Bronto's Revenge (Barbarian Lust, #2)(25)

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.”