Edna glanced back and forth between everyone before finally throwing her hands up in the air. She glared at Christoff. He just grinned at her with that damn smile that melted her heart.
“I need some coffee – with a shot of whiskey in it,” she growled, turning on her heel and heading for the kitchen.
“Mom?” Shelly yelped.
Edna turned and looked at her daughter with an exasperated sigh. “This is Christoff. He’s… staying with me,” she stated before walking into the kitchen.
Edna could hear Jack clearing his throat. The prosecutor was coming out, she thought in resignation. Christoff was about to get drilled.
“I’m Jack Anderson, Edna’s son-in-law, and you are?” Jack asked, staring warily into Christoff’s unusual eyes.
Edna paused in pouring the shot of whiskey into her coffee cup and waited. An amused smile curved her lips when Christoff finally spoke. Leave it to an alien to make a great first impression on the family.
“I am Christoff Anatu, from the village near the Dragon Claw Mountains. I am Edna’s true mate. I claimed her last night,” Christoff replied with a pleased grin.
“Oh,” Jack muttered. “Is that in Europe somewhere?”
Edna turned in time to see Christoff frown and shake his head. She waited, counting, for the other shoe to fall. She almost made it to seven when he finally responded.
“No, Valdier. I am not from your world,” Christoff said. “I have only been on your planet since yesterday. I do not know this Europe.”
“Mom!” Shelly screeched. “You slept with a guy that you just met?!”
“Yes,” Christoff responded before Edna had a chance to open her mouth to explain.
Edna didn’t say anything. She wondered how long it would take Shelly to comprehend the part where Christoff said that he was an alien. Lifting the cup to her lips, she took a sip of the hot liquid, enjoying the slight kick to it. Something told her today was going to be a very, very long day.
“Mom, I don’t think Grandma sleeping with the guy is going to be the problem,” Crystal interrupted in a shaky voice.
“Why…? Oh!” Shelly started to say before her voice faded.
Spark had decided to make an appearance. Instead of being in the huge cat-form or a dog like Bo, the symbiot looked like one of the stuffed teddy bears that adorned her bed. Crystal had given her a new one each year for her birthday and she always decorated the bed with them.
“Edna,” Jack muttered, staring at the large golden bear. “What is that?”
“That is Spark, an alien symbiot that belongs to Christoff,” Edna said calmly as the whiskey started to spread through her. “Christoff is an alien dragon-shifter from a planet somewhere off in space. The same ones that took Abby.”
“That took…. Jack,” Shelly said hoarsely. “I don’t feel so good.”
Edna watched as her daughter’s eyes rolled back in her head as she fainted. Jack caught Shelly and lifted her into his arms. He staggered at first before deciding the couch was the closest stop. Crystal scooted over, keeping a wary eye on Spark that was now sitting in front of her, returning her wide-eyed stare with a goofy grin on its face.
An hour later, they were all sitting around the dining room table. Edna and Christoff on one side and Jack and Shelly on the other. Crystal was sitting on the couch giggling at Spark. The symbiot was shifting into the animals that Crystal held up on her cell phone.
“Mom, watch this!” Crystal called out.
They all turned to watch as Spark turned into a unicorn with wings. Crystal’s delighted laughter filled the room when Spark leaned forward and brushed a long tongue up her cheek. Edna’s eyes softened at the flushed face of her granddaughter.
“So, you arrived yesterday from another world, Christoff,” Jack said with a strained smile. “It must have been a long trip.”
“No,” Christoff replied.
Jack swallowed and glanced at Edna. “Surely it must have taken years to get here? I believe I’ve read that it would take thousands of years just to journey to the next star system,” he said.
“No,” Christoff said again.
Edna finally took pity on her daughter and son-in-law. It was obvious from the possessive way Christoff was sitting next to her that he wasn’t sure about them. Pulling her hand out of Christoff’s, she looked at her daughter. Shelly was clenching her second cup of whiskey between her hands. She had asked for a cup of coffee and whiskey minus the coffee.
