Kur’tok growled. He scooped me up securely with his tentacles, then dropped to all fours and bolted ahead. The wind whipped past my face as Kur’tok raced towards Assistant 23, reaching in him no time at all.

  “What are you doing?” Kur’tok snapped.

  “Eek!” Assistant 23 cried. He toppled over into the grass like a spooked bug.

  “Lemme talk to him,” I said, sliding out of Kur’tok’s grasp. “Hey, buddy. What’s going on? Why’d you run off like that?”

  “Y-y-you were all talking about being pregnant!” Assistant 23 blurted in a terrified wail.

  I withheld a groan. Beside me, Kur’tok curled his lip in an exasperated frown. We were both so familiar with that knowledge that hearing somebody freak out over it was tiresome. But I reminded myself that Assistant 23 barely knew anything about this world or its possibilities.

  I sat cross-legged in the grass next to Assistant 23, who was practically curled into the fetal position.

  “Trust me, I was pretty shocked when I found out, too,” I began. “But it’s not that wacky.”

  “Yes, it is! Men getting pregnant—it can’t be real!”

  “Okay, well, it is,” I said, trying not to lose my patience. “Let me explain how it works. So, Maeleons have this DNA-altering semen—”

  Assistant 23 shrieked like he’d been stabbed.

  “Can we leave him here now?” Kur’tok grumbled to me.

  Admittedly, I entertained that idea. But if I could get through to Kur’tok, I was positive I could get through to Assistant 23.

  “Me and my friends had kids because we wanted to,” I told him. “Pregnancy freaks you out? No problem! You don’t have to do it. Simple as that.”

  He turned his face shield towards me. “Aliens aren’t going to get me pregnant?”

  I shrugged. “Not unless you want to, no. Maeleons aren’t like that.”

  His shoulders slumped in relief. “Oh... okay.”

  “Now, here are your options,” I offered. “One: you stay with us, learn about Maeleon culture, chill out, and have a good time.”

  “W-what’s option two?”

  “You stay out here by yourself and survive alone, like you’ve been doing for eight cycles.”

  He whimpered. It was obvious he didn’t enjoy that thought.

  I smiled sympathetically at him. “Just spend a couple days in the village and see how it feels. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like it.”

  Assistant 23 took a few deep breaths. He glanced at Kur’tok. “You’re sure they won’t use me as a sacrifice and turn me into fertilizer?” he asked meekly.

  “Hm, I dunno about that,” Kur’tok mused, his tail flicking.

  “Kur’tok,” I admonished.

  He flashed a toothy grin. “Sorry.”

  “He’s joking,” I promised Assistant 23. “He has a, uh, dark sense of humor. Come on, I’ll help you up.”

  “O-okay...”

  I helped lift Assistant 23 to his feet. It wasn’t difficult since he weighed so little. He definitely needed to pack on a few pounds.

  “Hey, you hungry?” I asked. “Maeleons love throwing celebratory feasts, so if I told them I’m pregnant, they’d jump at the opportunity.”

  Assistant 23 shifted on his feet. He still seemed unsure about the whole thing, but I could tell I was slowly getting him on my side. “You really think so?” he asked.

  I grinned, happy I was finally getting through to him. “I’m positive.”

  18 / Kur’tok

  As we stepped into the village, my stomach felt full of a thousand crawling insectoids. I’d never been so anxious in my life. The bustling everyday noise of the village felt too loud in my ears when I was used to utter silence. To loneliness.

  What if they didn’t accept me? What if nobody wanted me here?

  My racing thoughts matched my stampeding heartbeat. I glanced over my shoulder.

  Should I turn around and run?

  Paz suddenly squeezed my hand tighter. He shot me an encouraging smile, almost like he knew exactly what I was thinking. Stupid adorably supportive flesh-bag.

  But Paz’s touch grounded me. I blew out a hot breath through my nostrils and dug my heels into the soil. I wasn’t going anywhere. This time, I was going to stay put in the village. My new home.

  Kookee let out a low groan behind me. It nuzzled its nose into my other palm. My heart slowed as I gave it a few gentle strokes.

  Well, if this all goes wrong, at least I still have my filum and my pet, I thought.

