She couldn’t even muster up the energy to argue because it was essentially true. Humankind had been in a downward spiral for some time. Every night the news sickened her stomach. The depths humans could sink continued to shock her.
As they put distance between them and the caves, Dhiro appeared less tense.
“You’re afraid of them. What do they look like?”
“I’m not afraid, Ella. I just have something worth protecting. And I know they’d love to get their hands on you.”
“Are they like animals?”
“No, remarkably similar to us physically. That’s where the similarities end.”
“You’re so advanced. I’m surprised they’re a problem for you,” she said.
“They are exiled, forced to live in the small range of mountains to the north, but they are always plotting.”
She noticed civilization in the distance. The dome-like buildings looked familiar, so they were close to Dhiro’s home. He pulled up next to his house, and Scruffy ran over to their truck.
“That was exciting,” she said.
“I’m sorry our adventure was cut short. There are other mines I can take you to in the southern lands. It’s not worth the risk with the Scyathra moving in so close to the mines.”
“At least I have this.” She held out her hand with the white rock in it.
He beckoned for it, so she passed it to him. Dhiro slipped it into one of the small pockets on his vest and then helped her out of the vehicle.
Once inside the house, Dhiro took both her hands in his. “We will wash up, eat, and then I will fill you with my seed.”
“You get right to the point, don’t you?”
“Of course, I will ensure you enjoy the coupling. I’ve grown quite fond of you screaming my name.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I did that?”
“Tonight, I will cover you in beckan berry juice and lick every inch of your body clean. I will be very thorough. You will most definitely scream my name.”
Chapter Six
The Scyathra were plotting something, but Dhiro hadn’t gone back, not for the past moon cycle at least. He had no choice but to rely on other men who didn’t have a female mate to keep occupied.
Not that Ella was a problem.
After he had talked with his commanding officer, it was agreed he shouldn’t take her on any more trips that could possibly put her at risk. The last trip was far too dangerous, and he couldn’t jeopardize her safety.
She didn’t deserve that.
With a moon already gone, he knew his people were getting nervous. Ships were ready to go, men eagerly waiting to blast off and take an Earthling for their own. Even females were getting ready for a voyage. Rumor had it that if a human female could be impregnated by one of them, why couldn’t an Earthling male do the same with them?
There was a buzz of excitement surrounding him and Ella.
He watched her in his garden.
She’d requested a microscope and had spent the last three days analyzing everything she could get her hands on, marveling at all she had discovered.
Their mating was surreal.
Dhiro had feared he would grow bored with the simple mind of his human, but Ella was anything but. She was smart, excited about all that she saw, and when it came to mating, she was keen to learn so much.
He was shocked when she had asked him what he wanted in the bedroom.
In his experience, women had only ever desired their own pleasure. They hadn’t considered what their male would prefer, but this must be where their two planets were different. Their human males were selfish, whereas males on his planet were designed to pleasure a woman.
Ella had asked him last night to think of what he’d want. He knew what he wanted but … no female had ever done it before, at least not to his knowledge. There were a lot of taboo areas when it came to the mating bond.
“Are you okay?” Ella asked, coming toward him.
While he’d been thinking about Ella’s words, she had already packed up her microscope and the latest samples she’d been studying.
“Of course.”
“You’re frowning.” She reached out to gently touch his brow. “Tell me what I can do to ease your troubled thoughts.”
“I am not troubled.”
“I find that hard to believe.” She returned her stuff to the allotted closet. Ella was always so very neat and tidy. She appreciated his need for order and function.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and offered him a smile.
He loved her body.
Ella wasn’t permeating any desire or need, but he felt his own beginning to stir. This was a new phenomenon to him. In all of his mating years, he’d never felt a lone desire, a physical stirring. His cock had only gotten hard when his female was ready to mate. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Ella was his first in many years.