An Azziarin Christmas (Scifi Alien Romance) (The Azziarin Series Book 4)

by Hannah Davenport

  “So what did you do?” This was from Kattlyn, who sat wide-eyed on the edge of her chair.

  “I let it go and never spoke to them about it again.”

  “You didn’t go?” Sydney exclaimed. She almost sounded disappointed.

  “Of course I went,” Mara chuckled. “At that point, I was so angry at my parents, I was ready to do anything to defy my dad. You don’t know what it’s like to grow up and see all your friends having fun, but I was only allowed to stay after school if someone needed tutoring.”

  “How? What did you do?” Chloe now sat on the edge of her chair with both her elbows resting on the table.

  “I snuck out of the house that Saturday and went to Jenny’s.”

  “No, you didn’t!” Sydney yelled with a grin.

  Mara smiled, “I did.”

  “Did you have fun? What happened?” Chloe asked, clearly intrigued.

  The smile slipped from Mara’s face as she thought about that night. “No. No, I didn’t.”

  When Saturday finally arrived, Mara fidgeted as she tried to gather her courage. She could do this, she had to. At eighteen, she owed it to herself. That night at dinner, which was at 5:00 p.m. sharp, she sat quietly while she ate. Her stomach was in knots just thinking about what she was about to do.

  “Is everything all right, dear?” her mother asked.

  Mara shrugged. “I’m not feeling well.” She didn't made eye contact, she couldn’t. She felt like she was lying, but technically she wasn’t. It felt like her stomach was coming unmoored.

  “You’re sick?” her father’s booming voice asked.

  “I…I don’t know. My stomach doesn’t feel so good.” She hated lying to them, but what else was she to do?

  “I hope you’re not coming down with something,” her mother worried.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m just going to go to bed and sleep it off. Hopefully, I’ll feel better when I wake up in the morning. Goodnight,” Mara said as she pushed up from the table.

  “Goodnight, dear. If you need anything, just holler.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Mara climbed the wooden steps with heavy legs and headed down the hall to her bedroom. Butterflies filled her stomach as she wrung her hands and blew out a quick breath. This was it.

  I can do this.

  I can do this.

  I can do this.

  She quickly stuffed her pillows under the comforter on her bed, gathered what she needed, and headed to the window. It creaked a little when she slid it up. Her head whipped to the door as she bit her lower lip. Did they hear? When nobody came bursting through the door, Mara eased one leg over the window sill and grabbed the tree limb that brushed the side of the house. She pulled herself over to the tree and then shimmied down it. Sweat beaded on her brow as fear and excitement gave her an adrenaline rush. She’d never done anything like this before.

  It was still daylight outside, but luckily for her, the dining room was on the other side of the two-story house. When Mara’s feet touched the ground, she took off running like a thief who’d just stolen his lot of diamonds.

  Jenny waited for her just around the corner. Mara threw open the passenger-side car door, and slid inside. “Let’s go!” she said as she tried to catch her labored breath.

  They tore off down the two-lane road, headed for Jenny’s house. There wasn’t much time to shower and get dressed for her date.

  Mara jumped in the shower, and they quickly did their hair, nails, and makeup. At eight-thirty, she was dressed in a royal blue dress that hugged her body. Jenny had curled Mara’s long, dark hair and piled it upon her head, leaving a few loose curls to cascade down her neck and over her shoulder. When she looked into the full-length mirror, she could hardly believe it was her that stared back with smoky, dark eyes and plump, red lips. Jenny walked up behind her, smiled and said, “You look beautiful.”

  “I can’t believe this is me.” Her eyes caught Jenny’s in the mirror. “Thank you!” Before Jenny could answer, the doorbell rang, and Mara squealed in delight. “This is it,” she excitedly said to her friend.

  Daniel stood just inside the entrance, holding her corsage. He looked so handsome in his dark tuxedo, his deep blue eyes staring straight at her. Her heart stood still for a mere second and then pounded frantically in her chest. She blew out a quick breath and headed toward him with a confident smile.

