Bronto's Revenge: 2 (Barbarian Lust) Read online

  He stood, situated the bow over his shoulder and walked past Zypher’s hut, the last in the row, and halted on the path leading to the meadow. He glanced at the rays of moonlight filtering over the lush landscape to where the mountaintops appeared etched in the sky.

  “Bronto?” a soft voice called.

  He turned to see Ivy approaching, arms wrapped across her tummy. “Hi. You couldn’t sleep?” he asked, offering his most charming smile.

  “Not really.”

  “You’re welcome to join me.” He held out his hand. “Come here.”

  She stepped into the nook of his arm and laid her head on his chest. He wiggled his hand around her waist and held her close. The crown of her head leveled near the crease of his armpit, to where he had to actually tilt his chin forward to place his lips on the top of her scalp. In other words, she fit perfectly.

  “Will you be guarding the camp ’til sunrise?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied, mesmerized by the soft fragrance of her skin. Jade had obviously shared her lotions. How could something so simple smell completely different on two different women? Pheromones. Hormones. Something altered the scent but he wasn’t complaining. Hell no. It provided the spark that set fire to his balls. And he and Ivy had enough chemistry burning between them to keep the flame alive.

  She tilted her chin and batted her lashes. “Would you mind if I stay awake with you?”

  He smiled. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.” If he still practiced promiscuity from his high school days he might’ve tried claiming her by now. Might’ve being the operative wordbut he respected her way too much to break into her pants, or bottoms as she called them, just for the sake of getting laid. Ruby was sent on the mission for that purpose. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he’d taken care of an itch or two by utilizing her time.

  “Me and Wisty used to sit around the fire and talk all night. I miss it.”

  “I can’t promise I’ll be as entertaining but I’ll at least try to keep you from falling asleep.”

  She laughed softly and the sound fled directly to his testicles. He didn’t know how Ivy felt in regard to making love, or how far she might’ve gone if he’d initiated a seduction. Most times she just wanted a hug. She’d experienced a lot of heartache and what he considered a messed-up family. He wasn’t being judgmental but it was what she’d said that led him to believe it. As long as she sought comfort he’d provide it. And until she hinted she wanted something more he’d act the perfect gentleman.

  He inhaled another deep breath of her scent and swished it around in his head. Musk. Flowers. God, he loved the smell. Or did he love the smell because it now signified Ivy?

  Jade was a good woman for sharing her supplies. She’d even lent shaving cream and a woman’s razor to Vulcan to shave Wisteria’s legs.

  Bronto shook his head and smiled. The big, bad Barbarian leader primping his woman. That tidbit of information was worth noting.

  Bronto would have to remember the shaving tactic for future use. Somehow he couldn’t visualize taking on the responsibility. Half the time he couldn’t shave his face without a nick or two. He couldn’t imagine running a sharp blade along Ivy’s legs. Hell, maybe he could. For his efforts it had potential to end in an appreciative grand finale. When or if the time came he’d make sure Jade promised to keep the list of his borrowed supplies their secret.

  Although Jade was the youngest American female in their unit at twenty-four years old, she’d stepped into the nurturing role and made sure the tribe had everything they needed, from clothing to proper medical treatment. If Bronto read her actions correctly she also had an eye for Rocko, the pure-blooded Barbarian in charge of the night-watch team.

  “What are those sounds?” Ivy asked, lifting her head from Bronto’s chest.

  It could’ve been his heart because it beat like a drum but he knew she’d referenced the noise echoing from the foothills. “I’m not sure.”

  “I believe it’s the Sauropods,” Tyran said behind them.

  Ivy jumped. Bronto tightened her beneath his arm and slightly turned around. Tyran sauntered forward, fully dressed in fur hides, holding both hands at his back.

  “What are they doing?” Bronto asked.

  “What’s a sourpod?” Ivy intervened.

  Tyran stopped beside them, gazing toward the mountains. “They are the largest breed of dinosaurs, four-legged herbivores, and they are communicating amongst themselves,” he replied.

  Ivy returned her head to Bronto’s chest. “I’m not going to ask,” she mumbled under her breath.

