Page 106 of Sohut's Protection

As a matter of fact, she did try to pull her hand away, but he held her fast.

“You hurt yourself.” It was as if he was choking on the words. They came out of his mouth as if his throat was suddenly not working as it used to.

His gaze met hers.

“You hurt yourself because of me.”

The look in his eyes was so tortured, she opened her mouth to tell him that she was all right and he didn’t have to make such a big deal over it. But he cut her off before she was even able to mouth the words.

“Never, do that again.”

* * *

Sohut set her down and began cleaning her wound and all she could do was blink at him.

Somewhere behind them lay a huge beast that they’d just killed, yet he was tending to her so carefully and gently that she couldn’t believe it was the same person that had just sliced the beast in two.

For more than a few minutes, he crouched over her, meticulously removing every single foreign object from her wound.

Bits of leaves and sticks were removed by his dark claws one by one and never did he let her help.

He seemed adamant about doing it himself and as he worked he kept his gaze on his task, not raising his eyes to hers.

He cleaned her wound with dew from a nearby leaf and dug into his pocket for that vial of healing stuff he carried around. Still, he didn’t look at her the entire time.

“Sohut?”

He didn’t reply but she knew he heard her because the muscles in his shoulders stiffened slightly.

“Sohut.”

He finally raised his gaze to hers, and Cleo inhaled deeply.

Did aliens cry?

Because he sure looked like he could cry.

The pain in his eyes was so real it made something within her wring into a knot.

She reached forward, cupping his face with her good hand without even thinking about it.

“You don’t have to feel so bad. I’ve cut myself worse before,” she murmured, her gaze searching his.

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.

---