Page 51 of Alien Protector's Mate

A sudden commotion from the reception area cut him off. The sound of raised voices and the unmistakable thud of bodies colliding made his heart leap into his throat. His eyes widened in horror. Jay was out in reception.

“Trouble,” Z’yan growled, and the two of them bolted from the lab, thundering down the corridor toward the reception area. The doors to the reception hall slid open with a hiss, revealing a scene that sent ice through his veins.

The usually orderly space had descended into chaos. His gaze swept the room, cataloging details with the precision of a trained warrior and healer. In one corner, a group of terrified human females huddled together, their wide eyes fixed on the Latharian warriors advancing on them.

But there, standing between them as if he could take on a horde of Latharian warriors all by himself was Jay.

S’aad’s world narrowed to a pinpoint, his focus on the slight figure of his assistant. Jay stood defiantly, his arms spread wide as if to protect the women behind him. The stance was protective, but S’aad could see the tremor in those slender limbs, the rapid rise and fall of Jay’s chest that betrayed his fear. However, despite that, he held his ground, glaring at the warriors in front of him.

At the front of the Lathar group was M’lak, his face contorted with fury. S’aad recognized the look of a warrior on the edge of violence. He’d seen that expression many times before, on the battlefield, in the training halls, hells, even in bars… but it had no place here. This was supposed to be a safe haven for the humans.

“Jay!” He surged forward, intent on placing himself between his assistant and the threat, but he was too late.

With a roar of rage that shook the walls, M’lak lashed out. His massive fist connected with the side of Jay’s face, and a wordless cry was torn from S’aad as the young human flew across the room. The sickening sound of flesh meeting unyielding metal echoed through the chamber as Jay collided with the front of the reception desk and slid down it to the floor.

Time slowed as he raced toward Jay’s crumpled form. Each step took an eternity, the distance between them impossibly vast. He slid to his knees next to Jay just as he stirred, a low groan escaping him. Relief flooded through S’aad at the sign of life, quickly followed by a wave of protective fury.

“No, no… stay down,” he ordered softly, pressing Jay back down when he tried to sit up, his hands moving over him with the ease of long practice to check for injuries.

Then he froze.

Jay’s clothes were torn, revealing what his hands had already told him.

Curves. Delicate, unmistakably female curves.

He jerked his hands back like he’d been burned. Jay, his assistant, the young male he had taken under his wing, was, in fact, female.

A human female.

One who had been hiding in plain sight all this time.

“He’s a girl!”

“Oh my god!”

“Is she okay?”

“He hit her really hard!”

Shocked whispers rippled through the room as others came to the same conclusion. S’aad’s protective instincts, already in overdrive, flared again.

“Stay down, Jay,” he ordered again, putting the fact Jay was a female from his mind as he checked her over for injuries. But she had already slipped into unconsciousness, her chest barely moving with the rise and fall of her breath.

A bellow of rage shattered the stunned silence. S’aad’s head snapped up as Z’yan advanced on M’lak, his face a mask of fury.

“You dare,” Z’yan growled, each word dripping with menace, “to lay hands on a human female?”

M’lak stumbled back, his face deathly pale.

“I… I didn’t know,” he stammered, his earlier bravado evaporating. “She was disguised! How was I to know?”

“Silence!” S’aad roared, his anger finally breaking free as he gathered the unconscious female against his chest, feeling the fragility of her human body against the strength of his own Latharian frame. “Your ignorance is no excuse for your actions. You have violated every code of honor we hold dear. We all know the punishment for harming a human female, as decreed by the emperor himself.”

M’lak’s gaze darted between S’aad and Z’yan, desperation clear in his eyes. “Please, I beg you. I never meant?—”

“Enough!” Z’yan cut him off, his voice sharp enough to cut through steel. “You and your accomplices will be dealt with later.” He glanced at the security team crowded in the doorway. “Get them out of here before I do something I won’t regret.”

As M’lak and his group were escorted out by security, S’aad looked down at his precious burden. Her breathing was shallow, her skin pale beneath the bruises already forming. Fear, cold and sharp, sliced through him. “I need to get her to medical,” he announced, striding for the door.

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