Vulcan's Woman (18 page)

Soon
.
That didn’t give Wisteria much time to
gather Ivy and flee. She hated to go but she had to. Whether it was now or
later, she’d inevitably be forced to leave. She’d heard the commander. Vulcan
would return home shortly. She couldn’t reside with the pure-blooded
Barbarians. Jade even said they wouldn’t harm her since she was Vulcan’s woman.
With him gone, her life didn’t look too promising.

If she didn’t take the chance now she might not get another.
It would cause more heartache because it’d give her that much more time to love
him. It seemed wiser to return now to life as she’d known it before that
happened. If her clan hadn’t forgiven her she’d find her own way. She could
sew, cook and start fires. She’d settle into a new cave someplace far away from
here and learn how to hunt.

She waited, giving Vulcan sufficient time to return to the
weapons shelter, then she jumped up and peeked outside, holding the flap open
just enough to see who remained in the immediate vicinity. Rocko and Grunt were
dismembering the T-Rex and tossing large sections of its body into the fire.
The only person in her visual range was Jade, who sat near the pit, stirring
ashes with a long stick.

At least Jade hadn’t gone to sleep, which meant Ivy was
alone in the hut. Wisteria clutched the satchel to her breast and as quietly as
possible crept through the doorway. She walked backward until she reached
Jade’s home. For a moment she stood outside and listened, her gaze darting from
the forest to the path leading to the meadow.

Reassured she hadn’t been spotted, she stepped into the hut.
Ivy lay asleep in a corner, cuddled in hides. She looked so comfortable
Wisteria regretted having to wake her. But she had to. She had to leave before
the pain of losing Vulcan grew crippling.

She dropped to her knees and shook Ivy’s shoulder. “Wake
up,” she whispered. “We must hurry.”

Ivy’s eyes fluttered open. “Huh? Where are we going?”

“Home.” Wisteria took hold of Ivy’s wrists and pulled her
into a sitting position. The fur slid to the ground. “Come, before Jade
returns.”

Ivy shivered. “I don’t want to go.”

“Shhh. We must.”

“It’s dark. We’ll…we’ll get lost.”

Wisteria stood, tugging Ivy to her feet. “We’ll go to the
lake then take the path leading home.”

“No!” Ivy’s eyes rounded. “Those things…those…those
non-human mutants. And what about the Tyrannosaurus? What if there are more?”

Those thoughts scared her to death as well but this was her
only chance. If she waited for everything to return to normal, it’d be too
late. “Loo-La will protect us.” Wisteria charged to the doorway, pulling Ivy
behind her, and as she pushed the flap aside, Jade walked into the hut.

Wisteria’s insides withered in dread.

Jade studied Wisteria first, then Ivy. “What’s going on,
ladies?” she asked, glancing around the hut as if taking inventory of her
belongings.

“We’re going home,” Ivy murmured.

Wisteria yanked Ivy’s hand hard.

“I assume Vulcan doesn’t know, since you’re sneaking off
while he’s away,” Jade stated rather than asked.

“Please don’t tell him,” Wisteria pleaded. Her heart raced
and she trembled. Was it in fear? Anxiety? Both? “We have to do this. I have to
break away before he returns to Earth. I can’t bear the thought any longer.”

Jade tilted her head, studying Wisteria closely. “He told
you about that?”

“Yes, and I met your commander. And I saw the guns. And I
just… Please, Jade, let us go quietly before he returns.”

“So I’m left to face his wrath?”

Wisteria begged with her eyes. “He doesn’t have to know.”

Jade glanced at Ivy before she refocused on Wisteria then
stepped out of their path. “Then go. I’ll lie if I have to. You ladies don’t
belong here anyway.”

Wisteria breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Beauty queen, take this,” Jade said, removing the folded
blade she used for weaving from a side pocket in her frock. “You need some kind
of protection,” she continued, setting it in Wisteria’s hand. “Don’t be
surprised if Vulcan comes looking for you.”

Wisteria nodded while folding her fingers around the weapon.
“Won’t you need this?”

“There’s more. Tuck it inside your waistband. Now go, before
it’s too late.” She held the flap open.

Wisteria stuffed the blade into place and tucked the satchel
in her upper garment beneath the breast strap.

