“I can’t,” Zabbie complained. “There is more to Christmas. His child mind is focused on things.” Zabbie slumped to the ground.
Titus placed his hands on his knees slouched over. His head throbbed. Zabbie was right, whatever made him hyper zapped him of strength. He never wanted sugar again. Damn. Yet his guilty gaze searched the area for one last chocolate Santa. The solitary candy cane stuck to his fur was plucked and devoured.
Chapter Six
Cy was right Zabbie realized. Dranos was focusing on things he could see in his thoughts, not what he understood. She needed him to think about other things that might help him steer in the right direction. Why were Cy and Titus suddenly thinking about their childhood? She smiled inward. Christmas had always been so magical when she was young. An idea occurred. She picked a quiet spot and sank crossed legged. Zabbie tuned out the world around her and concentrated and opened her mind. The fluttering’s of another in her thoughts made her smile, Dranos was listening. She pulled up memories of childhood Christmases. Sitting near the Christmas tree opening up presents from her mother and father. The smiles and laughter. The hugs and happy tears. Stories her parents told of their special memories from their own past. Love.
Horse drawn wagons in the snow were only parts of what made Christmas a gift. Hot chocolate with whipped cream, sprinkles, fun. Wishing not just for what you wanted but what you wished the world had. Wanting a child on another continent to be happy and healthy and safe. Wishing those battling would stop even for a second and reach out to extend a hand in friendship. Reaching to pet a dog who needed kindness. Finding an apple for a horse or a carrot for a rabbit. Smiling at a stranger and grinning at their smile.
Christmas was a time when people gathered at soup kitchens to aid the misfortunate. A time a warrior extended a hand in friendship not fear. Everyday miracles were so much more during the holiday season. A Santa who could sign to a deaf child. Embracing love when so many fought and were blinded by hate.
A building of feelings, a wonderment of what was to come washed over her. Hope, a hope so strong that the world would be okay no matter what was thrown at it. And though the Earth was dead, maybe, just maybe it would recover. Perhaps one day, new memories could be made. Then she realized memories were already being made. They were all together, her family and friends. Zabbie opened her heart so Dranos could see the love she held for him.
More memories came to mind when she became aware Dranos was excited by her thoughts and her childhood wishes. His innocence as he devoured sounds, sights, and tastes. The essence patterns were strong, even after all this time. Zabbie caught her breath as she felt her surroundings wash over her. Couples smiling. Children playing. Snow angels. She thought there would only be the fear and sadness surrounding her because of the way the Earth died. She was wrong. A man frolicked with his dog by a river. A grandmother held her newborn granddaughter to her breast.
Beautiful visions of wonder flooded her being. She beheld a miracle. It was no doubt what had drawn the other aliens to visit. They weren’t stealing mortar or rubble, they were taking sweet memories of long ago. An apartment building wasn’t what they longed for. It was the stunning essence of a happy family that once resided in the walls of a home. Tokens from her planet as one would collect seashells by the ocean. Handheld happiness. Did aliens long for a Christmas feeling of their own?
Zabbie tried to explain without words that Christmas was more than things. Even the aliens could feel the wonder in a hope-filled essence. If there were nothing but happy emotions, Christmas could be found. You didn’t have to wait for Christmas. If you could feel it, the holiday was already there. The emotion lingered in your heart as did a gone loved one.
Dranos slowly floated to the ground. One wing with a tiny hole. His wings though impressive were nothing near as large as the Anganos, folded, and were then out of sight. He was subdued and quiet. The female Angano embraced the child then stepped back. She smiled at all of them then vanished. Dranos raced into his mother’s arms.
“I’m so sorry, Mommy.”
Tempest held him close, her tears dripped from her chin. Titus, Cy, Ryker and Braylon hugged him as well. The boy was shaking. Wrapped in Dranos’s arms was a puppy—a wiggly, whimpering, rag-tag bundle of dark fur. The pup was bony and weak and reached up to lick Dranos on the chin.
