Page 50 of Alien Protector's Mate

“Don’t be fooled by a human’s innocent act,” he said, his voice hard. “At least two of the trafficking rings we’ve stopped so far had human females in command. Ones we initiallydiscounted or thought were victims themselves. Humans have no honor. They’ll do anything to further their own aims.”

Shock washed over S’aad’s face, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“What?” he exclaimed, his voice rising slightly. “Human females selling their ownkind?”

She had to bite back her laugh at their shock and outrage. Oh lordy, if only they knew the things people were willing to do to survive or gain power. They’d never look at a human the same way again. But she didn’t want to be the one to burst their bubble.

“The universe isn’t as black and white as you might like to believe,” Z’yan said, his voice low and dangerous. “I can’t allow the boy to stay, though. He doesn’t have security clearance for this conversation.”

S’aad’s jaw tightened, the muscles working beneath his skin. She could almost see the thoughts racing behind his eyes as he wrestled with the decision. Finally, he turned to her, his voice softer but still carrying an undercurrent of authority.

“Jay, I need you to go help at the front desk with the new intake of mate potentials. I’m going to be delayed here for a while, so can you explain the process to the ones who are waiting? It will speed things up when we get them in here.”

“Of course, boss.” She nodded and headed for the door.

As the lab door closed behind her with a soft hiss, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She would have to interact with humans, up close, and every one of them might be the one to see through her disguise. She bit her lip as she headed for reception, the murmur of voices getting louder with each step.

She could do this. She had to do this. It was that or explain to S’aad why she couldn’t be around other humans.

She paused for a moment in the corridor and then took one final steadying breath before stepping through the door, game face on. Or rather, Jay’s face on.

The reception area was packed. Human women milled about, their faces a mixture of excitement, fear, and confusion. The LMP staff moved among them, offering reassurance and drinks as they got the women settled in the comfortable seating around the room.

Mara caught sight of her and hurried over. “A new load just arrived,” she explained in a low voice. “They’re always skittish at first. They’ll settle down once we get them assigned to rooms, and they can rest.”

“Oh, okay.” She nodded. “S’aad sent me out to prep our next intake appointment while he talks to the security man.” She looked around but there was no chance of spotting who was waiting in the chaos around them.

“That would be Janice Weatherby,” Mara replied, a smile fixed in place as some of the new arrivals looked their way. “She canceled, said she didn’t feel well.”

“Ah…”

Hope sparked in the older lady’s eyes. “But if you’re free at the moment, I could really do with the help getting this lot settled down. I swear they get younger and younger.”

Jade’s gaze fell on the women. Mara was right, some of these girls were barely scraping eighteen, which made the older women in the group stand out more. Mara followed her look.

“Yeah, or desperate.” Her lips compressed. “We’ve had a fair few instant divorcees as well.”

“Instant divorcees?” Jade looked at her in confusion.

“Uh-huh.” Mara nodded. “Women whose husbands have filed online using the new laws and kicked them out. Assholes are married again within the week to a younger model to avoidlosing their housing and food chits. Their only option is to head to the signup office.”

Jade winced. Yeah, there wasn’t much people wouldn’t do to get ahead.

“Yeah, I can help,” she said, catching sight of a young woman, no older than her, standing alone in a corner. The girl’s wide eyes and trembling hands spoke of a fear she knew all too well.

Taking a deep breath, Jade straightened her shoulders and approached.

“Hey there,” she said softly, pitching her voice low and gruff. It was getting easier, even if the sore throat it caused wasn’t going away. “Welcome to the mate program. Can I help you with anything?”

The girl’s eyes snapped to Jade’s face, relief washing over her features at the sight of another human. A nonthreatening one because even if she was pretending to be a boy, she wasn’t a physical threat to pretty much anyone in the room.

“Oh, thank goodness.” She breathed. “I… I don’t know what I’m doing here. Everything’s so strange, and I…”

With a small smile, Jade gestured to a nearby seating area. “Why don’t we sit down? I’m Jay, by the way. I work here with one of the healers. We call them doctors. Would you like me to explain how the program works?”

16

“And then there was the incident with Prince Rohn’s mate’s daughter,” S’aad told Z’yan, his voice low and controlled despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. The memory of that near-disaster sent a chill down his spine. “Her birth father, with the aid of some traitorous Lathar, nearly succeeded in kidnapping her. If not for the quick action of?—”

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