The Alien Reindeer’s Escape

A Winter Starr Book 10

By Starr Huntress and Eden Ember

©2019 by Eden Ember All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover Design by Perfectly Plotted Books.

Edited by Perfectly Plotted Books.

Cover image by Deposit Photos.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Chapter 1

The vast expanse of white took her breath away as Piper stepped from the plane onto the tarmac. Crisp cold air filled her lungs energizing her to take the step forward to her new home and her new life. She had already called ahead, and a vehicle awaited, one that could take her down the cold icy roads to the cabin that her father had bought many years earlier. The four-wheel-drive Jeep bumped along the all but abandoned iced highway as she made her way north to the little community called Christmas Town. Fallen snow caused deep drifts along the sides of the highway framed in white shrouded trees.

Christmas Town was a sleepy community with a population of one hundred. Anyone here wanted to get away from life. She had nothing more to live for other than to mourn her father’s passing and try to figure out what she wanted to do. When her father came to her telling her he suffered from stage IV cancer, he asked her to help care for him in his last days. She didn’t realize how many surprises he had in store for her. It had been the hardest thing she’d ever done in her entire life taking care of her dying father. His strength was a great presence in her life. Her mother ran off with some guy and left her behind to finish high school. Her father spent time away as she stayed with her best friend while she finished school. She was in her second year of college when he called her and told her the news that he had been diagnosed with cancer and didn’t have long to live.

She squinted her eyes and made out the sign, Road 276, her new long driveway. Her father told her he had bought the cabin at the end of a long road with no neighbors nearby. The acreage was also his and he presented her with the deed to the property and the little cabin with her name scrawled on it. He was wheezing and coughing and could barely breathe but he smiled at his daughter.

“You didn’t think I’d leave you with nothing, did you?”

Piper wiped the tears from her face as she thought about all her father had done. She thought he just enjoyed hunting and being alone. He had come up here to the northern tip of Alaska and the little community of Christmas Town and bought land. It was more than she could ever dream possible that he also left with her a giant bank account. Her father died in the middle of the summer. She tried going back to school in the fall. Her heart wasn’t in it though. She kept thinking of how her father told her she didn’t have to do anything, that she could find her heart and her bearings at the cabin in Alaska. He encouraged her to go there and to enjoy it and to enjoy the money he left for her.

“The world is yours, Princess,” he said.

Anything she wants to do. Piper shook her head because she didn’t know what that was. Before she found out he had cancer, she was floundering in college trying to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She had taken on a role as a journalism major. Then she switched it to English. Then she decided she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. They told her that if she got an English degree, she would either teach or write. She wanted to do neither.

Christmas Town, aptly named for the time of year, was devoid of Christmas decor. It was very unlike her former home back in the states where Christmas lights lined the eaves and garland hung from street signs, and the stores played Christmas carols. The sleepy town lacked the hustle and bustle that the holidays brought to other towns. Christmas Town wasn’t a thriving civilization.

The little cabin loomed ahead in the dimming light of dusk; the front door shrouded in shadows on the porch. The caretaker came around once a month to check on things. Wildlife investigated places like this, looking for food. She didn’t doubt that there were wolves and bears this far out. She parked the Jeep in the snow and trekked to the front door. A care package sat on the table with a note. The caretaker had come by and prepared for her arrival. He told her that he wouldn’t be coming back unless she needed him and then left his number. She pulled her cell phone out and doubted that it would work this far away from a city. Two bars showed, surprising her. It didn’t matter, anyway; she didn’t have anyone she wanted to talk to you anymore now that her father was gone. Her mother was too busy playing girlfriend to some old hippie who had taken an RV down to Florida to live in the swamps with the gators. Suit herself. Piper shook her head.

A small woodpile sat beside the little stove and Piper started a fire. It had a window door which gave the room a soft glowing light. Outside was a generator and the barn to her right, her father had left her enough gas to get her through a season. The generator was ready now, and all she needed to do was prime it and flip the switch. Immediately, the little cabin blossomed with lights from within casting a soft glow and giving it such a homey feel. She looked around and caught her breath as she saw the hunter green plaids on rustic furniture in the place her father called his home. A carved spruce table sat with two chairs with quilt cushions. She tried to imagine him shopping for these things. It would have been like him to ask the neighbors to make the furnishings for him. He was always giving odd jobs to people.

The hushed night felt strange. Piper didn’t miss hearing the traffic outside the little duplex in which she lived on the quiet street in Roanoke. There it was a quiet street, however it was not as quiet as this place. The baying of a distant wolf startled her but the rustling of the wind in the tall trees around the cabin soothed her.  Her father had loved the place and said he had the best solitude here. She wanted to honor him and honor his memory by making this place her home, at least for now.

The next morning Piper went outside to gather more wood and bring another jug of gas from the barn. The sun was bright as it peeked through the gray clouds that threatened to dump another snowstorm. The stove warmed the roof enough to cause huge icicles off the eaves. She worried about the heavy icicles knowing it wasn’t a good idea to let that build up.

At first, Piper squinted at the trees. She walked along from the wood stack back to the cabin. A giant reindeer stood not too far from her but far enough away that she couldn’t touch it. It was looking at her, but not just looking at her. It met her eyes and her stare. She filled with joy upon seeing it. Reindeer lived in these parts and she’d much rather see a reindeer than a bear or a wolf. The reindeer stood tall with huge antlers; a scary tall because she didn’t think reindeer were so tall. The deer in Virginia were much smaller. She smiled at it and waved. “Hello there, you beautiful animal,” she said. For a second, he just looked at her as he tilted his head as if it were listening to what she was saying. Then he took off running, leaving her alone.

Every day when Piper would gather wood, she saw the reindeer. His daily visits brought a smile to her. It felt as if she had a friend in the reindeer and felt as if she should give it a name. He needed a name, so she called him her father’s name, Michael. She thought about her father and wished she could meet a man like him. Piper wouldn’t settle for anything less than what her father was. He was an honest man with large shoes to fill. She sighed again because in Alaska with her only neighbor a reindeer she doubted very much that she would meet the man of her dreams.

Chapter 2

Earth came into view as Elzarr guided the Astra Destiny through the Terran planetary system. He had entered the wormhole that brought him to the edge of the system hoping to arrive undetected. At least he knew he had people on Earth working to protect his identity. He hadn’t gone through the proper steps to become an Earthling as he had run away from his home planet, Azanie. Earth had hidden lands in which others couldn’t come to find him. The beautiful planet loomed ahead, the sun coming up over the horizon as he set course to the northern pole. With the ship in stealth mode, he flew around it once and launched into the burning atmosphere at an angle to keep his entrance a secret. He always enjoyed landing on new places. Elzarr visited the Terran planet as a child with his parents. He often dreamed about coming back, having heard all the details of the stories from his ancestors who’d been there before him. The humans were privy to the legends of his people. He chuckled as he was in his Rodii form and looked more like a man than his animal form. Once he landed and hid the craft, it would be easy for him to shift into his animal form. He’d have free run of enough land that he could exercise as he wanted. And here, with the snow falling in droves, he wouldn’t have to worry about burning out. No one heard of a reindeer in the tropical regions in the islands along the equator. His ancestors in the past had made the mistake of landing in other areas to discover that the environment was too hostile for them in their animal form. They had to remain in their Rodii form so they could blend into the human population until they could get away and find the cooler environments. His elders had told him that the polar caps had plenty of ice and provided the best environment for him to thrive.

Searching the ground for the perfect place to land was easy enough. He smiled as he set the craft down among the trees and extended the landing gear. The snow fell, and it wouldn’t take long for the white flakes to cover the top of the Astra Destiny. He pushed a button to turn the ship white so that it would blend into its environment and pulled the solar covering. He pressed another button to make certain that the air quality was what he needed in order to survive. His people thrived on Earth. A few Rodii had chosen Earth as their home.

For centuries his people had come here able to blend into the environment in both of their forms. One might mistake them for one of the Terran animals or for the more intelligent beings known as humans. Alaska provided him with an environment where he was free from the overcrowded planet of Azanie. Besides, he’d given up hope of finding a mate on Azanie since the females were far too scarce. Alaskan females were scarce as well. He chose Earth to have a little peace and to relax and enjoy life living in this place the humans called Christmas Town.

Elzarr stretched his forelegs as he lifted his head and belted out a call in the wild. His form was rather large, larger than the Terran reindeer. The fallen snow crunched beneath his hoofs as he made his way around the perimeter of the area. Leaping high, he ran fast through the snow-covered trees and shrubs, bounding over giant rocks. In the distance, a wolf bayed looking for food. He’d like to see the carnivore try to take him down. At least, as a Rodii, he had instincts which seemed to scare the larger beasts on this planet.

He committed everything on the land to his memory. A puff of smoke coming from a little cabin stoked his interest as he made his way to see what was going on. He came to the edge of the forest and stopped. A human female looked up at him. His encounters with humans caused alarm because of his great size. Not this human. She smiled. Her light blue eyes gazed at him and she spoke to him. A human had never spoken to him while he was in reindeer form. The woman took his breath away, because she was so interested in him and he was interested in her. He wanted to introduce himself like he would if he were in Rodii form. And then, he’d have to figure out if she was open to meeting an alien. He was an alien and a shifter. Humans didn’t believe in either, at least not the majority, save for those working at Area 51. He could go there if needed. He hoped he wouldn’t have to; he hoped to remain anonymous and out of reach from those on Azanie.

“Oh, look at you. You are a beautiful, majestic animal. Imagine that. Daddy, can you see him?” she asked while glancing at the sky.

Elzarr glanced up trying to figure out who she was talking to. And who is this Daddy? Thinking for a moment he remembered the humans on Earth called the person who gave them life mother and daddy. Then why is she looking up? Perhaps he’s up in a tree, or maybe he’s on the roof? Elzarr doubted that and yet her voice intrigued him.

The lovely lady had curves beneath her layers of clothing that at first caught his eyes. Turning his attention, he tried to figure out if anyone else was around; it didn’t appear that there were. The vehicle parked beside the little cabin seemed too small for an entire family. Only the woman’s footprints trailed to the front door. She smiled and stared at him.

Elzarr wished he was in his human form. At least then, he could talk to her. If he spoke to her as a reindeer, it would more than likely terrify her. But Rodii creatures emanate cheer to all who come near. It’s why the planet of Azanie is such a happy place. So happy that the male population grew and grew, and the female population waned. Still, he couldn’t help but gaze at this beautiful woman standing before him wishing he knew her better.

The human female dug into her pocket for something. Elazar froze remembering the strict warnings he had received from his people before coming to Earth. Sometimes, the humans hunt animals for game or for food. They see a reindeer as a meal. It occurred to him that perhaps she was hungry and was looking upon him as her next meal. He wouldn’t allow that to happen as she dug into her pocket; he turned and ran away.

Chapter 3

“Oh, you’re smiling at me! I swear you are!” Piper’s eyes gazed at the giant reindeer and his huge antlers. Turning, she wanted to grab her phone so that she could snap a picture of the majestic animal. There was no other way that she could prove that she had a reindeer standing nearby and smiling at her without a picture. She reached around inside her pocket and withdrew her phone and turned back around to snap the picture. To her disappointment, the reindeer had disappeared.

“Perhaps he’ll come back and I can snap a picture then.” She turned to gather some wood and brought it back to the cabin, spending the rest of the day cleaning. Piper had brought in enough of her own things to make it her home. Her father had left behind everything he ever used there, including his clothing. He was a rather large man, and she didn’t have the heart to go to his closet and clean it out. His presence stuck with her.

Piper ventured into town gathering whatever she could to make the place homier. The way people were in Alaska was that they offered to trade goods and services, and many didn’t care for money. There was a lady near town who made quilted items. Piper’s Jeep arrived at her homestead perched at the edge of a valley. Wayne and Greta Johnson had a lovely place where he fished and she sewed.

Bright fabrics covered the quilted items and would give her cabin just the right feminine touch. Piper was excited to mix her décor in the place making it a cozy home. The cabin provided an escape from the rat race of civilization, but there were still some things she needed to feel as if she was where she belonged.

The reindeer occasionally spied on her. Piper would look up and smile and wave as she spoke to him, even though she realized how silly that was. Perhaps he’s used to seeing people and the sight of her didn’t scare him away. He was her friend. She smiled when he came around.

Living in Alaska meant a lot of snowfalls. It didn’t surprise Piper when the winter storm hit as she felt well prepared. She stocked the cellar and cupboards with food, had plenty of firewood in the barn, and the generator had plenty of gas. A gentle fire blazed in the stove all night long to keep the cabin warm. It created a cozy and safe home. Piper worried about the reindeer out in the cold snow. Where did the reindeer sleep? She hoped he had good shelter.

The next morning, she found the snow had piled up very high around the cabin. Because she kept the stove going all night, the roof melted around the chimney on top causing water to run down. Before it hit the ground, the cold water formed huge deadly icicles that Piper imagined could impale a person or an animal. She hoped the reindeer would not be harmed by falling icicles in the woods.

The snow had let up with just flurries, but it powdered everything outside with a blanket of white. Piper smiled as she prepared to trek outside. The deep snow surprised her as she trudged through it. She could hear the roof creaking eerily as the icicles weighed heavily on the eaves of the roof. She needed to climb up and take care of it before something broke.

Dressed in her warmest coat and her thick boots, she pulled the ladder up to the roof and clambered up hoping that she didn’t slip. A short shovel pushed the excess snow off the edge as she drew it across it. Piper then chipped away at the huge icicles and they fell to the ground boring holes into the deep snow. Turning around, she felt as if she had eyes on her and in the distance in the trees she saw her friend, the reindeer. Piper lifted her hand and waved and smiled as if the reindeer could understand what she was doing. She wished she could invite him in to have a bit of warmth and enjoy a meal. How silly was that? Loneliness had set in on her. The majestic animal was company enough, and she was glad that he came around checking on her.

