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

by A. G. Wilde

  He didn’t reply.

  “Sohut?”

  His gaze fell to her lips. For a moment, he just stared at them. “You say my name strangely,” was what he said.

  What?

  Cleo paused, an unexpected chuckle bubbling inside her.

  It wasn’t what she’d expected him to say judging from, oh well, she didn’t know—his entire demeanor!

  “Am I not saying it correctly now? I don’t call you ‘Grout’ anymore, not even in my head.”

  He was looking at her differently now, the sadness seeping away from his eyes as another emotion took hold. Something else, something intense, and her voice fell.

  “You say it beautifully,” he finally said and it felt like the air crackled between them.

  There was no warning.

  One moment he was stripping her bare with his eyes and the next he was pushing her into the soft patch of vines he’d set her on.

  A moan that she thought was internal turned out to be a very verbal one as his mouth met hers…and then she couldn’t breathe.

  Breathing wasn’t important with the feel of his lips against hers.

  Suddenly she wasn’t in the jungle anymore, she was somewhere else, somewhere safe and he was the reason she was there.

  Wrapping an arm around his back, she pulled him closer as their kiss deepened.

  This kiss was nothing like the many others they’d shared.

  The way he kissed her it was as if he wanted to absorb her into himself.

  Sohut groaned so deep, his entire chest vibrated against her as he pushed her head back into the leaves and, as if her body couldn’t get enough of what he was inciting within her, her legs wrapped around his tapered waist, pulling him into her.

  At that moment, it felt like he was everything she needed.

  The world didn’t matter anymore.

  The jungle didn’t matter.

  All that mattered was the fact that he was here now and the strange thing about it…it felt like he was always meant to be there.

  She was his…and he was hers.

  She didn’t know how long they’d been kissing for, only that when he finally broke away to take a breath, it felt like the sun had moved a little across the sky.

  “Phek…” he muttered, taking huge gasps as he looked down at her. “Phek me.”

  Yes, that sounded about right.

  “That’s…” He began then trailed off. “You’re…”

  Yep, that sounded about right too.

  He leaned down again to rest his forehead against hers and, this close, his green eyes were like the most brilliant demantoids she’d ever seen.

  “You can’t stay in this jungle,” he finally said. “We can’t wait around anymore. We need to go. We need to get to the Sanctuary.”

  Cleo nodded.

  She knew staying at the camp had been temporary.

  “You can’t stay,” Sohut gulped and continued. “They know…”

  Mild confusion made her search his gaze. “They know what? They who?”

  “That spined creature was hunting me. With Wawa around, it wouldn’t have taken the chance to come close to you. It was after my scent.” He paused. “It was coming after me.”

  Cleo blinked. Several thoughts, so many questions, rose in her mind.

  In the process, she realized her legs were still wrapped around his waist, her skirt falling so her nakedness was plastered against him.

  But as she tried to take her legs down, Sohut reached back and held them in place, a warning flashing through his eyes.

  She could feel her cheeks warm but she didn’t move.

  It wasn’t the worst place to have her legs.

  “They know I’ve been…protecting you.” He paused, waiting for her to say something before he continued. “It’s not…normal for me to take this long to bring in a bounty.”

  Suddenly, the gravity of his words hit her full on.

  He was talking about the orc aliens.

  “You think they sent that thing after you?” Her gaze drifted to the dead animal not far from them.

  “I don’t think it. I know it.”

  Her throat suddenly felt dry. “They don’t know you found me. What if you’d failed to catch me…”

  “I never fail.”

  Cleo digested his words.

  “So, you’re saying they sent that…thing to kill you?”

  Sohut didn’t answer but the look in his eyes told her the affirmative.

  “Shit…what does that even mean? They hired you.”

  “It means they know I’m not bringing you in. They don’t want me helping you to get out of this place.”

  There was a pause as she considered his words and then everything came falling down.

  The hope she had for a future with him, the promise of something more than living like a fugitive…it was all falling to pieces.

  “They know where you live…if you bring me there, they’ll come after me…they’ll come after you.”

  Sohut didn’t hesitate.

  It was as if he’d considered all this before.

  “I am prepared for that.”

  No.

  The last thing she wanted was to bring trouble to him and his brother.

  “I can go farther into the jungle with Wawa,” she blurted, her heart rate picking up. “I can leave. And you can go back to those orcs, tell them you didn’t find me. Tell them I died?”

  “No.” It was said so quickly and with so much conviction that something deep inside her ached.

  “You expect me to leave you here after I found you, gnora?”

  “Gnora?”

  His eyes lit up a little as she repeated the word, but he didn’t indulge her with the meaning.

  “I’m not leaving you here. You’re coming home with me.”

  Home.

  A word that made an unexpected pang hurt the muscles in her belly.

  “Home.”

  “To the Sanctuary.”

  Cleo blinked back what felt suspiciously like tears from her eyes.

  She wasn’t the emotional kind.

