wrists to form a bracelet. Shaking her head, she knew right then that it would never hurt her.
Stepping forward again, she stared down at the relaxed face of the man. He wasn’t young like Zoran, but he was still breathtakingly handsome with silver strands running through his black hair. Her eyes widened when several flakes of white landed on the clear surface. It was only then that she realized it had begun to snow.
Glancing over at Gloria, she wondered what she should do. The golden creature was resting on the ground. If she could get it to move, she could take it back down to the cabin. There was no way she could leave it or the man out in the freezing cold. Turning back to the ship, she touched it.
“Can you understand me?” she asked in a soft voice.
Warmth filled her and she could see in her mind that it did. Breathing out a relieved sigh, she focused on trying to picture the cabin. She felt the ship shudder.
“It will be alright,” Edna reassured it. “I just need to get you and your friend down to the cabin. There is a storm coming tonight and it’s supposed to dump several feet of snow. You’ll both freeze to death if you stay out here.”
The creature shimmered and swirled again. Edna rested her hand on it and tried to think of the best way
to get the capsule down the path to the cabin. Her first thought was the skid, but she’d never be able to lift the man onto it. What she really needed was a type of wagon.
Edna jerked back again when the creature shivered, then began to shift. A soft, amused laugh escaped her when four small wheels suddenly appeared just as Edna envisioned the type of wagon she would need. Shaking her head, she stepped behind the capsule and pushed on it. She was amazed at how easy it rolled. Calling for Gloria and Bo, Edna turned the golden wagon toward the path and began the slow journey back to the cabin.
“I really hope I know what the hell I’m doing because I’ll be damned if he hasn’t kicked my libido back into bloody drive by just lying there!” she whispered in exasperation as she glanced down at the male’s face again.
It took a while, but Edna was able to get all five of them back to the cabin. She breathed a sigh of thanks that she had told Jack to hold off on removing the ramp Abby’s grandfather had installed for her grandmother. It had come in handy during the move and she hadn’t wanted to remove it until she felt confident she was through.
She had quickly tucked Gloria in for the night before closing the door to the stable and turning out all but one small heat lamp inside. Next, she opened the door to the cabin, sending another thank you to her old friend for enlarging the front door as well. Once inside, she shut the door and made sure that the pellet stove was on before she started a fire in the fireplace.
Removing her coat and hat, she blew on her numb fingers to warm them as she walked around the capsule now sitting on the rug in the living room. Stopping on the side, she gazed down at it with a frown. She reached out and touched the edge of the top, wondering how on earth she was going to open the damn thing.
“I could use a little help here,” she murmured to the golden creature. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to open it.”
As if by magic, the top melted downward. Edna was caught off guard and started to fall forward. A loud gasp escaped her when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her and pulled her down onto the man’s massive chest. Jerking her head up, she stared in fascination at the glittering gold eyes that were now wide awake.
Chapter Five
A strange feeling washed through Christoff as he slowly woke. He instinctively knew that he should be dead. He remembered the pressure of the mountain expanding outward right before he lost consciousness. There had been something else, almost like a hand against his brow, but he decided he must have been dreaming. One thing he did know, he should be dead.
Instead, he was encased in his symbiot. The familiar feel of his friend and companion sent a wave of comfort through him and his dragon. He was about to thank it for somehow, miraculously saving them when he felt a different type of warmth touch him. It felt as if someone had slid their hand over his body. Whoever, or whatever was touching him had definitely woken up his dragon. He had never felt his other half wake so fast or be so – focused – as it was now. Another slight caress washed across his body pulling a soft moan from him.
For a moment, Christoff kept his eyes closed, not wanting to lose the intense feeling of pleasure that was washing through his body. He knew the caress wasn’t actually touching him; it didn’t have to. As long as it was touching his symbiot, it was as if it was caressing his skin as well.
Curling his fingers, he focused on the movement of the creature as it walked around his symbiot. His body tensed as he waited for just the right moment to strike. He could see it was a female through the images his symbiot was sending to him. She looked similar to the one that came with the Dragon Lords back in the cave, only older… and definitely more beautiful to him. His opportunity came when the female stopped to stare down at him once more. He heard her murmur at the same time as he focused on his symbiot to release him.
The woman’s soft, warm body fell into his arms as he reached for her. He drew her down until she was lying on top of him. His eyes swept over her face, noting the beauty of her silver hair and the startled look in her light green eyes.
“Uh, hello,” she whispered, staring down at him. “I… Can you understand me?”
Christoff frowned. Yes, he could understand her. What he could not understand was his body's reaction to her. He felt…
Mine! His dragon roared in delight. I bite. Yes, yes. I bite now.
What? Bite? Why? Christoff asked in confusion as he continued to stare up at the woman.
