Page 12 of My Christmas Alien Mate

I sent a silent prayer to the gods to not hurt her feelings and steeled my facial muscles to keep a smile plastered to my lips.

Thankfully, it turned out that all my worries had been for nothing, because the white fluff was delicious, and I took a bigger bite.

"Good?" she asked.

I nodded. "Really good."

Next, I tried the brownish mass and found myself more than pleasantly surprised again. The texture was chewy, but it was the burst of flavors that exploded in my mouth that I really enjoyed.

"I know it looks funny, but shepherd's pie was one of mine and my grampa's favorite dishes."

"I can see why," I said, meaning it.

Before I stuck my fork back into the food, she indicated the two stools in front of the counter. "Let's sit."

The chair felt flimsy and too little for my butt, but I made do after seeing how happy it seemed to make her to be sitting here with me, and I wondered how lonely she must have been in the past months, maybe even before.

I finished a second plate before I rejected a third. My stomach was full and even though the data processor said the food was compatible didn't mean I might not regret eating this much in other ways. The food was richer than the fare we received in the mess hall, which were measured for maximum nutrition rather than taste.

"You can stay the night," she offered with a shy twitch of her lips. "It's dark outside. I know you said it would be easier for you, but there are bears and mountain lions out there."

I assumed bears and mountain lions to be predators, and her concern touched me.

"You can sleep on the couch if you like," she added.

What I should have done is return to my ship and spend the night there, but I justified wanting to stay in her cozy cabin with her by reminding myself that somebody could more easily spot me coming out of the lake in the daylight. Plus, I needed time to prepare my transformation processor for the right kind of optical illusion that would allow me to move freely among the humans.

"I would like that," I agreed.

"Good." She excitedly clapped her hands together. "I haven't had a guest here in a very long time. I'll fix you a wonderful, typical human breakfast in the morning."

How could I have rejected that offer?

"Come, I want to show you something else," she said, enthusiastically moving to a door that I assumed led to the outside on the other side of the house from where we had entered.

She grabbed two coats from a rack and handed me one. "It was my grampa's and will probably be too small, but it'll keep out some of the cold."

I didn't have the heart to remind her that Scekyns didn't experience temperatures like her species and draped the coat over my shoulders. Just like she had predicted, it was way too small.

She, on the other hand, looked adorable in her oversized mantle. She wound a long, warm piece of cloth around my neck before doing the same to herself, and together we walked outside.

A white layer she called snow covered most of the front yard, laying over leafless bushes and trees and twinkling prettily under the bright moon. On one side, I saw large mountains looming and hundreds of trees. Some resembled the one she had in her living room—who had ever heard of bringing a tree inside?

I admitted, though, that her world was beautiful.

She led me further away from the house before she turned us both around. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

With that, she walked back to the house, leaving me to admire her backside. Her hair swayed gently in the soft breeze and looked so silky, my hands itched to touch it.

She picked something up by the door and turned to face me. "Ready?"

I had no idea for what, but the bright smile on her face was contagious, so I grinned back. "Ready."

She connected something and suddenly the entire house and yard were bathed in twinkling lights. They hung from the rafters of the porch, moved around the door and windows, were entwined over the banister surrounding the porch and even lit up bushes and a couple of tall trees.

Most of the lights sparkled in a whitish hue, but some, mostly in the bushes, shone red or green. A soft humming caused me to turn my head, and, amazed, I watched a strange contraption filling and coming to life.

I counted nine alien animals with long horns on the top of their heads, four legs and the largest black eyes I had ever seen, attached to what had to be some kind of vehicle, in which sat a chubby man with a long white beard and long white hair, holding the reins and a long something that appeared to be an old-fashioned written list. Behind him were boxes similar to the ones I noticed under the tree in Amber's picture, stacked so high they looked in danger of falling off.

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