  “I’ve found you, Clee-yo. I’m not letting you go. Ever.”

  25

  Sohut grunted as he walked through the brush, swatting away some of the long vines that hung down to brush the ground, careful that they didn’t swing and hit the load on his back.

  His gnora.

  He’d called her that, but he was sure she didn’t know what it meant.

  It’s why he’d said it.

  He wasn’t sure he could face her denying what he was sure was the bond in his soul.

  The thought made him both nervous and elated.

  He’d found the one to make him whole.

  It wasn’t a hunch or a presumption. It was intuition and for the past few days at the camp, he’d had to face that fact.

  He’d found her.

  Of all the Merssi to be blessed, he was.

  “I can walk, you know.” Clee-yo, his Clee-yo, murmured against his neck, her breath brushing against his skin to awaken something down below almost instantly.

  It was hard focusing on his task when the one thing he wanted to do was stop among some of the soft vegetation and show her repeatedly just how much she made him feel.

  “You hurt yourself.” In an effort to protect me.

  “My hand. I hurt my hand.” The sound of her laughter was like water crystals sliding down gheuf leaves. It was a sound he was finding he could listen to till the end of time.

  Holding her thighs tighter against his sides, he hurried on through the undergrowth back toward the Torian camp.

  The Gori had sent a spined creature after him. Why?

  He wasn’t sure.

  They hadn’t communicated that Clee-yo was worth many credits. But the fact they’d spent an entire orbit and were still looking for her had told him that she was worth a lot to them for some reason.

  So much so they were willing to kill him to get to her.

  There was mo
re to this than the Gori had communicated and there was no way he was going to let her fall into their hands.

  He could no longer take any chances.

  He needed to head through the other side of the jungle, through the arid lands, and toward the edge of the plains. It’d be a trek but once he got her to the Sanctuary, she’d be safe.

  And she was going to be safe.

  He would make sure of it.

  Movement above them had him looking above and he locked eyes with Wawa.

  “She’s safe,” he muttered and the animal blinked at him before focusing on Clee-yo.

  He must have heard or smelled the spined creature and had rushed toward the sound.

  “Who are you speaking to?”

  “Wawa.” He motioned to the slizz with his head.

  “Oh.” Clee-yo looked up and he could almost feel her relief. “Thank God he’s okay.”

  She still didn’t believe he was as dangerous as everyone said, apparently.

  “The little rhag is sturdier than you think.”

  Clee-yo laughed again and her teats moved against the hardness of his back. He liked being the reason for her laughter—only, despite how good it made him feel, there was still that underlying feeling of dread.

  As he headed back to the Torian camp, the smell of Clee-yo’s blood slowly drifted away as his healing serum worked.

  She’d gotten hurt to protect him.

  Flashing images of his bloodied brother returning to the depths of the mines with his tail removed came flooding into his mind.

  He wouldn’t allow the people he cared about to be hurt because of him anymore.

  It was the last time her blood would be spilled for him.

  The last time anyone’s blood would be spilled for him.

  Saying goodbye to the Torians was more emotional than she thought it would be.

  “One last dance!” Senrit announced and Nupak pulled her toward the center of the camp.

  Music filled the air as the celebration began, their feet moving in the soft dirt in time to the beat.

  But it wasn’t like the other times they’d danced.

  There was a sense of uncertainty that had settled over the camp and even though the Torians pretended all was well, she could see their worried looks.

  Whenever she wasn’t looking directly at them, she could see their four eyes darting in her direction.

  As they danced, Sohut smiled but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and when the celebration ended and they were loaded up with rice cakes, a sort of resolve had settled over his features.

  Walking back into the jungle felt different this time.

  She was suddenly very aware of the real danger that roamed these parts.

  They traveled without speaking for the most part and it was only when they were deep in the jungle, far away from the Torian camp, that Sohut paused.

  Tilting his nose to the air, he sniffed.

  “Water,” he said.

  “You can smell it?”

  Sohut glanced at her and nodded. Looking into the undergrowth around them, he sniffed again.

  “Stay here.” His gaze moved from her then to Wawa. “Stay here. I’ll scout the area. We could rest there this dark cycle.”

  Glancing upward, she realized what she could see of the sky was slowly turning purple. Night was coming.

  She hadn’t realized they’d walked for that long.

  “Okay,” she nodded. “Hurry.”

  Sohut pulled her into him and planted a kiss on her head. “I will.”

  He disappeared in the bushes in the next second and Cleo stood, her eyes searching the bushes around her.

  Wawa was relaxed on her shoulder so she took that as a good indication that she was safe.

  In no time, the bushes rustled again and Cleo gripped her piece of metal.

  When Sohut appeared, her shoulders sagged a little.

  “It’s safe,” he said. “Come.”

  It was a small stream nestled in the middle of the undergrowth and Sohut took the time to fill his water bottle before passing it to her.

  “I think we sleep here tonight,” he said, looking around them. “We could continue pushing forward but,” he glanced at her, “you should rest.”

