Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

***THEO***

T heo knew by mid-morning that he wasn't going to make it back on time to follow Eden on her date with Sam, and he cursed himself for letting Peter talk him into going. Watching the older man as he led the group down another trail, he began to wonder if he'd done it on purpose. They'd been walking for hours with no apparent reason. A few of the other men seemed a bit confused as well, but it was clear that no one was going to question their leader, so they all continued to plod along behind him.

When they finally stopped to fill their water pouches in a stream, he made his way over to Peter. "We've been walking for a long time," he said. "Are we ever going to get there?"

"Patience, Theo," Peter said, nodding his head and smiling at him. "Good things come to those who wait."

"I was hoping to be back by lunch," he said. "You told me we'd only be gone for a few hours."

"Plans change," Peter said with another shrug. "You not follow Sam and Eden to beach. They need time alone."

He narrowed his eyes at Peter. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but that's the last thing Eden wants," he said. "The only reason she even agreed to go was because she knew I'd be there if she needed me."

"Too late to get back now," Peter said, a pleased smile on his face. "Easy to get lost on your own and wander around for hours. Let Sam and Eden be, the island will decide. Sam is good man, he will take care of Eden, give her many children and high standing in the village."

The truth of what Peter had done slowly began to sink in. "You're helping him; you want him to have Eden," he said, trying to stay calm. "This has nothing to do with the island; this is what you want."

"The village die away without new blood," Peter said. "She will be very happy once she understands her place here."

"And what about me?" he asked. "Did you think I would just step aside and let him have her?"

"You can fight for her, but Sam will win," Peter said, a look of complete confidence on his face. "City boy doesn't stand a chance, Sam is stronger and smarter than you; he will defeat you, and Eden will belong to him."

"He'll have to kill me first," he said. "And that's not easy to do. You picked a fight with the wrong person, Peter. I'm going to go get Eden, and we're going to find a way of this damned island."

He turned and started down the trail the way they'd come. "You'll never find your way back," Peter called. "Jungle will trap you; island won't let you interfere; this is what it wants. Sam will have Eden and you will die; it is the way it must be."

He didn't stop to reply, didn't want to waste precious seconds, he knew that he had to get to Eden, and fast. Peter had double-crossed him, and she was in danger. Forcing himself not to think about what might have already happened, he broke into a run, mentally trying to trace the path back to the village. When it became clear that Peter had led them in circles, he knew that he was going to have to rely on more than just his human senses and slowly let the beast inside him come to life.

His senses were instantly more in tune with the jungle around him. His mind opened wide to everything around him, and he could instantly see his path back to the village. Holding back so that he didn't go through a full shift, he took advantage of his increased speed and strength, darting through the thick vegetation, a trail no longer necessary now that he was using more than just his human skills. He arrived back in the village, slightly out of breath, paused only for a second to sniff the air, then certain that Eden wasn't there, took the path to the beach.

Maintaining a careful balance between human and dragon, he sped down the trail, cursing himself for letting Eden go off with Sam alone, knowing that he'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her. It hit him about halfway to the beach that he was in love with her, and that his life wouldn't be the same without her in it. He didn't know when it happened or how, only that it had happened.

Racing down the trail, his only thought of getting to Eden, he wasn't prepared when Rose popped out of the jungle right in his way and he nearly crashed into her. He grabbed her to keep them both from falling, noticing instantly the panic and fear on her face. Pulling her away from him, he looked down at her, trying not to be impatient as she sucked in huge gulps of air, trying to catch her breath.

"Is it Eden?" he finally asked, unable to wait. "Is Sam hurting her?"

"Eden, Sam, down by the water," she said. "Go help her. He won't let her say no, he's very angry. "

A scream carried them through the trees, and Rose gasped. "Hurry, hurry," she said, pushing him away. "Go to Eden, go help her."

Fighting a rage unlike anything he'd ever felt before, he tore down the trail to the beach, alternating between planning the man's death and worrying about how badly he'd already hurt Eden. There was no doubt in his mind that she would fight back, that she would never willingly let Sam touch her, and hoped that she could hold the man off until he could get there. He'd never killed before, but at that moment he was entirely capable of taking a life, and did nothing to control the feeling, planning to use it to his advantage.

