Chapter 9 – Hurt

Jamie had woken first.

He gently had lifted the girl and moved her to the cot. She made a small sound of protest for a moment and then settled back to sleep like a small bairn.

He smiled as he caressed her hair before he moved to the other side of the cell and sat down. He hissed a little as his back hit the stones as he gingerly sat there.

They were finishing their noon day meal when guards came to the door. Jamie stood up and pressed the girl behind him as she stood likewise.

"We have come for the girl."

"Ah wull nae see harm tae her. She bides unless ye kin promise na harm wull be dane tae her." Jamie said.

The men leveled their rifles at him. "She comes, whether you die or not don't matter to us."

The girl laid a hand on him. "Jamie. No." She shook her head. "No harm him." She said looking at the men as she came around.

They lifted their rifles as she walked forward.

Randall appeared from behind them and darted in grabbing her by her thick hair and yanking her out. Jamie gasped, but froze as the rifles again trained on him. "Leave 'er be."

Randall looked back as he held the girl. "Bring him." He said.

The men walked in and grabbed Jamie and forced him at rifle point to follow to the center room of the dungeon.

Randall moved the girl, dragging her to the center of the room. Jamie was forced to his knees and looked as the girl was pushed onto a small stool in the center. Randall then lifted a pair of shears used for cutting wool and grabbed her hair, cutting it.

The girl gasped and Jamie struggled to reach her, but was held firmly by the guards. The girl looked at him, her eyes locking with his, freezing his protests. She sat shaking as Randall cut her lovely hair short, though it was longer in some places.

He nodded to a woman to come as he moved securing the girl with manacles about her wrists. The woman then shaved the rest of the girl's hair from her head. The girl winced as a couple times her skin was nicked. Randall smiled, pressing his finger to the spots, and licking his fingers clean as the girl sat unmoving.

"I wonder, my dear. What would you be willing to do to save this man?" Randall asked. "And yourself naturally."

She sat, in muted terror. Her eyes went to Jamie. He shook his head a little. "Mah lee isnae worth it. Dinnae gie yersel' tae th' monster lassie." His mind went back to his sister. She had gone with this bastard and he was not about to allow another to save his life so Black Jack could have another woman to satisfy his lust.

Randall laughed a little and yanked the girl to her feet by her arm. He then threw her backwards against a rack. She gasped as the air was forced from her lungs. She panted as Randall then punched her, dropping her with a groan to the earth.

Jamie struggled. "Leave 'er alone!" He cried.

Randall turned to look at him. "Make me a better offer then. I intend this flower to be deflowered within the hour." He smiled sardonically at Jamie. "Are you wanting the honor then? The whore will be worth it I am sure."

Randall bent down and lifted the girl up onto the rack, hand on her throat as he pressed her back, her small legs hanging off the edge of the instrument of torture as she struggled for air. He stepped between her legs reaching for the laces of his breeches watching Jamie. He smiled as he turned her, making it so she could barely stand, her body pinned between him and rack. Randall lifted the chemise exposing her bare bottom. She gasped.

Jamie's eyes were closed as he panted. With a Gaelic oath her stood up and looked at Randall. "Ye wull nae hurt th' lassie."

Randall smiled. "Than you will take my place." He said leveling a pistol to the girl's temple as she panted for air. She heard the click of it cocking and froze looking up at her captor.

Jamie looked at the guards and then back at Randall. He had no choice and no way to save the girl this torment other than perhaps be more gentle than the mad bastard would be. He realized that Randall intended him to be there to watch, to hear her terror, since he had been unconscious when he had taken his sister, Jenny.

This was a punishment as well.

And one he deserved, but the girl did not.

No woman deserved to be forced. He swallowed as he walked forward. He watched Randall nod and the guards left. Randall knew the Scot well enough to know that his honor would not allow him to harm Randall while the girl's life was at stake.

He walked to where the girl lay shivering with cold and fear. Randall was leaning against the rack casually watching the Scot.

Jamie closed his eyes. "She's juist a lassie. How come mist ye harm her sae? whit cuid she hae mibeez aye, mibeez naw dane tae wrong ye tae dae this?"

Randall smiled. "She is a little whore who betrayed everyone she knows. She is getting what she deserves." He looked at Jamie as the blue eyes opened to look at him. "And you are learning your place Scot."

Jamie narrowed his eyes. He stepped close to the girl and looked down at her. "A'm sorry Katerina. Sae sorry."

"Katerina? Is that what the bitch told you?" Randall laughed. "You even lie to your friends you silly bitch?" He sat back a little. "Her name is Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth Katerina von Cleves." She said, voice strained. She looked up at Jamie looming over her. Her eyes locked with his.

Jamie for his part understood. She had used her middle name as a protection. She had not lied. It was still her name. He looked at Randall he cocked his head and pressed the gun to her head once more. Even still she turned to Jamie and shifted, pressing herself up onto the rack so she laid back in an attempt at a bed.

This startled Jamie. He wasn't sure how to take her now since he wasn't behind her. Horses came at their mares from behind as did chickens and everything else. He had seen lovemaking with humans, but always in low light and he could never really see other than the man was nearly always above the woman.

"Jamie...bitte. Macht Schoen." She said looking up at him even as she quaked. She knew well both their lives were on the line and this needed to happen.

Jamie looked at her. "Unbind her."

"Do you think me a fool?"

Jamie stared at him evenly.

Randall grunted and then removed the manacles. The girl gasped and rubbed her wrists as feeling came back into her hands. Her wrists were bruising. Jamie caught a hand and kissed the bruise tenderly. Her suffering, all this suffering was an extension of his own.