While Piper teetered up onto the roof, the snow started falling quickly again. Behind her, she saw nothing through the trees. It didn’t matter; she had to shovel the snow from the roof of the cabin. She took a step and her foot almost slid out from under her. The snow came off the edge of the roof in big clumps as Piper pushed the shovel through, losing her footing and sliding to the edge headfirst. She screamed even though she knew no one would hear her as she was powerless to stop what would be a devastating blow to her body.

As she fell off the roof, she landed in the arms of someone. It shocked her, and she turned to see the face of the most beautiful man she’d ever met. He had striking blue eyes that were as large as hers as he carried her up the steps and set her down. Piper’s heart thumped so hard that she thought she might pass out as she turned around to see who had rescued her. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the naked man standing before her. Snow caked his feet and legs and he didn’t even act as if the cold bothered him.

What struck Piper even more odd, was how the man didn’t seem to be bothered being naked in front of her. “Um, thank you for rescuing me. Where are your clothes?”

“I, yeah, I guess I forgot to wear them,” the man said. His deep rumbling voice flowed like smooth warm butter from his mouth. Piper couldn’t help gawking at the man as he was so well built, with muscles stacked upon muscles, and his manhood; wow.

Piper turned away as a fierce blush rode across her face. “You need clothes,” she said as she blinked fast. Her body became very warm and she wanted to remove her coat.

“I beg your forgiveness because I don’t have clothes with me. Where I’m from this is very normal. I’m so sorry if it offends you,” the man said in his strange accent.

He appeared to shiver, and Piper knew that she had to invite him into the cabin because he had just saved her life while being naked.

“Please, come in, it is nasty out here,” she said. Even Piper shivered as the wind blew snow onto the porch. The sunlight soon moved down in the sky, and the shadows melted into darkness. It wasn’t fit for man nor beast out there. Everything within her knew better than to invite a naked, strange man into her home. However, she felt giddy in his presence.

The man stood by the door with his hands folded in front of him trying to hide his manhood. It was a difficult thing to do, considering it was so large that his large hands couldn’t hide it. Piper smiled.

“I’ll be right back. I’m sure I can find something for you to wear and then you can tell me why you don’t normally wear clothes in the snow,” she said as she giggled and walked into the bedroom to look into the closet.

Her father’s clothes had hung untouched since he was there well over a year before. Piper found a pair of jeans, a long john shirt, and a flannel shirt, hoping that they would fit the stranger. The little drawers had just what she needed as she pulled out a pair of boxer shorts and a thick pair of socks. There were also shoes in the closet, but Piper wasn’t sure if they would fit because the man appeared larger than her father.

Piper walked into the front room and kept her eyes averted. She held out the clothes for the man to take. “You may go into the bathroom to change,” she said. Then Piper laughed because he wasn’t needing to change clothes; he needed to dress.

Within a few minutes, the man came out wearing her father’s clothes. Everything fit rather tight on him, but still the clothing covered everything as they should. Piper breathed a sigh of relief seeing the man fully dressed. But it was odd that she had seen him naked only moments earlier and still could not shake this image from her mind. She scooted the kettle across the top of the stove as the water began to boil. “Care for a cup of hot tea?” she asked.

The man nodded. “Um, sure,” he said as he smiled.

Hot tea steamed from the two cups as Piper invited the man to sit down in the living room. She wanted to learn more about who he was and why he was naked out in the Alaskan winter. The man who saved her was an enigma, and she wanted to dig into this puzzle as the night fell upon the small cabin in the woods.

Chapter 4

Elzarr was as shocked as Piper about the situation. If he had not come forward to save her, she almost certainly would have landed headfirst into the snow and broken her neck. He had no choice. In her kindness she gave him clothing in this form, and a hot drink as well. The human woman sat down and turned her hazel-green eyes upon him, and he took in what a beautiful creature she was.

“I’m Piper. I guess I didn’t know that I had a neighbor as close by as you. There are so many questions that I have, I don’t know where to begin,” she said as she smiled. He sensed her nervousness and wanted to ease her mind.

“I am Elzarr. I don’t mean to startle you with my appearance. You must understand, I came to Christmas Town thinking that I wouldn’t run into another human being out here. Where I’m from we walk around in the nude while out in the wild. I guess you could say my body is used to the extreme cold and it usually doesn’t bother me.”

“Well, I’m not sure where you’re from but in the United States it’s not conventional to run around in the snow while naked,” Piper said.

Elzarr chuckled. “I don’t mean harm by it. I was out wandering around and didn’t know anyone lived here. The cabin sat empty for a long time so you can imagine my surprise when I came up and saw you on the roof,” he said.

“Ah, strange,” Piper said. At least she seemed a bit more relaxed with him now. “I guess it’s just the way I grew up. However, there is no way that you can survive out there in that snowstorm.” She opened the door as the blustery air billowed in and stood on the porch, shivering. It was a whiteout outside. After shutting the door, Piper turned to him again. “Where do you live?”

Thinking fast, Elzarr came up with another half-truth. “There’s an old cabin on the ridge beyond here. I was out wandering through the woods, hunting, when I saw your place lit up and saw you on the roof.”

“Hunting, huh? There are some reindeer in the woods,” she said as she walked into the kitchen and pulled out food to make a stew. Elzarr’s blood ran cold at the insinuation. However, Piper turned to him with a huge grin. “I’d be upset if you killed my reindeer.”

“Oh? You have a reindeer?” Now Elzarr smiled.

“Yes, the most majestic animal I’ve ever seen. He comes around often. I’m surprised that you haven’t seen him.” She turned and narrowed her eyes at him. “In fact, right before I fell, he stood in the very spot you came from. Odd, if you didn’t see him.”

“I didn’t. I was tracking a lonesome elk.” Elzarr smiled at his wit for coming up with quick stories. “I suppose I should be going. I’ve taken up enough of your time and generosity.”

Piper stood and shook her head. “You can’t leave in this weather. You wouldn’t make it back to that cabin across the ridge. It’s freezing and dark out there. No, you can stay here on on my sofa. I insist. It’s the least I can do for you since you saved my life.”

Elzarr didn’t want to say no. Being honest about his identity was impossible because then she would figure out that he wasn’t from Earth. No, that was too much to explain. So instead, he bowed his head.

“Thank you. You’re very kind,” he said.

“Where did you say you were from?” Piper asked.

Elzarr thought quickly. “Not around here. But North,” he replied. It wasn’t a lie, because if he flew off the planet, he would follow the North star and keep going until he came to his home planet and the systems far away from here.

“North? You have an accent. Scandinavian?” she asked.

“Yeah, someplace like that. My people are very different and it’s very remote. We sometimes settle over here because we can be who we are without offending people,” he said.

Piper seemed to accept his story as she didn’t ask for further details concerning his explanation.

“I’ve never been outside the USA. I know very little about the Scandinavian people.” She smiled, and he felt better letting her believe that he was from Scandinavia.

The snow piled higher and higher has it snowed all night. The next morning, Piper couldn’t walk out of the cabin through the door because it was so high. She began cutting a path to the woodshed to gather wood and gasoline for the generator. Elzarr hopped up from bed and dressed in the clothes that she gave him. He also had free access to her father’s closet because he told her he didn’t bring many with him. He smiled at Piper’s kindness in letting him wear the clothes hanging in the closet.

“Why don’t you let me earn my stay and I will chop the wood. I’m very strong and I can get it done faster. You stay in the cabin and keep the fire going,” Elzarr said.

Piper agreed and headed back to the cabin. He thought she’d never leave. Elzarr needed to shift into his other form and run off some of his pent-up energy. He couldn’t do that with her around.

“I’ll find more trees to cut and prepare for drying in the woodshed,” he told her. It was a good excuse. Elzarr wandered behind the shed and came out of the clothing, and after digging a snow cave, placed the clothes inside. His body stretched and his reindeer form came out. It felt good being back in the animal form. He took off running through the woods working his muscles and keeping himself strong. His antlers had grown even larger, and he needed to rub them against a tree to keep them in check.

It’s funny how time flew when Elzarr ran in his animal form. He stretched his legs and pranced through the deep snow, calling out in his animal form. A distant wolf bayed, and he ran in the opposite direction. The snowstorm dumped so much snow that it was too deep for him even as a reindeer. He lost track of time as he ran the perimeter of the forest, one of the many things he had been doing before he met the human named Piper. And as he had been doing for a while, Elzar ran around the perimeter of her cabin’s property, hoping to run into her. He suddenly realized it was growing late. When he came around the side of the cabin nearby, Piper was standing outside and saw him.

She smiled and waved at him, as if she knew him. “Hey there, come on, come to me. I promise, I won’t hurt you,” she said as she beckoned to him.

Out of impulse, he walked towards her a little  as he wished she knew the truth. Suddenly, she looked around, her eyes peering through the branches in the trees. “Elzarr? Where are you? Elzarr, come here, please!”

She panicked when he didn’t answer her in his Rodii form. He was compelled to come closer to her as she called for him, hoping it distracted her enough to not look for his human-like form. But his eyes held the secret. She’s an intelligent human, and Piper looked into his eyes while hers were narrowing. Holding out her hand, the woman said, “Come here. Please come. Elzarr!”

Her eyes peered through the dense forest looking for the other him. Every time she said his name his body pulsed with energy, a strange feeling that traveled through his chest into the pit of his stomach. Every time Piper called out, he wanted to come to her and to tell her the truth.

“Elzarr! Where are you? Elzarr, please come back,” she yelled.

He suppressed shifting as his eyes widened. Turning from her as fast as he could he ran away. It was the most difficult thing he had ever done, running away from Piper as she was calling out for him. Everything within him wanted to run back to her and be honest about who he was. Her screams were panicking, and he ran deep into the forest where he could shift back into his alternate form.

Piper gave up yelling for him and went back inside the cabin. Elzarr had to change. Stepping back as far as could he peered at the cabin and saw the puffs of smoke coming out and realized that she had gone back inside. He shifted into his human form and ran to the back of the shed where he’d made the little snow cave for his clothes. The cave had collapsed on the snow coated clothing; however, he had no choice but to dress, anyway. Then he looked around with some distress because he had forgotten to chop firewood. Even so, Elzarr needed to return to her. He could sense her anxiety over his absence.

Chapter 5

Piper went back into the cabin. The cold blustery air proved more than she could handle. While shivering, she moved close to the wood stove and stood there while warming her hands. The harsh wind hit the cabin, the wood slats groaning under its stress. Piper’s father had insisted that he had built the cabin soundly. His claim was proven, as it had survived years prior from all the snowstorms that hit Alaska. Still, it worried her that the place could fall apart during something like this storm and that she would be helpless to fix it. But then again, she had Elzarr, the odd man from Scandinavia who didn’t own a stitch of clothing.

After opening the door again, she peered outside into the bleakness of the snowstorm and saw no sign of her new friend. Piper found it unusual that when Elzarr was around, she never saw the reindeer. He would probably get a kick out of seeing an animal that majestic. But then, he was running naked through the snowy woods before she met him. He probably slept with wolves too. Her laughter rang through the warm room in the cabin.

Piper shoved her hands back into her gloves and slid on a coat to go back outside. Perhaps Elzarr had fallen in the snow. She needed to find him. The giant flashlight would flood enough space ahead with light that when the sun sank below the horizon, she would be able to see. Piper wanted to search for him. Once she was outside, she could hear in the distance the knocking of an ax against wood resounding through the forest. Surely that must be Elzarr chopping wood.

He stood over the fallen tree, lifting the ax when she stepped around the woodshed. Furrowing her brow, she walked closer. “Where have you been? I was out here yelling for you for a long time,” she said.

Elzarr paused and smiled at her. “I’m sorry. I wanted to see how far I could trek. I didn’t make it very far. This snow is something else. We need a snowmobile to get around,” he said as he continued chopping the wood.

Piper helped as she carried bundles to the porch. Elzarr joined her as they walked back and forth until the porch had a nice new stack ready for burning. Once inside the cabin, she shivered and stood in front of the stove. Elzarr joined her, rubbing his larger-than-life hands together.

Whether Piper wanted to admit it or not, she was glad the snowstorm had kept Elzarr with her. She was glad that she didn’t have a snowmobile, and she doubted her Jeep would get her out of the drive of the remote cabin anyway. They turned to warm their bodies near the stove and bumped into each other. She glanced up at Elzarr and smiled as he smiled down at her.

“Perhaps I should invest in a snowmobile, huh?” she asked as she looked up at him.

He made a face and nodded. “Yeah, I can see the benefit of owning one around here,” he replied.

Piper hadn’t thought about it before, but she now wondered how he got around and how he had arrived to live here. “How did you get here? I mean I know you walked to my place sans clothing, but how did you get to Alaska?” she asked.

Elzarr inhaled deeply. “I flew here. I’m very used to walking on my feet everywhere I go. But this snowstorm, it’s something else,” he said as he peered out the window. It was dark, and they saw nothing outside.

Elzarr was such a mystery to Piper. Try as she might, she could not get her guest to be very forthcoming with more detail about his life. The thoughts kept crashing through her brain, and she wanted to find out more about him. “Are you on the run from the law?” she asked.

He chuckled. “You could say it’s something like that. But don’t worry, I’m not a criminal or anything. My people, they expect more than I’m willing to give. There’s a lot of drama from my home and I just needed to get away from it all. I escaped the drama,” he said.

Piper settled on the sofa and pulled her feet up on the coffee table in front of her. She sighed. “I can relate to that. I left the rat race behind when my father died. It surprised me when I found out about this place. He asked me to come up here and do what I wanted to do with it. And to be honest, I hadn’t thought very far ahead. I just know that I wasn’t thrilled living back there,” she said.

Elzarr nodded and took a seat on the chair after he got a glass of water. “What was your job back where you came from?” he asked.

“I worked for a publishing house as an editor while I also attended school. An acquisitions editor, which meant I read through a lot of slush piles. I’m glad I had that job because it kept me grounded to a place where my father eventually found me. He turned out to be sick, so I had to quit my job to take care of him. He let me know about this place and about his bank account.” Piper shakes her head. “Well, I’m sitting here telling you all these things and I really know very little about you. For all I know, you may be someone who wants to steal my money,” she said as she laughed.

