Page 15 of Protected By the Alien Bodyguard

“Yes,” Alder replies. “We got him. We recorded the entire conversation. His confession is irrefutable. He will be convicted. And let me assure you, with the charges he’s facing, he won’t be seeing the outside of a jail cell for a very, very long time. I’ll personally push for him to be sent to a prison planet, just as I expect many males will do too. Justice will be served.”

Justice will be served. The words ring in my ears. It’s a happy ending. Well, except for one thing.

“Hey Alder... What’s going to happen to Jaraz? Is he going to be sent to jail too?”

Alder’s looks at me with a rather sheepish smile. It’s a bit disconcerting with his sharp teeth. More creepy than innocent.

“Well, he confessed to attacking someone… and…”

“And what? What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, glaring at him.

“Here’s the thing…”

Chapter

Eight

JARAZ

“So look, I don’t think I can actually charge you with anything,” Commander Alder tells me as he paces in front of my cell. Between us, the force-shield hums ominously. I’m not fool enough to try touching it—the damn thing can deliver a shock strong enough to completely knock you out.

“You don’t think you can, or you don’t want to?” I ask.

“Ummm,” the Commander stops and thinks about it. He actually thinks about it! He looks at me with a half-smile and hopeful brow. “Both? Can it be both?”

I sigh. This guy seems as crazy as my prince. I have this theory that being in charge rots the brain, though I can’t prove it. Must be something in the air, but as a bodyguard, I can’t exactly go around not breathing all the time. The solution—don’t climb corporate ladders. Note to self: find a nice quiet place to settle down, raise a family, and oh yeah, locate my mate and beg for her forgiveness. No biggie.

“Grum deserved to die,” I state. Kayla will likely carry the guilt for the rest of her life. I have no mercy for the scumbag. The least I can do is make sure Kayla gets a fresh start by not getting convicted of assault.

“Oh, I agree,” Commander Alder nods, as if it’s totally normal for a Galactic Federation Peacekeeper to admit. “We did a bit of investigating and discovered a lot.”

I’m not sure if I should be more or less tense at that. Less, because maybe the courts will go easy on me for ridding the universe of that trash. More, because they’ve probably looked into my identity and know I’m tight with one of the Federation’s political enemies.

“Okay, so here’s the thing. I should release you. I really don’t want to,” the Commander tells me, coming to a standstill on the other side of the force-shield.

“Of course you don’t,” I reply, assuming my allegiance to Prince Rist will land me in prison. The Federation probably doesn’t care that we tried to overthrow an unjust king. They’d accuse us of inciting a civil war and bury the paperwork.

As long as Kayla is safe. As long as she finds happiness. Then everything would be worth it. I just wish I knew what happened to my friends. Prince Rist was an honorable male, and it would do my heart some good to know he got away.

“The thing is... your mate got hurt.”

“WHAT!?” I fly across the cell, slamming my fists against the force-shield as I lunge for the Commander. I don’t care if he’s a high-ranking hotshot who can destroy planets and literally breathe fire. If he hurt my Kayla, I will tear him limb from limb.

“See, this is why I don’t want to release you!” The Commander shouts, throwing his hands up in the air. I give him credit; he didn’t flinch or stumble back from my attempted attack.

I shake out my buzzing arms from the force-shield’s shock. It’s a miracle I’m still coherent.

“Where is Kayla?” I demand.

“She’s fine. She’s fine. The healer has already seen her,” the Commander says.

“Where. Is. My. Mate?”

“Oh, I’m your mate now, huh?”

Air is sucked from the room as my Earthian human walks in. I press as close to the force-shield as I dare, overwhelmed by the need to be near her. If I need to tear this ship apart to reach her, I will—starting with the walls, as the shield will clearly knock me on my ass first.

My eyes scan over her body, seeking out every injury. She walks a little stiffly.

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