Sohut's Protection: A Sci-fi Alien Romance (Riv's Sanctuary Book 2)

by A. G. Wilde

  Cleo’s shoulders slumped as she let out a huge breath.

  She couldn’t sit and wait.

  She had to go out.

  If he was coming for her, the least she could do was try to defend herself.

  Creeping through the jungle was difficult when trying to be completely silent.

  The dried leaves and branches she stepped on screamed like she weighed a ton.

  Still, she mostly managed to be quiet.

  And with Wawa on her shoulder, it was easy to not get caught.

  She knew he’d become alert if they came too close to anything dangerous to them—blue guy included.

  Hurrying through the bushes, she clutched the bones she’d gathered to her chest.

  They were the bones of a large animal, she was sure.

  Months ago when she’d first come upon them, Wawa had seemed disturbed and a plan had hatched in her mind immediately.

  She’d use the bones if she ever had to defend her territory.

  Because this was her territory now.

  It was her and Wawa’s home.

  She wasn’t going to let those green orcs take it away from her.

  Taking a wide arc, she dropped the bones in random places, partially covering some with dirt and fallen leaves so it looked natural and not like she’d just put them there.

  On her shoulder, Wawa watched her with interest, but he didn’t seem alert to any danger.

  Still, she hurried.

  If this plan didn’t work…if the alien didn’t see the bones and assume some dangerous beast lived on the mountain, then she’d have to get rid of him somehow while he rested.

  Cleo gulped.

  She really hoped it didn’t get to that.

  She wasn’t sure she could kill someone and live with her conscience.

  As she set down the last bone, she didn’t dare to even wait to catch a breath.

  Hurrying back to where she had even more bones stashed, she grabbed what was left and began distributing them.

  She was almost done when, suddenly, Wawa had stiffened on her shoulder, his gaze focused on the bushes ahead of them.

  A cold chill went down Cleo’s spine.

  She didn’t question it; she just moved in the opposite direction, heading for a foliage-covered ledge that overlooked this section of jungle.

  That ledge was the one spot before the intruder came too close to her home and she prayed he’d turn back before then.

  Running as quickly as her legs could take her, she dashed through the undergrowth.

  Her bare feet moved over the uneven ground with ease, having had many months for the soles of her feet to harden. She didn’t pause to take a breath before she climbed atop the ledge, crawling on her belly as she settled herself.

  And she was glad she didn’t falter because her gaze soon caught blue.

  The frickin’ alien was heading her way.

  4

  The scent of the creature was growing stronger and Sohut stopped to inhale deeply.

  Now that the scent was stronger, he could definitely say it wasn’t anything he’d ever smelled before.

  Pausing, his ears perked as he scanned the area again.

  Something white against the mud-orange earth caught his eyes and his gaze zoomed to the piece of bone protruding from the ground.

  Moving over to the animal’s remains, he crouched and ran a finger against the whitened bone.

  It was old and judging from the part of skull he could see, it was the bone of a great tym.

  This tym died a long, long time ago.

  But that wasn’t the problem.

  The problem was that the only thing that could kill a tym in this jungle was a spined creature.

  Pulling on the bone, it dislodged from the earth easily, a little too easily, and he turned it over in his hands.

  The tell-tale teeth indentations left by when the spined creature buried its maw into the tym’s head were still there.

  Frowning, Sohut paused to study the bushes around him.

  He hadn’t scented any spined creatures. At least, not since he’d crossed that invisible barrier days ago.

  If there was one, it had to be higher up on the mountain.

  Setting the bone down, he stood, his tail swishing low on the ground behind him.

  This was the point when many trackers would turn around and leave.

  A spined creature wasn’t something to play around with and he would gladly live his life without ever encountering one.

  Still…

  Taking a deep breath, he sniffed the air again.

  The alien creature’s scent was still there.

  How could something frail coexist on the mountain with a spined creature close by?

  He felt like continuing if only he could answer that question alone.

  Readjusting his satchel, his ears perked as he continued on his way.

  He was walking for a few more meters when he spotted another bone.

  This one looked like a thigh bone and it was cracked in several places.

  Possibly, it was another victim of the spined creature or the same one. He wasn’t sure.

  Frowning down at the bone, he touched the earth beside it.

  It was soft. Soft enough to make him believe the bone had been buried and that made him frown.

  Tuli sometimes buried animal bones, so he didn’t know why this occurrence particularly struck him as strange.

  Still frowning, his gaze searched the canopy above.

  He was either walking into a spined creature’s territory or something else was amiss.

  For a few moments, he considered turning back.

  He could tell the Gori they’d lost their creature. He could even bring one of the tym bones as proof; they wouldn’t know the difference.

  If it was any other hunter, that’s what they would do.

  But…he wasn’t any other hunter…and that was the difference.

  There was a thrill building inside him, a sort of dangerous excitement, and the farther he walked, the more it grew.

