Page 30 of Alien Protector's Mate

“Now then,” he said, straightening up. “Let’s get you properly dressed. Shall we? That lab coat over there should fit you. Though…” He winked. “It might be more like a dress on you, short stuff.”

Jay moved toward the hook with all the lab coats on it but hesitated as he reached for it. His hand drifted to his cap, his fingers curling protectively around the brim, and for a moment S’aad thought he was going to make a break for the door. Something or someone in the past had really scared the human.

He turned away, opening a drawer to reorganize unused sample slides. “Is there a reason you’re clinging to that cap like your life depends on it?” he asked nonchalantly over his shoulder. “Is it perhaps a religious or cultural thing… or did you lose a bet with a barber?”

He wanted to look, wanted to see Jay’s reaction, but he ignored the temptation and waited for Jay’s answer.

“Yeah,” the human said, his odd voice gruff behind S’aad. “It’s… important to me. We… my culture… we don’t cut or show our hair, you know?”

S’aad nodded, accepting the explanation without question. “Of course, cultural practices are to be respected, even if they involve questionable headwear choices. I mean, we can’t comment. You’ll never see a Latharian warrior wear a shirt. Here,” he said, opening a nearby drawer. “We’ve got surgical caps that’ll cover your hair. Will that work for you, or should I find you a hazmat suit instead?”

Jay nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing visibly. “Thanks,” he muttered, accepting the offered cap.

S’aad turned to allow him a little privacy as he switched out his cap and bulky coat. When he turned around, pulling on his own lab coat, he gave a nod of approval. Jay looked more professional now, and much like he belonged in a lab.

“Now,” S’aad said, hiding his smile as he switched to Latharian, “let’s begin with a basic overview of our daily procedures. Have you realized yet that you can understand me?”

Jay blinked, and then his eyes widened in amazement. “Holy sh… I mean, wow,” he said, his voice filled with wonder. “You’re speaking Latharian now. Aren’t you? And I’m… I’m responding in the same language?”

S’aad grinned and shook his head. “No, you’re speaking Terran still, but I can hear and understand you easily. The fact you can understand me now means that the translation implant is functioning correctly. Welcome to the wonderful world of instant linguistics. Just don’t ask it to translatetratovrianmating calls. Trust me on that one.”

Jay shook his head in disbelief. “This is amazing. I thought the way you talked seemed a bit different, but I thought it was just because we’re at work now.”

S’aad’s eyebrows rose, impressed. “Sharp ears you’ve got there. You’re quite right… Latharian does tend to be more formal than Terran sometimes. Although, given the translation matrices are biological in nature, each one is different. You might hear a sentence slightly different to the way my cousin’s mate, Sadie, does. It’s not an exact science. Anyway, let’s get started. Shall we?”

They settled into the rhythm of the workday, and S’aad found himself continually impressed by Jay’s quick mind and eager attitude. The human absorbed information like a sponge, asking questions and showing a genuine interest even in the menial tasks that were all S’aad could assign to him.

“So, these markers here,” Jay said, pointing to a complex genetic sequence on the screen, “They’re what determine compatibility between humans and Latharians?”

S’aad nodded. “Exactly. It’s not just about physical attraction or personality traits. There’s a whole genetic dance going on beneath the surface. Get it right, and you’ve got a match made in the stars. Get it wrong, and, well… Let’s just say it can lead to some awkward dinner conversations.”

Jade settledinto her seat at the workstation and looked worriedly at the screen in front of her. It looked pretty much like every other console she’d seen, which was a relief. The last thing she needed was to screw this up on her first day. S’aad’s towering presence beside her was both reassuring and intimidating.

“Alright, Jay,” he rumbled, his deep voice making her suppress a shiver. “I need you to check these two columns of numbers against each other. Make sure they match exactly.”

She blinked in surprise.

“That’s it?” she blurted out, forgetting to keep her voice gruff. “I thought… well… that things would be a little more complicated than that.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, the skin at the edges of his green eyes crinkling with amusement. “You’d be surprised how many things come down to simple mathematics,” he said. “Even in advanced genetic science, we often find ourselves double-checking basic numbers.”

Heat crept up her neck. Of course, that made perfect sense. Even the most complex, advanced tech systems would need a solid foundation. And she was sure she’d read somewhere that math was the universal language. Still, she couldn’t help thetwinge of disappointment. Part of her had hoped for something more… alien?

S’aad put a large hand on the back of her chair, and she had to fight the urge to lean into his warmth.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his voice warm with amusement. “There will be plenty of time for more complex tasks later. For now, let’s start with the basics. We wouldn’t want to short-circuit that human brain of yours on day one. Would we?”

She shot him a sidelong glance from under her lashes, trying to work out if he was teasing her. The little twinkle in his eye said he was.

Not sure how to reply, she just nodded and turned her attention to the holographic display. The familiar sight of numbers scrolling across the screen helped ground her.

As she worked, she found her gaze drifting toward S’aad. The big Latharian was busy with his own work, his broad shoulders slightly hunched over a workstation. His long fingers moved across the holographic interface with precision. He studied the scrolling data on the screen in front of him so intently she was sure a bomb could go off, and he wouldn’t notice. What was he working on? Probably not how to avoid staring at your boss like a lovesick teenager, which was rapidly becoming her main problem.

Curiosity gnawed at her like a terrier with a particularly tasty bone. She bit her lip, hesitating. The last thing she wanted was to annoy him by interrupting, but the need to understand more about… well, everything here on the station was overwhelming. Plus, any distraction from how good he looked with that lab coat pulling across the heavy muscle of his chest and shoulders was welcome. Seriously, she knew he’d said that the Lathar not wearing shirts was a cultural thing, but why on Earth did they need to go about half-naked all the time?

“S’aad?” she ventured, her voice softer and higher than she’d intended. She cleared her throat quickly and made it gruffer. “What are you working on?”

The Latharian’s hands stilled. He blinked as if coming out of a trance before turning to face her. His expression softened slightly as he met her gaze, and her heart did a little flip that she promptly ignored.

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