  “Hi Daniel,” she gushed. “You look great!”

  “So do you.” He smiled as he presented her the corsage.

  “Thank you,” she said as she allowed him to tie it around her wrist with the satin ribbon. He held out his arm, and she hooked hers through it as they headed out the door.

  That night was a dream come true for Mara—they danced, laughed, and drank punch. It was more than halfway over when Daniel whispered in her ear, “Why don’t we get out of here?”

  “And go where?”

  “We can drive up to Peterson’s Point and park.”

  “I don’t know about that, Daniel...” She worried her lip between her teeth. Just sneaking out and going to the prom was a big night for her.

  “Come on, Mara, don’t be one of those girls.” She didn’t understand what 'one of those girls' meant, but it sounded bad, so she reluctantly agreed. She liked Daniel and didn’t want to do anything to make him upset with her, to make him leave.

  After parking at Peterson’s Point, he scooted over to the middle of the front bench seat and started kissing her while his hand roamed down her body and squeezed her right breast.

  “Please stop. I don’t think…” Her heart pounded in her chest, and it wasn’t from excitement. This was new territory she was trying to wade through. It was common knowledge that this happened often on prom night, but she wanted to go slow, to enjoy kissing him.

  He turned cold as he righted himself. “Fine. I’ll take you home.”

  He wouldn’t look at her, and she didn’t know what to do. This was her only chance, and she didn’t want it to end. She liked Daniel!

  “I’m sorry,” she said as her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

  “That’s okay,” he grinned and then started kissing her again.

  It didn’t feel right, but she didn’t stop him again. When they finally 'did it’, it was awkward, painful, and only lasted a couple of minutes. As they dressed, he barely spoke to her.

  After the scene played out once again in her mind, she lifted her eyes and found each of the girls staring in uncomfortable silence. Mara licked her dry lips and tried to act like nothing was wrong, but she still suffered from that not so long ago incident.

  After a long pause, Sydney slowly asked, “Did he call you? Or at least talk to you at school on Monday?”

  Mara took a quick death breath while she wrung her hands together under the table and hoped no one noticed. “No,” she admitted with downcast eyes. “I heard through the rumor mill that I was just a bet he had won. You know, sleep with a virgin.” She swallowed hard as tears stung her eyes. “I was chosen for the bet because of my family. It was common knowledge that my dad was strict, and I was not allowed to date.”

  Chloe exploded out of her chair, knocking it backwards. “Why that asshole!” she raged on Mara’s behalf. “It makes me want to return to Earth just so I can kill him!” Chloe clenched her hands into fists and paced the floor.

  “Me too!” Sydney joined in the rant although she didn’t stand.

  “I can arrange it.” All eyes turned to Kattlyn, and she shrugged. “What? It’s not that hard.”

  Mara looked at each female at the table and started to chuckle. She had no doubt that they would go to Earth just to kill Daniel on her behalf. Her laughter lightened the mood, and each one started smiling before they finally laughed. Chloe righted her chair and plopped back down.

  “Okay, so what happened after the prom? Did your mom and dad ever find out?” Krista asked, now riveted on the story.

  “Oh yeah!” Mara said, shaking her head.

  �
��Was it really bad? What happened?” Sydney asked, once again sitting on the edge of her seat.

  Just as Mara started to speak, a shadow fell across the table. All eyes turned to Risshi, who stood next to Mara with his hand extended. “Ready to go to our rooms?”

  “No!” They all shouted, all but Mara. She smiled and placed her hand in his.

  “Please don’t leave us hanging. What happened?” Sydney pleaded.

  “Next time,” Mara said as she glanced at the others. She needed a break from the painful memories.

  Chapter Two

  Mara

  “What was that about?” Risshi asked as they walked hand-in-hand to their rooms. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder.

