A Dragonlings' Magical Christmas (3 page)

Blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes, Abby chuckled when Cara released an exaggerated breath. With a shake of her head, she slowly climbed down off the couch and sank down onto the soft, padded cushion so she could unwrap her son. A chuckle escaped her when he took the rounded ball of paper from her hands and promptly hit Amber in the head with it. The girls weren’t the only ones to instigate things.

“No throwing,” Abby admonished gently with a shake of her head.

Zohar glared at the two girls and released a low growl when they giggled and squirmed to get down on the floor so they could chase the new ball he had thrown. He wiggled as well until Abby finally released him. A moment later, the three were back into their dragon forms and tumbling in the strewn about paper and boxes.

“How about I make us a cup of tea?” Abby asked, rising from the couch. “We can let them play in this mess for a while until nap time. Then, we can try to get the presents and decorations finished.”

Cara grinned up at Abby and nodded. “Yes, please. I’ll stay here and make sure my two monsters don’t get into anything else,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes as she slid down onto the floor to join them. “Although, I think Zohar is getting pretty good at taking care of himself.”

Abby glanced over to see Zohar lying across the opening of a box, two hissing, snarling little dragons trapped inside. Deciding to let him have his moment of revenge, Abby chuckled as she turned toward the kitchen. Maybe by the time she and Cara finished their tea the kids would be ready for a nap. If not, she was going to have one of the symbiots turn into a very large playpen so they could get things finished before tonight’s dinner.

“Ouch! Darn it, Ha’ven, will you stop doing that!” Vox growled as he raised his stinging finger to his mouth. “This isn’t working. We’re going to have to think of something different.”

“Darn it?” Ha’ven asked, turning away from the panel he was working on to look at Vox with a raised eyebrow. “Since when did you start saying ‘darn’? That is more like what my Emma says when she is mad at me. If I’m not mistaken, Riley uses a different word.”

Vox scowled at Ha’ven and shook his head. “Not anymore,” he replied with a wry grin. “Roam is starting to talk clearer. The other night we were tucking him into bed, I turned out the light like I normally do and the next thing I knew he yelled out for me to turn the damn light back on. Riley decided we needed to start watching our language.”

Ha’ven grimaced and turned back to the panel he was rewiring. “Emma did that before Alice was born. She said that younglings can hear you, even in the womb. I don’t remember hearing anything, but she insisted that I watch my language,” he admitted. “I think this will do it.”

“I hope so,” Vox muttered with a tired sigh. “Trelon says we aren’t allowed to add any more lights. He has already redirected the power grids as much as he can, and he says he isn’t doing any more. I don’t blame him. Why the humans insist on doing this is beyond me. This was almost harder to do than it was to convince Riley to be my mate. It was definitely as painful.”

Ha’ven chuckled as he closed the panel. “I know what you mean,” he said with a grin. “Tonight will be our crowning victory. None of the others can top what we’ve done!”

Vox returned Ha’ven’s smile and slapped him on the back. “I hope not,” he said. “Remember, we have one of your air gliders on the line.”

Ha’ven raised his eyebrow. “I don’t care about the air glider,” he said with a grimace. “It is the other part of the bet I don’t want to lose.”

Vox shuddered and nodded. “A three-day weekend of babysitting Cara and Trelon’s two,” he groaned. “Not having to suffer that fate is worth the singed hair, burns, and exhaustion.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Ha’ven chuckled. “I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a few hours with Emma and Alice.”

“It should be about time for Roam’s nap,” Vox replied and his eyes lit with a devilish twinkle as they stepped out of the small electrical room. “He takes good, long naps.”

Ha’ven’s lips curved at the expression of hope on Vox’s face. “Just don’t be late for dinner tonight,” he warned. “The women are supposed to tell stories of a man back on Earth that delivered presents to all the good children and about an animal with a shining nose.”

“I won’t,” Vox replied, lifting a hand as they came to the corridor leading to his and Riley’s living quarters. “Riley said if I made her late, I would get black rocks in my stocking.”

Ha’ven nodded. “Emma said the same thing,” he responded with a shrug. “I told her I would love them as long as she gave them to me.”

