Page 75 of Alien Protector's Mate

Z’yan turned to her, his expression grave. “Lady Jade, I know this may be difficult, but we need to ask you some questions about your experiences. Anything you can remember about your foster father’s contacts or the conversation you overheard in the LMP offices could be vital in bringing these people to justice. Are you willing to help us?”

She straightened in her chair.

“Of course. I’ll tell you everything I can remember. It started as soon as we got in there. The receptionist… she called me a ‘package,’” she said, her hands clenched in her lap. “She didn’t even look at me. It was like I wasn’t even human.”

The duke’s expression darkened as she continued.

“They talked about buyers and immediate processing. I didn’t understand most of it, but it was obvious that Mr. Morgan was selling me. It was like a business transaction. I froze… I had no idea what to do. But then a group of women arrived to sign up for the program. And I saw the door… I just ran,” she admitted, her eyes downcast. “I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I couldn’t let them take me. That’s when I overheard thosestudents talking about a trip to Devan Station. So I followed them to the spaceport.”

She skipped over how she’d snuck past security in the spaceport, but Z’yan’s intent expression told her she’d probably be answering more questions on that later. “I hid in a crate with a load of lettuce or something. I was terrified. I thought all the air would be sucked out of the cargo hold or something, and I’d die,” she murmured. “But that was better than being sold to who-knows-who for who-knows-what.”

She trailed off and looked at the three alien men in the room, all of them wearing expressions of outrage.

“I know stowing away was wrong, dangerous even, but I was desperate. I couldn’t go back to the Morgans, and I couldn’t let myself be sold like… like I wasn’t even a person. Like I was just property to be owned.”

Duke Kaarigan leaned forward, his voice gentle but firm.

“Lady Jade, what happened to you was wrong. It should never have happened. No warrior worthy of the name would ever buy a female or cause one to be treated in this manner. Rest assured, wewillinvestigate this matter thoroughly. Your bravery in coming forward and talking to us may help save others from a similar fate.”

Z’yan nodded in agreement. “We have a team questioning your foster family as we speak. Is there anything you’d like us to relay to them on your behalf?”

Her face hardened as she looked up, cold fury settling in her chest as the memories of years of abuse and neglect flashed through her mind. She stood, her voice steady and firm as she spoke.

“No. They can rot in hell as far as I’m concerned. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare dinner for my husband. He’s returning from his business trip tonight.”

As she turned to leave, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She was no longer the scared, powerless girl who had fled Earth. She was Lady Jade, mate of S’aad V’Renn, and she had a future to look forward to with her handsome mate.

EPILOGUE

The rough brick of the wall he leaned on scraped against S’aad’s leather jacket as he shifted position slightly, watching the dimly lit street in front of him. His lip curled back from his teeth as the musty stench of decay and neglect assaulted his nostrils. The neighborhood was one of the most squalid he’d ever seen, and he’d spent time on Tarviisa.

His hands clenched into hard fists at his side, rage coursing through his veins at what Jade had been forced to live through. This was no place for a child or even a woman with its broken-down buildings and predators lurking in the shadows.

One of the latter was bleeding out slowly in the blackness of the alley behind him, moaning pitifully. S’aad ignored him. If he wasn’t intelligent enough to realize that taking on a fully armed and pissed-off Latharian warrior was not a good bet for his long-term survival, or even his ability to continue to enjoy breathing, he didn’t deserve to live. Survival of the fittest, he believed humans called it.

After a long, rattling exhale from behind him, he tilted his head, waiting for the gulp of air in, but there was only silence. He turned his attention back to the building in time to see the dooropen. Three Latharian warriors followed a human female in a suit, carrying a clipboard out.

Even from this distance he could see the pinched expression on the female’s face, her steps hurried as she held the clipboard protectively across her chest. He listened to the faint murmur of their voices as they walked down the street. He couldn’t catch more than a word or two from this distance, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t part of the official team sent to interview Mr. And Mrs. Morgan.

The group had just rounded the corner when he felt a presence materialize beside him. He turned his head slightly as Maax emerged from the shadows like a wraith, stepping over the body with a raised eyebrow.

“Your handiwork?” he asked.

S’aad shrugged. “Caught him trailing a female on my way here and decided some correctional therapy was in order. What kept you?”

Maax grunted, his dark eyes scanning their surroundings with predatory intensity. “Covering our tracks. Can’t have anyone tracing this back to us or the program.”

S’aad nodded, understanding the necessity for discretion. The Latharian Mate Program was already under scrutiny after these trafficking allegations from within their own system… they couldn’t risk any further complications. Still, the thought of leaving no trace of their actions here left a bitter taste in his mouth. Part of him wanted the entire galaxy to know what had been done to Jade, wanted to make an example of those who had hurt her.

“Let’s do this.” He grunted and pushed off from the wall.

Together, they stalked across the distance between them and the grotty building that held their prey. It had definitely seen better days. The front door hung on its hinges, graffiti like angryscars across every inch. They stepped into the lobby, and the overwhelming stench of stale urine assaulted them.

Maax grimaced. “Times like these I wish I could breathe through my ears.”

“Tell me about it. This is worse than battlefield recovery.”

They climbed the grimy stairs, S’aad’s disgust growing with each step. The worn carpet was sticky, trying to hitch a ride on the soles of his boots, and the walls were stained with things he didn’t even want to think about.

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