by Keri Hudson
A sad silence passed, and Lisa was clearly reconsidering her father’s true priorities.
Paul was quick to say, “I do believe it, Lisa, I do. If I were your father, well, I’d never stop searching for you, no matter what anybody said.” A tender silence passed between them before he went on, “And your father will come looking, and I hope he finds you, finds us. But this little rock, it seems to be out in the middle of nowhere, the currents, the shipping routes… I just don’t want you to know the kind of pain that comes with… when nobody comes.”
Lisa nodded and took another bite of breadfruit, a little piece clinging to the corner of her luscious mouth.
“What about your father,” Lisa asked with a low and solemn tone, “he… and your brother and the other one?”
Paul gave it some thought, not wanting to frighten her. “They’re… they’re powerful men, in my family, but… I don’t know, tell you the truth. We’ve had our little moments, flareups and such, but I’ve never really put them to the test this way.”
“What are they likely to do? What kind of people are they, really?”
“We’re a family, Lisa, we love each other; we bicker sometimes, have disagreements, but in the end, we’re still a family. They’ll come around.”
Lisa glanced at the secluded hideaway protecting them. “Tell you the truth, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
Paul understood her worries, and he didn’t want to lure her into a false sense of security. There was some danger from the other men in his family, Matthew in particular, but Paul hoped he was wrong and didn’t want to worry Lisa unnecessarily.
“I’m here,” Paul said, and that inspired a sweet little smile on her pretty face.
“I’m glad,” she said, reaching out to take his hand. Paul took it readily, the two looking deep into each other’s eyes. Their faces neared to one another, her lips drawing closer to his. Their noses glanced, their lips met, gently pressing together. It was Paul’s first kiss, and nothing had ever felt more natural, more right. Her tongue was warm and wet, her breath tasting of breadfruit, her blonde hair falling just so over the sides of their faces. Paul’s body was flush with new power and strength, every part of him reacting to that kiss with electric excitement.
Lisa pulled away with a coy smile, and Paul knew to mirror her and do the same. Everything in his body wanted to take her, to have her, to be deep inside her; but he knew she was in a vulnerable state, and he would not put himself in the same position his father, brother, or cousin wanted to be in. Paul was interested in more than his own personal satisfaction and the procreation of his line, in any case. At that moment, his greatest concern was Lisa’s safety, Lisa’s survival, Lisa’s happiness.
Lisa.
They sat in the sweet awkwardness of their mutual silence, Lisa taking another sip of coconut milk. After her sip, she handed it to Paul and they both held it as he took a sip and they shared a sweet smile.
After breakfast, Lisa stood up and stretched, her legs long and strong, her body lean and taut. Every time Paul looked at her, his mind reeled that she was standing before him, willingly in his company, every bit as sweet as he could have hoped. But her angelic light cast a shadow, several of them all around both of them.
Paul tried not to think about it, tried not to think about her gorgeous face and body, his cravings for her that were bound to make themselves evident; Paul tried not to think about anything, and not for the first time.
“Let’s take a walk,” he said, taking Lisa’s hand and lifting her to her feet. “I’ll show you around.”
Lisa ducked her head, sheepish. “Is it… safe?”
Paul offered her a reassuring smile. “Twenty-five years and I’m still here.” She smiled, modestly convinced as he led her out of the hideaway and into the forest around them.
It was risky, Paul knew that. There were dangers on the island that only a shifter in lupine form could face. But the days were generally safer, and the hogs were in a state of intimidation after their recent defeat. And it was only reasonable that Lisa be familiar with her surroundings in case she wandered out, was chased out, or got lost.
Holding her hand, Paul led her through the forest, Lisa flinching and lifting her feet. “Ouch… ouch! How do you walk around barefoot like this all the time?”
“My soles have hardened, I suppose, used to it. You’ll get used to it too.” After a sad silence, Paul added, “Until your father gets here, I mean. Y’know, that could take a bit of time, a week or more at the least, I would think.”
Lisa seemed to think about it, an air of melancholy falling over them both. “That’s not such a long time,” she said, clearly trying to reflect a sense of hopefulness. “And… when we get back, we can get us both a proper pair of shoes.” They shared a little chuckle, but Paul stopped and turned to look into Lisa’s eyes. He knew what she was intimating, what kind of future she was talking about.
Paul smiled and she returned it, both turning to walk through the forest. Scarlet macaws cried out in the canopy above them, long red and blue tails hanging down, white faces and black beaks. The forest was humid, collecting dew on the leaves, sweat on Lisa’s skin, delicate droplets on the nape of her neck.
“Aside from parrots and pigs,” Lisa said, “what else can I expect to find around here. Snakes?”
“No snakes,” Paul was happy to say. “We’re not even sure how the pigs got here; we figure a shipwreck, they seem to bring everything to the island. The birds fly in, the orcas, well, they go wherever they can swim. Other than that, you’re the most exotic creature here.” Another little chuckle crackled between them, Lisa setting a delicate hand on his shoulder as they walked on.
CHAPTER NINE
Paul led Lisa to a different clearing in the forest, a grassy mound where no trees seemed to grow. But the grass was tall and the little hill featured a massive gray rock, flat and irregular, stabbed into the ground.