  Cleo frowned.

  If he was stopping because of her…

  “I don’t need sleep.”

  Her eyes fell on Wawa as he approached the stream, his tail brushing against Sohut’s leg as he took a sip.

  “You do.” His gaze fell on Wawa too. “I’m sure he agrees.”

  As if Wawa understood them, he turned to blink at her before he began drinking once more.

  Fine.

  Looking upward, she realized there were no tall trees nearby.

  He must have read her mind because Sohut stood suddenly and began pulling some vines together.

  “We’ll rest here.” He glanced around again. “If anything comes near, I’ll smell them before they can get close.”

  Swallowing the water, Cleo cast her gaze around at the darkening jungle.

  She trusted Sohut.

  What she didn’t trust was the potential danger chasing them.

  26

  Cleo’s eyes fluttered open and it took a few moments to focus.

  She felt warm, protected…safe…and she realized the reason why immediately.

  Somehow while they slept, Sohut had draped his body around hers completely.

  It was like she was in her own little blue alien cocoon.

  Yawning, she rubbed her eyes.

  The light from his light disk made it seem as if it was already morning, but now that her eyes were open some more, she could see that the jungle beyond was still dark.

  Above them, nestled in a bunch of vines, she could just about make out Wawa’s white fluffy tail. He was asleep too…but something had woken her up.

  There was a slight sound of shuffling and, with much effort because of the heavy alien stuck to her like a second skin, Cleo managed to rise on her elbows, her gaze moving near to Sohut’s feet.

  His satchel was moving and out of the open end poked the butt of one of the jungle-penguins.

  There were three of them. The other two were standing close by, poking the satchel with their red beaks.

  Yawning, Cleo shook her head.

  To think they’d come this close without running away, even though she was their predator.

  How they survived this long in the wild was a mystery.

  The one with its head in the satchel gave a shake and some of the things in the bag went rolling out.

  Groaning at the noise, Sohut lifted his head.

  “Clee-yo?”

  The jungle-penguin lifted its head then, with the bag still stuck over it, and began waddling away.

  Cleo had to giggle.

  “They’re so cute. I hate having to eat them all the time,” she murmured.

  “Cute?” Sohut rose beside her and she felt him stiffen.

  There was a tickle at her throat and she rubbed her hands there absentmindedly. It felt almost like a ring of itchy nerves was around her neck.

  Sohut moved so fast, she lost her balance, and when her wide eyes reached him, her mouth fell open a little.

  He was gripping one of the little birds so tightly, she was sure it risked being popped like a balloon.

  For the first time since being around the animals, she saw an expression other than innocent ignorance on their faces.

  The one Sohut was holding was bug-eyed as it looked at Sohut, its mouth slightly open with one of Sohut’s gadgets between its beak.

  The gadget was blinking and the more she looked at it the more that feeling around her neck tightened.

  It took her a few moments to realize Sohut had his fangs out, snarling at the little bird before he snatched the device from its beak.

  And when he turned to look at her…something deep inside her turned into cold, cold marble and fell.

  Something bad was about to happen.

  Sh
e knew it.

  The look of absolute horror and dread in his eyes had her swallowing hard.

  “Sohut?”

  The feeling around her neck was tightening now and her heart was beginning to hammer against her chest.

  “Sohut, what is that?” Her gaze fell to the device blinking in his hands.

  But he didn’t answer. The next thing she knew, she was being hoisted over his shoulder as he dashed into the bushes.

  If she could see in the dark, her view would be that of the back of his legs because she was upside down.

  She could feel his chest heaving, feel the fear in his bones and even though she’d consider herself a mentally sturdy gal, his response was beginning to terrify her.

  “Where are you going?!” He didn’t answer. He was running. Running much faster than he was supposed to be able to in the darkness in a jungle, but he was managing it anyway.

  Vines and bushes slapped against them, as he all but flew through the darkness.

  He was moving as if he was running away from something, and that scared her.

  This was the same alien who’d told her to run while he fought the literal darkness-come-to-life.

  He wasn’t afraid of anything.

  “Sohut! We left our stuff…and Wawa…”

  She didn’t understand what was happening, but whatever it was, it clearly had something to do with the device he carried in his hand.

  “Wawa will find us. He knows your scent. The little phekker has bonded to you.” It didn’t sound like the Sohut she knew.

  His voice sounded…strained.

  “Sohut…talk to me…” She swallowed hard and reached up to touch her neck. There was no physical thing there, but it felt like a chain was around her neck, constricting against her vocal cords. And the more she fought it, the harder it squeezed.

  “What’s happening to me?” Fear was laced in her voice and at her question, it was as if his breaths started to come harder, harsher—and not because of his exertion.

  It was almost as if he was hyperventilating.

  She could feel the huge, hurried breaths he was taking as her upper body was pressed against his back.

  But Sohut didn’t stop. He kept on running.

  She didn’t know how he knew where he was headed in the pitch black of the jungle, but he somehow did.