Ka'Cit's Haven (Riv’s Sanctuary #3)

Nia shook her head. “No.”

Geblit looked surprised. “No?”

“No,” Nia repeated and began walking away. Her chest was heaving and her breath was beginning to come hard as if she was stuck in a small dark space.

“Well, I guess you can come in and deposit the sample yourself at some other time,” she heard Geblit murmur as she hurried away.

She just needed a place to think by herself and maybe things would make sense.

41

Things didn’t make sense the next day…or the day after that.

Actually, instead of things becoming clear, they only became more confusing.

Each hour that went by drew another unanswered question till her nights were filled with her staring into the darkness, unable to sleep as her thoughts plagued her.

At least, in the daytime, she could push her thoughts aside and focus on work.

Still, that didn’t get rid of the seething underneath her skin.

Nia grabbed the shovel as she entered the tilgran enclosure. Morpheus dipped his head, trying to nuzzle her, but Nia shrugged him off.

“Not today, Morpheus. I’m not in the mood.”

The tilgran raised its head and looked down at her.

Nia ignored the animal and began shoveling the waste, dumping it in the bucket near her feet.

Every shovel-full received a glare and every scrape of the shovel was fueled by the anger burning like a fire within her.

How dare him.

How dare him!

She wasn’t some charity case, if that’s what he saw her as.

She might not have much, but she was willing to find some way to pay for herself in this new world.

She hadn’t needed his charity.

Grabbing the bucket, Nia exited the enclosure and slammed the gate shut.

The bang echoed across the Sanctuary and when she turned, she almost bumped into Riv.

Gripping the bucket in her hand, Nia didn’t pause. She simply walked around the male and headed toward the fruit field.

It wasn’t the others’ fault, her current mood, but she couldn’t help it.

She didn’t want to speak to anyone and she didn’t want them trying to talk her into accepting this overly generous gift.

For it was very generous.

Generous enough for Riv to almost fall out of his seat when he’d opened the paper and read it.

Apparently, Geblit hadn’t been joking when he’d said Mr. Ka’Cit Urgmental had considerable assets.

He was wealthy…and now half of that wealth was hers.