The Alien Reindeer's Christmas Package by Starr Huntress & Leslie Chase

Author:Starr Huntress & Leslie Chase [Huntress, Starr & Chase, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

10

Dhannar

I held my beloved mate in my arms until the morning light made the snow glow above us. No sleep for me, not now — I would not miss a second of this first night with Megan.

She rested, snuggled against my chest, and no sight in the universe could compare. Relaxed, eyes closed, she looked so peaceful now. And that peace infected me, soothed the sharp edges of my soul.

Gently, carefully, I pulled myself free of her embrace. As much as I’d like to spend the whole day in her arms, that wasn’t possible. My mission had a deadline and Megan’s colony was in trouble. Neither issue could wait.

Collapsing the dome brought the shell of snow down with a thump, and I pushed the door open to clear it from the rover’s roof. Bright blue sky greeted me, a beautiful winter’s day, and I smiled as I unfolded the rover’s solar panels. We’d have enough charge to get moving soon.

As I finished setting the panels, the rover’s door opened again, and Megan stepped out. Wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of instant coffee, she looked delightfully untidy and my heart skipped a beat. My desire awoke instantly, and it was all I could do not to pounce on her immediately.

A shiver ran through Megan as the cold air hit her, but still she stepped out of the vehicle and offered me another self-heating cup. I smiled, taking the cup and ripping its seal. The chemical heater activated, and a strong smell of bad coffee filled the air. I winced and Megan grinned up at me.

“What, you’re a coffee snob?” she asked, taking a sip of her own.

“You can’t get good coffee off Earth,” I grumbled, risking a mouthful. It tasted even worse than it smelled, but at least it was coffee. Better than nothing.

“Well perhaps you’re lucky and some of those presents you brought are the real thing,” Megan said, gesturing back to the rover’s cargo compartment. “Then you just have to figure out who it belongs to and mooch off them.”

I laughed, shaking my head and putting an arm around her. “No, beloved, Santa isn’t that cruel. Give someone one packet of good coffee with no hope of getting more? That would be awful.”

“But at least you’d have a decent cup,” Megan laughed. I ruffled her hair and drank another mouthful, pulling a face.

“I’ll survive. Bad coffee with my mate is better than any drink I could find on Earth.” She stuck her tongue out at that and I laughed again. “Besides, I told you I’m not carrying presents in that sense. Santa doesn’t send physical gifts, he has me and my brothers deliver distilled Christmas spirit instead.”

Megan looked at me dubiously. “That’s hard to believe, honestly. It sounds… kind of new age? What does it even mean?”

I shrugged. “I can’t explain the technology involved, but it works. Santa builds up a reserve over the year and then at Christmas we set out to spread good cheer to all mankind.

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