Never Surrender

by Deanna Jewel

  It felt peaceful to be here with him, standing within his embrace. Relaxing, she closed her eyes, and enjoyed the warmth of Taima’s arms, the warmth of the water that nearly covered her shoulders. Her muscles began to lose the stiffness gained from the long ride here.

  Taima pulled her hair to the side, and his warm lips nestled against her neck. She arched her back as a shiver traveled down her spine. His swirling tongue slowly, sensuously seared a path toward her jaw, weakening her knees...and her resolve.

  A deep breath did little to calm the new excitement inching along her muscles, tingling her flesh, and tightening her loins. She hadn’t experienced such beautiful feelings for what seemed an eternity.

  Slowly, Taima turned her, and she leaned her forehead into the hollow between his shoulder and his neck rather than meet his intense blue gaze. The warmth of his arms was so male, so bracing. His thighs pressed against hers, awakening the yearning need to be loved. She didn’t want to back out of his arms.

  Taima’s tender lips nuzzled her neck again, his tongue caressing her skin, sending shivers of desire through her. Her stomach fluttered as though it were filled with butterflies. She tilted her face upward, and his lips pressed against hers, then covered her mouth, demanding a response. Her knees weakened. Wrapping her arms about his neck, she succumbed to the kiss as his tongue thrust past her lips to touch her soul.

  Unable to resist him any longer, she worked her fingers through his long, silky hair. Taima’s fingers lifted the hem of her dress upward, his hands branded her flesh. Beneath the doeskin, he cupped the weight of her breast with one hand while his other hand cupped her behind. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

  She allowed herself the sensuality of the moment. She’d missed being loved and now, reveled in the warmth of Taima’s touch, the deep tenderness of his kiss as their tongues danced and their bodies pressed against one another.

  Her feelings for him had nothing to do with reason; her heart ached for things that would never be. Breaking the kiss, Kate rested her cheek against Taima’s wet chest as she fought back the tears. The thought of him holding another woman in his arms, kissing her passionately, tore at Kate’s heart. She didn’t want to care, and didn’t understand how her feelings could have changed so much without her realizing it...but she did care.

  Taima’s hands brushed her hips as he lowered the hem of her dress beneath the water. She opened her eyes and watched a lone pine needle float past atop the surface, now rippling out around their bodies.

  Possibly, it symbolized the way she felt, floating through time, alone.

  She hugged Taima closer, as if that would keep her heart safe. How could she allow him to betray the memory of his wife? She closed her eyes, releasing a hot tear to slip down her cheek.

  Taima suddenly lifted her, cradling her in his arms, and she clung to his neck. The unmistakable hunger she read in his eyes made her blood turn to molten lava. Whether he wanted her or used her as a replacement for the woman he really craved, she was unsure, but didn’t care.

  Quickly, he had them out of the water and strode ashore toward a secluded copse of trees just beyond the pond. He knelt to lay her on the grass, then lay next to her, his arm possessively draped across her waist. Scrambled thoughts darted through her mind. The two of them could not become intimate when Taima had no intention of making her his future wife.

  His head descended and his mouth captured hers with a deep intensity. A burning desire to know his intimate touch intensified her yearning though thoughts of this other woman nagged at the back of her mind.

  A warning.

  A betrayal.

  Something she did not want to think about right now. The other woman would surely find out and set out to destroy her for interfering.

  Kate kissed Taima with equal fervor, yet knew she needed to stop this heated exchange before she ended up being the one hurt.

  A deep groan escaped Taima’s throat as he pressed his arousal against her thigh. His warm hands roamed her body, a body he likely envisioned as the woman he craved.

  Kate pushed against the hard muscles of Taima’s damp chest and broke the kiss. “Taima…” she whispered, “I can’t do this knowing you think of another woman.”

  Instantly, he straddled her thighs. He cupped her face with tender hands. “You think I would be here, loving you, if I cared for another woman?” he rasped.

