Bronto nodded.
Vulcan punched Bronto’s shoulder, knocking him slightly off balance. “For the record, still am.”
Chapter Six
Ivy hugged herself and glanced at the ground while Wisteria stared at her as though she’d grown two heads.
“Ivy, is there something you want to tell me?”
Older sisters. They missed nothing and were nearly as daunting as mothers. “No,” she replied, rolling her eyes toward Jade.
“I think there is,” Wisteria insisted.
She’d obviously missed the hint but Jade hadn’t. “Why don’t I give you ladies some privacy? I’ve got a few things to gather from the supply hut,” Jade said, giving Ivy’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’ll talk to you both later.”
Ivy nodded while watching Jade’s feet pat away. They were the only things in sight because she still hadn’t torn her eyes from the dirt.
Wisteria slipped her hands around Ivy’s elbow. “Let’s sit by the fire. Grunt is in the area and he keeps appearing at your back.”
“He does?” Ivy asked, glancing over her shoulder as Wisteria led her to the pit.
“Yes. He walks away for a few minutes at a time. I hope you and Jade weren’t talking about things you’d not wanted him to hear.”
Whether good or bad, what they’d talked about was none of his business. He was the prime example as to why the Barbarians had an ill reputation. The creepy way he looked at her frightened her nearly as much as the cave lion.
Wisteria leaned close to Ivy’s ear. “I cut him.”
Ivy halted and stared in her sister’s eyes but Wisteria nudged her closer to the fire. “What do you mean you cut him?” Ivy exclaimed.
“With a blade,” Wisteria replied. She sat and pulled Ivy down beside her. “Remember when I told you I escaped the night Vulcan captured me?”
Ivy nodded and at the same time resituated herself for a straight view of Bronto working on the pen. Gosh, he was handsome. All brawn and flexed muscle. Muscle she’d felt with her own hands. As she started to look away he’d glanced at her and her breath caught.
“Well,” Wisteria continued, lowering her tone and regaining Ivy’s attention. “I stole Vulcan’s weapon. When Grunt tried recapturing me, I sliced his arm.”
“You should’ve killed him,” Ivy mumbled.
“No!” Wisteria glanced around the yard, assuring no one heard her slight outburst. “They retaliate by doing unto others. They would have killed me too.”
Ivy’s eyes widened while examining her sister closely. “What happened?”
“They held a ceremony. His honor was to be restored after he sought revenge on me.”
“He cut you?” Ivy shouted.
“No.” Wisteria clamped a hand over Ivy’s mouth. “Shhh. Let me explain.” After Ivy nodded, Wisteria very slowly lowered her hand to her lap. “Vulcan wouldn’t let him. He made Grunt step aside and he took it upon himself.”
“Vulcan cut you!”
“No. He led the tribe to believe he had. He’d cut himself instead and smeared his blood on my arm.”
That brought Ivy’s eyes to Vulcan just as he’d tossed a piece of wood aside. “Whoa, Wisty, he must really love you.”
“They tied me right there,” Wisteria said, pointing at the tall, charred tree. “After they recaptured me.”
Ivy’s gaze followed Wisty’s finger. “Oh gosh, weren’t you scared?”
“Terrified. I thought they were going to burn me alive.”
Ivy gulped. When Sledge had forced her into Barbarian territory in search of Wisteria, she’d expected to find her sister beaten and tortured if still alive. The possibility of them burning her to ashes hadn’t crossed Ivy’s mind. It should have. After all, the Barbarians were the most feared tribe in the land and she’d heard they set their captives on fire. But they’d treated Wisteria kinder than their own clan. Those who, rather than forgive her, had disowned and banned her from her home.
“Ivy, just be very careful. Any harm you cause a tribe member will be reenacted on you.” She paused and glanced at Vulcan. “That’s the wound he spoke of yesterday. Only Bronto knows the truth.”
“I hope you showed your gratitude.” Leaves rustled in the nearby trees. Ivy leaned forward and looked past Wisteria’s chest. A baby dinosaur emerged from the forest and waddled forth, its mouth opening and closing. Its front legs were slightly shorter than its back legs and its tail was nearly as long as its neck. A soft chirp reached her ears and she smiled.
Wisteria spotted the dinosaur and giggled. “Come here, little one.” After the baby approached and stood sniffing her legs, Wisteria reached into Ivy’s lap and gripped her hand. “Now back to you. You have something to tell me.”
“I do?”
“Ivy!”
The dinosaur flinched. Ivy blinked because Wisteria sounded so much like their momma, it was startling.
“You stayed in Bronto’s hut again last night.”
Ivy nodded.
“And?”