Casey came to a small group of large rocks sheltered in an alcove. It was shaded and cool. The area was pleasant and she stopped for a moment, hearing a curious splash. Luck was on her side. The sizeable fish had been trapped with the tide and swam in about two feet of water in the tiny alcove. She watched it warily for a moment while it thumped its tail in obvious aggravation.
She would need to exercise extreme caution. Placing her clams down, she grabbed up a large piece of bamboo and crept slowly into the water. She wiggled her toes, disturbing the sand beneath them and immediately caught the fish's attention. As the fish surfaced, moving towards her, Casey swung hard and smashed the bamboo club over its head, rendering it senseless.
Using both hands, she dragged it up over the cluster of rocks and onto the beach. It began to flail about once lain on the hot sand, its teeth seeking her ankles or calves. Using her club, Casey whacked it hard again, then again, releasing her built up frustration. When she finished, the battered fish lay still, pulverized. It was dead. Casey stood, smiling triumphantly, breathing hard.
“See, I told you she would be fine,” a voice sounded from behind her. Casey spun about and noted both men watching her. Todd was open-mouthed, Wolf just smirked.
“I hope you're hungry,” Casey said. Now she wouldn't have to lug the large fish back all alone.
“Starving,” Todd replied, still appearing dumbstruck as he gazed at the dead fish. “Why do I feel suddenly fortunate all I got was a rock to the head and a headache?”
Chuckling, Wolf threw the fish over his shoulders, while Casey retrieved the clams.
“You got off easy, buddy. You should try fending off logs and coconuts,” Wolf said, amused at Todd's expression. Todd looked at him curiously, shrugged, and then followed them both back to their camp.
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Chapter Ten
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Casey sat munching contentedly on a piece of fish. She had cooked it over their fire in large, thick pieces draped over sticks. She couldn't help but offer a small smile to Todd as he ate enthusiastically, regaling her to be the best cook in the entire world.
“You're just saying that because you're hungry and tired of bananas,” Casey said, though she smiled as he beamed widely at her.
“No, I'm serious. You cook better than anyone I know, even my fiancee,” Todd declared.
“Your fiancee would be distressed to hear you say that,” Wolf said, sounding a little annoyed.
“No, she would back me up and be proud of it. Jackie couldn't cook to save her life. On a good day she can get a toaster to work...with my help,” Todd replied and chuckled fondly.
“You must miss her a great deal,” Casey said.
“Yeah,” Todd replied, looking thoughtful and a bit surprised. “I really do miss her. Both her parents are deceased and her Uncle Roger keeps a close eye on her. I think the man's a bit suspicious of me. She's loaded, after all. But it's not her money. She puts up with me; she really loves me, faults and all. It took three tries proposing to her before she finally gave in. She was tough. Not as tough as you though, Casey. You really had me going on both boats. First saying Wolf was bothering you, and then claiming he had assaulted you. So, Wolf, how did you finally convince her?”
Casey stopped eating, her face alight with concern. Wolf casually draped his arm around her and she battled the need to recoil. She recovered nicely.
“Charm and persistence,” Wolf drawled.
“More like brute strength and evil manipulation,” Casey replied as sweetly as she could, unable to resist. Todd howled with laughter.
“You and Jackie would get along great. She told everyone I twisted her arm. But she finally got tired of my begging,” Todd said, still laughing.
Wolf dragged Casey closer to himself and kissed her. She returned it as though eager. She would have liked to bite him. When Wolf broke the contact she played her part well. She stroked back a lock of his hair that rested on his forehead. Her fingers trailed down the side of his throat. Wolf captured her hands and sucked on one finger. He released her finger to lick and suck a trail down her hand to her wrist. As his gaze intensified, her defiance turn to worry.
“I'd offer to make myself scarce, but it's getting too dark,” Todd said a bit sheepishly.
“Don't worry, I just want to play for awhile,” Wolf replied. His eyes remained centered on Casey. He looked at her hungrily. His passion for her began to make her uncomfortable .
