Page 42 of Purring, Presents, and Parties

“It only enhances the beauty already here,” he said with a purr. “But it’s more than the extra color on your face.”

Ari tilted her head questioningly as she met his gaze in the reflection. “I didn’t do anything different except style my hair.”

“It’s your eyes; they’re bright again,” Baz explained. Leaning over, he buried his face in her hair. “You glow with happiness again. I worried that part of you had been extinguished.”

Ari closed her eyes and lifted a hand to cup the back of Baz’s head. “I’m back,” she whispered as he carefully rubbed his scent glands into her hair. She wouldn’t have minded if he mussed up her hair, but he only tugged one more tendril free.

The smell of hazelnut filled the air, and she breathed in deep.

“Now I’m ready,” she said with a soft smile. “All I needed was my signature scent.”

Straightening up, Baz turned her to face him. “I’ve gotten a notice that almost everyone is gathered outside and ready to be let in.”

Ari pulled one of his hands off her shoulder and held it in her own. She turned toward the bedroom door, tugging him after her. “Then we better hurry!”

Baz let her set the pace. They weren’t far away from the massive tent the Talins had set up sometime the previous night. Everyone was curious about what was going on inside, but the Talins were so secretive they covered the items they carried in so no one could even guess.

Soon they were standing in a crowd of mostly humans, with a few Talins scattered among them. Ari made a disappointed sound as she took in the faces around her.

“I’m surprised Rain and Hes aren’t here,” she said.

“Hesarium was able to finally arrange a live link for Georgia to speak with Rain and the children,” Baz explained. “They’ll be here later.”

Ari didn’t stop frowning. “Zuri’s missing too.”

“I think Zuri and Kasium are, um, working things out,” Jalin said, coalescing out of the crowd to stand on her other side.

“What do you mean they’re work—oh!”

Jalin laughed at Ari’s expression. “He saw us coming out of the cottage and lost it. I thought I was about to be torn limb from limb, but then Zuri launched a bottle. It hit him right in the face, stopped him in his tracks. That girl is scary accurate!”

Baz sounded a worried rumble. “Should I check on them?”

Jalin shook his head. “I’m not worried. Zuri’s ready to throw down, and Kasium would never retaliate. They’ll either work it out, or he’ll come out of it with some missing plating.” Jalin went silent for a moment, thoughtful. “Or maybe both.”

Ari chuckled. “It’s about time Kasium pulled his head out of his ass.”

Baz sounded a sharp rattle of surprise. “That’s anatomically impossible.”

“But figuratively common,” Jalin responded, shifting the box he was holding from one hip to the other. Ari heard clinking and guessed there was a lot of moonshine waiting to be passed around when they were finally allowed inside the tent. Zuri might not be here, but she was still going to contribute to the merrymaking!

“I think something’s happening,” Jalin said as a hush fell over the crowd. They all turned to see the long side of the tent shimmer, stretch, then suddenly retract up to reveal the inside.

The three of them were near one end so Ari got a good view. Gasping, she covered her mouth with her free hand and tried to take everything in.

In the very middle of the tent were tables with massive amounts of food in somewhat familiar shapes. There was a platter with something that resembled a roasted turkey, bowls full of Earth-style salads, another that might be mashed potatoes, and so much more. All of it looked slightly off, either the shape, coloring, or both, but she could see that whoever had cooked tried very hard to make it resemble a holiday feast. Judging by the smells wafting to her nose, they’d gotten the flavors spot on!

Instead of tables, there were blankets and thick rugs covering the ground. In the middle of each blanket or rug was a stone pot with small fires inside, and hanging on the outside of the pots were oversized…gloves?

“There’s candy in here!” one of the children exclaimed, kneeling next to the fire pot and peering into the bulging glove. Like her, most of the humans were still standing outside and taking everything in.

Baz took her hand and led her to the front of the crowd. She tried to hang back, but instead of letting go of her hand, he reached over and picked her up.

“Greetings!” he said, addressing everyone with her cradled in his arms. Embarrassed, Ari hid her face against his neck. She wanted to protest but didn’t want to ruin his moment. “Tonight, we’ve tried to recreate an Old Earth holiday called Christmas! Our gastronomic scientist has done her best to make dishes you would’ve served. We’ve made a hearth for each family or group to gather around with enough gloves full of treats so every individual can have one. Later we will be visited by a special guest, but for now, enjoy yourselves!”

With that, Baz turned and strode into the tent. His words ended everyone’s hesitation, and the humans made their way inside, smiling, talking, and pointing as they took in the decorations. Hundreds of glass containers full of a glowingsubstance were hanging from the ceiling and lining three sides of the tent. They were all different shades of blue, and that combined with the mostly white rugs made it feel a little like a winter wonderland.

Baz carried her to a blanket that had some familiar pillows on it. After setting her down, he pointed to the pot. “That glove is specifically for you.”

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