Page 62 of Sohut's Protection

“You phekking cut the vine.” A sound like a huff of a laugh caught her ear and she’d have thought she was mistaken if the alien didn’t lean his head back and actually laugh.

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.

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