Page 49 of Prize for the Alien Grumpus

Tiffany holds up a midnight blue silk neglige. "For about twenty seconds before it ends up on the floor."

My face burns, but I take the robe. The silk feels cool against my skin, and the color...

"It matches his..." I catch myself. "Eyes."

"Perfect!" June claps. "Now let's find something to go under it."

I browse through the racks, ignoring the costumes and focusing on simple, elegant pieces. A lace-trimmed chemise catches my eye. The same deep blue as the robe, with delicate silver threads woven through the fabric.

It reminds me of starlight on alien worlds I've never seen.

"That's the one." June nods approvingly. "Classic. Sophisticated."

"Very you," Tiffany agrees.

I run my fingers over the lace. For the first time since we entered the store, everything feels right.

I hug June and Tiffany tight outside the mall entrance, breathing in their familiar perfumes one last time.

"New Year's Eve," June says. "No excuses this time."

"Bring Kevin," Tiffany adds with a wink. "We need to meet this miracle man properly."

"I'll ask him." The thought of Krampus at a New Year's party makes me giggle. "Though he might be busy that night."

"Doing what?" June raises an eyebrow.

"Important... business things." I wave vaguely and hurry to my car before they can ask more questions.

The drive home feels lighter somehow. Christmas music plays on the radio - "All I Want for Christmas is You" - and for once I don't change the station. My fingers tap the steering wheel in time with the beat.

A glance at the pink Victoria's Secret bag in my passenger seat sends a flush of heat through my whole body. The silk and lace peek out just enough to remind me what's inside. What it means.

The streetlights catch the silver tissue paper, making it sparkle like stars. Like the ones Krampus must have seen on his travels through space. I wonder if Earth's Christmas lights remind him of distant galaxies.

I hum along with the radio, imagining his face when he opens his "present." Will he understand what it means? Or will I have to explain Earth courtship rituals again?

The thought should make me nervous. Instead, it just makes me smile wider. For the first time in years, I'm actually lookingforward to Christmas. To decorating cookies with Sam. To watching holiday movies cuddled up on the couch.

And yes, to giving Krampus his very special present.

The glossy bag catches the light again, and my cheeks warm. Christmas can't come soon enough.

CHAPTER 18

KRAMPUS

The tiny human barricades herself behind a pink door covered in unicorn stickers. A door I could rip off its hinges with one finger, but that wouldn't solve anything.

"Sam, honey, we need to leave soon." Mel's voice carries a tremor of worry.

"I'm not going!" Sam's voice cracks.

"What's wrong with the performance?" I lean against the wall, crossing my arms. "Stage fright? I once had to address the High Council of Ataxia. Scariest moment of my life."

"I don't want to go!" A muffled sob. "I'm just Snowflake Number Four."

"Snowflake Number Four?" I scratch my head. Human rituals continue to baffle me. "Sounds important."

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