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

Chapter 22

22

“ W e made it, Jared,” Jade murmured softly as she stood by one of the huge windows in the corridor of Devan Station’s residential sector and looked out. Earth lay below them, like a glittering jewel in the midnight velvet of the sky, but she didn’t feel homesick. In fact, she had no intention of ever setting foot on Earth again. Her life there was over.

Lifting a hand, she traced the intricate patterns of the necklace around her neck with her fingertips. It was S’aad’s family bonding necklace, which he’d presented to her a few days after their bonding ceremony with an apology that he hadn’t been able to give it to her on the day. Given that it had been couriered across more space than she could fathom, she’d forgiven him.

She looked at it on the reflection of the woman in the window. It was all intricately woven metal and tiny jewels, the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, let alone owned.

“I’m sorry it’s not more elaborate or worth more. It’s only tri-pandronium.”

She smiled fondly at the memory. Her mate was an idiot. Handsome, but an idiot, if he thought she cared about things like that. The necklace’s value to her wasn’t in how much it was worth but in the fact that he’d given it to her. It was her alien wedding ring, and if anyone wanted to look down at her because of what it was made of, they would have her to deal with.

A door behind her slid open with a soft hiss, and she turned to find Z’yan, the station’s security chief, looking out. He spotted her and nodded in greeting.

“We’re ready for you, Lady Jade. If you wouldn’t mind coming this way.”

She picked up her skirts and followed him into the room. He stood, his back ramrod straight, near a large metallic table. His hard gaze softened slightly as he looked at her. She’d noticed that look on a lot of the warriors as news of what M’lak had tried to do had gotten around.

He wasn’t alone, though. Duke Kaarigan, the head of the mate program, had also risen as she’d entered the room. Her gaze hardened slightly. The duke had been the one to suggest the challenge fight that could have meant she’d have lost S’aad forever and been given to M’lak, the man who had nearly killed him. Which was not something she, nor from what she’d heard, the rest of the women aboard, would forgive lightly.

She squared her shoulders and inclined her head in greeting to them both.

“Chief Z’yan, Duke Kaarigan,” she said, her voice steady and clear. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

Z’yan nodded, the ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Lady Jade, please, have a seat.”

She settled in a chair opposite both of them, studying the duke from under her lashes. He was one of the oldest Lathar she’d seen yet, but no way could anyone call him old. With long, steel silver hair, his face had a few, subtle lines, but like pretty much every other Lathar she’d seen, he was still handsome. Perhaps as a species they were genetically blessed and there were no ugly Lathar? Either that, or they’d found the ugly gene and erased it. Curiosity rolled through her. S’aad was old, compared to her, and he still looked like he was in his mid-twenties. If the duke was showing some age, just how old was he?

“Lady Jade,” Duke Kaarigan began, his voice a rich baritone that filled the room as the two Lathar took their seats. “We… I appreciate your willingness to speak with us.”

He paused, looking uncomfortable for a moment before he met her eyes again. “I know that relations between us and the current female population of the station are a little… strained due to recent events, so you agreeing to this conversation is much appreciated.”

She inclined her head. The duke was charming, but even she could hear the unspoken “we fucked up and need to put it right” in his words.

“As you might be aware, we are investigating your involvement with the mate program, and your perspective on your experiences may prove invaluable in our ongoing investigation.”

She nodded, her hands clasped loosely in her lap. Where once she would have looked away and stammered, she now met the duke’s gaze easily, steadily, and with confidence. S’aad had done that for her. He’d looked and seen who she was, and he’d allowed her to find herself. She would never allow anyone to take that from her ever again.

“I’m happy to help in any way I can. After everything that’s happened… well, I want to make sure no one else goes through what I did.”

A flicker of compassion passed over Z’yan’s face. “Your resilience is commendable, Lady Jade. And I must say, it’s a relief to see you looking so well after the incident with M’lak.”

The mention of M’lak sent a shiver down her spine, but she pushed it down and focused on the present. “Thank you, Chief. I’m grateful for your intervention that day. And for S’aad’s strength.”

She pointedly refused to look at the duke, but the way he stiffened slightly told her that her barb had found its mark.

Before she could say anything else, the door slid open again. Her eyes widened in surprise as Maax, the station’s assistant chief engineer, strode into the room.

“Maax? What are you doing here?”

Maax’s serious expression softened as he nodded in greeting. “Lady Jade, it’s good to see you again.”

“You two are acquainted?” The duke’s eyebrow rose, his gaze darting between them.

She nodded as she settled back into her seat. “Yes, Maax has been working with S’aad and me on… well, perhaps it’s best if he explains. It’s certainly pertinent to this conversation.”

Maax stepped forward. “Your grace, Chief… I’ve been assisting S’aad and Lady Jade in investigating inconsistencies within the mate program data. And I’m afraid I’ve uncovered some disturbing information.”

Tension crackled in the air like electricity. Z’yan leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table and his eyes narrowing. “What kind of information, Maax?”

The big engineer took a deep breath, his gaze flickering to her for a moment before he continued. “I’ve managed to trace the anomalies in the code. And… M’lak and his father’s identification codes are present in the affected sections.”

She blinked. She’d known, deep down, that M’lak was involved in something sinister, but to have it confirmed was something else.

Duke Kaarigan’s voice was low and dangerous when he spoke. “Are you certain of this, Maax? Be aware that you are accusing the F’Nyal of what is essentially treason, given the emperor’s order of protection on all human females.”

The engineer nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid the evidence is irrefutable, your grace. They’re part of the trafficking ring we’ve been trying to uncover.”

Her mind reeled as pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The way M’lak had looked at her, the desperation in his actions… it all made twisted sense now.

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 those students 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, we will investigate 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.