Page 29 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas
Arousal ached like an open wound. He reached down to press the heel of his palm against his painful erection, but there was no willing it away. Rest would be impossible when he was in this state. He couldn’t leave the room to find relief, though. Itwas too dangerous to leave Sadie alone and undefended. He was stuck.
Xane snorted in grim amusement. Hathgarr would laugh if he could witness this pitiful situation. His older brother enjoyed watching him suffer for his foolish ideas.
Heading over to the bed, Xane arranged himself on the very edge of the mattress. He’d get no rest. He knew it. His longing for his new wife would all come to nothing. He knew that, too. Technically, men were always allowed to touch their wives. It was part of the marriage bargain. But if Sadie said she wouldn’t have sex with him, then they wouldn’t have sex. What he wanted from his happy, beautiful wife could only be given freely.
He’d rather lie in agony next to Sadie than stand resiliently alone, though. He’d get so few nights with her. He didn’t want to waste even one of them apart. He’d simply rest beside her and keep her safe. That was very logical. If he dwelled a bit too long on his fantasies, it mattered not. He was in total command of himself.
Five minutes into his vigil, Sadie shifted in her sleep.
Xane glanced over at her, worried that her restless movements meant that she was having a nightmare. He did not like that thought. Someone so pure deserved nothing but perfect dreams.
“Rest easy.” He murmured. “I am with you.”
That must have reassured her. Sadie made a small sound and rolled closer to him. She didn’t even open her eyes. She just burrowed against his chest. A contented, sleepy sigh escaped her.
Xane no longer recalled how to breathe.
One tiny hand lifted to rest on his arm. Comforted, but not truly awake, Sadie relaxed again. Like she instinctively trusted him to keep her safe. She drifted into deeper sleep, cuddled beside his huge body, as if she’d always belonged there.
Shedidbelong there.
Two of Xane’s arms wrapped around her protectively. Possessively. Another hand brushed over her exotic brown hair, marveling at its softness. His fourth arm was the one she was resting her palm on, and nothing could make him pull free of her touch. Caressing her soothed him in ways he couldn’t explain. He knew that he would never again sleep comfortably without Sadie beside him.
His wife.
“I am with you.” He repeated, his lips brushing her forehead.
Only one in a million beings ever grabbed the most glorious futures that the Fating Gods dangled. The brightest, most alluring paths were always the most treacherous. Only fools risked them. And even for those stupid enough to try, the prize at the end was forever out of reach of nine hundred, ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine of them.
Which meant one man got the prize.
Itwaspossible. The odds were poor, but some fortunate son of a bitch would have his wildest dreams come true. For one man in a million, the Fating Gods rewarded the reckless gamble with the best-of-all-possible futures.
He just had to be willing to die for a chance at it.
Chapter Eight
Oh, spaceship tree,
Oh, spaceship tree,
How space-y are thy branches.
From “Oh, Spaceship Tree”
A Christmas Carol for Non-Earthlings by Sadie Malone
Sadie woke up in a much brighter mood. Fresh from the deepest sleep she’d had in weeks and having a plan to escape this planet, she felt positively rejuvenated.
It was Christmas Eve, and she was determined to salvage what was left of the holiday. She’d been terrified and depressed for the last month, so she’d written off enjoying even a moment of her favorite time of year. But now things were looking up. Now she had Xane. She suddenly wanted to show him all her favorite parts of the Christmas season.
“We should decorate a tree.”
Xane didn’t seem to hear her, his gaze fixed on the overcast orange sky. Plumes of sand were blowing all over the desert, cutting way down on visibility. It wasn’ttoobad where they were, but it was definitely a raging purple dust storm closer to the town. “This weather is good for us. Most men will stay indoors. That gives us more time to remain hidden, while we wait for the Vipri to awaken.”
They were in the control room, which was the biggest space on the ship. It had an oblong windshield thingy that afforded a depressing view of the arid landscape. The room itself was filled with countless buttons, weird-looking monitors, and bizarre, liquid-filled tanks that glowed with glowing moss.When she was in there, Sadie did her best never to touch anything. She had no idea what any of it did, and they’d probably need it to fly in outer space. Breaking it would be bad.
“We should decorate a tree.” She repeated in a louder tone.
