Page 19 of Grumpy Dragon Christmas

The mayor rubs his broad chin, eyes narrowed but not leaving me for a seccari. I’m planning my exit from the chamber when he releases a sigh.

“If I do this, what will you do for me?”

I tap the collar, and it chimes with a warning. “You already have me under control until after the celebrations. What more could you want from me?”

“You’ve proved you’re more than capable of being disruptive and destructive regardless of any control,” the mayor says.

He’s frozen the screens at the moment I’m clearly being shocked by the collar and brought to my knees. The scattered stalls and horrified faces of the Kitchik inhabitants are in stark relief.

“So, if I do this for the female, will you behave? Not cause any further problems?”

I grin, even if my entire head hurts. “Provided she is moved in the next turn, you have my word I will not disrupt the celebrations.”

I’m going to ensure they’re unable to take place at all.

JADE

Iwake up, and for once, I don’t want to lose my most recent meal. Instead, after I’ve bathed and dressed, I feel relaxed, loose limbed, as if I could take on anything.

I haven’t felt like this since I was abducted. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt like this in my entire life.

It’s then I feel the kick. It’s a flutter, but it’s coming from within me. My hand flies down to my stomach, and I hold it there as the roll continues for a few moments.

At once, I’m elated. I don’t know what species my baby is going to be, but I know I’m going to love being a mum. Even if I did promise myself I’d never do this alone, the love and the home my mother provided for me is something I am going to pass on to my little one.

“We can do this,” I whisper to my bump. “I have to do this.”

Whatever my mum might have thought of my current predicament, I know she would have supported me regardless. And my sadness she isn’t here is tempered by relief her untimely death from cancer means she didn’t have to go through any pain of losing me to the aliens. It’s only a spark. I’d rather have her alive than anything else, if I had the choice.

Drekkan is, not surprisingly, missing. Why I thought the big red Sarkarnii would be anything other than as flaky as hell, I have no idea. He’s probably off having a good snarl at some unfortunate creature. Or eating again. His two favorite past times.

My face flushes at the memory of how he drew an orgasm from me without even trying. And how I responded to him.

Before I fell asleep.

I’m trying to work out which was ruder, my slumber or his disappearance, when there’s a knock at my door. This time, the thing doesn’t open until I reach it, but when I do, I’m confronted by Qrow and at least five other burly looking aliens, significantly taller than him, pale blue and with short horns poking out of their hair.

“Can I help you?”

“You’re moving out,” Qrow says with a grin. “You don’t need to pack. My friends will do all of that for you.”

“I don’t have much…what do you mean moving out? I’m staying here, on Kitchik. I don’t want to move.” I look at the door, wondering how I can get it to shut again.

“You’re not movingoffKitchik. The mayor has just assigned you a larger dwelling.”

“He has?” I shake my head.

“He has. When he heard about the young you are carrying, he insisted,” Qrow says, shoving his arm in mine, and with a strength his size belies, he levers me out of the doorway and down into the street as the others enter behind us.

“I don’t really need a bigger place,” I protest weakly.

“If the mayor wants to help you out, don’t push back,” Qrow says with a grin. “Anyway, while they get your new place ready, do you want to go meet Gelvira?”

“Gelvira?” I query.

“The Velvero clothes producer from the market, the one you spoke to yesterday.”

“Oh. Yes!” I brighten. “Gelvira.” I repeat her name.

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