“No, but I’m not hungry,” she said as she walked into his hut and sat beside the fire. She stretched her legs out and crossed her ankles. She watched from the corner of her eye as he sat down on the other side, resting his arm across his propped knee. Gosh, she must have made him really, really mad if he wasn’t even willing to sit beside her.
She sighed and trembled as if it were the first time they were alone.
“Are you still upset with me?” he asked. He drew a small stick into his mouth and chewed on the end.
“Not really.” How could she be? As much as she’d like to remain mad, she discovered it impossible. Now, being secluded inside his hut, she couldn’t keep her eyes off him and wished he’d move closer. “I understand why you’re disappointed with me. It took me a while to figure it out but I really do get it.”
“Ivy, you don’t know the fear I experienced when I saw you standing near Grunt.”
“I’m sorry. I saw no harm in what I was doing. Then. I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, pulling her knees to her chest. “I don’t.”
His lids narrowed as he stared at her from across the small fire. She bent her legs, lowered her cheek to her knees and stared back as intently. “Can I hold you?” she asked. “I missed you so much.”
As he stood, her heart fluttered to life and her gaze followed him while he walked around the fire pit. The instant he sat behind her she curled into his body and rested her head against his chest. She wrapped one arm around his back and stroked his neck with her free hand. As she listened to his soothing heartbeat, the dinosaur babies began yelping and squawking.
Bronto stiffened and sat her up between his legs. Just then the sound of people running and hollering breached her ears. As Bronto started to rise, a green arm shot through the doorframe and long, gnarly fingers clutched around her ankle.
She screamed and tried to kick them off but they pulled on her leg and she partially slid to the door. “Bronto!” she wailed, digging her nails into his arm while trying to hang on. The strength the alien had was beyond human and its claws dug into her skin. Bronto held on to her wrists, struggling to hold her in place.
The fingers tightened and claws sank deeper. The pain was unbearable but she couldn’t wedge the hand loose no matter how hard she gouged it with her opposite foot.
“Give me your blade,” she hollered, reaching for his sheath.
Bronto wrapped his legs around her waist and let go of her wrists briefly to unsheathe his knife. She grabbed it by the handle and sat up.
When he jumped to his feet she was dragged another foot backward. She scraped her nails along the ground and her feet frantically scuffed the dirt.
Bronto cuffed his hand around the alien’s arm, preventing it from dragging her farther while she sat up and chopped it in half near its wrist. Blood squirted into the air as the arm sprang backward and snapped against his hand. He let go and watched it retract through the frame.
The fingers continued squeezing her ankle. Blood surfaced around the claws and her foot was turning purple. “Oh gosh. Oh gosh,” she shrieked. “It’s pinching me.”
She tried prying the fingers loose but they wouldn’t budge. Bronto bent one completely backward, grabbed the blade and cut the finger off then threw it into the fire but it didn’t weaken the alien’s grip.
Bronto severed two more and tossed them into the pit. They wiggled away from the heat and tried to escape but melted against the rocks. One at a time he cut off and burned the remaining four then he flung in what was left of the species’ hand.
Ivy scrambled across the hut and tucked herself into the corner as far away from the door as possible. She tightened her hand on the blade as she stared at the entrance, sucking air into her chest.
Bronto dropped beside her and lifted her chin. “Breathe, Ivy,” he said, stroking her bottom lip with his thumb. “Breathe.”
She exhaled and wrapped her hands around his wrist. “Go kill it, Bronto,” she said, digging her nails into his flesh. “You have to kill it or it’ll come back.”
“I will. Shhh,” he soothed. “I will.”
“Now. Before it gets away.”
“You’re coming with me.”
Her eyes rounded. “I’m not going out there.”
“You’re not staying in here alone. You don’t know what will happen when I walk away from the hut.”
She hadn’t thought about that. “Then let’s go,” she said, jumping to her feet.
When he stood she squeezed his hand and scooted as closely as possible to his side. She was having a really bad day and she feared it was about to get worse.
“Bronto!” Zypher shouted from outside. “Get out here. We’re under attack!”
Chapter Ten
“Fuck,” Bronto grimaced.
Ivy dug her fingernails into the back side of his hand. “If we’re under attack—”