Ka'Cit's Haven: A Sci-fi Alien Romance (Riv's Sanctuary Book 3)

by A. G. Wilde

  Still…

  Ka’Cit ran a hand through his hair once more.

  He couldn’t, in his right mind, take her with him.

  “I don’t think you have enough time to take me back to the Sanctuary and get this job done, do you? Fuck.” She let out a laugh that was without mirth. “There are other humans out there somewhere. God knows, I don’t even want to believe it. But they need your help. You need to go to get whatever this package is.”

  When he didn’t budge, she continued. “If you take me down there, I’d be the reason those humans die. I won’t let that happen. I’m perfectly safe right now—have been ever since you came on that ship after me. I trust you.”

  Her words made a lump form in his throat.

  “Now you need to trust me.” She turned back around. Her gaze pointed out the view screen. “Let’s go.”

  Her shoulders were set. Her arms were crossed, and as Ka’Cit watched her, his worry soon turned into something else.

  It was a similar feeling to the one he’d felt when he watched her shoot down the Niftrills.

  She was unafraid, determined…fierce—the exact type of female he’d have loved to have by his side if he wasn’t…well, if he could give her the sort of life a female like her deserved.

  Memory of just a few moments before came back to him.

  He’d never felt anything so soft. Nothing so good.

  Her lips.

  Her body against his.

  Bless the stars…it had felt like an out-of-body experience—as if he hadn’t been there anymore and he was watching himself from afar.

  With her against him, it felt as if he was drowning, as if he couldn’t breathe—for he had stopped breathing. He’d been afraid to even exhale lest he break the magic of the moment.

  She was beautiful.

  Perfect.

  And she’d felt so phekking good.

  His life-organ thumped in his chest and Ka’Cit had to swallow hard. He inhaled deeply, his lungs filling up with air as if he had indeed been drowning and just broke the surface of the water.

  Raxu…

  He didn’t know what was happening, he only knew that it scared the phek out of him.

  There was like a supercharged magnet that was pulling him toward her, even when he knew he should turn the other way.

  He was weak.

  Because no matter if he tried to ignore it, it would always be there.

  His curse.

  Taunting him every time he looked in the mirror.

  For both their sakes, he should take her home. He should stop this now before it got further because spending more time around her would only make the inevitable harder.

  But could he?

  Could he really do it?

  No.

  Not yet.

  Just a few more moments in her presence before he had to say goodbye.

  “I’ll take you with me, but on one condition.”

  22

  “What’s your condition?”

  Ka’Cit dropped into the other seat and when she looked his way, she realized he’d put on his mask again.

  His face was once again shielded from the world.

  “If I tell you to run, you have to run. If I tell you to hide, you must hide.” His green eyes met hers through the slit in his mask and they bored into her soul. “Don’t turn back, don’t worry about me, just go.”

  There was a lump that formed in her throat.

  She knew what he was saying, that if something should happen to him, she should leave him there.

  She couldn’t do that. What type of person would she be if something happened and she left him for dead?

  Still, she jerked her head and gave him a nod.

  He eyed her for a bit and she wondered if he knew she was lying. Was he going to change his mind? But then he pulled his gaze away.

  “I have something to ask of you too.”

  He stiffened and his voice was almost inaudible when he replied. “What?”

  “Can we send a message to Riv and Lauren from up here? Just to let them know I’m all right. Lauren’s pregnant and I don’t want her to be stressing over me. It’s not good for the baby.”

  Ka’Cit jerked his head and pressed something on the band on his arm.

  For a few seconds, there was no sound and then the undeniable growl of Riv sounded in the cabin.

  “Ka’Cit. I am glad you have contacted me. I… We need your help.”

  Ka’Cit cleared his throat. “Help? Does it concern your mate’s…condition?”

  Nia kept her eyes on him. The way he said those words came off almost…sad.

  “No,” Riv said. “It’s…it’s Nee-ya. She’s…”

  A jolt of happiness went through her. “Tell him I’m fine.”

  “Nee-ya?” Riv sounded shocked.

  “Nia’s there?! Let me talk to her!” There was some shuffling before Lauren came on the line. “Nia?”

  Nia drew closer to Ka’Cit so they could hear her better. “Yes, it’s me. I’m fine.”

  “Oh my God! It really is you!” She could hear Lauren sobbing.

  “Hey, hey, don’t cry. I don’t want you to cry. I’m fine. I truly am.”

  Lauren was full on sobbing now. “I—we don’t know what happened. We were looking at the cradles and I turned around to ask you what you thought and you weren’t there. Oh God, Nia, what happened? We searched everywhere!”

  Water was starting to fill her own eyes and she forced them away. “I…it’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it when I get back, but I just wanted you to know that I’m fine. I’m unharmed and I am well.”

  “Where are you? We can come get you.”

  Nia glanced at Ka’Cit. His eyes had gone emotionless, as if a wall was erected behind them.

  “I’m…again, long story. But no worries. I’ll be back soon.”

  There was some mumbling in the background and she barely made out Riv telling Lauren that Ka’Cit was a good guy, that she’d be safe with him.

