Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

JADE

M y huge and very sexy warrior hauls the tree inside the house as I finish hanging the mistletoe—or rather a sprig of Zyanthan fovi bush that’s as close to mistletoe as I could find in the local market. Sure, it’s fuzzy with small purple berries, but it looks more Christmassy once I tie it with a red ribbon and hang it from the ceiling in the living room where everyone will see it.

“It’s the largest tree I could find that will fit in our home, sholani,” Havok says, as he drags the pevani tree to the corner I’ve cleared for the tree.

The tree he chose is red. And it has leaves that curl in spirals. It’s not a pine, not even close. Though the red works for adding Christmas colors to our home. One look at Havok and that proud smile he wears melts my heart, though. He tries so hard to please me, and I’ve been talking incessantly about having our very own Christmas tree inside the house this year.

“It’s perfect, my sholan. Thank you.”

I want everything to be perfect for Christmas this year, or as close as it can be. We spent the last five celebrations at the homes of the other human-zyanthan couples we know, but this is our year to host. I’ve been scouring the Zyanthan markets, adapting whatever materials and products they have on Zyan to give our home the Christmas feel, though I’m not entirely sure what that entails. Ruby and I never had Christmas growing up. Last year, we went to Ruby and Torin’s house. They didn’t decorate, though they had a small tree with some paper figures she made herself. The year before, we were on Affinia, but Mak and Emily’s farm flooded, making Christmas more of a survival adventure. The year before that, McKenna and Remmikov threw a party. She had made stockings for everyone, which we still hang to this day. The best part has been being together, all of us, no matter what decorations we did or didn’t have.

Since we don’t have a fireplace, I hang our stockings from a windowsill. Santa will have to enter through the front door—once I convince Havok to wear the Santa suit McKenna made. I’m determined to give the kids, not just Clementine and Crispin and the other human-zyanthan children, a full Christmas, but the eeshone kids living at the Center for Eeshone children too.

I look up at the naked tree. “This is going to be the best Christmas ever. As soon as the kids get home from school, we’ll start making decorations!”

Havok’s comm vibrates and before he reaches for it, my spirits fall.

“Drekk. I have a mission in the morning,” he says after reading the message.

“Dangerous?”

“All missions are inherently dangerous, that’s why we go in place of soldiers.” He pulls me in against him, into his warmth. I melt when he does it, which is why he does it. Not to appease me precisely, but to reassure me. I get nervous every time he leaves.

“I will be fine, sholani.”

“But it’s Christmas next week. And everyone is coming here. Plus, it’s the first time the kids from the center will finally get to experience Christmas.” The eeshone kids have no family or rather none who want them. Technically, I’m in charge of seeing they’re taken care of, which is why they look at me as their mom. And by extension Havok as their father and role model. My sholan grew up here, his white hair and light horns, and light blue coloring stand out against a sea of deep blue zyanthans with their black hair and dark horns. Havok is proof to those kids that they can be more than what Zyanthan society expects of them.

“The mission is a short one. I will be home in time to do whatever you need of me.”

“We need you, my sholan. I need you. Here with me.”

I reach between us and stroke his cocks, gaining an immediate response as he hardens for me. I’m not being fair to him, not that he seems to mind, but making him feel bad about doing his duty is simply wrong of me. And yet I don’t stop touching him.

His horns curve back against his head, a sign he’s highly aroused.

“Have you decided what you wish for your present this year?” he asks as his hand slips beneath my shirt and caresses a breast. I’m not wearing a bra.

“Surprise me.”

Both hands slide behind me and curve over my ass. With ease, he lifts me and his cocks press against my core, offering a delicious friction. Once, twice, he rocks into me.

“You think that’s going to be my present?”

“It can be.”

His comm vibrates again, and he lowers me so he may respond to whoever it is. Likely Torin, his commander and my brother-in-law.

The decorations I bought, including presents for all the kids, sit on the table. Today was supposed to be wrapping day, but I think a little unwrapping is required.

I grab one of the bags and disappear into the bedroom to change while Havok finishes the call. I slip into the Santa’s Helper costume McKenna made for me, along with a few other special requests. I was going to save this surprise until next week, but if he has to leave tomorrow, I want to give him a proper sendoff. And if I’m being honest… motivation to return home quickly.

After checking the time to reassure myself the kids won’t be home anytime soon, I sashay into the living room where Havok has not only finished his call, but he has secured the tree on the stand he built yesterday. We have twelve-foot-high ceilings, and the tree reaches the very top. He left just enough room for a sixth-inch star, as I requested.

“It’s perfect,” I say, gazing up at the tree.

“Perfect indeed.” With one flick of his wrist, my sholan unfastens his pants and they drop to the ground. Two gloriously huge and hard cocks are standing at attention as I realize Havok’s not looking at the tree, but at me.