Highlander Unchained (Highlander Trilogy 1)

by Donna Fletcher

  “Dawn says she will repeat her words for you so that you know they come from her.”

  “Why? Would you lie for her?” Cree asked.

  “No, my lord,” Lila answered shaking her head and repeating again. “No, my lord.”

  Dawn walked over to Cree, poked him in the chest, pointed to her ear and slapped her chest then threw her hands up.

  “She says—”

  “She’s made herself very clear,” Cree said. “She says that if I had listened to her none of this would have been necessary.”

  Dawn nodded.

  “I’m listening now,” he said stepping closer, his scowl gone and his dark eyes devouring her.

  For a moment Dawn’s breath caught and a tingle ran through her to settle between her legs. He had to be the devil’s own to make her desire him with the slightest look. She had to be done with this and leave Lila in peace. This was not her problem and Dawn should have never brought this into her home.

  Dawn began moving her hands and Lila quickly interpreted. “Dawn says that all you’re truly interested in is,” —Lila paused a moment and hurried to finish— “satisfying yourself between her legs.”

  Cree brought his face so close to Dawn’s that their noses touched. “Are you telling me that I failed to satisfy you last night, because from what I recall you seemed more than satisfied, especially since one coupling was not enough for you?”

  Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him shocked.

  “Speechless are you?”

  Dawn nodded, her cheeks flaming red.

  “Is there anything else you wish to tell me about when it comes to me bedding you?”

  Dawn immediately and most vigorously shook her head.

  Cree took hold of Dawn’s arm. “You have proven your fealty, Lila, and I will see you rewarded for it.” And with that he escorted Dawn out the door.

  His pace was quick and Dawn had to hurry to keep up with him. He did not say a word to her and when they reached her cottage he stopped to speak to the warrior guarding the front door.

  “She is not to leave this cottage without my permission, Neil.”

  “She’ll not get passed me, my lord.”

  “I’m confident of that, which is why I have assigned you to the task.”

  A prisoner; she was a prisoner. He had known what it was like to be kept locked away why was he forcing the same punishment on her?

  She glanced at Neil wondering if he would be at all malleable. He was not tall, perhaps a mere inch or more in height than herself, but he was thick with muscles and a narrow, well-healed scar ran down his right cheek. He appeared stoic, not at all approachable.

  Cree hustled her into the cottage closing the door behind them. She turned ready for a scolding and warning to behave so she was surprised when he reached out, his hand wrapping around her neck and he pulled her to meet his hungry mouth.

  He kissed her with urgency, as if he had been away from her far too long and had missed her and needed to familiarize himself with her again. His demanding tongue stirred her retreating one to life and they mated in an intimidate dance that stimulated all her senses. Her skin prickled with pleasure, her nipples hardened so tight that they poked at her linen blouse and she grew wetter as the kiss lingered on.

  Cree tore his mouth away from hers biting at his bottom lip as if to stop himself from kissing her again. His large hands quickly cupped her face squeezing it. “Are you all right?”

  His question surprised her as did her answer. She nodded as she touched his arm and pointed to the room.

  “Now that I am here with you?”

  A small smile surfaced as she nodded slowly.

  “I have matters that I must see to then I will return and I will be staying the night with you.” He kissed her again, fast and brief and Dawn felt his absence down to her bones when he stepped away.

  He stopped; his hand on the latch. “I do not use you only to satisfy my lust and tonight I will prove it to you.”

  Her body shuddered as she throbbed unmercifully between her legs and she couldn’t stop herself from rushing her hand to press at the taunting sensation.

  Cree groaned as he watched her touch herself and in two quick strides he had her up and on the table in a blink of an eye, hoisted her skirt, pulled his leggings down, yanked her legs up and apart, and then with one thrust buried himself in her sweet wetness. Lord, but he had wanted to do that since he had first caught sight of her when he had come over the rise. The vision of her alive and well had turned him hard and he had wanted her with an urgency he had never felt before.

  He took hold of her hips and held them firm as he continually rammed into her over and over watching her passion grow out of control along with his own.

  “God damn, Dawn, what the hell are you doing to me?” He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt her tighten around him.

  She gripped the edge of the table and rolled her head from side to side wishing she could scream out her pleasure. Her passion spiked with each forceful thrust and she had no doubt that she would come more than once before he was through.

  “I can’t hold back. God help me, I want to pour myself into you.”

  His words sent her tumbling over the edge exploding in a wild frenzy that had her body bucking against his from the force of her climax and sending him toppling over the edge along with her. And when Dawn thought herself done, another climax erupted exploding in a rush of tingles that shivered her body.

  Cree had collapsed over her, his head buried in the crook of her neck and she wrapped her arms around his broad back, not that they fit completely around him. He was warm and breathing heavily and still buried inside her, and she wanted to keep him just as he was, for a few moments at least.

  He nuzzled her neck with gentle kisses and she smiled.

  He, however, wore a scowl when he raised his head. “I lose myself when I’m with you.”

  He sounded as if he was trying to decide if that was good or bad. She liked to think it was good, for she had certainly lost herself in him and had never felt anything so satisfying.