***Eden***

Eden sank into the sand across from Sam, who was looking very pleased with himself as he unpacked the basket he'd carried down to the beach. "I have women pack us feast," he said, looking up at her and smiling. "All I have to do is snap my fingers, they do what I ask."

"How nice for you," she said, feeling like she was on a date her mother had set up. "Do you do anything for yourself?"

"I hunt, I fish, I protect," Sam said, then actually thumped his chest. "Strongest in the village."

"Well, okay then, I'm not sure if that answered my question," she said. "But maybe we'll just let it go."

She took the plate of food Sam put together for her. She was not very hungry, but she figured it would hurry things along if she cooperated. After taking a few bites, she set the plate down, looked over at the water lapping lazily against the shore, and realized how different it looked with Sam. There was none of the romance, none of the thrill, and she let out a long sigh, wishing it was Theo sitting across from her instead of Sam, but forced herself to look back over at him.

He was watching her with a hungry look in his eyes that made her a little nervous, and she scanned the trees, hoping to get a glimpse of Rose waiting to come to her rescue. But she saw nothing but the green of the vegetation and the insects fluttering around, which did nothing to reassure her. Pretending that she was getting more comfortable, she scooted away from him, her heart beginning to pound when he shoved aside the food and followed her.

"You are very beautiful, Eden," Sam said, leaning closer. "I will be village leader someday, I need woman, woman like you, a woman worthy of a man like me. I am very important to village, I am future leader, I have much power. I want you and I get what I want."

She scooted away from him again. "I'm sorry Sam, but I don't feel the same way," she said, shaking her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm just not interested. I hope to get off this island someday soon. I'm not planning on staying."

"No, no, no, you stay," Sam said, a frown creasing his forehead. "I command it."

This time she got to her feet and backed away from him. "You can't order me around, Sam," she said, glancing behind her for the trail to the village. "I'm not one of your villagers; you don't have any power over me."

"I am man," Sam said, slapping himself on the chest. "You are woman, you give me what I want, then we marry and you stay on island. This is what will be."

"Oh, no, it won't," she said, backing away from him. "I've finally learned what's it like to have my freedom, and no one, not you, not my mother, not even Theo is ever going to take that away from me. "

"Big talk for little woman," Sam said, shaking his head. "I have what I want, Eden. It is to be, my father said so."

She backed up a few more steps, feeling wet sand under her feet, and looked over her shoulder, realizing that Sam had backed her up to the water. Looking up and down the beach, her heart hammering in her chest, the reality of her situation made her adrenaline begin to pump through her system. Making the unconscious decision to fight instead of run, she planted her feet, lifted her chin in the air, and tensed her muscles.

Sam ripped off his loincloth, exposing his swollen manhood, and she gasped, the fight draining out of her instantly. He grinned at her, then started toward her. She turned and ran up the beach, listening to his laughter, then the pounding of his feet behind her. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back, and she let out a scream of both pain and rage, then turned and began to fight him. He reared back and slapped her across the face, making her scream again, then began clawing at her dress.

He had it up above her hips when a dark shape came charging up to them, and Sam suddenly went flying into the waves, landing with a huge splash. She was suddenly in Theo's arms, her dress settled back around her legs, and he held her for a second, staring at the man slowly getting up out of the water. Over Theo's shoulder, she could see the beach slowly filling up with villagers, and she looked up at him, holding back the tears that began to well up inside her.

"You're here, you came for me," she said, beginning to tremble. "I thought he was going to……"

"Are you okay?" he asked, tipping her chin up, his jaw clenching dangerously when he saw her cheek. "Did he hit you?"

She nodded, "When I tried to get away," she said, then took a deep breath. "I think he was planning on raping me then forcing me to marry him."

Every muscle in Theo's body tensed up. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to make him sorry that he ever touched you," he said, looking at Sam stumbling up the beach toward them, then down at her. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"I'm okay, but don't hurt him, Theo. I just want to get away from these people," she said. "You can't take on the whole village."

He looked behind him, a look of surprise on his face when he saw the line of faces on the beach. "He's not just going to walk away after what he did," he growled. "That's just not going to happen."

Just then Peter came running up, followed by the rest of the men. "What goes on here?" he demanded. "You have no right to be here."

"He has every right to be here. I didn't want to do this in the first place," she said, stepping in front of Theo. "Sam tried to rape me, Theo stopped him."