  “I’m safe,” she repeated. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay. We’ll be waiting for you.” Lauren’s voice was a bit reluctant.

  “See you.”

  As the line went dead, Nia released a breath and leaned back in her seat.

  She could head back to the Sanctuary now.

  Logic said she should.

  Why put herself in more danger?

  But she’d already made up her mind and she hoped, if she was in trouble like it sounded the other humans were, there would be someone out there to do something to help her.

  Kind of like how she was in trouble and Ka’Cit had been there for her.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  For a few moments, he said nothing, then she heard him release a breath.

  As he reactivated the shuttle, the hum of the engines vibrated the little vessel.

  Nia gripped the seat beneath her.

  She was really going to do this.

  Anticipation and trepidation filled her as the ship hummed and moved forward for just a bit, but it didn’t get very far before it jerked and stopped.

  A horrible sound, one that gave her the image of a spanner being thrown into a blender, filled the vessel.

  “What the hell was that?”

  Ka’Cit didn’t answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and slammed a fist on the control panel.

  “Phek!”

  There was another loud creak in the cabin and for a second, it sounded like the ship was breaking in two.

  It wasn’t exactly the sound you wanted to hear when you were in the middle of space.

  “Ka’Cit?”

  “It’s Herza,” he said.

  “Shit.” Nia’s eyes flew to the view screen, her heart in her throat.

  She knew it had been weird how that woman had just watched them leave.

  “Something’s wrong with the ship. It’s why she didn’t try to stop us when we got to the loading bay. My guess is that this vessel isn’t fit to get
us any farther.” Ka’Cit punched a few buttons. “Computer. Relay diagnostics.”

  For a few seconds, there was silence. Then, “Diagnostics check. Complete. Main engine one is compromised.”

  “Phek.” He said it under his breath this time and when he looked her way, she could see the rage in his gaze.

  Shit. Was this her fault?

  “Was this because you stopped to help me? With the language thing? The ship was going fine before that.”

  Ka’Cit blinked at her and then, as if realizing what she was asking, his gaze softened.

  “No, ta’ii. As a matter of fact, I’m glad we stopped. If the engine had blown while we were descending to the planet, it would have been…”

  He left the rest unsaid.

  Right…they’d have become dust upon reentry.

  “What do we do now?”

  Ka’Cit turned back toward the view screen and his shoulders slumped a little.

  “We have to stop at one of the service satellites. Have someone fix it. There’s no other option.”

  He seemed put off by it and she couldn’t help but wonder why.

  “That will be okay. Won’t it?”

  Ka’Cit made a sound in his throat before he looked her way.

  She couldn’t read the look in his eyes and with his mask back on, she had no idea what he was thinking.

  “It will be okay, ta’ii.”

  Why did it feel as if he’d just told her a lie?

  Ka’Cit tried to bite back the groan in his throat.

  As the shuttle chugged along with its one good engine, he tried to focus on the satellite they were approaching instead of at the female across from him.

  Phek him if it wasn’t one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do in all of his existence.

  His cock was throbbing in his trousers, the end of his tail was stiff, and his life organ was struggling in his chest, and all because he could feel her lips on his as if she was still pressed against him.

  This had never happened to him before.

  He’d never had another soul affect him in the way this little human was affecting him now.

  As the ship approached the service satellite, Nee-ya glanced in his direction.

  He could see her through his peripheral vision and she kept glancing from him to the satellite looming before them.

  He supposed she was a bit concerned.

  Maybe they didn’t have such things where she came from. Er-th, she’d called her planet, if he remembered correctly.

  The satellite looked like a huge space rock with jagged edges.

  There were lights blinking off the sides of it and every now and then, the airlock would open and a cargo ship would exit before zooming off into the void.

  Nee-ya glanced at him once more before fidgeting in her seat and all he could think about was when she’d fidgeted against him in her sleep.

  Ka’Cit cleared his throat.

  What the phek was wrong with him?

  “That part up there,” he pointed to the top of the asteroid, “that’s where the larger vessels enter.”

  “Is that where we’ll enter?”

  He shook his head. “No. We’re not nearly large enough. We go there.”

  He pointed straight ahead.

  It looked like solid rock and he could see her glance his way once more.

  But she didn’t say anything.

  She’d said she trusted him and that thought caused the tip of his tail to rise against his leg a little.

  Phek, if she was close it would have probably wrapped itself around her.

  There was definitely something wrong with him.

  As they drew closer, the doors of the service satellite opened making it appear as if the rock split in two to let them enter.

  Nee-ya leaned forward, her eyes going wide, and Ka’Cit risked turning his head a little so he could watch her.

  Awe lit up her face as she looked around and the farther they went in, the more her eyes grew wide.

  As the doors closed behind them and the air stabilized within the airlock from the huge jets in the walls, Nee-ya leaned forward so much she strained against her seat restraints.

  Not one ounce of fear.

  “—place dangerous?”

  Ka’Cit blinked only to realize she was looking his way.

