Holiday Abduction.

By Eve Langlais.

(Alien Abduction #6).

Description.

He might not have b.a.l.l.s to jingle, but hes mastered the art of giving.

This Christmas, Jilly is hoping for a miracle, but instead she gets a hunky purple alien.

Vhyl is determined to acquire a certain lost artifact, but when he lands on the forbidden barbarian planet known as Earth, he finds more than expected. An attractive human female is in possession of the priceless object, and shes agreed to hand it over"for a price.

Apparently she doesnt know of his reputationor doesnt care.

Intrigued by her fearless nature"and her luscious cocoa skin"this acquisition expert cant resist stealing a kiss. But before he can take more, his enemy arrives to stake a claim.

It seems Vhyl isnt the only one interested in Jillys treasure"and Jilly herself. On the run not only from Earth forces but his enemies too, they must fight to survive and evade capture.

However, he cant escape the effect the human has on him.

In the end, Vhyl has to make a choice"Jilly or the priceless treasure he came for?

Chapter One.

Never forget theyre always watching. And they see everything. Its why I line my bras with tin foil. " Grandmas philosophy on alien life.

The end of the world didnt happen.

Another wish dashed.

Staring at the sky didnt produce a horde of alien s.p.a.cecraft about to invade Earth, but as if to mock her, the most delicate of snowflakes tumbled from the clouds overhead. Without a breeze, each sparkling mote drifted down to coat the ground in an innocent layer, which tormented her.

Logically, Jilly knew she shouldnt blame the land. It wasnt the farms fault she was so d.a.m.ned screwed. Instead, she should condemn those stupid pencil pushers in their cubicles at the bank who seemed to think that todays economy and lack of employment werent their problem. Well, it was, and hers too if she didnt find a way to make some cash, and quick.

Only a few days before Christmas and less than a week until the mortgage came due, along with all the penalties shed accrued from missed and late payments. If she didnt pay the sums owing in full, she stood to lose her home, which totally sucked. Of all her aspirations in life, homelessness didnt number among them.

Was it any wonder shed kind of hoped for a solar flare that would wipe out all the computers in the world leaving her with more time to figure out where she would find the money to make ends meet?

One thing was for sure. She wouldnt find any money on the farm.

The orchard with its stunted apple trees, which had barely produced any fruit the last two years, wouldnt suddenly leaf green bills.

The field infested with b.u.t.terfly larva wouldnt suddenly sprout a crop she could use.

And the restaurant she used to work at wasnt likely to reopen its doors and give her back her job, not with the scathing report the health inspector wrote. Mario, the owner, should have never broken up with Marianne. She didnt take the rejection well.

Perhaps Jilly could pull the money from her a.s.s. More like by shaking her a.s.s. With things down to the wire, there werent many options left to make a few grand quick, unless she got naked. For strangers.

Shudder.

There has to be a better way. Something she could sell other than her body. But what?

The house contained relics of a bygone era, but she wouldnt exactly call them antiques. Somehow she doubted b.u.t.t-ugly furniture from the seventies and cracked knickknacks"glued a few too many times"would find many buyers. Heck, given the state of some of the stuff, shed probably have to pay to get it taken away.

As Jilly continued to stare at the sky, still not giving up hope that an alien invasion would target her bank, she noted a bright spot streaking through the low hanging, cloud layer.

A shooting star?

Should she take it as a positive omen?

Quick. Make a wish.

She closed her eyes tight as she whispered words that only the falling snow could hear. Help me find a way to have a Merry Christmas. And a Happy New Year where she wasnt homeless.

Fervent plea made, she opened her eyes, and her jaw dropped open as she gaped. Perhaps she should have wished to keep her house instead because the falling star seemed intent on colliding with it. The brilliant spot, instead of winking harmlessly out of sight, appeared to be headed straight toward her.

Much like the dumb deer"whom she took potshots at when they came to nibble on her crops"she stared at the bright light. She wasnt stupid enough to think she could outrun it or that hiding inside would save her. Not at the speed the shooting meteor traveled and the size, which grew from a speck to a boulder to the size and shape of acoffin?

Closing her eyes and reopening them did nothing to change her perception. It still looked like a b.l.o.o.d.y sarcophagus.

Creepy. Especially since it slowed right down and parked itself gently and upright on her front lawn.

