A Tah'Narian Christmas Read online

  The Harvest: A Tah’Narian Christmas

  By M.A. Church

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  A Tah’Narian Christmas

  © M.A. Church

  Cover Art

  © Alicia Nordwell

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Author Bio

  The Harvest: Taken

  The Harvest: Journey’s End

  Prologue

  Many years ago, the intersexed Tah’Narians started a war with the reptilian planet Onfre. In retaliation, the Onfre seeded the atmosphere with a chemical that destroyed the female reproduction system of the Tah’Narians, leaving them unable to propagate. Eventually, the aliens found their way to Earth, looking for young males.

  After the threat of attack and subsequent negotiations, Earth agreed to supply the Tah’Narians with a thousand young human males each year for the next five years. The Tah’Narians then would genetically altered the young Earthlings to grow wombs and conceive young for their Tah’Narian mates.

  Earth termed the taking of those young men as “The Harvest.”

  The Tah’Narian warrior and starship captain, Keyno Landium Shou, illegally harvested Dale. It was a harrowing, illuminating time—one that changed Dale irrevocably. But Dale changed his captors too. He was instrumental in showing the Tah’Narians how “The Harvest” affected the young Earthlings and other species.

  Chapter One

  Five years after the final Harvest on Earth.

  “Is it ready?”

  “Hold on, Szin.” Dale finished programming the reduplicator with specs for plastic water pistols. He, Keyno, and the twins had returned to Tah’Nar for a science conference and were staying at their old home there.

  Szin shifted impatiently from foot to foot, darting glances around the kitchen. At six Szin was a ball of fire. “Come on, Dad.”

  Dale rolled his eyes as he started the program. “Going as fast as I can. Rushing me isn’t going to make this happen any faster.”

  A beep sounded, and Dale removed the plastic pistol from the reduplicator. The Tah’Narians didn’t have any toys geared for play so he and Keyno had discussed Dale’s desire to provide the young with Earth-type toys to enjoy. Dale then made them, based on his own childhood playthings.

  “Okay, it’s finished.”

  Szin hopped up and down. “Finally!”

  “Just let me fill it up with water, Szin.” Dale hurriedly filled the pistol. “Okay, there you go.”

  Dale handed it to his young, and Szin rushed out of the kitchen. A moment later, he heard a loud growl followed by a startled meow, and then a crash from the living area.

  Dale rubbed the bridge of his nose as he joined the young. What had he been thinking giving only one of them a water gun? “Okay, what happened?”

  There stood Raiden, soaking wet, his pointy ears laid flat, one of the many plants in the house turned over… and Szin grinning madly. Raiden, also age six, was as tall as a seven-year-old human child.

  Looking around, it didn’t take much for Dale to figure out what happened. “Uh-huh, you were waiting to ambush Szin, weren’t you, Raiden?”

  “Maybe.” Raiden, staring at the floor, trailed his toe through the dirt that spilled from the plant.

  “Right. Well, looks like you bit off more than you could chew.” Dale hid his grin.

  The emotions on Raiden’s face ranged from disgust to guilt. He’d hidden on one of the many elevations, waiting for this twin to pass by so he could leap on him as he had many times before. And received the shock of his life when Szin unloaded on him with the water pistol.

  A memory of Susan doing the same thing to him blindsided Dale. He would’ve paid good money to do to her what Szin just did to Raiden. God, he missed her, especially right now when Christmas was approaching on Earth.

  “Dad? You okay?”

  A light breeze ruffled Dale’s hair, bringing him back to the present. Their family lived in a rooftop home near a stream that ended in a waterfall. Their tree house was nearly 130 feet in the air and built around the upper trunk of the tree with a large porch.

  “Yeah, sweetie, I’m okay. Just thinking about something.” Dale packed the memory away and looked at a wet Raiden. “Well, good thing we’re going to the waterfall, huh? Guess I’ll clean up the mess you made later. Of course, if you hadn’t been trying to pounce on Szin, I wouldn’t have a mess to clean up, now would I?”

