Page 79 of Riv's Sanctuary

“You must be really stupid to think you could take all us three because you have a phekking tevsi,” the leader said. “Looks like you’re outnumbered, fool.”

Riv fought the urge to glare at the Zedrurian.

“You pull that trigger and your friend here can say goodbye to his gonads,” his reply was calm. “My tevsi happens to like small game.”

That made the male he was choking widen his eyes as he struggled and the leader’s gaze moved to fix on his companion’s crotch.

Riv tilted the blade he had positioned there and the metal pressed into the cloth of the trousers.

The leader paled a bit but his blaster didn’t fall.

The one whose gonads were in jeopardy began to gurgle something, which Riv assumed was some sort of protest to his boss.

After this, he doubted they would be friends anymore.

As the leader moved his weight from one leg to the other, Riv glanced to his side, intending to check on the female, but when he looked, his eyes fell on an empty space.

The human wasn’t there.

In alarm, his gaze scanned the area quickly to see where she’d run off to hide when he spotted her behind the male with the blaster in his hands.

“Dohnt moove muhth-er-fuhk-er.”

18

Why had she thought this was going to be a simple trip?

Of course, nothing in this universe was simple. And she’d thought life on Earth had been complicated.

Moving behind Riv as slowly as possible so as not to catch the eyes of the aliens confronting them, she made her way to his other side.

Grot was snarling in the face of one of the aliens and not biting him to death, but it was obvious from the dog’s stance that one word from Riv and he would tear into the male without hesitation.

The one that was choking was still gripping Riv’s arm at his throat, trying to free himself, and the other male seemed to not think of her as a threat because he looked like he’d forgotten she existed.

Good.

Moving slowly, she slipped her mother’s watch from her wrist.

Fuck.

She had no idea what she was going to do but Riv was in trouble because of her and she had to do something.

As soon as she was in range, she spun and pressed the watch into the back of the alien’s head.

The male stiffened and Lauren swallowed hard.

“Don’t move, motherfucker.”

The alien froze.

For a few seconds, no one said anything before the slow laugh of the one she was holding up with a watch, the leader she assumed, met their ears.

He began to turn his head to look at her but she pushed the flat face of the watch into the back of his head some more.

“I said don’t move, fucking Predator, or this thing will blow your head off.”

Winging it.