“Trust me, I have more money at my disposal than you.”

“And yet you came here naked,” she replied, causing them both to laugh.

“It’s my prerogative. Clothing is relative,” he told her.

Piper stepped away from the stove and headed toward the kitchen. “How about we fix a hot meal? I’ve got a freezer full of beef, pork, and chicken. Let’s make a nice big pot of beef and vegetables,” she said.

Elzarr laughed as he stepped into the kitchen with Piper. “For a minute, I thought you would tell me you had a freezer full of venison. That would not be acceptable,” he said.

Her brow furrowed. “You don’t like to eat venison?” she asked.

“Would you want to eat that beautiful majestic reindeer you said you saw?”

“Ah, good question.” She shook her head. “No, you’re right. I would never eat that beautiful creature.” Did Elzarr just sigh in relief?

Piper pulled the beef out of the freezer and stuck it into a pot of boiling water. He looked at her and grimaced. “It’s all frozen but no worries, I have an instant pot, and we can make this meal quickly. But you need it thawed so that you can cut it into chunks for me,” she said while grinning.

Elzarr grabbed the fork and the knife. “I am a master with culinary skills. I shall chop the best of the beef chunks for you,” he said as he laughed.

Piper grabbed a small bag of potatoes, carrots, and onions from the cellar and brought them upstairs to chop. She and Elzarr worked very well together while preparing the meal.

The small cabin didn’t leave much room for them to walk around each another. Piper pulled rolls out of the freezer and turned, running directly into Elzarr. He grinned down at her and they danced trying to give the other person the right way. He chuckled and moved to the side to allow her to advance toward the table.

After dinner, Elzarr hopped up and started clearing the dishes from the table. As she couldn’t allow him to outdo her, Piper piled as many dishes as she could into her arms and carried them to the sink. She thrust her hands into the hot soapy water, Elzarr standing beside her to rinse and towel dry each one. They did this until the entire kitchen was clean and then Piper turned, finding herself face-to-face with him. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her face. For a moment, she thought he would lean in to kiss her. For a moment, she thought she might let him.

“I suppose it’s time for bed. Are you warm and okay out here? I’d be happy to let you sleep in the bed while I sleep out here on the couch. I really don’t mind,” Piper said.

“No, the couch is very comfortable, and I appreciate it. I don’t have such nice accommodations as you do here and I guess in a way I’m thankful for the snowstorm,” Elzarr admitted. Piper nodded and smiled as she walked from the kitchen to the bedroom, thoughts of her guest running through her head.

Piper fell into bed and slipped into dreams of the near kiss with Elzarr.  She slept well, her mind at ease with the thought of the handsome man lying on the couch in the living room nearby.

Chapter 6

Elzarr made himself at home in Piper’s cabin. The snowstorm prevented him from leaving as a man. Not a bad thing considering the attraction he had to the warm and friendly human. The issue came when he needed to shift into his animal form and stretch and work his muscles. His body needed equal amounts of time in both forms, which was why he chose Alaska and the far-reaching region of Christmas Town for his new home. He never imagined meeting a human female that compelled him to stick close to her.

Elzarr stepped outside while she was in her bedroom, which gave him a few moments to himself. “I’m bringing up some wood,” he called out. She answered with a muffled okay.

Outside, the snow fell in flurries over the already puffed landscape. Making quick work, Elzarr discarded his clothing and shifted. With a bellow, he leapt into the forest and ran fast around the perimeter of the ridge. It felt good to stretch his muscles and then prance back with bold leaps. After shifting back into his human-like form, he dressed, not wanting to alarm Piper again, and carried armloads of wood to the front porch. She stood at the stove inside while stirring a pot of oatmeal and greeted him with a big smile when he came back inside.

“Smells wonderful,” Elzarr told her. He enjoyed a similar dish on Azanie, with the sweet tones of the grulup fruit that grew in the mountains around the palace.

“Oats stick to the ribs and helps on a cold day like today. We’ve gone through so much wood. Thank you for carrying up more. Oh, I saw the reindeer while you were outside. Did you see him?”

He looked up and smiled. “I did, off in the distance. I had my ears covered, but heard his hooves in the snow,” he replied. It wasn’t a full lie.

“Isn’t he the most beautiful animal you’ve ever seen?” Piper asked as she drizzled maple syrup into her bowl.

Elzarr nodded and smiled, amused by her words. “I think reindeer are beautiful and majestic creatures. Mythical even,” he said as he grinned. Would she take the bait and talk more about it?

“I suppose. I’ve never really thought about it. I mean, Alaska has lots of big game,” Piper told him as she shoveled in another spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth.

He grimaced at her choice of words. Big game. People around here hunted elk, deer, bear. Perhaps he should be mindful of the humans when running. However, he’d more than checked out the area surrounding Christmas Town and there weren’t too many reindeer hunters. He’d never go to south Alaska where deer was on the menu, and where his head placed on the wall above a fireplace could happen.

“Pardon?” He looked at her as Piper had asked him a question.

“I asked if you did any hunting?”

“Oh, only small game. Like lemmings. I’ll fish for Arctic Char too,” he said.

“You hunt lemmings? Seriously?”

“Yes, I enjoy some bird eggs as well. Where I’m from, these are delicacies.” Elzarr grinned while not revealing his taste for deer moss. He reserved it for a conversation on another day.

Piper made a face. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, you eat lemmings? They’re like little furry pets,” she said.

Elzarr shook his head and laughed. “You never know what you can eat unless you’re hungry and lemmings are the only thing available,” he replied.

“You’d make a good person on some of those survival shows. I mean, they eat anything,” she said as she widened her eyes.

Elzarr enjoyed joking around with her. Though, when he admitted to the foods he ate, he wasn’t joking at all. But as a human-ish being, he ate the same things she did. He refused to put a bite of venison to his lips, though. He was thankful that Piper didn’t have a freezer full of it, which is what many people around this part of Alaska had.

The two of them spent part of the day pulling the icicles off the eaves. Right before the sun left for the day, Elzarr brought up more firewood until the porch overflowed with it.

“I hate to admit this, but I’m going to anyway. Here goes; I’m grateful for the snowstorm,” Piper said to him as she smiled.

Alaska was full of snowstorms. However, Elzarr had an idea as to why she would say such a thing. “You know, I’m grateful for it too. It made me realize that I have a gracious and beautiful neighbor,” he said.

Piper bumped into him as she laughed. She paused in front of the large man and looked up into his eyes. Everything inside Elazarr tensed as he looked back at her. She lifted her chin, stepping closer, daring him to make a move. He started to lean in, but then he realized this would never work. He backed away and cleared his throat.

Piper looked flustered for just a moment but then she righted herself. “Oh! I know, I’ll make us a nice cup of hot cocoa. I make it extra heavy on the milk so that will help us get a good night's sleep,” she said as she grinned at her guest. Elzarr watched her as she walked into the kitchen while humming a Christmas tune. She was so warm and friendly, and it took everything he had not to pull her into his arms and claim her as his own.

As Elzarr laid on the couch late into the night, he could hear the even, soft breaths of Piper coming from the bedroom. She slept with the door open so that the wood heat circulated into there. He tossed and turned as he thought about that near kiss from earlier. After a time, he rose from the couch and strode out the front door as quietly as possible. He marched straight back to the shed and discarded his clothing before shifting into the magnificent reindeer.

The moon was out, though not as full as it had been, and it peeked behind the clouds occasionally as the snow flurries continued falling. The snow was so high in places it was difficult for Elzarr to prance through it. He stretched his legs and lifted his head and uttered the reindeer cry. He ran up onto the ridge, making his way around the entire area as if he were free and had nothing in the world that could tie him down. Not even the beautiful human that enticed him so in the cabin nearby. Piper would be frantic if she were to get up and see him gone. Just to keep her from doubting his reasons for being out in the snow, he would carry back an armload of wood to let her know that he was stoking the fire in the middle of the night. He only wished he had checked it before he left to make sure it actually needed wood. He also soon realized that the porch held an abundance of wood already. It didn’t matter. He had to do this; he had to stretch his legs and work his muscles in his animal form. It was the only way he could survive and keep his body healthy and his muscles strong.

Off in the east, the sun was rising but just barely. These days, the sun didn’t rise for long as the area stayed dark more than it stayed light. He stretched himself again as he ran up onto the ridge and peered down at the rough little cabin that he had claimed as his home when he came to Earth. Elzarr laughed to himself as he pranced away and headed back to the beautiful cabin and the lovely lady within. Perhaps he was fighting being around her. Maybe Piper was compelling him to stay with her. Whatever was happening, he wasn’t sure how long he could continue to fight his urges.

Having stored his clothes inside the shed, they weren’t snow-covered this time around. Elzarr dressed again and loaded his arms with wood before going back to the cabin. When he walked through the door, piper was standing just inside in her flannel pajamas and regarded him briefly as she ran her hand over her tousled hair.

“There you are. I thought you might get some wood, so I started breakfast,” she said.

Elzarr stoked the fire inside the stove as he watched Piper cook. The fragrance of scrambling eggs, frying bacon, and biscuits filled the air. She quickly whipped up a pot of white gravy, the kind they eat in the south. Piper smiled as she set the table.

“We need to eat the heartiest meals. I hope you like biscuits and gravy,” she said.

Elzarr sat at the table as he so desired to tell her more. “I will eat anything you fix, except venison. I will not eat venison,” he said. He laughed to make it lighthearted though he was very serious about the statement. She too laughed.

As Elzarr ate, he wanted his next words to be the truth to tell her who and what he really was. When she cleaned the dishes and talked about gathering more firewood, he lost his courage and said nothing.

Chapter 7

Piper grew suspicious of Elzarr as she wondered if there was something he was leaving out of what he was telling her. He seemed perfectly nice, and normal, and oh so very sexy. She rather enjoyed having him around, as he seemed almost too perfect to be a man. She grew more suspicious as he disappeared often. He kept the porch full of wood as that was always the excuse for him to trek out into the deep snow to bring up more wood.

Piper woke early one morning feeling that the air in the cabin was cool. After shrugging into her thick robe, she walked into the living room and saw that her guest hadn’t slept on the sofa. The stove had burned down to low embers. She prepared herself to go outside to bring in wood to stoke the fire. One did not open the door to get firewood without fully dressing the part as it; was that cold outside. As she stepped into her boots, the door opened slowly causing the hinges to creak. In walked Elzarr, his arms loaded with wood and breathing fast.

“Oh, I was just about to go out there and get some wood,” she said.

“Yes, I saw that the stove was low, so I went out to bring the wood back. I’m sorry you woke up to a cooler cabin,” Elzarr said as he walked to the stove and stoked the fire.

The snow piled up on the roof and Piper needed to make sure there was enough gas in the generator. The cold air blasted through the door immediately as she stepped outside. She noticed that giant icicles had formed again from the eaves as Elzarr poured more gas from the tank at the side of the woodshed. A sudden rustling in the woods made her pause and turn to look but she saw nothing. “Oh, I hoped that it was the reindeer so that you could see him with me,” she said.

Elzarr looked up sharply as he squinted his eyes trying to see what she was looking at. “I don’t think it’s the reindeer,” he said as he carried the containers of gasoline to the porch.

They spent the few daylight hours they had chipping the icicles from the eaves and in bringing up more wood and gas. It left them very little daytime, and they had a lot of time inside the cabin before it was time again for bed. Piper put on a giant roast and it simmered in the pot as she and Elzarr chopped vegetables. Suddenly, a growl from the porch startled them followed by clawing at the door. Piper let out a small scream.

Elzarr jumped up and lurched for the window. “It’s a wolf!”

He had no sooner said it that the door rattled and opened as the wolf clawed at it. The gun Piper had was in her bedroom and not easily accessible. Before she realized what was happening, Elzarr tore out of his clothes and cast a look at her as he lurched toward the wolf. “I’m sorry.”

In a blur, Elzarr changed from a naked man and into a great majestic reindeer. Her reindeer! He lifted his chin and groaned at the wolf who was much smaller than him. It snarled and backed away. Elzarr, the reindeer, rushed toward him and the wolf ran into the forest with Elzarr right on his heels.

Piper did not understand what she had just seen. Her hand covered her mouth as she stifled a cry. Things like this didn’t happen every day. One moment, Elzarr had been inside her home, helping her chop vegetables, then in another he had suddenly threw his clothes off and turned right in front of her eyes into a great reindeer. It made no sense. The lantern cast little light to discover what was out there. The wolf’s footsteps trailed off just out of the light and the reindeer’s footsteps were right behind them. In the distance, she heard the wolves baying and calling to one another. Piper also heard the call of the reindeer and worried that the wolves would turn and kill him. Thinking quickly, she stepped back inside and grabbed her rifle and the spotlight and shrugged into her clothes as fast as she could. If the wolves tore into the deer, she would shoot them right there. With the gun and flashlight in hand, she tore down the same trail that the wolf and the reindeer made. The reindeer, Elzarr. Her mind swam with possibilities as she didn’t understand what happened. It couldn’t have happened. Maybe she had dreamed the whole thing and she’d awake later with him standing over her laughing and asking her what had happened.

The dark enveloped her with the freezing wind as she squinted at the trail before her. She traveled fast and hard as her breath came in ragged, causing a stitch in her side. Where was she? The animals were much faster than her. After stopping to catch her breath, Piper looked back and the cabin was just a mere dot in the distance beyond the trees. In her haste, she’d left the door open and now she worried that something else would invade her home. The baying of the wolves off in the distance startled her. There was no way she could catch up. The snow had begun to fall once again in another whiteout storm. Piper’s feet were frozen by the time she made it back to the cabin. Thankfully, no other animal was waiting for her at home.