  Tyran gazed at her and smiled. “Herbivores survive off of vegetation. They are the plant eaters. The tyrannosaur we encountered earlier this evening was a theropod, primarily carnivorous.”

  “A meat eater,” Ivy said. She shivered and snuggled closer to Bronto. “Like a cave lion.”

  “Exactly,” Tyran confirmed.

  “Why haven’t we ever seen them before?”

  “I can theorize it’s because of the alien species stealing their offspring. While some dinosaurs abandon their eggs, others are very protective. I presume they’re searching for their young.”

  She gulped loud enough for Bronto to hear. “What happens when they reach us?” she asked, her voice quavering.

  Tyran refocused on the mountains. “I’m not sure how the sauropods will react to people. They may be curious, or frightened, or anxious. We have no documentation proving human contact within their evolution, so anything I say is pure speculation.”

  “Guesses, right?”

  “Yes,” Bronto confirmed, giving her an endearing squeeze. “Guesses. Tyran’s guesses.”

  Tyran cleared his throat. “The theropods, on the other hand, won’t hesitate to feast on us.”

  Ivy stepped even closer, her entire body shivering.

  “Tyran, knock it off,” Bronto said, his voice a pitch below a shout. “You’re scaring her.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to be up front and honest.”

  “It’s okay, Tyran,” she assured him. “I’m not afraid. It’s not like I haven’t already seen the tyrannosaur kill a man.”

  Unfortunately she’d watched the monster in action. That thing wanted blood and it’d gotten a taste when it’d plucked a guard from the trees and nearly chomped him in half. Hopefully the tyrannosaur relatives wouldn’t come searching for it anytime soon. It was chopped, burnt and turned to soot.

  Chapter Two

  “Come on, baby doll, wake up.”

  Ivy pulled the fur over her head to make Jade disappear. “Not yet,” she grumbled.

  “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”

  “Bronto and Vulcan found us.”

  “Ah, now it makes sense. I should’ve realized Vulcan wouldn’t let his woman stay away too long. Come on.” She yanked the hide off Ivy and tossed it aside. “Up you go.”

  Shivering, Ivy pulled her knees to her chest. “I just went to bed.”

  “You only have yourself to blame.” She grabbed Ivy’s wrists and tugged her onto her butt. “I don’t know what it is about you and your sister but you’re like infants. Up all night and sleep all day. We need to readjust your hours.”

  “It’s Bronto’s fault.”

  Jade giggled. “Of course it is. He’s totally incapable of guarding our hut by himself.”

  “He talks a lot,” Ivy declared, rubbing her eyes with her palms.

  “That he does but I sense he’s not the only one.”

  “I need my own hut,” Ivy grouched while tilting sideways to lie back down but Jade caught her by the arm and righted her.

  “Until your sister and Vulcan approve, you’re stuck with me. Uppity-up.”

  “Grrr,” Ivy growled, flipping onto her knees before she climbed to her feet. “There. Are you happy?”

  “Ecstatic. Now let’s go.”

  Ivy patted a yawn while Jade grabbed her opposite hand and pulled her from the hut. For such a petite woman Jade had a strong grip. With h
er long, black, waist-length tresses and delicate features she portrayed a vision of beauty. A white rabbit foot was somehow attached in her hair near the top of her head and it dangled behind her ear.

  Vulcan, Wisteria, two ladies close to Jade’s age, and Grunt, Rocko and another man sat around the fire, eating their morning meal. Birmon, the little monster with a rhino head, talons, pointy wings and blue spikes along his back, lay on Wisteria’s lap, sniffing berries in the palm of her hand.

  Jade tugged Ivy toward the circle so swiftly Ivy stumbled over a large rock that was sticking up from the ground and stubbed her toe. “Ouch. Slow down,” she yelped, garnering everyone’s attention. Everyone’s but Bronto’s, who she wished was present. She should’ve just snuck into his hut this morning. At least she would’ve gotten some sleep. Jade wasn’t rude enough to have barged in there to wake her up. Or maybe she was.

  A short distance away between the forest and the yard stood a tall, charred tree surrounded by ashes and tiny stones. Leather straps were tied around the trunk from the base to the top. Evidently it’d been used as a stake, and the ashes… She didn’t want to think about those. “Bronto is apparently still asleep,” she whispered.