She our mate! His dragon responded with a loud sigh.
“Mate!” Christoff exclaimed in shock, not realizing that he had spoken aloud until the woman’s eyes widened in surprise and shock before a delicate blush rose up her cheeks.
“I… No, my name is Edna,” the woman finally said with an amused smile.
“And my mate,” Christoff replied with a confused frown.
Edna gently pushed against his chest, trying to pull free. He reluctantly released her, even as his dragon groaned and growled at him. He rose to a sitting position when she stepped back and slowly looked around. Everything was… different, alien.
“Where am I?” Christoff demanded in a husky voice, turning back to stare at the woman standing in front of him.
“You and your… ship are in my living room,” Edna replied with a smile. “You are safe.”
“Symbiot,” Christoff automatically corrected as he pushed off the makeshift bed.
“What?” Edna asked in confusion this time.
Christoff touched his symbiot as it shifted into a large, strange creature. He started when he heard a noise and turned. Another beast, slightly smaller than his symbiot was lying on the floor, wagging its long, furry tail. His symbiot trotted over to it and pressed its nose forward.
“What is that?” Christoff asked, turning back to Edna.
She chuckled when the two golden beasts started to play. They were chasing a round, green ball across the floor. He could see them in his peripheral vision, but his main focus remained on the woman in front of him. The strange warmth invaded his body again, making him feel like a clumsy boy.
“Are you hungry?” she asked instead.
Christoff thought about it for a moment. His stomach rumbled. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate.
“I… Yes,” he finally said, suddenly feeling lost. “I do not understand what happened.”
Edna’s expression softened and she reached out to touch his hand. His eyes widened at the spark he felt when she touched him. It was strange and exciting and confusing all at the same time. Afraid she would disappear, he wrapped his fingers around her hand when she started to turn away.
“I put some stew on earlier. It should be done,” she said in a comforting tone. “We can talk while we eat dinner. Does your – symbiot, I believe you called it – need anything to eat?”
Christoff shook his head as he glanced over to where his symbiot was lying. The green ball was between its front paws. The other beast was lying directly in front of it, softly whining. The furry creature’s eyes were glued to round toy. His symbiot leaned down and used its nose to push the ball toward it. He smiled when it turned to look at him and wagged its tail. A sense of happiness radiated from his symbiot.
He turned back around when Edna pulled her hand away while he was distracted. He stared in disbelief at her wrist when she reached up to push a strand of hair back from her face. His hand lifted and he gently touched the gold wrapped around it.
“My symbiot… does not need food like my dragon and I,” Christoff murmured in a rusty, hesitant voice.
“Dragon…,” Edna repeated, releasing a loud breath on the word. “I definitely think we have a few things to discuss.”
Christoff nodded and followed her when she turned away. A crooked grin curved his lips as his gaze ran down over Edna, settling on her butt. The grin faded when she glanced over her shoulder at him. The raised eyebrow and flush to her cheeks told him the she was very much aware of where his eyes had been. He gave her a bashful grin when she shook her head and continued around th
e sitting area.
They entered the room behind it. He could tell it was the kitchen. His gaze shifted to a large pot on the stove and he drew in a deep, appreciative breath. He sure hoped she had a lot of whatever it was when his stomach and his dragon both growled in approval.
“You can sit down,” Edna said, glancing at him. “I’ve told you my name, but you never told me yours.”
“Christoff,” he replied, standing to the side so he could watch her instead of sitting down like she suggested. “That smells good.”
“Somebody is hungry,” she responded with another soft laugh that echoed throughout the room when she heard his stomach emit a loud growl.
Christoff decided he liked the sound. He watched as she stirred the contents of the pot before ladling it into two bowls, one larger than the other. He reached around her and picked up the two, steaming bowls before she could.
“I’ll get some crackers to go with it,” Edna replied, shaking her head.
A few minutes later, the table was set and they were seated in front of the window where they could see the snow falling. Christoff studied Edna as she picked up several crackers and placed them on the small plate next to her. He hesitantly reached for several, giving her an uncertain smile when she looked at him.
A part of him wanted to grab the spoon and start shoveling the thick stew into his mouth. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d smelled something so good. Instead, he waited for her to take the first bite. His father had always waited for his mother to begin eating before he started. He remembered asking his father why one evening.
“A warrior always cares for his mate before he cares for himself,” his father had responded. “It is a small thing, but it shows my respect for your mother.”
After that night, Christoff had waited as well. Lemar had made fun of him, but he hadn’t cared. He wanted to show his mother that he respected her as well. He released a thankful sigh when Edna picked up her spoon and began to eat. Picking up his spoon, he filled it with the savory blend and lifted it to his mouth. He couldn’t stop his eyes from closing as the delicious flavor washed over his senses.