“I’ll follow you to the forest edge,” Jade explained. “If
the men ask any questions when we walk by I’ll tell them you’re joining Vulcan
and Bronto in the shelter. That’ll buy you some time.”

Wisteria nodded and as they circled the outside of the camp
to avoid the dead animal’s body and the outline of blood, Jade wrapped her arms
around Wisteria’s arm. “Walk slow until we reach the trees, then run as if your
life depends on it. Don’t stop until you get to the other side.”

Wisteria nodded. “Okay.” What if Vulcan appeared before they
left the camp? What would he do? What could she say? That she was coming for
him? Hopefully Ivy wouldn’t be overly determined to spill the truth as she had
with Jade. Really, what would it matter? He’d not miss her. He’d find another
mating partner, one he’d not wear a condom with to prevent conception. Nothing
bound them together. Except her love, which wasn’t reason enough to make him
stay.

Despite talking herself down she trembled in fear of getting
caught. Her heartbeat pummeled her chest and her teeth chattered.

The instant they pushed evergreen branches aside and stepped
into the forest, Wisteria bolted, yanking Ivy through the trees. Ivy stumbled
to her knees but quickly recovered, brushed herself off and ran.

Wisteria’s chest burned like fire while trudging forward. It
felt as if they’d never reach the lake but finally she saw the yellow hue
glowing in the darkness. When she landed in the clearing she stopped. Ivy
plowed into her back and they both fell to the ground with Ivy landing on top
of her. She laughed while rolling from beneath her sister but quickly silenced
herself so as not to draw attention in case someone or something lurked in the
darkness. She shivered at the thought.

While she rose she glanced at the lake for Loo-La but the
snake wasn’t visible. Hopefully it was close by because she suddenly sensed she
and Ivy were being watched. If it wasn’t Loo-La, who was it?

“Come, Ivy. Hurry,” she said, helping her to her feet.

“What will you do if the clan won’t let you back in, Wisty?”

“I’ll figure it out.” She took Ivy by the hand and sprinted
toward the path home, using the moonlight as a guide. “We’ll discuss it later.
We need to get out of here. I don’t think we’re alone.”

“Oh fuck!” Ivy shrieked and barreled past Wisteria.

“Ivy! Where’d you hear that? It’s not a nice word,” Wisteria
hollered as she caught up and grabbed Ivy by the arm.

“Bronto said it when he saw the Tyrannosaurus.”

* * * * *

“Vulcan, I just did another check and not much of the T-Rex
is left,” Bronto said, regarding the current activity taking place. “Bone, skin
and blood samples have been preserved for analysis,” he added.

“Thanks, Bronto,” Vulcan replied, yawning. “Tomorrow we’ll head
out to gather inventory on dinosaur eggs. Sumner is pretty damn adamant about
destroying them.”

“So you’ve said. I’ve been thinking about what you told me,
and honestly, I don’t blame him. You saw that big-ass monster. Can you imagine
the havoc a loose herd like that will cause on Earth?”

“No, but if that happens, and there’s a very slim chance it
will, while you guys are fighting to maintain control over the planet, I’ll
still be here. Sorry, I don’t mean to stick it to you alone.”

Bronto sat down on the edge of the computer table and
crossed his arms. “Care to explain that?”

Vulcan grinned. “I’m not going back. I can’t. There’s too
much here to lose.”

“And would you also care to explain
that
?”

“I’ve fallen in love with Helixis.”

Bronto’s brows rose. “Is that all you’ve fallen in love
with?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. It wouldn’t
break my heart to give up the hustle and bustle of New York City or these
missions. Each one seems to get more dangerous than the prior one. Seriously,
when was the last time we slayed dinosaurs?”

“Uh, never.”

“Exactly. I’ve proved my point.”

“But you adore New York,” Bronto said.

“Yeah, I do.” Vulcan folded his hand behind his head. “But I
enjoy the freedom of the wilderness more.”

“Freedom? Pardon me for saying, but did you see those
non-humans and the monstrous T-Rex out there? Others just like them may
interfere with your freedom somewhat, I’m afraid.”

Vulcan chuckled. “You know, I can’t call the order to
destroy those eggs. It’ll lead them into extinction. Sumner said they’ve always
been on Helixis. Why fuck with them now?”

“I agree.”

“If the species is attempting to splice DNA, they’re
breaking shells to extract the embryos.”

“I’m sure that’s exactly what happened to the one we saw,”
Bronto added.