  “He worked hard all night,” Jade emphasized, pulling Ivy toward a pot burning over a smaller fire. “And if you’re going to stay, you need to earn your keep. Lucky you, you get to clean up the breakfast mess.”

  “My sister isn’t earning her keep,” Ivy said, eyeing Wisteria.

  “The beauty queen earns her keep by keeping our chieftain happy.”

  “Why do you call her that…that queen thing?”

  Jade chuckled and stopped near the pot. Ivy nearly plowed into her back but stopped short of colliding and embarrassing herself.

  “A queen is a powerful woman. She rules her domain. Your sister is beautiful and one day she will rule the chieftain’s heart,” Jade said, turning around. “It suits her, don’t you think?” she asked, draping Ivy’s hair over her shoulder as Ivy’s mother used to do. “Just like baby doll suits you.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes and held up her hands, palms facing Jade. “Don’t say it. I’d rather not know.” It was the first time she’d actually talked to Jade at length since Sledge, one of Ivy’s clansmen, forced Ivy into the Barbarian camp as bait days ago in an attempt to capture Wisteria. “I think heartless suits you.”

  Jade grinned. “You have spunk. I think I’ll enjoy having you around.” She removed a bowl from the stone table and handed it to Ivy. “Grab yourself something to eat. We’ll clean up when everyone is finished.”

  Ivy wiped her palms on her fur bottoms then grabbed the wooden bowl from Jade’s hand. The food bowl was larger than she’d been accustomed to. After the Flesh Eaters chased her clan from their original habitat in the lush meadows to the forest caves, the women rationed food. They survived on small portions while the men ate heartily to build and maintain strength in case another tribe attacked.

  “Ivy, come sit with me,” Wisteria said, patting the ground.

  Ivy nodded and lowered her eyes. As she walked toward her sister, multiple gazes eyed her up and down from her face to toes. One in particular disturbed her and caused the hair on the back of her neck to bristle.

  “This spot is open,” Grunt said.

  That was the one. “Thank you,” Ivy replied. “But I’ll sit by my sister.”

  He grabbed her by the wrist as she walked by and yanked her slightly backward. “Sit down.”

  If his soul was as cold and harsh as his hand, he had no heart. But she’d already known it if first impressions held true. “I said,” she uttered, tugging her arm free, “I’m sitting with my sister.”

  Vulcan’s gaze rolled upward from a stick he was twisting between his fingers. Though his expression was calm and relaxed he appeared ready to jump and strike.

  Ignoring the throb in her wrist from Grunt’s finger imprints, she quickly shuffled around the circle and sat down beside Wisteria, crossing her legs.

  “Ack.” Birmon hopped off Wisteria’s lap, waddled to Ivy and sniffed the scuff on her toe.

  “Hi, Birmon,” Ivy said. She lifted her arms, providing him room to snuggle in the space between her legs, but he lay down on the ground, stuck out his tongue and licked the blood off her foot. The wound disappeared right before her eyes. “Wisty, did you see that?” she exclaimed.

  “Yes. I told you he’s magical. That’s how easily the slashes from my whipping disappeared.” Wisteria glanced at Vulcan, who was shaking his head, possibly in disbelief. “I guess he likes only women’s blood,” she concluded.

  “I’d say so,” Vulcan mumbled.

  “How do you know?” Ivy asked.

  Vulcan bent his leg and rested his arm over his knee. “The little guy wouldn’t even try to heal my injury.” He winked at Wisteria and grinned. “He made me suffer through the pain and agony. For days I could barely move my arm.”

  “You fib.” Wisteria elbowed him in the ribs. “Stop it. I feel horrible enough about that.”

  Ivy looked at Vulcan, then her sister. “About what?” she asked, patting a yawn.

  “I’ll explain later,” Wisteria whispered, rolling her eyes toward the others present. “It’s personal.”

  The only thing personal Ivy knew happened between a man and woman was mating or making love. How could an injury relate to such an intimate act? Unless an accident occurred. In that case she didn’t want to know. Well, she did but she didn’t want all the details. Yes, she did. Any information she could ingest, whether good or bad, might help her understand more clearly what to expect. Her momma never explained it. She’d just said they mated to make babies. The little bit Wisteria previously described so far indicated pleasure.