  With a quick kiss to her lips he was off her, pulling up his leggings and pulling down her skirt. He gave her his hand to help her off the table and when she stood he kissed her again only this time it was a gentle, lingering kiss.

  “I will see you later. Stay put. I will have supper sent to you.”

  She stared at the closed door for several minutes after he left, and then she dropped down on one of the chairs. She pressed her hand to her chest. She hadn’t wanted him to leave. She had wanted him to stay with her and make love to her again and again. How was it that she could not get enough of this man who she only recently had feared? How could the infamous Cree have become so necessary to her?

  She wasn’t sure if she liked were her thoughts were going. It would, after all, do her no good to...

  No it was not possible. She couldn’t be falling in love with the devil. Cree was no devil. He provided well for his people whether it was shelter, sustenance or a healer to tend their ills. He had a celebration feast after claiming the village and provided the people with food, drink and... hope. That is what he had been giving them, hope.

  She stood and removed her cloak and after hanging it on the peg, she picked the twigs and leaves off it. Hope filled everyone’s heart in the village, everyone except hers. She had to keep reminding herself that this was her lot and she would need to accept it.

  How did she do that if she was falling in love with Cree? How did she remain his mistress always wondering when he would discard her in favor of another? How would it be when he took a wife and had children... and what if she bore him children?

  Dawn shook her head, the thoughts too heavy to linger on. Her day had been troubling enough. She didn’t need to add more angst to it. She would keep herself busy.

  Idle hands, she heard her mother’s warning strong in her head and held her hands out in front of her. They were dirty, one worse than the other
and it reminded her of how she must look from her scuffle in the woods.

  She frowned. Why did someone want her dead? It made no sense. She grabbed the rope handle of the bucket near the hearth and went to the door. She startled when she opened the door. Neil stood in front of it, his arms braced across his chest.

  “You’ll not be going anywhere,” he said bluntly.

  She held up the bucket to him and he snatched it out of her hand.

  “Close the door,” he barked and stood there waiting until she did.

  If she thought that had been even a small possibility of getting passed him, she quickly discarded it. She wished Elwin was still her guard. He was pleasant, perhaps if she requested him.

  A rough knock at the door had her jumping. She opened the door and Neil shoved the full bucket at her.

  She nodded her thanks and shut the door, her thoughts drifting back to why Neil was stationed there in the first place. She was unimportant, one among many peasants. It was truly a puzzle why anyone would want her dead. She was so insignificant.