  “We were talking about having Christmas in two weeks. Oh, Risshi, I’m so excited! I love Christmas; it’s my favorite holiday!”

  His eyes danced with humor as he looked at her and chuckled. “I can tell.”

  “The other girls and I will orchestrate it. It’ll be great!” she gushed.

  “I don’t know what this Christmas is, but I’m sure it will be great.” She smiled at him with warm, loving eyes. Risshi always made her feel as if she could do anything. He never treated her like a child; he treated her as an equal, as if she was important.

  As they entered their rooms, Mara once again admired her surroundings. Thick rugs covered the polished floors. Huge, colorful tapestries adorned the walls, and beautiful, heavy drapes covered the large windows. Her life had changed so much recently, but for the better. She missed her parents, but now she had a mate and a baby on the way.

  She walked over to the couch and gently lowered herself down. At almost six months pregnant, her stomach kept getting larger, making her more and more uncomfortable. She blew out a breath and rubbed her belly. “I can’t imagine how big I’ll get before the baby comes.”

  Risshi took a seat next to her and placed his hand over hers, the one covering her belly. His eyes glanced to their hands and then to Mara’s face. “You humans carry your young a long time.”

  Mara laughed, “I guess so, compared to your standards.”

  With Mara’s upturned face staring into Risshi’s eyes, they both sported a contented smile. A few more standard seconds and then Risshi’s eyes turned questioning. “Do you regret it?”

  “The baby?” Mara asked with confusion.

  “No. Do you regret last night?”

  Mara held his gaze a little longer. Last night had been wonderful. Risshi had been patient with her these past months. Daniel had left her partly broken, and then the Tureis had almost finished the job. Risshi never pushed her to talk to him, it just came naturally. They had spent many mornings and evenings sitting on his porch, watching the water. He was her anchor in the raging sea, her rock in the shifting sand. Someone who had never pushed and had slowly made her fall in love with him.

  When they had finally mated the night before, Mara had expected it to be uncomfortable, even painful again, but it was anything but. The pleasure she’d felt was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, and it made her look at sex in an entirely different way.

  “No, I don’t. Do you?”

  “No,” he said with a grin.

  “What about not being true mates? What if your true mate shows up one day?” This was a big concern of hers, something that weighed heavily on her mind, a weight she carried on her shoulders.

  He shrugged, “I love you, Mara. Besides, maybe we are true mates.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “I’ve listened to the others talk, and ours wasn’t anything like that.”

  “True,” Risshi said as he leaned back on the couch, draped his arm across her shoulder, and pulled Mara into his chest. “But maybe ours is different. I was attracted to you the moment I met you in the dining hall. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. Your dark round eyes, dark silky hair.” She turned her face to his and smiled as he told her more. “You were beautiful, and I wanted to always be near you. After all you had been through, you were still drawn to me. That’s how I convinced you to come back to the beach house with me.”

  He was right. She was drawn to him from the first moment they’d met. They all looked similar, the Azziarins, but to her, Risshi was much more handsome than the others. He had white flowing hair that reached his shoulders, blue cat eyes, and just the right amount of muscles. Yes, she was drawn to him, but after everything she’d been through, she didn’t trust herself—or him—but she didn’t fear him, either.

  “That’s true,” she grinned before turning a little so she could kiss him. Just the possibility of them being true mates made her ecstatic.

  Just as her lips touched his, he wrapped her in his arms and rained kisses from the side of her mouth and down her neck. She could feel his hard shaft pressing against her belly. The baby took offense and delivered a hard kick.

  Risshi sat back, blinked a couple of times and then looked down at her belly and said, “What was that?”

  Mara giggled. “The baby kicked you.”

  “It kicked?” he said with surprise.

  With a smile, she took his hand and placed it on her belly. “Yes, it kicked. Give him a minute and he’ll kick again.”

  It didn’t take long for the baby to kick under his hand. “I felt that!” he said as he looked at her with excitement. “Does that happen often?”

