by A. G. Wilde
Ka’Cit’s Haven
Riv’s Sanctuary - Book 3
A.G. Wilde
Ka’Cit’s Haven
Ka’Cit’s Haven © A. G. Wilde 2021
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, businesses, or locales is coincidental and is not intended by the author.
For those still waiting for their happily ever after <3
Disclaimer
This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only.
All sexually active characters portrayed in this book are eighteen years of age or older.
Contents
Ka’Cit’s Haven
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Epilogue
A note from A.G
Other books by A.G.
Acknowledgments
Keep In Touch
If you enjoyed this book…
About the Author
Ka’Cit’s Haven
“Not the best of ways to introduce myself to you…A gentleman would have at least greeted you first…
… but I’m no gentleman.”
He’s the Bone Crusher. A man in a mask.
His face is hidden alongside his intentions.
He doesn’t do things for free…or to be nice.
So just how did Nia end up stuck on a ship with him by her side?
She’d wanted adventure, but Ka’Cit Urgmental was SO. MUCH. MORE.
It’s obvious he’s only come to help her get back to the Sanctuary.
Nothing more.
BUT…when he starts looking at her as if she’s meant to be in his arms, in his bed…his, it soon becomes clear that things aren’t that simple.
That mask he wears? His face isn’t the only thing it hides.
It’s a metal shield veiling so much more…
Whether what’s underneath will break them apart or pull them together, that is another question.
1
Nia’s eyes blinked open and she squinted at the ceiling. The room was still quite dark. It wasn’t light out yet and she wasn’t sure exactly what had woken her up, but something had.
For a few moments, she lay in the dark, her eyes adjusting to the lack of light around her.
Then she heard it.
A dull thud and then another right against the wall behind her head.
Uhhhh.
She knew what that was.
In any other circumstances, she’d have been alarmed, thinking someone had broken into her apartment.
But she wasn’t in her apartment anymore, she wasn’t even on Earth, and no one was breaking into her room here.
Another dull thud hit the wall and the undeniable muffled sound of a woman moaning reached her ears.
Nia squeezed her eyes shut and groaned as she buried her face in the bedding.
Oh God.
A male grunted, and when the woman moaned again, Nia cringed and buried her face deeper into the bedding.
It was Riv and Lauren. The other human female and her Merssi mate slept in the room directly adjoining hers and, unfortunately, that meant Nia heard quite clearly whenever they were getting it on.
And they ‘got it on’ A LOT.
Maybe it was Lauren’s hormones or something else, but she couldn’t seem to get enough of the guy.
“Please…” She heard Lauren beg.
Riv growled something fierce.
Fuuuck. Goddamnit. Nia cringed again.
To Nia, that growl sounded more scary than sexy, but from the moan that left Lauren’s mouth, she guessed it was the latter.
They were so loud.
The walls weren’t thin either.
It was either that Riv was fucking good at what he was doing or Lauren was putting it on.
Something told her it was the former. Why else would they be at it so much?
Something slammed hard into the wall and it caused Nia to jump.
She half expected someone to howl out in pain, but that didn’t happen.
It was probably Riv’s body that collided with the wall then.
Despite that the male was the grumpiest person she’d ever met, he was incredibly soft and caring to his mate. The sex sounded rough, but Lauren never had bruises…and she never complained.
Nia shrugged. Not her business, really. At least one of them was having some fun around here.
That thought made an uncomfortable heaviness settle over her, and she shook her head to push the feeling away.
She needed to get out of bed and head outside to feed the animals.
When another moan reached her ears, it was enough to have her hopping off the bedding.
Her feet hit the floor in one smooth motion as she stood.
The bed was like a huge cushion on a hard slab, but it worked well. She always got a good night’s sleep…well…apart from the times when she was awakened by people doing the dirty.
Slipping on the brown trousers and matching blouse that Lauren had gotten her, Nia tiptoed to her door and slowly opened it.
The bathroom was right across from her room and she slipped into it quietly, but not before another one of Lauren’s moans reached her ears.
Yep, she definitely needed to head out.