  He was either going to discover something big or he was going to pay with his own blood.

  The latter option should worry him more—only, it didn’t.

  5

  She was flat on her stomach and covered with so many vines and leaves, she could feel their weight on her back.

  She’d been the one to string the vines and leaves together to resemble a ghillie suit—only, it was more like a blanket. It’d been part of her preparations should a situation like this ever occur and boy was she happy she’d gone through the trouble to do it now.

  Fully covered by vines and leaves, she was sure she was as camouflaged as an anaconda in a marsh.

  Heart beating hard in her chest, Cleo watched as the alien moved slowly through the undergrowth.

  It was like the motherfucker knew exactly where she was.

  He was heading right in her direction.

  Lying flat on a ledge a few levels above the jungle floor, her eyes tracked the blue alien as he headed up the mountain.

  Through the leaves, she spotted something in his hands.

  A bone, one that looked suspiciously similar to the bones she’d scattered.

  Obviously, her warning didn’t work.

  Motherfucker.

  Who would willingly walk farther into a place that was littered with bones?

  She knew she sure as hell wouldn’t, but maybe this idiot was a psycho and she’d judged him wrong.

  Goddamnit.

  Shit.

  She was running out of options.

  On her shoulder, Wawa stiffened, his eyes on the spots of blue peeking out from behind the leaves as the alien moved through the undergrowth.

  To her horror, Wawa began moving forward.

  Jerking him back, she stared at Wawa in dismay, shaking her head as viciously as she could manage without rustling the bushes.

  It was a silent “what-the-fuck-are-you-thinking-sit-yo-ass-down” sort of look.


  Wawa paused and blinked at her before settling against her again.

  It seemed he understood ‘wide-eye speak’ and Cleo released the breath she’d been holding as smoothly as she could.

  Turning her gaze back to the trees below, she looked for the alien again.

  For a few seconds, her heart stopped beating when she couldn’t see any blue.

  Fuck.

  She’d lost him.

  Biting her lip, she searched the undergrowth below with frantic movements of her eyes and when she finally spotted the alien male, a lump formed in her throat.

  He was closer now.

  She could mostly see the top of his dark head as he moved, and she soon realized he was heading in the direction of a particularly dangerous tree.

  And she called it dangerous for one reason.

  There was a feisty bird that lived in that tree and she only knew because she’d made the mistake of venturing near one too many times.

  It was a huge yellow thing that reminded her of Big Bird from Sesame Street. Only, it wasn’t as nice.

  It was more of a bitch bird than Big Bird.

  The first time she’d made the mistake of going near its tree, the bird had shit on her head. And it wasn’t like normal bird poop. This bird had the ass of a grown man.

  It had taken her weeks to get the scent out of her hair.

  The second time she’d walked too close, the bird had chased her. And it was HUGE. It almost clawed off her scalp as she ran away.

  There hadn’t been a third time.

  She’d gotten the point and made sure she never walked close to its home ever again.

  Now, the alien neared it and she lost sight of him again, just when he reached near the tree.

  Perking her ears, she stopped breathing completely as she listened.

  Then she heard a loud screech as the entire tree shook.

  A grin split her face.

  Maybe she didn’t have to worry about getting rid of the alien herself. Maybe nature would do it for her.

  There was another loud screech and the undeniable sound of huge wings flapping.

  Then something else happened.

  Far, far in the distance, was one of those terrible roars she often heard.

  Wawa stiffened.

  This time, he didn’t wait. He darted off in the direction of the roar and she had to bite back a shout.

  The fuck was happening?

  There was thrashing and a chorus of birds squawking as they took flight from the nearby trees. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the roar she’d just heard in the distance or because bitch-bird was currently having blue alien for dinner.

  Frozen and unsure what to do, she was sure she heard a shout then a groan.

  Both were low, because it was far away, but she was sure that’s what she heard.

  Cleo’s eyes widened.

  She’d have to find Wawa later.

  Hopefully, he hadn’t run toward the sound of that creature and he’d just scented some of the jungle-penguins they both ate for food.

  Now, she had bigger things on her plate.

  Still, she remained frozen, not daring to move. But as the minutes ticked by and there was no sign of the alien, her confidence grew.

  Had…had it worked?

  Had the bird really taken the alien down?

  Forcing herself to stand, she did what her legs felt suddenly too weak to do.

  She crept from the ledge and headed toward the scene of what might well be death by bird.

  She’d just have to risk poop falling on her head again just to find out.

  Creeping through the bushes as silently as she could, Cleo made her way from the ledge toward bitch-bird’s tree.

  She stopped when she was a few meters away from it.

  She didn’t want to go closer.

  Everything in her body was rebelling, but she had to know if the alien was dead.

  Her survival depended on it.

  As she peeked through the bushes at the tree, she frowned.

  She couldn’t see much but…there was no one there.

  Shit.

  She’d have to go closer.

