Turned and Taken (Packed 1 & 2) (7 page)

“Like I said, why don’t you make me?” Saki purred, hoping he would jump across the fence and take her right there on the ground.

“We don’t have time for this. Take her.”

At that moment, Saki noticed a different odor in the air, a little sour. Without seeing her, she knew it was Torque  and someone else. They grabbed her, covered her mouth, and held her arms.

Ushering her with more strength than seemed possible, they shoved her through the open gate into a waiting sedan. Saki struggled to get free while two others piled into the car around her. The car drove off with the light from the TV still pouring through the open front door.

“Look, Saki,” Lane began. “There’s a lot of things going on that I can’t explain. And I don’t know what going on with you, but if it’s what I think, you can’t be here.”

Torque  couldn’t hold Saki as she fought to speak. “Let me go or I’ll tear you apart. Do you hear me? I will tear every one of you apart.”

“Do you hear that Lane?” Torque  asked. “Any questions now?”

“Yeah, that’s gonna be it. God damn Dax. God damn it!”

“Let me go, you hear me?” Saki ordered again.

“Gag her. Sorry Saki, it’s for your own good.”

A boy that Saki barely recognized leaned back from the front seat and tied a gag around her mouth. Saki was beyond angry. She felt like if she could just get her arms free, she could rip every boy in the car to parts. As a special bonus, she would hold Torque  down and beat the life out of her until only a mushy pile of crap was left.

“I know it’s hard to control Saki, but you have to relax. We are your friends now. We’re here to help you,” Lane said in a tone that almost made Saki believe him.

Saki still wanted to tear everyone apart, but now something else was affecting her. She was starting to feel dizzy. If she could get up and run around she would feel better, but laying on her side in the car was making her feel a little sick.

Saki was grateful when the car finally parked. She was pulled to her feet, most of her fight gone. She was feeling very weird, almost like her mind was detached from her body. The ground seemed far away, and her steps reflected it.

“Come on Saki, stay focused. Stay with us,” Lane encouraged.

Saki was able to pull her mind together a little as two of the guys walked her down a dock. She wondered why they had brought her here, but she couldn’t even ask. When the two guys helped her onto a 15-foot motorboat and released the tie lines, Saki could no longer fight it. All she could do was hope that she could remain seated.

“Stay with us Saki, we’re soon there,” Lane said from behind the wheel.

The boat cut through the surface of the water as if it were gliding on ice. Looking out, Saki focused on the lights from the million-dollar homes on Paradise Island. Past them was total darkness. Once those lights were behind them, the only thing in front of them was the beam shining off the front of the boat.

Saki felt herself slipping away. Her vision was the first to go. The edges of everything clamped in, her vision tunneling. Next, her ears began to ring. She knew the loud engine was still screaming behind her, but she could no longer hear it. All she could hear was buzzing; everything else was gone.

Discomfort came next. She could barely stand to sit up anymore, and although the nose of the boat was significantly higher than the engine, she felt like she had to get there. Forcing herself to stand, she lurched forward, grabbing onto the chrome railings framing the boat’s edge.

Saki had her hand around the cold chrome for only a second before something ripped it off. She screamed, not sure if it was her body or the weight of someone laying on top of her. Whatever it was, she felt like her muscles were being torn from her bones. She had never imagined such pain. She was sure she was dying. She felt something hit the bottom of the boat, and the weight on her body decreased.

Willing herself to what she thought were her feet, she scanned her surroundings. Only four others were left on the boat, and they were taking off their clothes. She found Lane and stared at him. As she stared, he seemed further and further away.

When his board shorts dropped, she followed his smooth mocha skin, as it continued uninterrupted onto his thick, hairy legs. She didn’t want to stop looking at him, but she did when she felt all of her bones break. Overwhelmed with pain, she yelled into the air. Something was happening to her. She knew it now. She was changing. But into what, she didn’t know.

Chapter 6

Saki felt her muscles tear from her bones as her full weight fell onto the deck of the boat. Refusing to take her tunnel vision off Lane, she watched as he did the same. His naked body stretched and twisted almost the full length of the boat. When her contorted neck muscles forced her to turn her head to the full moon, she heard Lane scream.