  Haz’rull stopped in front of me. They looked relieved to finally be back in the village, which only reminded me of the long cycles they’d spent away from it—because of me. I stared at the ground, feeling guilty again.

  Suddenly, I felt another touch on my arm.

  One of Haz’rull’s feelers grazed me. The tip disappeared into my scales. I felt the flow of Haz’rull’s emotions as if they were my own.

  Contentment. Ease. Satisfaction. They pulsed like a cool wave that soothed my anxiety.

  I blinked slowly, taking it all in. Sharing feelings with another Maeleon still felt new, like a feeling I’d unearthed after being buried for a long time. I’d almost forgotten it was part of who we were.

  Haz’rull wordlessly removed their feeler. They gave me a small smile before turning and joining Arr’tow in the big welcome group.

  “What’d they say?” Paz asked curiously, noting the feeler touch.

  They were as vivid as my own emotions, so it was easy to describe.

  “Haz’rull is not angry with me anymore,” I said, finally accepting it. “They wish to move on, not dwell on the past.”

  Paz nodded. “Yup, that sounds about right.”

  I frowned in confusion. “You already knew?”

  “Well, yeah, I thought it was pretty obvious.” He grinned. “Everyone supports you, Kur’tok. Look.”

  I followed his gaze to the group of Maeleon villagers waiting to greet us. Everyone looked warm and welcoming—even to me.

  Something tickled my chest. I wasn’t used to this feeling... but I liked it.

  A purple hand patted my shoulder. “Welcome back, sibling,” Fhi’ran greeted. “We knew you’d return.”

  Sibling. My chest tightened.

  “Everyone has been waiting for you,” Linn’ar added warmly. “Come, we have much to catch up on!”

  I sought Paz’s eyes, silently asking if it was okay. He flashed me a smile brighter than the sun.

  “Go on,” he said.

  And so I went.

  “...and that’s the biggest communal veggie garden, and over there’s the fruit orchard, and here’s a freaking rock I trip over every freaking time. See it? Memorize it. Or you’ll fall flat on your face. Don’t ask how I know.”

  “Is that why your face is so flat?” I teased.

  Paz crossed his arms. “I was born that way, thank you very much.”

  I snorted. Paz’s tour of the village was as entertaining as it was educational.

  I bent over and lifted the large rock easily. Pieces of debris fell off of it. “This rock?”

  Paz’s jaw dropped. “Have I ever mentioned how hot your physical strength is?”

  I puffed out my chest. “Tell me more.”

  I geared up to flex my muscles and throw the problematic rock out into the field, then thought better of it. It might crush a flower by accident. Instead I jogged to the perimeter and placed the rock carefully on a sparse patch of soil. When I returned to Paz, he grinned.

  “Thank you, my savior. My toes are now safe forever,” he joked. “Well, that’s pretty much the whole tour. The only thing you haven’t seen is my den. Our den now.”

  My heart skipped a beat at his correction. Everything felt so dreamlike. I hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long time.

  I looped my tentacle around Paz and pulled him into a tight embrace. I buried my nose in his curly head fluff and sucked in a deep breath of it. His scent drove me wild.

  Paz chuckled. “Is this a tip for my amazing tour?”

  “A tip of what?” I asked.

  “Oh, right. Never mind. Hey, c’mon, I want to show you our den.”

  I followed Paz to a low hut. I was forced to duck my head so my horns would fit through the door.

  “Hm,” Paz said, noticing the problem. “That’s okay. We can fix that later.”

  He flopped down into a bed made of kofotta fibers and patted it invitingly. I slumped next to him. Even I couldn’t resist the silky-soft allure of the bed.

  I sighed, caressing the fibers. “It’s been a long time since I had a real bed. Or even a branch to sleep on.”

  “For real. I can’t believe you slept on the cold, hard floor all that time.” Paz yawned and turned towards me. “So? How does it feel to be back?”

  “It’s different,” I admitted. “But good.”

  Paz pressed a kiss to my cheek. “It’ll start to feel normal soon. I promise. I felt the same way when we first arrived.”

  “I believe you, Paz.”

