Page 15 of Alien Protector's Mate

There was no more talking. The four warriors threw themselves at each other in a display of fury that would have had most people running for the escape pods. They moved across the training mats with lethal grace as they exchanged blows, feints, and counters.

Their sparring match drew the attention of other warriors entering the training hall.

Vaan stepped back with a grin at the end of the bout. “Not bad for a desk-bound healer.” He panted. “Though I think I detected a bit of rust there at the end.”

S’aad arched an eyebrow. “Rust? I was letting you catch your breath, old man. Wouldn’t want you to strain something at your advanced age.”

“Advanced age?” Vaan snorted. “I’m six months younger than you are!”

Their banter was interrupted as another group of warriors entered the hall. S’aad’s gaze landed on a familiar face, and he turned with a groan.

“Speaking of eager suitors,” S’aad muttered, jerking his chin toward the arriving warriors. “M’lak there is our resident mate program enthusiast.”

The others followed his gaze, watching the new group. Even from across the hall, it was clear the topic was, once again, the mate program.

K’rat shook his head. “He’s in one of my duty groups. He’s an utter pain in the ass. Relentless to boot. I’ll bet he’ll wear a path in the floor between here and your offices at this rate.”

“But can you blame him?” Zell asked, rubbing sweat from his neck with a small towel. “We all feel that pull, that need to find our other halves. Perhaps he expresses it more openly than most.”

S’aad sighed. “Indeed he does. But none of you better decide to copy him. I have enough work fending off lovesick warriors all day without you draanthic adding to that.”

“Lovesick warriors?” Vaan snorted. “Is that what they’re calling unmated males these days?”

“Only the particularly persistent ones. Alright, enough chatter,” S’aad said, moving back to the center of the mat.“We came here to train. Did we not? Who’s ready for a real challenge?”

K’rat’s eyes narrowed. “What did you have in mind?”

S’aad’s grin turned predatory. “Three on one. You lot against me. Unless you’re afraid you can’t handle it?”

For a moment, his friends exchanged glances, silently communicating. Then, as one, they moved to surround him, their stances shifting into combat readiness.

“Afraid?” Vaan scoffed. “Hardly. Just worried about bruising that delicate healer’s hide of yours.”

“Less talking, more fighting,” S’aad shot back, his body coiled like a spring. “Unless you need more time to catch your breath?”

With a collective growl, the three warriors launched their attack. S’aad moved like lightning, ducking and weaving between his opponents with an almost unnatural speed. He caught Zell’s practice blade on his own, deflecting it into K’rat’s path and forcing the other warrior to adjust his strike mid-swing. Dropping low in the same fluid motion, he swept Vaan’s legs from under him.

But none of them were new at combat. Vaan turned his fall into a roll, coming up behind S’aad with deadly intent while K’rat and Zell worked together, their blades a whirlwind of motion as they sought to overwhelm S’aad.

For several minutes, the outcome hung in the balance. S’aad’s speed and agility worked in his favor, but he couldn’t land any decisive blows of his own. His friends worked together, covering each other’s blind spots and pressing their advantage to try and bring him down.

Then he spotted an opening and surged forward, disarming Zell with a twist of his blade. In the split second the younger warrior was vulnerable, S’aad struck, landing a hit that would have been crippling had he not pulled it at the last moment.

Zell froze and then groaned as he stepped back out of the circle. “I’m out.”

Down to two opponents now, S’aad grinned and went on the offensive. His strikes were faster and more aggressive as he forced K’rat and Vaan back step by step. They made him work for it though, forcing him to cover his ass.

In the end, a feint decided the match. S’aad telegraphed a high strike against Vaan, drawing K’rat in to cover his friend’s exposed flank. At the last moment, S’aad feinted and ducked under K’rat’s guard to land a solid uppercut to his jaw. Surprise widened his eyes as he staggered backward, almost felled by the heavy strike. Before Vaan could react to his friend crashing out of the circle, S’aad was there, his practice blade pushed up in the big warrior’s throat.

The moment stretched out between them, the potential of violence hanging in the air for a long second.

Then Vaan suddenly grinned and the tension drained out of the moment. “Well fought, brother! It seems desk work hasn’t dulled your edge after all.”

“As if I’d let it.” S’aad grinned, lowering his blade as he stepped back. “Someone has to keep you three in line.”

“Looks like you’ve got an audience,” Zell informed them, nodding at something behind them.

S’aad turned to find that nearly every warrior in the training hall had stopped to watch their match, including M’lak and his group.

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