While happy the flying tomb didnt smash into her or the house, somehow she wasnt completely rea.s.sured.

If this were a horror movie, then what comes next probably wont be good for my general health.

Foreboding formed a ball in her stomach, and she ran inside the house to grab the shotgun. As she wrapped her hand around the familiar wooden stock, she could almost hear her departed grandma say, Jilly, if it dont look right, fetch the gun.

Actually, Grandmas solution to most problems involved fetching a weapon, loaded with custom-made silver bullets because as Grandma said, Always be prepared for anything, Jilly-bean. Just because we aint never seen a werewolf doesnt mean theyre not lurking out there.

With crazy advice like that, as well as the garlic strung over every window, the salt Grandma kept pouring around the perimeter of the house and the aluminum they went through every month, was it any wonder why Jilly canceled Grandmas issue of True Believers Wear Tin Foil Hats? Cousin Betty stopped talking to her after that, as if it was Jillys fault Grandma was her only subscriber.

Uttering a silent apology to both her cousin and grandma, whom it seemed might have been right when they claimed life was out there"and waiting to enslave all women as s.e.x slaves"Jilly thanked the fact she knew how to shoot.

With Problem Solver in hand"the name she gave her gun when gifted to her on her twenty-first birthday"Jilly stood on her front porch wearing pink, tattered bunny-eared slippers, baggy red plaid, flannel pants, a snug T-shirt that read Ray of f.u.c.king sunshine and a blanket around her shoulders because it was winter after all. As outfits went, she wouldnt win any prizes unless it was how to not impress possible alien life when it landed on your doorstep.

If it was an alien.

Perhaps the strange object was some kind of government drone thing. Those money-spending, tax-collecting jerks were always wasting funds on stupid projects.

But if it was them, why were they visiting her farm at nine oclock at night?

The giant coffin sat there, attempting to appear innocuous but not succeeding. It surprised her to note that the snow at its base didnt hiss or steam. Obviously it used some kind of propulsion system, but of a sort that didnt emit heat. Weird.

Or a sign its not from this world. She could practically hear Grandma cackle in glee at the thought.

Cradling her gun in her arms, Jilly studied the vessel, trying to pigeonhole it into something comprehensible, but it seemed determined to thwart her.

Snow didnt stick or melt upon it. Instead, it drifted down around the object, leaving its surface untouched. The impression of a large coffin only increased as she looked at it, but not the modern day rectangular kind, more like those they unearthed from ancient Egyptian tombs, except this one lacked markings and appeared a uniform, metallic gray.

No lights shone from any one spot, and yet the surface itself appeared to emit some kind of glow. Odd, almost as odd as the lack of seams and despite the fact it flew in as if guided, she didnt hear any kind of engine noise. Nothing.

Could she totally hear Twilight Zone music playing in her head? f.u.c.king right she did, and it didnt help she heard her dead grandma saying, I told you theyd come one day.

A pity the woman who raised her wasnt around to see it. Shed have probably baked one of her famous seven layer cakes"with real to-die-for b.u.t.tercream icing"to celebrate.

When the coffin decided, with just the tiniest of clicks as warning, to split open, she didnt know what to expect. Friendly and cute, bobble head, green Martian saying, I come in peace, or slavering monster with great big fangs and slimy, warty skin intent on seeing if human flesh was a delicacy?

Given the possibilities, was it any wonder Jilly raised her shotgun and aimed it at the exposed interior?

But as the interior was exposed, along with its occupant, she didnt fire, although she did stare in slack-jawed disbelief.

Ill be d.a.m.ned. Grandma was right.

There was life out there. And it was a heck of a lot s.e.xier than expected.

Bright blue eyes, that held a hint of a glow, met her brown gaze and studied her intently. Up. Down. He"had to be a male with that square jaw, strong nose, and masculine build"didnt disguise his perusal of her, and she fought an urge to fidget. When the alien"because no human ever sported purple skin like this dude"raised a dark brow and smirked, she straightened her spine.

She also channeled the corniest line in known cinema. Come out with your hands up.

And if I dont? The reply, spoken in a low, silken tone, took her aback.

You speak English?

I speak and understand every language in the known universe thanks to my upgraded thought-to-speech voice modulator. But that is of no import. You have yet to answer my first question. What will you do if I do not exit my surface pod?