Luckily, the wood stove burned bright even though the heat was pouring out through the front door. She checked all around inside before closing the door securing and it so that no other beast could come in. Well, unless the reindeer came back. The reindeer, Elzarr. She carefully hung her outerwear over the clothing rack near the door. Shock ravaged her because something like this could not be real. Piper thought she must be daydreaming; she was delirious and hallucinating.

The rifle was propped next to her near the couch. Piper listened for footfalls outside as the events of the night flitted through her mind. It had to have happened. Elzarr’s clothes laid strewn around in a pile on the other side of the sofa. Even his shoes he had been thrown off before he transformed into the great reindeer. Her majestic and beautiful reindeer. No wonder the man was gorgeous. After gathering his clothes and shoes together, she set them in the swing on the porch, in case he came back.

Her eyes stared at the door, waiting for his return. Where was Elzarr? What if the wolves got him and he was dead? A cry caught in her throat as Piper thought about it. Once daylight came, she would follow the trails looking for evidence that he had died. Her heart was breaking, and she wished he would just walk through the door. How was it that a mere human could fall in love with someone like him? She knew of the tales, legends if you will. Piper had not thought they were true, but now that she had seen it with her own eyes, she realized their veracity. The man no longer seemed human to her. Piper wasn’t sure what he was exactly. An alien perhaps? She didn’t know. She realized her feelings for him were much deeper than she had thought before. And all the silliness of it and in her own stupid away, she kept her hand out trying to keep him at bay. And really, Piper fell for him, whoever and whatever Elzarr was. She fell for the reindeer, from the first time she laid eyes on him. She knew there was a special connection between him and her. And now she knew they cemented that special connection as he stayed with her and protected her. He had allowed himself to become who he really was and showed Piper his protection. It meant that he cared for her too.

Chapter 8

Elzarr chased the giant wolf all the way to the foot of the mountain. What the wolf didn’t know was that Elzarr wasn’t just an ordinary reindeer. An ordinary reindeer would have run from the wolf. Elzarr had killer instincts. Even though his presence emitted a pleasantness to those who posed no harm to him, he was a terrible foe to predators who sought to harm. The wolf had come across Piper’s cabin on the hunt for food in the driving snow. Food was in short supply for the wolf and his nose led him to her.

Elzarr wouldn’t have had a problem ripping the creature across its throat had he caught it. The deep snow made it impossible to run very fast, though. The wolf had the advantage of being from this area. However, he kept on the killer’s trail hoping to chase him far enough away that he’d never come back and threaten Piper again. Who was he kidding? Wolves had a keen sense of smell and instinct. They’d not forget. This sealed it, he couldn’t leave her alone now. She was in danger. Or at least he might stay with her long enough to reinforce her doors and windows from such predators.

The wolf ran beyond the reach the mountains and down into the valley below. As the wolf joined his pack and ran farther away, Elzarr turned to go back to Piper. He ambled along while catching his breath. Relief flooded him that the truth was now out. He had a lot of explaining to do when he returned. The shocked expression on her face when he tore out of his clothes and shifted into the reindeer would not leave his mind. Piper appeared confused and yet he took off so quickly that he couldn’t say a word to her. He wondered once she learned the full truth of who he was if she would be interested in him. If he admitted it to himself, he had feelings for the human woman. The attraction had grown since he first laid his eyes upon her when he had wandered up to her cabin the first time he saw her. A magnetic attraction between the two was undeniable.

When he came over the crest, down into the valley and back towards her cabin, he broke into a trot. It had been a while since he had left. A soft glow came through the windows and when he reached the porch, he shifted back into his manly form. Piper had at least left his clothes sitting on the swing on the front porch beside the woodpile. He shrugged into them, thankful to have something to cover himself before he went inside.

After a soft rap on the door he waited for Piper to open it. When she did, she had the same strange look in her eyes that she had earlier when he had left her to chase the wolf.

“I suppose you want the truth now, huh?” he asked.

“You think? Yeah, please tell me I was hallucinating or something and that it just didn’t happen. Please shake me so that I wake up and realize that it was just an odd dream.” Piper stared at him with her eyes wide.

Elzarr told her the truth about who he was, and he left nothing out. It was a lot for her to digest as she stared at him with her mouth agape.

“I guess I am having a hard time believing that you’re an alien from another planet. And not only an alien, but a shifter too.”

“My people are the Rodii. We have been coming here for centuries since we are compatible with your atmosphere and we are able to blend in with both of our forms. Not too many places in the galaxy allows for this, I assure you,” Elzarr said. A nervous laugh came forth as he wanted to impress the woman, but she didn’t seem impressed at all.

Piper seemed to struggle with processing this. She stayed quiet. Elzarr realized this was the point at which he needed to take his leave. Perhaps she would think it over and invite him back. Perhaps she wouldn’t. Denial made it easy to ignore things hard to understand. He at least had to give some room to do that if she so chose.

“Look, I realize that everything you see from me is a lot to take in. It would be best if I left and let you have your thoughts. It doesn’t matter about the snowstorm. I guess I used it as an excuse because of my attraction to you,” Elzarr told her.

Piper didn’t resist as Elzarr prepared to leave. He’d already stepped out of the clothes and she averted her eyes as he turned toward the door. She said nothing but understood that he had to shift back into his reindeer form and couldn’t take the clothes with him. “Thank you for your kindness and for giving me clothes and food and warmth,” he said. Elzarr turned and walked out through the door before shifting into his reindeer form. As he did, he realized that the wolf had come back and brought with it the pack who stood at the trees, their eyes glowing. Behind him, Piper screamed.

Elzarr reared back on his hind legs and thrust his large hooves forward toward the wolf. Here they go again, as he took off chasing the wolf away from Piper’s cabin. The pack turned and followed. Sure enough, when he chased the one wolf away three others circled around the cabin. With his eyes glowing menacingly, Elzarr meant to drive away the other wolves. He charged towards them to chase them off as well. This was not to be an easy task. The wolves were determined to get to Piper, and they were indigenous creatures to the area. They were hungry, and they thought she might prove to be an easy target. He wished that she would come outside and shoot her gun to scare more of them away. The chase sent them back to the pack while they called to one another. Elzarr trotted towards them, baring his teeth and huffing all the way. They turned and ran, and he hoped that it would be enough. Turning back, he headed toward the cabin where he could hear Piper calling to him.

“Elzarr! Please come back!” Piper’s pleas reached him, and it compelled him to quickly go back to her. She stood at the edge of her porch while looking around and craning her neck to listen. She heard nothing but the sound of the heavy snow falling. The wolves by now were miles away. Elzarr shifted back into his human form as she handed him his clothes and opened the door for him.

Piper didn’t seem to care that he was naked in front of her again. She paced the floor in front of the wood stove as her eyes swung to look at him. “Are these wolves shifters like you? Are they enemies of yours?” she asked.

Elzarr buttoned the top of the flannel shirt and sat down on the couch where he could put on the socks. He chuckled. “They’re more like your enemy. They don’t like me either, though. While I bring a calmness to your kind, I bring dread to them. I saw at least four wolves,” he told her.

Piper sat down beside him on the couch as her eyes looked over at him with worry. Her hand touched his forearm, and he looked down, feeling the warmth of her touch and wishing he could pull the human woman to him and do so much more. “Please, please don’t leave me. You have a life out there, I know, but right now I have no way of leaving this cabin. I’m a little afraid of the wolves coming back and I’m not strong enough to handle it on my own. I don’t know, maybe you could teach me what to do to get rid of them? But for now, please don’t leave. I’m trying not to freak out about who you are and what you are. But I know that when you’re around, I feel safe and warm,” Piper said as her hand closed around his arm.

Chapter 9

Piper held her breath for a split second, waiting for Elzarr to answer. She couldn’t resist him.

“I won’t leave you defenseless. Don’t worry, I will not abandon you,” he replied.

Piper breathed a deep sigh of relief. She thought her little cabin was protection enough, but the wolves of the Arctic were large and when they caught the aroma of prey, they were like dogs with a bone. She took him in as her eyes brimmed with tears.

“I’m trying to understand who you are, and what you are. I mean, life as I ever knew it says that this kind of thing is impossible. My father believed in some myths and fairytales. He said nothing to me about reindeer that could change into human form. Whatever you are,” she said.

“Rodii. But we are very much like humans. Our DNA is very similar,” Elzarr told her.

“Does this mean Rodiis can mate with humans?” Piper asked. Then she slapped her hand over her face as her eyes widened. She could not believe that she had asked such a question. “Did I just ask that?”

Elzarr chuckled. “I am afraid so.”

Piper breathed another sigh of relief. this time from a desire she had since she met the man or Rodii. The physical attraction she had for him was undeniable. But humans could not mate with aliens, could they? Considering the stories of old and the angel like beings that mated with the daughters of men, it seemed to Piper that it could be within the realm of possibilities.

“I’d like to hear your story. I mean I’ve seen you change twice now. No one would believe me anyway, so your secret is safe with me,” Piper said.

Elzarr nodded. “Yes, I owe you that much,” he replied as he sat down on the couch. Piper took to the recliner and gazed into his eyes, mesmerized by the warmth about him. She didn’t fear him. In fact, she felt quite the opposite. Elzarr made her warm and happy.

Piper listened on pins and needles to his story about being from another planet. Elzarr laughed. “Part of my persona, or the persona of my people, is if we like someone, we make them cheery or happy, as you said.”

“What if you don’t like them?” Piper’s eyes widened.

“Like the wolves, we instill fear. We have a red glow about our eyes when provoked, and it brings trembling in the nastiest of beasts.”

“Wow. I hope I never see that side of you,” she answered.

As he spoke of his people and planet, Piper kept thinking about how attracted she was to Elzarr. Yet, she doubted it would ever be possible to have that sort of relationship with someone who was an alien to Earth. She kept her thoughts to herself, wishing that he would make another move on her, because then she would feel compelled to allow it happen.

“Good cheer. Are Santa’s reindeer related to your people?” Piper asked as she laughed.

His eyes grew serious as he gazed upon her.

“You know the tale of Santa Claus and his reindeer?”

“Oh yes, that I know. And it’s not a tale.” He gave her a half grin.

Piper sat forward as tiny flutters sailed through her body. Her childhood had been one of belief in Santa and the flying reindeer. One year she even swore she had heard the sleigh bells ringing on Santa’s sleigh. “Tell me. I was a big believer as a child.”

Elzarr’s smile warmed her heart. “Centuries ago a group of my people landed here because of the land and climate which provided a perfect place for us to blend into the environment in whatever form we took. The good cheer brought the townsfolk to us. It happened on Christmas, when the children’s innocence and sweetness touched Claus. He wanted to surprise the tots with gifts that year. He stayed in his human-like form while the others shifted into reindeer form. With a land hovercraft, which looked like a sleigh to the humans, he loaded toys they had collected and brought them around the village and the surrounding area. Overnight, Claus became very popular as the children saw him and his eight reindeer. Then every year, they expected it, and it continued to occur.”

“So, there’s truth to him. Santa was real, and he was an alien,” Piper said. It seemed like a truly fantastic tale that could never be based on fact, and yet she had seen Elzarr shift from his human form into a reindeer. So why not?

Elzarr chuckled. “Yes, Santa was an alien and so were his eight reindeer. All ancestors of mine,” he said. He continued laughing. “And what’s so funny is that this is something that we have by coincidence. It caused the entire world to adopt this story and to continue the myth even today, at Christmas.”

“Did you realize your people had such influence on earthlings?”

“Why do you think I’m here? I feel at home on this planet.”

“Are there as many here today?”

Elzarr shook his head. “No, we never came here in large numbers. The Rodii work with your government. There may be a few here like me to get away from Azanie, but most of our population is in a star system far from here,” he told her.

Piper scooted closer as she peered into his eyes. “You sound so sad when you say that. Do you not like your own planet?” she asked.

“I enjoy my solitude. My planet is densely populated and yet the Rodii females are waning in numbers. I guess I had some pressure placed upon me there to figure things out, so I’d rather be here in this beautiful place,” he said.

Piper smiled when she glanced up at him. He was leaning in and it seemed that he wanted the woman, at least by the look of his body language, as much as she wanted him. She lifted her chin and gazed into his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here. Aside from the wolves trying to kill me, I’m glad I met you even before I knew what you are,” Piper said as she began to laugh.

Elzarr searched her eyes. He leaned in a bit more and she lifted her chin as they closed the gap between them. His lips touched hers in a warm and soft kiss. It wasn’t like kissing an alien, but it felt like kissing a very attractive man. Everything inside her awoke as her body responded to the nearness of him. He seemed like such a perfect human man, even though Piper has come to understand that he wasn’t a man at all. They leaned back and peered into one another’s eyes again.

Elzarr reached up and caressed her cheek. “You are such a beautiful woman. I wonder if destiny compelled me to come here to meet you, Piper. You know the myth of Santa Claus and the reindeer, so you must realize that my people believe in fate,” he told her.

“I never put stock in fate before. It resigned me to living my life alone, like the rest of the world just wasn’t a place for me. I came here too, seeking solitude. But now that I’ve gotten to know you, I can’t help but wonder if this has been destiny to meet each other,” she agreed.

Piper reached up this time and slid her hand around his neck, pulling Elzarr to her as they kissed again. He did everything right, as he moved his lips over hers. She wanted him and he wanted her. How would it work with him being an alien and her being a human, though? Her father might have believed all of this. Her mother would never know because they were estranged. Piper and Elzarr were both at the perfect place at the perfect time. They were so right for each other.

Elzarr exhaled as he put his arm around her and pulled her to him. They sat back and watched the fire flickering through the glass door, while outside the wind blew the snow as it grew colder. Hopefully the wolves have moved on to other prey and would leave her alone. Piper looked at Elzarr and could not even fathom how fierce he had been with the wolves because of his protection over her. He brought a great deal of cheer to her heart.

Chapter 10

Elzarr rested better that night than he had in a very long time. He was always comfortable in Piper’s cabin, but now that she knew the truth, he felt such a great sigh of relief within him. Keeping his identity secret was something he could do and was something he had to continue to do while being on earth. But knowing he had a beautiful human being in his corner helped him tremendously to relax and let his guard down a little. Piper continued to hold back a little, perhaps because she was still a little uncertain about him.

