Bronto's Revenge: 2 (Barbarian Lust)

Jennifer
LaRose

Barbarian Lust, Book Two

Momma warned Ivy to stay away from
the bloodthirsty Barbarians but only a Barbarian can show her true love.
Bronto’s compassion, affection and gentle touch overpower his fierce nature.
She places her heart and future in his hands as he introduces her to a life of
passion while protecting her from the deadly creatures overrunning her planet.

Aliens. Mutants. Dinosaurs. What
the hell kind of planet has the government sent Bronto to? He tolerates the
creatures lurking around every corner but not the alien abduction of Ivy. He’s
just begun to introduce her to the ways of lust when she’s taken to be used for
their brutal experiments. Bronto never believed he could fall for one of
Helixis’ “primitive” humans. But now he can’t imagine life without Ivy. He’s
determined to save her and destroy the invasive species before they leave her
to rot in their lab.

Inside Scoop:
  Some
Barbarians live up to the name. Contains brief nongraphic scenes and
descriptions of rape.

A Romantica®
sci-fi erotic romance
from Ellora’s
Cave

“Psst. Chieftain, may I have a word with you?” Bronto
muttered in a low voice from outside Vulcan’s hut. Friends or not, he’d never
barge unannounced into the Barbarian leader’s home. Especially now, since Vulcan
had taken Wisteria as his woman. Falling in love surely altered a man’s life.
In a good way of course.

“What is it?” Vulcan asked, his voice riddled with
impatience.

Under the circumstances Bronto understood his annoyance at
the intrusion. They’d returned a little while ago from bringing Wisteria and
Ivy back to camp after the women had run away together. Vulcan was either
utilizing his authority and spanking her ass or making love to celebrate their
reunion. Either-or, it was important Bronto spoke to him briefly minus any
prying ears. “Out here please.”

Minutes later the chieftain opened the door flap and stepped
into the torch-lighted yard in his loincloth, where Bronto stood with his hands
behind his back, rocking heel to toe.

“What’s so important that you feel the need to disturb me in
the middle of the night?” Vulcan asked, narrowing his lids, seemingly assessing
Bronto from a friend’s perspective rather than a leader’s.

“I took Ivy to the shelter to show her some of our
technology.”

“Don’t tell me there’s been an accident,” Vulcan said with
urgency.

“No.” Ivy was a very inquisitive woman, much like her sister
Wisteria. If Ivy hadn’t asked so many questions regarding the guns and
ammunition, he would’ve been at Vulcan’s door much earlier. Nah, probably not.
Bronto entertained her as long as he possibly could for selfish reasons but not
as long as he would’ve liked. What could he say? He’d wanted to keep her
nearby. As it stood he had an internal battle beating the shit out of his
innards ever since he’d tucked her into bed in Jade’s hut and left. He’d found
it difficult to leave the dwelling and walk away. They’d just met a couple days
ago but during that short period of time infatuation struck like an incurable
disease. He had to admit, when Ivy’s oval, turquoise eyes locked on him,
everything and everyone disappeared.

“Then get to the point. I’m busy.” Vulcan grinned despite
his grouchy demeanor.

“I sent Commander Sumner an email.”

“And?”

“I explained that we won’t be returning with the rest of the
unit.”

Vulcan’s brow rose. “We?”

“You and I.” When Vulcan declared earlier he wouldn’t be
leaving Helixis, Bronto knew it’d also be impossible for him to leave. The
planet had a way of growing on a man. Plus he could never abandon his best
friend of nine years. They’d watched out for each other during prior government
missions on and off the battlefield.

Vulcan placed a hand on Bronto’s shoulder. “Bronto, you
don’t need to do that.”

“There has to be an ending to this madness somewhere. I’m
getting too old to shuttle through space. I need stability. A future. A
family.” Kids were a big part of his dream. Two or three or four would be a
perfect number. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life planet-hopping to
destroy any threats against Earth. And you know that’s exactly what the
commander has on his agenda.” He’d practically admitted it to Vulcan when he’d
said the hostile alien species intended to take over the entire solar system to
increase their power before conquering Earth. Who else besides the Special
Forces did he have to wipe out the species before that happened? No one. Zilch.

For years Bronto sought the thrill but at twenty-eight he
was too old to play hide-and-seek with aliens. That type of activity just
didn’t appeal to him. Maybe having encountered the chameleon species altered
his thinking, or maybe the old man in him just wanted to settle down. Or maybe
Ivy had something to do with it. Pretty much, the latter summed it up.

