Page 66 of Feast

“Why not? He’s an ukkur just like Slaine. Just like all of us.”

Ika just sighed. A few minutes ago she had been upset, but now she only felt exasperated. The crying had been good for her. It was like it had washed her clean from the inside out.

As she stopped to think about it, she realized that Thusar had a good point.

Why hadn’t she and Rolf ever done the things that she had done with these four ukkur?

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I just don’t feel that way about Rolf, and he doesn’t feel that way about me. Things are different between us. I guess it’s because he has known me since I was little and raised me until I was big.”

“You’re not big, but I understand your meaning.”

Thusar stroked his chin and grunted some more. His scarred brow furrowed, and Ika could tell that he was deep in thought. At last, he nodded to himself and spoke again.

“Very well,” he said. “We will take you back to Rolf.”

“Really?” Ika gasped. “You mean it?”

“Sure. He’s obviously very important to you. Important enough that—hey!”

Before Thusar could finish what he was saying Ika threw herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

“Oh thank you, Thusar. Thank you, thank you…”

“Easy,” Thusar chuckled. “I won’t be able to take you back if you choke me to death.”

Ika jumped up again, her body practically vibrating with excitement.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” She asked. “Let’s go right now. I know the way from here. We can be there in an hour.”

Thusar shook his head.

“No. Not tonight, Ika. The clouds are hiding the moon, and the way will be too dangerous in the dark. We will go at first light. And I want to be clear about something. We are not going to give you up. My pack is heading for the southlands, and you are coming with us. Whether Rolf chooses to come along will depend on you, understand?”

Ika nodded.

She could foresee that the reunion would be tricky. Rolf would be angry at these ukkur and he would most certainly try to fight them. It would be up to Ika to make sure that didn’t happen.

But she would deal with that situation when it arose. For now, she was simply relieved to know that she would see Rolf again soon.

“I understand.”

“Good,” Thusar growled. “Now, we have another matter to attend to.”

“We do?” Ika asked. “What’s that?”

Thusar’s eyes glinted cruelly in the firelight.

“Your punishment, Ika. Your punishment.”

CHAPTER 22

“My punishment?” Ika stammered.

She looked around at the other ukkur seated around the fire, but none of them came to her defense. Not even Muk, who was supposed to be the nice one of the bunch.

“Don’t look at them, Ika,” Thusar growled. “They’re not going to help you now.”

She turned back to the pack leader with a heated glare. Just a moment before, she had been hugging him and showering him with gratitude for his promise to take her back to Rolf, but now she was upset again. The way that Thusar changed from hot to cold was messing with her head.