The Alien Reindeer’s Bounty (A Winter Starr Book 6)

by Nancey Cummings

  The Alien Reindeer’s Bounty

  Nancey Cummings

  Starr Huntress

  Menura Press

  Copyright © 2019 by Nancey Cummings

  Cover design by Nancey Cummings

  The Alien Reindeer’s Bounty

  A Winter Starr #6

  Published November 2019

  Published by Meaner Press

  All rights reserved.

  This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book only. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printer or electronic form without prior written person from the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction and all people, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. All characters depicted in this work of fiction are eighteen years of age or older.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Foreword

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Also by Nancey Cummings

  About the Author

  Foreword

  Mads + Odessa = 4EVA

  Except forever ended when Mads kissed Odessa, bit her, and then ghosted her.

  Twelve years later, he’s back and looking to pick up where they left off.

  Um, no thank you. Odessa has more to think about than her own heart. She’s now a single mom and can’t afford to get involved with a man with a track record of vanishing.

  It doesn’t matter that he’s haunted her dreams for years. Or that when they’re together, she feels like she can finally breathe. And it certainly doesn’t matter that her traitorous body craves his touch.

  Besides, Mads hoards secrets like they’re made of chocolate.

  One, he’s an alien shifter. Like he turns into a reindeer with antlers and everything.

  Two, that bite made them bonded mates.

  And the third secret is the most dangerous of all.

  How can they have a second chance at love when the sins of the past threaten to tear them apart?

  Introduction

  The authors of Starr Huntress were given a challenge: give readers a reindeer shifter in your holiday story. We all agreed to call our shifters "reilendeer" and decided they bring good cheer to the world around them... and then we went crazy! You might notice differences about the world and abilities of the reilendeer from story to story, and that’s because each author has put her own spin on the challenge. Now it’s time to grab your eggnog, cuddle up by the fire, and enjoy these steamy alien shifters.

  Content Warning:

  I normally don’t pay content warnings any mind, but this book has some stuff in it that’s different from my other books. I thought a heads-up would be good.

  ● Physical and verbal abuse of a child

  ● Alcoholism

  ● Violence against women

  ● Abduction

  ● Murder - like four of them.

  ● On page sex (because I like what I like).

  The child abuse happens in one scene early on and is referred to throughout the book. Things start out rough for Mads and Odessa but they get their well-earned Happily Ever After.

  Chapter 1

  Odessa

  Twenty Years Ago

  Following the high silvery sounds of a flute, Odessa stomped through the leaves littering the forest floor. Her mom warned her not to wander too far and made her wear the ugly orange sweater for the hunters, but Odessa wasn’t scared. She walked the deer trails hundreds of times and knew this part of the forest like it had been etched onto her bones. She’d seen loads of interesting things, mostly bunnies, deer, and foxes, but she never heard music like this.

  The thin, wavering notes sounded like something out of a dream, a dream she wanted to remember but forgot when she woke. The music pulled her toward a clearing.

  A boy wearing antlers sat on a fallen log. His eyes were closed as he played. He had dark hair, shaved at the sides but wild on top.

  The song repeated. Odessa wanted to sway in place or dance or sing, needing to be part of what the boy created.

  His eyes opened and he dropped the flute.

  “Don’t stop. I liked it,” she said.

  He grabbed the flute—only the black metal tube didn’t look like a flute but she hadn’t seen a flute in real life, so what did she know—and jumped up from the log, clutching the instrument to his chest.

  “Your headband is really cool. It looks so real,” she said.

  They stared at each other, the girl in the bright orange sweater and the boy with antlers.

  “You can touch them if you want,” he said. His words were clumsy and heavy with an accent, like English was not his first language.

  Her fingers brushed the antlers, finding them soft, almost as if they were coated in velvet. This close, she realized she was a little taller than him and he smelled nice, like pine needles and smoke.

  “I haven’t seen you in school before. Did you just move here? I’m Odessa, by the way. I’m ten and I live over there.” She pointed toward her home.

  “I’m home-schooled,” he said. “I like your sweater. The color, I mean. It’s bright, like you.”

  Odessa smiled because she knew no one liked the ugly orange sweater and he was lying to be nice. “I like you too. Where do you live? Do you want to come to my house? We can play Mario.”

  “My father said I’m not ready to meet humans yet.” He paused, then added, “Or strangers.” The boy frowned, trying to think around the problem.

  “We’re not strangers. I’m Odessa Muller. My parents own the grocery store in town. We know everyone,” she said with authority.

  “I’m Mads Sommerfeldt. Maybe you can come to my house and then we won’t be strangers.”

  The girl with the ugly sweater and the boy with the antlers walked out of the forest, hand-in-hand, friends but also strangers.