  We cuddled on the bed for a few blissful moments. I had to admit, it was nice knowing there was an entire supportive community outside my den. I would sleep easier that night—though cuddling with Paz helped, too.

  “By the way,” he said, “I told everyone about my pregnancy.”

  “And?”

  He grinned. “They were all stoked, obviously. No big surprises there. And everyone thought it was an awesome idea to throw a feast—to celebrate both my pregnancy, and the return of you and the others.”

  A ribbon of warmth floated in my chest.

  “That sounds nice,” I murmured.

  Glancing at Paz’s midsection, the warmth within me flared. I sneaked my hand beneath his onesie to stroke his bare belly. Since returning to the village, I’d allowed him to wear it again. After all, Linn’ar went through all the trouble of crafting it just for my filum—a thought which no longer filled me with hideous jealousy.

  Paz closed his eyes and hummed. His eyelashes fluttered shut against his brown cheek.

  As always, his very existence tempted me. My hand roamed lower until it found his cock, already half awake. My touch made him shiver with pleasure.

  “No fair,” he mumbled. “You can just touch my cock whenever you want. If I wanna touch yours, it’s a whole ordeal.”

  I snorted in amusement. “What? You want it?”

  “That’s a ridiculous question. I always want it.”

  I huffed, then relaxed the muscles around my cloaca. My cock slowly slid out. Paz eyed it hungrily. He shuffled his hand towards me, placing his soft palm on my newly emerged cock. The spark-riddled touch made me groan.

  My erection continued to emerge until its full length lay on the bed between us, like some monstrous pillow. Paz grinned at me from the other side of my shaft. He snorted, stifling a laugh. He saw the humor in everything—that was one of the many things I loved about him.

  “You gotta admit, this is pretty funny,” he said.

  “What, that my cock is blocking your view?”

  He laughed. “It’s so big! Seriously, I still don’t understand how this tucks neatly back inside of you. Are you magic?”

  I sighed. This was so embarrassing to explain to a human.

  “It deflates,” I said.

  “Huh?”

  I made a shrinking motion with my tentacles, miming an object getting smaller.

  Paz squinted. “It does that... inside of you?”

  “Yes. It also turns inside out to conserve space.”

  Paz’s eyes widened. He shuddered. “Okay. Wow. Then I’m glad to have a puny human cock and not a giant inverted Maeleon one.”

  “It’s not inverted all the time,” I grumbled.

  As if chiming in with its own thoughts, my cock twitched. Paz chuckled and stroked it again.

  A groan vibrated in my chest. I tilted my hips forward, craving his touch. I was greedy for him. I’d never get enough of my filum.

  Paz’s breath came out in short, ragged breaths. His brown eyes glinted with glassy desire as he ran his palms up and down my sensitive flesh. Every touch left sparks in its wake. I felt mindless with pleasure. Everything became background noise when Paz turned me on.

  I stopped thinking and let lust take over. Closing my eyes, I focused on the warm sensation of Paz’s hands and the pleasure shooting up my spine. My tentacles floated towards Paz, sneaking past his clothing to rub his slightly swollen belly. Another shudder rolled over me. Feeling him up was incredible.

  Paz shuffled closer. He let out a small moan as his lips brushed my cock. My body went rigid; I hissed through my fangs. How much longer could I take this? Every brush of skin on skin drove me wild. My very soul felt ignited.

  “How close are you?” Paz asked, panting.

  I grunted. “Very.”

  “Do it on me.”

  A ribbon of pleasure knotted in my chest.

  “Stay still,” I growled.

  I braced my cock in my hand, holding the tip above Paz’s head. His face was flushed, his eyes ravenous with arousal.

  He was mine.

  I snarled. A massive pulse of ecstasy struck me like lightning. Jets of pollen exploded from me, pouring over Paz in a rhythmic cascade of honey-gold. He moaned, touching himself erratically. He clenched his teeth as he came, still basking under the torrents of my seed.

  “Guh,” he said when we’d both finished and came back to our senses. “Why does it feel so good to be buried under your cum? It’s like a big, warm, sticky blanket.”

  I snorted. “Because you’re a lecherous little human.”

