Riv's Sanctuary: A Sci-fi Alien Romance, A.G. Wilde [phonics reading books TXT] 📗

didn’t know her limbs could complete.

When she landed on her feet, she was pleasantly surprised.

The guard didn’t see her coming.

Racing toward him, rake high in the air, she slammed down the metal part into the guard’s head with a roar of her own.

Already weak, the guard’s knees buckled.

“Pesky alligator piece of shit!” She slammed the rake into the guard again, and again.

It wasn’t until a strong hand closed over her arm and took the rake from her trembling hand that she stopped.

Wide-eyed, she stared at the guard.

He was going to get a big lump on his head where she’d beat the rake into it.

“It’s ok,” Riv said, pulling her into him.

Her eyes moved over him quickly. Apart from his ripped tunic, he seemed okay.

Grot limped over to rub his nose against her and she dropped to her knees, wringing out of Riv’s arms to grab ahold of the dog.

“Oh my God, is he going to be all right?”

“He’s tougher than you think,” she heard Riv say.

Her gaze moved to the sound of a chuckle to land on Ka’Cit.

She couldn’t see his face behind the mask but he was the only other conscious individual around for miles so the laugh must have come from him.

He stepped over the bodies of the two guards who’d taken him on. Spinning a small device like a mini-flashlight between his fingers, he approached.

“How did you…” She stared at him. She didn’t remember seeing him brandish a weapon.

“He zapped them,” Riv offered.

Her eyebrows rose a little.

“Low power,” Ka’Cit said. “Just enough to zap them good.” He paused, his head turning to regard the other bodies. “Looks like they have new tech. Teleporters are rare.”

Riv grunted. Stooping down to her level, he touched her cheek. “Are you okay?”

Her gaze scoured his face. “I am, but you and Grot aren’t.” She glanced at Ka’Cit, then back.

“They came because of me, didn’t they?”

Riv’s lips formed a thin line, but he didn’t respond.

“Help me round them up, Ka’Cit. We have to let them know my La-rehn is off-limits. Now and forever.”

Chapter 30.5

Lauren paced, the rake still in her hand and her thumb in her mouth as she ground down the last bit of fingernail there.

Riv and Ka’Cit had set all eight guards against the side of the hovercar, the ones that had arrived the day before and those that had teleported.

She watched as they gathered the blasters and stepped back.

“Ready?” Ka’Cit asked.

Riv grunted.

With the press of some button in his hand, Lauren felt a soft zing across her flesh but nothing else happened.

She was about to ask what he’d done when one of the guards groaned.

The guard’s eyes opened and he snarled immediately.

She wondered why the guard didn’t attack at once but his gaze was on Ka’Cit, and when she looked, Ka’Cit had a blaster trained on him.

“What is the meaning of this, Merssi?” The guard’s yellow-eyed gaze flashed to the men and then to her. As soon as he saw her, he snarled once more. “You harbor property of the High Tasqals.”

Another of the guards stirred.

The first guard continued. “You will relinquish the property or face…consequences.”

“We will do no such thing,” Riv replied.

The guard that she’d hit with the rake stirred, his clawed hand going directly to his head. With what looked like a wince, he turned his gaze on her.

Lauren gripped the rake.

She wasn’t sorry about hitting him with it. She’d do it again, too.

“Qrakking jekin,” he snarled and made to get up when Riv’s boot landed in his chest.

“Take one more step and I can’t promise you’ll have legs to walk with anymore.”

Ka’Cit grunted and pointed the blaster at the guard’s legs.

The guard growled and settled back down.

“You are trespassing,” Riv spoke. His voice was deceptively calm, but she could see from the look in his eyes that he was trying incredibly hard to control himself.

His arms were crossed casually but he kept rolling his neck.

It reminded her of the calm before the storm, when he’d suddenly lashed out at the males at the market.

One of the guards laughed, its tongue churning within its mouth as it regarded Riv.

“Trespassing?”

The other guards were stirring now and Lauren gripped the rake tighter.

With them all awake, she hoped they didn’t attack again. Grot was injured and it would be eight against three.

“This Sanctuary is protected by the Interplanetary Union undersigned by Ambassador Geblit Cakhura.”

Lauren’s eyes widened.

Geblit?

Geblit was an ambassador?

Suddenly, him knowing what species she was when they’d first met made a whole lot of sense.

One of the guards spat.

“We don’t care about your stupid farm. We’re here for the human female you harbor illegally.”

“I’m not here illegally.” She stepped forward, rake in hand.

The guard paused before glancing at the others and they all began to snicker.

They could understand her.

Of course, they could. They worked for the same people who had abducted her.

“You belong to our master,” another guard said.

“I don’t belong to your master,” she continued.

“She belongs to me.” Riv stepped beside her. “And she’s a protected refugee under the Union. The Union knows she was trafficked. Maybe you want to bring your master to the high court? A Tasqal has never appeared there for any crime before.”

The guards glanced at each other, an unsaid conversation occurring between them. But she couldn’t even focus on that.

All she could hear repeating in her head was what Riv said.

She belongs to me.

The guard who’d woken first regarded them with cold eyes.

“You must be a fool to have sponsored a Class Four being like this,” he finally said.

“Maybe, but that’s none of your phekking business.” Riv took a step forward. “Now,” his gaze traveled over the group of guards, “get off my land.”

As soon as the guards teleported away, Lauren’s shoulders sagged.

She’d had no idea she’d been holding on to tension the entire time that she’d waited for the guards to leave.

“Do you think they’ll be back?” she asked as she watched Ka’Cit examine one of the blasters they’d taken from the guards.

“Most likely.” Riv turned to her and pulled