Alien Protector’s Mate (Latharian Mate Program #4)

Chapter 12

12

J ade brushed her fingers over her lips as she hurried toward reception. The way S’aad had kissed her, with his hard hand at the nape of her neck holding her still for him, played in an endless loop in her mind. Her skin tingled where he’d touched her, and she could still taste him on her tongue, feel where his stubble had scraped her softer skin.

It was intoxicating… overwhelming.

And utterly bloody terrifying.

Shaking her head, she tried to clear the fog of desire from her mind. She needed to focus. She was here to survive, not to fall for the first handsome alien she came across. Besides, falling for S’aad wouldn’t do her any good. He thought she was a boy, so there wasn’t a future for them anyway. Once he found out the truth… She bit her quivering lip. He’d hate her for lying to him. Or worse… he’d turn her over to the authorities.

Yeah, he’d probably turn her over to the authorities.

She walked into reception, scanning the area immediately for any potential threats. It was a habit beaten into her, quite literally, after years of being with the Morgans. Having Mr. Morgan sneak up on her more than once, she’d learned the hard way to always know who was in a room and where they were. But she saw no threats, not unless she counted the kind-faced lady sitting behind the desk, her grey hair neatly arranged and her eyes crinkling at the corners as she saw Jade and smiled.

“Excuse me.” She shoved her hands deep into her pockets, hunching her shoulders to make herself appear younger and more like a boy. “S’aad asked me to get some coffee. Could you point me in the right direction?”

“Of course, dear. We have a coffee station right over there for the staff and visitors. Is it for you or…”

She hesitated for a moment, years of knowing not to ask for anything for herself coming to the fore. But S’aad had said to get coffee for both of them. “Both of us really… but I’m not sure how he likes it.”

“He likes it strong and black, dearie, with no sweeteners,” the woman replied, her eyes twinkling. “Says it keeps him sharp. I’m Mara, by the way. I’ve been the receptionist for the LMP since it started.”

“I’m Ja-Jay,” she replied, turning and spotting the coffee machine Mara had indicated. “It’s nice to meet you, Mara. And thanks for the help.”

Mara stood, coming around the desk. “Let me give you a hand, dearie. That machine’s as cranky as I am in the morning. It can be tricky if you’re not used to it. I’m sure it smells fear.”

She watched carefully as Mara navigated the complex-looking coffee machine, memorizing each step so she could do it again if S’aad sent her out for more. That was an assistant’s job. Right? Do the menial tasks and fetch the coffee. At least, it had been in all the old shows she’d watched. Along with photocopying, but she wasn’t quite sure what that was. It seemed to mostly entail standing in front of a big box and talking to other people.

Before too long, the rich smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, reminding her of lazy Sunday mornings at the library before everything had gone to hell.

“Here we are,” Mara said as she handed Jade a steaming mug. “Now, be careful. It’s quite hot.”

As she reached for the mug, her fingers brushed against the surface. She bit back a cry as pain lanced through her hand, and she nearly dropped it.

“Oh dear, you poor thing,” Mara clucked, quickly setting the mug on the table next to the machine and gently taking Jade’s hand to examine it. A bright red welt was already forming on her skin, the pain sharp and immediate.

“We’d better get some cold water on that,” Mara said, leading Jade to a small sink behind the reception desk. She sighed in relief as the cold water hit her skin and the pain in her fingers went down.

“Best to leave it under there for a while. You’re new here. Right?” Mara asked, her brown eyes warm with interest. “S’aad’s been working himself to the bone lately. It’s good to see he’s finally got some help.”

She nodded, managing a small smile through the pain. She’d burned herself plenty, and it always hurt like a bitch. “Yeah, I just started today.”

Before Mara could respond, the reception area doors slid open behind them with a soft hiss. A young woman strode in, her high heels clicking against the polished floor like gunshots. She was utterly beautiful with long, flowing blonde hair and impeccable makeup. The kind of woman who made the celebrity pages of gossip sites. Jade’s heart sank. This was the kind of woman S’aad should be with, not some street rat pretending to be a boy.