Casey pulled herself closely into Wolf's arms, hiding her face against him. She had seen the scheming look that crossed his face. She lifted her chin to gaze at him. When he impassively returned her look she once more buried herself against him, but was unable to stop the small tremors that shook her body.
“I could always get myself a long drink of water,” Todd mentioned casually, though he offered Wolf a conspiratorial look and a wink.
Casey thought about that. Even though Todd would not technically be watching, he would be close, and she would still be forced to act her part in case he glanced over. She quivered against Wolf. He was rubbing his hands up and down her back.
“Don't bother, Todd. After today I think she just needs to be held,” Wolf said on a soft sigh. Casey couldn't help her small whimper of gratitude and relief.
Wolf pulled Casey down on top of himself as he lay back. He continued to rub at her back and over her hips. Casey lay motionless except for the one hand visible to Todd. She used it to stroke Wolf's chest. Wolf's hands were gentle and he kept them away from intimate places, intent on calming her. Before long, she stilled and drifted to sleep.
Turning her beneath him, Wolf rolled her under himself while keeping his body pressed tightly to her side. Cushioning her head under his arm, he cuddled her face into his chest. He gazed down into her serene expression and kissed her forehead. Wolf tenderly brushed her hair from her cheek and nuzzled her neck, breathing in her sweet scent. She was so warm and soft. He molded his body to contour hers, enjoying the way she fit so perfectly against him.
“You love her a lot, don't you?” Todd quietly asked.
Startled, Wolf realized that Todd was still sitting across from them. He had forgotten about him and had not been putting on a show for his benefit. He missed Casey's tentative caresses. Every time Wolf touched her now she cringed, unless it was for Todd's benefit.
Wolf became angry. Casey no longer wanted his touch now that Todd had arrived. Because of Todd, he'd had to frighten her and now she wanted nothing to do with him. Even now, while seeking a quiet moment, Todd was interfering.
“Maybe you should roll over and get some rest,” Wolf told him, his voice deep and rough. Though Wolf kept his face impassive, he knew Todd felt intimidated by him. Wolf's eyes bored right into him. Though Todd was a large man, he still was not built nearly as powerfully as Wolf. The Alpha male was exercising his dominance. He watched with satisfaction as Todd rolled over and closed his eyes.
When Casey woke, she found herself nestled in Wolf's arms. She began to pull away; Wolf gripped her tighter, almost painfully.
“Don't move,” he hissed.
Casey was terrified of the look on his face. His glare was ferocious, awesome. She had never before encountered such a deadly stillness. Then she noted Wolf was not staring at her, but in Todd's direction. She turned her head, now wary, expecting something...awful. Casey would have jumped to her feet, but Wolf held her securely, anticipating her reaction. She whimpered and began trembling.
“Easy, sweetheart, stay calm,” Wolf soothed. “If you panic and move too quickly, you will startle it.”
Casey buried her face into Wolf's chest and clutched at him, trying to pull him closer. The snake was huge, bigger than she was, definitely longer than Wolf, and she'd bet it outmatched her in weight, perhaps coming close to Todd's mass. Casey was uncertain of its kind, but knew these parts had venomous snakes. For now it remained motionless, its head up, empty dark eyes watching, its tongue flicking in, out. Wolf shifted ev
er so quietly and pulled Casey beneath him, his large body shielding her completely.
“Listen to me. I want you to crawl out from under me and move away very slowly,” Wolf whispered into her ear. He shifted again, still moving cautiously, while now resting on the other side of her, barring the snake's view.
Casey was loath to release him, but did as he commanded. She painstakingly made her way out from under him and, on her belly, she moved away. Her heart pounded against her ribs as she slid over the ground, farther and farther from Wolf.
Sobbing softly, she clawed at the ground before her, pulling herself along, wondering if at any moment the snake might strike. Her toes pushed into the ground and her injury began to ache. She wondered if she were bleeding again and hoped snakes could not smell blood.
“Run!” came Wolf's sharply spoken command. Casey was up in a second and fleeing to the falls.
Wolf's command woke Todd, who had been slumbering, oblivious to the danger. Upon seeing the large snake directly before him, he panicked and jumped to his feet with a loud, frightened howl. Wolf yelled a warning but it was too late; the reptile was startled into action.