  Wisteria patted Ivy’s knee. “You look tired. Didn’t you sleep?”

  “Not much.” Ivy took a small bite of the grains then set the bowl aside. She didn’t have much of an appetite. She never did when sleepy. “I stayed awake with Bronto, listening to the dinosaurs talk.”

  Wisteria’s eyes widened. “The dinosaurs talk?” She swiftly glanced at Vulcan. “They don’t talk, do they?” she asked, then faced Ivy again. “They can’t talk.”

  Ivy nodded. “They do. They make a humming sound. It’s very relaxing.”

  “How do you know it was the dinosaurs?” Wisteria asked.

  “Tyran. He thinks they were sourpods.”

  “Sourpods?” Wisteria’s eyes again widened.

  “The four-legged, big ones that eat plants.”

  Vulcan chuckled as he took a stance. “Sauropods. If Tyran said they talk, then they do.” He offered his hand to Wisteria. “I’m going to start chopping down trees for wood to reinforce the huts. Would you like to join me?”

  Wisteria nodded, latched on to his fingers and let him assist her to her feet. “Ivy, go take a nap. I’ll wake you in a while.”

  “I can’t. Jade won’t let me. I have to help clean up the meal mess.”

  Vulcan glanced at Jade, where she remained standing by the pot of grains. “She’ll have sufficient help. Go rest.”

  Ivy jumped up and practically ran toward the huts. When she reached Bronto’s she halted and turned around to see if anyone was watching. No one appeared to be but off to the side the forest trees rustled and something moved.

  “Chieftain,” a guard in the forest shouted.

  She held her breath and turned slowly. Two tribesmen, Trice and Zypher, were slowly following…her father. And he carried his club.

  She slapped a hand over her mouth as Vulcan and Wisteria came running. Wisteria gasped.

  “Stay back,” Vulcan shouted, holding up his hand. She halted mid-step and nearly stumbled forward.

  “We recognized him as a member of the Peaceful Clan, sir,” Zypher conveyed. “It’s the only reason we let him through.”

  Ivy inched toward Vulcan, who was moving exceptionally slowly to her father. Her dad knew better than to barge into Barbarian territory. It gave Vulcan or any of the other tribe
smen the right to kill him if they chose to. She gulped, for Vulcan harbored enough anger toward him to do just that. “Father, what are you doing here?” Ivy asked, her voice quavering.

  “Father, what are you doing here?” he repeated, swinging his club up and down at his side.

  “Oh no,” Ivy shrieked, grabbing her throat.

  “Oh no,” he mocked.

  Her heart raced. She looked at Vulcan then at Trice and Zypher. They remained a slight distance behind her dad to where he couldn’t reach them if he attacked with the weapon.

  As she approached she could see scales on the side of his legs and neck. Her stomach clenched. She grew nauseated and swooned. The urge to vomit burned her throat but nothing came up when she gagged.

  The instant he changed direction and headed straight for Wisteria, Ivy fought the sick feeling and shouted, “Father, stop! Stay away from her.” Even in a mutant state he wanted to beat Wisteria to death with his club as he’d nearly done to their brother Boar.

  “Father, stop. Stay away from her.” Again he mimicked her word for word but his eyes never rose from the ground.

  “What’s going on?” Bronto yelled at her back.

  She whipped around to see him standing inside his doorway, holding the flap open. “It’s my father.”

  Bronto was beside her in seconds but she raced to her sister. “Wisty, oh gosh, Wisty, father is a mutant.”

  Wisteria nodded. With as awful as he’d treated her, she had tears in her eyes. “I-I know,” she stammered.

  “Ladies, get inside my hut,” Vulcan commanded.

  Ivy dreaded those words, for the last time they’d been ordered away was when he destroyed the mutant of their brother Boar.

  Wisteria froze and Ivy’s heart lurched. “Come on, Wisty,” she said, turning her sister and leading her to the hut. “We must do as he says.”

  Nodding, Wisteria fell into step beside her. “Wisty, that is not our real father. For him to appear in this state, the aliens have already killed him.”