Page 8 of Barbarian Brothers

“Provided we spread our legs for them,” I say, the disgust unfurling in my throat.

Cynthia takes the scrunchie out of her loose hair and then puts it back on over a tighter bun. This is her “it’s time to get cracking” move, and it’s enough to help me recover part of my resolve. “Girls, come on. We need shelter. Water. And food. The basics ofsurvival,” she says.

“How do we find food? We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Alicia replies.

“Umok picked us for biological reasons,” Cynthia says. “A compatibility of genes and general physical features. This means that we should be able to eat whatever fruits this red earth has to offer. We should be able to drink from this river water. We already know we can breathe the air here.”

Our box eventually floats to the side and stops over a cluster of jagged rocks protruding from the river. I can see the peak of an active volcano just over the plateau’s top edge, which is lined with thick black trees, each embellished by rich, purple crowns of leaves. We get off the box, stepping carefully over the rocks until we reach the muddy shore. The red clay coats my toes, but it feels nice, reminding me of a spa session. I could do with some of that pampering right about now—well, that and a fistful of tranquilizers.

“Okay, so… What do we know so far?” Jewel asks while Alicia scoops some of the river water and inspects it. “Are you sure this water is okay to drink?”

“I think so. It doesn’t smell funny,” Alicia replies. “Should I taste it?”

“Well, it’s either that or die of thirst,” I say.

To our relief, the water is definitely drinkable, so we each hydrate as much as possible for the journey ahead. We sit on a bunch of rounded boulders, shadowed by an overarching tree as we go over our options.

The smell of sulfur and ash lingers in the air.

“There are active volcanoes everywhere,” Alicia says, pointing up along the plateau. “See all those threads of smoke?”

“We can smell ’em, too,” I say.

Cynthia nods slightly. “These Sunna people were naturally engineered to withstand the high heat and the volcanic activity,” she says. “But they have a lot in common with us as well. Carbon-based humanoids who need oxygen and water to live. That’s our starting point, and it’s a good starting point considering we don’t know about this place.”

“We also know that they wanted us for breeding,” I grumble, unable to shake off the discomfort of that whole idea. “The audacity shocks me to the core.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Cynthia replies with a shrug. “But we do know that Umok ran some tests on us and concluded that we’re immune to whatever disease killed off most of their women. That’s one concern we can cross off our list. There may be other pathogens and viruses to worry about, but we’ll cross that bridge if we ever get there.”

“Something tells me there’s one bridge headed our way as we speak,” Alicia gasps as she looks in horror to our left.

Cynthia, Jewel, and I turn around and see horned figures emerging from behind the taller rocks just a couple of yards downriver. The crackling of pebbles has me glancing over my shoulder to the right. More Sunnaites rise from there, which means the four of us are instantly surrounded. To the front, the plateau wall rises steeply. We cannot climb it to escape. Behind us, the river is too wide and deep for us to successfully swim across it. And then there are at least a dozen horned fellas on both sides. We’re screwed, and then some.

“Oh, no,” I whisper, slowly standing up.

“I count twenty,” Jewel says. “There could be more hiding.”

“No sudden moves,” I reply.

Two of the native Sunna people approach us first. Their tails are long like Umok’s, with a sharp spike at the tip. They’re just as tall, massive, and well-built at almost seven feet, with broad shoulders and rippling pectorals. Long, muscular legs and arms. The same luscious red skin. The same glowing red eyes. But they’re nowhere near as well-dressed as Umok. In fact, these guys are only wearing some kind of animal hide skins wrapped around their waists, long enough to cover some enticingly huge bulges and held up by belts made of solid gold disks.

I think they’re closely related. Younger than Umok. Likely brothers. Both, somehow, devastatingly handsome.

One of them wears his hair short and curly, shaved close on the sides. Two long horns grow from the back of his head, arching toward the front like a bull’s. His sharp cheeks and square jaw are smooth; fires burn crimson in his gaze as he looks at me. The other has slightly longer hair and a short beard, the kind that makes my fingers tingle with curiosity. What the hell is happening to me?

“I think they have some kind of hormonal effect on us,” I manage, feeling my throat dry all of a sudden as the men come closer. “Do you girls feel it?”

My blood simmers. I cannot take my eyes off either of these incredible creatures. I cannot stop myself from licking my lips as arousal bursts through my body in hot waves. Liquid heat pools between my legs, and I know my nipples are perkier than usual because I can feel them poking through the fabric of my bikini. Ifeel so naked and vulnerable and helpless. It doesn’t make sense.

“Who are you?” the curly-haired one asks.

“Please, don’t hurt us,” I say, my voice low and uneven.

The men exchange brief but surprised glances. The bearded one gives me a curious look. “You speak our language?”

“We were taken by one of your people. He gave us something to drink,” I tell him. “Something to help us understand and learn your language. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

“The golden tongue,” the first one replies. “I know of it. I’ve heard about it.” He gives the bearded one a subtle nudge. “The Sky Tribe. This is their doing.”

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