Grandma would have advocated shooting first, asking questions later, but Jilly preferred to think violence wasnt always the only answer. Which led her to another thing Grandma always said. Men always think with their bellies. Did that apply to galactic invaders too?

Stay in your pod thing if you want. But it will be your loss because Ive got fresh, oven-baked cookies and hot cocoa. Without the a.r.s.enic her grandma might have laced it with if she wasnt too crazy about the company coming over.

Living with Grandma, who went a little insane after Grandpa died, Jilly dumped more than her fair share of suspected beverages and snacks. Shed learned her lesson after Timmy dared to sneak a kiss, Timmy being a boy Grandma did not approve of, given he had no goals in life. Luckily all he ended up with was an upset stomach, but Jilly learned to watch Grandma carefully after that.

Back to her alien guest and roundabout offer to come in for cookies and cocoa. She didnt wait for a reply. She turned on her heel and walked back into the house.

Lest anyone think she was nonchalant about the situation, her heart raced so fast she feared a coronary. Her hands, despite the outdoor chill, sweated enough to make her grip on the gun slick, and the only reason she hadnt peed herself was because she clenched her Kegels so tight shed attained virgin status again.

Yet she let none of her trepidation show. She attempted to treat her unexpected visitor with a bit of trust because I d.a.m.n well dont want it said that I started an alien invasion because I was trigger-happy.

Determination to not make history didnt mean she was completely stupid. The gun stayed with her as she strode down the straight hall to her kitchen. Any second, she expected to go up in a vaporized puff of smoke. Instead, she heard the click of her front door closing.

Great. I invited a giant alien inside. Now what?

Feed him before he fed on her.

I hope he likes chocolate chip cookies and not chocolate-dipped humans.

Chapter Two.

If you want it, take it. The first rule from the most stolen book in the universe, The Fine Art of Acquisition. A must read for all serious collectors.

Vhyl wondered why he bothered to follow the barbarian female. It certainly wasnt because she offered food. Hed already eaten before embarking on this planet-side mission.

He couldnt have claimed it was out of fear. Vhyl feared nothing, especially not a female sporting archaic combustion-based weaponry, not to mention his surface exploring garb was fabricated of material capable of resisting most missiles and laser fire.

So why did he follow the wiggle of her hips and the dark, curly hair that bounced down her back?

Because he wanted to.

And Vhyl wasnt one to question or deny himself anything.

If he coveted it, he took it. If he admired it, he stole it. If he wanted to delay his current mission slightly to follow an intriguing barbarian female into her abode and admire, at greater length, her dual mammary glands encased in the tight thin fabric that did nothing to hide the erectness of her nipples, then he would.

If she intrigued him enough, he might even take her with him when he left.

They didnt call him the Black Hole of Aressotle for nothing. If Vhyl admired it, then he acquired it by any means necessary, and once he did, whatever he coveted disappeared into his well-guarded treasury, never to reappear again.

His mother was so proud of his accomplishments and his sister so jealous of his reputation. As for Vhyl, he knew he was on the path of fame and success given they both plotted his demise to inherit his fortune. What more could a male warrior ask for?

Well, for starters, I could ask that the human bend over again.

Arriving in a room lined with cabinetry and smelling pleasantly of chocolate"a delicacy hed indulged in on more than one occasion, despite its high price at the Obsidian market"the female had briefly pushed her posterior in the air as she opened a hinged metal portal. A blast of heat wafted out, and Vhyl placed his hand on his sidearm, only to relax as she withdrew a flat metal sheet sporting brown-spotted blobs atop it.

She slid the tray on a countertop before turning to face him. Once more he got to study her intriguing features.

Skin the rich brown color of a Jkinja tree in bloom. It appeared silky and blemish free. He wondered if the rest of her flesh was covered with the same smoothness.

Unlike the males of her kind"which hed familiarized himself with by briefly studying humans and their history on his way to this distant solar system"she didnt sport any facial hair, but the crown of her head did spill an abundance of dark locks. Curly and springy hair that he could easily imagine digging his fingers into as she knelt presenting her padded posterior. With b.u.t.tocks like that, she was made to cradle a males thrusts. And, yes, they were s.e.xually compatible, another thing hed learned on his voyage over.

Lusciously full lips pressed tight together at his perusal while big brown eyes, light in color and flashing with suspicion, stared right back. A female with fire and a backbone.