Captive Travelers (7 page)

“The ranch,” Nashoba said. He smiled, and his white teeth gleamed against his tan face. “They already seek the protection of a man.”

Nashoba gathered a small group of warriors to collect the spirit guide’s offering. They rode east towards the wheat field, just at daybreak.

Chapter III

Clara had spent the week teaching the girls simple chores and adjusting food supplies. She had no extra cloth to make them more than the one dress they each wore. Clara, herself, was down to two, and by the time they got supplies in the fall from the harvest, it would probably be unnecessary. The young women splashed in the stream to wash off, and walked in the warm summer sun until their dresses dried. Clara tried to be optimistic, but she could not push away the foreboding sense that they would be leaving… just like Rebecca had three years ago.

It was Aubrey’s turn to knead the bread dough. Her arms ached, and she looked at Clara who was peeling vegetables. “You do this every day?”

“No, with just Henry and me I can stretch a loaf for three.” Clara looked across the table to Kayla. The pretty young woman was concentrating on her task, and a few wisps of her dark hair had escaped her bonnet. Her sapphire eyes were narrowed on her work. “Careful, Kayla, always away from you.”

“It feels weird.” Kayla turned the knife and made an awkward slice down half the length of the carrot. “Can’t you get Henry to make you a regular vegetable peeler?”

Clara laughed. “Using the knife is just a
minor
inconvenience.”

“Tell me about it,” Cici called in through the door. She was on the porch churning butter.

Kayla kicked Aubrey under the table, and when she looked at her, she nodded. They had been discussing going to the south. It was obvious if there really were Indians, the farmers would not help them fight.

Aubrey said, “Clara, we’ve been talking about it…”

“And you want to go south.” Clara put down her knife, and she sighed. “They can’t help you there. Hell, you’ll probably end up being raped by them… or they’ll make you trade it, to keep you hidden. They know the Indians will kill them, but they’ll try, anyway.”

“We’ve been here over a week. Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe they don’t know that we’re here,” Kayla suggested. At this point, there were too many things that convinced the women they were not in their old world. Now that the shock had worn off, they were trying to plan how to get back. They could not accomplish anything by staying at the farm.

“We might not even go to the ranch, Clara. Maybe we
will
try it on our own. It seems to be the only way to keep someone from being hurt,” Aubrey said. Clara picked up her knife again, and shook her head while she peeled another potato.

They discussed it again over dinner with Henry present. They whispered from their makeshift bed on the floor. Aubrey and Kayla thought the decision to find the ranch held merit. Cici was the holdout and being stubborn. The thought of throwing herself at sex-starved men for protection seemed much more intimidating than hiding at the farm. They were still arguing in the morning when they began their chores.

Aubrey finished collecting eggs from different nests of hay. She turned to leave the barn, and froze. A half naked man stood in the doorway. She watched his long black hair and the fringe on his pants waving in the breeze. His black stare silently followed her path around the barn. His eyes were alert, and Aubrey thought that he was waiting to see if she would scream or run.

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Be calm. Clara told us what to do.
She gripped the basket with both hands to try to keep from shaking. “I think Henry and Clara are in the house.” Aubrey tried to sound casual, but her mouth and throat were dry and she sounded hoarse. She put her head down so he could not see the fear in her eyes, and brushed by him to walk to the cabin. Her knees were knocking and she had to force herself not to run and to walk at a normal pace.

Kayla and Cici had been peeling vegetables, but they had both put their knives on the table. Clara had warned them about holding weapons if the Indians showed up. The men were spread out and leaning against the wall with the door. The Indian from the barn had followed Aubrey back, and he stopped in the open doorway.

Nashoba and his men had walked in without knocking. He stood in the center of the room, and his men automatically spread along the wall offering escape. He sent Ahiga to see if anyone was in one of the outbuildings. If someone in the cabin caused a commotion, the missing captive would not have time to try to hide.

Nashoba’s flashing black eyes studied the two girls at the table. They were trying to look calm, but there was fear and strain on their faces. He was looking at the cow and the one with raven hair. She was pretty, and his cock stirred slightly at the thought of keeping her. He wondered if the one that was missing would be the
true
raven.