“Did you create that?” Zabbie asked.
“No,” Dranos said. “The Angano found her. She said it was a gift for me. A Christmas gift that would always love me. The puppy was alone and scared. She was sad. Now she’s happy. I think she was waiting for me. Even a dog can hope. The Angano said a funny thing, though. She said having the pup was like having a kid who never grows up and never leaves home.”
Zabbie laughed. Perhaps the Angano were more like them than they thought. Dranos pulled the pup to his cheek and caressed her fur. Braylon walked over to him and picked him up, giving his brother a sound hug. Dranos was surprised but wrapped an arm around his brother’s neck.
“You scared all of us,” Braylon said and lowered his talons to nudge the pup’s wet tongue away.
“Even you?”
“Yeah even me. I thought we were goners when the Angano showed up. You’re a brave little guy. I’m happy you’re my brother.”
A million candles shone in Dranos’s eyes. Even if he didn’t find Christmas, he found the acceptance he wanted, Zabbie was so happy for him. It was time to go home.
* * * *
Zabbie lay listening to the wind howl through the trees. The blizzard was raging, but she was snuggled into her bed. The Christmas tree in the room was lit with soft glowing lights of varying colors. Titus added a few Zargonnii decorations he thought should be included. Zabbie smiled at the cup and spoon Titus’s father had made for him when he was a child. The set lay on a sturdy branch.
In the main living room was a live tree, young, about ten feet high. The roots had been dug up so the tree could be planted in the backyard after the holiday. Though Zabbie knew if the tree had its way it would remain indoors until spring. She had chuckled over its vanity as the tree preened in front of the glass seeing the lights glow and the tinsel shine. The tree sighed when it heard words such as stunning, amazing, brilliantly beautiful. Beyond their high fence was a huge behemoth of a tree that wore a strand of silver garland.
Christmas trees of old flashed into Zabbie’s memory. Light up nights, parades, friend’s parties, and stunning gala events. A celebration of laughter, love. How many times had she sat quietly gazing at the Christmas trees in her home? In the dead of night, she would sneak downstairs to turn on the lights and speak to the tree of its beauty. Zabbie was shocked for a second. Speaking to trees had come naturally when she was young, when had she stopped? She started again when she came to live with her warrior. Were Earth trees and Zargonnii trees so different? Perhaps Earth trees didn’t speak but while in the forest there was always a whisper in the air, a quiet excitement.
Zell had been tucked in under the decorated tree. Zell was the only male who could hear the whispers of the trees. The little tree adored her son and Zabbie smiled when a branch caressed a tiny open package decorated in gold paper. Zabbie had saved the small tree from Earth to give it a fighting chance. Maybe one day it could go home. For now, the little tree was adopted. Zell didn’t ask for any gifts, claiming his parents and planet were gift enough. The thoughtful teen, however, requested the tree he lay under as a friend. Both Zabbie and Titus agreed. A spot near their home was waiting outside Zell’s window. It was funny to think of all things Zell bonded with a tree. He didn’t want a pet, he wanted something he knew would last for thousands of years and watch over and be friends with his generation of children to come.
“What are you thinking?” Titus asked.
Zabbie smiled and rolled over. “I’m thinking how much I love you and Zell. I’m thinking about a trip to Bagron now that Cobra has lifted Dranos’s ban. Tempest and I would like to travel there together. After all, Dranos saved the Castians a
nd Tonans as well. It’s a relief knowing the skies will continue to be quiet. I’m thinking about how beautiful the tree is, and I think it’s cute the way Zell named the tree ‘Tree.’”
“You sure think a lot.”
“Well what were you thinking of?”
“Sex with my beautiful mate.”
“You sure don’t beat around the bush.”
“Did you have to say bush?”
Zabbie chuckled as Titus shifted to roll on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. His broad hairy white chest was warm and welcoming. His lips captured hers. Zabbie remembered their first kiss. Titus’s first kiss ever. Their encounter on the strange planet that lived for only so long before becoming a raging ball of fire seemed a lifetime ago.
