“You need to sleep,” Ella said.
“No. My brothers sacrificed themselves for this. I will not fail them again.”
She slid into the seat next to him. There were so many buttons on the board, she was terrified of accidentally touching the wrong thing.
“I need you to look at me.”
Dhiro pressed a couple more buttons and then turned to her. “Do you need me to be inside you again?”
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.