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

by A. G. Wilde

  He was laughing?

  “You cut the vine,” he repeated. “I really didn’t think you would do something like that.” He paused, looked away, and she couldn’t see his eyes anymore.

  “I didn’t cut the vine.”

  “Why are you lying? I saw you with your blade.”

  Cleo opened her mouth and paused. “I always have my blade. It’s the one thing that got me out of trouble in the first place. I don’t let it out of my sight.” She paused again. “Ever.”

  The alien grunted.

  “I’m being honest. I think…I think the vine broke because you were too heavy for it. Or maybe it was a combination of both our weights.”

  When he said nothing, she continued.

  “I’m sorry you fell.”

  “You should be,” he glared at her then. “I fell hard.”

  The way he said it made her want to chuckle and she chalked that up to the village idiot living within her.

  She didn’t dare to laugh.

  This was serious.

  “I saw you fall. I thought you were…” She trailed off. “I want my life to return to what it was before, but I didn’t cut the vine. I really didn’t.”

  She couldn’t really tell what mood he was in or if he believed her.

  One moment he seemed like he was trying to hump her and now he was laughing at what happened to him as if it hadn’t been serious.

  “And it took phekking long to find my way back here.” He turned to her fully then. “But you know what annoyed me the most?”

  Should she answer that? It sounded like a trick question.

  “What phekked me off the most was that I had to climb this Raxu-forsaken rock with my bare. Phekking. Hands.”

  She had the feeling he was showing her his hands. Maybe he didn’t realize she couldn’t see shit with this lack of light.

  Even with her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could hardly make out any shapes.

  Wait. His words hit her. He what?

  No one could do that. That’s why her cave was such a great hiding spot.

  Muttering something she didn’t catch, she felt him move off the bed and then she heard the tinkle of metal.

  In a short moment, the cave was filled with light from his light disk thing and Cleo audibly gasped.

  He looked terrible.

  There were bits of twigs and leaves stuck in his hair, his hard previously-unmarred chest had all sorts of scrapes and cuts and when he turned to rummage in his satchel, a whole host of what looked like brown sea urchins were stuck in his flesh.

  Ouch!

  Her face must have been scrunched up at the sight because when he turned and looked at her, his green eyes bore into hers like yes, this is your fault.

  Obviously, he still believed she’d cut the vine on him.

  Ignoring her, he continued searching in his satchel.

  “Only a few things didn’t fall out,” he muttered. “The phekking tracker is still here but all my sluu dough is gone.” He turned his accusatory eyes on her. “I shouldn’t have fed you any.”

  Cleo flattened her lips and averted her gaze from his.

  The food he’d fed her had been delicious. She too felt loss at the thought of them being lost.

  As the blue alien moved, his tail swung lazily behind him and it too was filled with the urchin-like burs.

  They looked like they hurt. But he didn’t seem nearly as angry at her as he should be. Well, he had been angry at first but not nearly enough and she didn’t know how to process that.

  As he moved over and grabbed his blade from his satchel, he made it a point to look at her sharply as he took up the weapon.

  “Like the handiwork of your evil scheme?” he asked before moving to a space near the entrance of the cave.

  Cleo huffed out a breath. “For the last time, I didn’t cut the vine. And you can understand me. How?”

  “I installed your language while you were restrained.”

  Cleo let that information sink in.

  He could understand her all that time?

  Frowning, she tried to remember if she’d said anything that she didn’t want him to know.

  It was only then that she noticed he was crouching slightly. He was too big for her small living space and that made her realize that he seemed to fill the entire small cavity.

  “Why did you come back?” She spoke to his back.

  He’d been far away and he was injured. Instead of finding help for himself, he’d returned.

  “And leave you here? So the Gori can send some other idiot to find you? They’d torture you.”

  He must have seen the blood drain from her face because his gaze softened a little.

  “So, you came back so they wouldn’t torture me?”

  “Yes,” he said, “I came back so they wouldn’t torture you. I’m much too kind to allow that to happen.”

  She should feel relief at those words. Instead, there was a sort of dread as if there was something she was missing.

  “So you came back because you want to…save me?”

  The alien’s eyes met hers again and something passed behind them—something that reminded her of the few moments before when he was pressing against her with his body.

  “Oh, Cluu,” he used the name he’d given her and she was surprised he’d remembered it. “Do I have to spell it out for you?” His face became serious. “I came back because I have plans for you myself.”

  15

  Fucking.

  Grout.

  After dropping that line that she was currently tiptoeing around, trying not to detonate, the grout in the cave began to stoically ignore her.

  It was as if she wasn’t even there.

  Instead, he stared out the small hole that formed the cave entrance and was doing something with his hands.

  Now and then, he’d grunt and she couldn’t help but draw closer to see what he was doing.

  Standing as far as she could manage while still being able to look over his shoulder, Cleo’s eyes widened.

  He was using his blade to pry the jungle urchins from his skin and it looked painful.