It was way too early for anyone to be going outside to start their day, but it had become a sort of ritual for her.
It was either that or lay awkwardly listening to the closest thing to porn that she’d have in this new world.
And she wasn’t a creep or anything, but the more she heard them, the more it stirred things inside her that she’d rather not face every morning.
Listening to them reminded her that she had no one.
The other human who lived on the Sanctuary, Cleo, was mated to Riv’s brother, Sohut. That couple wasn’t any different either. She was sure she’d probably hear them going at it too when she had to go by their side of the house on her way outside.
There was just a lot of…sex happening in this house.
As she washed her face, Nia forced away the last bits of sleep.
The water was cool as it ran over her skin, and she scrubbed her eyes so she would wake up faster.
She had nothing to complain about. Life coul
d have been worse.
According to some of the stories Cleo and Lauren told her, she could have ended up in a zoo, or worse, sold as a sex slave.
It was an easy decision. Listening to sex was way different from being forced to perform it.
This was her life now.
As she smoothed the last bits of water over her skin, she ran through the chores she had to do.
She’d have to deal with the umus first—little round animals with wool like sheep. They were so round and fluffy, they didn’t look real. But they were incredibly stubborn and were always trying to bite her or escape.
More than once, they’d almost gotten out of their enclosures when she wasn’t paying attention.
Feeding the umus while half asleep was a bad, bad idea.
For that reason alone, she washed her face again.
There was mouthwash, and she took a mouthful. It fizzed as she shook it around in her mouth, cleaning her teeth.
Spitting the fluid out, Nia took a breath and cracked open the door.
The hallway was quiet.
Maybe they’d finished?
Well, even if they hadn’t, she wasn’t waiting around.
She slipped out of the bathroom and hurried quietly down the corridor.
The house was still mostly dark, but she knew that as soon as she reached outside, she’d see the dim glow of the sun lighting up the pink sky.
She was almost into the main room when she tripped and nearly stumbled over something huge, dark, and furry that was lying on the floor.
The thing growled and lifted its head. Four eyes blinked at her with mild annoyance.
“Oof!” Nia whispered. “Sorry, Grot.”
Riv’s huge dog-like tevsi put its head back down and ignored her as she continued on her way.
Grot was terrifying. He looked like something that would give Cerberus a run for most terrifying four-legged creature.
The first time she’d seen the animal, she’d almost pissed herself, but she’d soon realized it was harmless—at least, as long as she wasn’t being hostile to Riv or Lauren.
The tevsi loved Lauren as much as it loved its master.
She was almost out the door on the other side of the house when she heard more muffled sounds and panting.
Another cringe made her pause for just a moment.
She’d been right. Sohut and Cleo were at it.
“Fuck man,” she whispered. She’d never heard people having sex so much in her life.
Was it shocking?
A little.
Did she hate it?
Not really…
Was she jealous?
…
…
…
Nia cleared her throat and headed out the door.
That question wasn’t one she was willing to answer.
Fuck that annoying voice in her head for waking up so early and asking it in the first place.
2
Outside, the cool morning air greeted her. The dark purple sky was already starting to turn pink as the morning came and Nia smiled.
She was glad this was the planet she’d landed on and not some barren wasteland. Hudo III was beautiful.
The sky was pink in the daytime and there were hardly ever any clouds, but when there were, it was like looking at cotton candy floating above. The grass was orange and the leaves of the trees too.
And the animals…they were amazing.
As soon as she thought of them, a long-necked tilgran popped its head over its enclosure to look at her.
“Hello, Morpheus,” she said. Morpheus blinked at her.
She’d given him the name because he seemed all-wise, all-knowing.
As a matter of fact, she’d named almost all the animals on the Sanctuary. She’d certainly had the time to do so.
The others didn’t understand or could even keep track of the names, so she was the only one that used them.
Riv, for example, frowned at her whenever she called the animals by their names; he looked at her as if she was crazy and taking up his space…but then again, he looked at everyone like that. He didn’t understand why she named most of them…probably Lauren and Cleo didn’t understand either.