“Excuse me,” the blonde said, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. “I have been kept waiting for my afternoon spa appointment for over ten minutes, and no one has shown up yet. Is this how you treat a potential mate here?”

Mara’s expression shuttered as she turned toward the younger woman, her warm demeanor replaced by cool professionalism. “I do apologize for the delay, Miss Hartley. Just give me a moment and I’ll check on your appointment right away. Jay, you can dry your hand. Keep an eye on that burn, though, and if it blisters, go to the medical center.”

Jade nodded as Mara moved to her computer terminal. Miss Hartley tapped her foot impatiently, her gaze sweeping dismissively over Jade. “And who…no, what are you supposed to be?”

Jade felt heat rise to her cheeks, a mixture of anger and embarrassment. She opened her mouth to respond, but Mara beat her to it.

“Jay is one of our technical staff, Miss Hartley,” Mara said, her tone carrying a hint of warning. “He works directly with our lead technician, S’aad V’Renn, who I am sure would prefer you treat his staff with respect.”

Miss Hartley rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Whatever. Can you hurry up with my appointment? I have better things to do than stand around here all day.”

As Mara dealt with the demanding woman, Jade bit her lip. What if S’aad matched with someone like Miss Hartley? The thought made her stomach churn. He deserved someone kind, someone who would appreciate his gentle nature and brilliant mind. Not this self-absorbed princess.

Once Miss Hartley had finally left, Mara turned back to Jade with an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry you had to witness that, dear. Some of these potential mates can be quite… challenging.”

“Are they all like that?” Jade asked, keeping her voice gruff. “The potential mates, I mean.”

“No, thank the stars.” Mara shook her head. “Miss Hartley is a special case. Most aren’t quite that… abrasive.”

Jade nodded, but she wasn’t convinced. What if S’aad ended up with someone awful? Someone who didn’t appreciate him? The thought made the center of her chest ache.

“Don’t you worry about them,” Mara said, handing Jade two thermo-mugs instead of the ceramic ones. “They’re for us to deal with. Now, get this coffee to S’aad before it gets cold.”

“Thank you so much,” Jade said and walked out of reception balancing the two mugs of coffee carefully. The last thing she needed was to burn herself again and end up in the medical center. Not that she thought they’d pick up she was a girl just from looking at her finger and treating her for a burn but because the best way to avoid detection was to minimize how many people she interacted with.

As she neared S’aad’s lab, the sound of his voice stopped her in her tracks. He sounded serious, like something was wrong. She paused, her hand hovering over the door controls, as she listened.

“I understand your concerns, Maax,” S’aad said. “But we can’t just ignore the discrepancies in the matching algorithm. If someone is tampering with the system…”

Her breath caught in her throat. Someone was tampering with the system? Didn’t they have like really high-level alien tech? Who could possibly hack that? She leaned in, but she couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation. S’aad must have an earpiece in or something.

“I know. I know,” S’aad continued, frustration ringing in his voice. She could just see him running his hand through his hair the way he did when he was wound up. “But think about it. If the matches aren’t genuine… if someone is manipulating the system, it could bring down the entire program. Human females would become nothing more than a commodity.”

Her eyes widened. Shit. This sounded bad. Really bad.

“We need to investigate this quietly,” S’aad said. “If word gets out before we have proof, it could cause panic. Just… keep an eye out for anything unusual. Alright? I’ll do the same on my end.”

She waited for a few seconds, just in case S’aad hadn’t finished. Then, taking a deep breath, she triggered the motion sensor on the door and walked in. S’aad looked up from his desk, pinning her with his green-eyed gaze. For a moment she couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. But then he smiled, and the moment passed.

“Coffee,” he said, his deep voice sending a shiver down her spine as he reached for the mug. He grinned as he looked up at her, and her cheeks burned. “It’s going to be a long day, I’m afraid, Jay. We have the new data to compile, and some orientation classes to oversee this afternoon. I’m going to need you to keep this stuff coming, or I’ll be asleep on my desk by midafternoon.”

