Turned and Taken (Packed 1 & 2) (9 page)

Chapter 9

Saki walked through the bushes holding two palm fronds in front of her. One she held in front of her groin, and the other covered her breasts. For the first time, she was acutely aware of the cool night sea breeze against her naked flesh.

The ground was also rougher than it seemed a few hours ago. She was reminded of the tenderness of her feet every time she stepped on a branch or small pebble. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it awakened memories of who she was before.

Saki also thought about the crabs she had found. During the daytime, she clearly had the advantage over them. But in the darkness of night, they would be a swarm of large spiders with pinchers scurrying through the blackness. With every passing moment, she became more unnerved.

Saki stopped and leaned her shoulder against a narrow tree. Between her and the firelight in front of her, someone stood guard in the dark. She couldn’t see him, but it had to be one of her classmates. Maybe it was the tallest one; she couldn’t be sure.

Beyond him, though, was Dax‘s camp. Saki knew Dax. At least she thought she did. She knew he had a father that was as abusive as her mother. He had shared that with her. She had a hard time believing that he was the monster Lane had made him out to be. He hadn’t been like that to her. In fact, he protected her from Torque  and her thugs back at school. He couldn’t be a monster.

“Dax!” She called out drawing the attention of the guard.

The guard immediately headed for her. Saki held her ground and stepped into his view. She remained still, offering no resistance, and after each recognized the other from school, the guard grabbed her by the arm and led her back to the firelight.

The clearing that they both stepped into was aglow from a pit fire in the middle of it. On the other side was a small beach shack. It was built with planks of wood painted aqua and had a steep roof covered in palm fronds.

It was the type of beach house used only for storing beach toys. The only thing that made it different from the ones she had seen on Nassau were the two tilt-out wooden windows. They wouldn’t let in much light when closed, but when open, they would allow for a slight breeze.

Dax stood in front of the structure wearing board shorts and nothing else. A smile crept across his face as he looked across the fire. His look had contentment mixed with genuine joy. He waited for the guards to bring Saki to him before he said a word.

“Get her clothes,” Dax demanded.

The guard ran back into the shack and quickly returned with the clothes Saki had been wearing when she was brought to the island. Dax watched as she turned around, dropped the palm fronds, and slipped on her pants and shirt. Saki was grateful to be fully dressed again. She turned to Dax.

“Thank you,” she said, feeling relief.

Dax put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?” His eyes showed genuine concern.

“I don’t know. Everything is so confusing. How did I get this way? Did you do this to me?” She asked without judgment.

Dax looked her in the eyes for a few seconds before answering. “You are a part of my pack. We protect each other in this pack. You don’t have to be afraid of your mother anymore, just like I don’t have to be afraid of my dad. You’re strong now. Stronger than you can imagine. And you are more beautiful than anyone else you’ve ever seen.”

Saki listened in silence. She believed him. Everything he said sounded like the truth. She had practically been invisible boys until she met Dax. Now they all looked at her like she was amazing. Her body was still round and her hair was still kinky instead of straight, yet these boys couldn’t take their eyes off of her. Whatever it was that he had done to her, he had also done this. And he was right, she didn’t have to fear her mother anymore.

“I want to make sure that you know,” Dax continued, “what you have now is a blessing. It’s my gift.”

Saki‘s eyes dipped in thought. She searched her mind for confirmation of receiving a gift. Her mind was still too fuzzy to know for sure. But what he said felt like truth.

Saki looked up at Dax when his hand gently massaged her shoulder. He was undeniably good-looking. His narrow face and high cheekbones were reminiscent of the models she had seen in magazines. A part of her couldn’t believe a guy like him was even talking to her. Yet here he was, standing close enough to kiss her.

Saki looked down at his tanned, hairless chest. He had slightly rounded pectoral muscles, creating a V-shaped torso. She thought about touching him and found her hand lightly caressing the gentle waves of his stomach muscles. Her hand stopped with her fingertips surrounding his belly button. She could feel her loins twitch as she considered sliding her fingertips onto the smooth flesh exposed by his low-hanging shorts.

