I stood beside Erotan’s bed, watching with my stomach in knots. I felt as though I would throw up at any second. I had never had someone that I was close to like this be so near to death. I was coming undone from the inside out, but I did everything I could to hold myself together.

For two full Mars days, Hotah and I had traveled back to the village. We didn’t stop to sleep or eat. He carried the great Subcotan warrior across his back while I lugged the High Freck Gun along. The weapon had made our return a thousand times easier. Three times we stumbled across a lonesome Alaki, and three times they were left headless within seconds.

During that entire time, Erotan would enter and leave consciousness in unpredictable intervals. He spent the majority of the time out of it, but when he was with us, it was like wind beneath my wings. It kept my hopes up, and my feet trudging through the Martian tunnels. He hadn’t said a single word, though, and that scared me. All we had managed to get out of him were groans.

“All right,” the old wrinkly Subcotan healer said to me. “That’s all I can do for him now. His wounds are stitched, and I’ve given him a few drops of potree milk to help him relax and sleep better. I’ll be sure to bring a few more vials tomorrow so he doesn’t go without.”

“Is he going to make it?” Hotah asked the one question that had been gnawing at me.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. The best we can do is make sure he gets plenty of sleep and rest. That’s when our bodies are best able to heal themselves.”

“What do we do if he wakes?” I asked, because I was deadset on him pulling through this. I couldn’t even fathom the possibility of him not. He was my protector and my lover. He was my everything at this point in life.

“If he wakes, give him a few more drops of the potree milk.” She lifted up the tiny violet-colored bottle. “This will help him ease back into sleep. But if he comes to and he’s fully cognizant, come fetch me so I can examine him.” She rose from the bed and began collecting her many bags. “Any more questions?”

“What the green bottle for?” She had failed to mention it.

“Ah, yes.” She put on a brave smile. “If for whatever reason it becomes very obvious that he isn’t going to make it and he’s just lying here suffering, give him some of the green draught. It will end his agony.”

“You expect me to kill him?” I gasped. I could never do such a thing.

“Well, if nature’s already taking its course and is doing so in a grueling manner, I expect you to help him along from this life to the next.”

I swallowed hard and shared a glance with Hotah. He gave me a slight nod, acknowledging my displeasure over the green draught even being an option.

“He’s going to live,” I told the healer as she began to exit the room.

She patted my shoulder. “I hope you’re right.” And then she slipped through the curtain of ivy.

“I’m going to help walk her down the stairs,” Hotah said as his arms dropped to his sides. He looked at me one last time and then chased after the old Subcotan healer.

I turned back to Erotan. He laid there so peacefully, unmoving. His large chest rose with each breath, lifting the sheet with him.

I crossed the room and slipped under the covers beside him. I needed this Martian to wake up. I needed him to be awake so I could tell him about all the wonders this gun would do and about how his village was now safe because of him. Because of us.

While there had been a few Alaki still scampering around the tunnels on the way home, the majority that we came across were already dead. Their heads were exploded, their corpses already rotting. Even those that were quite far away from where I had fired the gun. The high-frequency sound must have echoed through the tunnels getting those stupid centipede bastards miles away. This weapon would work as a great defense for the village. It might even render the Alaki extinct.

But I also wanted Erotan to wake up so I could finally tell him how I felt. I had been wrestling with my feelings for him for so long, not being able to decide exactly what I should do. Being married to science for so long had made falling in love seem so trivial and dangerous. It was a lie I had told myself so many times that I had begun to believe it in every cell of my body.

My chest tightened as I stared at him. I hated that it took him being near death for my head and heart to finally reach a truce. Why couldn’t I have realized my love for him when he was healthy? Why did it have to come to this before I could fully accept all of my emotions?

For three more Mars days, Erotan slept. I never left his side, terrified he would either wake up or die without me being there.

It was the middle of the night when I felt a hand glide across my skin. It was soft and caressing. My eyes fluttered open to meet a black gaze.

“Erotan?” I rubbed my sleepy eyes. “Is that really you?” I was pretty sure I was dreaming.

“It’s really me,” he said with a bright smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

I still couldn’t believe it. I lifted my hand and touched his face. His soft skin greeted me. “Oh my god, you’re awake. You’re alive!”

He pulled me into his arms, wrapping me in a huge hug. I melted in his grasp. I could feel his heart beating loud and clear. There was nothing more beautiful to me than that feeling.

He pushed me away and planted a burning, passionate kiss on my lips before pulling me back to him. “How long was I out?”