When their kiss broke, Zabbie cupped his face in her palms. “Thank you for finding me so long ago. Thank you for being my hero.”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
His red eyes blazed warmth, heating her cheeks. Her knees were nudged apart and his hand lowered to sink fingers into her heat. When in battle mode those fingers had nails that grew into black claws but he was gentle and remained calm and unchanged.
“I love to feel your insides,” he whispered into her ear tickling her. “It’s as though I hear your body calling me to come inside. Be one with me.”
He was stroking her folds with a thumb making her squirm. Her breath became sharper with each thrust of a finger. When he added two more she groaned. He had the largest digits of anyone she knew.
“My insides are wet,” she said moaning.
“Really?” he teased. “Did you think I hadn’t noticed?”
He removed his fingers and settled onto her. Her body sank further into the mattress. His thick large cock found its way home and she cried out. His stroking was gentle at first. Zabbie pushed at his chest and nipped his neck. She heard him chuckle. Her brief struggle excited him as she hoped. His cock slammed into her, making her catch her breath. She pulled her legs up and yanked on his fine fur.
Titus roared and flipped her over, pinning her entire body. With an arm snug around her waist he thrust her hips into the air as he crashed into her. The thundering of his thighs against her washed out the sounds of the blizzard. But her head was turned to the side. She could see the merciless assault of the heavy snow as it plundered the ground.
The pounding of his cock grew to a frenzy as Titus went into battle mode. Zabbie was lifted from the bed at each thrust. Her moan built to a scream as she found her release. Her body shook and stilled. Titus slowed and rolled beside her.
“Zabbie?”
“Hmm?”
“I had no idea how many Christmas gifts you have given me through the years.”
Zabbie smiled. “Isn’t it wonderful you can carry a piece of Christmas with you at any time? The best part is a gift from the heart is most important. I think the best gifts in the universe are the ones you can’t wrap. Your voice, your smile, your love. You.”
“I’m a gift?”
“Zell is right. You, Zell, and our home is the best present I could hope for and I’ve had it all along. Looks like I taught myself something about Christmas too.”
She snuggled further into his embrace and drifted off listening to the music of the blizzard while she and her family were safe.
* * * *
“I found the magic of Christmas,” Dranos said as he bounded into their home the next day with his puppy in his arms. The pup was wiggling to get down and as soon as her feet hit the floor she raced around the room chasing nothing but air. “I could hear you talking as I walked, and I wasn’t as sad anymore. This puppy is a miracle mommy says, so I named her Miracle. Christmas can be seen and not seen. It’s not a tree, or presents, or shiny things. It’s not food or religion to me. You only have to look inside yourself. Find a good feeling but more important share the good feeling. I like Christmas. My mommy says she’s happy for me because she wants me to stay put. It’s not easy keeping parents happy. They’re a lot of hard work.”
Dranos bounded outside where his brother, Zell, Ryker, and Brave waited. The puppy slipped through the glass chasing after him and dove face-first into the snow, making the two adults chuckle. Titus saw more snow fall. Zabbie wasn’t ready to let winter slide by, and he was glad. Zabbie explained movies to him and as he watched his son make a snow angel, Titus wondered if making memories was somewhat the same. For the rest of his life he would remember their search for Dranos and Christmas. He wrapped an arm around his mate while they stood smiling together.
“I also found the magic in Christmas,” Titus said. “We experienced it. The life-like pictures we could interact with. An enemy extending her hand in friendship. Unselfish acceptance between rivals even if it is only to survive. Thank you for this experience. Everything I need or want is within these walls and on this planet. And thank you for never making another fruit cake again. That stuff is nasty, the shit sucks all the spit from your entire face.”
Zabbie smiled up at Titus, her chin resting on his chest. “I have a Christmas gift for you.”
“You are all I need, you and Zell.”
“Sorry I can’t return this gift.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure. But we’ll find out in less than nine months.”