“Christoff doesn’t remember how he got here,” Edna replied. “It doesn’t matter.”
“How can you just accept an… an alien into your house like you’ve known him forever?” Shelly asked in a strained voice. “He gave you a hickey!”
“I gave her more than that,” Christoff growled, tucking his hand back into Edna’s again.
“Christoff,” Edna chided. “You are not helping the situation.”
“I know,” Christoff replied with a grin.
Edna bit back a laugh at the mischievous gleam in his eyes. He was having fun. Her gaze swept over to where Crystal was laughing and running her hands over Spark. That alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
“Mom,” Shelly groaned, dropping her head into her hands as she leaned against the table.
“I met another alien before,” Edna finally admitted. “I came to pick up Bo and Gloria. Abby was watching them for me so I could drive down for Crystal’s birthday. When I arrived, Abby wasn’t alone anymore. A man with gold eyes was with her. He took me up to the high meadow.”
“Why?” Jack asked.
Edna swallowed and squeezed Christoff’s hand. “So that I could understand him. His symbiot was there, but it was much larger. It was in the shape of a space ship. When we stepped inside it, I could understand what Zoran was saying. He told me that he planned to take Abby back with him to his world.” She reached out with her other hand and touched the small globe sitting in the middle of the table. “This proves he did.”
“Is Christoff going to take you back to his world?” Shelly asked, fear lacing her voice.
Edna glanced at Christoff when he squeezed her hand. She had never thought of that. Would he return to his world, and if he did, would he expect her to go as well? A frown creased her brow.
“I do not know,” Christoff replied, staring back at Shelly. “My symbiot is not large enough to be used as a transport, especially for intergalactic travel that would require a tremendous amount of energy.”
“I don’t think it is safe for him to remain here,” Jack protested. “There is no way you could hide his… differences from everyone. Someone’s bound to discover him.”
Tears burned Edna’s eyes at the thought of losing Christoff. Last night had been incredible. For the first time in years, she felt whole again.
“We’ll take it one day at a time,” she replied in a quiet voice. “We don’t have to make a decision yet. It can wait until after Christmas.”
Chapter Eleven
Christoff watched as the young girl struggled to her feet. His gaze swept over the stiff material that made up her lower leg. She was quiet while she pulled on her high top boot, coat, scarf, and gloves. Bo danced around her with the tennis ball in his mouth, waiting to go out.
He rose from the chair where he had been watching Edna and Shelly decorate the tree with colorful lights and balls. Glancing at Spark, he motioned for the symbiot to follow Crystal and Bo. He nodded when he caught Edna’s warm look of appreciation.
He grabbed his coat off the peg by the door and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind him. Bo and Spark were running through the snow chasing each other and trying to snatch the green ball away. Crystal had walked over and sat down on the edge of the swing. Christoff walked over to stand next to her. For several long minutes, they just watched the two creatures play.
“What’s it like where you come from?” Crystal suddenly asked in a soft voice.
Christoff glanced down at her for a moment, noting the haunted look in her eyes. He stepped
closer to the swing and sat down beside her. He could feel the pain that was radiating out from her.
“It is very beautiful,” he replied, picturing the valley and the mountains surrounding it. “Or it was.”
“Was? What happened to it?” Crystal asked, turning to look at him in curiosity.
Christoff shrugged. “My mountain erupted. I am not sure how much damage was done. The first time it did, there was a lot of damage… and several of my people were killed, including my parents,” he explained in a somber tone.
“What did you do?” Crystal asked.
“I went to the mountain to calm it,” he said, looking out over the yard.
“Did you? Did you calm the mountain?” she asked.
“Yes,” he murmured. “For several centuries until it would not sleep any longer.”
Christoff heard Crystal’s swift inhalation of air. He smiled at her when she stared at him in awe. He had never had anyone look at him like that before.
Well, except Edna last night, he thought with a grin.