  Taking a deep breath, she pulled up her invisible big girl pants and crept closer through the bushes.

  The blue alien was missing and there was no bird.

  Panic flooded her immediately and she wished Wawa was close so she could use his unique senses to tell if anyone was around.

  That’s when she heard another groan.

  Taking a deep breath, she ventured closer.

  Peeking through the leaves, she spotted what she was looking for.

  Blue skin contrasted with orange flora and on top of the alien was the huge yellow bird.

  The bird seemed to be struggling and flapping its wings, trying to rise. In the process, it was battering the alien beneath it.

  For a few moments, she wasn’t sure what she was seeing.

  She wasn’t sure if the alien was dead but then he groaned again. The sound only seemed to incite the bird even more as it flapped its wings harder.

  She was also pretty sure it’d dug a claw into the alien’s skull.

  In the next moment, the bird seemed to shake itself free and took flight, rising into the air and leaving the alien behind.

  Cleo’s eyes widened.

  The alien lay motionless, his eyes closed and a bloody wound was on his forehead.

  Her pulse hammered in her ears.

  Was he dead? Dying?

  Her question was soon answered when the alien groaned and sat up, his hand going to the wound on his head.

  Cleo stiffened, moving behind the leaves even more as she watched him.

  She was close. Probably too close.

  Close enough for her to notice the alien’s broad shoulders and the fact he was obviously lean.

  The simple white shirt he wore was thin. Thin enough for her to see the definition through it and her eyes widened a little bit more.

  As her eyes moved up his body, the lump in her throat grew to golf-ball size and she fought to swallow it down.

  The alien had a strong, defined jaw and even as she watched him now, she could see the muscles ticking there.

  He was agitated?

  Well, welcome to the club.

  His brows were furrowed and she couldn’t see his eyes but he was scowling at the blood now on his hands.

  His nose was a little wider than a human’s, the bridge appearing flatter than normal, and every now and again, it twitched, giving the impression he was sniffing.

  His head of dark hair, black like oil, was tied on top of his head and out of the way but that only brought attention to his surprisingly handsome face.

  Of all the things she’d anticipated, she hadn’t expected that the hunter would be attractive.

  Not that it mattered.

  She still had to get rid of him, or away from him, before he got rid of her.

  With one startling movement, the alien yanked at his shirt, ripping a part of it away.

  Staring as if mesmerized, she watched as he reached into his bag for a tube and squeezed some of the contents on the wound. Then, he bandaged it.

  A sinking feeling developed in her chest.

  He wasn’t leaving.

  This wasn’t enough to make him leave.

  As anxiety began to build within her once more, the alien stood and turned slightly to retrieve his bag.

  Behind him, something swished.

  He…he had a tail.

  A furless tail except for a patch of dark hair at the end—much like a lion’s tail was.

  Forcing herself low in the bushes, she held her breath as the alien began moving once more.

  His steps were light, almost as if he was floating across the ground, and if she wasn’t looking directly at him, she wouldn’t have known he was there.

  Not even a twig snapped with each step he took, and the leaves hardly moved as he brushed past them—even the air seemed undisturbed.

  Li
ke the reaper, he was. Coming for her silently.

  The last thing she’d expected was that she’d find the reaper that came for her attractive.

  Frowning at herself for noticing his looks instead of focusing on the fact that he had come to frickin’ catch or kill her, Cleo grit her teeth.

  He was heading in the opposite direction, so at least that was good.

  It would buy her some time so she could find a way to save herself.

  She was thinking about this when the alien stopped walking suddenly and sniffed the air.

  At the same time, the bushes rustled to the alien’s right and some of the little jungle-penguins she used for food walked out in front of him.

  They stopped to look up at him in much the same way they’d stopped in front of her the first time she’d met their kind.

  They were such innocent animals, and for that, she hated having to use them for food.

  Only, she didn’t have a choice.

  She couldn’t exactly live on the flora of the jungle.

  She wasn’t stupid enough to try.

  That would have been the fastest way for her to get poisoned and die.

  Number one rule of living in the wilderness: Never try the plants unless you know them.

  Wawa was content with eating the little birds too, so it worked out for both of them.

  Now, the family of jungle-penguins stood in front of the alien and Cleo found she was holding her breath as her eyes moved back to him, wondering what he was going to do.

  Only, his gaze wasn’t on the little birds.

  As a matter of fact, it didn’t seem as if he even saw the animals.

  Something about the way he was standing, unmoving, made every hair on the back of her neck grow legs and stand up to look at him too.

  That was all the warning she got before he spun and looked right in her direction.

  What the actual fu—

  Even from so far away, she could see his eyes were a brilliant, captivating green.

  Fuck.

  She was far enough away that he shouldn’t be able to see her.

  Yet, there was not a doubt in her mind that he wasn’t looking directly at the clump of

  bushes in which she hid.

  The alien’s eyes widened perceptibly and for a second, she didn’t dare to move.