Bronto's Revenge: 2 (Barbarian Lust) (7 page)

Bronto glanced over his shoulder and looked at her hands.
“What do you have there, love?”

“I don’t know.” She held it up. “What is it?”

He smiled and shook his head. “That is specifically for
women. You might want to ask Jade.”

“What do you do with it?” She tapped it on her palm then
placed it between her teeth and bit down on the smaller end. It slightly
collapsed.

“No,” he said, walking away from the shelves. He removed it
from her fingers. “Wrong opening.” He smiled as he tossed it into a box.

“Huh?”

“It’s a tampon. Women wear them during their periods.”

Her brows scrunched. “Periods of what?”

“Their menstrual cycles.”

She lifted her brows to display her lack of understanding.

His expression turned serious. “When they bleed once a
month.”

Oh gosh.
“I call that my infertile phase.” Men never
spoke of such personal issues and she certainly was not going to goad him
further about the
tampon
or how it worked. Though she was curious, she’d
not speak to him about such things. She already felt heat warming from her
tummy to her face.

She folded her hands together and glanced at her fingers.
“Oh.”

“Talk to Jade, Ivy. She’ll educate you on their use. I’m
sure you’ll be amazed how much more comfortable you’ll feel using those instead
of pelt squares.”

Double gosh.

She nodded. He seemed to know an awful lot about woman
things.

“Ready?” he asked, nudging his head toward the doorway. “I
want to stop at the weapons shelter for a rifle in case we encounter any more
aliens.”

She grabbed the soap before she fled outside.

When she stepped into the bright outdoors she shielded her
eyes from the sunshine and looked for Wisteria. Vulcan was constructing the pen
and near the stack of wood behind him sat her sister. Grunt had disappeared but
the dirt was still splattered with his blood.

She didn’t give his injuries a second thought. The only
thing crossing her mind in reference to the bloody mess—the
tampon
.

Her face heated. She stared at the ground as they walked to
the underground shelter. After Bronto retrieved what he referred to as an M21
sniper rifle and a twenty-round box magazine, Ivy followed him into the forest.
She found two baby dinosaurs hidden under patches of ferns. Their little eyes
peeked through the leaves but they remained tucked away.

As she and Bronto walked she searched for more. Shoving
aside bushes and brush with her foot and scoping the underneath at least
occupied her time during the long trek to the yellow lake. Bronto appeared deep
in thought and hadn’t spoken. She didn’t mind the silence but she minded the
stretch of distance between them.

As soon as they reached the lake he stood the rifle near a
tree that was covered in large purple leaves and small silver petals. They
sparkled in the sun’s rays and fluttered in the slight breeze. Magnolias
outlined the entire embankment. An inner row of pink flowers was surrounded by
two rows of bright red. Beyond them in the plush grass stood a beautiful, tall
orange feather-tree, its branches nearly touching the ground. No wonder
Wisteria loved this place. It was nearly as magical as the paradise Ivy and
Bronto discovered yesterday. Nearly but not quite.

The water stirred as Bronto strolled in and dove, submerging
his entire body. She walked in slowly, eyeing the beautiful golden underbelly
through the clear water. Purple, red and yellow feathery plants swayed from the
slight current caused by her feet. Rocks in all sizes and colors sparkled
beneath the sunshine. Even the yellow sand squishing between her toes
glistened.

She stayed near the edge in case the two-headed serpent appeared.
It was too huge an animal to miss. It was probably the same length as a tree
and just as round—big enough to squish a person to death.

She shivered. Wisteria always rode on its back and frolicked
with it in the water but Ivy feared snakes and avoided getting too close
regardless of how friendly it appeared. It was yellow, pink and orange but just
because it was pretty didn’t mean she’d trust it. She’d only seen it once, the
night her brother Boar and a woman from their clan appeared at the lake in a
mutant state. The serpent sensed their evil and struck to protect Wisteria but
neither mutant died. That left Vulcan no choice but to destroy them.

Poor Boar. And Father. And now Momma. How could Ivy or
Wisteria explain to her they’d been captured by the aliens and become the
result of a failed dinosaur shifter experiment? Gosh. Poor, poor Momma. Only
three of her children remained alive. Three out of twelve.

“Ivy, come here.”

She glanced up. Bronto was treading water in the deep
section. Behind him near the cliffs and waterfall, the serpent lay stretched
along white sparkling boulders as if sunbathing. Ivy wouldn’t take her eyes off
it while she waded waist-deep. Glancing between its long body and Bronto, she
squeezed the soap, dove under water and emerged at his chest. Her lips quivered
and teeth chattered while she rubbed water from her eyes. She was nearly as
cold now as last night and suspected her lips would turn blue again.

Grunt’s blood had already washed away from Bronto’s skin but
she rolled the soap in her hands anyway and rubbed them over his neck and face.
“What will happen to you?” she asked, studying his lips and the dark shadow of
whiskers along his cheeks and chin.

