Page 70 of Riv's Sanctuary

He hadn’t wanted to converse with her. He’d only been forced to and something told him that even if he’d tried to lay down the rules with her, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

She’d have still followed him around the Sanctuary…still found her way next to his sleeping cushion in the middle of the phekking dark-cycle.

"His name is Grot." Riv forced his attention from Sohut back to the female. "Doggo" just sounded…weird.

He didn't like this female…

His entire Sanctuary felt different since she'd arrived.

Grot let his tongue hang out of his mouth and bumped his head against Sohut, who finally relaxed enough to pat the tevsi on the head.

"Hey, Grot," Sohut smiled at the tevsi. "You weren't really going to rip me apart, were you?"

Grot made a low rumble before lying flat on his belly. All the while, the human stood behind him, watching Sohut with guarded eyes.

Sohut lifted his gaze to the female.

“I am Sohut,” he said. “This is my brother, Riv.” Sohut jerked a shoulder in his direction. “I am sure he hasn’t introduced himself. He’s not very…good at this.”

The female looked his way, shooting a dagger with those brown eyes of hers.

Turning back to Sohut, she placed a delicate hand on her bosom. “La-rehn.”

Her name.

That was her name.

He didn’t need to be a dark matter physicist to understand that.

La-rehn.

Grudgingly, he decided he liked it.

He could like her name. He didn’t have to like her.

Shifting uncomfortably, he watched the exchange between the two.

Sohut was so much better at this than he was.

That’s why Sohut was the one who went off-Sanctuary on contracted jobs.

He couldn’t deal with beings the way Sohut could.

He didn’t want to.

“La-rehn,” Sohut turned the name over on his tongue and Riv stiffened.

Hearing her name come from his brother’s lips made an illogical bolt of irritation shoot through him.

“Greetings, La-rehn. Welcome to the Sanctuary.” Sohut reached out and put a firm hand on the female’s shoulder in greeting.

The female jerked but didn’t move away. She stood her ground and met Sohut’s gaze.

Riv barely heard what she said to his brother, not that he would have understood anyway.

His eyes were fastened instead on Sohut’s hand on the female.

He was touching her.