Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

***THEO***

T heo watched Sam carefully, knowing it was time to put an end to the very one-sided fight for once and all, but decided to let the other man make the first move. It was easy to see when Sam decided to take his chance, and he knocked the knife out of his hand, then slammed his fist into Sam's face with all the force he could muster, trying not to enjoy the crunch of bone. The other man crashed to the ground, his hands over his face, howling like Theo had just ripped his arm off, and he stood over him for a second, making sure he wasn't going to get up.

When he was sure Sam was done, he walked over to the knife, picked it up, and sent it sailing into the ocean, then turned to look for Eden. The smile that had started to spread across his face never materialized when he realized that she wasn't on the beach, and he strode over to Peter.

"Where is Eden?" he demanded. "You'd better tell me right now, or you're going to end up in worse shape than Sam."

Peter held his hands up in the air. "Not me, not me," he said, backing away from Theo. "Don't hurt me. "

He turned and looked at the other villagers still gathered on the beach, but they all just shook their heads. Then he saw Rose staggering out of the trees with a black eye, her dress torn, and her arms all scratched up. Racing over to her, he grabbed her before she fell to the ground, lifted her up into his arms, and carried her down to the sand. Sinking down with her still in his arms, he helped her sit up, then gave her a few seconds to catch her breath.

"Sarah and her friends took Eden," she finally panted. "I tried to stop them. Down the beach, a raft, the ocean."

It took him a second to understand what she was trying to say. "Are you telling me that Sarah and her friends kidnapped Eden and put her on a raft?" he asked. "Is that it?"

Rose's face filled with relief. "Get boats, go after her," she said, pointing over his shoulder. "Storm coming, she won't make it out there."

He turned and looked at a sky filled with dark clouds and then down at the water, which was no longer calm but churning dangerously, big waves breaking over the shore, and he started to panic. Then he saw that some of the men were already uncovering the fishing boats lined up on the beach, and a surge of hope filled him. The villagers knew this water, knew the currents and the dangers. They'd be able to rescue Eden.

"Thank you, Rose," he said, gently letting her go. "I have to go save Eden."

"Bring her back," Rose panted. "She's the best friend I've ever had."

"Don't worry, we've haven't come this far just to lose each other," he said, jumping to his feet. "She's the love of my life. I can't live without her."

He raced down to the water and jumped into one of the boats, not about to be left behind, and started paddling, ignoring the waves that crashed over them as they headed to deeper water. The rain started only a few minutes later, making it almost impossible to see, but he just kept digging the paddle into the water, desperate to get to Eden before the storm hit. They hit the breakwater, rain pouring down on them, waves crashing against the boat, and he dug in even harder into the water with his paddle.

They'd nearly crested the last big wave before they'd be in the open ocean, and hope burst to life in his chest, but the wave crested before they could get over the top, sending them hurdling back toward the shore. Not ready to give up, they tried again and again, only to be thrown back each time, the waves nearly capsizing the boat several times. The man in the front of the boat finally turned around and shook his head, then aimed the boat for the shore even though he was screaming to try again.

By the time they got back to the sand, lightning filled the sky, the waves had grown even bigger, and the rain was coming down in sheets. He jumped out of the boat and started running down the shore, slowly letting the beast inside him come to the surface. Then, when he could no longer wait, he unleashed the full strength of his power. Just as he shed his human form, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, clearly illuminating the scaly creature stretching out its mighty wings and taking to the air.

He didn't notice the villager's reaction to the sight of a dragon sweeping through the air and wouldn't have cared if he'd seen it. He was already scanning the choppy water for the speck he knew would be Eden on the little raft. With no idea where the current might have taken her, he began to circle the island, planning to sweep wider with each pass, sure that she couldn't have drifted that far, even in the terrible weather .

Unaware of the lightning splitting the sky or the rain pouring down on him, he completed his first trip around the island and was just starting the second when he spotted something in the waves. Zeroing in on the brown dot, he headed straight for it, letting out a triumphant roar when he saw Eden huddled in the middle of the raft, her body curled into a tight little ball.