  Eighteen Years Ago

  “Mads, come here for a minute.” Dad popped open the trunk and motioned for Mads to join him.

  Odessa saw the pair of ice skates he put in the trunk that morning. Saying nothing, she hauled her own skates over her shoulder and made for the bench.

  “Odessa’s cousin plays hockey. He outgrew these. I thought they might do for you.” Dad held out a pair of obviously not-used hockey skates.

  Mads’ eyes went wide, then narrowed, like he was trying to decide if the gift of skates was amazing or an insult. He clutched his old pair of skates, cracked black pleather held together by pride, to his chest. They barely fit and Odessa just didn’t understand why Mads’ dad didn’t get him a new pair.

  “It’s just a thought,” Dad said, closing the trunk.

  “No!” Mads muttered something in Norwegian—he was so cute when he did that—and nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Hurry up, I wanna skate,” Odessa said, lacing up her boots.

  “Wanna race? I bet I’ll be super fast in these.” Mads flopped down on the be
nch, already kicking off his worn sneakers.

  “Pfft. I’m so much faster than you.”

  Fourteen Years Ago

  Evening provided no relief from the sweltering summer heat. Odessa lay on the grass next to Mads, their heated skin nearly touching. She ignored the pricks and pokes as the dry, brittle blades scratched against her bare arms. In the midst of a drought, the world took on a wilted, browning tint. They needed rain, desperately, but the cloudless skies provided the perfect canvas for stargazing.

  “That one is Capricorn. It’s like an upside-down triangle,” he said, pointing to a cluster of stars.

  She tried. She really did, but her imagination couldn’t connect the dots. “I don’t see it.”

  “It’s like a ram’s head with the horns.”

  “Just looks like a bunch of dots,” she said. Beautiful dots, but dots.

  “How about Cygnus? It’s like a cross with wobbly arms.” He oscillated his arms to demonstrate.

  “Nope.”

  “Constellations are really important. It’s how ancient civilizations used to navigate. That’s your heritage up there.” He sounded so serious, so intense that she couldn’t help but turn her head to look at him.

  Soft moonlight glowed on his face, highlighting the sharpness of his cheeks and the fullness of his lips. Black lashes drew attention to icy blue eyes, the dark contrast captivating. His dark hair tumbled over his forehead in uncontrolled waves.

  No one should be that pretty.

  His gaze caught hers and the moment stretched out. He smiled and a warm, melty sensation unrelated to the heat overcame her. Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to kiss her? Yes. Yes. So much. Panic briefly fluttered in her chest, unsure what to do to let a boy know he should kiss her. She licked her lips, his eyes focused on her mouth.

  “We’ve got GPS now. If I ever have to navigate by starlight, I’m screwed,” she said, wincing at her words.

  Smooth.

  He laughed, turning his gaze back to the stars. Odessa sighed with relief. Crushing on her best friend was stressful beyond belief. She needed to get over it because he didn’t think of her the same way. Well, she assumed so. Not that she’d ever have the balls to confess her feelings. So embarrassing.

  “I wonder which one I’m from,” he said.

  “We’re from Earth, ya dork.”

  “One hundred percent Earthling.” He grinned, turning that overwhelming beauty toward her, and she felt like the most important girl in the universe. There was no getting over that addictive rush.

  His grin vanished and the intensity of his gaze ratcheted up until the air practically vibrated with tension between them. Odessa licked her lips, aware that Mads tracked the progress of her tongue.

  She leaned in. He leaned in. This was it. This was happening.

  “Mads—”

  “But what if I was an alien?”

  He pulled away and ran a hand up the back of his head, mussing his hair. She rolled her eyes and the tension vanished.

  “You’re not an alien. Everyone feels that way.” That was like Teenager 101. Basic stuff.

  “My family’s not from here. Sometimes it feels like I’ll never find my place.”

  “Your family’s from Norway, not Mars.”

  “Something like that,” he muttered.

  Thirteen Years Ago

  Odessa sipped from the bottle of light beer, grimacing. Mads shoved the bottle in her hand, despite knowing the vile brew did nothing for her.

  Speaking of—

  Her best friend and invitation to this cool kids’ party had vanished on her. That had been happening more and more often. They no longer hung out in the same social circles at school and new, more popular people wanted his attention. At least he thought to invite her in the first place but giving her a beer bottle to clutch all night wouldn’t make her cool or able to speak without saying something embarrassing.

  Moving like an invisible wraith through the crowd, she found the kitchen and dumped the beer down the sink. She rinsed the bottle out and filled it with tap water.

