Page 60 of Sohut's Protection

He was so close. So close she could smell him.

It was a mix of the smell of metallic soil and wet vegetation.

Her eyes widened in their sockets as she froze.

It was like seeing a ghost.

As her lungs remembered to operate and her breaths came hurrying in and out of her chest, the alien held her gaze and she was vaguely aware of him launching himself on top of her, his two arms enclosing her on each side.

“You’re—” she began, but her words were cut off as the alien roared—and, it was quite literally a roar—in her face.

Fangs.

He had fangs.

How the fuck had she not noticed that before?!

He had fangs. Sharp, sharp fangs that glistened even in the darkness.

And this very angry fanged male was right above her, ready to rip her apart.

Why?

Why was he acting so…differently?

“You,” he snarled and Cleo swallowed hard.

Something had definitely changed inside him. Maybe she was seeing a ghost.

Even after he’d caught her in those first few moments, she hadn’t experienced this ferocity from him.

Frantic, she tried getting from within the cage he’d made with his body but she couldn’t even move from underneath him.

There was nowhere to run.

“H-how? How did you survive?”

Something sharp ran against her cheek and her eyes widened even more when she realized it wasn’t a knife but one of his fingers.

He had claws.

Sharp claws; it felt as if, should he put any pressure on his finger, her skin would break and she would bleed.

“You,” he repeated, his voice so deep and threatening she could feel the fear settle deep into her bones. “You cut the vine.”

Cleo swallowed hard, fear vibrating within her before his words connected in her mind.

“What? No! I didn’t cut the vine.”

“You did.” He said it so calmly, the fact his fangs were still right above her almost seemed out of place.

Wait.

Cleo blinked.

He could understand her?

He could understand her!

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