Riv's Sanctuary: A Sci-fi Alien Romance by A.G. Wilde (best books to read TXT) 📕

moved around in his room, muttered curses slipping from his lips as he searched for the backup sat phone.

The female had been yammering away something he couldn’t understand but at least she’d put down the blaster after she’d challenged him and backed down.

This is why he didn’t like visitors.

He’d stepped outside to return the baby umu to its enclosure and when he’d returned he could already smell her presence in his space.

That and her incessant yammering were going to do his head in.

He hadn’t heard so many words said in a short space of time for many months.

He hadn’t been around anyone but his brother, Sohut, to hear conversation.

There was a reason he lived in the middle of nowhere. A reason he had only animals as company.

Animals didn’t yap away and they tended to keep to themselves once they were fed and happy.

Well, every animal except the little umu that refused to stay in its enclosure. That umu was almost as annoying as the presence of the female in his main room.

Maybe if he fed her she would do like the animals—keep quiet and to herself—until he figured out what to do with her.

Finding the sat phone, he pinged Geblit as he headed back to the main room.

The female had been pacing and she stopped as soon as he entered, her wide eyes cast his way.

He kept his eyes on her and realized only a few seconds later that her gaze didn’t falter.

She was scared, but she was also watching him as if should he try anything, she was ready to retaliate.

It almost made him laugh.

Almost.

The phone pinged and the signal dropped.

Growling at the phone, he pinged Geblit again.

The ping bounced back and forth for a few seconds before Geblit picked up the call.

“Riv!”

“You excrement pipe.”

“You can’t send her back. I called in the favor.” Geblit dropped all pretense of friendliness.

“My sanctuary is for abused animals.” Riv’s eyes narrowed, his gaze falling on the female. “Not wide-eyed yammering females.”

“Riv, I had no other choice. I only went to the creature exchange to find a companion for Cargga. I didn’t expect to see the human there and the zookeeper gave me a good price. I thought she’d be a good buy!” Geblit wailed as if he was the victim in this and it only made Riv’s nostril’s flare. “Cargga doesn’t want her and I can’t take her back. Riv,” Geblit paused, “you have to honor the favor.”

He didn’t have to do jack shit. Especially when it involved having a female living on his farm.

The only thing holding him back from demanding that Geblit return and take her away was the fact that he did owe Geblit a favor.

Phekking hell.

Pulling out one of the hover chairs by the table, he sat on it as he ended the call. He set the sat phone down and crossed his arms, his eyes on the female.

She was standing in the corner like a scared umu. But he knew all about umus. He had several of them on the Sanctuary.

They may look soft and innocent but they could turn into terrible little beasts in a second.

She was no different. Most beings weren’t.

He knew this from experience.

As he stared at her, eyes narrowed, he watched her shoulders straighten slowly as her throat moved.

Wide brown eyes glanced around the room before they landed on him once more and her fisted hands opened to flatten against the strange material of her trousers.

Her pale chest was on display and he realized she was missing half of her dark tunic, leaving her exposed. Her torso was soft, he saw no muscle definition there and it surprised him a little.

Females of his kind, the Merssi, were almost as strong as the males, with muscles to show for it.

This female, she looked soft all over.

And she’d had the audacity to challenge him?

Maybe that’s why she’d gotten caught in the first place. Maybe her survival instincts were lacking.

What had she been doing at the creature market anyway? She was no animal. This was an intelligent being.

The female’s throat moved again as she rubbed her hands against her trousers, her gaze fastened on him.

She was terrified of him. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was stuck in that corner all night.

Riv stiffened because as soon as he thought it, the female took one tentative step forward.

The corner of his lips curled in irritation almost immediately.

But that didn’t stop her.

She took another step forward, closing the gap between them, her eyes focused solely on him.

She was being cautious, watching him for any changes in his stance, but she was still walking forward.

That made him outright growl in her direction.

She paused at that, her eyes widening a little and he waited to see what she would do.

Instead of running back to the corner, the female took another step forward till she was by the chair on the other side of the table.

Her throat moved once more as she took a seat in front of him.

Now she sat looking at him and he realized that she was studying him as much as he was studying her.

She was either brave, or foolish.

Pity she wouldn’t be around long enough for him to find out.

“Uhm…” she said, and his ears, normally flat against the sides of his head, pricked.

She was going to start yammering again, wasn’t she.

“Ai dohnt noh waht to sey.”

Riv’s brows dived a little as the female continued speaking. The more she spoke, the braver she got. He could see it.

Her eyes weren’t so wide anymore and her face was becoming expressive. She was even using her hands now, to gesture as she spoke.

He let her natter on, his gaze on her face the entire time.

He had no idea what she was talking about and he didn’t really care. He could admit though that she came from a strange species.

Every time she opened her mouth, her flat teeth showed. She had no fangs and all of her teeth looked incredibly blunt. How did she defend herself?

He had to assume