  Kate touched her temples, wanting to dig her fingers into her head to stop the sudden returning throb. She knew not to care, not to lower the wall around her heart. People in her life died every time she did.

  Dizziness enveloped her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She tipped her head back, massaging the pain, wanting relief. Then a handsome, dark-haired man in a snug tee shirt loomed in her mind. Whiskey-brown eyes gazed back at her.

  Steve. She’d loved him; now she remembered, they were going to be married.

  Suddenly, a burning car replaced Steve’s image. Screams of pain bounced off the walls of her brain, echoing painfully; then the image of a bloodied body appeared.

  Kate screamed.

  Heavy hands gripped her shoulders tightened and she struggled against them, urgently trying to escape. She struck out with her fists, and became free. She set out at a run, not knowing where she went, only knowing that she had to be alone.

  But she only went a few feet when something hit her. Her feet left the ground and she was scooped into a man’s arms, her own limbs being restrained.

  “Stop this,” a deep voice with angry eyes demanded.

  Taima.

  Defeated and confused, reality returning, Kate dropped her forehead to his shoulder and cried. How could she live in two worlds at the same time? Love two men at the same time? She needed to find out where she was and why.

  Taima lowered her to the ground and sat before her. His hands cupped her face. “Look at me.” Slowly, she obeyed. Concern filled his gaze. “You had another vision, didn’t you?”

  She only nodded.

  “What is it about? I want the truth...now.”

  His eyes were perfect, like the blue of the sky. He wouldn’t let go of her face, and she covered his hands with her own. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Just tell me. We will decide afterward how to deal with it.”

  Biting her lower lip between her teeth, tremors swept through her jaw. Kate pulled Taima’s hands from her face to her lap and held them tight, looking at the scars from long ago battles. “Sakima knows I’m from the future. I don’t belong in your time.” Uncertain, she glanced up for his reaction, but received none. He listened intently. “I have visions, as he does. That’s why he understands.”

  “What do you see in these visions?”

  “It’s hard to explain. Things from the future, not yet invented in your time, nor even thought of by your people. Warm showers, hot saunas, fast cars.” She paused, wishing he could understand.

  Looking confused, Taima drew his brows together. “Go on,” he urged.

  “I also see people I know from the future, dressed in clothes different from yours. I...loved those I see and realize some are now dead. Just now, I saw a car burning and the bloodied body of the man I was to marry. My heart aches when I see these things.” She paused, a warm tear slipping down her cheek. “I don’t know how I arrived in your time, nor how I will return to the future or if I will. And I don’t know why I’m here.”

  Taima’s thumb gently wiped the tear from her cheek. “What does my father say about these visions?”

  “That in his own visions, he sees me with you and Kelee. He says there is a reason I’m here, though he doesn’t know why.”

  “But, considering the way you feel about me, how can there be a future for us?” Taima asked.

  The breeze blew his long dark hair across his face, and Kate reached out to brush it back, stroking his cheek as she did. “I...no longer hate you. But, I don’t want you and Kelee to get hurt, only to be happy. That’s why you must forget about me and g
o to the woman you love, the woman who dwells among your own people.”

  He didn’t answer right away, but stared at her a moment, then said, “I will never forget our time together today.”

  Kate rose and walked toward the water, gazing at the wooded area beyond the pond. Sunshine warmed her back as she tried to deal with her feelings. Taima made her feel loved. Something she hadn’t wanted to feel again because those she loved back always died.

  Assuming she had traveled back in time, loving Taima would be a betrayal for him. And was it wise to lower the wall around her heart? Dare she care? Dare she take the chance, for their sake? People died when she cared too much.

  She moved a cool stone with her bare toe, revealing new earth, maybe new answers. Taima had stated this other woman cared not for him, only for Kelee. Kate shook her head. She didn’t understand how this woman could not love Taima.

  His gentle hands upon her shoulders turned her toward him. He tipped her face up. “I’m sorry you feel confused. We will take one sunrise at a time, but I want to be with you.”

