“That was exactly what I needed. Thank you.”
“It’s my job to pleasure my mate.”
“Well, just one of them.” She held his biceps as he helped her off the counter. She loved his strength. She’d seen him do things that ten men wouldn’t be able to do together. There were probably so many other things she had yet to learn about her alien abductor.
They found Bronn and Kaalen in the aisle.
Bronn shook his head disapprovingly. “Where have you two been? I’ve been scouring the store in search of you.”
“We were preoccupied,” Dhiro said.
Kaalen groaned. “Again? We can hear you across the hall in the hotel. It’s unnatural.”
“Tell me that again once you have your own mate.”
Ella’s face must have been bright red by the way it felt.
They purchased all their hardware and supplies and then drove out to the spacecraft. It was always unnerving, hoping they weren’t followed. They constantly checked behind them. Bronn always parked nearly a mile away from the site so as not to overly disturb the vegetation and create suspicion. If their ship were discovered, it would be the end of ever returning home or saving Trenu Zel.
Dhiro held her arm, helping her through the terrain to the ship. Sometimes, he insisted on carrying her. The weather was beautiful today, the trees giving just enough shade. They began the usual drill of uncovering the ship and inspecting everything once they arrived on site.
“Ella, come inside. I’m going to contact Trenu Zel. You need to be there for the call.”
“Are you telling them about the baby?”
“We will see how the conversation goes. First, I will call my mother.”
For an almost mother-in-law, Ella couldn’t complain about Dhiro’s mother. She was calm, thoughtful, and accepting. The fact she had Dhiro’s loyalty said a lot.
She sat down on a chair in the cockpit as he attempted to get his communication equipment working. It didn’t take long for the viewscreens to light up.
“I’m calling her now,” he said. “I’m afraid of her reaction. She will worry.”
Ella kept quiet.
“Dhiro! Are your brothers well?”
“Yes, they are repairing the ship as we speak.”
“Your mate?”
He didn’t answer. She saw him swallow hard. “I have news, Mother. Unbelievable news. My mate is with child.”
His mother stood from her seat, leaning over the viewscreen. “With child? Why would you return to Earth with her then? Why risk their health?”
“We only just found out after landing.”
“You said nothing before leaving. I am confused.”
“After so many cycles, our leaders were becoming impatient, reminding me Ella’s sole purpose was to save our race. Without a pregnancy, I feared they would kill her.”
Kill her?
She thought they’d send her back to Earth, not kill her. Now she understood Dhiro’s sense of urgency the day they left Trenu Zel.
“Our people do not murder, Dhiro. You know this. You must be mistaken in your assumption.”
She heard Bronn’s and Kaalen’s rough footfalls on the grated metal stairs.
“Mother!”
“Oh, my baby boy, Kaalen. You must return to me.”
All three of them crowded at the monitor. “We are working on the repairs now. Once the environmental systems are fixed, we can plan to depart from this planet.”
“Please be careful. All of you.”
Dhiro shut off the viewscreen and began to pace. She could feel his stress as if it were her own. “I need to contact control central and get advice on this final repair.”
“We’re so close,” Bronn said. “I cannot find or replicate the environment control oxygen chambers. Ask them about those specifically.”
“Okay, please wait outside. You are overly excited, and there isn’t enough room for the three of us in here.”
The two brothers headed back outside. Soon after, she heard them tinkering again in the underbelly of the ship.
“If they say anything negative about you, I may not be able to hold my tongue. Maybe you should also wait outside.”
“Dhiro, I’m a big girl. I think I’ve heard it all. Make the call.”
He took a deep breath and punched some numbers into the keyboard. Within seconds, the viewscreen came to life again. A man in a black suit similar to what Dhiro wore to work appeared.
“Dhiro, what have you done?”
“I protected my mate as any male would do. Apparently, the alien experiment had a time limit.”
“Protected her from what?”
“From our leaders. How long do think it would have taken before they decided she was a mistake?”
“After enough time, the project would have been canceled, but no one would have harmed your mate.”
“Then why was my ship’s engine tampered with?”
“We were studying the impact of a voyage to Earth on your ship’s systems. Nothing more.”
“I hope this news is true because I have some news of my own.”
“Please update us.”
“Ella is pregnant. As you know, our child is the key to our planet’s salvation. However, our environment systems are currently not operating properly and we are unable to repair them.”