A golden haired girl walked into the cabin with a basket clenched in her hands and Ahiga following her. Nashoba’s dark eyes followed her while she walked over to her friends. Her eyes were soft green and darting around the room in fear, but she did not cry out. Her breasts pushed against her apron while she breathed in quick, nervous breaths. Nashoba could see that his white woman was very frightened. He studied her, silently staring and letting his eyes travel the length of her body. With her golden hair, she was much more beautiful than the raven. Nashoba’s cock thickened and brushed against his breechclout.

He turned to look at the warriors. He could see their contempt for the raven building in their eyes. It was far worse for one of alluring looks to seduce a warrior and then rebuke him. Nashoba knew that the raven had already tried to use her beauty on him. Her punishment would be severe.

Clara’s voice quivered slightly when she spoke up, “They are from the east. They are not…” Clara’s words stuck in her throat when Tocho strode over to her and glared down at her. She began trembling and trying to shrink into Henry’s protection.

Nashoba stared at his frightened white woman. “You are travelers.”

His deep voice broached no argument, and Aubrey wanted to run and hide from the Indian’s gaze. He kept staring at her with no expression, and she grasped her basket tighter, the denial frozen in her throat and unable to be spoken. Aubrey could tell by his eyes that he knew the truth. There was no way this man was going to fall for an inept attempt at a ruse. A sinking feeling swirled the contents of her breakfast in her stomach, and seemed to drop it as a solid, cramping lump. She forgot all the plans she made with Kayla to fight them, kicking, screaming, and hitting them with heavy wooden bowls.

Oh my god. He’s huge.
Aubrey stared back at the man. He was well over six feet tall, with rippled bronzed muscles tightened under the skin of his arms and chest. Shining black hair… as black as his eyes… waved like a sheet down his back and almost touched the top of his buckskin breechclout. There was not a wasted inch on the Indian that was not sinewy strength… and there were too many like him, lined up to block the door.

Tocho gripped Clara’s chin, forcing her tearing eyes to look up at him. “We were told they were to head south. You did well, to keep them here,” he said in a low voice. Clara was quivering, and she had to force herself not to disrespect him and anger him further by looking away.

She had been both surprised and terrified when the chief’s son walked in. Even though Tocho and Nashoba were good friends, Clara had never known Nashoba to join him to collect travelers. At first, she was afraid he was sent to punish Henry and her. Silently, she watched him study the captives. When Aubrey walked in, it was obvious why Nashoba had made the journey with Tocho.

“They don’t know… all of it. Please, Tocho.” Clara’s voice was a trembling whisper. Pleading with him was her only option. He knew that she had attempted to lie to them to protect the travelers.

“I would not have traded you to someone like the farmer if not for your weakness, Sahkyo.” Tocho put his hand over the breast with his lion claw. His other hand pushed back her bonnet, and he sifted strands of her hair between his fingers. Silver mixed with the chestnut, but she was still pretty and would always belong to him. “Not so much the Mink any more,” he said quietly. “But, you will always be my Sahkyo, and I knew you would try to hide them. You will always try to hide them, even though you know that you can’t.”

Henry had not been as observant as Clara, and it had not occurred to him why Nashoba had come for the travelers. “Tocho, it is obvious you want Clara back. I will trade you for the one with green eyes. She did nothing against the Indians, and Clara disrespected the tribe. It should be a fair trade.”

Tocho smiled and ran his thumb down Clara’s cheek. He turned to Henry. “You will have to trade with the chief’s son. The woman belongs to him.”

Tocho could see the sadness in Sahkyo’s eyes. He knew that she had never liked living with the farmer, but he still fought a jealous rage when he thought of Henry sleeping next to his Mink while his own sleeping furs were empty.

Cici was terrified. The whole time, a part of her did not believe that Indians would really come for them. They were big and frighteningly primal… savage. And, they were
men
. The panic built as she thought about the Indians taking them away to their village.
No… no… I can’t do this. I might be able to make it at the farm, but not with savages.
“It’s Kayla,” she gasped. Cici pointed across the table. “Kayla is the one you want, not us.”

“Cici, oh god.” Aubrey moved to stand in front of Kayla, still holding the basket. She was shaking. The girls had made a pact not to say which one of them was the cause. They hoped the Indians would only want the one they felt had wronged the tribe, and it would screw up whatever plans the savages had for them.