Pushing her hand lower, she noticed the bulge in his shorts quickly rose to his waistband. She had felt his cock inside her, but she had never seen it. Her breathe caught as she considered untying his shorts and touching the part of him that had already touched her.

“Dax! They’re attacking from the woods,” the short one from Saki‘s class yelled out.

Dax looked up, immediately barking orders. “Everyone, this way!” He yelled toward the beach. Dax touched Saki’s cheek, then leaned down and kissed her lips. The kiss sent a tingling feeling through Saki‘s body. Saki stood with her eyes closed, lost in it.

“I’ll be back,” Dax said, waking her. “Wait right here.”

Dax stepped away from Saki and turned to face her. He untied his pants and allowed them to drop to the sand. Saki‘s eyes were drawn to his erect manhood. It had been the instrument used to remove her virginity. It was beautiful and strong. She wanted it, and him, again.

As the other boys entered the clearing, Dax‘s expression changed. He suddenly looked like he was in immense pain. In a second, hair sprouted all over his body.

His wrists flipped back and locked into a claw-like position. Every muscle in his body tensed and his bones cracked one after the other. Looking at his face, the veins under his chin protruded as he fought back a scream. When his face distorted, he fell to his hands and knees, allowing the transformation to be complete.

His new image startled Saki. It wasn’t quite a wolf. It was something else. It was meaner looking, fiercer. She had become that, too, a thought that shocked her. She took a step back, unsure if it would attack her, but it didn’t. Instead, it stood still, allowing Saki to gain her bearings before it lead the other boys into the woods.

Saki stared into the dancing flames, trying to process what she had just seen. It was starting to dawn on her. She was a monster. She wasn’t sure how she had been okay with it until now, but very quickly, everything was too much for her.

Saki closed her eyes, knowing she had to pull herself together. She had a task to do, and if she didn’t do it, she might not ever go home again.

Saki opened her eyes, ready for her mission. She turned toward the shack. Running into the darkened space, she saw a pile of clothes. She quickly gathered them in her arms and sprinted toward the beach.

The moonlight cast its long reflection onto the water that gently lapped onto the beach. Saki found the gentle crash of the waves calming. It cleared her mind of everything else except what she had to do. She spotted the boat she barely remembered and ran toward it.

Running down the rickety dock, she tossed the clothes into the boat. She untied the line and pushed the boat away from the dock.

Scrambling back to the pedestal, she slipped her hands around the wheel. Sliding her hands down the pedestal, her finger tips fell into a notch. She pried it open and saw bright yellow object inside.

She picked it up and realized it had a key dangling from it. Frantically looking around the steering column, she found the ignition, inserted the key, and, with a twist, started the boat.

The rumbling sounds of the engine sent relief flooding through her body. Saki took hold of the throttle and pulled it back. She had never driven a boat before, but she had seen it done many times. All she had to do was avoid hitting the only other docked boat and drive the boat around the island to where they’d landed the night before.

Reversing past the other boat, Saki pushed the throttle to drive. It lurched forward, jolting her. Her eyes focused on the water on either side of the boat, looking for low-tide reefs. Incredibly, the water was like glass. In the moonlight, she could see the colorful coral directly underneath her. Every so often, she could even see a large fish. It was incredible, and if not for the desperate hurry that she was in, she would have enjoyed it more.

As she rounded the island, she saw Torque  waving her down from shore. Saki pointed the boat toward her and sped up. The beach came at her faster than expected, and when the boat hit the sand, it stalled.

“Put it in reverse!” Torque  yelled.

Saki pulled down on the throttle, but the boat didn’t move. Torque  pushed from the front, only to be moved farther up the beach by waves.

“Put it all the way in reverse. On the next wave, help push,” Torque  yelled behind her.

Saki looked up the beach as Ben and the little one ran out of the bush. “Go, go!” They yelled.

Saki pulled the throttle down as far as it would go. On the next big wave, the three of them rocked the boat back into the water. Scully entered the beach, while the other three climbed into the boat. Ben replaced Saki at the wheel and pulled the boat parallel to the shore. “Come on!” Ben yelled.

“Where’s Lane?” Torque  shouted to Scully.

“He’s behind me. He’s coming.”

Scully entered the water as Lane stepped onto the sand. Wading out to his waist, Scully jumped up, grabbing the railing while the others lifted him over the side.

