Page 81 of Riv's Sanctuary

As Riv released the male was who choking and the male scampered off, Grot eased off the one of the floor and turned to growl at the male before her.

Grot looked utterly terrifying.

All his teeth were bared and there was thick slobber dripping from his sharp fangs as if he was just dying for a meal.

He moved to stand beside Riv but the way the dog was standing told her that he was ready to pounce at any moment.

“I knew this watch would come in handy, but not like this.”

“What did she say now?” The male’s eyes darted backward as if he was trying to look at her without turning his head.

“She’s going to let you go now. Walk away and never phek with us again. Understand?”

The male nodded slightly.

As soon as she removed the pressure of the watch from his neck, the male hurried away with a few backward glances, almost tripping over his friends who was just rising from the ground.

Lauren watched him go, her shoulders still stiff with apprehension.

* * *

As the male moved away from the human, Riv glanced down at her to ensure she was okay.

He didn’t know why but the males irritated him to high phek.

Even more than the human did, and everything about her irritated him.

She seemed unhurt. Her eyes were still alert, though, as she kept her gaze on the retreating males.

She’d surprised him.

He had no idea if her device was indeed dangerous but her quick thinking had been impressive.

As she fixed the device on her wrist once more, he studied her.

No whimpering, no hiding, no playing the victim, no dramatics…

Not what he’d expected.

It’d felt a bit strange having someone who wasn’t Sohut or Grot in a standoff beside him, but she’d held her ground when he’d initially thought she’d have run away.

He didn’t know how to feel about that.

As he studied her, Grot moved forward and bumped his head against her side. The female reached down to pat the tevsi on the head immediately.

And he hesitated.

For a second he hesitated.

For phek’s sake. Was one incident going to make him forget his reason for bringing her to the exchange in the first place?

No.

Steeling himself, he pushed all wayward thoughts from his mind and refocused.

"Come," he said to her, slipping his blade in his trousers once more and ignoring the onlookers as he led her to the other side of the job exchange.

Maybe they’d have better luck on that side, where pesky idiots with fur for brains probably wouldn’t be.

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