“How? I mean, seriously? Centuries? Cool,” she muttered.
“Yes,” he replied in amusement. “It is very cold out.”
“No, cool, that you could calm a mountain,” she corrected, her voice dropping as it turned sad again.
“Why are you sad? I can smell your pain,” Christoff asked in curiosity this time.
Crystal tucked her head in her jacket and turned her gaze down to the floor. A mutinous expression crossed her face and she held up her left leg. He frowned when she nodded at it.
“I shouldn’t have lived,” she whispered.
“Why do you believe that?” he asked.
“My friend Stacy was supposed to sit in the back seat with me, but we had gotten into a fight,” she said with a sniff. “It was so stupid. I don’t even remember why we were mad at each other.”
“What happened?”
Crystal stared at her leg and wiped an angry tear away. He could see her struggling to compose herself and waited. He knew what her grief was like. He had felt the same way for many years after his parents’ deaths. It was only as time passed and he grew older that he understood that life and death came without any guarantees.
“Stacy’s mom lost control on an icy patch of road and went over the side of the highway. I remember the car rolling and rolling and rolling. I didn’t think it was ever going to stop,” Crystal said, her voice haunted by the memory. “Stacy wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car. Her mom was pinned by the steering wheel. That whole front of the car was smashed in. I was in the back seat. My lower leg was crushed. When I woke up again, it was gone. Now… now, I’m just broken.”
Christoff scowled. “Why do you call yourself broken? I do not see you as broken,” he asked.
Crystal looked up at him. Angry tears glittered in her eyes as she stared defiantly at him. She pursed her lips and refused to answer.
“You think it is because you are different from the other younglings?” he asked, tilting his head to study her. “They have been mean to you?”
Crystal bowed her head, shaking it in denial. “No,” she admitted. “It’s just… I can’t do the things the other kids can do.”
“If your friend Stacy had lived and lost a part of her leg, would you think of her as broken?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Crystal muttered. “She’d still be my best friend.”
“You can walk. I have seen you. Other younglings can also do this, yes?” he pointed out.
“Yes, but not like I used to,” she snapped, sitting up to glare at him. “I know what you are trying to do. Mom and the counselor I’ve been going to have tried the same thing.”
“But, they do not understand what it feels like to not be whole,” he added in a quiet voice, putting her feelings into words. “I do. I… was… am like you, not quite whole.”
Crystal frowned and looked him over. “You don’t look broken to me,” she replied.
Christoff looked at where Bo and Spark were now sitting on the porch. He glanced at Crystal and grinned. Standing up, he held his hand out to her.
“Would you like to go for a sleigh ride?” he asked.
“A sleigh ride?” Crystal asked in confusion, looking around the yard. “Grandma doesn’t have a sleigh.”
Christoff winked. “She may not have one, but I do,” he assured her. “Come, let us see if your mother and Edna would like to go for ride.”
“What does this have to do with you and me being broken?” Crystal asked with a sardonic twist to her lips.
“Everything,” he promised.
“Okay,” Crystal replied with a shrug. “But this isn’t going to work.”
Christoff smiled down at Crystal, but didn’t respond. Instead, he opened the door to the cabin and peeked inside. Edna looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
“I would like to take you, Shelly, and Crystal for a sleigh ride,” Christoff said formally.
Edna smiled in confusion. “But, I don’t have a sleigh. All I have is the skid for hauling wood and Gloria can’t pull all of us even if I did,” she said, walking toward him.
“I have a sleigh,” he promised. “I want to show Crystal that even those that are different are not necessarily broken.”
“Oh!” Edna exclaimed, glancing at where Shelly was standing and listening. “Let’s go for a sleigh ride.”
“Crystal?” Shelly asked in a worried tone.
“It is time for her to heal,” Christoff murmured. “Come.”
Christoff stepped back and shut the door. He motioned for Crystal to follow him. She stopped on the middle step, her expression mutinous again.
