“He’s also not a guest,” Liza said. “He’s a traitor and a criminal.”
“Dear, don’t make me call you the G-word,” her grandmother said, smacking her lightly on the arm.
“G-word?” Jaspar echoed.
“Grinch,” Liza whispered to him, earning a shocked “Liza! Please!” from her grandmother.
“It’s a person who does not have the Christmas spirit, basically, and chooses to ruin the season for everyone else as well,” Liza said. “It’s a very bad word on this planetoid.”
“Well, invite him, dear. Be a Hawthorne,” Mawmaw said.
Liza gave her grandmother a resigned look, and then flashed him a pained smile. “Do please come with us,” she said politely but through gritted teeth. “Unless you’re busy. You look busy.”
Jaspar glanced back at Korl and his other clan mates, who were standing just inside the hallway. “Please remain here and guard our quarters,” he said.
They went out into the parking lot and climbed into the family hovercraft. “We’re taking you to an annex down the road a ways, where we have our best trees,” her grandfather informed him.
They landed a few miles down the road. This lot was manned by mechanical elves, who wandered around holding axes for customers who had selected their perfect tree. Unfortunately, there were only half a dozen families there.
There were rows and rows of fragrant, conical green trees. Most of them, Jaspar saw, had the black fur fungus on their branch-tips.
“Nobody is allowed to take the trees off Far North anymore, because of the fungus, but some people are buying them and decorating them here just for the experience,” Liza said somberly. “There are a few small areas in this lot where the fungus hasn’t spread.”
As they walked, Jaspar noticed that Liza’s grandparents were holding hands and smiling at each other.
“That will be us,” he whispered to her.
Liza deliberately ignored the statement, and pointed out the different types of trees. “These are Douglas firs, and those are balsam firs,” she said. “Which one would you like?”
He surveyed the choices carefully and pointed at one of the balsam firs, about eight human feet high.
“Oh, that’s a good one,” her grandfather said. “Nice and tall, very healthy, and very symmetrical. Also very fragrant.”
Jaspar knew that her grandfather was a salesman, but somehow he couldn’t help but feel proud that he had made such a good choice. Liza seemed pleased as well, which meant everything.
One of the elves glided up with an axe.
Jaspar took the axe and cut down the tree with several mighty thwacks, which actually felt quite satisfying.
“Ah, the smell of pine sap,” Liza said, inhaling deeply. “I love it.”
Jaspar felt a warm glow spread inside him at the thought that he had made her happy.
Her grandparents picked up the tree and carried it off, heading towards their hovercraft. Liza lingered behind, looking around.
“I’m just drinking in every last moment,” she said.
“You’re under the mistletoe!” one of the elves cried.
Liza cursed and looked up. They were standing under an archway with mistletoe attached to the top.
Jaspar looked at her. “I know the significance of mistletoe in Earth lore.” He very much approved of this particular Earth tradition.
“We should just move,” she said, trying to step back, but the elves gathered around and blocked her, chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
“It appears we must do as they say,” Jaspar said gravely.
“You’re afraid of the elves?” she said with disbelief. “They’re three feet high, and mechanical.”
“It is entirely possible that they could run amok and cause havoc,” he said, while dodging the question of whether he was actually afraid of them.
“Well, we wouldn’t want that,” she said, and a small smile tugged at her mouth.
He leaned in and kissed the smile away. With it he took her breath. His mouth moved softly over hers, exploring the contours of her lips, and he brought up his hands to frame her face. His touch was gentle but sure, and she was reminded of his size and strength as he drew her against him and let her feel the heat of his body.
Her hands came up of their own accord and she curled her fingers into the soft, worn leather of his tunic. When he drew back from the kiss, she clung to him, heart battering her ribcage. She looked up searchingly into his inhumanly blue eyes.
It was his turn to smile.