From the tenor of his voice, she could tell that it was him, but it sounded different. It sounded more hollow and monotone than a human’s voice. When she turned back toward Lane, he was no longer there. The thing that had replaced him had hair all over its body, and its legs looked more like an animal’s hind legs. She could feel the same changes in her own body. As her muscles tightened with the worst cramps she had ever experienced, her body cracked and twisted into a mangled mess.

Lane was completely gone, replaced by an animal. From where she lay, it looked like a canine of some type. As it struggled to its feet and the lean profile entered Saki‘s view, she knew from the long snout and narrow body that it could only be a wolf.

Fear ran through Saki‘s painful body. The creature across from her was on its paws, and it scanned the environment, getting its bearings. Saki wished desperately that she could hide. She couldn’t move, though. Her pain gave way to her fear, as she realized she couldn’t move out of the wolf’s line of sight.

Saki reached out, scratching the pedestal that separated her from the animal. It felt differently against her hand. She could feel the pressure of the object but not its texture or temperature. Something was wrong, and she knew it. As she was about to look down to investigate, the wolf’s familiar eyes met hers. The creature was Lane. She wasn’t sure how she could tell, but there was no doubt in her mind.

As Lane approached her, Saki forgot about the pain. She did her best to back away, but her body didn’t move as she was accustomed to it moving. Her arms and legs could only move in one direction, and they slid across the deck with surprising ease.

Lane approached her slowly. He stood above her, looking down at her with compassionate eyes. They seemed sad, which she found oddly comforting. He stretched out his snout, and before she could react, he touched her.

For a second time, Saki took her eyes off Lane. Looking down, something close to her face blocked her view. She snapped her head back, trying to escape it, but it followed her. As she moved her head, she found that it was attached to her.

She opened her mouth to scream and heard a strange yelp instead. What’s more, her mouth moved differently. Closing her mouth to take a deep breath, the long object blocking her view moved. She could feel it. It was a part of her.

Lane‘s snout bumped her again, indicating for her to get up. She tried but was unsuccessful. She couldn’t make her body do what it had always done. Her arms seemed locked into moving in one direction. Her legs simply swung back and forth. Her whole body felt like it was tied down by loose-fitting rope.

Saki began to panic. She folded and twisted herself in every direction, flapping her body against the deck. Using the edge of the boat as leverage, she folded her legs underneath her and slowly the deck of the boat pushed away. She wasn’t sure how she was doing it, but she was now standing eye to eye with Lane.

Saki stared at Lane, knowing deep inside that she now looked like him. The steel gray fur that covered his body was only interrupted in a few areas, mostly on his face. His brow and the length of his snout was a snowy white. The outline of his tall ears enclosed the mask around his eyes, drawing Saki’s eyes to his. His eyes simultaneously expressed sympathy while telling her to fall in line. Something about him made her want to comply.

In one leap, Lane perched himself upon the bow of the boat. It was then that she noticed similar creatures lining up behind him. She didn’t recognize two of them, but the small one was definitely Torque . It was her scent, somehow familiar. When they all howled, it sent a feeling through Saki‘s new body that made her want to escape.

With a quick look back toward Saki, Lane leapt from the front of the boat, and each of the wolves followed. Saki feared being left behind. Pulling and pushing her legs, she crossed the deck of the boat and replaced Lane at the bow. Looking down onto the beach, she found the pack staring back up at her, with Lane closest.

He wanted her to follow him, but she wasn’t sure that she could. She didn’t remember the boat being this tall, but with her new tunnel vision, the beach seemed 20 feet away.

She looked back up at Lane, who stared undeterred. Feeling the pressure from the pack, she stuck her nose out, leaned forward, and threw herself toward Lane with more power than she anticipated. She crossed the distance in what felt like a single step.

It felt like nothing to her. As she stretched her legs and walked toward Lane, she felt more strength in her body than she’d ever imagined. Her desire to escape was again building, and now that she’d discovered her body had new abilities, her excitement began to grow.

Lane left her and placed himself at the head of the pack. The others turned away from Saki, their eyes following Lane. When he led them to the edge of the bushes lining the beach, she was more than willing to follow them.

Saki‘s long legs moved her faster than anticipated. Within seconds, she was at the line of bushes. Picking up her pace as the others did, she felt a rush of pleasure like she’d never experienced. Nothing in her body hurt anymore. She felt sleek and strong. Her lean body cut through the branches without a scratch, and her reaction time was almost instantaneous.