Lisa asked, “Another secluded little place? Good for getting a suntan, I guess.”
Paul shook his head. “Actually, this is my mother’s grave.” And it was no coincidence that he’d brought her there. It was close, true, but Paul was so immediately taken with Lisa, so certain in his sudden and stunning adoration of her, his lovestruck life change, that something in him wanted to present her to his own mother. He wanted her to know, if she could, what he’d found, what had happened, what could happen.
“Oh, Paul, your mother, I… I’m so sorry, I… I didn’t mean to make light, or…”
“No, of course not. She got sick when I was very young, I didn’t know her long. In a lot of ways, my sister was my mother, my family… they’re really all I’ve ever had.” He looked around. “That and this place… this place…”
Lisa stood in a respectful silence, her fingers weaving into his for a reassuring clasp.
“How did she… if you don’t mind me asking…?”
“Got sick,” Paul said, “fever. She fought hard, I’m told, but I was so young. I only hope she’s at peace.”
“I’m sure she is, Paul, I’m sure of it.” She looked back at the blank stone, Paul’s mother’s headstone. “My… my mother’s dead too, not quite so long ago, in a car accident.”
“I’m sorry, Lisa.”
She nodded with a sad smile. “It was really tough, as I guess you know. My mother… she was like my best friend. But I’m not saying I suffered any more than you, I… I was lucky to know my mother as long as I did, I guess. S’funny, I… I spent so many years feeling sorry for myself over her loss, but… I should have been grateful for what I had.” She looked around and shook her head. “Never again, Paul, I promise you that; never again.”
They stood by that grave, an ominous sign of what was to come.
“Well,” Paul finally said, “let me show you the rest of the place.”
Paul led her out of the forest and to the clearing of the south beach, where he’d found her. Lisa clearly recognized the area, glancing around and nodding. “The scene of
the crime,” she said with a little smile.
Paul couldn’t help but chuckle, impressed with her courage and pluck.
A pod of orcas passed, blowholes spouting threatening blasts of air and water, and a chill ran up Paul’s spine. They caught Lisa’s attention too and she took another few steps toward the water.
“Wow, you’re right,” Lisa said. “They’re out there all the time?”
Paul nodded. “Our prison guards. I had one come up on the beach at me just the other day. They can grab you right where you’re standing now, in fact.” Lisa stepped back, and Paul went on, “Once they get a hold of you, it’s all over.”
A mean silence passed before Lisa said, “Strange.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, I was lost at sea for hours, must have been, floating around. How come they didn’t kill me?” Paul had a strong suspicion about the answer, but it wasn’t something he was ready to share with Lisa. They were getting close, and Paul ached to get closer. It was not the time to reveal himself if he could at all help it.
“And how is it that I washed up, but nobody else from the yacht did, none of the other crew?”
Paul shrugged. “There were a few pieces of debris, a soaked old box, guess it’s been washed away.”
“Right? I mean, there should have been a… a debris field, right? And the yacht, it had a crew of, like, seven men: the captain, his mates, a cook. I’m the only one who made it here, and I made it almost without a scratch? I dunno…”
Paul said, “We all survived our shipwreck, and we weren’t the only ones on that ship, the way they tell it. I hear somebody else arrived with my family, a few others, but they didn’t make it.”
Lisa gave that some thought, and he could read the consideration on her pretty face as she thought that out. Paul already knew what had happened to them, and he only hoped that when Lisa learned the truth, if she did, that she wouldn’t make the same natural assumption.
“This island, I… I always felt it had a kind of… I dunno, a personality; like it was more than just a rock out in the water. I don’t know how to explain it, my father thinks I’m a bit crazy, I think, but…”
Lisa leaned against him, a comforting gesture. “I know what you mean. Sometimes, life… it’s… I dunno, it’s weird. I mean, look at where I’m standing right now!”
Lisa was right and Paul was glad. Just the fact that she was so composed and reasonable after such an experience floored Paul. She was a girl of amazing strength and will, and that was just what he’d hoped she’d be.
“Some things you just can’t explain,” Paul said, looking out over the water. “But if I could get off this island, live with… with everybody else,” he went on, careful not to say too much.
“You will, Paul, you will, we both will.” She took both his hands and looked into his eyes, standing before him like a supple goddess. “And when we get back, you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Paul couldn’t help but look down at that amazing body, every curve inviting, intoxicating. “Everything?”
Lisa raised her pale, delicate hand to his face, fingers gently touching his cheek, her eyes peering deep into his. She whispered, “Everything,” and they kissed again, no more words needed between them.
“Well,” a familiar voice said from nearby, and Paul and Lisa turned to see Peter standing near the edge of the clearing, nearer to the forest. “You two are getting along.”
“Peter,” Paul said, “how are the others?”
Peter shrugged. “Not very different from normal; Ruth is worried, Father’s pissed off, Matthew’s a pain in the ass.” The two brothers shared a chuckle, but Lisa was respectfully and cautiously quiet. Peter looked Lisa up and down. “You seem to be acclimating.”