A deer raced by and stopped at the tree line. It turned,
facing Vulcan and Bronto. What a brazen animal to stand in the open, becoming a
prime target. The horses whinnied at the silent intruder but quieted within
minutes.

“Are you sure you’re not staying here for other reasons?”
Vulcan asked.

“Of course I am,” Bronto replied with a friendly nudge to
Vulcan’s chin with his fist. “You need someone to help destroy the aliens and
protect the baby dinosaurs.” Dinosaurs? Yeah, that was a story all in itself.
He hadn’t seen a dinosaur since…never. Then to witness a real-life T-Rex stomp
into their camp… Unbelievable. He had no words.

Vulcan chuckled. “Reasons beyond those?”

“Maybe just one.”

“I understand.” He draped an arm over Bronto’s shoulder and
gave him a masculine squeeze. “Those sisters are hard to resist.”

“So, what’s our next step?”

“We wait.”

“Wait? That’s a fabulous idea.” They’d already waited two
years for something to happen on this planet. What was another undisclosed
amount of time to wait for the species to invade?

In a matter of seconds the deer dropped to the ground. As it
slowly began to vanish, a short green alien manifested in its place.

“What the hell!” Bronto bellowed. “That didn’t take long.”
Not long at all.

The creature shot into the trees, obviously startled by his
voice.

At least they knew exactly what they were dealing with now.
If the species already knew how to shift to conceal their identity, it was only
a matter of time before they mastered the dinosaur shift—the aliens’ so-called
weapons of mass destruction. According to the commander they needed human DNA
to combine with dinosaur chromosomes to master said experiment. Yeah, that
would cause a few hairs to stand on the back of Bronto’s neck.

“It could get interesting,” Vulcan said. “Are you sure you’re
ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” That unsettled him somewhat because
eventually, hopefully later than sooner, they’d have to act against Vulcan’s
wishes and destroy all dinosaurs to prevent the extraction of their genes. And
until the unit discovered how to identify the true-blooded aliens from the
imposters, they’d have to obliterate all animals as well.

“If we can’t destroy the aliens in a reasonable amount of
time, we’ll get rid of the eggs. Our unit wants to go home,” Vulcan stated. “Let’s
beef up security around the camps.” He peered at the mountaintops where they
merged with the moonlit sky. “Bring it on, you bastards.”

“No need to personally invite them. They’re doing a fine job
of making their own way.”

Vulcan turned slowly, assessing the forest border. “We need
a man outside each woman’s dwelling in case the species breaks through the
guards.”

Bronto nodded. “Agreed.”

“Come morning, we’ll gather wood and reinforce the huts,
starting with the mothers and children. We should’ve jumped on that after the
last invasion. Stay here while I increase the security around their camp. Kill
anything that moves.”

“Got it.” Bronto patted the sheathed knife beneath his arm
for reassurance as Vulcan lit a hand torch, then trotted across the yard in the
direction of the parallel camp where the children resided with their families.

At least he and Vulcan had insight now. The commander said
the species might shift into animals as a way to approach their victims. Until
this point the tribe had no proof of his theory. It at least gave them a clue
what to look for. Not that it was going to be easy by any means to identify who
was who.

He unsheathed his knife and ambled down the row of huts,
stopping outside Jade’s, where Ivy slept inside. He inhaled sharply, imagining
her sweet scent.

“Vulcan?” Wisteria called.

Bronto spun around just as she stepped from Vulcan’s hut.
Before she drew unwanted attention to herself from any abnormal creatures
lurking in the trees, he rushed forward. “He’ll be right back,” Bronto replied,
lowering his voice to a notch above a whisper as he closed the distance between
them to a few feet. “He’s tightening security around the secondary camp.”

“Is there a problem?” she asked, folding her arms across her
tummy.

“He’s being proactive.” If Bronto wasn’t studying her
features he would’ve sworn she was Ivy. They shared many physical attributes
and mannerisms. Though she topped Ivy by a couple of inches, standing with her
long black hair concealing her breasts and arms crossed at her belly, she
projected a striking image of her younger sister. Yeah, he knew why Vulcan had
fallen for her because Bronto was falling just as easily for Ivy.

“I don’t understand,” Wisteria said softly.

Bronto smiled. Why couldn’t he remember these women weren’t
familiar with many words from his vocabulary? “He’s working to prevent any
disruptions.”

“From the aliens?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

Her eyes rounded. “Have they started causing trouble?”

“Not yet but they’re becoming braver. Vulcan wants to make
sure everyone is safely tucked away in case they do.”

