Page 66 of Sohut's Protection

“Wait, your back is filled with blood. Let me wash it first,” she said, standing and moving away from him to where the last of her water was.

Or where it should have been…

She forgot she was out of water. She’d have to fetch some when it was morning.

As she turned and moved back over to the alien, she realized he was looking at her with a funny look in his eyes…watching her…studying her.

“I have life fluid,” he said, pulling a small bottle from his satchel.

He handed it to her and she emptied the water into her bowl.

Moving behind him, she dipped her hand in the bowl and hesitated.

Prying the urchins from his back had been one thing. Now she’d be rubbing her hands all over his back.

For a moment, she planted her gaze at the back of his dark head of hair. He was looking straight ahead, his shoulders rigid, as if he was trying to steel himself against something.

Her touch maybe.

She hadn’t thought about that.

Maybe him making light of the situation was his way of not focusing on her alien hand on his skin.

Her skin must feel weird to him.

Sighing, she shut down the thoughts in her head and began to wash away the blood on his back. At the first touch of her fingers against his skin, he stiffened some more.

She’d hurry then.

Luckily, it only took all of his water to wash his back and no more. As she stood to put the bowl down, she heard him mutter a thank you.

When she returned to stand beside him, he was trying to put on the ointment on the wounds and she reached for it.

The alien lifted a thick eyebrow but didn’t resist, handing her the ointment so she could lather it over his wounds.

As she tended to the last wound, she was surprised to see that the ones she’d tended to first were already beginning to close up.

Either it was some miracle ointment or it was black magic.

Shit. The things doctors on Earth would do for miracle salve like this.

She was caught up in her thoughts, staring at the wounds healing in front of her eyes when the alien turned suddenly, his hand closing around her raised wrist.

Her first thought was to fight back and it took her a second to realize he wasn’t being aggressive.

As he turned fully, she had no option but to lean back as he suddenly invaded her space.

He leaned over her, his gaze traveling over her face before it landed on her neck and the memory of his fangs running across her skin came back immediately.

Cleo gulped and his eyes fastened on the movement of her throat.

“What are you doing?” Why did she whisper it?

His gaze moved to her lips and he took a few moments to reply. “I don’t know.” He paused. “I was supposed to capture you, take you to the Goris…”

Cleo swallowed hard again. “I know. I mean…what are you doing right now?”

His gaze snapped to hers then and something inside her jumped and exploded into a million butterflies in her chest.

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