Page 69 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas
“We do not have a moment. The glint-weapon’s effects are limited, so I want to go now. Otherwise, people will slowly awaken, and we will have to fight them, and killing the entire population of this wasteland will take all day.”
Xane ignored Hathgarr’s complaints and backtracked to Sadie’s still form. He swept her up into his arms, murmuring soothing words into her hair. She was so small, for someone who took up so much space inside of him. His lips brushed her forehead, and he carried her towards his brother’s ship.
“What in the netherworld have you got there?” Hathgarr demanded impatiently. “Leave it! There is nothing on Corono worth taking with us, brother.”
“You will think differently when you meet her.”
Hathgarr’s eyes sharpened, as Xane drew closer. His scowl slipped away, revealing absolute astonishment. His mouth literally sagged open, as he caught her scent. Under other circumstances, it would have been comical. “Holyphlarge!” He blurted out. “You reallyhavefound a woman.”
His shout drew the attention of the other men. Within seconds, they were all gaping at Xane, shocked that the Rtaharion who’d never quite fit in had returned to them with a female in his arms.
Xane held Sadie against his chest, his eyes on his brother. “This is my wife.” He announced proudly. “This is Sadie Malone.”
Hathgarr moved forward, like he just couldn’t help himself. “You were abducted to the armpit of the galaxy, enslaved and marked for death… And you emerge holding a wife?” Gazing down at Sadie’s peaceful face, he made a flabbergasted sound. “A wife withbrownhair? How is that possible?”
“Sadie made it possible. She makeseverythingpossible.” It was the bare truth. “Her species is called ‘human.’ I’ve come to believe they are the most extraordinary women in the universe. Every male should have one.”
Hathgarr’s hand came up to grip Xane’s shoulder, giving him a “well-done” squeeze. It was possibly the biggest sign of approval the other man had ever shown him. The RavagingDeath King was not one for sentiment. “Is there anyone else on this planet worth saving?”
Xane’s mind went to Lord C’don. The Vipri was desperate to return to the shaded pools of his home world. It would be simple enough to cart him and his spoiled heir aboard Hathgarr’s ship. Xane could easily save them from this purple desert hellscape forever.
Too bad those duplicitous little shits had endangered Sadie.
“No.” Xane said easily. “There’s no one else I wish to rescue.”
Hathgarr grunted, his eyes still on Sadie. “A shame. More beings like this one would be welcome. Where do these hu-mans come from?”
“Sadie calls it the ‘Milky Way.’ We call it ‘Nythtar Omega.’”
As he suspected, Hathgarr was not pleased with the news. “That backwater?” He made a face, but then quickly relented with a sigh. “Well, no being is perfect, I suppose. Not even when she has hair like this one. You will just have to help your wife overcome her grim origins.”
Xane ignored that arrogant opinion. If he didn’t ignore all the arrogant opinions Hathgarr shared, it would be impossible to speak to him, at all. Besides, he had more pressing issues to confront. “Brother?”
“Yes?”
Xane hesitated. He hated that he had to ask the next question. Everything in him wanted to shut up. To just take his exquisite wife back to his ranch and never, ever let her go. Thosedamn caring feelings wouldn’t let him, though. They wished for Sadie to be happy, even at the expense of his own desires.
Xane took a deep breath. “Can your ship find a planet named Earth?”
Chapter Nineteen
Good King Hathgarr came from the sky, as they ran out of fuel,
Brightly shone the moon that night, though the octopus was cruel.
From “Good King Hathgarr”
A Christmas Carol for Non-Earthlings by Sadie Malone
Sadie was surrounded by aliens who looked like Xane.
Well, they weren’t as handsome as Xane, but the horns and four-arms were pretty similar. A very large man with braided hair looked themostlike Xane. It was no surprise at all when he turned out to be Hathgarr. The turquoise eyes were distinctive.
“Hi!” She beamed up at him, disregarding the odd-shaped skulls dangling from his belt like trophies. She’d woken up from the glint-weapon, feeling great. Now she was ready to meet her new brother. “Thanks so much for the rescue.”
Nothing.
Hathgarr scowled at Sadie, like he was trying to drill through her brain with his eyes.