What surprised Saki even more, however, was how alive the bush felt. The area looked as bright as day. The scent of everything danced around her like the ribbon of a gymnast.

She felt like she could follow each of the scents for miles. The one that the pack seemed to be following was unmistakably familiar. The desire to fight was growing within her. Somehow, the indescribable scent coming from her pack told she would get the chance.

Unable to stop herself, Saki howled. The expression felt normal to her. She felt good and had to express it. When the rest of her pack howled in response, the sense of camaraderie almost overwhelmed her. It was only when she heard a pack of wolves howl back that she felt fear.

The other pack’s howl was equally compelling, filling her with doubt about whether she was with the right pack. So when a wolf from the pack took the lead and attacked one of the pure white wolves running toward them, Saki slowed down, dropping back.

The two wolves lunged at each other viciously. Both sprung onto their hind legs, staring at one another sending fur flying. A smaller wolf was running toward Lane. Lane dwarfed it in size. With a few tears of Lane‘s teeth, the other wolf succumbed, falling to the ground.

Lane‘s pack cut through the white wolves with remarkable ease, but the white wolves’ onslaught never stopped. Saki’s pack was unmistakably focused on that familiar scent, which sent a shiver of excitement through Saki.

It took only moments for the bushes to open up into a clearing containing the source of the scent. Lane‘s pack slowed down, crouching with merciless snarls. Dax was waiting for them.

Dax was a large white wolf with bright blue eyes. He was surrounded by less familiar scents, but Saki was sure they belonged to the boys from her homeroom. The two packs circled each other. Lane‘s focus was locked on Dax. As Lane sprung at him, Saki felt a rush.

Dax leapt forward and both wolves met in the air. They snapped and nipped at each other, grabbing each other with their front paws and hopping around on their hind legs. Lane was bigger than Dax and moved faster. They both bit into each other, but Lane held on for longer and startled Dax more.

As each of Dax‘s wolves fell to Lane‘s, Dax conceded ground. With Dax‘s battle clearly lost, he took the first opportunity to run away.

Lane looked back at Saki with a wild look in his eyes, a look of power. He wanted her to see what he had done. His victory was not lost on Saki.

As the rest of Dax‘s pack retreated into the trees, Lane and his pack pursued. Saki followed, stopping when she smelled fear in the air. In front of her, Lane and his pack were all staring at something in front of them. Saki had to get closer for a better look, and she was shocked to find Dax on the ground, rapidly transforming to the naked boy from her class.

Saki looked back at Lane for an explanation, and she could see terror in all of the wolves’ eyes. When they backed up, Saki turned toward Dax, who was rising to his feet. His height seemed massive from where Saki stood. His hairless white flesh gleamed in the moonlight.

The only hair left on his body was on his head. Even the flesh above his impressively hung manhood was bare. When he turned his bright blue eyes toward the wolves in front of him, his look said nothing could defeat him.

Saki turned back toward Lane. His fear brought her terror. Not understanding why, Saki turned back toward Dax, noticing for the first time the unusual scent that led to the shining object in Dax‘s hand. Raising it with bloodlust in his eyes, Saki realized it was a gun. When she saw Dax‘s finger squeezing the trigger, she yelped, startling the pack and sending them running.

Dax fired a shot, and a wolf whined, hit. Unsure of what to do, Saki ran into the bush behind the pack. She found Lane quickly, as if he had stopped to wait for her. Together, they darted through bush with branches and palms hitting them in the face and sides. Another shot scattered the pack. Saki did not leave Lane’s side.

Shots fired again and again until the sickly scent of gunfire permeated the island. She and Lane hadn’t stopped running. She doubted much bush was left, and further, their scents were leaving a clear trail behind them.

When Lane finally stopped, he didn’t seem to be thinking about their trail at all. He turned to Saki and sniffed every inch of her, searching for wounds; she let him do as he pleased.

The rest of the night was filled with them running and hiding. Each time they heard another shot, they ran again. As the night wore on, Saki’s thinking became less clear. She was beginning to lose herself. Sometimes, she couldn’t remember what she had been doing only moments before. When her memory was reduced to only flashes Lane as wolf in the moonlight, she couldn’t resist it anymore. Her animal was taking over. She was just along for the ride.