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
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
Similar Books