Her gaze lowered to the ground and she chewed the inside
corner of her bottom lip. “Wouldn’t it be easier to combine both camps? I
mean,” she blinked and glanced into his eyes, “it’s none of my business but I
think it makes more sense.”

“Your customs from the Peaceful Clan are much different than
ours. The Barbarians have always separated the combatants from the families.
Their daily functions consist of raising children and harvesting crops. In this
camp we train to fight. While they produce the food and clothing, it’s our duty
to protect them.”

She nodded as if his explanation pacified her enough to drop
the subject. “Don’t worry, Wisteria,” Bronto assured her, rubbing the outside
of her arm. “Vulcan is also going to increase security around this camp.”

“I’m not worried about me but please protect my sister.”

“I promise I’ll guard her with my life.”

“And please,” Wisteria pleaded, “don’t break her heart. She
knows you’ll be leaving Helixis soon. Don’t give her false hope.”

“I would never hurt Ivy.” Not in this lifetime. He shook his
head and grinned. “I’m not leaving, Wisteria. I’ve decided to stay behind with
Vulcan.”

Her face brightened with a smile. “You have?”

“Yes. I belong here. Besides, there are so many complicated
things happening, I can’t leave knowing the dangers to the people.” Aliens.
Mutants. Dinosaurs. What the fuck?

He watched as another deer emerged from the trees into the
clearing. Very slowly it began to approach. Bronto scooted Wisteria behind his
back and squeezed the knife in his fist. “Don’t move, Wisteria,” he warned in a
low voice.

“It’s a deer,” she whispered.

“Vulcan and I just encountered one that had the audacity to
shift into an alien right before us.”

Wisteria lowered the hand holding the knife to his side.
“No. Look at its eyes. It’s real.”

Bronto turned his head sideways but kept his gaze locked on
the animal. “How would you know that?”

“It’s sad.”

“That’s a great observation but not necessarily the truth,
I’m afraid.” Maybe he should believe her. He’d already suspected she had some
sort of mystical powers. What if she also had the ability to detect the
shifters from the full-blooded animals? If it were true, he’d rather not hinder
said ability by his ignorance, but neither was her theory feasible without
proof. “Relying on sadness as a differential isn’t being realistic.”

“Could you repeat that in my terms?” Wisteria asked.

Bronto smiled. “My apologies. I don’t believe sadness is
proof that the deer is really a deer, not an alien shifter.”

“Deer look sad when they’re scared. Would a shifter act
afraid?”

Good point but he didn’t know. “I’m not sure.”

“I’ve seen many deer at the golden lake and fed them berries
from my hand,” she explained, stepping to Bronto’s side.

I bet you have.
He couldn’t dispute animals were
attracted to her for one reason or another. The baby dinosaur or whatever it
was, which she’d named Birmon, followed her around like a pet. To further prove
the special-ability theory, she swam around the lake on the back of a
two-headed snake. Even the Mountain Slayers and Flesh Eaters avoided the area
for fear of the serpent. Ivy, her own sister, had no idea how or why she’d
captivated the animals.

Would she also mesmerize the aliens? It could be beneficial
but he sure hoped not.

“They had approached me cautiously, just as this one is
doing to us,” Wisteria continued as if to say, “See, I told you.”

Bronto turned his head and focused on the animal. It
hesitantly inched forward, its ears stiff and tail poised upward in alert.

“It’s a young male,” she said. She took a small step forward.
“Those little nubs on his head will grow like tree branches.”

“Those are his antlers,” Bronto offered in case she didn’t
know their proper term. He’d like to believe the animal was harmless based on
her theory. It’d make his tribe’s job a lot easier. He’d also like to test it
by letting the deer close the distance but he couldn’t jeopardize Wisteria’s
safety. If something happened to her he’d never forgive himself. Hell, he
wouldn’t have to. Vulcan would kick his ass from one side of the planet to the
other. “Please, just stay back,” Bronto said, raising his arm in front of her.

“He’s not a threat, Bronto.”

“I’m not taking any chances.”

“Wisteria, back up,” Vulcan shouted behind them.

The buck turned and darted into the trees. Bronto spun
halfway around, acknowledging Vulcan. Wisteria jumped.

Shit.
Bronto inwardly cringed. “Sorry, Chieftain. I
tried holding her back.”

Vulcan nodded as he handed Bronto a bow and a handful of
arrows. “I know.” He pulled Wisteria into his arms, resting his chin on the top
of her head. “You can’t trust the wildlife right now, sweetheart,” he conveyed.
“You know that. You heard the commander’s explanation earlier tonight.”

“I swear, it was harmless,” she insisted.