  Blood oozed from every spot where he managed to remove one of the things.

  Guilt flooded through her as she watched him work.

  When he finished prying the ones he could see from his arms, shoulders, and tail, he began reaching behind him to try to get the ones at his back.

  Cleo squeezed her eyes shut for a second before her mouth moved.

  “Let me help you…” She stepped forward before he could reply and closed her hand around the blade.

  Rather, she closed her hand around his, for he was holding the blade.

  It was the first time she’d willfully touched him and her heart sped up a bit.

  Grout studied her face. “Help me? I’d be a mad jerkal to let you get your hand on my blade. You like to cut things.”

  Cleo clenched her teeth to stop herself from retorting.

  “I only want to help you. I’m being honest when I say I didn’t cut the vine. Now shut up and give me the knife.”

  He studied her some more. “I sense no deception.”

  “That’s because I’m telling the truth.”

  For a few seconds, he just stared at her before his gaze moved to her hand still placed over his.

  Slowly, beneath her fingers, she felt his hand loosen and soon the blade was in her hands.

  Wordlessly, Cleo pressed her lips into a thin line as she took a deep breath.

  Place the edge of the blade under one of the urchins, she tried to pry the thing out of his skin, but it was in deeper than she’d realized.

  She’d have to touch him again to get some leverage to remove the darn thing.

  Biting her lip, she rested her free hand on his shoulder and she was sure she felt the muscle underneath her hand go taut as if he was as painfully aware of her touch as she was aware of placing her hand there.

  His skin felt warm, smooth, and not at all like human skin
. It was firmer, yet didn’t feel hard, and she found she wanted to run her fingers along his shoulder just out of pure curiosity.

  Touching him felt…nice.

  She hadn’t had the pleasure of touching anyone else in so, so long. Even back on Earth, she’d been single for a long time.

  Intimate touches that had been desired had been…scarce.

  Uninvited intimate touches had been abundant.

  Being a bartender had come with its downfalls.

  Not that she was being intimate at the moment…

  Shaking away her wandering thoughts, Cleo took a deep breath and positioned the knife beneath the urchin she was targeting once more.

  “Here goes,” she murmured, and the alien grunted that he understood.

  Pressing the blade against his back, she tried to pry free the thing embedded in his skin but it didn’t budge.

  “Shit, it’s really in there, isn’t it. I don’t want to cut you.”

  “You’ve stabbed me before… This would be a flesh wound,” the alien murmured and Cleo sighed.

  “It wasn’t because I wanted to stab you. Plus, I was protecting myself. This is different.”

  The alien grunted again, his gaze focused outside the cave.

  Finally able to hook the edge of the blade into the thing, a sharp pull had the urchin dislodging and it fell to the cave floor as blood rose from the wound it left behind.

  Cleo swallowed hard.

  Despair flooded through her.

  “I’m sorry,” she finally said and she was sure of it this time—he stiffened underneath her hand.

  “Sorry for what?”

  “I’m sorry you’re hurt like this. I thought worse had happened but this is still very terrible.” She pried out another one of the things and blood rushed to the surface of his skin.

  It must hurt so bad.

  “Really sorry,” she whispered as she got to work on another one.

  At her words, the alien turned to regard her, his green eyes narrowing.

  She couldn’t read what he was thinking but when he didn’t say anything else, she accepted the silence and continued working on him.

  The sea urchins took a long time to dislodge and by the time she was finished, her own arms and shoulders were aching.

  She’d ended up kneeling behind him to get the worst of them out and now, after she pried the last one out, she settled back on her haunches, a heavy sigh leaving her frame.

  Her gaze traveled over the absolute carnage that was his back.

  There was blood everywhere and it was a good thing she wasn’t squeamish.

  “That’s all of them,” she breathed, her voice soft as she rolled her shoulders.

  The alien turned and looked at her, his gaze moving over her face.

  “What’s that on your face, Cluu?”

  Her aching shoulders stiffened immediately and to her dismay, the little dots that ran down the alien’s nose seemed to scrunch up a bit.

  Was he making fun of her? In his state?

  “There’s nothing on my face.” There wasn’t, was there? She resisted the urge to brush her hand over her cheek. Her hands were stained with his blood and she’d only make a mess.

  “Hmm,” the alien said, “thought I saw regret. Must have been mistaken.”

  Cleo released an exasperated sound and the alien chuckled. “I didn’t cut the vine.”

  His gaze softened as he looked at her. Reaching for his satchel, he pulled out that thing he’d put on the first wound she’d dealt him in the arm.

  “Wait, your back is filled with blood. Let me wash it first,” she said, standing and moving away from him to where the last of her water was.

  Or where it should have been…

  She forgot she was out of water. She’d have to fetch some when it was morning.

  As she turned and moved back over to the alien, she realized he was looking at her with a funny look in his eyes…watching her…studying her.

  “I have life fluid,” he said, pulling a small bottle from his satchel.

  He handed it to her and she emptied the water into her bowl.

