Forbidden Caress

by Colleen French

  Chester shook his head. "No, indeed. I caught her. I'm gonna have her first." He leaned to touch her lips with his fingers and then snapped his body around. "Look, if'in you two can't stand back and give me a little room, I'll take 'er elsewheres and then you'll miss the show." He watched as the two men backed up reluctantly. "That's better," he murmured with a nod of his chin.

  The pressure of the huge man's weight on Katelyn's body was stifling, but she forced herself to remain still, listening to the men's banter. She didn't know how she was going to get out of this, but she'd not be raped. She'd kill herself first with her own blade. When the stinking giant touched her again, her eyes flew open and she stared coldly at him. He was disgusting with his long hair and beard, tangled and matted until you couldn't tell which was which.

  "Hey, wait a minute." Chester's eyes narrowed distrustfully. "You ain't no Injun!" He yanked the beaver-skin hat from her head and watched with amazement as the long fiery braids tumbled to the ground. "A white girl! Well, I'll be damned and sent straight to hell! We caught us a white girl." He leaned to one side to let his partners get a look. "This sure is our lucky day, ain't it?" He chuckled to himself. "Tell me something. What ya doin' out here by yerself all dressed up like a savage, girlie? Yer brains addled?" He ran a filthy exploring hand beneath her cloak.

  Katelyn swallowed hard as he fumbled with her breast. She could hear the others calling words of encouragement as they jeered the giant on. "Dog," she accused evenly in Algonquian. "Stinking, man-eating dog . . . " She forced herself to stare at the shaggy face. "I'm not one of you," she added softly in English. "Never."

  Chester chuckled deep in his throat, pressing his hot, wet lips to her bare neck. "Got me a crazy white girl who thinks she's a squaw." He clamped his teeth down hard on her tender flesh.

  Katelyn jerked in pain, straining to release her arm from where he held it pinned to her side. If she could just get free with one hand, she could hit the oaf with something.

  The man yanked open her rabbit-skin cloak and ran his hand roughly over her breasts. "Nice . . . " he told her, reaching down to tug at her doeskin dress. "Nice tits, now show Uncle Chester what else ya got. Ya show me yers and I'll show ya mine." He shot a grin at Kaiser over his shoulder. "You want to see too, Kaiser?"

  The moment he turned his head, Katelyn swung her freed hand, punching him square in the nose.

  "Ow! Damnation, girlie!" He cuffed her in the side of the head, sending her mind reeling. "Now ya best be behavin' yerself and stop showin' off for my friends." He pinned her arms again, wiping his bloody nose on his shoulder. "That girl can really heave a punch," he called over his shoulder.

  Katelyn squeezed her eyes shut as the man ripped at her dress above the waist. Please don't let this be happening, she thought. Why didn't I stay with Fox where I was safe? He's warned me time and time again of the dangers in the woods. She lay limp beneath her would-be-rapist, conserving her strength. If she was going to get away from these men, she couldn't waste an ounce of energy. There has to be a way out of this, her inner voice screamed. Where was Fox? Maybe he would come for her! No, he was a man who respected other's privacy. She had asked him to leave her alone, he'd not be coming this way. She couldn't believe her fate! After being captured by Indians, she was going to be raped and killed by white men!

  Taking her lack of movement as a sign of surrender, Chester sat up to loosen his breeches. He couldn't wait another minute! "Now yer gettin' the idea. Ya be nice to Uncle Chester and his friends and maybe he won't kill ya." He moved his hips, trying to get his breeches down. "You be real nice, and we'll take ya with us a few days." His laughter mingled with the other's. "Ya can be the entertainment!"

  Katelyn's eyes flew open as she heard his breeches slide down. "Nooo," she screamed, wrenching her hand free. Before Chester could catch her, she pulled his pistol from his belt and knocked him in the forehead with it.

  Chester rolled backwards, dazed, grabbing his head. "Catch the bitch," he shouted, rolling onto his side.

  At the sound of Katelyn's voice, Tipaakke froze. She was in trouble. Where was she? Which way had the sound of her voice come from? The beaver dam! That had to be where she was. She always went there to think. Tipaakke flew down the path, his moccasins barely touching the hardened dirt. Why did I let her go alone? Why did I let my anger have the best of me? Please, Heavely Father, protect her. Keep her safe and I will care for her the rest of her life, he vowed.