  She didn’t know how Mads did it. Despite being incredibly dorky, his natural charisma drew people in. Or maybe he always seemed so interested in what people had to say, always asking questions. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew she didn’t have it.

  “What are you doing?”

  Odessa turned around, her cheeks burning, and tried to hide the water-filled bottle behind her back.

  Jamie Becker, Mr. Varsity Football and genetic superstar with his all-American good looks, watched her with amusement. “Are you pretending to drink beer?”

  “No. I mean, I was going to, but I haven’t yet, so technically no,” she managed, stumbling over her words.

  “Technically no.” He grabbed the bottle from her and examined the label. “Well, this is practically water anyway. No harm, no foul,” he said, returning the bottle to her.

  She clutched it to her chest, unsure what to say.

  He planted a hand on either side of her, gripping the counter, and leaned in. He smelled nice. Well, it smelled of cigarettes and stale beer, but under that, the him part of his odor, was nice, like milkshakes and bubblegum.

  “How about we get out of here?” he asked.

  “But the party—”

  “My friends are only interested in drinking until they puke and that’s boring. Let’s go somewhere quiet, where you don’t have to pretend to drink beer. I want to know what goes on in your head, Odessa Muller.”

  Wait, Jamie Becker was interested in her? No way. No freaking way. Popular, good-looking guys like Jamie didn’t give dorky girls like her a second glance, but here he was, practically undressing her with his eyes.

  Odessa shifted, uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

  “There you are!” Mads appeared at her side, frowning at Jamie. “We have to leave.”

  “Now?” She took a swig from the water-filled bottle, trying to play it cool, even though she desperately wanted to go only minutes ago.

  “Now,” Mads said.

  “I can take her home,” Jamie said. He and Mads stared at each other like two wolves working out who was the alpha.

  “My parents will freak out if I’m not home soon,” she said, breaking the tension.

  “Are you sure?” Jamie touched her lightly on the elbow and Mads snarled. “What the hell, man? Relax. I’m just being friendly.”

  “Let’s go.”

  As Mads pulled her away, she tossed a weak smile over her shoulder to a confused Jamie.

  Twelve Years Ago

  “Dessa, wake up.” Cool breath blew across her face, tickling her nose.

  “Stop it,” she said, refusing to open her eyes.

  “Wake up before I drag you out of this bed,” Mads said. He would. He’d done it before, grabbing her by an ankle and pulling until her butt hit the floor.

  Odessa reluctantly opened her eyes, finding Mads’ grinning face inches from hers. “How the hell did you get in my room?”

  “Through the window.” Mads hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

  “I’m on the fourth floor.”

  He snorted. “Like that was a challenge.”

  “So many questions.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned. “One, some best friend you are. I was sleeping.”

  “Not a question, and you were sleeping the day away. Come on. We have things to do.” He jumped up, wearing worn jeans that hung low off his hips and a thin T-shirt. The shirt rode up, exposing his firm stomach and the dark trail of hair leading down—

  Down, girl. Mads was her best friend and he didn’t think of her that way. Unfortunately. When they were younger, he climbed through her bedroom window and crawled into bed with her—granted, that hadn’t happened since they were twelve—but it always remained strictly platonic. Clothes on, no touching other than fighting for mattress space and the blanket. They weren’t kids anymore.

  Oh, and she was in college now and lived an hour away.

  “Que
stion two, what are you doing here? You should be at work.” She wore reindeer-printed pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt. Super seductive, right?

  Mads grinned at the pajamas. “Work is boring. Everything is boring without you, so I’m taking a field trip. Dress warm. We’re going on an adventure today.”

  “Very funny,” she said. He never missed a day of school. “Mister Perfect Attendance is skipping work.” He had never missed a day of school. A thought struck her. “Did you run away from home? Does your dad know you’re here?”

  He shrugged. “I told him I had some things to take care of today.”

  “So, he doesn’t know you drove an hour to break into a girls’ dorm before dawn.” No doubt Mr. Sommerfeldt would pin the blame on Odessa. He’d taken a dislike to her in the last few years.

  “Let’s go sledding.” He picked up a notebook from her desk and flipped through it.

  “Who are you, and what did you do with Mads?”

  “Very funny.” He tossed himself on the bed, arms folded behind his back. “Why is your bed so much comfier than mine?”

  “Girl magic.” Also, her mattress wasn’t filled with concrete and she piled on the fluffiest comforters and blankets.

  Odessa grabbed her clothes and dressed in the bathroom. When she returned, Mads was full-on snooping through her books. “Find anything interesting?”

  He shrugged again. She went off to college that fall and Mads worked with his father. The state university was only an hour away from home, but Odessa and Mads couldn’t hang out the way they used to. They texted every morning and every night, but it wasn’t the same.