Page 85 of Feast

Humans.

Women.

Ika scanned her eyes over the frightened, naked crowd. Finally, after all this time, she knew what she was. She was so overwhelmed by emotion at this discovery that she nearly forgot the reason she and the others had come here in the first place.

Then a deep booming voice called out over the din of the crowd.

“Ika! Ika!”

Her heart nearly exploded with joy at that sound.

It was Rolf. Her Rolf. He was alive.

CHAPTER 27

“Rolf!” Ika shouted.

Even though it had only been a few days, it felt as though she hadn’t seen him in years. And poor Rolf almost looked as though he had aged a few years in that time. His iron-gray hair and beard were disheveled, and his eyes had a sunken, bruised look as though he hadn’t slept for days. But when Ika turned to face him across the field of snow, Rolf’s tired face lit up with a smile of joy.

“Rolf!”

Ika broke away from the others and ran to him. He had been stripped of his fur clothing and was naked, but she didn’t care. She flung her arms around him and squeezed him in the tightest hug she had ever given in her life. Rolf’s arms were shackled together, but he looped them over her head and hugged her like that.

He let go a weary exhalation of relief.

“Ika…Gods, Ika, I thought the nith had taken you from me. I was so worried I would never see you again. I missed you so much.”

“Me too,” she sobbed, pressing her cheek against his chest while her eyes leaked with joy. “Rolf, I’m so happy to see you. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

They just held each other like that for a long time. The din of worried human voices and the sound of ukkur giving orders in the background faded away, and for a moment Ika was a child again, barely taller than Rolf’s knee, and they were together by the warm fire of the den as Rolf told her funny stories and hummed soothing songs until she fell asleep.

For those few moments, held in Rolf’s protective arms and listening to his strong heart beating inside his chest, everything in Ika’s world was right and good once more.

But that moment of comfort and serenity was short lived.

A low, aggressive growl started rumbling deep in Rolf’s throat, getting louder and louder until it was a vicious, feral sound.

“Rolf?” Ika tilted her head to look up at his bearded face, which was now twisted in anger. “Rolf, what’s the matter?”

When he didn’t respond, Ika followed the line of his eyes, and she got her answer. Rolf was glaring at the ukkur with whom she had spent the last couple of days. Muk and Slaine had rejoined Thusar and Gunnar, and now all four of them stood there silently looking on.

“You,” Rolf snarled at the ukkur. “I should have known.”

He released Ika from his hug and forcefully shoved her behind him so that he could shield her from Thusar and the other ukkur, whom he clearly perceived as a threat.

“Rolf, no! You don’t understand.”

“Quiet,” he said. “I’ll deal with these bastards, Ika.” Then turning back to Thusar and the pack, he growled. “You tried to steal her from me. You tried to steal my Ika!”

Thusar took a step forward, his hand upraised in a peacemaking gesture. But behind him, his pack brothers were tensing for a fight. Slaine in particular.

“Easy, Rolf,” Thusar said. “It’s not like that—“

“Liar!” Rolf bellowed. “You tried to steal my Ika!”

Ika had never seen Rolf like this before. It was like the silvered ukkur was locked into a spiral of aggressive thoughts from which he could not escape. His muscles tensed, and he dropped into a crouch in preparation to spring. Even though his hands were bound, he was going to try to take on four ukkur at once.

Ika knew she had to do something, and fast.