“What do you mean?”

She glided her palm over the soft bristles. “Do unto others.”

“That doesn’t apply between tribe members,” he responded,
tilting her face and placing a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

Inhaling a contented sigh, she wrapped her arms around his
neck and rested her head on his shoulder. It was the closeness she’d craved all
day. She tightened her hold and closed her eyes and that was when something
smooth brushed her legs. Her lids popped open. She glanced at the cliff.

The serpent was gone.

She gulped and buried her face in Bronto’s throat. “Is-is it
the snake?” she asked, trying to stay calm.

“Yes. Relax or it’ll sense your fear.”

How could she relax? She trembled and wanted to cry and when
one of its heads slid up her back she nearly fainted. “’Kay,” she agreed. She
snapped her eyes shut and gripped his neck even tighter, pressing her body
against his.

“It’s your sister’s pet. It may think you’re her. Say its
name.”

She sucked in a breath and held it. “L-L-Loo-La,” escaped
from her lips in a high-pitched squeal.

“That’s it. Say it again.”

Oh gosh. Oh gosh.
It hovered near the side of her
face. Though she refused to open her eyes, both heads lingered so close they
brushed her skin. She clung desperately to Bronto. “L-Loo-La.”

Something rough and warm slid up her cheek from her chin to
her lower lashes. She inwardly cringed but Bronto chuckled. “It likes you,
love. It just gave you a kiss.”

She froze, unable to speak or move.

“Ivy, breathe.”

She couldn’t.

Not while that oversized snake hung over her head like a
tree branch. How could her sister befriend something so…so icky and
frightening?

Finally the pressure eased from her back and a slight
current circled her legs as the serpent swam off. Very slowly Ivy expelled the
air from her lungs. “Please take me home.”

Before they’d even reached the back side of the supply hut
Bronto heard shouts and thumps and the sound of fists meeting flesh. He
tightened his hold on Ivy’s hand and rushed into the yard. Fifteen or so people
stood back while Rocko wiped the ground with Grunt.

“Couldn’t be happening to a nicer guy,” Bronto said. “Wonder
what he did this time?”

Grunt flew through the air and landed at his feet. Bronto
avoided the urge to kick the man while he was already down and stepped around
him instead. In a matter of seconds Rocko was on top of Grunt, pounding his
fists into the lug’s face.

“Gosh, isn’t someone going to stop him?” Ivy yelped.

Bronto smirked. “Let’s hope not.” He guided her to the fire
pit where Vulcan stood with an arm draped across Wisteria’s shoulders. She was
holding Birmon and petting the top of the critter’s head.

“Why aren’t you intervening, Vulcan?” Ivy asked. “You
stopped Bronto.”

Vulcan nudged his head. Bronto followed the direction to
Jade, who was crying and chewing on her thumb. The first and only time she’d
cried in the past two years was when she’d felt guilty for letting Wisteria and
Ivy run away. “What happened?”

“Grunt raped her in the supply hut,” Vulcan replied.

That explained the condition Bronto and Ivy found it in. A
knot formed in his guts and for a fleeting second he wanted to rip Grunt’s head
off. Not that Rocko wasn’t doing a good job but Bronto still had a hankering to
kill him himself.

“What does that mean?” Ivy asked.

Bronto tore his eyes from Jade and glanced at Ivy. “He took
her against her will.”

“But that happens all the time. If a man wants a woman he
takes her. It isn’t a crime.”

“It might not be but when a man takes a woman someone else
has feelings for it becomes vengeance. By the beating Grunt is taking, I assume
Rocko has a thing for Jade.” Bronto thought it was the other way around. He
hadn’t suspected their feelings were mutual. In that case Rocko had perfect
cause to handle things his way.

Another loud thump grabbed his attention. He peered over his
shoulder just as Rocko back-slammed Grunt on solid ground. He lay near the fire
pit not uttering a sound but when Rocko plopped down on his stomach and wrapped
his hands around Grunt’s neck, Grunt choked.

“Chieftain, are you going to let Rocko kill him?”

Vulcan crossed his arms at his chest and took a lingering
gaze at Jade. “Put yourself in his shoes.”

Bronto wanted to kill him for a hell of a lot less than
rape. “Good point.” Rape might be okay on this planet but it wasn’t tolerable
on his and he’d never accept it as a way of the primitive lifestyle. Rocko had
the right idea—beat the offender to a bloody mess. Knowing Vulcan shared the
same feelings, Bronto guaranteed it was exactly why he wouldn’t stop the show.
Well, whatever happened, he knew Ivy was uncomfortable watching and he didn’t
want to expose her to any more bloodshed. From Rocko’s relentless stamina it
appeared there’d be much more to come. “Let’s walk to my hut, Ivy.”

