The New World

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Don't let him get to you," I told Tecumseh, "You'll just be giving him what he wants..."

Tecumseh sat on my cot, his head in his hands. He didn't make an acknowledgment that he heard me.

"Tecumseh, are you listening to me?" I barked, placing my hands on his hips. He shooed me away with his hand, still not making eye contact.

I moaned. I walked up to him and grabbed his head with my hands, forcing him to look at me. "For the love of Lord All-Mighty, what he said wasn't that bad. Not as nearly as before."

Tecumseh just looked at me with sad eyes. I wet my lips, "There's obviously something you are not telling me. This is no way I want to spend the night of my engagement. Either tell me what's really going on or snap out of it."

I turned to walk away, but Tecumseh grabbed my wrist. I sighed and faced him again. "I am sorry, my lecakie. This is not how I planned things to turn out."

"I would hope it wasn't," I said, lightly.

Tecumseh ignored my remark and laced our fingers together, "I wanted our engagement to be special. It wasn't... I wanted our celebration to be joyful... It wasn't. I apologize for everything."

I sighed as sat myself in his lap. I turned his beautiful face towards mine and spoke as softly as I could, "Our engagement was special. You do not come across a proposal at the end of a fight. The celebration was joyful. I've never been to a party and had a wonderful time. I was usually miserable. You were there with me, it was joyful. Do not sulk. As long as I'm with you, I am happy."

He smiled and kissed me tenderly, his skilled hand cupping my face. He pulled back and starred into my eyes with loving care, but his smile then faded.

"Paresh and I never got along," he began. Pain began to grave into his face, "As children, we fought. We are very different, opinions always seemed to be opposite. But we are supposed to argue. That's what brothers do, right?" he voice faded quietly. He chuckled, unamused. He refused to look at me.

"Did you say 'brothers'?" I hissed.

"Hm," he confirmed.

I bit my bottom lip, controlling anger that fought its way to rise. "Tecumseh... Paresh is your brother?"

He nodded.

"Blood or figuratively?"

"Blood," he answered.

"And why did you not tell me this?"

"It is not something I like to discuss," he admitted. His eyes met mine and my anger melted away. I couldn't dare have another fight with this man. How I loved him so, I knew how much this hurt him. I wrapped my arms around him, placing a kiss on the nape of his neck.

"Then we do not have to discuss it," I whispered.

"Thank you."

We sat that there for long silent moments. The silent was satisfying, embracing each other with love that we built together.

I wanted him to know how much I truly did love him. Words did not seem enough anymore. I pulled away and grasped his hand. I lifted from his lap and pulled him towards the fur bed, sitting down. He joined me.

His long, angelic fingers brushed my hair back, holding my face in his hand. The warm glow of the candle lit his dark, intensifying eyes now filled with lust. He brought his lips to mine, sweet and gentle. As I snaked my arms around his neck, his fingers tangled in my hair and deepened our kiss.

He broke away to nibble on my bottom lip making me to moan. His lips traveled to my jaw and neck, placing wet kisses and small nips with his teeth. My fingers gripped the back of his neck, craving more. He lay me back as he began to remove my dress.

He glanced up at me, "Are you sure about this?" asking eagerly, his voice ragged.

I nodded, bringing his lips back to mine, "I want you," I whispered on his lips, our heated breath on each others skin. That was all he needed. His lips devoured mine again, finger tips tracing the hem of the dress. His hand slid up my thigh, pushing the dress up.

His lips went to my ear, his voice smooth a honey, warm as milk, sending welcomed chills up my spine. "I love you."

~~~~~~~

I was woken by a noise. My eyes flashed open. I couldn't remember what I heard, sleep deprivation erased the memory of it. I looked up at Tecumseh's face, sleeping and peaceful. I elected to ignore the unknown sound. My mind was just making things up.

I was wrapped with Tecumseh's long and strong arms, our bodies pressed against each other. It was still dark out, the moon shinning through the tent flaps. We must have only been asleep for a few hours.

I smiled remembering our lovemaking. I began to feel warm inside, such a wonderful feeling. I felt whole, like he held a part of me. My heart now truly belonged to him, and his to me. Sighing with content, I rested my head back on Tecumseh's bare chest and snuggled close.

Tecumseh wrapped his arms tighter, pulling me in. His slow, heavy breathes warmed me. My eyes fluttered shut once again, ready for sleep. My body was limp and my mind was about to go under when Tecumseh's body tensed up.

I too froze, uncertain if he was dreaming or not. I opened my eyes and looked up to his face to see his eyes were, too, open. He eyes darted around the tent, he was listening.

"Tecumseh, what--"

His hand quickly covered mine. He listened again. I had not heard anything else, but I listened as well. The wind whistled through the trees. I could hear Kateri was awake, his hooves scrapping the ground, his impatient breaths.

A rustle in the trees was made, but it was not the winds doing. I quickly looked back to Tecumseh's face. He could see how worried I was. Tecumseh hid emotions well, but not his eyes. Worry was deep in his eyes. He knew I caught sight of it. He removed his hand from my mouth and held my face to the nap of his neck. Though I could not see him, I could tell his eyes were closed tightly.

Deep in the pit of my stomach, I knew something was wrong. I could feel that Tecumseh was scared and he knew I was too. I tightly closed my eyelids when Kateri became more restless. You could hear him pace and stomp his hooves, snorting quietly.

Another rustle of the trees and brush was made and I could feel a tear burn down my cheek. I could not make a sound. Neither could Tecumseh. The feeling of being watched burned into my mind. Someone was here. More than one person, I knew this.

The thought crept into my mind. It made my stomach churn. More tears spilled from my closed eyes. I bit my lip till I could taste blood, holding back sobs. I could not make a sound. They had come for me. And there was nothing Tecumseh could do.