Piper flipped several pancakes onto a plate and added a big plop of butter to the top. Elzarr had taken oranges he found in the cellar and was squeezing fresh orange juice. He liked a nice glass of orange juice. Piper was curious, and her questions were endless as they sat down together.

“You came to earth to get away from your overpopulated planet?” Piper asked.

Elzarr wiped his mouth with a napkin and nodded. “Yes, it is overpopulated with males and there are not enough females. I hadn’t met nor formed a bond with anyone else there. I figured something destined me for a life alone and that’s why I came here. I knew that here I could be myself in both forms and no one would notice,” he said.

Piper laughed. “Unless you see someone falling off the roof, or if the wolves try to come in and kill me,” she replied.

“I admit, I never had intentions to reveal the truth until you saw it in action. Many people can’t handle this kind of knowledge.”

Piper reached out and placed her hand on his arm. It warmed where she touched him as he looked down at it and smiled. “I’m glad you shared this with me. I don’t like that the wolf came along, but I’d like to thank him for helping me to see the truth about you. Admittedly, it is a weird thing and I keep having to remind myself that this is all real and not some medicated hallucination. But I’m so glad you’re here, Elzarr.”

Elzarr peered into Piper’s eyes, soon getting lost in her mesmerizing stare. This female Terran was so warm and friendly and everything within him wanted to draw her into his arms. In a momentary lapse of sensibility, he leaned forward while looking at her lips. He still wasn’t sure what she thought of the possibility of and two of them together. He couldn’t help being drawn to her, though. It was almost as if a magnetic force were compelling him to stay by her side. Elzarr wanted to taste her lips; he wanted her hands on his body. He wanted Piper to sleep in his arms and to wake up every morning by his side, naked. She leaned forward too as he came back to his senses and shook his head while leaning back in his chair.

“This was a good breakfast. Thank you so much for taking care of me,” he told her as he smiled at the young woman.

“Thank you for taking care of me as well,” she whispered. Her voice was soothing to Elzarr, like an angel singing into his ear. She took his breath away, but he needed to get up and go outside. The chair scraped along the wooden floor.

“I, I um, I need some air. I also need to stretch my legs,” Elzarr said as he grinned at her.

Piper smiled back as she bounced up and down. “Are you going to shift back into your reindeer form?” she asked.

Elzarr felt peculiar about it but he nodded. “Yes, but you understand how I have to do it, right? I have to remove my clothes to keep from shredding the fabric,” he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you fly to earth as a reindeer?” she asked.

Elzarr chuckled. “I flew in a pod all the way from Azanie. I was in this form when I flew, while wearing a flight suit. When I landed, I hid the pod and the flight suit and shifted into reindeer form. I was in reindeer form for most of the time here until I met you,” he replied.

“Is it better for you to be in reindeer form? Are you in reindeer form more than in human form?” she asked.

“My people stay in whatever form they prefer. We need more exercise in our animal form because we have larger muscles in that form. Communication is easier for us in human form, though. Recently, I haven’t been getting as much exercise as I need,” he said as he blushed.

“Then don’t let me stop you. Do you mind if I watch?”

Elzarr shook his head. There was an ancient means of communication for his kind when they are speaking with another. It only occurred if a bond existed between them. Elzarr was interested in finding out whether there would be such a bond between him and Piper. “When I shift, allow me to try something with you. I want to see if I can communicate with you from mind to mind,” he said.

Piper’s eyes widened in surprise. She grinned big. “Nothing surprises me anymore. This sounds cool to me,” she replied.

Elzarr chuckled as they walked outside onto the porch. He turned to her and took a deep breath. “I have to take my clothes off now.  Are you sure you don’t mind?”

Piper’s eyes traveled up and down his body. She grinned as she shook her head. “Not at all.”

There was an undeniable attraction between the two of them. Elzarr could never deny that. He shed his clothes as Piper watched with curious eyes. He then shook his shoulders and took a deep breath as he focused on contacting the animal within him. Elzarr’s body changed right before the young woman’s eyes. After he became the full majestic reindeer, he stepped toward her and bowed his head down as she closed her eyes.

“Piper? Can you hear me?” he asked.

Her eyes popped open. They grew wide as she nodded her head. “Oh! I hear you! What does that mean?” she asked.

Elzarr chuckled. “It means that you and I can communicate while I am in animal form,” he replied. He held himself back from telling Piper the part about his bond with her. He then turned to her and asked, “Would you like a ride?”

Surprise and delight crossed Piper’s face. She nodded as he bent down and allowed her to sit on top of his back. To her, he was like a friendly companion. She realized that he would never hurt her. Elzarr turned and took off into the forest quickly, but not so fast that she would fall. Piper squealed in delight as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. Elzarr soared through the woods, hopping over the tall embankments of snow and taking her up on the ridge. He sucked in a deep breath while taking in the beauty of the area. Below in the valley was Christmas Town, the quiet little community with little puffs of smoke coming out from the chimneys. Elzarr soon turned and ran in the other direction, towards the cabin he was claiming as his own. He often went by there to check on it and to make sure his pod was still hidden. Everything looked untouched, so he continued running through the woods carefree and full of adventure.

As they came back to Piper’s cabin, she got off his back and Elzarr shifted into his human form. He started picking up the cold clothing on the porch as she shook her head and opened the front door. They walked in, the Rodii man still naked. Once Piper had shut the door, she turned to him. Her eyes took in his nakedness as her mouth was agape. Elzarr could sense her heart beating hard. She approached him after she shed her coat and her boots and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her chin lifting so that her eyes could meet his.

As Elzarr leaned in he placed his lips on hers. He groaned as both desire and pleasure flooded his body. He scooped her to him and carried her to the bed. As Piper scooted back onto the pillows, she unbuttoned her shirt and her pants; she came out of her clothing, her naked body lying in front of him. Elzarr leaned over her, his lips exploring her body as she moaned and pulled him toward her. They rolled around, and she was soon on top of him, tasting him with her hands exploring his all of his muscles.  She could not believe what was happening between the two of them.

Chapter 11

Piper groaned while her hands clung to him as his lips trailed over her curves. He lifted over her, his mouth covering hers in a kiss that made her swoon with dizziness. Their naked bodies melted together as one. She didn’t care that he was an alien or a shifter or whatever he was. Her body reacted as her heart fell for him, every touch warming her soul. He was the most beautiful male species she had ever laid eyes upon. Elzarr’s warmth covered her body, his touch caressing her just right.

The long phallus sparked at her opening, her legs splaying wide, inviting him closer. He lifted over her, his long hard member gingerly penetrating through her soft warm folds, entering Piper’s slippery tunnel while she clawed at his back. This is it, she thought as he penetrated her, and claimed her. Elzarr’s breaths came in quickly as he peered into her eyes, his body moving over her while pleasure took hold. She couldn’t love another human being any more than she was beginning to love this person. The lovemaking that had started slowly and gently began to pick up pace as he thrust into her faster and harder. His moans caressed her ears like a beautiful song. Piper moaned as she collided with him, her body rocked with an explosion as her pelvis moved around with him in ecstasy. Elzarr pumped hard, his moans coming louder until an explosion within her followed. As he thrust his manhood in and out of her wet tunnel, he began to empty himself inside her. Piper didn’t care that they used no protection. True love did not need protection.

Elzarr afterward rested beside her while pulling her into his embrace. His chest moved up and down with deliberate breaths while Piper listened to his heartbeat. Soon, their breathing had synchronized, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms and slept solidly throughout the night. Life could not be any more perfect than when Piper awoke the next morning. Shards of sunlight pierced through the window promising a beautiful day. She snuggled into Elzarr’s embrace as he leaned over and kissed her. Once again, he took her to the heights of pleasure she had never known before. The romp energized them, giving them each purpose.

Piper slipped into one of her father’s old flannel shirts afterward as well as a pair of faded jeans. Life now had a great expectancy, like the beginning of a new chapter. Breakfast smelled wonderful as she hummed while cooking it. Elzarr had been in the shower and came out, fully dressed and ready for the day. They had just eaten their breakfast together, when suddenly, something banged on the door.

“Who in the world?” Piper yelled as she jumped up. Elzarr jumped up as well and put his hand out to stop her.

“No, something’s not right. Stay here,” Elzarr said as he walked toward the door.

The big strong man who had shifted into a majestic reindeer that would scare off any intruder opened the door just a crack. Elzarr shook his head as he stepped back and allowed another man to walk in. The other man wore a black flight suit, made of material Piper did not recognize. His eyes matched Elzarr’s, but with a slightly different appearance. He peered at Elzarr, completely disregarding Piper.

“Ki’gar, what are you doing here?” Elzarr asked the man. He made a motion where he brought his right fist to his chest over his heart and nodded slightly.

“Elzarr, your time on Earth is over. You are to return to Azanie at once. King Jalros summoned all able males back to Azanie to fight the invasion of the Hatas.” Ki’gar stood grim-faced while staring back at Elzarr.

Elzarr didn’t immediately refuse, but he shook his head. “The Hatas? They’re invading our home?”

“At this very moment, yes. King Jalros wants you back to fight. You understand what the Hatas will do to the Rodii and we cannot allow that to happen,” Ki’gar told him.

Piper went to Elzarr’s side and put her hand on his arm. “Elzarr, who are the Hatas and what does this mean?” She trembled as she knew this news could not be good.

Elzarr turned to her. “The Hatas are a most evil, disgusting race of beings. They like to take over entire planets where they feel that they can get the resources they so desperately want. And besides taking over planets, they like to enslave the males of the planets, ones like Ki’gar and me,” Elzarr said, as he turned to face Ki’gar. “This isn’t my fight. I have made Earth my home. Piper is now my mate.”

Ki’gar finally regarded Piper. “You have claimed a mate? That’s all good, but your King summons you and you know the laws,” he said.

Elzarr bowed his head and shook it. He turned to Piper. “I must leave then,” he said sadly.

“No! You can’t! We just found each other. We just…” Piper stifled a cry as Elzarr embraced her.

“I will come back to you,” he said into her hair.

“Don’t count on it. If we are too late, he will likely be enslaved along with our King,” Ki’gar tells her.

She pulled Elzarr quickly into her bedroom, where they then had what could be their last words with each other. Ki’gar paced as he waited for them to return. When they finally did, Ki’gar nodded and they two males of their kind began to leave the cabin.

Before Piper could react, Elzarr was out the door, shedding his clothes and shifting into his reindeer form. She ran to him. “Please don’t leave me!”

He turned to Piper and nodded. “I’m sorry. I’m bound to my King. He would send other Rodii to take me by force if I don’t come now. I’ll come back,” he said inside her head. And then he was gone.

Piper cried. “But I’m your mate,” she said to the emptiness he left behind.

She withdrew to the empty cabin, Elzarr’s scent still lingering in the air around her. Hugging herself, she wandered into her bedroom and peered at the unmade bed. Piper cried hard as she slipped down to the floor, her mind thinking of the last couple of weeks with him. Her heart ached so greatly that she thought she might pass out and die.

Ki’gar said the Hatas could enslave them. The Hatas beings were ruthless and attacking Azanie. Surely there was someone who could help them. Piper remembered that Elzarr had spoken about the Rodii and some other beings called the Nubli working with the Terrans at Area 51. She knew what she had to do.

Thankful for a bank full of funds, Piper flew to Nevada and then drove to a military surplus store once she had landed in Las Vegas. She purchased everything needed to blend into the desert environment.

However, when she arrived, the gatehouse turned her away. What was she thinking? That they’d let her in just like that? Even when Piper told them that she needed to talk to them about the Rodii, they acted as if they had no clue as to what she was talking about.

Piper knew she had to be innovative to reach Area 51. After researching online many sci-fi intrigue stories, she looked around for outfits that would hide her heat signature while blending into the desert. This tactic might allow her to reach the compound undetected. Most people would have sworn that such things did not exist, but she knew better. She’d fallen in love with an alien, one who could shift into a human form as well as a reindeer form. It seemed too surreal, but it was true.

The infrared goggles fit snugly on her face and the suit hid everything very well. A vast expanse of desert lay before Piper as she came to the barriers of fencing and razor wire. She hoped it wasn’t electrified and when she pitched a rock onto it, nothing sparked, which surprised her. She carefully looked around for the hidden cameras that she knew had to be nearby. The slow pace was painful, but necessary, so as to not alert the motion sensors when she climbed the fence. Piper scaled the fence with nothing but the wind at her back and not a single sign of life nearby. Her outfit would keep her from releasing much of a heat signature, so there should be no reason for alarm. Once she cleared the razor wire unscathed, she jumped and landed on both feed with a thud. Dust blew up around her as she froze in place and waited for it to settle.

The large compound had guards who were pacing back and forth while on watch. There were too many around for her to easily go without notice. Piper watched from a safe distance and waited for them to cross paths in their paces. Several paused and spoke. They had a routine and she took the time to memorize it, eventually finding an opening in which to rush through while all eyes looked elsewhere. Piper had to do this; she had to reach the interior and plead her case on behalf of Elzarr and the Rodii.

Piper snuck around the corner of the building, looking for a window or a door. Finally, an alcove with a door appeared ahead. The young woman ran toward it, causing a light cloud of dust to form behind her. She was a fast runner and made it to the door, however, without being detected. It opened on its own, which surprised her. Behind her, there were suddenly several guards yelling for her to a stop. All Piper could do was hope that they would not shoot. She ran fast and hard down a long, narrow hallway and found a set of double doors. As the guards were closing in behind her, she thrust herself through the doors.

Suddenly, light flooded her eyes, someone yelled about an intruder. Others surrounded her, the military in their camouflage garb and the Nubli who helped the Terrans encircled her. She lifted her arms and hands and knelt before pleading her case as quickly as she could.