Vox paused in the doorway and scowled. “Since when did you become such a wuss? That is a new word I learned from Riley when she was doctoring my burns last night and I complained.”

Ha’ven’s eyes grew distant for a moment before he blinked. “Since I met the only woman in the universe who could calm my soul,” he replied softly before he nodded his head. “I will see you tonight.”

Vox watched as Ha’ven turned and strode out along the path cutting through the garden. It was hard to believe that at one time they had been bitter enemies. Turning away, he strode down the long corridor toward his and Riley’s permanent living quarters while they were on Valdier.

A chance accident during a battle had changed the course of the war. Creon Reykill and Ha’ven, trapped together in a cave-in, discovered that the attacks against each of their worlds had been a deliberate manipulation by a few traitors intent on capitalizing on the war.

Shortly afterwards, Creon and Ha’ven had reached out to him. During their encounter, they each discovered a greater plot was underway to destroy the ruling families of each world. They were still working to unravel the traitors behind it. It was turning out to be a long, involved process in each of the three star systems.

Vox had recently discovered that it ran deeper than he expected in his world when one of the traitors who tried to kill his brother, Viper, was captured a few months ago. Vox and Viper’s brother Walkyr was investigating the small amount of information they had obtained from the traitor before he was transferred to a remote prison facility.

A mischievous grin curved Vox’s mouth when he turned the corner and saw Pearl and Asim leaving his quarters with Roam. From the faint discussion, it sounded like Roam was going to be spending the rest of the day with his great-grandmother. He waited until they had disappeared around the corner, half afraid if Roam saw him that he’d want to stay and play with Dada. Right now, Dada wanted to do some playing… with mommy.

Striding forward, Vox quietly pushed opened the door and stepped inside. He swiped his hand over the control next to it, making sure that he locked it before pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it onto the couch. The grin on his face grew the closer he got to the bedroom where he could hear Riley moving around. Stopping at the entrance to their bedroom, his eyes glowed with pleasure as he watched Riley step out of her skirt.

“You are as beautiful as ever,” he said in a soft, husky voice.

He watched as Riley turned with a small squeak and covered her heart with her hand. A grin curved his lips when she gave him a playful scowl and put her other hand on her hip. His eyes followed the movement and a low rumbling purr escaped him.

“What are you doing back so early?” She asked with a raised eyebrow as she scanned him. “Did your shirt catch on fire this time? What else have you done? Do we need to get Roam and hightail it back to…”

With each word, Vox had taken a step closer until he was standing in front of Riley. Reaching out, he pulled her roughly into his arms and covered her lips with his. He deepened the kiss, sliding his hands up and around her until he could unhook the device she insisted on wearing over her large breasts. With a snap, the purr turned to a low groan from both of them.

“We are finished,” he finally said as he pulled back just far enough so he could look down at her. “I have the rest of the afternoon free.”

Riley released a pleased sigh before she frowned. “Grandma just took Roam so I could finish decorating and wrapping presents. You haven’t seen very much of him the past few weeks. Do you want me to ask her to bring him back?”

“No!” Vox muttered in a low voice, bending his head to press a kiss along her bare shoulder. “No, I think it would be nice to just spend it with you.”

A shiver of pleasure ran through his body when she ran her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. A rumble of warning escaped him when she nipped at his jaw before running her tongue over the spot. His own hands ran down to her hips and he pulled her close to show her the effect she was having on him.

“I think someone wants to play,” Riley chuckled, rolling her hips.

“I was thinking Roam might like to have a little brother,” Vox whispered against her ear.

Riley leaned back to stare up into Vox’s eyes with a look of shock. “I thought you said we weren’t having any more after Roam,” she replied.

Vox shifted uncomfortably against her before he bent forward to brush a hard kiss against her lips. “That was because you said I would have to have the next one and I saw the pain you were in, but you have said it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be,” he retorted.

Riley wound her arms tighter around his neck and pulled him back down to her. Sealing her lips over his, she kissed him for several long minutes before reluctantly pulling away. Her fingers played in his hair before she tugged on it and stepped away with a sway to her hips.