  “Sometimes. Mostly after I eat.” They shared a look, for just a moment, before she asked the dreaded question she had put off for so long.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with raising another male’s baby?” She had worried about this countless times but was always afraid to ask.

  “I won’t lie to you, Mara, I don’t like you carrying another male’s young. That would never happen here, it couldn’t.” She felt her heart stutter in fear. Maybe he would never accept her baby. It wasn’t uncommon on Earth. What would she do then? She couldn’t be with someone who didn’t accept her child. “Are you listening to me?” he asked, getting her attention.

  “What?”

  “I said, it would never happen here, it couldn’t. Now that we are mated, your young is now my young. It will be raised as mine, and I will be called Father. I demand that!”

  He fierce eyes told her he’d accept nothing less. Instant relief consumed her as the tears flowed freely down her face. She threw her arms around his neck and whispered, “Thank you.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and said, “So you agree?”

  “Yes!” She kissed his cheek. “I was so afraid that you would never accept him.”

  “Are we having a male?”

  She laughed, “I don’t know. I just call it a boy.”

  “Tomorrow, we will visit the healer together and find out.”

  “Okay,” she grinned.

  With a happy heart, her love for him swelled as she stared into his intense eyes. The air changed, electrified, as they sat there holding each other’s gaze. He watched as she licked her lips.

  “I want you,” he said with a deep, husky voice.

  She wanted him, too. Before she could say so, he scooped her up and carried her to their oversized bed. He sat her down and removed her shirt before taking his own off. Her eyes shot to his muscled chest just as he bent over and removed his black boots. Mara knew she was dripping wet just watching him undress. When he shucked off his britches, she grinned mischievously at his massive shaft standing at attention.

  “Your turn,” he said as he grabbed her elastic pants and pulled, dragging them down to her knees. She quickly kicked them off and crawled backward up to the head of the bed. He followed, crawling on his hands and knees until he sat between her spread legs. “You are beautiful, mate,” he said, mesmerized, while his fingers lightly caressed her silky-smooth skin, heading for the juncture between her legs.

  When Risshi plunged his thick finger inside her womanhood, Mara gasped from the sensation. When she opened her eyes, Risshi’s desired-filled ones were trained on her face. “I love looking at you
like this,” he said in a low, sexy voice.

  He pumped his finger in and out of her, his gaze never leaving her face. She moaned, and when she was about to come, he withdrew his finger. “Not yet. I want my tongue in you first.” Mara swallowed hard. Her first reaction was to say no, but she instead said, “I’ve never done that before.”

  “I know. It turns me on even more to know that I am the only one who will ever taste you.”

  Her desire mixed with embarrassment as she fought the urge to slam her thighs shut, not let him down there. He draped her legs over his shoulders, and when he barely touched his tongue to her nub, she whimpered in pleasure. It felt amazing! His tongue skimmed magical circles, and Mara tried to push her core closer to his mouth, but he wouldn’t let her. He drove her crazy with unabashed pleasure, all of her embarrassment forgotten. “I need more,” she whimpered. It felt so good, but she needed more. She wasn’t above begging, but she never got the chance. He speared her with his long tongue, drawing a moan from her parted lips. When she felt his tongue twist inside her, she cried out, “Oh my God!” and her eyes rolled back in her head as her orgasm hit fast and hard. She’d never felt anything like that before, not even the night before when they’d had sex for the first time. As her orgasm kept crashing through her, Risshi kept licking her juices and swirling his tongue inside and out.

  “You taste so good,” he growled as he crawled up her body. Sitting on his knees, he hooked his hands behind her knees as he spread her legs wider and plunged inside. With his eyes locked on her, he set a steady pace as he pumped his hips. It wasn’t long before Mara gripped the pillows on each side of her head so hard her knuckles turned white as she screamed out his name.

  She watched as he closed his eyes, threw his head back, and grunted with every pulse of his shaft. As he held his shaft deep inside her, she felt his hot release.