Chapter 12

Elzarr struggled as he ran away from Piper. It was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. Ki’gar explained along the way what was happening with the Hatas.

“You have to realize, Elzarr, the Hatas won’t stop at just our planet. The fact that we’ve had a strong connection with Earth and the Terran system will lead the Hatas to this planet. It will be just as terrible for your mate as it is for our people. By the way, I am sorry about that. This is all bad timing, I know,” Ki’gar said.

Elzarr nodded as they reached the spaceship. “Have you alerted the Nubli here about the situation?”

Ki’gar nodded. “Already on it. I sent a transmission while on the way through the Terran System before I landed.”

Elzarr noticed that Ki’gar had already picked up his landing pod as they reached the area. He chuckled about that. “I see you are prepared to leave right away,” Elzarr said.

“How do you think I found you so easily? The tracker in the pod led me right here. It is a good thing; you’re doing this to save her,” Ki’gar replied as he put his hand on his old friend. Together they entered the little spaceship and it took off in a flash. It was always an interesting thing for Elzarr to leave a planet at immediate hyper speed. It was easier to leave without undue notice and looked more like a shooting star rushing through the sky than an actual spaceship. Ki’gar regarded his friend. “I assume this planet still knows nothing about us?”

Elzarr shook his head. “No, they don’t. They don’t have a clue about the threat that’s out there,” he said to his friend.

“Except the Nubli and the military. They know. And they are working with the Terrans in the place they call Area 51. Like I said before, I contacted them to let them know that I was coming here to get you. They didn’t know that you had arrived,” Ki’gar said as he gave Elzarr a scowl.

Elzarr laughed sarcastically. “I was trying to be on my own, alone without the need of any fanfare.”

Ki’gar nodded. “Aw, I see. I am sorry my friend. Your king needs you, and your mate needs you to save her,” he replied. It seemed ironic that by escaping Earth they were saving it.

Elzarr had plenty of time during the flight to think about his last moments with Piper. He had just claimed her, and they had just made love. Because they had expressed their love to one another, he could feel Piper with him even then as they were streaking toward the outer edge of the Terran system. His heart was bound to hers, and he felt her angst and sadness. He only hoped that the words he spoke to her would help her understand and that she would be able to find a way to hide from this threat somehow. His mind flitted back to their final moments.

Piper had tears in her eyes and pulled him into her room. The bed was still messy, ruffled from their time together moments before. Elzarr never felt such peace and happiness and joy as he did when he was lying in her arms. She was everything to him, and his very existence wanted to turn and live for her. He never expected to meet her, but he felt as if he were destined to come to Earth and meet this human woman in the way that he did.

“Please, Elzarr let’s not do this. Shift right now and I’ll climb on your back and we can run away. Surely, we can outrun him if we get a head start,” she said as her eyes pleaded silently with him.

“Oh, my darling, my sweet human. Ki’gar is not the enemy. Although I was running from my people, wishing that I could have my own life, he is right. The king needs me. If I don’t go, if I don’t help fight because I am a capable and able warrior, Azanie could be lost to the Hatas. And Piper, the Hatas won’t stop at Azanie. If they are able to breach our defense and then search through our records, they will discover our close ties with Earth. They will use those ties because that’s who they are. They want to take over planets to turn every single being on those planets into their slaves. They have a huge slave population from the other plants they have conquered. If we can’t defeat them, they will eventually make their way to Earth. You and your people will be in danger,” Elzarr said.

“I’m not worried about Earth. We have a capable military,” Piper replied.

“NASA and the Air Force are not capable to meet them in the skies to fight them off. They will come in and overpower your military. Even the Nubli which are at Area 51 can’t fight off this threat. Collectively, yes, we can fight them and maybe win, but some won’t know they are  coming until it is too late,” Elzarr told her.

“Then what can I do?” Piper asked as tears filled her eyes.

“The best thing you can do is hide. Hope and pray that somehow, we can beat the Hatas. And if so, I will come back and I will find you when it is all settled,” Elzarr replied.

It was a tearful goodbye as he tore himself away from her. Piper followed them out the door and watched as he undressed and shifted into his reindeer form to leave.

Azanie came into view from the bridge. Elzarr’s jaw flexed with uncertainty as he spied the hoard of Hatas ships revolving around the planet as if they owned it. Ki’gar moved his hand over the controls for stealth mode and the ship blended in with the space backdrop, coming in without notice to the aggressors. At least they had that over the wretched Hatas.

A hailing came through the radio. It was from the king’s tower. “They are taking Rodii prisoners to Zora. We have lost a great deal of our military assets to them. It’s much worse than when you left,” Commander Rokinean said through the speaker.

They moved through the hoard undetected and quietly landed on the protected terrain close to King Jalros’ palace. The commander and King Jalros himself met Ki’gar and Elzarr as they exited the pod.

Elzarr stood at attention and averted his eyes in respect to the king. Jalros smiled as he approached. “Good to see you’ve found our very capable warrior, Elzarr,” Jalros said as he smiled at the two of them.

Elzarr broke attention as his eyes took in the devastation in the distance. “Sire, it seems I’m too late,” he said. He felt ill over not being there to help when the invasion first started, but then again, he is just one Rodii. His heart was lightyears away with Piper and he feared he would never see his mate again, after just having claimed her.

“Ah, Elzarr, you’ve found your mate in the Terran system and we’ve torn you from her,” King Jalros said sadly.

“Yes, Sire. Her name is Piper,” Elzarr said as he kept his stone face emotionless. Inside, his heart was breaking into a million pieces. He could still feel her intense grief when he was taken from her.

After a week back on his planet, Elzarr fought alongside Ki’gar to help lead the Hatas away from the hidden palace and its lands. The rest of Azanie was heavily populated, especially around the equator where the mineral caves carved a line around the whole planet. It was one of the biggest reasons the Hatas had invaded. They wanted the rich resources for their home planet, Zora, as well as the Rodii for their slaves. It would not take long for them to turn their attention to the Terran system and strip Earth of their natural resources as well.

“Elzarr, King Jalros has commissioned you to leave Azanie and contact your mate on Earth, warning her of the possible invasion of the Hatas. The Nubli will know what to do,” Ki’gar said.

Elzarr hopped onto the Thorburn, a stealth spacecraft made by his people. It was like cutting through melted arlang as he sliced a path through the sky and into the outer region of the Falk System. He picked up the proton radio and zeroed in on the Terran System and punched in Piper’s phone number. She didn’t answer. He tried a nearby neighbor to check in on her, and they couldn’t find her, claiming she had left the little cabin. The Hatas excelled as shifters and could have already plucked off some humans, taking them captive and selling them into slavery. Piper would be in a prime market for mating purposes. His blood ran cold as he was so far from her. His imagination ran wild with the reasons why he might not be able to contact her.

“Piper, I’ll die trying to save you if I must,” he said to himself as he turned the small craft toward Outpost Kinanti for refueling. The Hatas had already commandeered their fuel cells and he barely had enough to leave the Falk System. He’d need to carry enough fuel cells to find Piper and escape to a safer location. Being in stealth mode meant that he had to travel slower due to the energy it took to keep the ship hidden from other ships in the area. He feared he wouldn’t make it to the outpost in time and that he would be set adrift in the void of space. Elzarr carefully scanned the space around him before taking the ship out of stealth mode so that he could access FTL and make it before the ship’s fuel ran out.

Chapter 13

Piper’s eyes widened as she beheld what she assumed were the Nubli along with the US military working together. A general advanced toward her, his face set with a scowl.

“Young lady, how did you get inside here? What are you doing here?” he asked gruffly. Two other military officers took hold of her, grabbing her by her upper arms and yanking her toward the general.

“Sir, I beg your pardon. I’m assuming these are the Nubli?” Piper asked as she looked at the aliens. They were tall with shimmery white-scaled skin; nothing like what the Area 51 gift shops described. It didn’t surprise her one bit. They had large, slightly tilted eyes, and they were much larger than any humans. They blinked at her with their ebony eyes peering silently into her face.

“You are trespassing. We will try you before a court and send you to prison,” the general said.

One of the Nubli put out his large three-fingered hand and placed it on the general’s shoulder. “General Carmen, please, allow the young human to speak,” he said.

The general nodded at the large alien. “As you wish, Sard.” Then he looked at Piper. “Speak.”

“I am so sorry for trespassing. I had to do it to save Elzarr and Azanie.” Her eyes went to his eyes searching for empathy. “Elzarr is a Rodii from planet Azanie. One of his commanders, named Ki’gar, came to Earth to get him. He said the Hatas were attacking Azanie, and they needed help. King Jalros requested Elzarr come back immediately. Please believe me. Elzarr is my mate.” Piper hoped the Nubli understood how the Rodii worked. She felt that they probably did. They all looked at one another and nodded.

Sard put one finger on the general. “If what the human says is true, we must send aid to Azanie right away. The Hatas have a habit of overtaking planets and enslaving the occupants. Because of the Rodii’s close ties to the Earth, the Hatas will come here and do the same. They need our help now,” Sard told him.

General Carmen nodded. “We’ll send a ship at once. Have your people ready and I will have a few of mine ready,” General Carmen replied. Then he looked back at Piper. “And as for you, even though you have brought news that we needed to hear, you still trespassed. Therefore, we have no choice but to deal with you. We will try you before a secret military court and you may be sent to Leavenworth.”

Everything within Piper ceased as she froze in her spot. Then she shrugged loose from the two military men standing beside her and ran up to Sard. He seemed to be the leader and the one to whom General Carmen and everyone else listened. She grabbed his scaly hand and held onto it as she looked him in his eyes. “Please, let me come with you. Please. I’ll do what I can to earn my keep on your ship. But I need to reach Elzarr. He is my mate and I can’t leave him now. I will do anything to get to him.”

Sard’s eyes flashed to General Carmen. The General narrowed his eyes at Piper and then back to Sard. “If you take her, she’s banished from Earth. If she wants to keep her freedom, she’ll stay on Azanie,” he said as he narrowed his eyes at Piper again.

Piper could tell Sard’s displeasure with the way the general was behaving, but he looked down at Piper as empathy crossed his face and his hand on her shoulder. “Dear one, you may ride with us to Azanie. But you heard General Carmen; you will not be allowed back on Earth once you leave.”

“If she comes back, she will face a military court and be sent to prison for trespassing into a secret military base,” General Carmen reiterated.

Another Nubli walked up to General Carmen and looked him in the eyes. This one spoke with a woman’s voice and had long white hair hanging from her head. The subtle curves gave her a feminine appearance as a light long gown hiding her skin underneath. “She brings news to save planet Earth. You would think that your people would be a little more forgiving of such small things as trespassing,” she said.

Piper looked at them. “I don’t care to come back here if I can’t be here with Elzarr. You don’t understand, something happened to me when I met him, and I don’t want to be without him. If it means that I can’t come back, then so be it,” she said as she folded her arms around her chest.

So many new things were happening to Piper that she could barely wrap her mind around them. She stepped into the small shuttle that carried her up to the large spaceship orbiting around the earth. The giant starship had a name scrawled in an alien language. The female Nubli told her it meant Star Shiner. Sard himself captained the ship, and Piper was glad. She also learned that the female was his mate and her name was Tisi. The ship took off traveling quickly, but she barely knew they were moving. Outside the window she saw the star systems flying by in a streak. Tisi came to her and told her to sit down and fasten her belt because they were about to enter hyperspeed. It would bring them to Azanie very quickly.

Piper was watching out the window as the ship lurched forward and then zoomed so fast that the outside heavenly objects just looked like a haze. She couldn’t register what she was seeing. Tisi came to her and put her hand on her arm. “Child, it’s best not to watch the stars go by at this speed. It will surely make you sick to your stomach,” she said.

When the time came for rest, Tisi showed her to another room. “This will make the time go by much faster and relieve your boredom,” she told her. As if Piper could be bored on a spaceship! The technology onboard amazed her as she had seen nothing like it on Earth. Even more shocking was knowing that the government knew about the Nubli and the Rodii and worked with them. With aliens! She was so thankful, though, to have come to know about them as well.

The large room held rows of beds, and while there were both human and Nubli on board, she was in the room by herself. Tisi gave her a sedative that would help her sleep for the duration of the trip. By the time Piper woke up, twenty hours had passed. She needed food and water. Tisi gave her three more sedatives and then she slept again. By the time she awoke twenty-four hours after taking the third dose, they were approaching the outer realm of the Falk System, the home of Azanie.

Again, they boarded the small shuttled that had lifted her from Earth and flew down to a new planet. For the first time in her life, Piper stepped foot on an alien planet, many light years from Earth.

“We’re at the hidden estate at King Jalros’ airfield.” Tisi walked along the corridor of the small ship and then stepped onto the ground. Piper sucked in a deep breath as she beheld the alien landscape. The sun shone brightly, casting a golden coppery light. Rodii approached, their skin taking on a deep copper tone from the intense light. In the distance were purple mountains with patches of snow. A group of reindeer ran in precise formation to an open door nearby. The air blew cool, and she shivered.

Piper watched as the great King Jalros approached. He looked like a warrior himself, like Elzarr. There was nothing to determine that he had royal armor except for the small crown atop his head. It looked as if it were made of copper in the form of a scalloped triangle. In the center was a large garnet colored stone. His blue eyes fell on Piper as she approached, and she watched Tisi and the others and how they reacted to his presence. They placed her hands together at their chests, in the form of praying and lifted their hands over their heads and bowed. She followed suit and did the same.

“Ah, this must be Piper, Elzarr’s chosen mate,” King Jalros said. Piper nodded, her mouth agape at the magnificent presence of this Rodii King. She very much desired to see what he looked like in his reindeer form. He held out his hand. She wasn’t sure what to do as she swung her eyes to Tisi who nodded. She then placed her hand inside his and the king held onto her, closing his eyes for a mere moment as he smiled. When he opened his eyes, he looked right at her. “My dear Piper, you have Elzarr’s presence all over you. There is no doubt in my mind that you are his,” the King proclaimed.