  Raiden blushed. “Sorry, Dad.”

  Dale caught Szin’s smirk. Raiden responded by sticking his tongue out at his twin. Szin didn’t have many Tah’Narian characteristics except for one thing—one major thing—the womb that resulted from the Tah’Narians mutating their mates’ DNA. Otherwise, Szin looked, and acted, completely human.

  The belief was Dale’s fertilized egg split and the genetic material split also, a sort of ‘magnet effect’, with the human genetic material gravitating toward one fetus and the Tah’Narian genetic material gravitating toward the other. Because of this, Dale decided to introduce a few Earth customs into their family such as birthday parties and playdates.

  Raiden favored Keyno, and took after the Tah’Narians with their feline features. He had the same white hair, deeply tanned skin, pointed ears, long tail, and cat-like yellow eyes. From the way he was growing, Dale assumed Raiden would be just as tall and muscular as Keyno.

  But unlike Szin, Raiden did not have a womb. Dale had once, long ago, remarked that Keyno reminded him of the big cats from Earth. Raiden, like Keyno, liked to climb, stalk, and pounce. His brother was often Raiden’s main target.

  Szin, more often than not, was ready for him.

  Szin was the second born. The fact he had been born was a miracle in itself. Twins were practically unheard of on Tah’Nar. If there were two or more fetuses, the strongest one cannibalized his siblings. For some reason, no one knew why, that hadn’t happened with Szin and Raiden.

  To make things even stranger, Szin favored Dale. He had Dale’s brown hair and hazel eyes—when Dale still had hazel eyes—and Szin did have a womb. He was smaller, weaker, and much less muscular than his twin.

  “Szin.” Dale eyed his other young. “Don’t spray any more water in the house.”

  “Okay.”

  Dale finished the second plastic water pistol for Raiden, then ushered the young out of the tree house and to the waterfall. There they could spray each other to their little hearts’ content, and maybe burn off some of that endless energy.

  “You can jump off some of the lower rocks at the waterfall, but don’t go too high.” Dale leaned back against a large, smooth b
lue rock, his hands behind his head as he watched the twins play.

  The bright sun lulled him, and his mind drifted, his thoughts turning to the past. He and Chad had spent several hot, lazy days at the lake they lived by, swimming and fishing. Dale stared at the waterfall, not seeing it. In its place he saw Chad, fighting with the old tent they used when they went camping.

  Dale’s mom always baked brownies for them before they left. God, what he wouldn’t give for just one of those brownies, or one of those special ones she fixed at Christmas, with a pecan in the middle. Dale rested his head against the rock. Christmas was his favorite time of the Earth year.

  Raiden crept over to Szin, both young watching Dale. “Dad looks comfortable.”

  Szin grinned. “But hot.”

  Dale heard them but acted like he didn’t.

  “Think we should cool him off?” Raiden snickered. “You go around to the left, and be quiet, okay?”

  Suddenly both young yelled. Streams of water poured from their pistols they’d aimed at their dad.

  Dale jerked as the cool water hit his warm skin. “You little buggers! Turn your water pistols on me, will you? Now you’re in for it.”

  Raiden and Szin ran off, both laughing as Dale jumped in the water, chasing after them. Dale managed to catch Szin and threw him up in the air, letting him land in the water. Unfortunately, Raiden had climbed up onto one of the rocks, and Dale didn’t have the cat-like ability to go after him. As they play-fought, Keyno arrived. Dale immediately noticed the plastic water gun shaped like a rifle Keyno made before he arrived.

  “Oh yeah, now you two are in for it.” Dale splashed after Raiden. “Get ’em, Keyno.”

  Keyno leaped into the water, a water rifle in his hands and took aim… at his mate.

  “Hey now!” Dale staggered back in the shallow water as Keyno shot at him. “Aw man, that’s not fair.”

  Dale ducked as Keyno fired, screaming with laughter when Szin crashed through the water to help Keyno. Raiden stalked closer, coming from the left, busily shooting Keyno. Then he joined Szin and Keyno.