S’aad stood waiting at the entrance of the Latharian Mate Program offices, scanning the corridor for any sign of his cousin’s mate, Sadie’s, arrival. He didn’t need to wait for her. Not only was this section of the station perfectly safe for the human females who lived here, but Sadie was also mated to Vaarn, the station’s chief engineer. Every male aboard knew Vaarn would tear the entire place apart if anything should happen to her.

No, he wasn’t watching out for Sadie’s benefit but for his own.

S’aad closed his eyes on a soft groan. He might as well call it what it was. He was hiding out here so he didn’t have to face Jay. Didn’t have to face everything that had happened this morning between them. The kiss with Jay lingered in his thoughts, desire and guilt swirling in his chest. The warmth of Jay’s lips, the softness of his skin…it had all felt so right in the heat of the moment. S’aad’s fingers unconsciously traced his own lips, remembering the sensation. He shook his head, trying to clear it while shoving the feelings down deep and locking them away.

Jay worked for him. He was in a position of power over the human, which meant nothing could happen between them. It would be inappropriate. Wrong.

And for today to be the day of all days that the emperor decided to pay a visit. S’aad felt like looking around to see if he could spot the fates because sure as draanth those three troublemakers were causing issues for him today.

Movement at the end of the corridor pulled S’aad from his thoughts, and he smiled as Sadie appeared, her golden hair catching the light as she walked toward him.

“Thanks for coming to help with the new arrivals,” he said as she reached him. “We’ve got a full batch today, and it really helps them to hear from someone who has already mated with one of us.”

Sadie’s blue eyes sparkled as she returned his smile. “Of course. I’m more than happy to help. I remember what it was like for Halle. Some of these women will only be here because they have no other options, and they’ll be scared out of their minds.”

His jaw tightened a little at her words, a tiny muscle in the corner pulsing. When they’d first set up the mate program, the overwhelming thought had been that, of course, human females would flock to them. Why wouldn’t they all want a mate who was superior to a human male in every way? And, yes, they’d had a lot of signups right from the beginning. But he’d quickly come to realize that a significant number hadn’t signed up because of any superiority he or any other Latharian warrior thought they had. No, they’d signed up because they were desperate and didn’t see any other way out of their often-dire situations.

“Then we will do our best to put their minds at ease and reassure them that they are in a better place,” he said with a smile as they walked into the reception office together. As soon as they stepped through the door, he spotted Jay, who was arranging datapads at a nearby desk.

“Sadie, I’d like you to meet my new assistant, Jay,” he said, drawing her over toward the young human. “Jay, this is Sadie, my cousin’s mate.”

Jay looked up, his dark eyes meeting Sadie’s. S’aad watched carefully but saw nothing more than polite interest in Jay’s gaze. That was good. He wasn’t sure how he’d have reacted if Jay had shown any interested in the beautiful human female.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sadie,” Jay said, his voice gruff but clear.

“Likewise, Jay. I hope S’aad isn’t working you too hard on your first day.”

S’aad chuckled, but he noticed the way Sadie’s gaze lingered on Jay, her expression thoughtful as the lad turned away, still arranging things for the human females in the welcome meeting. A sudden, irrational surge of possessiveness rolled through him, one he quickly tamped down. No way would Sadie show interest in Jay. She’d been head over heels for Vaarn since she’d first met him.

So what in the name of the goddess was wrong with him today?

“Jay has been a great help,” S’aad said, perhaps too enthusiastically. “He’s… eager to learn.”

As if on cue, a group of human women entered the office, their nervous chatter filling the air. Sadie’s demeanor changed instantly, her body language becoming open and welcoming as she approached the newcomers.

“Hello there, ladies,” she said, her voice warm and reassuring as the group turned toward her. “Welcome to the mate program. I’m Sadie. I know this is all a bit overwhelming, but I promise it gets easier. Believe me. And I should know, I was in your shoes not too long ago.”