  “We shouldn’t do this,” she answered, unable to let go of her feelings even though Taima didn’t want to marry her, even though it was not her he loved.

  He held out his arms and she stepped into his warm embrace. Into security. Wrapping her arms about his neck, she placed her lips against his skin, felt the rapid pulse near his throat, and stroked his flesh with her tongue.

  Taima’s chest expanded with the sudden breath he took. Though she kissed his throat, he moved her face to look into her eyes. His gaze moved to her lips, only to be captured by his mouth with more tenderness than she thought he possessed. She wanted to care; she couldn’t help it. The deepness of his kiss tingled to her toes, then the sensation radiated throughout her body as she molded herself to him and kissed him back.

  Twigs snapped in the woods behind her.

  Taima’s body stiffened beneath her fingers. He broke away from her, his eyes scanning the area like those of a cougar before the attack. His hand moved to the knife sheathed at his waist. She turned to see what had caused the noise, but saw nothing.

  Taima’s arm quickly scooped her behind him.

  A scarred Blackfoot boldly stepped from the forest. Dressed in a fringed leather shirt and leggings, his tight-fisted hands hung at his sides. Braids trailed past his shoulders.

  “Oh, my God!” she gasped.

  He exchanged words with Taima in a Native tongue, provoking an angry response.

  Taima drew his blade, gripping it securely before him, ready for an attack. “Back away from us,” he told her. “He thinks you belong to him, that I stole you away during the raid, and plans to take you back to his village. He says we will fight to the death if I don’t release you to him.”

  Kate lowered the hand covering her mouth, and said, “I knew something like this would happen if I dared to care for you.”

  “Washaki warned me he might try this.”

  Taima stood poised for attack wearing only his breechcloth. The bronzed flesh of his shoulders rippled in the sun as the muscles beneath moved with ease. Sinewy thighs supported his powerful body as the Blackfoot approached.

  Another of the savage’s guttural comments evoked a scathing remark from Taima, causing the other man to bare his blade. The sun reflected off the metal of each knife. Step by step, the two closed in, but Taima stayed closest to Kate at all times.

  Kate stood motionless, watching the scene unfold. She couldn’t believe her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Biting her lower lip, the two men continued to stalk each other, ready to kill at the first opportunity. The Blackfoot’s blade thrust forward before Taima could escape injury.

  She gasped and covered her mouth. Her heart pounded beneath her ribs, fearing for Taima’s safety.

  Blood immediately appeared on Taima’s chest from a five-inch-long gash. He seemed unaware of it as his gaze stayed on his enemy.

  Kate looked around for a weapon. A stick, thick enough to do damage lay at the edge of the woods. Running forward, she picked it up, determined to disable the Blackfoot. She ran at him, but was suddenly halted by strong restraining arms. The heavy stick seemed to fly from her fingers and a hand blocked her scream.

  Obviously, Taima’s enemy had not come alone.

  Instantly, Kate knew she’d made a mistake by trying to help. She’d distracted Taima and possibly cost him his life. When he glanced in her direction, she read the regret in his eyes that he hadn’t kept her safe. She hoped her eyes conveyed her own sorrow.

  His opponent took advantage of his distraction.

  A knife protruded from Taima’s side. An agonizing breath caught in Kate’s throat as Taima crumpled to the ground.

  “Nooo!” she screamed, trying to rush forward, but the laughing warriors restrained her.

  Tears blurred her vision.

  Standing over Taima’s fallen body, their Blackfoot leader yanked out his bloody blade. Kate’s heart ached to think Taima had died defending her.

  Her instinct had warned her not to care, not to endanger his life, but she’d ignored it. She might as well have been the one to sink the deadly weapon into his side.

  Desperation weakened her knees and she collapsed, momentarily slipping from the warrior’s arms. She tried to crawl toward Taima’s lifeless body, but was hauled back to her feet. The scarred enemy said something to Taima she couldn’t hear, but the resounding “Noooo” from Taima’s lips echoed through the small area between the tall, jagged rocks near the pond.

