Page 21 of Dreaming of an Earth Christmas

V’esthiss lifted her hand to his mouth and gave it a slow kiss, a promise for later, for the true celebration they would have after their guests had left. “Not a chance,” he told her. “You’ll have to wait and see, just like everyone else, my k’lallsa. Let’s go give them good news together.”

Kat frowned slightly. “The babies, or the special delivery?” she asked.

“Whichever you want, k’lallsa. Whichever you want.”

11

Star of Wonder, Star of Light

BETHENNY

Bethenny grittedher teeth together as theNorth Starentered Xithilene’s atmosphere.

“Stop making that face, gorgeous. I know for a fact that this time around our landing will be smooth.”

“Do you promise?”

“I’m sure of it,” her mate J’cinth declared confidently. “I know how upset you were about the delay, but I oversaw all the repairs and even suggested a few additional upgrades. See? Smooth as a noble’s robes. I still can’t believe we’re going to the palace, and that I’m actually invited,” he added with a low, hissing laugh.

Bethenny loosened her death grip on the armrests of her flight chair and looked at her handsome mate. “At least you dressed for the occasion,” she teased. He’d traded in his customary leather pants and vest for something a bit less “pirate” and more absolutely adorable. She’d had to perform some creative alterations to the back to accommodate his wings, but his fuzzy sweater with a jingle bell bedecked yeti knitted onto the front looked great on him.

Christmas themed sweaters had been around for centuries now in one version or another. She and Alice had picked out new ones every year from the thrift markets when they could afford the extra expense. This particular example was almost an antique—the garment dealer had assured her it was at least forty years old. She’d gone for sexy instead of silly, wearing red velvet herself, and she’d topped it all off with a Santa hat.

Bethenny figured it was fitting. TheNorth Starwas her sleigh, J’cinth was her elf, and she had a whole hold full of goodies for her family and friends down below in Verkissat. Yep, she could hear some of her “presents” arguing with each other even now from the passenger cabin.

The ship had been a little crowded with so many people aboard. They didn’t usually transport passengers, but Alice and T’kalinth had called in some favors, and the two Mars boys had been so desperate that she hadn’t been able to refuse. She called them boys in her head, but she was pretty sure they were both older than she was. Still, Bethenny knew all about how far someone might go to cross the galaxy to get to the person they loved. It was better to just take them and be on the safe side.

“It’s still Christmas—it’ll be evening in Verkissat, but the day isn’t over yet. You’ll still be with them for the holiday,” J’cinth told her with a gentle smile as he reached for her hand. He could always tell when she was feeling a little off-balance.

They were strapped into their seats as a precautionary measure, but she was able to stretch her arm out far enough to take his fingers and lace them with hers. They had a good life, one that she enjoyed very much, where they were always on the go exploring new places and meeting interesting people, but she’d felt horribly glum when she’d thought they wouldn’t make it back to Xithilene in time for the holiday.

It was different now. Little Daniel would be bigger every time they saw him, and a whole community of human-Xithilene pairs had formed in Verkissat. She might feel as if she were on the periphery of it at times, but it was nice to know that it was there, waiting for them whenever they tired of their adventurous life.

“Running systems check,” J’cinth murmured from the side, his hands swiping over controls as he scanned all of the read-outs to make sure their landing was on track. They’d received special permission from a prince himself to land directly on the palace lawn. That meant they better not mess it up.

Her body hummed with anticipation. She was dying to see Alice and Daniel again. T’kalinth was great, too, but an aunt had to have priorities. She was going to spoil that little boy rotten—Aunt Bethenny was going to be his favorite. She could see the lights of Verkissat coming into view. It still astounded her at times how quick the whole process of traveling from space to the solid ground of a planet could be. It didn’t seem like they should already be preparing to touch down when it’d felt like just moments ago she’d been admiring Xithilene’s bright, swirling greens and blues from afar.

Luckily J’cinth had become an excellent pilot, and theNorth Starsettled gently onto a clearing in the palace courtyard without disturbing even a stray branch.

“Good job, hot stuff. Let’s go deliver these presents!” she said as her restraint webbing retracted and she could move freely again. Bethenny stood up and grinned at J’cinth. He gave her his slow, sinful smile and let his wings start to extend, the feathers rippling and fluttering the entire time. He knew exactly how to drive her wild, didn’t he? “Save those thoughts for later—I like them. I like them a whole lot, but we have a baby to cuddle.”

J’cinth swung an arm around her waist and pulled her in close. That also meant they knocked into the side of a control panel, because space was tight on an independent merchant—not mercenary, not pirate—ship. No alarms blared, so she let herself settle against J’cinth’s fuzzy chest as he gave her a long, lingering kiss.

“Yes—later,” he said thickly. “I’ll deserve it after unloading the hold.” He shook his head, a mannerism he’d stolen from her. “I still don’t know how you convinced me that the tree would fit.”

“Oh, stop complaining. We have hover lifts—it’s not like you’ll be hauling it out over your shoulder.” Bethenny smiled. “Come on. Let’s get our passengers and head out. Hopefully V’esthiss received my message and they’re ready for us.”

When Bethenny opened the door to the passengers’ cabin, all three men were already standing with their bags over their shoulders.

“We’re really here, aren’t we?” asked the handsome redhead Alice had begged them to pick up from New Hope.

“At the palace itself, Erik,” she replied. Bethenny turned to face the two dark haired brothers who stood behind him. “We’ll figure out where you need to go, too. You said your mother lives in a different region of the planet, right? Don’t worry. There are a lot of powerful people waiting for us out there, and I’m sure they’ll be able to help you.”

J’cinth set a warm hand over her shoulder. “Let’s go out and say Merry Christmas. Then one of you can help me with the tree.”

“Sure thing,” Erik said with a carefree laugh.

J’cinth opened the forward hatch and jumped down to the ground. He always made it look easy, but then again, the man did have wings. He held out his arms for her, and she let him catch her, even though the jump was only about three feet. She was certain she could’ve handled it herself, but she was wearing a dress, and she never turned down a chance to leap into her mate’s arms.

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