Page 39 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
The roads were slick. She drove cautiously. Simple.
He paced from the front door to the kitchen in the back of the house. When the snow started to fall, he decided to be a considerate neighbor and salt her front steps. Then he remembered the light in the hallway had burned out, so he let himself in to change out the bulbs. Again, just being considerate. Then he emptied out the hampers and started a load of laundry. He did not paw through her dirty underwear because Odessa would never forgive him, and he certainly did not open the dresser drawer to inspect the neatly folded cotton panties.
His favorites were the black ones with pink polka dots, not that he looked.
And he did not find the adult fun-time box under her bed because that would be an abuse of her trust and privacy, so he basically forgot about the massive purple dildo. He saw nothing. He didn’t sniff it or imagine how delicious Odessa would look using the toy on herself. Totally pushed it from his mind.
Out of light chores and places to snoop, he called her phone, but it went to voicemail. Frustrated, he tossed the phone across the room. The glass cracked as it hit the wall. Worthless, fragile Earth tech. What was the point of a communication device that could not work during inclement weather?
The horn plate at the top of his head throbbed, his antlers demanding to be released. They had not ached in such a fashion since he was an adolescent and they responded to his heightened emotions.
The ancient chronicles claimed that bonded mates could sense each other’s emotions at a distance. He yearned for the ability to sense Odessa, to know if she felt distress or even irritation at working a long shift. Anything. Her aura had always been open to him, but he needed to be within close proximity to read her.
He needed to see her. He needed to find her.
With a groan, his antlers sprouted. A warm sensation replaced the brief pinch of pain. The familiar weight of his antlers helped him focus. His mate was out in the storm while he waited inside his warm and cozy dwelling. The dishonor of his inaction left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He would find his mate.
Mads flung open the door, already divesting himself of his garments to shift into his four-legged form. Odessa’s vehicle pulled into her garage. A second vehicle pulled in front of the house.
“Put those away, foolish calf,” Karl snapped.
Mads ignored his uncle. Odessa radiated unease and fear. Her aura glowed like a beacon, pulling him to her. He ran his hand through his hair, forcing his antlers back.
“Odessa!” Mads shouted, crossing the snow-covered lawn in his bare feet.
His mate seemed startled. “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt? Or shoes?”
He stood before her, every part of him demanding to embrace her and carry her to his den where he would keep her safe and warm. Her pulse jumped at her throat and the pounding of her heart was deafening.
Mads spread his arms in invitation.
She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him. Distress and frustration clung to her in a heavy miasma. He rubbed circles on her back, murmuring words of comfort.
“Where is Ruby?” he asked.
“With her grandparents. She’s fine. I had a flat.” Her voice was soft and uncertain, almost weak, and it pained him.
“Fascinating,” Karl said, somewhere behind him.
Odessa’s breath hitched in her throat.
“Fuck off,” Mads snarled. This moment was meant to comfort his mate and Karl upset her. He returned his attention to his mate. “Tell me what happened.”
She pulled away, hands wiping away tears. “God, he’s a creep.” Her eyes went wide. “Shoot. Sorry. If I’m not crying all over you, I’m insulting your family.”
The tip of her nose had turned red from the cold. He could not resist reaching out and lightly thumping the end. “You forget all the times you shout at me.”
“I’m sort of the worst, aren’t I?” A faint smile returned to her face and the miasma faded.
“Never, and if I must be honest, he is disturbing,” he admitted. Karl’s rambling at their last meeting nearly edged into ranting. Mads could not say if his uncle had always been thus or if the years alone from his herd had changed him.
“He creeps me out,” she said. “He stopped to help but, I dunno. I just don’t want to be alone with him. Ever.”
“I understand.” His mate didn’t like his uncle. Fair enough. He didn’t much like his uncle.
She considered him before responding, chewing on her bottom lip. “You have to be cold.”