  Moving behind him, she dipped her hand in the bowl and hesitated.

  Prying the urchins from his back had been one thing. Now she’d be rubbing her hands all over his back.

  For a moment, she planted her gaze at the back of his dark head of hair. He was looking straight ahead, his shoulders rigid, as if he was trying to steel himself against something.

  Her touch maybe.

  She hadn’t thought about that.

  Maybe him making light of the situation was his way of not focusing on her alien hand on his skin.

  Her skin must feel weird to him.

  Sighing, she shut down the thoughts in her head and began to wash away the blood on his back. At the first touch of her fingers against his skin, he stiffened some more.

  She’d hurry then.

  Luckily, it only took all of his water to wash his back and no more. As she stood to put the bowl down, she heard him mutter a thank you.

  When she returned to stand beside him, he was trying to put on the ointment on the wounds and she reached for it.

  The alien lifted a thick eyebrow but didn’t resist, handing her the ointment so she could lather it over his wounds.

  As she tended to the last wound, she was surprised to see that the ones she’d tended to first were already beginning to close up.

  Either it was some miracle ointment or it was black magic.

  Shit. The things doctors on Earth would do for miracle salve like this.

  She was caught up in her thoughts, staring at the wounds healing in front of her eyes when the alien turned suddenly, his hand closing around her raised wrist.

  Her first thought was to fight back and it took her a second to realize he wasn’t being aggressive.

  As he turned fully, she had no option but to lean back as he suddenly invaded her space.

  He leaned over her, his gaze traveling over her face before it landed on her neck and the memory of his fangs running across her skin came back immediately.

  Cleo gulped and his eyes fastened on the movement of her throat.

  “What are you doing?” Why did she whisper it?

  His gaze moved to her lips and he took a few moments to reply. “I don’t know.” He paused. “I was supposed to capture you, take you to the Goris…”

  Cleo swallowed hard again. “I know. I mean…what are you doing right now?”

  His gaze snapped to hers then and something inside her jumped and exploded into a million butterflies in her chest.

  This wasn’t logical, was it?

  She didn’t like him…did she?

  The alien licked his lips, his tongue moving slowly and as the air thickened between them, that bitch Libido woke up like a demon summoned.

  It was when she looked at him in the eyes that she realized he’d been staring at her, watching her as her gaze followed the movement of his tongue.

  She was going to do it, wasn’t she.

  Moving toward him slowly, she paused just as their noses touched.

  His eyes were still locked with hers and his breathing was coming a little bit faster, matching hers.

  As she touched her lips lightly against his, his green gaze widened on hers and she almost pulled away, only, she found she couldn’t.

  His arms encircled her, pulling her against him so hard, her mouth crashed against his.

  They stayed like that for a little, lips unmoving.

  He wasn’t kissing her.

  Cleo blinked as the alien just stared back at her and it dawned on her that, possibly, he didn’t know how to kiss.

  Fuck her.

  What the fuck was she doing?

  But the need growing between her thighs demanded that she continue.

  Opening her mouth slightly, she touched her tongue against his lips and he stiffened against her, inhaling deeply.

  His lips felt divine against hers and the kiss deepened on its
own accord. He opened his mouth matching her movements and when their tongues met, he pulled her against him fully, groaning into her mouth.

  One hand moved to cradle the back of her neck as he pushed her head back, the play of their lips making her breathless.

  When he finally released her and they both took heaving breaths, she looked into those green eyes of his, a sort of fear growing in the pit of her stomach.

  She had no idea what just happened or what it meant.

  And what was more fearful was the look in his eyes…

  There was a growing possessiveness there—the look you get when you discover something you had to have.

  Only, he was looking at her.

  16

  The rest of the night, she couldn’t sleep.

  Not with him there and not after that kiss.

  And despite that he should be completely exhausted from all that happened, he was wide awake.

  As a matter of fact, he seemed to be completely revived and full of energy since their kiss.

  For the remainder of the night, he watched her as she moved, tending to things within the cave.

  He’d walked around touching everything, things she’d crafted like her food bowls and her fire pit, her roll of straw that was her mattress, her straw hat…

  He seemed interested in everything she had, asking her how she’d crafted it, how she knew how to craft it, and other questions.

  It was all so alien to him and the way he oohed and aahed was filling her with pride.

  She’d done all this…survived in an alien wild place all on her own.

  “And these?” He asked as the first light of morning began filling the sky. “How did you know how to do this?”

  He was holding her fire board and spindle as if they were two parts of a puzzle he didn’t understand.

  “My father taught me,” she answered as she used her finger to detangle a knot in her hair. She was pretty sure her hair was wrecked beyond repair but with most of the mud gone, it was easier to get the strands free from the tangles.

  A strange look came over the alien…Sohut’s face. He wasn’t exactly like she thought he’d be.

  He was…softer…nicer?

  Don’t get her wrong, he was all hard edges. But his personality…he was surprising her with every second that she was in his presence.