Christmas on Chaos Read online

  Christmas on Chaos

  Sophie Stern

  Published by Sophie Stern, 2019.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  CHRISTMAS ON CHAOS

  First edition. November 27, 2019.

  Copyright © 2019 Sophie Stern.

  Written by Sophie Stern.

  Also by Sophie Stern

  Alien Chaos

  Destroyed

  Guarded

  Saved

  Alien Chaos: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Bundle

  Anchored

  Starboard

  Battleship

  All Aboard

  Abandon Ship

  Below Deck

  Crossing the Line

  Anchored: Books 1-3

  Anchored: Books 4-6

  Club Kitten Dancers

  Move

  Dragon Isle

  My Lord and Dragon

  The Dragon Fighter

  A Dragon's Bite

  Lost to the Dragon

  Beware of Dragons

  Cowboy Dragon

  Dark Heart of the Dragon

  Once Upon a Dragon

  Catching the Dragon

  Dragon Isle (Collection: Books 1-3)

  Dragon Isle (Collection: Books 4-6)

  Dragon Isle (Collection: Books 7-9)

  Good Boys and Millionaires

  Good Boys and Millionaires 1

  Good Boys and Millionaires 2

  Honeypot Babies

  The Polar Bear's Baby

  The Jaguar's Baby

  The Tiger's Baby

  Honeypot Darlings

  The Bear's Virgin Darling

  The Bear's Virgin Mate

  The Bear's Virgin Bride

  Office Gentlemen

  Ben From Accounting

  Polar Bears of the Air Force

  Staff Sergeant Polar Bear

  Master Sergeant Polar Bear

  Airman Polar Bear

  Senior Airman Polar Bear

  Red

  Red: Into the Dark

  Red: Through the Dark

  Red: Beyond the Dark

  Shifters at Law

  Wolf Case

  Bearly Legal

  Tiger Clause

  Sergeant Bear

  Dragon Law

  The Fablestone Clan

  Dragon's Oath

  Dragon's Breath

  Dragon's Darling

  Dragon's Whisper

  Dragon's Magic

  The Hidden Planet

  Vanquished

  Outlaw

  Conquered

  The Wolfe City Pack

  The Wolf's Darling

  The Wolf's Mate

  The Wolf's Bride

  Standalone

  Saucy Devil

  Billionaire on Top

  Jurassic Submissive

  The Editor

  Alien Beast

  Snow White and the Wolves

  Kissing the Billionaire

  Wild

  Alien Dragon

  The Royal Her

  Be My Tiger

  Alien Monster

  The Paralegal

  Roses in the Dark

  Honeypot Babies Omnibus Edition

  Honeypot Darlings: Omnibus Edition

  Red: The Complete Trilogy

  First Shift

  The Swan's Mate

  Eternity: A Vampire Romance

  The Feisty Librarian

  Polar Bears of the Air Force

  Wild Goose Chase

  Star Princess

  The Virgin and the Lumberjacks

  Resting Bear Face

  Seized by the Dragon

  Christmas on Chaos

  Contents

  Christmas on Chaos

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Author

  Books

  Christmas on Chaos

  Alien Chaos Book Four

  Sophie Stern

  COPYRIGHT © 2019 BY Sophie Stern

  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.

  It’s Christmas on Chaos, and everything is going horribly wrong.

  Scarlett’s first Christmas on Chaos needs to be perfect.

  She hasn’t been to the planet since she was a kid, and she wants this holiday to be something her sister won’t forget. While she’s out shopping for holiday presents for her family, however, Scarlett runs into something she didn’t expect: a baby.

  Where did the little one come from?

  And who does the child belong to?

  It’s a race against time to find the child’s parents and return the baby before Christmas on Chaos.

  Christmas on Chaos is the 4th ALIEN CHAOS book; however, it is a short, slice-of-life adventure that can be enjoyed on its own. You do not need to read the other books in order to enjoy this one.

  “Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect.”

  ― Margaret Mitchell

  Prologue

  Scarlett

  HE RUNS HIS HANDS UP my sides, over my breasts, and then up to my neck. He holds me there, softly, gently, as he kisses me. Heat pools between my legs and I wiggle, rubbing my thighs together in a desperate attempt to get more.

  I need more.

  So much more.

  I groan as he kisses me, sliding his tongue over mine. I reach for him, running my hands through his hair and then down his chest.

  “You taste like cinnamon,” he murmurs. “You taste like Christmas.”

  I try to say something back. I try to whisper that I love this, that I love everything that’s happening between us, but somehow, the words won’t come. They catch in my throat and I’m caught up in the lust shared between us.

  He doesn’t seem to mind.

  He’s never minded the way I don’t know what to say, how I’m so much better with my hands than my words. He kisses me over and over again, and then he slides his hand lower, between my legs, and I feel like I’m going to melt.

