Page 72 of Riv's Sanctuary

He’d have to do so now while he fed the animals and got ready to leave.

If he hurried, he could get them to the exchange before the dark-cycle and then return home.

Gaze flicking back to the human, she was still looking at him and there was some irritation behind her eyes.

Good.

He could live with that.

He could take her anger, her irritation, her disgust…

What he couldn’t take was what he thought he’d seen in her eyes the last dark cycle.

Concern.

The last thing he needed was her concern.

* * *

Riv’s brother looked like his twin, only a little younger.

She found herself looking from one to the other, noticing the similarities and the differences.

Where Riv had frown lines, Sohut had none.

She couldn’t imagine why.

There was something startlingly different between them, though, and she’d noticed while they’d been conversing.

Sohut had a tail.

Riv didn’t.

She didn’t know much about aliens. As a matter of fact, she knew nothing about aliens, but she’d have thought because they were brothers they’d both have the same types of body parts.

It seemed strange for one to have a tail and the other not to.

And they were blood brothers. The facial similarity was too uncanny.

Sohut wore his hair up and away from his shoulders in a sort of man-bun and the locs and gold rings present in Riv’s hair were missing from his.

He was also slightly smaller than Riv—more lithe, as if Riv lifted the heavy weights while Sohut did work that required running and moving quickly.

She was listening to them speak while she studied them both when the conversation moved to her temporary stay at the Sanctuary.

Lauren gulped when Riv’s gaze fell on her.

She couldn’t read his eyes and he didn’t say anything, but it was clear her welcome had expired.

Great.

Now she had to steel herself and prepare for going back to that market.

A spike of anger filled her as she frowned.

She’d been getting used to the idea of staying at the Sanctuary, even though she’d known he didn’t want her living there.

That was her fault. She couldn’t feel bad.