Page 14 of Protected By the Alien Bodyguard

I step forward, confidence growing. I’m in a police ship. I’m in the right place at the right time. “You deserve everything coming to you. I refuse to be afraid any longer.”

I make a vow to myself—I’m not going to let my fear hold me back anymore. I’ll rid the universe of scum like this guy. I will tell the Peacekeepers of every injustice Grum’s done. I don’t care if my anxiety flares up. I don’t care if I tremble before some alien monstrous judge. I will not balk in the face of my fears. Never again. I will have justice, for myself and all those other people... aliens.

Sometimes you just have to feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s not living otherwise.

We stare at each other for a long, hard moment.

I blink. That’s all it takes; suddenly, he’s in my face. I never saw him move! His body slams into me, the force knocking me back against the bed. A hand presses over my mouth. I try to scream, but no sound emerges. I can’t even breathe!

“I refuse to be destroyed by a primitive being like you,” Grum hisses in my ear.

I squirm, my hands pounding against his scales as I try to free myself. Adrenaline floods my veins. Darkness threads the corners of my vision as my body becomes oxygen-deprived. My mind slows.

And I realize, I’ve experienced this terror before; every time I have a panic attack. That prickle of goosebumps running across your skin, lifting hairs, and sending a chill down your spine. That burst of energy that makes you desperate to move, to do something, anything. That inability to breathe. Even the racing mind and existential dread. It’s a physiological condition.

From years of practice, from years of living with my own worst demons, I slow my mind. I step through the fear and work out the next step.

I’m going to run out of air soon. I need to get his hand off my mouth. My arms are still free, and I know from my now-aching fingers and torn fingernails that I can’t just claw him off of me. My eyes swivel in my head, tears blurring my vision, as I search for an answer. Near the bed is a tray of instruments—probably for performing medical examinations, given that I’m in the medical bay.

I reach for it, my fingers brushing the surface. So close. Dizziness is descending. It’s difficult to focus. My numb, tingling fingers close around a cool metal object. It looks like some sort of pen. I don’t really care what it is, as long as it’s got a sharp point. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Grum’s grinning, looking triumphant. He doesn’t deserve to make that face. He doesn’t deserve to win. I’m not done living.

Clenching the pen as tightly as I can, I slam my hand towards his face. All that matters is getting him off me, of breathing in that life-giving air.

Grum screams. He shoves me away. I tumble over the bed. A high pitched noise rings in my ears as Grum wails, stumbling around the room as he cups his face. I stare in horror as the pen is stabbed deep into his eye. I hadn’t been aiming there purposely, I had just swung with whatever last ounce of strength I had. Dark red liquid drips steadily from the wound and soaks the front of his clothing. My mind gets caught on that little detail. Huh, aliens bleed just like us. Their blood even looks like ours. And for some reason, I’m not panicking over that concept. Is this numbing shock a blessing for once?

The door behind Grum flies open, practically blown off the wall. Security Officer Radboud rushes into the room. Within mere moments he’s tackling Grum, his green body, and extra-long snake tail pinning the flailing Grum to the floor.

“Take this *beep* *beep* to the cells. I’ll deal with him later,” Radboud says to aliens gathering behind him. His expression is merciless. Absolutely chillingly cold. It’s only when he glances up at me does his gaze soften.

Commander Alder barges into the room, using a single flap of his wings to speed his way to my side.

“My dear, are you okay?” The golden male asks me. He touches my side, and I can’t help the whimper that emerges. I lift my shirt to see bruising. Now that I’ve seen it, now that my brain’s registered it... Yeah, that hurts.

“Ouch,” is all I say. Because, honestly, what else is there to say?

“Get a healer in here, immediately!” Commander Alder roars. I wince at how loud his voice is. I’d hate to be on this guy’s bad side, everyone on the ship would know you messed up your job with the way he broadcasts.

“I’m so sorry, Kayla,” he tells me. “I know it’s hard to understand, but we had to do it this way.”

“Do what?” I ask. Damn, it hurts. Did I break a rib, too? I’m definitely going to be black, blue, and purple tomorrow. Then I giggle at the thought; I’ll blend in with these exotic aliens with their fancy skin colors at this rate. Geez... I must really be in shock to think that’s funny.

“We suspected him of being involved in slave trafficking, but suspicion alone isn’t enough. We needed evidence, something concrete that could stand up in court and justify an unimpeded investigation,” Commander Alder tells me. He pauses, letting his words sink in before continuing, “Using someone as bait was risky, I won’t deny that. A calculated risk. But it was our best shot at getting him to slip up, to do or say something that would implicate himself.”

“You used me as bait?” I ask, looking up at him. I’m a little flabbergasted.

“We aim to take this male down and stop his heinous crimes. We just need one legal reason to investigate him and his network. If our sources are correct, he’s taken plenty of females from your planet. You're not his only victim. As Peacekeepers, it's our job to find the others and put an end to his activities.”

My mind whirls. He’s taken other humans? People just like me? A part of me always suspected it, but to hear my fears being confirmed…

“I never imagined he’d actually attack you. On a Galactic Starship, no less! This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”

I can’t find it in myself to hate Commander Alder; this huge, scaled warrior... he looks like he’s about to cry. His shoulders are slumped, his wings dragging on the floor, and his eyes... Yeah, they are welling up at an alarming rate. The guy is a teddy bear.

“Did you get what you were after?” I ask, my voice strangely calm amid all this chaos going on. I can hear Grum screaming as he’s dragged away. “Is he going to be arrested?”

I still haven’t received confirmation that aliens actually get arrested, to be honest. But if these guys were conducting a sting operation to get info on him, then surely justice does exist out here in some shape or form.

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