Page 13 of Dreaming of an Earth Christmas

She felt his muscles stiffen beneath her palm. “I know that this holiday makes you sad—makes you regret, perhaps, your decision to remain on my planet. The invitation to this joint celebration made me feel as if I finally had a chance to give you what you were missing. All of us have worked together to produce a perfect Christmas for our mates,” he told her.

Carlie looked up at Sseith, at his ridiculously handsome face that had still never grown commonplace to her eyes, and she sighed, not sure if she wanted to smile or cry. His voice had gone all brittle. It’d lost all of its charm and ease, and she knew that he’d been completely honest with her. Vulnerable Sseith was perhaps the version of her mate that affected her most, and she wanted to nuzzle her face against his chest and hold him tight, but Violet was currently taking that space as she played with her dad’s numerous necklaces.

“I have never once regretted my decision to stay here with you, Sseith of Ka’alaniss, so you can just put that thought out of your mind, do you understand me?” she said instead as she willed her stubborn mate to truly believe her words. “I might miss a few of our traditions, but I would never trade what I left behind for what I have now. There’s only one person whose presence here could make this Christmas a perfect one, but even if he can’t be here with us, I’m happy.”

“Erik,” Sseith said, his expression darkening. “I know, my Carlie. I tried, but—”

“What?” she said before he could continue.

“I tried to get your brother transport to Xithilene, but my contacts were unable to find a suitable vessel that would be stopping on Mars in time for him to be with us here.” Sseith’s fangs pressed against his lower lip. His teeth were chattering, and he was still shivering lightly.

Carlie rubbed his back and laid her face against his arm. “You’reperfect. Christmas doesn’t need to be.” She looked up and met his eyes. “Thank you for trying. I appreciate it more than you know, but you were right before—we need to get inside. Not for me, and I’m pretty sure Violet is just fine, but you’re the one who’s going to catch his death of cold.” She heard the snap of his crown feathers rising in alarm and she hurried to rectify her mistake. “Poor turn of phrase. Don’t worry—no one dies because they get cold. Sorry! Anyway, you were right, I was wrong, let’s go inside.”

She started to tug on his arm, but Sseith resisted. She let go on her own when she heard his low chuckle. It sounded like he wasn’t too upset any longer.

“Yes, let’s go inside. I think you will like it, k’lallsa. It will be an almost perfect Earth Christmas,” he said.

Carlie smiled. “Sounds good, but remember, it’s only Christmas Eve. We still have a whole other day of celebration.”

“Inside for chocolate!” called Prince V’esthiss with a nod towards Sseith.

That announcement caught everyone’s attention, and the snow globe quickly emptied as everyone started making their way towards the garden gate.

“Do you need any help, Mia?” Carlie asked. After creating such a wonderful surprise for all of them, it didn’t seem right to leave her alone to clean up the mess.

Mia glanced up. She’d been brushing the snow off her outfit. Smart woman—she’d chosen long-sleeves. “Go ahead and go inside. N’xalith will help me,” she said, and L’xat’s son—and one of Sseith’s junior priests from the temple—walked over to the older woman’s side.

Carlie grinned. “If you’re sure. Thank you again, Mia. It was a beautiful gift.”

Sseith slid his hand beneath hers, and his fingers tightened as he drew her towards the crowd at the door. She could feel some of the snow that’d worked its way beneath the neckline of her shirt start to melt as they walked. The gardens at the palace were nice enough, but they couldn’t compare to those at the temple. She glanced up at Sseith. He was still carrying Violet as if she weighed no more than the proverbial feather, but she knew better. No—the gardens here were missing that spark, that passion that her mate brought to everything he did. She let out a laugh, and he looked down with a slight frown.

“What amuses you?” Sseith asked.

Carlie checked to make sure they were far enough behind that the others wouldn’t hear her before she spoke. “I was just thinking that I’m luckier than a princess—I live at the temple and it’s even more beautiful than a palace. Who would’ve thought? Little old me living better than royalty.” She stopped moving, and Sseith halted as well. “I love you. Don’t you ever doubt it, mister dream man.” She watched his feathers ripple with pleasure at the old nickname from their first encounter. “We’d better hurry up. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the place.”

“Good. You will be pleased. I am almost certain,” he added in an uncharacteristic display of self-doubt.

She could see V’esthiss inclining his head towards two palace guards who were pulling open the double doors that led inside one of the wings off the main structure. The prince stepped inside and the rest of their group followed. Carlie squeezed Sseith’s hand as they approached the entrance. He’d finally set Violet down, and she was holding his other hand. Although they made it through the doorway walking together, she let go once they were inside. The halls weren’t narrow, but the next door they entered wasn’t wide enough for three abreast.

Sseith fell back with Violet so that she entered the chamber first. She couldn’t make out any details immediately, because T’kalinth, K’thiss’ old first officer, was blocking the way. Her head went up to about his bicep, so there was no seeing past his broad back. At least she didn’t have to worry about any random wing slaps while standing behind him. She’d learned pretty quickly to stay clear of K’thiss’ wings during visits with her best friend. She knew Alex wouldn’t change her mate for the world, but Carlie was glad she didn’t have to deal with all of those extra feathers—the ones on their heads were enough.

Finally, T’kalinth moved, walking to the left towards the sounds of a crying infant. That must be Alice’s newborn, little Daniel. She’d go say hello after she inspected Sseith’s handiwork. All other thoughts immediately left her mind the minute she looked up. The room was large, probably bigger than necessary for their group, but it was a good thing considering the number of towering potted trees arranged along the perimeter of the chamber. Each one was a different variety, some familiar from the temple gardens, some totally unknown to her.

Carlie found herself walking up to the nearest tree, and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out a trembling hand. It looked nothing like a pine tree, or a fir. The large, forearm-sized tropical leaves curled in a spiral pattern, but what had caught her attention were the decorations that’d been added to the tree. Nestled at the tips of those curling leaves were perfectly preserved red roses.

Her lips lifted in a motion that wasn’t quite a smile as her fingers brushed over the velvety petals of one of the blossoms. Each one must be stasis locked to remain so unblemished. She looked up and counted at least fifty blossoms before she gave up. Draped throughout the tree were thin chains of gold, marked by glittering red jewels at regular intervals.

A warm hand slid over her shoulder before she felt Sseith’s body press lightly against her back. Carlie leaned into him, covering his hand with hers. “It’s gorgeous,” she said. “Are those from the bushes I gave you?”

“Yes, they are, but this is only the first tree. Let me show you the others.”

Carlie slowly stepped back from the rose bedecked tree and looked out at the rest of the room again. Most of the other guests were also inspecting the various trees and decorations. Her extravagant mate hadn’t limited his effort to the trees. More gold hung across the walls, and she recognized several of the epiphytes her husband cultivated hanging from supports he must’ve attached to the ceiling. It was all very Xithilene, very Sseith, and very red.

She strolled along with Sseith at her side, making appropriate noises of awe as she took it all in. Although the temple attendants might have helped him, she knew that most of the work she saw in front of her had been completed by her mate.

“Thank you,” she said as she tipped her head up. “It’s incredibly festive. I don’t think our Christmases were ever this Christmassy on Earth. It is perfect,” she told him.

“Good,” he replied with a low rumble of his rattle.

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