“Only if I get a girl this time,” she said with a seductive curve of her lips.

Vox scowled as he watched Riley walk into the bathroom. There was no way he would ever have a little girl. He would be in the same situation as Creon, Trelon, and Ha’ven! He would kill any warrior who even looked at her. He was about to tell Riley that when he saw her slowly bend over as she slid her panties off.

“You do not fight fair, Riley,” Vox growled as he quickly shed the rest of his clothing and hurried into the bathroom after her. “Goddess help us both if our daughter is anything like you.”

He ignored Riley’s laughter, instead grabbing her and pulling her into the shower where he pressed her up against the wall. The warm spray ran down over them, but both were oblivious to it as they ran their hands desperately over each other. All Vox could think of was how much he loved his stubborn, gorgeous mate.

*.*.*

Ha’ven quietly entered his and Emma’s living quarters and shut the door behind him. He could hear Emma talking to Alice. The sweet sound of Alice’s giggle answered whatever Emma had told their tiny daughter. He paused at the entrance to the living area to silently watch them. Emma was holding up different blocks and calling out their colors.

“Red,” Alice giggled and clapped her hands. “Red, red, red, red, red.”

Emma’s delighted laughter echoed through the room. “Yes, red,” she replied, bending to give Alice a quick peck on the cheek. “Now, what color is this?”

Ha’ven grinned when Alice touched the blue block and it changed to red. “Red,” Alice replied with a grin before turning her head toward him with a happy squeal. “Daddy!”

Ha’ven opened his arms, knowing from experience what was about to happen. Sure enough, a second later, Alice appeared in them. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck and a very wet kiss was pressed to his lips. He tried not to wince when the wooden block caught him upside the head.

“Dada, red!” Alice proclaimed with a proud grin. “I like red.”

“Yes, I see that,” Ha’ven commented as he pulled Alice’s squirming body closer to his. “I take it red is her favorite color today?”

“Yes,” Emma replied with a sigh, glancing around the room. “She is so powerful, Ha’ven. I worry about her.”

Ha’ven’s eyes followed Emma’s around the room. All of the blocks were now red, as was Alice’s blanket that she liked to carry, her doll’s hair and dress, her stuffed bear, and her shoes that were lying next to the couch. He glanced down at Alice.

Yes, red is her current favorite color, he thought as he took in the bright red dress she was wearing and the red bow in her pigtail. He frowned as a pang of fear washed through him at the thought of anything ever happening to something so sweet and beautiful.

“What is it?” Emma asked, touching his arm and pulling him back to the present.

Ha’ven’s eyes softened and he leaned down to brush a kiss against Emma’s lips. A chuckle escaped him when Alice pulled his head around and raised her face to his. He bent and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose, pulling more delighted giggles from his very talented daughter.

“Nothing,” he said, pushing away his fear. “We are done. Trelon threatened to evict Vox and I if we added any more lights. The only reason we decided we’d better listen to him was because he swore the next one who blew a circuit was going to have to babysit Amber and Jade for the next week because he would pull Cara in to help him fix things. If the Valdier had Cara, Amber and Jade as a secret weapon during the Great War, they would have won by the end of the first day.”

Emma laughed and shook her head. “They are not that bad,” she chided, turning to pick up the toys off of the floor. She straightened when they disappeared before she could. Turning, she placed her hands on her hips and scowled. “Okay, which one of you did it this time?” She breathed out in exasperation.

Ha’ven and Alice pointed at each other before both burst out laughing when Emma just looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Unable to resist, Ha’ven pulled Emma against him and Alice. With a wave of his hand, some of the music that Emma had recorded began to play in the background. He turned with the grace of a warrior and began dancing with the two most precious women in the universe.

Desire flooded him when Emma’s delicate hand ran up his arm. He knew the black bands of his power were reaching greedily for her. The dark bands wove around, intertwining with the soft pastels of her aura. His eyes softened when Alice reached out and touched the black bands with her tiny hand. Brilliant shades of red burst out from her palm, calming him.