She better not.
She wouldn’t like what she saw there.
Right now, though, he couldn’t quite make out what she was thinking.
Not that he wanted to know.
Anything she was thinking could be kept to herself for all eternity.
But even as he moved toward the cook room, her eyes followed him, and as he neared her, he saw something in her eyes that he did recognize.
Lust.
He knew that look. He’d seen it many times and never had it come from a good place.
Riv stiffened and his skin bristled as he passed the female and entered the cook room.
He should turn back and go to bed, leave her unfed.
The fact she was looking at him like that…
What did she want?
He wasn’t a chid anymore. He knew all the wiles females used to get what they wanted and whatever she wanted, it wasn’t going to come from him.
Grabbing a bowl of pre-made rai, he filled it with gada paste and returned to the main room.
The female was watching him silently, those expressive eyes studying him as if she was trying to figure him out.
Riv grunted at the thought.
As he placed the bowl in front of her, her eyes widened a little and a smile split her face.
He found himself staring at her face for far much longer than he should have and when Grot made a low rumble, it broke him from his trance.
“—yoo so much.”
She’d been speaking as well. He hadn’t heard a word even though he’d been watching her mouth move.
Shaking his head a little, he zoned in on the fact that he was still standing by her chair, their bodies so close he could sense the warmth coming off hers.
Jerking away, he shook himself mentally.
He needed to go to bed. Bed and away from this room.
Away from these thoughts.
Away from her.
Lauren ate the bowl of cereal slower this time.
She was intent on savoring every drop. There was no telling when she’d be back to eating those meal bars she still had—they never seemed to go bad.
She’d thought he was going to stay and eat with her but looking back now, she should have known better.
He didn’t want to be around her.
He wasn’t a complete dick, though. He was feeding her. He’d given her a nice room for herself. And most of all, he hadn’t tried to touch her inappropriately.
As far as it seemed, he didn’t even see her as female.
…Which she guessed was okay.
Lauren stared at the now empty bowl.
Why did that make her feel a bit…strange inside? Disappointed even.
She should be happy he wasn’t looking at her like that. The aliens that had looked at her like she was female hadn’t been subtle about their intentions. It’d been clear what they had wanted from her.
Sighing, Lauren ate in peace for what felt like a good hour, each mouthful of food savored to an extreme extent till it slipped down her throat.
From now on, she would never take proper meals for granted ever again. Not after having those meal bars for a year.
When she finally finished, she stood and moved to the room she supposed was the kitchen.
There were gadgets in there that she had no idea the purpose of.
She didn’t even see a stove or anything that looked like one.
There was an indentation in the counter and she assumed that was the sink but as far as she could see, there was nothing to wash the bowl with.
Setting the bowl down, she was about to turn and look for soap of some kind when a robotic hand exited a compartment and grabbed the bowl.
Lauren jerked backward.
Another robotic hand followed the first and both began washing the vessel without her intervention.
She found herself staring at the thing for quite some time. Well, she stared until it completed its task, put the bowl away in what she’d call a cupboard, and slipped back into its compartment as if it didn’t even exist.
Impressed with it, she glanced around the kitchen.
She better not touch anything else. Who knew what else a robot could be lurking in and where.
Backtracking, she exited the room, a yawn causing her to cover her mouth. She guessed she should go to bed then.
Grot lifted his head, looked at her, and stood, padding behind her.
Lauren looked back at him, startled for a moment, before a soft smile touched her lips.
The more time she spent around the dog, the more she was getting used to him and he was really a soft thing.
Turning, Lauren continued down the corridor, her steps slowing as she passed the bedroom she assumed was Riv’s.
At first, there was no sound and she was about to continue walking, thinking her host was sound asleep, when her ears caught something.
Lauren paused.
The sound came again, something like a groan, and Lauren stopped moving completely.
When the sound repeated, Lauren’s brows furrowed in concern, her breath held in her throat.
For a moment, no more sounds came and she thought whatever was happening to her host had stopped. But, as she convinced herself of this, the groaning started again.
It was such a tortured sound that it sent alarm bells ringing. It was the type of sound a person made when they were in great pain.
When the sound came through the door once more, Lauren bit her lip.
He was in pain.
She could feel it.
Her hand lifted to the locking panel by the door and, at another place at another time, she’d have entered the room to check if he was okay.
She contemplated doing that now but logic said she should walk away. It wasn’t her place to do such a thing.
He didn’t want her on his Sanctuary, she was pretty sure entering his personal room would make things worse.
She should walk away.
Walk away, Lauren, do not enter.
Lauren bit her lip, swallowing hard as another groan reached her ears.
WALK AWAY.
15
He was working in the mines. He could smell the thick stench of sweat, sickness, and sex. Beside him,
