Page 23 of Alien Protector's Mate

Wide-eyed beneath the brim of his tattered cap, Jay’s gaze swept over the modest but comfortable interior as he took a step across the threshold. S’aad studied him without making it obvious what he was doing. Jay had a brash manner, but when he thought no one was looking he had an air of almost delicateness about him. His features held the soft plumpness of youth and the smooth skin of his jaw confirmed he wasn’t old enough to shave.

S’aad kicked himself. All his research into humanity had focused on the females—women, he reminded himself—but he knew little to nothing about developmental stages for males.

“Okay, so we have the main sitting room and food prep areas out here,” he said, leading Jay on a brief tour. “Through here are the bedrooms,” he added, opening doors as he went to reveal the two sleeping chambers. “And each has its own door into the facilities. Both are lockable from the inside, for privacy.”

Jay nodded as they walked into the second bedroom.

“This will be you,” S’aad said, looking around. It was the mirror image of his own room. Sleeping platform with bedding materials, a trunk, and a door to the closet opposite the one to the bathroom. “I’m afraid I don’t rank highly enough for awindow, so…” he shrugged and then his gaze fell on the boxes piled on the floor at the end of the bed.

“Sorry, let me just move these out of the way. It’s spare clothing for the females in the mate program. I’m just storing them while one of the offices is renovated.”

“No problem,” Jay murmured, his eyes widening as S’aad easily hefted the cumbersome boxes and stacked them in the closet.

“Are all Latharians as strong as you?” Jay murmured, the awestruck rasp of his voice raising the fine hairs on the back of S’aad’s neck.

“Some, not all.” S’aad chuckled, shrugging as he walked back through into the main rooms. Jay had seemed uncomfortable in the smaller space of the bedroom with him, so S’aad made sure to put the broad kitchen prep counter between them. He could vault the barrier in less than a heartbeat, but Jay didn’t know that. And the illusion of safety seemed to ease the tension from his hunched shoulders. It was an odd dichotomy, that vulnerability he kept catching glimpses of, which was so odds with the feisty defiance he’d seen from Jay earlier.

“Have you eaten anything since the pastry you…acquired this morning?” he asked carefully, keeping his tone neutral as he moved around the food prep area gathering utensils and ingredients.

A fleeting look of remorse flickered across Jay’s features before his expression shuttered. “I didn’t have a choice,” he mumbled, scuffing the toe of his worn boot against the pristine floor. “Hadn’t had anything to eat sin?—”

He cut his words off, and the mulish expression told S’aad he wasn’t going to say anything else. He bit back his frustration, wanting nothing more than to fire questions at the human. However, instinct told him it would do more harm than goodand probably make Jay clam up and refuse to answer anything else.

“It’s okay. I paid the vendor for what you took, so it wasn’t actually stealing,” S’aad reassured him with a smile as he prepared some field cake, his movements swift with the ease of long practice. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jay draw closer to the counter, fascination on his face as the human watched his every move.

“I’ll pay you back out of my wages,” Jay said.

He nodded as he mixed the batter, glancing up to find the human watching him with open curiosity, his delicate features unguarded.

“You…areyou going to pay me?” The faint lilt of uncertainty in his voice made S’aad’s heart ache. “I mean, I just… kind of assumed I’d be getting paid. For work, I mean.” The boy shrugged one bony shoulder in feigned nonchalance. “Getting bed and board here would be more than enough, though. This place is real nice. Luxurious even.”

S’aad arched his brow. That he considered basic warrior’s quarters luxurious said a lot about Jay’s life so far. A renewed surge of protectiveness washed over him.

“What are you doing?” Jay asked, nodding toward the mixture S’aad was stirring.

“Preparing something for you to eat,” he replied. “I have obligations elsewhere this evening, but I didn’t want to leave you hungry.”

Jay’s eyes widened, his stomach growling as if on cue.

“Why?” he asked at last, his cheeks pink and his voice rough with wariness as he held S’aad’s gaze. “Why are you doing all this for me?”

S’aad considered his words as he slid the field cake into the heater. Few truly understood the oaths that bound his bloodline or the weight of duty that rode upon his shoulders.

“My family’s legacy goes back further than we have records,” he said. “Long ago, my ancestors took vows to shield those unable to defend themselves. Ever since, we’ve felt an innate drive to protect others however we can. I am trained as a healer, and the compulsion of those oaths from my ancestors course through me all the same.”

Jay’s brows knitted together, and S’aad could see the questions churning behind his eyes.

“My cousin is a sentinel, defending us all from the unthinkable,” he added but didn’t elaborate. Jay was still processing the dangers on this base. He didn’t need to know about the Krin as well. “We are last of the V’Renn.” His lips curved slightly in a rueful smile. “Our line grows dangerously thin these days, the same as all of the Lathar clans. Without females we are almost to the point of extinction.”

The heater pinged, and he removed the field cake, cutting it and piling it up onto a plate to slide across the counter to the rapt human. Up close, he could make out the dusting of freckles scattered like stardust across Jay’s pert nose. “Eat up,” he urged gruffly. “You’re far too skinny.”

Jay blinked rapidly before tearing his gaze from S’aad’s and looking at the plate. Cheeks flaring with color, he shoveled forkfuls of the rich, dense cake into his mouth. S’aad politely averted his gaze, busying himself with gathering up the box of pastries he’d bought at the market earlier.

“I’ll be out for the evening,” S’aad told Jay as the human continued to demolish the field cake, crumbs clinging to the corners of his full lips. “Feel free to use any of the facilities here,” he waved a hand at the entertainment unit in the seating area behind him. “There are spare workout clothes and such in one of the storage trunks in my room if you need something to wear.”

Jay nodded around another bite, his eyes wide and solemn above hollowed cheeks. He looked so painfully young that itmade S’aad’s chest ache again. He would have to get the boy into training. Good nutrition and some combat training, and he would soon start to bulk out and be able to defend himself.

Clearing his throat, S’aad lifted the box in his hands. “I should be going. I have…” He trailed off as he realized he didn’t want to leave. “Matters to attend to.”

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