Chapter 14

As Elzarr approached the outpost, an object appeared on his ship sensors. He clenched his fist on the controls as he realized the object was a Hatas ship. How they figured out where he was, he did not know. They were sending new Hatas ships in from the system beyond the outpost.

Ki’gar yelled. “Elzarr, we have incoming behind us.”

Elzarr was not happy to hear this. It meant the Hatas had opened fire on them. He turned the ship and turned on the shields to minimize any damage just as their rocket struck the ship.  Instead of damaging the spaceship, the enemy rocket exploded and fell back into space. Elzarr then turned to the controls and focused on the Hatas ship pursuing them. Pushing a button, he set off two hypersonic rockets that raced toward the enemy and barely missed as the enemy ship lurched beneath them. He turned the ship around quickly.

“I’m turning back now as if I’m running away. As I open fire on them with another rocket, obliterate them with the blasters,” Elzarr told Ki’gar.

As he turned the ship, Ki’gar pointed the blaster beams and struck the deathblow sending the Hatas ship into several directions as it blew apart into pieces.

Not long afterward, they landed safely on the outpost, hoping to find enough fuel cells to make it to the Terran system. Elzarr and Ki’gar walked around and gathered supplies for the long journey. An urgent message from the Azanie palace came from the radio after they returned to the ship.

Ki’gar took the call. “Jalros said the Nublis are on their way. They’ve already reached the Hatas system and they are fighting them even now. There are more ships coming in from the outer regions, bringing in combatants to capture the Hatas on our planet. It would seem that the Nubli and Terrans came through for us,” Ki’gar said as he looked over at Elzarr.

He rushed forward and grabbed Ki’gar’s shoulders. “What?” he asked as his eyes widened.

“Yes, the Nubli are on it. They have already arrived and are taking back Azanie. It’s a very close battle as of right now, though.”

Elzarr nodded as he turned. He took a deep breath and realized that he could go back to Piper and let her know that her people were now safe. He turned back to Ki’gar. “Set course for the Terran system at once,” Elzarr demanded.

“We can’t! King Jalros wants us back at Azanie at once. He said that you are responsible for the Nubli response. I don’t know how, but the king said he wished to thank you for your efforts, and he wants you there at once,” Ki’gar replied.

Elzarr shook his head. “I cannot go back to Azanie. I must go back to Earth to find Piper. Set course for the Terran system at once. This is an order,” Elzarr said.

He walked away, knowing that he was the captain of the ship and that Ki’gar had to listen to him. Again, he put in a communications call to Earth. It took a few minutes, and he got through to his contact near Christmas Town. They said they still had not seen Piper and that she had abandoned her cabin not long after he left. Elzarr hoped nothing terrible had happened to her. The way he left her; she was in such distress that he feared she might have done something rash.

The only way to know for certain would be to go to Earth and find her. When Elzarr walked back to the bridge, he saw that they had already set course to Azanie. Ki’gar was busy over the controls steering the small spacecraft back to his home planet.

“What are you doing? You have disobeyed a direct order from your captain. I will have you taken into custody as soon as we reach Earth for your disobedience,” Elzarr growled.

Ki’gar smiled. He had set the controls to autopilot, with the locked codes stamped by King Jalros himself. Elzarr shook his head. “You’re disobeying me on King Jalros’s orders, aren’t you?” Elzarr asked.

“Sir, King Jalros was very compelling when he said that you had to come back now. I told him you wished to go back to the Terran system, and he said you will not do so for now. He forbids it.”

Elzarr paced the floor at the bridge knowing that he could not crack the codes set by King Jalros. It was one way they kept control of rogue Rodii by taking control of the spaceships no matter where they were in the galaxy. He turned to Ki’gar because he was the one who could override it.

“Please, come with me to the Terran system. It’s a wonderful place where you can be who you are and roam free. You won’t be under the thumb of King Jalros,” Elzarr pleaded with him.

“Elzarr, you are too desperate. Slow down and think about what you are saying. You need to trust in your king. I know that you wish to go back to Earth to find your human mate, but you will have to wait. Azanie is first, then I’m sure that if you still want your freedom, the king will grant it. We need to go to Azanie,” Ki’gar said.

Within moments, this king’s personal spaceships flew into view of the lighted screen in front of them. Elzarr looked out the window and saw three of the ships surrounding their smaller ship. He sat down in a seat, shaking his head while feeling such defeat.

“King Jalros means business,” Elzarr muttered quietly. He resigned himself to his fate now. He hated wasting time to get back to Azanie to face King Jalros before he’d be able to go back to Earth. There was valuable and precious time being wasted and he hoped that he would make it back to Piper in time to figure out why she had left her new home in Christmas Town.

Within a day, the tiny ship, escorted by the King’s three ships, came into the Falk system. Azanie loomed ahead as they slowed their speed. It would be a matter of hours before they reached the planet and King Jalros. Elzarr counted down the moments until he could hop onto a little space pod to make his way back to the Terran system. It would take weeks to get there, and every second caused him to flinch while thinking that he was that much closer to losing his precious Piper. He would do anything, tear anyone apart, to save her and to protect her.

As the four ships landed near the palace in the airfield, Elzarr noticed that a grand ceremony appeared to be about to begin below them. King Jalros surely had something awaiting him and his crew. However, he couldn't care less. He just wanted to leave and go to Piper.

“Dress in your warrior uniform,” Ki’gar suggested. Elzarr turned to see his friend and comrade already dressed.

Elzarr grumbled under his breath as he walked back to his quarters to put on his warrior uniform. The celebration ceremony didn’t matter as he only wanted his Piper.

The King’s guard escorted them from the spacecraft. He did not appear to be under arrest. In fact, King Jalros advanced toward him with a large smile on his face. Elzarr approached and gave him the proper and respectful greeting before King Jalros reached out to embrace him.

“Sire, what did I do to deserve this?” Elzarr asked.

King Jalros threw his head back and roared as he patted him on his back. “Oh, you saved Azanie, that’s all,” the King said.

Elzarr looked around in confusion. He didn’t save the disarrayed planet when he left for the outpost. He had gone off flying after the Hatas ship hoping to help win the battle. His mind kept going back to Piper and Earth. Now that it was over, he wanted badly to leave his home planet again. As soon as the ceremony was over, he would discuss it with King Jalros. They walked forward a few steps to a platform as King Jalros held out his hand for Elzarr to join him. The oddity of the whole situation caused Elzarr to shake his head. He wanted to run away right then, but he knew he couldn’t do that to his king. The king was so bubbly and full of joy. The kingdom was also full of celebration. He only wished his heart felt the same way about the victory they had experienced. Because his heart was back in the Terran system on the little planet called Earth with a human named Piper, Elzarr could not enjoy his own warrior’s welcome.  He could not be joyful.

Chapter 15

Piper couldn’t help but smile at King Jalros. Joy and cheer exuded from his very skin. She rather liked it on Azanie and couldn’t understand why Elzarr did not. King Jalros had her taken to the palace and gave her a suite of rooms in which to stay. When Piper inquired about Elzarr, he patted her on the back and told her not to worry. He would bring him back safely.

Because of the way Piper left Earth, she had very few clothes other than the ones she wore. A young woman came in and introduced herself as Melia. She had long silky brown hair, and large almond-shaped eyes that almost seemed unreal. Melia wasn’t a human, but she wasn’t sure what she was. Melia was rather short, compared to the Rodii, but she was cute in a way. She showed Piper to her rooms.

“When you first arrived, we sized you and filled your closet with the proper attire for Azanie. We hope you don’t mind, and we hope you enjoy the styles we have chosen,” Melia said.

Piper wasn’t sure how to react to these people, but she figured she would react as a human would. “Thank you so much. Melia, may I ask where you are from?” Piper asked.

Melia turned to her and smiled. “Oh, I’m from Azanie. I am a Rodii,” she said.

It seemed odd that Melia was so much smaller than the males. Plus, she was strikingly beautiful. She couldn’t understand why Elzarr felt the need to leave this place where such beautiful women existed. “I guess I’m surprised because as Elzarr put it, there aren’t very many females on this planet, not Rodii one's anyway,” Piper said.

Melia laughed. It was a high-pitched, almost ringing laughter. She set about pulling outfits out to show Piper what was in the closet. “Oh, he is right. There aren’t very many of us. And those of us who are female Rodii are normally betrothed to other royal Rodii,” she told Piper.

That struck Piper as odd. Her eyes widened as her brow lifted. “Are you betrothed to someone?” Piper asked.

Melia laughed, the sound of her voice so light and airy. “No, I’m married to one of the king’s guards. We live in the palace. And it is my job to play hostess when people come to visit. I have to say, your Elzarr is quite the hero around here,” Melia said.

“How so?” Piper asked.

“Why you. The young human with whom he bonded is the one who brought aid to our planet. If it hadn’t been for Elzarr going to planet Earth and meeting you there, where would we be now? We’d still be in battle with the horrid Hatas. But as it is, he met the most wonderful person in the Terran system and you are our heroine as well,” Melia said.

Piper settled into the grand room, the decor was so bright and cheerful; colorful, even. Bright stones glimmered from the very walls in styles of color she had never seen before. Azanie was a different planet and the color schemes differed completely from Earth. One such example was the purple grass. Piper didn’t mind the differences, though. It was refreshing and uplifting. Even though she was very worried about Elzarr and wherever he had gone, she somehow knew it would be okay.

Melia had been a big help to her, coming to her each day for the last two days to show her the routine of the Rodii. Luckily, they ate foods that were very similar to the foods found on Earth. On the third day, the people in the palace were on alert, as outside the stealth dome that covered the palace lands the Hatas were being captured. Melia arrived and pulled out a long beautiful gown. It was crystal blue with long flowing sleeves made of a satiny material. It had white glimmering stones that flowed along the collar and down the middle of the dress, reaching nearly to her bellybutton. It was flattering, showing off all her curves.

“What’s this fancy dress for?” Piper asked as she turned in front of the mirror.

“Why, a celebration of grand style. King Jalros has called the people to the palace grounds for a great celebration. You are a part of a celebration, Piper, as you are one of the guests of honor,” Melia told her.

Melia helped Piper with her hair, pulling it back and styling it in a way that she had never seen before. Melia fixed a beautiful blue clip with sparkly gems to the back of Piper’s hair and styled it in a way that soft curls framed her face. She looked so different; much different than the girl from Alaska who wore the plaid flannel shirts and jeans. Piper felt so special, but she still wasn’t certain why she was a guest of honor. Still, people here closed-lipped and the whole affair. One thing was certain, though. When King Jalros wanted something to take place, it became a reality. Piper resigned herself to the fact that she would please the king as his guest at the ceremony. He so graciously gave her a place to stay after the general banished her from Earth.

Piper sat in the room adjoined to hers waiting for the call to request her presence. People just didn’t show up on a whim.  They are invited and they were expected to attend at the appropriate time. Melia suddenly rushed into the room in a golden red dress with her hair fixed beautifully and piled up on top of her head.

“Come, it’s time,” Melia said. Her excitement was contagious as Piper stood and followed her out the door.

“What’s going on?” Piper asked.

Melia smiled as she looked back at Piper. “You ask so many questions. Just enjoy the moment and you’ll see,” Melia replied as she led her out the door. A crowd was gathered on the palace lawn nearby where she walked along a white cloth covered path. A grand stage was set off in a field of purple grass and tiny golden flowers that were swaying gently in the breeze. Melia brought Piper up to the long silk curtains that surrounded the platform on which King Jalros stood. Piper’s breath caught as she beheld the love of her life standing on the stage wearing his warrior uniform alongside the king. Her heart quickened.

Elzarr turned and his eyes beheld her. They widened in surprise. He did not know that she was here. Melia gently put her hand on Piper’s back and pushed her forward. “Go on, he’s your mate.”

Piper squeaked a little as her face stretched into a brilliant smile and tears formed in her eyes. She tried to keep from running, but she couldn’t help it. Elzarr peered at her as his green eyes shined in the lighting of the afternoon sky. Piper badly wanted him. She took off toward him as he also began to run to her and they met on the stage. Elzarr scooped her up as she held onto his neck hugging him tightly. She buried her face into the nape of his neck, breathing in his manly animal scent. This caused Piper to feel suddenly renewed once again. Everything within her body tensed as she wanted nothing more than to be with this Rodii for the rest of her life. Elzarr twirled her around and around as she clung tightly to him before he finally set her down and leaned in for a passionate kiss. The crowd surrounded them with applause and shouts as Piper pulled back eventually and realized that they were the complete center of attention. King Jalros stood nearby with a big grin on his face and clapped along with everyone else. Piper looked out over the crowd and saw the Rodii warriors and a few Rodii women and many other women of other species that she did not recognize. She was getting used to seeing different beings other than humans. She wrapped her arm around Elzarr, wanting never to let him go.

When the crowd’s clapping and laughter died down, Elzarr turned to Piper and held her at arm’s length while looking into her eyes. “It’s really you, isn’t it?” he asked.

Piper laughed and relayed the story about how she had gone into Area 51 to find the Nubli. She described the seat on the Nubli ship.

“And, Earth has banned me from coming back. I’m afraid I had to leave Alaska and that cabin behind forever,” she said.

Tisi, her Nubli friend, stepped forward. She smiled brightly as she slightly bowed at Elzarr. “Perhaps not forever. I will have a word with the general and we will see what happens,” she said with a big smile on her face.

Chapter 16

King Jalros stepped toward Elzarr and Piper while lifting his scepter high. “I declare Elzarr and his companion, Piper, mated for life. He has claimed her as his mate and together they shall stay. May no Rodii or Terran or any other being come between them,” the King declared.

Elzarr searched Piper’s eyes as she realized what had just happened. When the Rodii claims a mate, the officiating service is quick. This was a Rodii marriage ceremony, and a binding between the two that was meant to last forever.

Piper placed her hands into Elzarr’s as he pulled her to him. “My love, just in case this took you by surprise, we’re now married officially by the Rodii King,” he told her.