“Wisty, would you like to come with us?” Ivy asked.

That proved Bronto was right regarding her level of
discomfort. As much as he wanted to protect her from the fight, she wanted to
protect her sister.
Fight
wasn’t a proper term since it appeared to be a
one-sided ass whooping.

“Thanks but Vulcan and I are going to the lake to bathe.
He’s sweaty from working in the sun all morning.”

Bronto glanced at the pen the same time Ivy had. It was
completely finished, roof included. A few baby dinosaurs were visible by their
necks or tails sticking through the wall slats. “How many are in there?”

Vulcan looked between him and the pen. “Nine.”

“We found a couple of them hiding under ferns in the
forest,” Ivy said.

Wisteria cringed when a solid fist connected to Grunt’s jaw.
“We’ll look for them on our way back. Vulcan, can we please go now?”

“Sure, sweetheart,” Vulcan replied, grabbing the Barrett
from the stone table. “We won’t be gone too long.” He took hold of Wisteria’s
arm and guided her toward the forest.

Ivy turned to watch them as they approached the trees.
“Wisty, I met your snake up close,” she shouted.

Wisteria halted and turned around. “You did? I told you it
wouldn’t hurt you. Were you scared?”

“A little.” She smiled and squeezed Bronto’s hand.

Bronto raised a brow. “A little?”

“Okay, to death,” she corrected.

That was more accurate since she’d refused to breathe at the
time. Too, he possibly still had fingernail marks engraved in his back. The
woman had very expressive claws. He could point to a few others she’d left as
evidence last night.
Love scars.
Hell, he wouldn’t mind if she carved a
tattoo into his back with those nails.

He pulled her close and tucked her under his arm. “We’ll
hide out in my hut until Rocko is through with Grunt, then it’ll be time to
chop down more trees.”

“Can I help this time?”

Bronto gave her a squeeze. “Most definitely. Know how to use
an ax?”

“No. Momma said it’s a man’s chore because it builds muscle,
so I’ve never tried.”

“Is that right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

He smiled to himself. “Where I come from women and men are
equal.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing a man’s job but Momma wouldn’t like
that.” Ivy rested her head on his chest. “She also said, regardless how
strenuous men’s work is, they lack the power of women.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because women give birth and it requires the greatest
strength of all.”

“Your mom sounds like a wise woman.”

Ivy sighed. “She is about most things,” she said, her voice
teetering on the edge of bitterness. “I just wish she would’ve stood up to my
father more often. Like when he chased Wisty off.”

Bronto rubbed her arm. “Some things happen for a reason,
love. If he hadn’t, she’d be united with Sledge and you wouldn’t be here.”

“I guess you’re right.”

No, he was one hundred percent without a doubt right. He’d
be hunting aliens right now rather than waiting for them to come to him if it
wasn’t for her father. As well as preparing to pack his bags for the long
shuttle back to Earth. “Would you like to take something to eat or drink back
to the hut?”

“Maybe some water.”

“Then go on ahead,” he said, stepping to the side. “I’ll
meet you there.”

He waited until she reached his hut and entered. While he
trotted toward the wooden beverage canisters that sat on the table he spotted
Grunt lying in a bloody heap near the forest wall. Rocko sat beside Jade at the
fire, holding a cup to her lips while she drank. Her eyes were red and swollen
and her cheeks tear-stained.

Bronto’s throat thickened. If she’d been raped at home she’d
be lying on a hospital bed with doctors and a rape kit by her side and Grunt
would be apprehended by the police, awaiting charges.

Yeah, Rocko got it right by serving justice right here in
their own backyard. No questions asked. As it should be.

Bronto filled a cup with pink-tinted liquid from the first
canister. Raspberry water perhaps? Jade and Pearl were endlessly experimenting
with food and drink. A man never knew what kind of a surprise he’d encounter
when reaching into a pot. The women worked hard to keep meals available around
the clock. Working night-guard increased a man’s appetite. Not so much from
hunger but from boredom to stay awake.

He lifted the cup at Rocko and Jade as he strolled by. Even
though the ass whooping had ended and things settled down, he wanted to relax
for a while before reinforcing the huts. Prior to Ivy, he worked from sunrise
to sundown. He wasn’t going to feel guilty for stealing a little time now.

He pushed the flap aside, stepped in and placed the rifle
inside the crate. Ivy sat down near the fire and reached for him. He’d like to
believe it was him she wanted and not the water. To test her he offered the
cup.

She took it and at the same time reached upward with her
opposite hand. He locked his fingers around hers and while he sat down she
shifted sideways and set the cup near the stone fire-pit enclosure.

“Here,” she said, patting the portion of her frock that was
draped between her legs. “Lie down on my lap.”