Nashoba straightened. His white woman had pride and bravery. Her breasts were straining against the dress while she breathed. They were swelled, nicely firm, with large nipples poking against her apron. Nashoba stroked his thumb over the pads of his fingers, imagining how it would feel to be rolling the taut protuberances and pinching them. How frightened she was, and yet she tried to protect the raven. Nashoba would teach her how the girl had deceived her, and she would learn to despise her.

Aubrey felt Kayla’s fingers grip the back of her skirt, and she could hear her beginning to cry. Aubrey put the basket on the table and curled her hand when she scooped up the knife. She pulled her hand to the back as if she were calming Kayla, and tucked the knife into the tie of her apron.

Aubrey licked her lips and looked around the room. There was not an inch of fat on any of them, and as all had their bronzed chests and arms visible this was quite noticeable. A crazy thought that she was glad they did not have Mohawks went through her head. They all had long black hair, loose and hanging over their shoulders. Some had feathers, and some did not. One had three, so she figured he must be the leader. Other than the one talking to Clara, he was the only one who had spoken.

Nashoba walked up to Aubrey and stared down at her. He was a powerfully built man and she began trembling when she looked up at him. She whimpered when his hand cupped her chin. Aubrey’s skin sizzled where he touched her, and she smelled an earthy spice scent mixed with his leather breeches. He was easily the most dangerously handsome man she had ever seen, and she was alarmed when she felt a clenching wetness in response to his nearness. It was an involuntary reaction that her body answered, despite her terror.

Nashoba knew the wisdom of the spirit guides when he looked down into her eyes. They were not the bright color of flashing jewels like the raven’s, meant to disrupt and unsettle a man. They were a soft green like the plants on the prairie. She did not drop her gaze from his face, even though he could see she was terrified. He was proud of his woman for trying to be brave, though her fear stirred his cock, tightening his balls with need.

Nashoba studied her quivering lips. He imagined them on his shaft, lightly caressing him. His thumb brushed down her cheek, and she fought the tears filling her eyes. “You are Wicasa,” he murmured. “Sage.”

Aubrey was frozen while she stared into his pitch black eyes. They shined with fierce intensity that seemed both hot with passion and cold with a commitment that her pleading would be useless. His warm hand released her chin and his arm reached slowly around her. With a steady movement, Nashoba grabbed Kayla’s arm and he flung her towards the door.

Kayla screamed, and Aubrey stepped away from him. Nashoba continued to stare at Aubrey and he called back, “Tocho?”

Tocho smiled at Clara. “If you only kept the travelers safe until we arrived, you would not have to be punished, Sahkyo. But, you try to deceive us, just as you did in your old spirit world. Don’t you know that travelers cannot be hidden from the Wehali?” He turned to join the other Indians. Henry put his arm around Clara, and they waited for the Indian’s punishment.

Kayla was sobbing on the floor and looking up at the two Indians glaring down at her. “You don’t understand. I liked Bobby. I gave him so many chances…”

Aubrey’s spell was finally broken from Nashoba when Kayla screamed. Kayla’s cap had fallen back when Nashoba tossed her, and an Indian was lifting her to her feet by her long dark hair. She was shrieking and trying to pry his hand loose.

“
You
gave a warrior chances?” Tocho sneered. The girl was petrified, yet she was still using her tears to try to weaken him. “Your seducing looks will not work for you here. We know your true face.”

“Oh god,” Kayla wailed. “Bobby wasn’t a warrior. He was a drug addict who stole from me.”

Aubrey watched in terror when a savage standing behind Kayla threw a leather noose around her neck. “No,” she screamed. When she tried to run to her, Nashoba wrapped an arm under her breasts and he pulled her back against his chest. “This is not your business, Wacasa. She has disrespected our tribe.”

“No.” Aubrey tried to twist out of his hold, but he was far too strong. She became increasingly aware of the raw strength of the muscles surrounding her and pulling her into the intoxicating scent of him. She felt his other hand move between them, and a few seconds later he was holding her hidden knife in front of her. Aubrey’s heart sank and her mind frazzled in greater fear. She knew that her own attempt to conceal the knife helped to strengthen the Indian’s belief that the women were not to be believed.