***Eden***

Eden knew that the raft was slowly coming apart; she could see the fragile ropes that held it together beginning to fray, but she was sure that wasn't what was going to kill her. The waves had only begun to grow as the rain came down, the wind was pushing them to even greater heights, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before one swept her overboard. All the fight was slowly draining out of her. Each time the tiny boat rocked, her heart leaped, and she waited to feel the water closing over her.

A strange sound penetrated the roar of the waves and the wind. She picked her head up, thinking the water was screaming at her, only to realize that it was a giant bird. Shocked, she watched as it flew straight at her as if the storm wasn't there, then began to panic when she saw that it wasn't a bird, but what she could only describe as a dragon. Covered in shimmering red scales, its huge talons tucked close to its body, it stared at her with human eyes, and she shook her head, thinking for a second that she was hallucinating.

Already off balance, she almost fell off the raft when a big wave crashed into her, but she grabbed the side at the last second. She was still wiping the water from her face when a shadow fell across the boat, and she looked up to find a huge wave heading straight for her. More than ten feet tall, this was the wave she'd known was coming, and she braced herself, knowing that she only had a few more minutes left to live.

Just as the wave began to crash into the boat, the dragon swept down from out of the sky and grabbed her around the middle with one of its talons. Her body in panic mode, she couldn't get enough air in her lungs as they sailed over the ocean toward the island, but eventually the soothing darkness sucked her in and her body went limp.

She woke to the feel of solid ground beneath her and opened her eyes with a gasp, then scrambled to her feet when she saw the dragon standing a few feet away. "Oh……oh……" she gasped, backing away from the creature, but then she looked into its eyes again and froze.

"It can't be……it's not possible……" she stammered, looking closer, her heart beginning to pound in a different way. "Theo, is that you?"

The dragon nodded, then let out a huff releasing a puff of smoke from its nostrils. She jumped, then tried to back away, but her feet got tangled up and she landed in the sand on her butt. Staring at him, she climbed back to her feet, her legs wobbling, but she couldn't move either toward or away from the creature, her mind so tangled up it was impossible to think straight.

She felt her head beginning to swim and started to crumple to the sand. The dragon suddenly disappeared, and Theo rushed over to her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said, sweeping her up into his arms. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Reaching out, she touched his face. "Theo, was that really you?" she asked, barely able to say the words. "I must be hallucinating or something…that couldn't have happened."

"What you saw was real, sweetheart. I would have told you sooner, but I didn't know how. I've never had to explain it to anyone before," he said. "I wish you hadn't found out that way, I'm sure it was a huge shock, but I'm still me. Nothing has changed."

Fighting the waves of dizziness that threatened to take her under again, she began to shiver in his arms, unable to take her eyes off him, the memory of what he'd become emblazoned in her mind. Without a word, he headed for the shelter of the trees. The rain wasn't as bad once they made it into the jungle, but she didn't notice. Her mind was too busy trying to put the pieces together. When her head began to hurt, she stopped trying and closed her eyes, concentrating instead on the feel of Theo's arms supporting her.

The confusion began to fade, her head stopped pounding, and she let out a long, slow breath, then looked up into Theo's worried eyes. All at once, she realized that he was still the same man she'd fallen in love with, that he was right, nothing had changed because he was different. In fact, there was a part of her that was thrilled. A wave of desire rushed through her, taking her by surprise, and she gasped, then quickly looked away when she felt her cheeks growing hot.

They'd reached the shelter of a big tree. Theo gently set her down, then hesitated a second before sitting down next to her. "I don't know what to say, Eden," he said. "I'll understand if you don't want anything to do with me now, I know what I look like when I shift. I wouldn't blame you for……well, being scared or repulsed or……"

She looked over at him, reached out, and put her fingers over his lips. "No more talking," she said. "I think now is one of those times when you should just shut up and kiss me."

A look of surprise appeared on his face. "You're not scared?" he asked. "You don't think I'm a monster, some kind of freak?"

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up and kiss me? I'm not scared of you, Theo. You aren't a monster, you're amazing," she said, then had to look away. "It's kind of hot, if you want to know the truth."

Theo's eyes widened, and then he started laughing. "I guess you really are the woman for me," he said before lowering his mouth to hers and making her forget about the storm, the villagers, and the whole world.