She smiled. Since her pregnancy, she’d been insatiable. It must have something to do with the alien DNA as she’d never heard of such a phenomenon before.
“No, I don’t need you again, but thank you for the offer.” She was getting used to Dhiro’s blunt answers. In his way, they were charming.
His brothers had the ability to blend in on Earth where he didn’t.
“Dhiro, please, talk to me.”
“I cannot talk right now.” He shook his head. “There is too much at stake. I need to get us back. I will do everything for you, Ella, as soon as we land. We have advanced hospitals with all the right diagnostic equipment.”
She reached out and put her hand on Dhiro’s arm. “They wanted this.”
He shook his head. “No one wants to be left alone on an alien planet.”
She raised her brows. “And I did?”
Dhiro frowned. “Our people are not as primitive as yours.”
She snorted. “Please, this all happened because you thought they were going to terminate me. Do not for a second say otherwise, Dhiro.”
“I… They are my brothers, Ella. My father had always told me to take care of them. To make sure they didn’t get into any trouble, and all my life, all the decisions I’ve made have been for their safety. I will do anything for them.”
“Dhiro, they wanted to stay on Earth. They’d been so focused on getting this ship ready after they found out I was pregnant that they didn’t tell you their hopes. They want to find females of their own. Kaalen told me to tell you that this isn’t about you. Yes, they would have come home if the ship were ready, but they also wanted the chance to find mates. They want to be fathers as well.”
Dhiro sighed and he turned toward her. “Thank you.”
She got up and forced him to move back just a little bit so that she could sit on his lap. “You don’t have to thank me. Tell me what else is on your mind.”
“It is nothing.”
“Dhiro, I love you. I’m about to spend the rest of my life on an alien planet having lots of babies with you. I will not allow you to lie to me in any way. That is my condition for you to have all the sex you can have.”
He chuckled. It wasn’t deep or heartfelt, but it was a start, and she would take it.
“I am not lying to you. I just don’t want you to worry. This is the worst ship I have ever had the pleasure of flying. Even training, we had much better test flights. I fear what this means and that we won’t make the trip.”
“We will make the trip.”
“Engine one is already failing on me. It is struggling to keep up with the speed I am asking it to.”
“Then slow it down.”
“I need to get you home.”
“Dhiro, my home is wherever you are. Not a planet. We could land on Mars and I would be happy.”
He opened his mouth, likely to dispute her and give her some facts about life on Mars, but she pressed a finger to his lips. “What I gave you was a term of endearment. Listen to it, enjoy it, embrace it. Now, will you get some rest?”
Dhiro shook his head. “I cannot. The ship is not in the best condition. I must attend to it at all times in the event of something going wrong. I am not trying to be a pain. I am being precautious. My brothers knew the risk, as did I, but I need to do this.”
Just then, the panel made a buzzing sound, and Ella jumped.
“It is Mother calling,” Dhiro said.
“Dhiro, are you there?” His mother’s voice filled the cabin.
“I am here, Mother. So is Ella.”
“Hello, my blessing,” his mother said.
She greeted her and listened to the mother and son talk.
“Why can I not see you?”
“I gave the main communicator to Kaalen and Bronn. They are back on Earth, but I do not want us to lose touch with them. A rescue mission must be put together immediately. When I am home, I will head it myself. My brothers will come back home.”
“Oh, son, they have already been in touch. They have found a small property, a farm, I think, and are currently working on it as we speak. They are in good spirits.”
“They have not been taken?” Dhiro asked.
“Your brothers are far more capable of looking after themselves than you give them credit,” his mother said, and Ella couldn’t help but smile.
Kaalen and Bronn had told her as much during their time together. They had told her Dhiro often treated them like children rather than grown men who were capable of taking care of themselves.
Before Dhiro made the trek to Earth to find her, he would often go to their grocery store, buy weekly supplies, and go to each of their houses, filling their cupboards and fridge. Kaalen said he would sometimes be upstairs with a woman when his brother entered and he’d have to pretend to be quiet so he didn’t know he was home.
The brothers sounded so very close.
She wished she had a family like that, but she had no one back home. No family memories to relish. Dhiro and his family were now her own, and she would take care of them as such.
“Mother, I do not mean to alarm you, but getting back home, it is … I do not know if that is going to be completely possible.”
“I know you, Dhiro, you will get yourself and Ella back home. People are waiting to talk to you. They want to make sure you’re aware they did not mean what you thought they meant. There was no ill will toward Ella.”
“Why do they even know?” Dhiro asked.
“Your brothers have been in contact. They wanted your re-arrival to go without a hitch.”
Dhiro nodded, and she saw his face filled with emotion. Tears were in his eyes, and he had a frown between his brows.
“I am going to sign off now, Mother. I will keep the engines moving. Please, make sure we’re being tracked when we get a little closer.”
He signed off, and Ella pulled him close against her. “Your brothers love you.”
“I will bring them back, Ella. You know that. I have seen how Earth people act when they fear the unknown. I will not have anything happen to them.”
She kissed him on the head. “And I will be here for you, always.” She tried to offer him comfort.
“I love you, Ella. I know that I will be hard to live with at times. I … for a long time, I have trained my emotions to stay put, not to get in the way. I … I do not want you to be upset with me.”
Ella kissed him. “Dhiro, all I feel when I’m with you is happiness. You will never disappoint me. I cannot wait for our child to be born. For hope and happiness to once again flood your planet.”
Dhiro sank his fingers into her hair, pulling her in close and kissing her. She felt instant desire and then the ship jerked. The lights on the panel lit up red, and she saw true fear in her mate’s eyes.
Chapter Eleven
Dhiro jolted upright, his heart hammering in his chest. This wasn’t good. He immediately got Ella buckled in the co-pilot seat. He was too far from Trenu Zel for assistance and too far from Earth to return safely. They were deep in space in a ship that would be better fit for the salvage yard. So many thoughts and regrets filled his head. Why couldn’t he have been satisfied with a life on Earth? Why risk his mate in such an unfit ship? Was he being punished for leaving his brothers behind?