Page 9 of Thrilled By Her Protector

“Shut up, you lowly filth,” Aliza snapped at Kizzy, who was less dominant than the haughty Drakein.

“That’s enough,” Jennifer replied. “You need to respect each other. Especially if you want to be granted freedom to leave the compound.”

“Why should I respect this female who is beneath me?” Aliza asked, and Jennifer closed her eyes.

This was impossible. She should have thought long and hard before accepting this assignment. Yes, she handled the WPU, but they were obviously different from these Drakeins. Jennifer’s Owl whistled, and she snapped her eyes open in time to see Aliza move to strike. The woman mistook Jennifer’s posture for weakness, but her attempts to knock her down backfired.

“Ow, release me! Release me!” Aliza grunted as Jennifer shoved her face onto the tiled floor.

She’d used a standard defensive move, grabbing her attacker and pinning her arm behind her back before dropping her to the dirt. Jennifer loathed violence, but of course, she knew how to defend herself. She wasn’t an idiot.

“That was a mistake,” Jennifer growled.

Maybe it was her years with the Wessex boys, but for whatever reason, her Owl was not cowed by these ferocious Drakeins. Oh sure, any one of them could have likely burned her to a crisp if they wanted, but Jennifer had been assigned this post, and she would do her duty. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

“Are you ready to follow orders?” she asked.

Aliza struggled but stopped once Jennifer applied more pressure to her arm. If she used any more force, she would break it, and that was something she wanted to avoid. Her goal was not to hurt these women, but to get them ready to live in the real world.

“Grr. Fine, yes, release me!”

Jennifer waited a beat, her eyes pinning each one of the Drakein, including the two males who’d moved as if to intervene. Of course, they didn’t. they wouldn’t onceheshowed up.

Fucking Zircon. He stood at the door, his face impassive, but she knew better. The fists he clenched at his sides told her he was more than ready to strike out against anyone who interfered with what was happening.

She moved back swiftly, allowing Aliza some space. The female leaped to her feet, her breathing increased as she glared at Jennifer.

“That was unfortunate,” Jennifer said, addressing first Aliza, then the rest of the group. “But if you’re thinking about testing me again, let me assure you, I am ready. Of course, I would much rather spend my time getting you ready to move on with your lives, but it’s up to you.”

Aliza huffed a breath and spat out something in her native tongue that sounded very much like a curse word to Aliza. She smirked when she saw Zircon and managed to press against him as she walked out. His expression never changed, but the doorway made it impossible for him to move away.

That rankled Jennifer. He’d just stood there, letting the woman rub her scantily clad body against him. Shit. She had no right to be jealous, but Jennifer could no more stop those feelings than she could change the phases of the moon. His blue gaze met hers, and she looked away, refusing to give him anything.

“Apologies, Jennifer Dylluan,” Luna spoke, stepping forward. “We do not feel as Aliza does. We wish to learn so we might prove productive to this planet and make lives for ourselves.”

“Good. Then let’s continue.”

The rest of the lesson went by quickly. It was rather uneventful, and Jennifer might have even enjoyed it except for the silent statue of a man standing sentry at the back of the room. She did her best to ignore him, but that was like ignoring the existence of the stars or the moon itself.

Zircon was just so commanding of her attention. He didn’t even have to do anything. He just had to exist. She couldn’t help her reactions. She was simply drawn to him. It was like she was pulled by some unseen magnetic force.

“That’s all for today, but please read through the materials I sent to your tablets. It really is imperative you understand how to blend in with society here on Earth, in New Jersey, to be more specific.”

“Yes, Jennifer Dylluan,” they replied in unison.

She shook her head. No matter how many times she told them not to use her first and last names together, they still did. But they were working on it, and she supposed that counted.

“I have a question,” Ox said, approaching her desk after the others had left.

“What is it?” Jennifer asked.

“How does mating work on this planet?”

“Excuse me?”

“I would like to know, Jennifer Dylluan, how respectable males of age go about announcing their claim on unmated females.”

Jennifer’s mouth dropped open. Well, shit. How was she supposed to explain this?

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