  “Whatever. You love seeing me like this.”

  I shrugged in affirmation. It was true.

  Not caring about the mess, I pulled Paz right to my chest. He made a muffled sound of surprise, then sighed in contentment, nuzzling his face against my broad pectoral scales.

  “I love you, Kur’tok,” he murmured, his voice lilting with inner joy.

  My heart squeezed. Whenever he said those words, I reacted as if it were the first time all over again.

  “I love you, Paz,” I replied. “More than you could ever imagine.”

  19 / Paz

  Being pregnant was the most beautiful feeling in the world—and at the same time, the most fucking annoying.

  I couldn’t bend over. I could barely move or sit down. I relied on Kur’tok, my friends, and the villagers for absolutely everything. Not that they minded. All of them—especially Kur’tok—jumped at the opportunity to help my pregnant ass. It was nice being doted on, I had to admit. But I also missed being able to grab a fallen object from the floor all by myself.

  Like right now.

  The stupid potato threw itself from my basket. I swear it was on purpose. I glared at the damned thing rolling around on the floor. I was supposed to meet Jaeyoung in his den to help cook tonight’s meal, but now I was trapped in a life-or-death struggle with a freaking potato.

  Okay, maybe it wasn’t that serious. But seeing as “bring potatoes to his place” was my only task, I was already failing miserably.

  The worst part was that Kur’tok had left five minutes ago to fetch some onion-type things from the communal garden, so I was stuck struggling alone. It was embarrassing.

  I sighed, staring at the stubborn tuber at my feet. It was barely visible over the huge swell of my belly, but I sure as hell wasn’t letting it escape.

  “Listen,” I said in a low, scolding voice. “If you’d just stayed in the basket, we could’ve avoided this whole mess. But no, you had to go and fling yourself onto the floor. Happy now? Are you satisfied with your decisions, you dumbass potato?”

  The potato remained silent. In shame.

  “Now, I’m gonna bend over really slow,” I warned it. “You’re not gonna move. You’re gonna stay still so I can grab you and put you back in the fucking basket. Okay?”

  Levi snorted loudly from the doorway. He stood there with a grin. “Wow. Is that how they taught you to talk in diplomacy school? So eloquent.”

  I shifted my glare from the potato to my ex-captain. “Instead of standing there, why don’t you help a pregnant guy out? Huh?”

  Levi crossed the room, bent down, and picked up the problematic potato with ease. He examined it as if it were alive and purposely bothering me. “Paz, I’m worried about you,” he said in mock concern. “You’re berating innocent potatoes.”

  “Just put the stupid thing in the basket, okay?”

  He grinned. “Now you sound like Kur’tok.”

  Before I bit his head off like Kur’tok would have done, he plopped the offending potato into my basket. I sighed, feeling bad for snapping at him.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Sorry. Being pregnant—”

  “Sucks and is annoying, I know,” Levi supplied, unusually sympathetic. He glanced at my overly large belly. “You look ready to burst.”

  “Like the hull of a crashed ship?” I teased.

  Levi made a sour face. “Watch it, or I’ll throw all your potatoes on the floor.”

  “You wouldn’t dare mess with a pregnant man’s potatoes.”

  “Try me.”

  “What are you two arguing about in here?” Kur’tok grumbled.

  He strode into the den with Zat’tor at his side. The two had become good buddies since Kur’tok’s return to the village. The big, buff Maeleons were like two peas in a pod.

  “Nothing,” I said angelically.

  Kur’tok planted a gruff kiss on my head. “You’d better not be. We have things to do.”

  Zat’tor proudly showed off the basket full of pink onions. “Look, Levi! We had a surplus.”

  Levi melted whenever Zat’tor spoke to him. He instantly forgot about his dark potato schemes. “Oh, they look amazing, Zat’tor.” He sighed wistfully. “You’re so good at picking onions.”

  I snorted. He’d praise his filum for anything. But now that I had one of my own, I understood the sentiment. Our sexy, strong alien mates could do no wrong in our eyes.

  Kur’tok placed a large, warm hand on my upper back. “How do you feel?”

  “Bloated and huge,” I admitted, flashing him a smile. “But otherwise, great.”