Page 114 of Riv's Sanctuary

Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe this was normal.

Maybe it would go away as soon as he got rid of her.

Or maybe he was weak.

And the last thing he wanted to do was let himself down.

Many orbits ago, he had promised himself he would never leave himself open to be used ever again.

But despite that he'd kept himself way from so many other females, he knew he was also not someone a female needed.

He was broken. Incomplete.

The stub where his tail once was served as evidence of that.

Which female would want a male like him?

He kept this in his mind as the air jet dried him and he exited the cleansing room, nude but warm.

Trust no one.

That had been his motto.

A silly one…because it seemed as if he couldn’t even trust himself.

25

A full week passed since the bathroom incident and, surprisingly, the days went more smoothly than she’d thought they would.

After that night, she was sure she’d have seen Geblit in the morning. And she’d been ready to leave with him too.

She’d had enough.

But Geblit never turned up and what’s more, Riv seemed to disappear for the most part.

So she decided to do what she could do.

Work.

Keep herself busy.

It was great, too, because, after being stuck behind a glass wall for a year, keeping herself company, she suddenly had things she could occupy her mind with.

She'd wake early, get out onto the grounds to do chores, return late, shower, eat, go to bed, repeat.

And during most of that time, she was left to her own devices.

Riv seemed more focused on securing the farm, spending most of his time by the perimeter when he wasn't tending to the animals.

He stayed out of her way but she still found him hovering sometimes.

At certain points, she'd turn to find him watching her from a few meters off and, with his face covering and shades, she couldn't tell if he was scowling or not.

Memory of what had happened between them that night played in her mind every single day but it was getting easier to forget as time passed by.

She wasn’t angry at him, really.

She was angry at herself.