Don’t get her wrong, she was truly grateful for the fact Riv had taken her in. She shuddered to think what would have happened to her otherwise. But life wasn’t easy…and it wasn’t easy in one of the most superficial of ways—so superficial, she hated admitting it.
She was lonely.
There. She’d said it.
God, it felt horrible even thinking that.
She felt stupid and ungrateful. But the truth was, the feeling started small until it developed into something she was having a hard time controlling.
It was the sort of loneliness that came even when you were in a crowd, surrounded by people.
And what was surprising was that it came from a part of her life that she’d least expected.
She’d always been comfortable being on her own.
She’d never depended on anyone. Never expected anything from anyone.
So, this emptiness within her that was rooted so deep was one she didn’t quite know how to approach.
Morpheus blinked at her.
“No, Morpheus. I’m not talking about sex. It’s not sex that I want.”
She looked away.
It wasn’t about sex. If that was the case, she had her fingers and a wicked hot tub in the bathroom with super jets she could make use of.
It was more than that.
It had been well over a year and a half since she’d left Earth, and in all that time, she’d been mostly alone. Back in California, she hadn’t had time to think about relationships.
She’d always kept busy. Between working part-time at the clinic and helping her dad run his program for disadvantaged children, she hadn’t had much time to think about her romantic future.
On her off days, she’d be at the shooting range hitting targets for most of the time or playing Call of Duty.
Social relationships had never been her thing.
Not that it mattered now. None of the friends she’d have made on Earth would be able to keep her company now anyway, but she guessed seeing Lauren and Cleo so happy with their mates didn’t help either.
Their relationship was so close that she couldn’t help feeling left out sometimes, even when they tried their best to include her.
Third-wheeling was her life now.
Damn.
She couldn’t go down this rabbit hole. Not this morning.
Cleo sighed and entered Morpheus’ enclosure. The other tilgrans ignored her, but Morpheus dipped his head and chewed her afro a little.
“Morpheus! Stop! Down boy. I told you my hair isn’t food. You know that.”
Morpheus blinked at her, and she was almost sure he rolled his eyes.
The tilgrans were all purple and looked a bit like giraffes, but they were incredibly intelligent.
Whenever she spoke to Morpheus, she felt like he understood every word.
“Chew my hair again and I’m not going to clean your cage.”
Morpheus extended his neck to his full height and stepped away.
“Uh huh, thought so. You don’t wanna do it, do you?”
For the next few minutes, she went about shoveling the tilgrans’ waste.
It wasn’t a lot, not with five people working on the farm every day—she didn’t even have to do it if she didn’t want to—but she had to keep busy.
If she was idle, she began to think. And when she began to think, she started to reflect. And when that happened, she only ended up feeling depressed.
She’d rather not fall into that trap.
So she kept busy.
By the time the sun came up, she’d fertilized the fruit trees with the waste and checked all the trees for newly ripe ones. Then she’d headed back with a crate full of fruits and the poop bucket in the other hand.
She gave Morpheus a treat, and that’s when she rememb
ered she’d planned to deal with the sheep-like umus first.
She headed that way next and made sure all the enclosures were filled with fresh hay.
She was exhausted by the time she exited the barn-like structure. The sun was up and it bathed the farm in a warm glow.
Nia sat on one of the huge mounds of hay.
There were some pebbles close by and she took them in hand, running her fingers over them as she looked for a target.
They were heavier than pebbles on Earth, though roughly the same size. She’d been surprised the first time she’d taken one in hand. It had a good weight and if she wanted, she was sure she could hurt somebody good if she decided to throw one at them.
She scanned the farm in front of her and soon spotted something—a bucket against one of the fences about ten meters away.
Nia narrowed her eyes, focused, and threw the first pebble.
As the object sailed through the air to land smack into the center of the bucket, she couldn’t help the grin that lit up her face.
“Still got it, Nia. Still got it.”
She missed target practice. Shooting had been just one of the things her father had taught her to do. After he’d retired from the military, that and his program had been his way of still keeping active and she’d always tagged along.
Sadness swam within her briefly as she threw another pebble and it landed in the bucket.
