Ka'Cit's Haven: A Sci-fi Alien Romance (Riv's Sanctuary Book 3) by A.G. Wilde (online e book reader .txt) 📗

to escape?” The sultry voice had him stiffening and he slowly lowered his gaze to the female before him.

“What do you want, Herza?” His voice was thick with scorn and he was sure she heard it dripping from his tongue. “Apart from the credits they said they’ll pay you for doing this deal, that is.”

She pressed something and the light in the room came on.

Her tail was twitching behind her as she crossed her arms and walked over to stand before him.

She studied him. “I had to use a lot of resources to find information on you. I think I deserve those credits after you wounded my entire crew and took off with that thing. Don’t you think?”

She took a step closer.

Her movements were suggestive.

Feminine.

But whatever she was trying to do, it was having the opposite effect on him.

“Why would a man like you, the Crusher of all people, risk so much for a frail little animal.”

Ka’Cit’s jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed but he didn’t respond.

If he showed emotion, they’d use it against him.

They’d use it against her.

Herza uncrossed her hands slowly and ran a finger down his cheek, pressing her body against his in the process.

“I’ve always wondered what it was like, being with a smooth-faced.” She brought her lips up to his ear, brushing the tender skin there with one of her fangs. “They say people like you phek like you’re possessed.”

Her tail wrapped around his leg. “Maybe I should test you out myself, before they send you to the Tasqals and they torture you to death.”

Ka’Cit grunted. He knew what she was doing.

“Herza,” he said, leaning his head against hers so he could whisper in her ear. “I would gladly die than go anywhere near you.”

She jerked off him then, her eyes flashing fire.

“How dare you. You have the nerve to deny me!” She took a step back, glaring at him before something clicked. “Raxu…” she murmured. “I can’t believe it. Don’t tell me you’ve…you’ve bonded with the hoo-man?”

Ka’Cit stiffened but he didn’t respond.

He watched as Herza’s gaze became enraged and her smile became wicked.

“No wonder they caught you so easily. No wonder you deny ever being in the hoo-man’s presence.” She scoffed. “You dare choose that thing over this.” She motioned to herself.

Ka’Cit’s gaze moved with disinterest down her body before he met her eyes once more.

“Yes.”

That only seemed to enrage her some more and she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

With a deep breath, Ka’Cit allowed his shoulders to sag.

Pissing her off probably hadn’t been the best idea but he couldn’t help it.

Even now, her touch was making his skin crawl.

It wasn’t her hands or her body he wanted against his.

He wanted Nee-ya.

But that wasn’t ever going to happen so he settled for the memories instead.

And it was those memories that were going to help him to get through this.

He just had to find a way to get them off her tail…and his.

Nia walked through the Exchange, her gaze hard, her steps sure.

The blaster she carried hung in plain sight in one hand and she didn’t know if that was the reason nobody seemed to get in her way or if it was the deadly look in her eyes…

Probably.

Or maybe it was a combination of those things and the mask.

She’d found the mask in one of the metal piles as she’d hurried back to the hover car.

It wasn’t the one Ka’Cit had been wearing when they’d been together, this one was a little rusted, but it served her purpose anyway.

Dressed in her trainers, trousers, and brown tunic, she didn’t think she looked particularly threatening, but add the mask and blaster, and suddenly beings were double taking and moving out of her way.

Or maybe it was the focus in her gaze as she headed toward her destination.

She saw no one but the path and purpose before her.

She just had to hope she wasn’t too late.

The gator-guard had told her where to go—a place called the Scintex—and she was very aware that it might be a trap.

She had no way to verify if what he said was true but there was one thing she was sure of.

The guard wanted her captured…and he thought she was weak.

He didn’t think she’d be able to put up a fight even if she ended up reaching Ka’Cit.

Nia gripped the weapon in her hand.

Well, he was wrong.

She’d never felt more deadly than how she felt now and if one thing was clear, time wasn’t on her side.

She had to take the chance.

She’d only been able to send a message to Riv through the sat phone in the hover car before she’d sped away from Ka’Cit’s homestead.

She’d told them everything was all right. She didn’t need them worrying about her.

She wasn’t even worried about herself.

If this went south… Fuck.

But this was what you did for the people you loved.

Suddenly, you didn’t matter anymore.

She was fine with going into the enemy’s nest on her own. Just like he had done for her on more than one occasion.

Her heart ached.

Ka’Cit.

All she could feel inside was…anguish and rage.

It was dark now and the lights of the stalls on either side of the street played on her mask.

As she walked, she could feel her own power.

An alien bumped into her, took one look at her face—or, rather, the mask—and his six eyes widened.

His tried to scramble away when Nia pointed the gun at him.

He almost withered before her.

“You,” she said. “Where is the Scintex?”

The alien was trembling so hard, she didn’t know if he even understood what she was saying.

Six eyes blinked before a two-fingered hand pointed down a side street. “Straight th-that way.”

Nia lowered the gun and headed down in the direction she was pointed to.

It was different down this street.

She noticed immediately.

It was seedier and the air felt heavier.

The aliens were different too.

They seemed more brutish, more on the wrong side of the law, and that alone made her grip the handle of the blaster tighter.

They watched her,