Mystical Xmas: Paranormal Romance Anthology Box Set Read online

  Before she knew it, Senia was spending more nights in Jerrells rooms than she was in her own. She enjoyed the nights of pleasure but her favorite place to escape for a few minutes of alone time was on the beach under the moon and that was where Jerrell found her at the end of a particularly long day.

  “What is wrong?” he asked her when she continued to watch the ocean and didn’t look at him.

  “What are we doing Jerrell?” she asked him. “You, me? I don’t know how to deal with all of this.”

  “I thought that we were working towards a future. I guess we aren’t on the same page. What do you want?”

  She heard the hurt in his voice and winced. She knew she would mess this up. She was no good at this kind of thing. The one and only relationship she had been involved in before this had ended in disaster when the guy had wanted more from her than she could give. She didn’t know how to be part of something. She was the type of woman to watch from the sidelines, not dive right in into something.

  “I don’t know what I want. I know I am less upset at being stranded here than everyone else. I know that I want our time together. My feeling are jumbled together in a mess. I know I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t know how to be part of a couple. My one and only other relationship ended badly because he wanted to get married and I didn’t. I felt smothered by him. I don’t want to ever feel that way about you but I need my space.” She prayed he would understand what she was trying to say.

  Jerrell didn’t say anything for the longest time and when he did it was not what she was expecting. “I don’t know where this is going either but I do know that I am willing to work at having a relationship. I know that I am falling in love with you and despite your doubts I think you are falling in love with me too.” He brushed her hair back from her face to peer deeply into her eyes, “When you need space just tell me and I promise to understand. I may not like it, but I will understand it.”

  “What happens if we don’t work? It’s not like we can go somewhere to get away from each other,” she asked him softly.

  “If, and that is a big if, we don’t make this work, we are adults. We can and will deal with it. Like it or not, Doctor, you and I have to be the leaders these men and women need. I don’t think we will ever be rescued. We don’t know what we will face on this planet but whatever we run into, we will face it together.”

  Jerrell’s promise touched something deep inside her and the knot in her stomach loosened, allowing her to breathe. He wasn’t angry. He hadn’t lashed out at her. Could this man possible have come to understand her in the short amount of time they had known each other? She reached up and cupped his strong jaw in her hands. His hands came up to cover hers. “Together, then. We will do this together.” She laughed lightly, “I don’t promise never to mess up but if you can put up with me, we can give it a try.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be the perfect one in this relationship,” he teased her.

  Laughing, she pushed him away and ran down the beach towards the water, daring him to follow her as she discarded the robe she wore, leaving her skin naked and gleaming in the moonlight. He gave chase and dived into the ocean after her. They swam, letting the water invigorate them. Diving deep, they played and chased each other like carefree children before coming together in a dance as old as time. Limbs twined together, Jerrell took them deep to the floor of the ocean. He made love to her like she was the most important person in his life. He worshiped her body with his, taking them both to heights of pleasure they had never reached before. The moon was the only witness to their joining, watching over the lovers and bathing them with its light when they reached the surface once again.

  The two teams sent out to gather information on the planets inhabitants returned the next morning with books made of paper that amazed them all. Something so fragile as paper, and the people here used it to record their history and stories. These books would be how they learned of this world’s people. This was information that was going to be needed to survive. The technology from the ship would keep them hidden until they knew it would be safe to make their presence known. Some species were hostile against others that were different. Until he knew better what they were facing, they would hide.

  Senia was reading one of the books called the Bible when her com came alive with the panicked voice of Shilly Lungreb. It was time. “Calm down, Shilly. Do you need me to come get you or can you make it to medical?”

  “I think I can make there,” Shilly said in a voice shaking with fear.

  Senia bit back her fury at the absent Reed. Shilly was far too young to be having a baby by herself. She should have a loving partner at her side. Instead she had been seduced and abandoned by a selfish man who had just wanted to alleviate his boredom.

  Senia had made the chamber ready for the birth of Shilly’s baby and she planned for everything to go perfectly. Shilly would give birth like they all did, in the birthing pool. The baby’s first breath would be taken under water like all Merrots. Whether she would be able to breathe air for any length of time was still unknown. A story from the book she had just read crossed her mind. That of a baby born in a barn. A baby whose birth was celebrated every year at this time. How appropriate, she thought as she was hurrying through the ship, that she had chosen to read that story today.

  Twelve long hours later, Senia placed the beautiful little girl in her waiting mother’s arms. The baby had soft, light-green skin with the palest of yellow eyes. Where she should have had legs and feet there was instead a shimmering deep green fish tail. She was perfect, Senia thought, watching mom and baby. She couldn’t help but wonder if she and Jerrell would ever have a child together. She would make sure this baby was always treated right. No one would hit her or make her feel bad for being born or for being different. That was a promise she had made to the little girl. A promise she intended to keep.

  She climbed wearily out of the birthing chamber. She stretched her cramped muscles and turned to find Jerrell watching her. Her heart lightened and the tiredness of the day fell away.

  “How are mother and child?” He asked her, coming over to wrap a towel around her dripping hair.

  The smile that lit her upturned face jolted him to the core of his being. He knew in that moment he was completely in love with her. The kind of love that would last a lifetime and beyond. If they were stranded here on this planet for the rest of their lives he would be content as long as he had her by his side, and maybe a dozen or so of their own little girls.

  “Mother and baby are doing just fine,” she told him. Shilly named the baby Chortell. Chortell meant New Beginnings in the language of the Merrots.

  Jerrell smiled, a full blown smile that melted her heart. He picked her up and swung her around until they were both laughing. There were hard times ahead of them but for that moment everything was perfect. Come what may, Senia knew that they would be together and together they would conquer this new world. She had no more fears, no more doubts. He was the man for her. The one man who could make her soul sing.

  The beginning.......

  About The Author

  Billie Jo Hanlin is a wife and mother and now an author. She has been married to the love of her life since she was 16 and has a wonderful 27 year old son that is the light of her life. In January of 2014 she had a health scare that turned out to be nothing but it pushed her to bring her dreams to life and put the stories that floated in her head on paper. Chrystal Bones is the first of those stories and she is hard at work on the second book in the series. She hopes that you will enjoy her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.

  Author of Chrystal Bones. A Science Fiction Paranormal Romance. Currently working on the second book in the Finding Home series. Riley's Run will be released in early June of 2015

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  Mystical Royal Destined Love short stories are about the eternal fairy tale of the prince and princess.
These stories are incredibly steamy romances with paranormal entities mating to claim their royal love.

  I'm excited to announce that we're going to have the Mystical Royal Destined Love Box Set by the Mystical Box Set Babes.

  Mystical Royal Destined Love short stories are about the eternal fairy tale of the prince and princess. These stories are incredibly steamy romances with paranormal entities mating to claim their royal love.

  The Mystical Box Set Babes is an Anthology of Paranormal Romance, written by women with very different lives, backgrounds, and talents. This group of amazing, talented authors want to give their readers the royal paranormal romance story.

  Look out for the pre-order posts!