  “Please,” I whisper, begging him.

  What is it that I’m asking him for?

  I rub myself against his hand like a feral mirekitty, like there’s nothing I want more than the orgasm that’s dangling just out of reach. He chuckles at my wantonness, smiling and nipping at my ears, and then he whispers against me.

  “Your pussy is wet, ayren.”

  Ayren.

  Lover.

  “Yes,” I manage to say.

  “Good,” he says. “I can’t wait to slide my cock inside of you, beautiful one.”

  He lifts me up and carries me to the bed. It’s floating in the center of the room and it’s perfect, just like this moment.

  “Hurry,” I whisper, suddenly finding my voice. “I need you inside of me.”

  I’ve never felt scared to ask for what I wanted before.

  I’ve never felt nervous before this.

  But now, suddenly, there’s just the tiniest bit of concern in the back of my mind. What if he doesn’t actually want me? What if this moment doesn’t mean as much to him
as it does to me? What if?

  But he smiles, as though he’s reading my mind, and he cups my face.

  “Ayren,” he says. “Close your eyes.”

  I listen to him and he starts kissing me over and over and over.

  And when he kisses me like this, all of my worries just float away. All of my concerns just disappear. Everything else just...vanishes.

  And we are one.

  Chapter 1

  Two weeks earlier

  Scarlett

  “FOURTEEN DAYS UNTIL Christmas!” Bri jumps up and down, clapping her hands. She looks so young and innocent now: nothing like I did at her age. No, at her age, I was hell-bent on learning how to survive on the wild planet of Hawk.

  I didn’t have time for Christmas.

  Or holidays.

  Or presents.

  Or joy.

  “Two more weeks,” I say with a smile. I look over at the girl who has really captured all of our hearts. It’s hard to believe that Bri is going to be a teenager in just a couple of years. She still seems so sweet and happy just to hang out.

  “Do you have all of your shopping done?” Bri asks, raising an eyebrow.

  “Are you asking if I got you something?” I laugh, crossing my arms over my chest. It’s my first Christmas on Chaos in just about forever. I’ve been back for only a short while, and learning to adapt to this place has been impossibly hard. I’m still living with my sister, Anna, and her mate, Todd, who have been gracious enough to give me a place to stay while I figure out what I’m going to do with my life. I have a job now as a trainer at a fighting and weapons school, but aside from that, I don’t know what I want to do.

  I mean, when your entire world is centered on revenge, what do you do for fun? You can’t exactly take up knitting or fishing. All you have time to do is fight. Now that my life is no longer being threatened and I’ve found closure in facing my past, it’s time to start living.

  It’s time to just start enjoying things.

  “Maybe,” Bri says.

  “Well, I can’t tell you,” I say. “That would take away the surprise, wouldn’t it?”

  “Hmmph,” Bri pouts. She shakes her head. “I can still act surprised.”

  “It’s not the same.”

  “It could be the same.”

  “It’s not.”

  “It’s not fair,” she says, but she smiles, and I know she’s only teasing.

  “Don’t worry,” I promise. “This Christmas is going to be the best one yet.”

  “Promise?”

  “Of course.”

  “How can you be sure?” She asks.

  “Because I haven’t celebrated Christmas since I was a kid,” I tell her honestly. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make this one incredible.”

  “Good,” she nods, and she turns, heading down the hallway to her tiny bedroom.

  “That was interesting,” Sasha, Bri’s stepmother, raises an eyebrow.

  “What do you mean?”

  Sasha turns back to whatever it is she’s baking. She told me, but it’s something I haven’t heard of. Apparently, the planet where Sasha is from doesn’t really have holiday celebrations, so she’s trying her best to make this Christmas a memorable one for both Bri and her husband, Max. It’s her first time celebrating a holiday like Christmas, so Sasha has been reading book after book for special celebration ideas.

  “Is it customary to ask someone if they’re buying you a gift?” Sasha says. She frowns, and I know she’s worried about Bri being polite.

  “It’s okay,” I shrug. “She’s a kid, and she’s excited. She’s supposed to be excited about the gifts she’s going to receive.”

  Sasha pales and her eyes go wide.

  “What if she doesn’t like my gift?”

  “What did you get her?”

  “Hats.”

  Now it’s my turn to raise an eyebrow.

  “Hats, as in...multiple hats?”

  I try to remember, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bri in any sort of hat in the time that I’ve known her. It’s a strange sort of gift, but hey, at least Sasha is trying. A lot of stepmothers hate their step-kids. It’s better that Sasha be the type of mother who is courteous and thoughtful, rather than the type of person who just ignores her family members.

  “Yes,” Sasha says. She cocks her head and then worry lines cover her face. “Wait, is that a terrible gift?” She raises a hand to her lips.