  Backing up slowly, Katelyn aimed the flintlock at the two trappers. Her attacker still lay on the ground. Her fingers ached to pull the trigger. If she killed just one, it would be easier to die. When her attacker moved, she dropped her aim to his form on the ground.

  Chester looked up slowly from where he lay, his breeches still caught around his knees. "Let me take care of this," he commanded. "She's mine." Then he turned back to Katelyn. "Go ahead, girlie. Shoot," he challenged. "But ya better kill me on the first try, cause ya don't get a second. And then I'm going to kill ya."

  She stared at the man at her feet. He seemed to want her the most. If she killed him, she might have a chance at escape. The others didn't seem willing to risk their life for her. They were just going along for the sport of it. Besides, even if they did come after her, she could lose them in the forest. They didn't seem bright enough to track her too far. So, why can't I pull the trigger, she thought.

  Chester staggered to his feet, blood streaming from his forehead. He heaved up his breeches with both hands, ignoring his partners' snickers.

  "Need some help there, Chester?" Morgy questioned with amusement. "Just let us know when she wears you out."

  "Shut up, Morgy," Chester commanded, "before yer dead meat." He stared straight at Katelyn again. "Go ahead. Ya ain't no Injun . . . ya might think ya are, but ya ain't. An Injun would've blowed my head off."

  A wide grin crossed Katelyn's face as she watched the trapper's smugness disappear.

  "No," he shook his head, taking a step back as he watched the gun barrel be lowered. "That ain't even funny."

  Unhurried, she lowered the flintlock until it was aimed at the man's groin. Chester dropped his hands to protect himself and the other men stepped back, horrified. With a smile, she squeezed the trigger.

  When the pistol only clicked in response, Katelyn's blood turned to shards of ice.

  "Damnation! Saints in hell!" Chester shouted jovially, leaping in the air. "Told you this was my lucky day, boys." He knocked the pistol from Katelyn's hands, tackling her as she turned to run. "Powder got wet again," he told her, "now where was I?" He clamped his damp, bloody mouth on hers, squeezing her buttocks viciously with one hand.

  When Tipaakke caught the sound of a man's voice, he slowed to a walk, stepping into the edge of the woodsline. He heard Katelyn whimper and his breath caught in his throat. She's alive! he thought as he followed the woodsline until he spotted the two men standing near the stream. She's still alive! Moving behind the trees, he saw her pinned beneath the trapper. "Whippoorwill . . . whippoorwill," he sounded.

  Katelyn's heart leaped beneath her breast. He was here! He'd come for her! Her brave wasn't going to let her die! She opened her eyes, ignoring the trapper who ran his slimy lips over her face, fumbling with her breasts as he held her flattened to the ground. Where was he? Where was Tipaakke? Protect him, she prayed to his God.

  Chester reached down to run his hand under Katelyn's doeskin dress. She couldn't stand this vile man touching her while the others watched another moment! "Tipaakke!" She shouted. "Here I am! Help me," she sobbed.

  "What the hell?" Chester turned to look in the direction the girl was staring. Jerking her up by one braid, he sat up. Watching Tipaakke move through the trees, he swore under his breath. "So ya got yerself an Injun brave, do ya?" He snapped her head violently. "That's why yer all dressed up in skins and jabberin' like a stinkin' savage."

  Katelyn curled her upper lip. "You pig, he is twice the man you will ever be."

  Chester ignored her insult
, getting to his feet and dragging her with him. Hoisting up his breeches, he nodded to Morgy. "Where's your gun?"

  Morgy shifted his weight nervously, pointing into the trees. "In there on jenny," he nodded, "but she's with the Injun." He wiped his chin. "Let's just go, whilst we still can. Leave the girl. Me and Kaiser, we don't like fightin' them Indians."

  Chester growled under his breath, keeping a tight hold on Katelyn. "Ya two afraid of one lousy Injun?" He eyed Kaiser.

  "No, we ain't afraid, but we ain't crazy either. We got one pistol between the three of us and the girl to tangle with." He kept looking into the woods, watching the savage move slowly.

  "You'd better run," Katelyn dared, "because my Fox will rip out your gizzards and hang them from the trees," she lied. She knew Tipaakke was an honorable man; he didn't desecrate bodies, not even those of his enemies. But the trappers didn't know that. She watched with great pleasure as the men's eyes lit up with terror.