He looked at Randall and then looked down at the girl. He shook his head, clearing his head. He shoved her chemise up and then moved his kilt out of the way.

He narrowed his gaze at Randall as he thrust, once, hard and fast, burying himself to the hilt within her. The girl cried out in pain and squirmed, her body trying to move away. She bit her lip as she looked up at Jamie. The understanding mixed with a touch of betrayal that made him feel like a monster.

And he knew that is exactly how Randall wanted him to feel.

The girl panted and then still quaking, moved her arms to his powerful biceps, braced to either side of her small frame lying open, exposed, and deflowered on the rack.

Jamie took a breath and looked at Randall who was leaning against the nearby wall, hand down the front of his trousers. He narrowed his eyes and looked back at the girl and moved, rocking against her.

She shifted her legs a little encouraging him. She knew this was about life and death rather than the rape that he was committing. She seemed to be drifting a bit. He continued moving, finding his climax with a cry, which he muffled into the girl's neck.

Lord, she didn't deserve this at all. He moved his hand to brace above her head as the other hand went to her cheek. "Elizabeth..." He whispered.

Her eyes opened, though moist with tears, were clear. "Jamie..." She said.

Randall was slumped against the wall watching them with hooded eyes.

"I am taking her back to the cell." Jamie said stepping back. His own legs were unsteady, but each step he took allowed him to gain strength and his hatred for the man there made him strong as he lifted the splayed girl into his arms.

He had noted her chemise was stained crimson in a couple patches. He swallowed. Had they been wed, the stains on the sheets would have been proof of her virginity. She was no whore.

Elizabeth curled against his chest as he lumbered back to the cell. The guards did not stop him, but they did lock the door behind him as he dropped to his knees.

"Holy god. Ah ne'er meant fur this. Forgive me. Yer sae wee. Ah hurt ye badly! speak tae me. Say something?!" He said cupping the girl's head in one and and her knees on the other arm as he laid her in the straw before him.

Her eyes opened. She was pained clearly, but she reached a hand to his cheek. "I'm vell." She said.

"Weel? ye wur rapit lassie. 'n' it's a' mah fault."

She took a breath. "Besser you den Randall." She said.

He took a breath and realized that was right. Though he had not been gentle and he had climaxed within her sweet tight walls, he still felt like an ogre. However, he had saved her the torment of Randall doing it.

He watched over her. It was some time before she moved again. She slept then and there, under his watchful gaze.

He blinked. So much trust she had in him. He had never had such trust put in him.

It was more than an hour before she stirred. She looked up at him. He had not moved from how he held her. He held her like a cherished doll, afraid to let her go.

She smiled a little. She sat up on her own, his hands on her helping. She walked to the water bucket, reaching for the mostly cleaned cloth she had wrung out from treating his wounds. She dipped it in the water and then wrung it out to the side. She then lifted her chemise, pressing the cool cloth to her tender flesh.

Jamie looked away. It was odd. He had been within her, but he could not watch her still. She was to be protected and he had been the one to cause her harm. It was a strange form of protection, even he had to admit.

She came back after a few moments. She touched his cheek with a cool hand. "Jamie?"

He turned his head to look at her.

"Sank you."

He blinked. She was thanking him for raping her?

She shifted and shook her head. She bent her head down and kissed his mouth. He allowed it for a moment and then pressed her back.

"No." He said. "Ah cannae. Nae efter whit ah hae dane."

She shook her head. "Save me." She brushed his head back. "Good Jamie."

He looked at her.

She then laid down and beckoned him.

He tried to fight his impulse, but failed. He went to her. He knew he would do anything for her. He could not stand the thought of another being between her legs. No.

She would be his.

His. NOW!

He moved to her like a panther. He then bent his head, kissing her, deeply. She answered his kiss with one of her own as he caressed her side, his hand moving to her breast. She moaned a little as he cupped it. He then pushed the fabric out of his way, freeing the breast. He kissed it causing her to gasp in pleasure.

He moved his head up as she touched his neck. He cupped the base of her skull. "Wull ye hae me? mah bonny lassie? wull ye? ah wull stoap if ye ask, bit if ye wull hae me, ah swear ah wull be gentle 'n' caring."

"Oui." She said looking at him and pulling him down to kiss her.

He shook his head and reached down moving his kilt out of the way and finding the place of her female secrets with hardly any trouble. He groaned as he sank into her depths again. This time not because he had to, but he wanted to. He needed to prove to her he wasn't a rapist. That he would ask her to take her so.

To be gentle, caring, and...

He startled to move and her small legs wrapped about his hips in an age old way and he moved within her. She moved with him, startling him. She was actually enjoying.

He buried his cry in her collarbone. It muffled it well enough as blood thundered in his ears.

The girl held him even as he collapsed on her.

After a moment he feared he was crushing her and lifted himself away from her.

They were still joined as he touched her cheek. She looked up at him. "Jamie." She said. Like a prayer on her lips. He nuzzled her before he extracted himself from her.

He laid there on his side as he pulled her chemise down and covered her with her blanket. She moved her breast back within its confines as she looked at him. "Vell?"

He looked at her and then reached for her hand. He kissed her knuckles. "This ah vow. Ah wull ne'er see ye harmed again. Ah wull protect ye wi' mah body. Kin ye tak' a brassic scotsman's vow 'n' be happy?"

She swallowed and then nodded. She leaned to him, kissing his shoulder gently. "Yes." She said. "Good man, Jamie."

For now he doubted that. He had deflowered this innocent girl and himself. He looked at her. She again slept. He sighed and moved, cradling her to him. The poor thing had suffered enough. He kissed her brow as he would a child and settled and soon slept as well.