  “I give!” Outgunned and still laughing madly, Dale staggered toward the shore.

  Chapter Two

  Before long Keyno joined him on the shore. Szin and Raiden played in the shallow part of the pool, splashing each other. He and Keyno rested against a large, fern-like tree, drying off.

  “Dale, what’s the matter?”

  Dale stifled the sigh that threatened to break loose. “Nothing’s wrong. Why do you keep asking me that?”

  “You’ve been quiet since we returned. Even Chad has commented about it.”

  “You do realize listening to anything Chad says is the surest path to insanity, right?”

  Keyno brushed a strand of hair out of Dale’s face. “My point is that he noticed something’s wrong.”

  “There’s nothing wrong. I guess I’m just tired. Keeping up with two young is hard, and, okay yeah, I do miss my parents some, but nothing is wrong. I promise.”

  “Maybe you’re going into estrus again,” Keyno teased.

  Estrus was the physiological state during which mates were fertile. The cycle was long and arduous, involving hours and hours of sex. To say Dale had been concerned about his ability to walk once the cycle was over had been an understatement and a standing joke among their friends.

  “Oh hell, it isn’t time yet, you fiend.” Dale reared back. “Bite your tongue.”

  “Hmm, think I’d rather bite yours instead.”

  Keyno leaned over and kissed him. The soft purrs started before his lips even touched Dale’s. Keyno’s bonding scent, a sweet smell of cloves, drifted around them. A simple brush of lips quickly turned into heat and aggression as he deepened the kiss, his tongue dueling with Dale’s. His hand slipped around the back of Dale’s neck, holding him close.

  Dale tilted his head back, baring his throat. Keyno rubbed his cheek against the underside of Dale’s jaw, scent-marking him, as a strand of his hair wrapped around Dale’s wrist. Keyno pulled him closer, his other hand pressing into the small of Dale’s back. Dale moaned, his head thrown back as Keyno nibbled at his throat.

  A sudden yell broke the mood, and Dale turned to see what was going on now.

  “Szin, if you don’t stop, I’m going to—”

  “Oh yeah?” Szin yanked Raiden’s tail.

  “Dabba!” Raiden yowled.

  The Tah’Narian language didn’t have a word for “Dad”. Dabba meant “parent”, but Dale had taught their young to call him Dad and Keyno Dabba.

  “Now what?” Keyno rested his forehead against Dale’s.

  “Duty calls.” Dale chuckled breathlessly.

  “Fine. There’s always tonight.” Keyno stood up, the promise clear in his eyes. “I’ll handle it; you take a break.”

  “Much appreciated.”

  “Szin”—Keyno waded into the water where the young were getting ready to fight—“do not pull his tail like that; it hurts. Raiden? What did you do to Szin? And don’t shake your head at me, young, you did something.”

  Dale leaned back and closed his eyes, letting Keyno deal with it. He grinned as he heard squeals, giggles, and loud meows coming from the water. Keyno might just find himself overwhelmed by the two, even if he was a dangerous Tah’Narian warrior.

  Dale drifted as he listened to the three males he loved the most play fighting. He jerked when Keyno called his name. Slowly, he opened his eyes. “Hmm?”

  “Wake up, Dale. I think it’s time to go. They’re hungry.”

  Dale yawned and stretched. “Gotcha.”

  Dale packed up all their stuff while Keyno held both young as they returned to their home. Szin rested his head on Keyno’s shoulder while Raiden patted Szin’s back. The twins were closely connected and had been since before birth.

  The fact they could both communicate with Dale while still in the womb had saved Chad and his young’s life. Dale believed his ability to communicate with the twins before their birth was a possible side effect of being double-dosed—just one of many.

  “If you’ll fix something to eat, I’ll get the drinks.”

  “Okay.” Keyno set Raiden and Szin at their table in the kitchen, and then programmed the reduplicator.