Lisa took Paul’s hand and clung to his strong arm, face pressing against his shoulder. Nothing more needed to be said.
Peter said, “Paul, you should come back to the compound, both of you should.”
Paul asked, “Will you respect our wishes?”
Peter looked at Lisa, then back at Paul. “It’s not my choice.”
“But you can support me, support us.” Paul pulled Lisa just a bit closer with that last word. “That would go a long way to convincing Father, and then Matthew will go along.”
“Will he?”
“He always does,” Paul replied.
But Peter glanced at the forest behind him and took a few steps closer to Paul and Lisa. “He’s getting worse, and with… new developments, things could come to a breaking point.”
Lisa shifted just a bit, behind Paul by instinct and fear.
Paul said, “It was bound to happen… Cousin Matthew, he was never one of us, not really.”
“Now isn’t the time to look at things that way, Paul.”
“But that’s the way you’re seeing me.”
“Because that’s the way you’re acting.” After a tense pause, Peter went on, “Won’t you think about coming back?”
“Not unless I have your word, Father’s word, that you won’t come between us.”
Peter looked at her, at Paul, at the obvious chemistry between the two. Lisa had already made her choice, Paul knew it was as clear to Peter as it was to him.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Peter said.
“And you?” Paul stood there with his woman, waiting for the answer from his older brother. He wanted to believe what Peter had to say, but he still had concerns.
Peter shrugged. “I’m very happy for you… for you both.” Paul and Lisa shared a smile, cuddling up to one another. But Peter added, “Not sure about the others.”
Paul sighed, he and Lisa sharing a resolved nod. “I appreciate your help, Peter.”
“Well, don’t thank me yet.”
“I didn’t,” Paul said. They both chuckled a bit, but the tension was still palpable between them. Peter turned to walk back into the forest to leave Paul alone with Lisa. She looked at him with a hopeful glint in her eye, but he could see that she was as worried as he was. Paul believed in his brother, but his brother couldn’t stand against both their father and cousin. Neither of them wanted to see the Landry family erupt into a civil war, but if Lisa’s father’s rescue forces didn’t arrive soon to take them all off that island, a civil war seemed almost certain. That seemed as clear to Lisa as it was to Paul. She would be at the center of that war, and was due to suffer more than anyone as a result; she seemed to know that too.
Paul pulled her close for a little nuzzle before saying, “There’s a bit more island to see. C’mon.” He led her forward, around the south corner of the island and up to the coves and crags on the eastern slope.
They walked on for a bit before Lisa asked, “Your brother, he… he’s older than you, your cousin too?”
“Yeah, just ask them. You have any siblings, cousins?”
“Cousins, but I don’t know them well. I know how it is, though, living in the shadow of your family. My father is very domineering, strong-willed. I… it’s not that I didn’t enjoy being his daughter, having such a lavish lifestyle, but… I still wanted to be my own person, y’know? I didn’t always just want to be my father’s daughter.”
“I do know,” Paul said.
“I’ve tried to be a strong person, not to get pampered or pushed around; both things can happen. You’d be surprised.”
“No,” Paul had to admit, “I really wouldn’t.”
Lisa seemed to lose herself in her reverie. “I was always treated like… like a china doll, really. But I’m not, and I don’t want to be that.”
“You seem pretty tough to me, washing up on the beach the way you did, the only survivor of your father’s yacht wreck; that’s not a… what did you say?”
“China doll, they’re… they’re very precious and very delicate. China, it’s what plates are made of.” Paul couldn’t even imagine what kind of material she was talking about, but he knew what precious and fragile meant, he felt as if he were looking at the physical personi
fication of those words. “Anyway,” she went on, “it’s not always easy, is it?”
“No, it’s… it’s not. But in the end, family, it’s really all we have. I mean, who else would come looking for you? Governments? Police? Your family is your hope, and my family, well, that’s my hope.”
“Hope… for what?”
The question settled in his head and his heart, and he knew instantly what the answer was.
“Freedom.”
They walked on a bit further, over the slopes of the eastern ridge and back toward Paul’s hideaway. “North is the compound, and the mountain, and the north beach beyond that. Not much more to it, I’m afraid.”
Lisa looked around, her beautiful face radiant amid all that natural beauty. “There’s so much to it. A lot of people, and I don’t mean to be… y’know, reductive, but… a lot of people dream about living in the tropics, getting away from it all.”
“They don’t know what they’ve got.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Lisa said, taking his hand. Paul knew she was trying to boost his spirits the way he had tried to boost hers, and he was appreciative of her effort and the concern which had clearly inspired it. “Still, back home, there’s… there’s pollution, filth everywhere, crime, homeless people taking drugs in the alleys, rats crawling around.”
“Yeah?” Paul wanted her to think she was getting through to him, and she actually was. “What about… what about flying in airplanes, or talking to people all the way across the world? Movies and restaurants, it all seems so… well, I can’t imagine anybody shunning it.”
“Not shunning it,” Lisa seemed careful to say, “not that, but… I mean, I grew up with all those things and, I’ll be honest, the best of all those things. But now, it just all seems so… so hollow.”
“Well,” Paul said, “you’ll have a chance to find out how it all compares once you’re back.”
