Page 77 of Sohut's Protection

Wawa lifted his head on her shoulder.

Nodding, she put down her makeshift bag on some dry vines running along the floor.

Sohut paused for a second and then he disappeared into the brush.

Glancing at Wawa, she smiled at the animal.

“Just me and you again,” she murmured. But Wawa hopped from her shoulder, gave her a glance, and went in the opposite direction to the alien.

Now that she knew what he went off to do, she wondered if he sensed danger close.

She’d had no idea her little innocent pet had been working so hard to keep them both safe.

She was indebted to him.

Dropping against the rock wall, Cleo looked around the small clearing.

She couldn’t believe she was going to leave this place.

It had become her home—the only place she knew on this god-forsaken planet.

She’d always known the day would come. Still, she wasn’t prepared for it.

Another sigh lifted her shoulders, as she turned to the rock pool.

Sohut said he knew how to get them from the jungle and to the Torian camp. From there, they’d travel to his brother’s location—a sanctuary of some sort. She could only hope he wasn’t about to bring her right to the aliens she was running away from.

Stripping off her clothing, Cleo stood naked in front of the rock pool, looking down into the clear water.

It was so pristine, she could see right to the bottom of it.

It would be the last time she took a bath in this water—the very last time she’d sink beneath its cool surface.

For that reason, she moved slower, intent on soaking up every bit of the experience.

The sun’s rays hit the yellow-orange leaves around her in such a way that the entire little clearing looked like a scene she’d expect to see on a map of a fairy kingdom.

Not only that, but the air was so fresh, so clear, so unpolluted, that each deep breath she took felt like she was purifying herself from within.

It really was the perfect spot she’d found and as she stepped into the pool, her body going below the surface, she allowed her shoulders to sag with relief.

It was perfect for the time she’d spent in the area, but her leaving was inevitable.

She had to go.

There was no way, realistically, for her to live out in the jungle indefinitely.

The change was one she was going to take in stride and try as much as she could to embrace.

And Sohut…

Something inside her fluttered at the thought of him.

As her head broke the surface and she gasped for breath, Cleo blinked, treading the water as she wiped it from her eyes.

There was no soap so she had to make do.

She’d found some berries in the jungle that made her smell good and she’d always left a few close to the water’s edge so she could retrieve them while washing herself.

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