  "Shut up!" Chester ordered, shaking her until her teeth rattled. "Don't just stand there, Kaiser, reload the pistol." He pushed it with a foot in his direction. "What's that savage doin'?" he wondered aloud as Tipaakke stepped into the meadow.

  Katelyn could see the fierce sparkle in her man's eyes from where she stood. These men would not see the dawn again, she surmised.

  "Chester, me and Kaiser, we don't have no powder and balls, left them on the jenny." He started to edge his way toward the stream, Kaiser following. "We ain't fightin' no mean savage with no gun."

  Realizing he'd get no help from his partners, Chester turned to face the Indian coming the short distance through the meadow. He released Katelyn, shoving her to the ground.

  Taking his steel-honed knife in hand, Tipaakke parted his lips, baring his teeth. A low, rumbling growl escaped from his throat sending a shiver of primeval terror through Chester's body.

  The grin fell from the trapper's face as he fumbled for his knife. "Might need a little help here," he hollered over his shoulder. "He's only got a knife. It's three to one. We can beat him together. Damn! Damn, where's my knife?" he muttered to himself shakily as the Indian brave circled him like a predator. Chester was suddenly more frightened than he'd ever been in his life. He'd never seen such a wild-looking Indian. He was dressed much like they all were, but something about those black, piercing eyes made him shudder with fear.

  Katelyn got to her feet, but stood back out of Tipaakke's way, keeping an eye on the cowardly partners. If they made a move, she figured she could keep them distracted until Tipaakke could deal with them.

  Around and around Tipaakke circled, moving closer to Katelyn's attacker. His patience, his cold glaring eyes, and his determination would be enough to overpower the white man. They always were.

  Rivulets of sweat ran down the side of Chester's face as he turned around and around, watching the brave move closer. The sound of the Indian growling like some wild animal was beginning to wear on him. He wished he would make his move, he couldn't take much more of this. Staring at the red man's bared white teeth, Chester suddenly lunged forward, unable to keep still another moment.

  Tipaakke dodged the trapper's knife with an easy step to the left. It felt good to fight again. When Chester lunged again, Tipaakke threw himself forward, knocking Chester off his feet.

  Morgy moved forward to pull the Indian off his friend's back, but Katelyn ran at him from the side, kicking him low in the groin. Morgy fell to the ground moaning. Kaiser started to make his way slowly to Morgy.

  Wrestling, arm locked in arm, Tipaakke and Chester rolled toward the creek bank. What will I do if the trapper kills him, Katelyn thought, balancing her attention between them and the other two trappers. I can't live without him. He's my world.

  When Morgy got to his feet and started after Chester and Tipaakke, Katelyn was ready for him. Picking up a rock from the bank, she heaved it in his direction, knocking him squarely in the head. Just as Morgy went down, Tipaakke and Chester went rolling over the bank.

  Peering over the side of the bank, Katelyn bit her lip hard to keep from crying out. She couldn't break Tipaakke's concentration, not for a moment. Chester's knife fell to the ground and then only Fox held his. She watched as the men wrestled, one with brute strength, the other with flexibility and cunning.

  Then, it was over. The trapper grabbed a hunk of sleek black hair, trying to wrench the knife free from the red man's hands and Tipaakke lunged forward, burying the knife to the hilt in the man's chest.

  Chester's eyes grew round with surprise as he stared down as the knife sunk in his chest. He watched glassy-eyed as the Indian pulled the knife from his flesh and crimson blood bubbled from the wound. Taking one deep rasping breath, the trapper shuddered and fell still, his sightless eyes staring heavenward.

  Tipaakke slid off the dead man and leaned to wipe the bloody knife on his stained coat before he got to his feet. Leaping up onto the bank, he ran past Katelyn to where Kaiser was pulling his friend Morgy across the grass.

  Kaiser shook with terror, but didn't release his friend's arms. He waited to see the savage raise the knife to him.

  Tipaakke stood glaring coldly, the knife in his hand at his side. But he made no attempt to move closer as he watched the one white man drag off the other. Those two had done no real harm. He saw no reason to take their lives.