The snake launched an attack, connecting with Todd's thigh. Todd screamed in fear and pain. Wolf was on his feet in less than a heartbeat and struck a solid blow to the snake's head with a hammering punch from a hard fist; he stopped it from attacking once more. Wolf battered at it repeatedly, making sure it never moved again. Todd slipped to the ground, holding his bloody thigh.
“Oh God, I'm dying,” Todd whimpered brokenly. His round, terrified eyes fixed on his injured thigh.
“You're not dying,” Wolf told him calmly. “Casey! Bring some water.”
“Please, when you get rescued make them take my body home. I can't stay here all alone again,” Todd whimpered, clutching at Wolf's shirt in panic.
“Todd, you are not going to die, unless you irritate me. Then I will be forced to kill you,” Wolf said grimly, disengaging the man's fearful, clawing hands.
Casey dropped down beside the men, giving the dead snake a wide berth. She handed Wolf a halved and emptied coconut filled with cold water, and looked with dismay upon Todd's bloody thigh. It was a nasty bite. Poor Todd was sobbing, begging them to tell his fiancee he loved her, and his last thoughts were of her.
“Give me a piece of your shirt,” Wolf commanded her.
Casey looked down at her shirt with some dismay. She was already revealing more than she wanted to after stripping a piece off to aid her injured toe, as well as the numerous holes and snags she sported from their constant collection of wood.
“Why not your shirt?” she asked Wolf.
Todd was thrashing around, whimpering.
“If he goes into shock I might need my shirt to drape over him to keep him warm, and mine is larger. Unless you want to remove your entire shirt,” Wolf said, daring her to disobey. Casey ripped off a piece of her shirt.
After dipping the cloth into the water, Wolf carefully wiped the blood from Todd's thigh. The nasty red marks would no doubt leave a hideous bruise. Casey tried to calm him, holding his hand and speaking gently. The tooth marks went deep. Todd's face was as white as ash; he was sweating profusely and he looked horrible. If Todd died she would again be left all alone with Wolf.
“You'll be fine, honey, don't worry,” Casey soothed while rubbing Todd's forehead.
“It hurts,” Todd moaned.
“I know, but it will get better. You'll be fine,” Casey promised and continued to stroke Todd softly, calming him while Wolf made a thorough inspection of the bite.
She looked at Wolf, and he reached to place a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. “He'll be fine, sweetheart. It wasn't a venomous snake, but the bite is bad. He could use some stitches. When I yanked the snake off, part of his thigh ripped. He could really use some antibiotics or a tetanus shot.”
“I'm scared,” Casey whispered. Todd now lay quietly, unmoving but moaning softly. His eyes were squeezed closed.
“You need to stay calm for him. As long as we remain calm we can keep him from going into shock,” Wolf said.
“What should we do?” she asked.
“We start by making him as relaxed as we can.”
Casey and Wolf made Todd as comfortable as possible, using ferns as a bed. They propped his head up, using a rock covered over with moss, small sticks, and soft foliage. They did their best to elevate his thigh. Wolf removed the dead snake, taking its body far away from their camp at Casey's request. Casey continuously bathed his injured thigh with the cool water from the falls until she was satisfied it was as clean as she could make it. Finding a sharp rock, Wolf removed long strips from his jeans after slicing them at the knee, enabling them to wrap Todd's thigh after they had stopped the bleeding.
“How are you feeling?” Casey asked Todd as she ran a cool hand down the side of his face. Evening was approaching.
“Sore,” he said.
Casey smiled at him and resisted the urge to give him a cuddle. Instead she massaged his chest. Now that he was more settled and Wolf was positive the risk of shock had passed, Casey noted with some dismay Wolf occasionally shot the man glaring looks.
She was beginning to worry Wolf might think him a burden and do away with him, although she wondered at the logic in her thought when it had been Wolf who had originally come to his rescue. Wolf could have run. He also could have abandoned her as well. Instead, he had put her safety first. The idea brought about deeper confusion.