With a wave of his hand, his symbiot swept down the steps around Crystal. It turned to liquid before reforming into a sleigh similar to what they used back on his world. He watched Crystal’s mouth drop open before it snapped shut when he grinned at her.
“You still need a horse to pull it,” she informed him with a raised eyebrow.
“Not a horse, but a dragon,” he said, stepping back and shifting.
“Holy sh…!” Crystal started to say before clamping her mouth shut when the door behind her opened.
“What the fuck?” Shelly choked out in disbelief.
“Mom!” Crystal growled in disapproval at her mother’s language, glancing over her shoulder.
Edna’s laughter echoed through the yard. “Go,” she said, waving her hand.
“But… What if Jack comes back while we’re gone?” Shelly muttered, trying to push back into the house.
“Then, he’ll wait for us,” Edna said firmly, pushing her daughter between her shoulder blades. “It will take him hours to get to Shelby, find clothes to fit Christoff, and return. Come on.”
Shelly glared at her mother. “Since when did you become so adventuresome?” she demanded, pulling her hat down over her ears and starting across the porch.
“Come on, Mom!” Crystal laughed, climbing into the sleigh. “It even made steps for me!”
“Awesome,” Shelly replied weakly as she descended the steps and crossed the snow-covered path to the sleigh. “How is that… that thing supposed to pull this?”
Christoff turned his head and snorted at Shelly. Stepping in front of the sleigh, he growled out a command to his symbiot to create a harness for him. Within seconds, golden straps formed over Christoff’s chest.
“It’s not a thing, Mom, it’s Christoff. He’s a dragon, too,” Crystal breathed.
“I… Why is the seat so warm?” Shelly asked nervously as she sat down. “It feels like this thing has a built-in heater.”
Edna laughed again. “And a blanket, it would appear,” she giggled when a thin blanket suddenly flowed over their laps. “Hang on. We’re ready when you are, Christoff,” she called out.
Christoff snorted again and took off. He might not be as big as the other dragons, but all the work on the mountain and climbing had built up his muscles. He wasn’t tall, but he was thickly built an
d had a tremendous endurance.
He tossed his head and drew in a deep breath of frigid air, enjoying the feeling of being outside. He briefly glanced over his shoulder and fluttered his deformed wings before winking at Crystal. Her eyes grew round as she understood what he meant by being broken as well. A small, trembling smile pulled her lips upward and she nodded to him.
A feeling of warmth and happiness flooded him and he broke into a trot as he headed up the path to the upper meadow. The snow wasn’t as deep on the path and he could have gone faster, but he was enjoying the slow, steady pace.
It be more fun with my mate, his dragon snorted, glancing back at where Edna was talking with Shelly.
In time, Christoff cautioned. Last night was a first for both of us. I do not want to scare her away. We came close to losing her.
Not no more, his dragon argued. She ready. I call.
No! Her family is just now accepting this, Christoff argued.
They accept my mate, too, his dragon snapped.
Christoff could feel his dragon straining to break free of his control. He couldn’t blame him. After last night, he could feel the change in him. He felt the empty void that had been tearing him apart seal, making him whole for the first time in his life. His dragon wanted his mate as well.
Soon, Christoff promised.
Better, his dragon pouted. I ready. I horny.
Christoff laughed. Just keep it hidden. I would hate to shock Shelly any more than we have, not to mention Crystal is too young to see a fully aroused male dragon.
His dragon shrugged. She close her eyes, he suggested.
Christoff released a groan. His dragon was not going to make this easy – on either of them. He just hoped that he could keep control until after Edna’s family left. If not, they might be getting an eyeful after all.
Chapter Twelve
It was late that night before Jack, Shelly, and Crystal left. Christoff stood on the porch with his arms wrapped around Edna. Jack had returned in time for dinner and had listened in bewildered amusement as Crystal told him about the sleigh ride. Afterwards, they had sat around the brightly lit tree. Shelly, Edna, and Crystal sang songs of bells and snowmen and other lively tunes while he and Jack sat listening and talking.