  Her troubled thoughts soon vanished as she began to wash herself replaced by thoughts of Cree’s return and her body began to tingle all over again.

  ~~~

  Cree stood in front of the two men tied to posts in a pen. He tapped his fisted hand against his mouth staring at the two. The younger one was scared to death, already having wet himself. The older, and obviously more seasoned warrior, stood defiant. Cree didn’t trust either one of them.

  He unfurled his fist and rested his arms across his chest. “I do not repeat myself so when I ask you a question, I will ask it only once. Answer it and you’ll spare yourself suffering. Don’t and I promise you that you’ll pray for death?”

  The younger one started babbling immediately. “I don’t know anything. I was instructed to lead you on a chase until you chased no more. I don’t even carry a weapon. And I never met this man.” He gave a nod to the prisoner next to him.

  “Then how was it that you knew exactly where and when we would give pursuit?”

  The young man paled.

  “The truth or suffer the consequences,” Cree threatened.

  It was the seasoned warrior who spoke up. “Either way we’re dead men.”

  “True, but it is how you wish to die that is your choice; agonizing pain or quickly.”

  The young man babbled once again. “We were each hired by different people and sent to meet at a designated spot.”

  “How many?” Cree asked.

  “Four of us. One issued the instructions, though never gave us any reason why the woman was to die.”

  Cree’s hand fisted and his stomach clenched.

  “We would have been done with our mission and on our way if you hadn’t shown up,” the older warrior said with a bitter sneer. “Between Colum watching over her and you rutting with her so—”

  The warrior’s head snapped back from the fierce blow Cree landed on his jaw. The second one came just as fast and sent his head lolling to one side where it stayed.

  Cree turned away from the man, his eyes going to Sloan. “Revive him.”

  Sloan took a bucket of water and threw it in the man’s face, then grabbed him by the hair and slapped his face until he opened his eyes.

  “Who sent you?” Cree demanded coming to stand in front of the man again.

  “Go to hell,” the warrior spat.

  “Wrong answer.” Cree hit him again, only this time much harder. He split his bottom lip wide open and blood poured out. He stepped away from him for a moment and when he turned around he held a dirk in his hand.

  The warrior started talking. “You’ll need to find the one we met up with and told us what to do.” He spit blood that was filling his mouth. “He has the information you seek.”

  The younger man kept bobbing his head agreeing.

  “He’s one of the two out there?” Cree asked.

  The older warrior nodded. “A sly one he is. He’s walked among you and you didn’t even know it.” He grinned, blood covering his teeth. “Kill me now and be done with it. I’m tired of living this miserable life.”

  “I’m not, I’m not,” the younger one begged. “I don’t want to die; please I beg you don’t kill me. I’ll join you. I’ll pledge my fealty to you, but please, please don’t kill me.”

  Cree stepped away from them and nodded for Sloan to follow him. “Get Dorrie and bring her here,” Cree said for their ears only.

  It didn’t take long for Sloan to return with Dorrie and when she stopped in front of Cree, she bobbed her head. “My lord.”

  “Tell me if you recognize that man, Dorrie.” Cree pointed to the younger one.

  Her eyes turned wide. “That’s Seth, the one who gave me the message for Dawn that night.”

  Dorrie was whisked away by one of Cree’s warriors as he watched Seth’s demeanor change. Gone was the groveling, frightened young man and in his place was a warrior who held his chin high, his shoulders back and showed not an ounce of fear.

  “How did you know?” Seth asked.

  “You pleaded far too much for your life and this one,” —Cree nodded at the older warrior— “confirmed it for me when he told me to kill him. He knew that once this mission was done you would kill him.”

  “How would you know that?” Seth asked.

  “Because he was told the same thing and whoever arranged this no doubt hoped you would both finish each other off, leaving no one to tell the tale.”

  Seth snapped his head to the side to look at the older warrior. “Were you told that, Rem?”

  “Didn’t it for once cross your mind that if you were told to kill me that I had been told to do the same to you? Or did you think yourself better than me? Go on, keep protecting whoever hired you and suffer a miserable death. Me? I’ll go quickly and meet my maker.”

  Seth strained with anger against his ties.

  “Does Colum or Goddard have anything to do with this,” Cree asked.

  “They are both fools,” Seth said, “and had not an inkling of why I had joined their worthless warriors. This all would have been over and done if Goddard hadn’t interfered and attacked Dawn that night, though I saw that he suffered for it. The wound will either kill him or he will suffer a limp for the rest of his miserable life.”

  Cree was pleased to hear that, though he much preferred the previous fate to the latter.

  “So Colum has no knowledge that someone wanted Dawn dead?” Cree asked.

  “He was too caught up in filling his own coffers than caring about anything else. And since he and Goddard lingered in the area after your attack I assumed that he hadn’t had enough time to collect his wealth before he left.”

  Cree had yet to find time to collect and discover what the chest contained that Old Mary had informed him about, though now he had a fairly good idea. He had however seen to making sure that the secret passageway had been secured.

  Cree had heard enough for now and with the overhead clouds turning darker rain was imminent. He’d let them both suffer through the night outdoors, tied to posts and see if tomorrow they would be even more forthcoming with information.

  “We will talk more tomorrow,” Cree said.

  Rem laughed, then broke into a cough, blood gushing from his spilt lip. “You talk, Seth, and try uselessly to save yourself. I’ve said my piece and I’m ready to die.”

  Cree turned to Rem. “You’re in an awful hurry to die.”

  “I’ll take death over agonizing suffering any day.”

  Cree rubbed his chin. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “I confessed everything I know about this mission, except one thing,” —Rem coughed and spit out more blood— “whoever is behind this won’t stop until that woman’s dead.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Cree entered the Great Hall with Sloan and went directly to the dais and poured himself a tankard of ale.

  Sloan followed suit, though before he took a swig he said, “This isn’t about you. It
’s about Dawn, but why would someone want a voiceless peasant woman dead?” He shook his head. “Perhaps she knows something she doesn’t realize.”

  “It is a possibility. Many assume her deaf as well as mute and so speak freely around her.” Cree refilled his tankard. “None of it makes any sense at all. And what troubles me the most is that someone is determined to see Dawn dead and will not stop until she is. Her death is a priority to someone, but why?”

  Sloan shrugged. “There are only truly two reasons why someone would want someone else dead. The person knows something that threatens another or the person wants to do harm to the other one. And neither appears to explain this situation.”

  “Unless there is something in Dawn’s past that now threatens her.”

  “Do you know much about her past?”

  “I know that her father is dead and that her mother brought her here, though I don’t know how long ago that was.”

  “Lila or Paul would know,” Sloan said. “I could talk with them.”

  Cree nodded. “And I will talk with Dawn about it.”

  “She does communicate well for one who has no voice,” Sloan said. “She helped me find someone to fill the position for a head servant for the keep. And I must say the woman, Flanna has been at it only a few hours and she has everyone hopping.” He grinned. “She’s also dealing with Turbett.”

  “A relief for you, I’m sure,” Cree said and sat his tankard on the table then turned a scowl on Sloan. “Now about failing to protect Dawn.”

  ~~~

  Cree returned to Dawn’s cottage later than he had planned. He had spent a good hour berating Sloan for his mistake, though he couldn’t entirely fault him since Dawn had seen fit to go off on her own without making certain a guard went with her. Still, Sloan had had a duty that he had failed to carry out and that was unacceptable to Cree and it was to Sloan as well. They both knew the value and necessity of being able to depend on each other, but then they had never faced a situation with a woman like Dawn before.

  In the end Cree had been lenient, though Sloan had offered numerous apologies and swore on all that was holy that he would never allow it to happen again. And if necessary he would give his life to protect Dawn.