Page 12 of Protector

The door swings open, and Dr. Green ushers him inside.

Three other AX soldiers are already there—Jack, Dwayne, and Simon. They are standing at attention at a pile of blankets each, faces blank. But when he catches Jack’s crystal-blue eyes, the alpha gives him a faint smile.

Warmth spreads in AX2’s chest, an unexpected bloom of something close to happiness.His kin.

“That’s your nest,” Dr. Green says, gesturing to a heap of blankets at the far corner. “Go wait while I fetch AX9. I’ll give you instructions when you’re all here.”

AX2 does as ordered, the door slamming shut behind the doctor’s back before he reaches the blankets. He glances down at them. There are several, all neatly folded and in the same shade of gray, along with a few pillows. The fabric looks scratchy.

“Nest?” he asks no one in particular.

“You know, the bed-thing some girls make when they get broody,” Dwayne says, a smile in his voice. “Don’t tell me they tookthosememories from you too.”

“My money’s on horny lady cyborgs in heat,” Simon says. “And we’re the only ones who can sate them.”

“Jesus Christ, you really have been here too long,” Jack laughs. The sound is a warm rumble. “I bet it’s just some form of team-building activity. And if you don’t get rid of that hard-on, Lady Doc’s gonna zap your balls the moment she steps foot in here.”

AX2 looks up in time to see Simon grimace and reach into his pants to adjust himself.

“Swear to god, whatever it is, it better involve whores,” Dwayne mutters. “One afternoon with human contact, and I’ve been fucking dying for a woman.”

No one gets to respond. The door swings open, revealing Dr. Green and Sean. AX2’s eyes light up at the sight of them.

“All right, go stand by the free nest, AX9,” Dr Green says with a nod in the direction of the remaining pile of blankets. When the alpha obeys him, he gives them a small smile. “Following the preliminary stages of your new training, there have been… a few incidents, shall we say. Occurrences which have made it clear that we need to alter the stimulus we provide in order to engage of your more human traits.”

AX2 glances to his side, catching Dwayne’s eyes. The doctors rarely bother explaining their procedures, let alone their reasons. This isnew.

Tension coils in his back.

“General Thompson feels the best way to help you adjust to the tasks ahead is to provide you with an, ah,outlet.This morning, you will each be granted two hours with a companion.” Green’s smile slips off his face, his expression turning stern. “You are not allowed to discuss anything related to your abilities, your past missions, or the location of these premises. Do not do anything that will make me regret agreeing to this arrangement. That is a command.”

The chip zings the tissue of AX2’s brain, encoding the order. He blinks, still not quite sure he’s heard the doctor right.

“Any questions before we proceed?”

“Companions, sir?” Dwayne croaks. The urgency in his voice resonates in AX2’s gut.Loneliness.“Are they… women?”

The beta nods, his lips quirking up in another small smile. “Yes, AX6. They are female.”

Simon chokes out a half-strangled sound. No one else says a word, but the tension in the room suddenly feels like a physical entity.

“If that is all… I will be back momentarily.” Dr. Green says, raising both eyebrows as he looks over the five of them. “And remember—best behavior, hmm?”

There is only silence as they wait. No one moves. No one speaks. The bitter scent of aggression tinges the air, alpha pheromones thick in AX2’s nostrils.

He breathes slowly, evenly, instincts keeping him still so as to not trigger a fight. These men with him, they may be his newly discovered kin, but this? This is a harsh test for their freshly forged loyalties. If it comes to a fight for thesecompanions,it will be bloody.

Females.Outside of missions, he remembers only one such creature.

A shiver travels up his spine, and he grits his teeth against the image ofherthat flickers through his mind. Her panting breath. The drum of her pulse beneath his fingers…

The metallic clang of the door opening breaks through his spiraling thoughts, and he looks up in time to see Dr. Green step through, followed by five strangers.

One of the other soldiers inhales sharply. Sean tightens his hands into fists by his side.

They are clad in colorful fabrics that leave much of their skin exposed—tanned, pale, dark. They are a smorgasbord of femininity—overspilling cleavages, lushly rounded hips, softly curved arms. And thesmellof them… Sweet perfumes intermingling over a warm, primal scent AX2’s body recognizes aswomanbefore his mind catches up. It cloys at his nostrils and lingers at the back of his throat, overriding the increasing stench of alpha aggression.

One of them giggles, the pearling sound entirely alien. “Ooh, they didn’t say anything about how handsome you’d be! Aren’t we lucky, girls?”

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