Wolf had calmed her down as well by taking control of the situation. It had been his idea to use strips of his pants to hold the jagged gash on Todd's thigh together. Nevertheless, Casey had doubled her efforts to take all burdens off Wolf. When Todd asked for water, Casey raced for it. When his back ached, she rubbed it. When Todd whimpered, she soothed his worries and tenderly kissed his forehead. Wolf's foul mood seemed to increase at the added attention she was giving Todd, not lessen. Casey's confusion mounted at his puzzling actions.
“What can I do to make you feel better?” Casey asked Todd, and stroked a lock of his blond hair from his eyes.
“I am kind of hungry. We haven't eaten today,” Todd reminded her, pouting.
Casey chuckled. She was taking care of a two hundred pound baby. “Sure, I can find you something, honey.”
Casey rose to her feet, still smiling. She approached Wolf, who was watching her with an odd expression on his face.
“I'm going to go find some food for us. Todd is hungry and I think that's a good sign, don't you? I won't be long. He just had some water and I've encouraged him to try and get some rest. He should be no trouble.”
“Do you want me to burp him?” Wolf said.
“You don't need to do anything for him, I'll take care of him,” Casey said with worry. Wolf looked angry about something. She tried to stress again that Todd would cause him no trouble.
“He's watching us, sweetheart,” Wolf said and before Casey could turn and look, Wolf captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Casey kissed him back just as eagerly, assuming she was being watched. Wolf kissed her thoroughly, only releasing her once breathless.
“I won't be long,” Casey mumbled. She glanced back at Todd; he lay quietly slumbering with his eyes closed.
“Make sure you're not, or I'll be forced to leave him all alone to come and look for you,” Wolf warned. Casey hurried off.
She quickly went to a spot on the beach where there were large rocks close to shore and covered in seaweed. She grabbed large handfuls of the seaweed floating in the water, and took it to shore. Shaking it out onto the sand, she was able to collect shrimp and small crabs, bashing them senseless with a rock as well as the small fish she found hiding in the mass. It didn't take her long to collect more peanuts and fruits, staying ever wary of dangers. In no time, she returned to their camp and soon had food cooking.
After Casey boiled water, then let it cool, she added the expressed juice from a garlic plant she had discovered. Once mixed, she undid t
he wrapping from Todd's thigh and bathed his wound.
“What are you doing?” Todd asked.
“The garlic should help as an antiseptic,” she told him. She was very pleased she had found some.
“Who taught you?” Todd asked, skeptical.
“No one did. I spent a great deal of my life aboard planes, terrified of a crash. I read a few survival books; some were incredibly intuitive. It was the most wonderful reading, and a real comfort during turbulence,” Casey confided.
“Can we eat now?” Todd asked.
“Yes, honey, we can eat now,” she said, and squeezed his shoulder.
After Casey had Todd fed and tucked in for the night, she settled near him, holding his hand, encouraging him to sleep. She smoothed back the hair from his face. She whispered sweet, encouraging kind words to him and smiled as he began to close his eyes.
Casey understood his reluctance to sleep at night. The last time he had awoken he had been injured by the snake. It would take a great deal of time for the fear to lessen. She realized she was feeling her own anxiety as the sun set and darkness moved in around them.
Wolf dropped himself with a thump onto the ground; his hair was still glistening from washing at the falls. He had draped his wet shirt over one of the large logs he'd dragged near the fire. With his shirt off and half of his jeans now missing, he looked even more formidable. Casey was wary of him, watching him with misgiving. He had been snapping and snarling all evening. Everything she or Todd did seem to anger him.
She was concerned as Wolf grew more irritated by the moment. She had waited on Todd when she returned, again assuming all responsibility for him, yet Wolf seemed to become increasingly annoyed. He was watching her from across the fire. Casey returned the look apprehensively.
“Come here,” Wolf demanded.
“But Todd needs me,” she stammered, anxious at Wolf's angry dark look.
“You don't mind if my fiancee spends some time with me now, do you, Todd?” Wolf snarled. His fierce gaze settled on Todd, who had opened his eyes at the altercation.
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