“Five days,” I answered, still breathless by the fact that he was actually talking to me. My Martian Adonis was really, truly back. “How do you feel?”

He thought on it for a moment before answering. “Fine. Just sore from lack of movement.”

“When that Queen fell on you, I thought you were a goner.”

“The Queen!” His voice was rushed. “Did you bring the gun back to the village? Has it worked? Is everyone still safe?”

I grinned. “It worked like a charm, and everyone’s still alive and well. While Hotah and I were trecking back to the village, we found dead Alaki for a good few miles from where I first shot the gun.”

“Hotah? He’s alive?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “He carried you back. I don’t think I would’ve been able to get you to the village if he hadn’t had been there.”

Erotan released a long breath. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you were right, Mia. Your magic gun and your ridiculous plan have saved my people. I am so honored that you have done this for us.”

Now it was my turn to give him a long and deep kiss. “Erotan, I want more than honor from you.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I… ” I couldn’t believe I was about to say this. “I know I’ve been begging you to take me to the surface, but I’ve changed my mind. I want to stay here in the village at your side. I’m in love with you, Erotan.”

His massive arms tightened around me. “Nothing would make me happier than to have you remain here with me, Mia. From the moment I saw you, you’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

My heart melted. Sometimes I struggled to grasp just how much of a romantic he was in spite of being this hulking warrior, but that was just one of the many things I loved about him.

He leaned forward and kissed me again. His lips were slow this time, savoring the action. A gentle hand stroked the back of my head and neck, keeping me from breaking our kiss.

I longed to sink into him and have all of him surrounding me just like the night of the Alaki attack.

I ran my fingers along the lines of his muscular chest. The skin around his nipples was soft, but I didn’t linger there long. Something gripped me inside, and I let it take hold.

I pushed him back with all my strength. His eyes met mine in a curious glance, but he didn’t fight it. He laid upon the bedding in surrender.

My hands swarmed over his upper body, roaming along his neck, jaw, and sliding down to his hard stomach. I had almost lost him once, and now that he was back, I wanted to touch and feel every part of him. My fingers bumped up and down as they traveled along his abs.

The muscle beneath my fingertips still amazed me. I never thought a body like this was possible. But then again, he could do many things that weren’t possible for humans. I’d learned this once before.

I pushed up onto my knees and climbed atop the great Subcotan warrior. I straddled his waist, while I teased his nipples, tweaking them ever so gently. My bottom rubbed against his groin, hardening his cock once again. Its mass pressed along my skin.

He grabbed my wrist suddenly, stopping my play. “Subcotan males lead in the bedroom.”

“Well, it’s a good thing only one of us is Subcotan then,” I said pulling my hands away with a grin. “Relax and let me do this. You’ve just woken up from sleeping for five days, and I’m sure the healer would be most upset to hear how you exerted yourself as soon as you opened your eyes.”

He grinned up at me. It was so sinful in nature. “If you think you’re up for the challenge.”

Had he forgotten who he was talking to? “I killed an Alaki Queen. I think wrestling some Subcotan cock is well within my capabilities.”

A warm laugh rolled from him and the sound was music to my ears. “Prove it to me.” He gripped the base of his hard cock. It stood taller than a foot and throbbed as the blood pulsed through it.

Mother nature must have been really horny when she designed the Subcotan males. I couldn’t thank her enough.

I turned my body around so that I sat on his chest. I lowered my head — I admittedly didn’t have to go too far — and puckered my lips, kissing along his cock. Warm, breaths blew against my slit as I caressed his pride and joy. I wrapped my mouth around the tip as best as I could and sucked the little drops of pre-cum that formed. After a few seconds, I pulled away with a pop and ran my tongue down his long shaft. His veins bulged from base to tip.

He grabbed my rounded bottom with two large hands and hoisted my hips closer to him. I moaned as he slid a moist tongue along my opening, hitting my sensitive tip. It was wet, soft, and rough all at the same time. My core throbbed from his touch. His wonderful tongue swept across me, sliding around the hard knob and back up to my entrance. His lips provided a soft suction while his long tongue whipped across me.

“That feels amazing,” I told him as I did my best to suck him off. I wanted him to feel as good as he made me feel. The last time we had fucked, he had called me his mate. The label had shocked me at first. I didn’t know how to feel about being an alien’s mate. Well, now I was ready to claim that title and do it with flying colors.

“And it tastes even better,” he said in between hot licks.