  Katelyn watched with pride as Fox allowed the man to make his retreat to his mule, pulling the partner along. What other man could have been so gallant? She watched as the light breeze blew his long blue-black hair off his shoulders, emphasizing his chiseled face. Her eyes ran over his high bronze cheek bones, the familiar curve of his lips. Mesmerized by his haunting black eyes, she trembled. She'd almost lost him. She'd almost lost the only person she'd ever loved. They'd almost lost each other.

  Before Katelyn could think, she was running into Tipaakke's arms, tears threatening to spill over. "Forgive me," she begged, feverishly pressing kisses to his face. "I have no life without you Tipaakke Oopus. I will marry you. I'll marry you and have your child, and I'll make you love me."

  Tipaakke wrapped his arms around her tightly, dropping his head onto her shoulder. "Make me love you?" he murmured in her ear. "What do you mean. I've always loved you. I've loved you since the day I found you picking buttercups."

  Katelyn pushed his head off her shoulder and peered into his face. "You love me?" she asked, stunned by his words. "But you never said you loved me." She shook her head, her eyes wide with confusion. "Why didn't you ever tell me that before? You could have saved me a lot of heartache!"

  Tipaakke tipped back his head to laugh. "Are you telling me you love me?"

  "Of course I love you. How could I not? You rescued me from a life of unhappiness." She stroked his handsome cheek, wiping away a smudge of creek mud.

  "But I captured you. I've held you against your will. And now you carry my child and will never be the lady of one of your Tidewater plantations," he teased.

  "No. I won't." Katelyn lowered her voice. "But I will be the lady of a very brave and handsome man's wigwam."

  Tipaakke pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I can't believe we've been so foolish, Katie-girl. Why didn't you tell me that you loved me?"

  "I wasn't in a position to tell you such a thing. I was your prisoner. Not many moons ago, you were threatening to kill me, Fox." Her brow furrowed with serious thought. "Why didn't you tell me that you loved me?"

  Tipaakke thought for a moment, reaching out to brush a damp, stray tendril from her face. "I was afraid to tell you. I was afraid you didn't love me. I kept telling myself that you weren't ready to hear those words, but the truth, my dove, is that I was afraid."

  Katelyn couldn't believe what he was saying. After all she'd gone through, he'd loved her all along. "And now I will have your child," she whispered.

  He took her hand, kissing one finger and then the next. "Yes, you will have my child, and we will grow old together, Katelyn Locke."

  Katelyn kissed him softly on the lips and then
looked over his shoulder. "Do you think they're gone?"

  "The men and their mule? They are far gone from here by now." He chuckled to himself. "They will probably run for days."

  "I was afraid you weren't going to come." She looped her arm and his and together they went back to the creek bank. "I was afraid they would carry me off and I'd never see you again. They said they were going to kill me." She was amazed at how calmly she spoke.

  "It would not have happened. Manito meant us to have a life together. It was not your time to go. It was his." He pointed at the trapper's dead body.

  "Can you do something with the body?" She wrinkled his nose. "I'll not have him stinking up the creek."

  Tipaakke laughed. "You want me to drag that man somewhere? He'll break the Fox's back." But already he was down the bank, tugging on the man's arms.

  When Tipaakke returned from the woods where he'd dragged the trapper's body, he was pleasantly surprised to find Katelyn standing on the bank, stripping off her clothes.

  "What are you doing?" he asked with a twinkle of amusement in his eye. With this woman, he would never grow bored.

  "Taking a bath." She shivered involuntarily as the first wave of cold air hit her. "That stinking man ran his hands all over me. I feel fithly." She made no attempt to suppress the venomous anger in her voice. She looked straight at Tipaakke as she dropped her dress to the ground. "He was disgusting. I would have rather died at my own hand than let him do more. I would have killed him if I could have."

  Tipaakke nodded, only half hearing what she said. His mouth was dry, his palms damp. No matter how many times she stood naked before him, she still made his heart thump painfully at the sight of her. "Isn't it too cold for you." He pointed at her full, rounded breasts, her nipples puckered from the cool air.

  Her eyes snapped and crackled with life. "And who's always telling me great tales of how in the winter they break ice to bathe?" She dropped a hand on her hip seductively. "If I'm to be one of the Lenni Lenape, I'll have to grow used to it, won't I?" With that, she turned to walk gracefully down the bank. "But you can come with me and keep me warm . . . "