  “Taaiima...” Kate called out, reaching toward him with a free hand as tears streamed down her cheeks. The murdering warrior looked at her, then nodded his head toward the trees.

  Quickly, the other Blackfoot warriors forced her into the woods. She tried to look behind her several times to get a glimpse of Taima, but her captors dragged her along, nearly breaking her wrists.

  He had to be alive, he just had to be, echoed in her mind. Their waiting horses stood tethered ahead.

  Kate looked back one last time, and through the trees, she saw he lay upon the ground, unmoving, as still as death itself.

  Chapter Eleven

  Taima’s killer stood before Kate. She bit back an outburst from the excruciating pain in her shoulders as his warriors held her arms behind her. Tipping her head back, she defiantly glared into his ruthless dark eyes, too angry to be afraid.

  Her abductor’s lust-filled gaze lowered to her chest, down to her toes and slowly returned to her chest then met her eyes again. His lips curved into a sneer; his fist pounded his chest. “Now you belong to me. You will bring good price at next Green River Rendezvous.”

  His fingers dug into the hair at her nape, yanking her head back even farther. She tried to turn her face to the side as his head descended, but his fingers gripped her chin, forcing her to face him. Kate continued to struggle against the hands that restrained her arms.

  Tight-lipped, Kate stared into her attacker’s dark, laughing eyes as they lowered toward hers. His hard mouth captured her lips, but she tried to pull away from the grip he had on her chin.

  His teeth painfully bit into her upper lip.

  Two can play this game, she mused, wincing, then bit into his lip, hard. The tin-taste of his blood seeped over her tongue.

  His head jerked away. He touched his hand to his mouth and glanced at the red stain on his fingers.

  “You will pay for this!” He wiped at the bleeding cut with the back of his hand, growled an order to his warriors, then turned to walk away.

  Kate was pushed forward. She dropped to her knees, hoping to hinder the warriors who held her, but they simply lifted her by the arms and followed their leader. He turned, holding a rope in his fingers. Of course they’d bind her.

  He gave another order, pointing at her moccasins on the rock. Meeting her gaze, stretching out the rope, he said, “You will need them.”

  The curve of his lips pulled at the scar on his cheek, turning the length of it white. Scar Face. A good n
ickname for him, she thought, as she watched him through narrowed eyes.

  His grip on her wrist held her arm steady as he secured the rope around one wrist, then tied the other to it. She wiggled her fingers. Immediately, the tight restraint began cutting off her circulation.

  Her moccasins--the pair she’d received from Aiyana--were thrown at her feet. Besides never seeing Taima again, it was likely she’d never see any of his people again.

  Taima.

  His virile image appeared in her mind. They had argued so often and now she regretted each and every angry word.

  “You won’t be riding, you might want to put those on,” Scar Face said.

  Kate snapped her head up at her captor’s words. The warriors who sat atop their horses behind her burst into laughter. Holding in his hand the other end of the rope that bound her, Scar Face mounted his horse.

  She quickly bent and put on her moccasins; she had no desire to walk barefoot. As she finished donning the last one, her arms were nearly wrenched from her shoulders. She landed on the ground with a thudding impact. Again the warriors laughed. Slowly, Kate lifted her head and glared at their leader, wondering if the same trick would work that she’d used on Taima the time he tried to do this to her. Her eyes followed the length of rope, but she decided against it. There were three of them and only one of her. She would get even later.

  Before they could drag her along, Kate got to her feet and began walking as they moved ahead, knowing if she kept the rope slack by walking fast, her arms wouldn’t be constantly yanked on.

  They headed in Taima’s direction. Kate’s heart nearly stopped.

  Why couldn’t they just leave him be? Seeing Taima lying on the ground would be too much for her to bear, but they pulled her forward. She stared at his lifeless body sprawled upon the ground and prayed things could be otherwise. She choked back a sob, but her eyes welled with tears, her heart broke, and her hopes for the future shattered.