“Pull out! Pull out!” Lane yelled with Dax as a pure white werewolf behind him.

Scully took over from Ben and pulled the boat 25 feet from shore.

“No, we can’t leave him,” Saki pleaded.

“We’re not,” Scully retorted.

Saki turned back toward Lane just as Dax prepared to pounce. With his feet touching the water, Lane leapt forward throwing himself into the air and diving into the dark ocean. The wolf snapped at his escaping feet, catching nothing.

With Lane swimming to the boat as fast as he could, the wolf looked up, turned around, and dashed back into the bush. Lane found the side of the boat, and the two boys reached down to pull him in. All three naked boys fell back on to the wet deck, all on top of each other.

“We have to go. Hurry!” Lane exclaimed.

Saki wasn’t prepared for the lift that the boat caught, and she tumbled backwards towards the engine. Torque  reached out her wet hand and grabbed her. Both girls stabilized themselves and climbed back toward the front of the boat.

“Thank you,” Saki screamed over the engine. Turning to face everyone, she said, “I found your clothes,” picking up the now wet pile.

With each of them working their way to Saki, she sorted through the mess, finding pants and holding it out for someone to grab. Each of them dressed, and when Lane took his shirt, he leaned in to Saki.

“Thank you,” he said in an almost-whisper.

Saki looked at him and smiled.

Lane took over behind the wheel as Scully put on the last of the clothes. Lane moved his hand around the dashboard, turning on the boat’s headlights and dashboard light. With only the island behind him, he read the compass and made a steep turn left. Saki held on with both hands, moving herself next to Lane.

“We’re not safe yet,” Lane explained.

“There was another boat,” Saki remembered.

“Yeah. And it’s a lot faster than ours.”

“Why would he chase us?” Saki asked, remembering the boy who had just held her shoulders and comforted her.

“Because he wants us dead,” Lane explained.

Saki‘s heart clenched hearing Lane‘s explanation. He couldn’t want her dead. For whatever reason, he wanted her, liked her in a sexual way. He didn’t want to kill her. It was the rest of them, with their strange Lycan war, that Dax wanted to kill. Saki began to think that she had chosen the wrong side.

“They’re behind us,” Scully yelled over the engine.

Saki and Lane looked back. Dax‘s bullet-shaped boat was coming up fast.

“What do we do?” Saki asked, scared for her life.

“Sit on the front of the boat,” Lane commanded. “It will keep the nose down.”

Saki pulled herself to the very front of the boat. Clutching the two front railings, she shifted her weight forward and downward. When the boat hit a big wave, Saki was lifted into the air, slamming down onto the deck on return. She looked back at Lane.

“Sorry,” he shouted.

Saki looked back past Lane and saw Dax. His boat was almost on top of them. She could see Dax clearly now. He was human but in that locked position that had been burned into her mind.

“He’s changing,” Saki yelled.

Lane looked back and found the wolf perched and ready to pounce. He turned hard to the right, and the faster boat quickly followed. Heaving its way to the front of the boat, the wolf crouched, waiting for the opportunity to leap, which came sooner than expected. The wolf landed squarely on the back of their boat.

“Look out!” Saki screamed.

When Lane looked back again, he found the four members of his pack backing away from the creature. The wolf wasn’t interested in them, though, as it worked its way to Lane. When his pack was past the steering pedestal, he yelled “hold on” and turned the boat as hard as he could.

The wolf slid to the side, out-of-control. Lane let go of the wheel and ran back after it. Lane kicked at it, catching its jaw, which barely startled the wolf.

He kicked again. This time the wolf snapped at his ankle, catching it between its teeth. The wolf yanked at him, pulling him forward. Lane lost traction and fell hard onto the deck. The wolf pounced on him, snapping at his face. Lane grabbed him by the neck, holding him away.

“No!” Saki pleaded.

The wolf stopped and looked up at Saki. It was angry. Immediately. it jumped off of Lane and headed for Saki. Lane grabbed the wolf’s back paw. The wolf reached back for Lane‘s wrist. Lane swung at it with his other hand, missed, and let go of the wolf. The wolf approached Saki.