Ka'Cit's Haven (Riv’s Sanctuary #3)

“Oh, Riv! Morning.”

Riv grunted, his eyes boring into hers.

The tall blue-skinned male wasn’t wearing his shades or face covering this morning, and she got a good view of his scowl.

“Up early again.”

Nia nodded. “As always.” She bit back a little chuckle as she thought about telling him exactly why she’d been up so early for the past few months.

She doubted the couples knew how loud they were.

They weren’t doing it on purpose and, well, she didn’t want to spoil their fun.

Riv grunted and walked toward the umu enclosures.

“Oh, I fed the umus already.”

Riv paused, turned his head, and gave her a look that asked “why?” before the scowl on his face looked like it transformed into stone.

He crossed his arms and glared at her. “What is wrong with you, human?”

Nia blinked at him. Despite the obvious anger on his face, she wasn’t afraid of him.

If living around him for the past few months told her anything, he was only upset because he cared.

They all cared for her—Sohut, Cleo, Lauren, Riv—in their own ways.

She’d been ripped from her family on Earth, and now she had a new one.

“Riv?” Lauren called from the doorway. The woman’s blond hair blew in the slight wind, and so did the white nightgown she was wearing.

Her face was flushed, probably from her mate’s ministrations not long before, and her gaze bounced between them. “Did she do all the work again?”

“Yes,” Riv growled, but his growl wasn’t threatening. As a matter of fact, his face softened as it fell on Lauren and her rounded belly.

She was starting to show already.

In the next few months, there was going to be yet another being living on the Sanctuary. A half-merssi, half-human.

Nia smiled.

Was she selfish to want the baby to come quickly just so she could snuggle it?

“Niaaa,” Lauren said. “You really don’t have to work so hard. I swear you’re like one of those robots in the fields.”

“Worse,” Riv muttered.

“I told you guys, I don’t mind.” Nia dropped the pebbles and dusted her hands on her trousers.

When she glanced up, they were both looking at her as if they thought she was lying.

It was Nia’s turn to chuckle. “Really, I don’t.”

Lauren caressed her belly. “Well, you should come in anyway. We’re heading to the Exchange to get a few things. Thought you’d want to tag along…”

Something buzzed inside Nia and she almost jumped for joy.

The Exchange was like a huge market—no, it was the market of markets.