Page 12 of Alien Protector's Mate

“I’m sorry!” she whispered and then turned and bolted, shoving her way through the crowd. Behind her, she could hear the alien’s angry shouts growing fainter as she ran. She twisted and turned through the crowds in the corridor to get as far away as she could as quickly as she could.

She didn’t stop until her lungs burned and her legs felt like jelly. Slowing to a walk, she stuck her hand up to the side of her ribs, over the stitch forming there, and looked around.

This area of the station was less crowded. The polished metal of the main corridors had given way to duller walls and flickering lights. Small stores were packed together, selling all manner of goods, most of which she couldn’t identify. The smell here was different too… a mix of stale sweat, cooking grease, and something vaguely chemical that made her eyes water.

Shuffling along, she kept her head down and tried to blend in with the shadows. The beings she passed here looked rougher,their clothing more worn and their expressions guarded. She caught snippets of conversation in various languages, none of which she understood.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her as the adrenaline from her escape finally wore off. She’d napped in the crate on the way up here, but that had been snatched, not real sleep, and she’d woken at each bang and clank, convinced that the crew would discover her at any moment.

Her stomach growled loudly as the smell of food wafted from nearby establishments, making her mouth water even as her stomach twisted with hunger pangs. She hadn’t had anything to eat since this morning, and even then, it had only been quarter of a nutri-block. Not enough to stop her feeling lightheaded now.

Pulling her cap lower, she scanned her surroundings, looking for somewhere to hide and catch her breath. She’d rest a little as she tried to figure out what to do next. There… she spotted a narrow alley of sorts between two grimy storefronts that might have been restaurants. Quickly she slipped into the shadowy space, pressing her back against the cool metal wall.

She closed her eyes as the reality of her situation came crashing down on her. Sliding down the wall, she drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

Ohmygod,what had she done? She had no idea what she was doing. No plan, no money, and she couldn’t even understand what anyone was saying.

She lifted her head, wiping roughly at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. The stolen high-vis vest was crumpled beside her, no longer needed now that she was away from the cargo bay. Her stomach growled again, loudly enough that she worried someone might hear it.

She was so hungry, but she couldn’t gather the energy she needed to move. Just a few more minutes.

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching made her freeze. She held her breath, pressing herself further into the shadows of her hiding spot.

“I’m telling you. We need to step up patrols in this sector,” a man said in a deep, rumbling voice. He had an odd accent and enunciated his words carefully, as if he was still learning the language. “Too many unregistered humans are slipping through.”

Her heart rate kicked up a notch, and she peeked around the edge of the alien dumpster she’d tucked herself in behind. One was human, a middle-aged man with a weather-beaten face and salt-and-pepper hair. The other… she had to crane her neck to take him all in.

He was Lathar and towered over his human partner, easily seven feet tall if not more. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. She’d seen them on the news feeds and in the cargo bay and corridors, but she hadn’t had a chance to reallylookat one.

His hair was a rich auburn shot through with petrol green, falling past his shoulders in intricate braids that were adorned with metal beads. Like the others she’d seen, he was clad head to toe in leather that hugged his muscular frame. Some kind of alien pistol hung at his hip, and she could see the outline of other weapons concealed beneath his jacket.

“I hear you, Aiin,” the human guard replied, running a hand through his hair and leaving it standing up in messy spikes. “But we’re stretched thin as it is. Command’s more worried about the trafficking ring we uncovered last month. They think more cells might be operating in the area.”

Aiin growled low in his throat. The sound sent a shiver down Jade’s spine. “All the more reason to increase our presence. These gang scum prey on the vulnerable, especially humans,especiallyhuman females if they can get them. We cannot allow it.”

“Agreed.” The human nodded. “But it’s difficult. Not all women want to come through that mating program, you know? Some of them are just trying to start a new life here? Living their own lives on their own terms.”

The Lathar grunted. “It would be safer for them to become mates. They can be useful to the empire then. Birth the next generations.”

“Fuck’s sake, Aiin, we’ve talked about this.” The human sighed, and she practically heard the eyeroll. “Not every woman wants to be hogtied to some dickhead warrior. Take my sister, Mel. She’s been married three times. She’d probably shank the first guy they hooked her up with.”

“We are not dickhead warriors,” Aiin growled and then shrugged. “Okay, we’re notalldickhead warriors. I was just saying it would be safer for them to be under the protection of the empire. At least then we could make sure they only dealt with reputable traders. Thesedraanthicexploit the system, using fake credentials and disguises while making false promises, just to get the females in their cargo holds. We must be vigilant.”

The two moved off again, their voices fading as they continued their patrol. She waited until she couldn’t hear their footsteps anymore before she emerged from her hiding spot. Her legs were shaky, and her stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself. She had to find food, and soon.

Then she needed to figure out how to blend in and survive here without drawing attention to herself. The market she’d glimpsed down a side corridor earlier seemed like the best bet. Places like that were busy enough to get lost in the crowd with plenty of opportunities to scrounge for what she needed.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the cap lower over her eyes and hunched her shoulders, trying to make herself look as unremarkable as possible before she stepped out of the alley andinto the flow of foot traffic, letting it carry her toward where she remembered the marketplace to be.

5

The noise hit her first.

Voices babbled in languages she couldn’t understand, mingling with the clanging of metal and the sizzling of food cooking on nearby grills. Jade moved with the crowd, allowing them to pull her through the market as she looked around wide-eyed. She’d thought the loading bay was madness, but now she could see it had some order.

This place, on the other hand, was marked by a complete lack of it.

Occupying an intersection where four corridors met under a massive domed ceiling, tall shipping containers converted into colorful shops were stacked three high with precarious metal walkways clinging to the side, which allowed customers to move between them.

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