  Big brown eyes met his own and his life organ skipped a beat.

  “Is this place dangerous?” she repeated.

  If she had noticed him shamelessly devouring her body with his eyes, she made no indication that she did.

  “No. You’re with me. You’ll be safe.”

  That was another thing.

  As soon as he exited the shuttle, she was going to see a part of him not even Riv and Sohut knew.

  At least, not to an intimate extent.

  He’d brought Nee-ya into a part of his world that he kept separate.

  Out here, he was someone else.

  Just as the ship began moving again, she turned back to look out the view screen and it seemed that his answer was enough for her.

  The inner doors opened, admitting them into the service station and Ka’Cit directed the ship over to one of the free bays.

  It wasn’t busy, surprisingly.

  Only a few ships were being worked on and he hoped that meant they wouldn’t be stuck on the station for long.

  As he pulled the ship into the bay, the thing jerked one last time, emitting a loud groan, before the lights cut off.

  “Phek,” he breathed.

  “You didn’t cut the engine, did you?”

  “No. The other engine is gone now too.”

  Great.

  “Damn. Well, at least it got us this far, I guess.” She began removing her restraints and he slipped out of his seat.

  By the time he reached the door and looked back, she’d already grasped her blaster and was stuffing it underneath her cloak and out of sight.

  Smart.

  She’d lifted the hood of the cloak over her head too and when she lifted her gaze to look up at him, she smiled a little.

  “Can’t be too prepared.”

  True words and his motto as well.

  Only, he couldn’t be more unprepared for what this day was throwing at him so far.

  When it came to Nee-ya, he was feeling incredibly lost.

  As they left the ship, he grabbed his own blaster and threw his arm back, resting it on his shoulder.

  Once they were outside, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

  Service satellites could be iffy—all sorts of beings passed through them.

  “Ta’ii,” he said as the doors opened.

  “Uh-huh?”

  “There’s something else…” He trailed off.

  Phek.

  His life-organ was hammering so hard in his throat, it was difficult to speak.

  She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

  “These satellites…they’re…females aren’t usually seen here. Not unaccompanied and not usually without their…mates.”

  “I’m not unaccompanied…I have you.”

  “Right. But…”

  Realization dawned and he saw when her eyes widened. “Oh. You mean like that.” She smiled then. “I can pretend to be your mate if it will make things go smoother. Is that what you meant?”

  That’s exactly what he’d meant.

  His chin jerked and her smile changed a little, becoming softer, before she ducked her head.

  “Let’s do it.”

  Phek.

  Ka’Cit’s throat moved and he opened his mouth to answer, but as if timed to save him from saying something stupid, the doors opened to an alien standing there awaiting them.

  23

  An alien that looked just like the one that had brought her to the Sanctuary stood before them.

  A Torian.

  He blinked at them before he dropped whatever tool he was carrying, his eyes darting from her to Ka’Cit.

  He was green with four eyes and fou
r arms. At the back of his head was a large, round protrusion that pulsed like that of a jellyfish or maybe an octopus.

  She would have thought it was Geblit, the alien who’d brought her to the Sanctuary, if not for the fact that this alien was absolutely filthy.

  Soot covered its arms and even some parts of its head.

  Geblit would never tolerate such a thing.

  “Well…” Ka’Cit began. His voice sounded so different, she had to glance up at him.

  It was harder. Icier. More powerful.

  More…deadly.

  As if it was coming from a man who did not feel, not the man who’d held her against him just moments before.

  “I-I…uh…” The mechanic glanced behind him but even though she was sure she’d seen a few aliens on the floor when Ka’Cit was taking the ship in, there seemed to be no one in the station apart from them now.

  She even caught someone ducking behind one of the ships in the bays.

  Ka’Cit made a sound in his throat and stepped forward.

  He loomed over the Torian and the alien seemed to cower.

  “Your ship needs servicing, Crusher?”

  Crusher?

  She could swear she saw Ka’Cit stiffen.

  “The engines are out. Have them fixed, at least enough to get us to the surface.”

  The Torian glanced her way before his eyes darted back to Ka’Cit. “Th-that will be m-many credits…f-far more than this model is worth…”

  “Just fix it.” Ka’Cit’s growl of annoyance made the alien shiver and even when she stepped forward to stand beside Ka’Cit the alien’s sole focus remained on the man by her side.

  “Y-yes. Anything you want, Crusher,” he said before he began to hurry away.

  “Torian.”

  At Ka’Cit’s voice, the alien paused mid-motion. “Y-yes?”

  “Does this station have food…drink?”

  “Y-yes. In the main lounge. You and your…”

  “My mate,” Ka’Cit growled and the alien’s four eyes widened.

  “Your mate?” The words came out with some surprise but as if remembering himself, the alien hurried to continue. “Er, right, you and your mate are welcome.”

  Ka’Cit placed a hand at her back then and began guiding her through from the bay toward a large set of double metal doors.

  She couldn’t help but look behind them as they walked and more than once she spotted the head of an alien or two dodging behind some of the ships parked there.