Page 146 of Sohut's Protection

For a moment, he didn’t raise his gaze and when he finally looked at her, the glimmer of hope in his eyes almost broke her heart, right before a look of horror covered his features.

“You’re leaking. From your eyes.” He touched a tear. “Have I—” he eased off her, his gaze flicking over her body. “Have I hurt you?” He gulped hard. “I’m going to take you to the Sanctuary. You’ll be safe there. But now that you’re free…you don’t have to come with me. You can go anywhere on Hudo III.” He swallowed hard. “I can take you there.”

The suggestion in his words cut her deep and she gripped him tighter.

Why would he say such a thing?

Didn’t he know that all that time away while she’d waited in that terrarium, he’d been the only thing on her mind?

That she couldn’t see herself living without him.

That she wanted to be by his side forever.

No, she realized. He didn’t know because she’d never actually admitted it to him.

Still clinging to him, she opened her mouth and said it.

“I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay with you.”

Sohut stilled at her words before his finger moved to wipe away another tear.

“What are you saying, gnora?”

Cleo sniffled. “What does that word mean?”

She could swear his color changed to a darker shade.

For a few moments, he just looked at her and she thought he wasn’t about to answer, when he did.

“My people, the Merssi, we believe there is one being out there that completes us…a being that fits with us like a puzzle.”

“A…a soulmate?”

His color became even darker. “Yes.”

“And you think I’m that…for you?” There was a note of hope in her voice that even she heard and when Sohut nodded she couldn’t help but pull him down against her as she settled back on the seat of the hover vehicle.

“I want you to be mine,” Sohut said. “I don’t want to be without you.”

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere,” Cleo whispered. “I don’t want to be without you either.”

Sohut’s head rose over hers, his green eyes piercing hers.

“You will have me?” he asked.

“Every day. Forever.”

A look of complete elation passed over his features before it was promptly replaced with something more animalistic, something more carnal.

“Wawa,” Sohut growled. “Leave us.”

To her surprise, Wawa listened, hopping from the hover car to dart into the long grass.

“What are you doing?!” Cleo giggled as Sohut lifted the robe up over her hips, pulling it higher till she had to stretch her arms to get out of it.

“Something I’m going to do every day, forever,” he said.

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