“Which means the unharmed eggs are still incubating fetuses.
Call me a wimp, but I cannot abort a baby dinosaur.”

“Even if it’s a T-Rex?”

“Yeah, even if it’s a
baby
T-Rex.” Vulcan yawned and
covered his mouth with a fist. “Our government assumes the aliens will conquer
the entire solar system.
Assumes
being the operative word. It’s not
justifiable to me. This is Mother Nature performing some of her most exquisite
work. I’m not ready to disrupt her efforts.”

“Agreed.”

“By destroying the eggs we’re removing a main ingredient
from the species’ formula, but there has to be a better way. Why disrupt the
evolution of dinosaurs if it can be avoided? We need to somehow wipe out the
aliens. That would solve the problem.”

Again Bronto’s brows rose. “Any suggestions?”

“Hell no, and I have no doubt we’re dealing with the same
species.”

“From what you’ve said, it sounds like it, but,” Bronto
said, moving away from the desk to pace the shelter from the stairs to the
shelves, “let’s backtrack to the part about
you
not wanting to leave.”

“Let’s not.” He’d made his decision—end of story. On Helixis
he’d start a family, raise a handful of kids and protect them with his life. He’d
been a free spirit since he was three years old, having been ushered from one
foster home to the next after his parents died in a meth lab explosion. Neither
parent had any surviving relatives who wanted to raise a toddler. Vulcan wasn’t
even sure any knew of his existence. From the scant amount of information he’d
heard over the years, it appeared his mom and dad had secluded themselves and
cut all ties from their relatives when they started dabbling in drugs. He hadn’t
had a stable life until he’d turned eighteen and joined the Special Forces.
From that day forward he’d devoted himself to the government. Now it was time
to move on. “It’s been a hell of a day. We need sleep.” He rubbed his eyes and
slid a hand through hair. “Sunrise is only a few hours away. If we don’t grab
some z’s now, it’ll be awhile.”

He stood and massaged his neck before he grabbed the Barrett
and snuffed the torches.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Bronto asked while following
him up the steps.

“We’ll decide in the morning,” he replied. After Bronto
stepped on solid ground Vulcan closed and latched the door.

Dark smoke was billowing above the trees and the smell of
burning rubber infiltrated his nose.

A small section of the T-Rex’s torso was all that remained
of the animal but Rocko and Grunt still worked diligently to dismantle it.

Vulcan ambled through the yard, making sure fires burned
around the perimeter. He wanted the lighting bright enough to guide the tribe
in case they needed to flee another threat. He also hoped the flames scared off
any unwanted predators, mutants or otherwise.

His Barrett was spending the night close at his side. After
experiencing the T-Rex’s wrath he wasn’t getting caught without it. Ruby and
Pearl flatly refused to leave the underground shelters. Jade on the other hand
walked aimlessly around the fire, chewing her fingernails.

Bronto followed as Vulcan approached her quietly so as not
to startle her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly it
trembled. “Jade, it’s late, call it a night.”

She halted and turned around. Her eyes were red and swollen
as if she’d been crying—another oddity to her normally stoic presence. Hell, he
hadn’t seen Jade cry once in two years. “What’s the matter?”

“Vulcan, I’ve made a big mistake.”

“It can’t be that bad.” He smiled, trying to uplift her
somewhat. “If it makes you feel any better, there’s finally an end in sight to
this mission. You’ll be shuttled home soon.”

“It’s not that.” As she raised her eyes to his, a tear
slipped beneath her lashes. “Your woman. Wisteria. She and her sister left.”

His heartbeat stopped. “What do you mean they left?”

She glanced at the ground. “I didn’t try to stop them.”

He dashed toward his hut.

“She’s not there,” Jade hollered. “She’s gone.”

He halted and shot around, and as he strode back to Jade her
features contorted in regret.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I thought it was best for her.
It’s what she wanted. But now I’m not so sure I did the right thing. They’re
alone out there in the dark.”

He clasped her shoulders but stopped short of shaking her.
“What she wanted? Explain.”

“She wanted to break free. She said she couldn’t bear it
anymore.”

What a punch in his guts. He’d displayed nothing but
tenderness and kindness to that woman. “Where’d they go?”

“She said they’re going home,” she replied, pointing to the
forest. “They headed in that direction.”