Page 39 of Riv's Sanctuary

Despite her first impression of him, when she’d thought he was going to rip out her throat with his claws, she somehow felt safe.

She didn’t know why, but she did, and it was a feeling that was so alien she lay rigid on the bed, staring at the roof and wondering if terror would follow shortly.

Even in the terrarium, she hadn’t felt safe. Even with the barrier to the outside, she’d felt wary all the time.

With a sigh, she swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

Was this going to be the first time she felt safe in a year?

Damn.

Another sigh shuddered through her.

She’d stay inside and wait for Riv to return. He obviously didn’t want her in his space so she’d wait till he got used to the idea she was there before pushing him further.

It was difficult enough the fact he couldn’t understand what she was saying. She had to be careful to not piss him off before she could find a way to communicate with him better.

9

She must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes, the room was dark.

Stretching, the light in the room came on because of her movement.

She stood immediately and cast her eyes out the window.

It was night.

It was very unlike her to fall asleep so early in the day. She’d gotten used to staying awake until the zoo closed and faces were no longer peering into her terrarium.

For her to fall asleep without forcing herself to…

Moving lights in the field outside caught her eyes and she moved closer to the window, squinting.

It took her a few moments to realize it was the robots she’d seen when they’d been approaching the Sanctuary.

They were still hard at work.

Apart from those lights, the animals’ enclosures were also well lit and she could see the cow-hippos moving about lazily. Some were laying on the ground and looked like they were sleeping.

Glancing at the watch on her hand, Lauren grimaced.

It was still a habit she had, checking that watch, but the time was still frozen at six.

Funny. The last time she remembered looking at it while on Earth was right before she’d been taken and it had said six o’clock.

That brought back a memory she’d rather forget. Looking at her watch while she’d returned from the mall was the last thing she remembered doing before she woke up on the alien ship.

It wasn’t something she liked thinking about.

As she let her shoulders fall in a sigh, a deep boom that seemed to shake the very room echoed outside her door.

Spinning around, wide-eyed, she almost jumped out of her skin. She expected to see a monster standing there but the door was still closed.

Had she imagined it?

She didn’t really know.

Spending a year all alone was like living in solitary confinement. Her imagination had run wild a few times.