  Shit.

  Now I’ve made her feel bad.

  “No way,” I lie through my teeth. “It’s totally fine. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

  Sasha doesn’t believe me, and I sigh. I feel so bad for bursting her bubble, but I realize that I have to. I would be a terrible friend if I let her give a gift I know Bri isn’t going to like.

  “What’s wrong with hats?” She asks softly.

  “There’s nothing wrong with hats,” I say. “It’s just that...well...Bri doesn’t really wear them, does she?”

  “Not really.”

  “So, when you give a gift, especially at Christmas, there’s this saying that you should give things from the heart. Do you know what that means?”

  Sasha raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. I don’t know what gift-giving on Cravenloua was like, but from what I can tell, it was kind of non-existent.

  “It just means that you should think about what the other person might like, and then give that.”

  “Something useful?”

  “It can be something useful, but it doesn’t have to be.”

  “Maybe something imported from another planet,” Sasha says. “That would impress her.”

  “Well, the purpose isn’t to impress someone,” I point out. “We give gifts to show thoughtfulness and caring. So you can give her something special, but it doesn’t have to be something terribly fancy or anything like that.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Wow,” Sasha smiles. “That makes me feel a little better. This is all new to me,” she says, a little softer. “Somehow, I thought this would be easier than it is.”

  “Nah,” I shake my head. “It can be hard. That’s okay, though. It’s kind of part of the fun, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose,” Sasha says.

  “Hey, I’m going to go shopping today,” I tell her. “Do you want to come along with me?”

  “Yes!”

  “Okay,” I grin, taking my friend’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  THE SHOPPING PODS IN Mayhem are close to where Sasha lives, so we walk over together. We chat and laugh as we go, enjoying the warm weather. On Chaos, the weather rarely gets cold or even chilly. It’s kind of a nice change from Hawk, where the default setting on the planet’s weather seemed to be terrible with a chance of rain.

  “How often do you come to the pods?” I ask.

  “Not often. I mean, I probably should. Max gave me money, but I don’t feel comfortable spending it.”

  “I know what you mean. Coming back and not having a job was strange for me, too.”

  “You were on Hawk for a long time,” Sasha says. “I’m sure coming back to Chaos feels good, but...”

  “Uncomfortable,” I tell her. “Wildly uncomfortable. This is my home planet, and so much changed while I was away.”

  “That tends to happen.”

  Sasha is kind of like me. She’s an outsider on Chaos. She’s from another planet that was destroyed and now she’s trying to find a way to fit in. At least we have that in common. If nothing else, it sort of binds us together.

  “Well,” she says. “Here we are.”

  We look up at the series of pods. There are hundreds of them all linked together with moving walkways and glass tunnels. They’re beautiful to look at, and more importantly, they have absolutely anything someone could possibly want to buy.

  “Here goes nothing,” I say, and we take a step forward. There’s a central pod that floats about twenty feet above the main road in Mayhem. We step in front
of a small portal lift below the pod, it and wait for a portal tube to arrive. The tube will lift us up to the primary pod and from there we’ll have access to all of the stores in the center.

  It only takes a few seconds for the portal tube to arrive. It’s a little transportation unit that can easily hold half-a-dozen Chaotic citizens. We squeeze in, along with a few other people, and the tube moves up to the pod. Once we reach our destination, the doors to the little tube open and we all pour out.

  Instantly, I’m overwhelmed by the smell of cookies and the sounds of holiday music. Christmas music on Chaos sounds exactly how I remember it and I fight the urge to start dancing right in the pod.

  “Woah,” Sasha says, looking around.

  “Feeling overwhelmed?”

  “A little. I mean, what is this?” She gestures to the craziness surrounding us. People are bustling around, gliding through the pod on robotic shoes and in moving carts. The two of us stand where we are in our normal, ordinary shoes, and just take it all in.

  “It’s Christmas on Chaos,” I say with a laugh. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  We start by exploring the first pod and then we make our way to the second, and then the third, and then the fourth. By the time we reach the fifth pod, we’re both feeling sore and tired, but I’m determined to keep going. I’m not giving up until I’ve found exactly what I’m looking for this Christmas.

  The problem is, I don’t really know exactly what I want.

  “Look!” Sasha says, grabbing my hand. She points to a nearby pod that has Earth food for sale.

  “Turkey sandwiches?” I read the advertisement.

  “Have you ever had one?”

  “Uh, no,” I shake my head. Most of my food on Hawk was good, but kind of bland. Now that I’m back on Chaos, I’ve just been gorging myself with my favorite childhood treats: mostly binggan.

  “I have to try one,” she says. I spot a store out of the corner of my eye that interests me.

  “Okay, you go ahead and I’ll catch up with you,” I tell her. “I want to go check out Pod 17.”