Page 135 of Riv's Sanctuary

“I’m sorry for inconveniencing you with all this…trouble.”

“It’s no trouble.”

She paused, watching him.

His voice was deceptively soft for the furious look on his face.

“Why are you angry with me, then?”

His gaze moved to her and she swore his eyes softened a little before he sighed.

“I’m not used to people…females…being the way you are,” he said after a while and her brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

Riv let out a breath.

Those few words were more than he’d ever said to her about himself and he paused as if he wasn’t sure if he could continue.

“You haven’t tried to use me,” he finally said.

Shocked, Lauren leaned back a little.

“Why on earth—why do you think I would want to use you?”

Riv swallowed, his gaze flicking away from her.

“I thought you were like them…the others.” He sighed.

“Like who?”

He zoned out. She could see him do it, as if he was remembering something a long time ago.

Reaching forward, she touched his cheek gently and his gaze flicked to her again.

“What happened to you, Riv?”

It was almost as if she could feel the panic rising within him. Never since she’d met him had Riv ever been as vulnerable as he was right now.

“When I was a chid,” he began, “my mor sold me and Sohut to the Tasqal mines.”

His knuckle turned a light-blue as he held on to the hovercar’s controls. “I can still remember crying, reaching for our mor, but she’d turned and walked away, leaving us there in the hands of strangers.”

Riv gulped and inhaled deeply. “Tasqals. She sold us to a Tasqal for woogli smoke.”

She didn’t know what woogli smoke was but she sure could guess. It sounded like some kind of drug.

“The female Tasqal my mor sold us to had a harem of many males,” Riv continued. “She’d use them for phekking, one after the other till they expired. I still remember her clearly. She had a circular headdress with gold trimming that she alone wore. She’s the one who removed my tail.”

“Oh my God…” Lauren covered her mouth, staring at him as his eyes grew distant again.

Riv didn’t meet her gaze, but his jaw clenched down hard.

“How old were you when she took you?” she breathed.

“About two hands.”

“Ten?! You were ten?” A bowl of anger overflowed within her suddenly. “You were ten?”