What did his frisky little woman have on her mind? The same
thing that’d driven him crazy most of the morning? He grinned. Without
questioning
why
, he lay down, resting his shoulders over her crossed
ankles, and situated his head at the dead center of her thighs. The frock
supported his skull but being so close to her female region, he failed to
relax.

She was just as beautiful from the upside-down view as she
was face-to-face. He studied the perfect angle of her chin and the curve of her
throat. Damn, he couldn’t even admire her without his cock reacting. He didn’t
need to touch her to become aroused. Hell, he’d been in that state most of the
morning.
Most my ass.
It was all morning. Even after he’d pounded
Grunt’s head into the ground he wanted her. More than anything. Jealousy might
have played a huge part. Although Grunt hadn’t touched her intimately, he’d
touched her nonetheless. It was enough to awaken Bronto’s green-eyed monster
and summon his rage simultaneously. The action had put Grunt in double jeopardy
and initiated a train of morning-long ass-beatings.

“Close your eyes, Bronto.”

The softness of her voice filled his ears like a song. As he
closed his lids he reached upward, slid his hand beneath her hair and rested
his fingers on her neck. He couldn’t distinguish the better sensation—her
smooth skin beneath his palm or the gentle massage she started on his temples.

How nice it felt lying at her disposal to do with as she
pleased. It was the first time he’d been in this position and the inability to
see enhanced the awareness of her touch. It wouldn’t take much to spoil him
from such attention.

His senses heightened when she paused and reached over him.
A moment later she swallowed. When a cool droplet splattered his forehead he
flinched and opened his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she set the cup down.

He moved to wipe his forehead but she grabbed his hand
midair. “I’ll do it.” She wiggled from beneath him and gently guided his head
to the ground.

He suspected she’d wipe it with her hand but she lowered her
face and swiped it off with her tongue. That innocent, harmless maneuver shot
heat straight to his balls and damn, he botched the urge to contain a groan.

She sat up quickly. “What did I do?”

“You have no idea.”

“Did that feel good?”

He swallowed. “Yes, everything you do feels good, Ivy.”

She smiled a one-sided grin he’d never seen before. “It
does?”

Ah, the teasing fire in her eyes lit his internal torch. His
blood burst in flames and his cock swelled to a painful degree.

“So,” she said, relaxing onto her haunches and patting her
lips with an index finger. “If I do this,” she continued as she slid her hand
over his chest, “and this,” she added, pinching his nipple, “it feels good?”

He clamped his teeth to refrain from saying a few derogatory
words she’d never heard before that had everything to do with flipping her onto
her back and pumping his hips until she lost her mind.

“What about this?” she asked.

His gaze followed her hand to the cup. The farther she
stretched, the lower her breasts inched toward his stomach. Once she had the
mug in her possession she pressed her nipples into his flesh as she slid
backward and reclaimed an upright position. Despite being fully clothed, those
suckable hard peaks grasped his attention. Literally. And his mouth suddenly
felt deprived.

The woman was looking for trouble and she’d find it if she
poured the cup contents anywhere on his body. The manner in which she held it
indicated that was exactly what she intended to do. He didn’t know whether to
continue watching her chew seductively on her bottom lip or focus on the tilt
of the mug hovering over his chest. He’d done some foolish things over time but
he wasn’t an idiot and he lowered his gaze to her mouth.

What he expected to be a few drops of liquid became a slow
stream. It traveled from his breastbone past the channel between his ribs to
his abdomen where it pooled around his navel. Oh yeah, trouble—big-time.

She scrunched her neck into her shoulders and slapped her
fingers over her mouth. “Oops. Sorry.”

If she expected to get a rise out of him, she did. Not the
verbal one she probably anticipated but a rise nonetheless. If she kept it up
his loincloth just might blow apart at the seams.

“I should probably take care of that, huh?” she asked,
trying not to giggle, but the corners of her lips lifted.

He knew her intentions way before she twisted her hair into
one thick tail and draped it behind her shoulder. As she lowered her face to
his chest he filled his lungs with a hearty amount of air.

The sensation brought on by the initial lap of her warm
tongue tracing his navel shot straight to his cock before it reached his brain
and he practically heard the loincloth seams rip. As if her mouth gliding to
his abdomen wasn’t causing a big enough stir in his pants, he expelled the air,
propped himself on his elbows and watched the motion of her mouth. And he
couldn’t, wouldn’t, look away even after she licked up every drop.

She caught him off guard when she unlatched the loincloth.
With a rough tug she yanked it over his hips and slid it down his legs and off
his feet. She poured liquid on his cock and he damn near flew through the roof.
Not because of the cool shock but because of her intentions.

Lord have mercy.

Bronto remained propped on his elbows. No way was he going
to miss this show. She didn’t touch his cock or his balls with her fingers
before she zeroed in on it and licked it from the base to the tip. He sucked in
more air. And when she completely took the head into her mouth his ass jerked
off the ground.