Titus’s eyes widened and he whooped. He clutched Zabbie to his chest. “Zabbie?”
“There is the barest whisper inside me.”
“What does it say?”
“I’m here.” Her smile deepened. “I wonder what new power this little one will bring.”
Titus placed his hand onto her belly and smiled.
“You’re right, there is more than just magic in Christmas. There are miracles. Children are our greatest miracles. My heart is so filled with love and light. Every day I see you and Zell and those I care about smile is a gift. I understand why Christmas is so important to you and why you say, ‘Merry Christmas.’ I feel very merry. The journey was amazing. You can always find Christmas. It’s been here all along. You only need look no further than your heart, and not your head. Because I think the heart is far wiser.”
When they kissed, Zabbie sighed. A snowball hit the window, startling them. Titus laughed and raced outside. His backyard was filled with laughing children. If Christmas had a sound—this would be it.
The End.
About the Author
I love to write about everything and can’t wait for an idea that grips me and sends me to a new place. Between worlds keeps me busy, that and chasing after my children and grandchildren. Plus one ornery 116-pound mastiff who thinks he’s a lap dog. Welcome into my adventures, and hang on!
http://clscholey.com
[email protected]
https://twitter.com/clscholey
So many people have been asking about my New World BK9, I thought I’d share the Prologue so you know I’m not remaining idle! I hope you enjoy this sneak peek.
New World BK9: Stealth
Coming February 2018
Prologue
The hospital lights were dim as the world outside hammered against the sealed windows and doors. Weather the likes Caris had never seen before screamed in fury as it assaulted with a vengeance trying to invade the indoors, a battering ram of doom. She would have been less frightened of an axe murderer, at least then she’d have a fighting chance. Splashes of rain the size of snowballs smashed the glass mercilessly, cracking it in places, shattering others, and triumphantly seeking entry, to drip its wet glassy way down the windowsill.
What she could see of the day was blackish-gray. The ground beneath her feet trembled as though filled with terror; Caris knew she was. Her breath caught and held as she gazed around. Tina, a friend and nurse, was watching her with little three-year-old Cooper in her arms. The boy’s red tousled hair sported an untamed cowlick. His eyes rounded in horror. Caris’s heart ached for the little one who had already suffered so much trauma.
“We can’t stay here.”
&nbs
p; The intense fear on the normally unshakable doctor’s face as he shouted to be heard, rattled Caris to the core. Doctor Doug was a sea of tranquility during the worst of times and they were at their worst now. Death was coming for them all. Mother Nature had turned into the Grim Reaper. Caris could no longer tell if the screaming she heard was human or the wind racing to find its way into her bones, her very soul.
“We can’t go outside,” Caris yelled, also trying to make herself heard. A spattering of rain soaked her face which she swiped at with a tired motion. Small puddles were forming near her feet.
The point of being inside or out was becoming moot as the outside began to invade inside as gusts howled through cracks whipping at the curtains, knocking over anything not tied down. Earth was a volatile place on all continents. Little had been spared, plants, domiciles, food, and people. Tonans came in droves promising protection on the planet Ulsy. Caris volunteered at the hospital wanting to be useful. Her wealth meant nothing now; money was useless. You couldn’t buy time. Aid was a miracle, a gift of giving, ten thousand times more coveted than gold.
The Tonans refused to take the sick or injured. They left behind the old, and many men and boys. The frightened faces of the ill hurt her heart. Caris knew the Tonans were evil, they had to be if they refused a three-year-old boy sanctuary in his final days. It was rumored, however, the Tonans could heal female children. Whether it was true or not Caris had no idea. But why cure only females? Were they incapable of healing males?
The boy had thin arms wrapped around Tina’s neck. She gently hugged him to her chest. Caris had grown to love the boy, a real fighter. His blue eyes were wet with unshed tears, he almost never cried, she wondered if he thought no one would care. She reached to squeeze his leg in a comforting gesture. The action earned her a wan grin. Love filled her heart and she hoped he could see it, she needed him to know before he died he was special.
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