  Raiden could barely hold his eyes open, his head nodding while he ate. Then Szin would elbow him, and Raiden would snap awake. He’d growl at Szin, who just chortled. Dale suddenly saw Susan sitting at the dinner table holding a popsicle, her head bobbing as she drifted off to sleep.

  It was Christmas night, and they’d been up since the crack of dawn. Unable to resist, Dale had shrieked in her ear, causing her to jerk and hit their dad with the sticky mess. Their dad had knocked over his drink. Susan cried, his dad muttered darkly, and his mom gave him the dreaded death glare. Boy, he had gotten in trouble for that. But it sure had been funny watching Susan jump like a scalded cat.

  “Dale? They’re done. I’m going to take them upstairs.”

  Dale frowned as he pushed the memory away. “Uh, yeah, let me finish cleaning up in here, and I’ll be up.”

  Dale hurried into the twins’ room just as Keyno got the young down for a nap. Since Dale had napped at the waterfall, Keyno suggested they spend some time sparring in one of the spare rooms. Dale held a black belt in karate on Earth. Shortly after Dale was harvested, Keyno taught him how to use the hast, which was a lot like the nunchakus.

  “Do you remember the lesson I taught you on my starship?” Keyno asked as they circled each other.

  Dale grinned, remembering how that lesson had ended. “Yeah, never underestimate my sneaky, underhanded opp—”

  Keyno came at him, legs and hast flying.

  “Dammit, Keyno.” Dale fell into defense mode.

  “Talking can be a distraction.” Keyno smirked as he backed Dale across the mat.

  Dale shut up and concentrated on seeing if he could read Keyno’s next move. For twenty minutes they sparred. Well, Keyno sparred. Dale spent ten of those twenty minutes
picking his ass off the damn mat. Finally he had enough and lay there, panting, while Keyno stood over him.

  “I give,” Dale gasped.

  Keyno lowered his body over Dale’s, straddling his hips. “Say it the correct way.”

  “Oh for God’s sake. Okay, fine, I submit.”

  “Better,” Keyno said. “Now, to enjoy the spoils of my victory.”

  “Look, you crazy-ass warrior—” That was as far as Dale got because Keyno ripped his shirt open. “Aw, damn Keyno, what is it with you and ripping off my—”

  Keyno’s mouth crashed down on Dale’s, effectively silencing him and shooting his body into overdrive. The smell of cloves filled the room as Keyno trapped Dale’s arms above his head. He scooted down Dale’s body, his rough tongue caressing Dale’s sensitive nipples until they were hard and peaked. He knew what a pleasure point Dale’s nipples were. Dale’s dick swelled to hardness, tenting the shorts he wore.

  He tightened his fingers around Dale’s wrists and looked him in the eye. “Do not move those hands.”

  “Oh God,” Dale mumbled as Keyno rolled off him and came to his knees.

  Keyno tapped Dale’s side, and Dale lifted his hips. Keyno quickly pulled Dale’s jock and shorts off. Next came his shoes and socks. Once Dale lay naked on the mat, Keyno pushed Dale’s legs open. Dale’s shaft was hard and leaking against his belly. Keyno moved between Dale’s legs, lowered his head, and swiped his tongue through the precome, purring at the taste.

  His hair came alive, shifting on his back, twisting and rippling as it moved, searching for Dale. Thick strands wrapped around Dale’s knees and held his legs spread wide. The silky softness of his hair belied its strength.

  No matter how much Dale jerked and thrashed, those strands would hold tight. Keyno let the tip of Dale’s cock slip into his mouth and sucked on the swollen head. Keyno rolled Dale’s balls as he released the head of Dale’s dick and nibbled down the shaft, running his tongue up and down the length.

  “Come on, suck it,” Dale moaned.

  Keyno grinned, and then took Dale in his mouth. Bobbing his head up and down, he cut his eyes up at Dale. He watched lust, desire, and need flitter across Dale’s face. Faster he went as he worked Dale with his mouth and tongue while Dale fought to keep his hands where they were. Taking a deep breath, he drew Dale’s dick fully into his throat and held it there for a few seconds before swallowing.