Piper’s eyes widened as she grinned. “You sure work fast,” she said as she laughed. Elzarr pulled her into his arms and kissed her lips again.

King Jalros tapped Elzarr on the shoulder. “What are you waiting for, son? Take your mate and be with her. You have a long-awaited reunion,” King Jalros said as he bowed toward the couple.

Elzarr took Piper’s arm and led her back to the palace. He leaned in close to her as they walked through the crowd. “I hope it’s okay if I can stay in your suite with you,” he said.

Piper giggled. “Well, I suppose now that we’re married, you should stay in my suite, right? Do you realize that today is Christmas Day on Earth?”

His face stretched into a giant smile. “Indeed, and the best Christmas gift of all was just given to me,” he said as he gazed into her eyes.

Piper paused and turned to him, taking his face into her hands. “No, the best Christmas gift was just given to me. I thought this Christmas would be sad and lonely, but it’s turned out to be anything but. I’m so thankful that you’re okay and that we’re together. I can’t think of any better gift than having you in my life forever.”

Once in Piper’s suite, Elzarr turned and took his mate into his arms. It had been a long time coming, as his heart only beat for her during their time of separation. They had come together once before he was forced to leave Earth. Piper wrapped her arms around him, her lips parted as she leaned in toward her mate. The kiss sparked their passion once again, heated deep inside along with a yearning that could no longer wait. Elzarr beheld this beautiful woman, looking so lovely in her blue dress. Piper turned to allow him to unzip it. He took his time, wanting to make sure that he did not tear the dress, for every cell in his body ached for her touch. Elzarr leaned in and kissed the back of Piper’s neck and her shoulders. She moaned softly, her body pulsating with desire. She gently pulled her dress off and turned to him as she took hold of his warrior uniform, slowly unhooking the straps around the breastplate. Elzarr helped her as they kept their eyes locked on each other. He would never leave her side again. Slowly, Elzarr came out of his armor and clothing before beholding his mate, his wife, in her glorious nakedness. Reaching down, he scooped her up to carry her to the grand bed before them.

Soft, thick pillows captured Piper as Elzarr took his time and explored her body once again. From her toes he kissed his way up her legs. She giggled when he reached her thighs and she sat up as she ran her hand over his muscular shoulders. He moaned as he came to the place between her legs. Elzarr’s nose burrowed into her soft warm folds, his tongue lapping at the juices that were forming in the opening. Piper moaned and ground her hips into the bed, causing him to grow even harder. He avoided her member, the one that would make her soar over the edge. Instead, Elzarr kissed the rest of her body and allowed his chest to rub up against her there. He came to the soft mounds at her chest, gently massaging each one with his large hands. Piper’s softness drove him crazy, her scent sparking desire so deep and undeniable inside of her. His lips grazed over her hard areolas as she moaned softly. He sucked them each between his lips, toying over her hardness with his tongue. Piper groaned as she laced her fingers through Elzarr’s thick hair, holding him close to her.

“I need you, Elzarr. I need you now,” Piper said breathlessly.

Elzarr moved up until he was on top of her, but not fully placing his weight onto the young woman as he was so much larger. Piper squirmed beneath him, her velvety curves touching his skin, as her hands wrapped around his neck. She brought his head down to hers and her lips parted as she kissed him passionately, taking his tongue into her mouth. She shoved him gently until he rolled over onto his back. Piper was soon on top of Elzarr. She smiled brilliantly as she sat on top of him, straddling his midsection. She kissed his neck before moving to his chest, nipping at him every step of the way. Her fingers had a way of bringing about pleasure without even touching his hard manhood between his legs. Piper kissed her way down until she reached his hard-pulsing cock. She smiled as she looked up at him.

“I’ve always wanted to taste it,” she told him wickedly.

She went down on him, her lips parting over the head, drawing out his thick pre-cum. Elzarr groaned as Piper pulled it between her lips and he tensed, everything within him restraining himself to keep from gagging her. From what he had gathered before, his cock was much larger than that of human men, and yet his lover did not seem to mind pulling as much of it into her mouth as she could. He groaned, the sensation nearly sending him over the edge. Piper sucked until Elzarr was bucking into her. It took everything he had to keep from shoving his full length down her throat. Piper lifted her head while smacking her lips.

“Interesting, it tastes a little like peppermint,” she said as she smiled. She went back down on him again, pulling his pulsating head through her lips for a second time. Elzarr wanted to pump his cock to the back of her throat, but he feared he might choke her because of his long phallus. He gingerly pushed her back and grabbed her shoulders to thrust her back down onto the bed. “No, not like this, maybe later. Right now, I want to claim you with everything that I have, and I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

Piper peered at him, the love in her eyes making his heart flutter. Elzarr crawled between her legs as she wrapped them around his waist. His hard cock found her soft warm folds; it didn’t take long. He took hold of his lengthy shaft with his hands so that he could give her pleasure. He rubbed it between Piper’s soft, warm folds, landing on her hard knob and pressing into it, swirling it as she moaned, her body thrashing about.

“Oh, Elzarr, I’m about to come,” Piper said to him as she breathed hard. Her back arched, she ground into the bed once again as he took hold of the nubs on her chest, gently squeezing them with his fingers. His cock dripped over her slit while wanting to penetrate her. Soon, Piper squealed with delight as her pelvis exploded. Her hand reached up and grabbed a handful of pillows as her face tensed with pleasure. Elzarr could not take it any longer as he thrust forward, penetrating through her soft, tight hole. Her slippery tunnel welcomed him, stretching around him and causing him to moan. He moved much faster as she came. Elzarr could not help himself, as he pounded into her harder and harder, his need to release overwhelming him. The urgency to claim Piper again was so strong. Suddenly, the Rodii man lurched forward, his cock quivering as Piper cried out while coming again. Together, they rocked through the powerful orgasm, as waves of pleasure crashed over them. It bound them together as one, consummating their mated status, their marriage, and their lives together forever. The pleasure lasted for quite some time and she was breathless and sweating just as Elzarr was. He had finally given her every drop of essence he had for her before dropping over to one side of the bed and pulling out of her tight little hole. Quickly gathering Piper into his arms, Elzarr enjoyed feeling his mate once again wrapping her legs tightly around him.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms after hours of lovemaking and woke later only to do it again, this time as she took him. They couldn’t get enough of each other. As a Rodii, he had the ability to rise whenever she wanted him. After making love all night, and half the day, they finally got out of bed and showered together. Soon, they stood before King Jalros again, who had called them to his palace room.

Tisi stood beside King Jalros. She had a bright smile on her face and an open invitation for the two. “Elzarr, Piper, I trust your stay here has been wonderful. I am so happy to see one of my best warriors mated with a beautiful human like you. Piper. Tisi has contacted the general on Earth and he agreed that Piper was welcome to come back whenever she wanted. But Elzarr, I wish to give you the Valiant Cruiser, and let you explore and take your new mate around showing her many other worlds. She is very new to this, and I’m certain that she has a curiosity about the worlds out there.” Elzarr turned to his mate, she was the only thing in the universe that mattered to him. He took her into his arms and smiled.

“Piper, it’s up to you. Would you like to go back to Earth, back to the cabin in Alaska? Or would you like to explore the galaxy?” Elzarr asked.

Piper thought about it for a moment before she looked to Elzarr. “I will follow you wherever you want to go. On Earth, you must hide who you are because most of my people don’t believe that there are other beings out here. I am perfectly happy to stay right here with you if that’s what you want to do. Or I would love to explore the galaxy with you if that’s what you prefer, my love,” Piper replied as she grinned.

Chapter 17

Days later, Piper climbed aboard the Valiant Cruiser. Elzarr was quite the captain. He told her that he had the ability to fly through the galaxy alone but that traveling with her would be so much better. As they flew out of the Falk star system and into the void of open space, Piper once again enjoyed flying at hyper speed. Looking out the window, the passing star systems in the distance were a blur to her and looked almost like foggy clouds. Elzarr slowed the ship down to show her a beautiful nebula off in the distance.

“If we come too close, it has a great gravitational pull. But there are livable planets within that. It’s a beautiful place with a colorful sky,” Elzarr told her.

Never in a million years would Piper have believed that she would fix her eyes upon such natural beauty. No one she knew would believe her back on Earth. Piper sighed as she sat by his side. They had been flying through space for two weeks. There was an exhilaration to being with Elzarr, being his mate, and doing something most humans never dreamed possible. Being the mate of a cheery Rodii was refreshing. She loved it when he shifted and roamed the spaceship as a reindeer. Soon, he’d need to land somewhere else, and run in the wild. Even so, there was a giant treadmill on the ship for him to keep his muscles fit if needed.

“How long can we live like this?” Piper asked. She longed for planting her feet on firm ground and to experience the wind at her face. She missed it. But Piper also wanted to explore the worlds to discover what new things she would see there.

“I carried enough fuel cells to help us travel for two months if that’s what we want to do. But we would have to stop often for more food and fuel. There are a lot of unexplored areas.” Elzarr replied as he smiled at her.

“I would like to find a place where we could settle down.” Piper turned to him and looked into his eyes.

Elzarr smiled in return as he set new coordinates to a planetary system that had the same atmosphere as Earth and Azanie. “I have just the place,” he replied. As the ship turned and launched into hyper speed once again, they flew away from the beautiful nebula. “The Rodii and the Nubli have explored all the worlds between the Falk and the Terran systems. We should settle somewhere in between. It’s a lovely place that would remind you very much of home and  you would enjoy it there,” Elzarr said.

They came into the Rafaela star system that had twice as many planets as the Terran system. “This is a peaceful system with mostly uninhabitable planets but there is one that was once an ice planet called Osiris. The indigenous beings there are called the Merce and they are very similar to humans, only there are some subtle differences. You’ll see,” Elzarr said.

The starship landed in an airfield on the surface of Osiris. The Merce had grown accustomed to seeing Rodii ships land on their planet. How refreshing it would be to live in a place where the thought of aliens was commonplace. Earth would be a constant struggle for Elzarr, and Piper knew it.

Osiris was once an ice planet but now it held a mostly snowy terrain and yet was warm enough to survive. The snowy mountain peaks reached up high into the sky. Huge trees were as big as the trees in Northern California. Piper felt a kinship to the place because she loved being in the forest among the large trees where she could see plenty of snow on the ground. It reminded her of Alaska. It was as if the entire planet were like Christmas Town. The Merce came out to greet them and it reminded Piper of characters from a Dr. Seuss book. The beings had long faces and long noses with brows that arched high over their eyes. Hats and coats covered their bodies. Six long fingers adorned each hand. They smiled as they approached them, their eyes growing larger as they took in Elzarr and Piper.

Elzarr, in his natural Rodii cheerfulness told Piper that the lovely Merce people were peace-loving and kind. She never experienced such joy and happiness ever before in her life. They decided to stay at a lodging in the nearest village for a month, exploring the planet as Elzarr told Piper all about the planet and its citizens.

“My family would come up here to vacation, three months at a time. They have beautiful deep indigo lakes where the water is almost like oil. But it’s not dirty, it’s very cleansing and leaves the skin very soft.”

Piper looked distressed as she averted her eyes to her feet. She wished her father had met Elzarr. Suddenly, she had a thought. “Your parents; should we go find them?”

Elzarr shrugged. “They took off when I was barely out of adolescence. They wanted to explore the galaxy. When they got out of range, I knew that it was a risk that I may never see or hear from them again. That happens occasionally. I don’t know, I guess I always played it safe and stayed within the range of the Rodii system. I loved coming to Earth, because it was so much like this place and Azanie. Perhaps someday we can go and search for them. Would you like to visit Earth and the little cabin again?” Elzarr asked as he grinned.

Piper turned away as she smiled while her hand moved to her belly. It had been swelling for some time now and her mind was constantly thinking of what grew inside her. She needed to see a doctor about it.

“What about settling here? At least for now,” she said.

“Really? You’d like to settle here on Osiris? I mean, this is a beautiful place and I don’t mind being here. It’s lovely,” Elzarr said.

Piper  walked to the window of their room. She pointed out the window to the forest off in the West. “Perhaps we could buy some land out there and build a home. I’m not sure how they do things on this planet, though. Do they have doctors?” She asked as she spun around to face him.

Elzarr walked up to her, his eyes narrowing as he looked into his mate’s eyes. “Why do you want to see a doctor?” he asked.

“Or, a midwife, someone to help a mother deliver a baby,” Piper said as a smile stretched across her face.

Elzarr’s eyes widened as he smiled, showing his white teeth and brightening the room. This caused Piper’s heart to race with anticipation and cheer. She ran to his arms. “Really? You’re pregnant with my child?” Elzarr asked.

Piper’s head reared back, and she laughed. “Yes, silly, who’s else would it be? I believe I am,” she said as she nodded.

Epilogue

Elzarr acquired the land Piper asked about. She was his entire world. He built her a rustic cabin that matched the one she had lived in on Earth in Alaska. While he wanted to continue traveling with her, he decided it was best to settle down for the time being. Because they started their family, Elzarr wanted to make sure everything turned out well for the child and its mother.

Two years later, Elzarr readied the Valiant Cruiser for a trip back to Earth. After visiting Earth, they planned to visit Azanie where he heard his parents had made it back home. It was time to introduce his parents to his wife and child.

Piper appeared as everything was made ready and she held onto one-year-old Clementine. The little girl had her daddy’s eyes and his smile. She had her mother’s ears and her mother’s petite physique. Ryfon soon appeared, chasing a wooden ball that rolled across the floor. The just-turned-two-year-old ran into his daddy’s arms as he was so excited to be taking a flight to a new planet.

Piper boarded the starship, ready for a new journey with her new life. A son and a daughter born with an alien, and they still didn’t know if Ryfon or Clementine could shift into a reindeer. Elzarr told her it took most until adolescence for the gift to shift to appear in those born only half Rodii. But whatever the case was, her life was different. The transformation took place after falling in love with Elzarr. Piper loved being a mother and a wife to her precious Rodii family.

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