S’aad leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on Sadie as she addressed the group of women. Her voice, warm and reassuring, filled the room. At first, the newcomers sat rigidly in their chairs, their shoulders hunched and eyes darting nervously around them as though they expected shadowy warriors to burst from the walls and carry them away. But as Sadie shared her own journey, he noticed the mood of the group start to change. One by one, the females’ postures softened. A few uncrossed their arms, leaning forward with interest, and Sadie’s story about how she tripped over her mate in the corridor got a small chuckle from the back row.

Soon, hands began to rise.

“What was the hardest part for you?” one woman asked.

Then another chimed in, “Did your family support you?”

As the questions flowed easily, the atmosphere in the room lightened up. A woman in the front row cracked a tentative joke about the coffee, and someone else wanted to know if Latharian men were really as big built as the rumors said. He mentally blocked out Sadie’s reply on that one. There were just some things about his cousin he really didn’t need to know.

Movement at the back of the room caught his eye. He looked over to see Jay hovering near the doorway at the back. He looked tense, his expression a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.

“And here,” Sadie gestured to a sleek panel on the wall, “is the environmental control system for your quarters. You can adjust temperature, humidity, and even gravity settings to your comfort.”

One of the women frowned in confusion. Before he could step in to explain, Jay cleared his throat and spoke up, his voice hesitant.

“It’s like… um, a really advanced thermostat,” he explained and S’aad started in surprise. He’d altered the temperature in the office earlier, but he hadn’t explained what he was doing to Jay. The human had picked it up on his own. “But it does a lot more than just control temperature. You can make it feel like home, sort of. Pretty neat. Right?”

The woman’s face cleared in understanding, and she gave Jay a small smile.

As the welcome meeting continued, S’aad found his attention wandering to Jay all the time. He watched as his assistant awkwardly fielded questions about life on the station, often looking to him or Sadie for confirmation. His knowledge was limited, and S’aad knew his own background must have been harsh, but the fact he was putting himself out there and trying to help the new females in whatever way he could said good things about his character.

Suddenly, one of the younger women in the group burst into tears. “I can’t do this! I want to go home. This was a mistake!”

The others in the group fidgeted in their seats, avoiding looking at her. But before either S’aad or Sadie could intervene, Jay was there.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jay said, his voice soft. He reached out as if to pat her shoulder but seemed to think better of it, his hand hovering awkwardly in the air. “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe here. And I know it’s a lot… but everyone here wants to help. You’re not alone, you know?”

As the woman’s sobs subsided, S’aad became aware of Sadie watching the little interaction as well. Her blue eyes were narrowed slightly, her head tilted to one side as she watched.

The rest of the orientation passed in a blur of information and questions. S’aad watched Jay from the corner of his eye, noticing little things he hadn’t before. The way Jay seemed to shrink into himself when addressed directly and the habit he had of tugging at the front of his cap as though making sure it was still there. Originally S’aad had put that down to the cultural thing about keeping his hair covered, but now he wasn’t so sure.

The meeting ended, and the females were escorted back to their quarters, looking much more relaxed than when they’d arrived. S’aad approached Jay as he cleaned up the room, clearing his throat to get Jay’s attention.

“You did well with them,” he said, his voice gruffer than he’d intended.

“Thanks. I’m glad I could help, even a little.” Jay looked up, the small smile curving his lips sending a bolt of heat straight down to S’aad’s cock.

“Yes, well,” S’aad muttered, suddenly flustered. “Keep up the good work.”

He turned away quickly and nearly collided with Sadie. The glance she shot at Jay and then back to him made S’aad’s skin prickle with embarrassment.

“Jay seems to be settling in well,” she said, her tone casual, and then she looked at the time-keeping device on her wrist and her nose wrinkled.

“Oh shit, I’m going to be late. Dinner again, soon?” The direct look she pinned him with told him it was not a question. They would be having dinner, and soon. Her gaze slid past him to Jay. “And bring your… assistant.”

“Of course,” he said smoothly, holding out an arm to her as he escorted her to the door. As he did, he shot a glance over his shoulder to Jay as he continued to tidy up. The awkward set of his shoulders, the delicate bones of his wrists, the soft curve of his cheek… why hadn’t he noticed these things before? Or had he simply not allowed himself to see them?