Moans and hot breathes burst from my mouth. I struggled to focus on my own play. I was getting lost in all the shocking sensations. I latched onto his thighs with my hands to steady my shaking body and arched my back, giving him better access. He shifted me with his massive hands so that he could eat and lick to his heart’s content.

His tongue tantalized me, wetting my entire slit. It traced along my upper folds, drifted back down to my clit, partially entered me, and circled my bottom. It was a full-service motion, and I was paralyzed by it.

I pushed back as his massive mouth danced across me. I was hungry for more. The hardness of his chin met me. His lower lip trapped my clit and rubbed against it as he suckled my entrance. I could feel the tip of his tongue swirling around.

My butt muscles tensed and my hips rounded forward. Deep, pleasurable spasms rolled throughout my body as I climbed to a high. His tongue continued to send me soaring. Coos and heavy breathes left my mouth to vibrate along his shaft. The feeling enveloped me, and bliss settled on my shoulders. I thought I was going to die.

But just before I could hop off that orgasmic ledge, he pulled away. That damn teasing alien bastard stopped.

He lifted me into the air and spun me around to face him. His brute strength knew no end. “I want to be inside you,” he whispered.

I straddled the gray Martian below. He softly gripped my hips and then traced the lines and curves of my figure. “Are you sure you want in?” I teased him while I circled the pulsing head of his cock around my wet hole.

“Mia.” His voice was ragged with desperation. It was all I needed to hear.

I grasped his shaft and maneuvered the hard tip up and down my slit. My juices glossed over him and glistened in the soft white light. I pushed his cock back to my opening, and then slowly sank atop him. My pussy yielded to his slow push from the bottom.

In an exquisite motion, I somehow spread around his thick head once more, swallowing more and more of him. The tightness skirted around the edge of pain, but it wasn’t too bad. I closed around his notched head, and the pressure released. Only pleasure swelled within. The need to be filled to the brim pushed me onward, and I twisted my body to slide farther down his shaft. My hungry depths surged, sending tingling pulses up my body.

A small flood of pre-cum released, trickling down my inner thighs. With the extra lubrication, I slowly engulfed him. Stretching. Filling. Our combined wetness had him almost all the way in me.

I leaned back, and he gave a slow but deliberate thrust upwards. His soft balls pushed against my ass cheeks.

He bucked against me as I rocked. I was pulled taut and stretched out. My usually concealed clit laid exposed. The little red button pulsed and begged for his attention to return. And thankfully he answered its call. Between several fingers, he kneaded the large pearl.

Together, we moved, climbing to a climatic rise. Every nerve in my body shot off as I rode him. It was a cheesy metaphor, but I couldn’t help but to think this was how my time with him would be spent — not only fucking per se, but climbing higher in life. Together.

“I missed your body, Mia,” he breathed. “It’s been too long since I’ve had you.”

His words beckoned me onward. My entire body tingled and erupted around him. I began to fuck Erotan harder, chasing after that ultimate physical high. His face clenched and throaty whimpers whipped out from behind his teeth.

“Oh God!” The words pressed through my lips.

An orgasm tore through my flesh, sending my core into spasms. He thrust into me, driving my eyes to the back of my head. His teeth clenched as he released a heavy grunt. Warm, thick liquid squeezed out of my pussy. It dripped down my quivering thighs and splattered everywhere as he continued to drive into me.

Soon, his pace fell and plundered to nothing. I crumbled into his arms. We lay there as our breath and bodies returned to us. I watched his chest rise and fall.

This was it — Mars. This was where I belonged. I didn’t care how long the rescue expedition took to reach me, or if there was even one coming. For the time being, I liked it here. The connection I shared with Erotan was more powerful than anything I had ever felt, including his gigantic cock.

“Mia.” Erotan’s voice floated out to me.

“Yes?”

“I love you too.” I hadn’t realized he didn’t say it back when I confessed my own feelings. “And,” he continued, “I want to put a baby in your belly.”

My eyes flew open wide as the comment hit me hard. “A baby?” Was his biological clock ticking or something?

“Yes.” He rolled over to face me. “What do you think about that?”

The idea was intriguing to say the least. Images of Erotan, me, and our make-believe baby flooded my head. What would it even be like raising a family amongst the Subcotan? I had seen those old etchings when I first entered the tunnels. Rows and rows of pictures of happy Subcotan families and couples. It appeared to be far better than what Earth had to offer. “I think it would be very cute to have a little flower bud running around.”