Forbidden Highlander (Highlander Trilogy 2)

by Donna Fletcher

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “Do something, she carries my babe,” Cree shouted when Elsa entered the room. He hunched down beside the bed, his hand still resting on her stomach and his other hand stroking her forehead. “I cannot lose her.” He shook his head and repeated. “I cannot lose her.” He turned a threatening eye on Elsa. “They will be hell to pay if she dies.”

  “Threatening me will not help her or your child,” Elsa said calmly. “Now please step aside and let me see to her wound.”

  Cree reluctantly did as she asked knowing that Elsa was the only one capable of saving her. And knowing that if it was possible the healer would do everything she could to make sure that Dawn lived.

  After only a couple of seconds of examining the wound, Elsa said, “You need to help me get these blood-soaked garments off her.”

  Cree did not hesitate. He went to work with Elsa removing Dawn’s garments, though it wasn’t easy, the bloody areas refusing to let go. Once they were done Elsa had him slip a clean cloth underneath her wounded side, and then she set to cleaning the area.

  Cree remained close by watching the healer and waiting for word that the woman he loved would live. He did not know what he would do without Dawn. She had become his life and he did not want to think of a day without her. She brought a smile to his face and made him laugh and he hadn’t done both in a very long time. And besides he simply could not sleep without her in bed beside him.

  He pressed his hand to his chest the way she did when she would tell him she loved him. Damn, damn, damn if his heart didn’t belong to her, every pounding beat of it and his soul was lost to her as well for there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. This beautiful woman with no voice was his whole life and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Elsa cleaned the injured area well and when she dropped the cloth in the second bucket of clean water, she looked up at Cree and smiled. “It doesn’t even need a stitch. The weapon caught no vital area. It was more of a nick more than anything, though the preponderance of blood made it appear much worse. Some wounds bleed more than others, though I cannot say why.”

  “Then why did she slip into darkness?” Cree asked relieved, though still concerned.

  Elsa shook her head. “I cannot say, though carrying a babe can tire a woman and with all Dawn has been through, this last incident just may have been too much for her. And so she slipped into a much needed rest.”

  “The babe is well?” Again he asked with concern, not wanting Dawn to wake and find that she had lost their babe. She knew him well and knew that as soon as he learned of their child that he would protect them both, and he would not disappoint her.

  “Dawn is strong and kept your babe safe. Both mother and child do well as far as I can tell,” Elsa assured him.

  “You will tend her daily,” Cree ordered.

  Elsa smiled. “If that is your wish, my lord, though I do not think that Dawn will agree with you. She has done well since she first realized that she carried your babe and I have no doubt she will continue to do so.”

  “You knew she was with child and never told me?” Cree said with a touch of anger.

  “It was not my place, my lord, it was meant for Dawn to tell you, not me.”

  Cree was ready to argue when he held his tongue. Elsa was right. Dawn would have wanted to tell him and though he had concerns about such a possibility, he also had wondered what a child of theirs would be like. And with Old Mary telling him that he would have many sons and only one daughter, he knew that those children would be born of Dawn and him, for they made love so often that Dawn would be forever carrying a babe of his.

  “You are a good healer, Elsa,” Cree said.

  “And you, my lord, will make an excellent father. Now I would suggest Dawn not be left alone until she finally wakes and then she should rest, though I daresay she will be up and about quick enough. Nothing seems to keep her down. ”

  “Will she need rest?” Cree asked ready to decree it if he must.

  “Dawn will not take chances of harming the babe. She will do what she must without being ordered to.”

  “Dawn finds a way around such things and does more of what she wants than she must,” Cree said with a sense of pride.

  “Then let her be, for she knows best. I will return tomorrow morning and check on her, but I don’t anticipate a problem. The wound will be tender, though it will heal fast enough and leave a small scar, nothing more.”

  “I bless the day I found you,” Elsa,” Cree said in way of appreciation.

  “As do I, my lord,” Elsa said with a bob and took her leave.

  Sloan arrived shortly afterwards to let Cree know that they hadn’t found the culprit yet but they would continue searching. He wasn’t’ surprised when Cree informed him that he would not leave Dawn’s side until he was certain that she would be all right.

  As night settled in, Cree sat on the bed beside Dawn and watched her sleep. He wished she would wake; there was so much he wanted to say to her. But she needed her rest and even if she did wake, talk would have to wait.

  He tended the fire and ate a little of the food Flanna had brought and assured the worried woman that Dawn would be fine. Flanna insisted on leaving some soup by the hearth to keep heated for when Dawn woke. After one last report from Sloan, Cree finally decided it was time for bed. He would crawl into bed with Dawn and be careful not to disturb her wound, but there was no way that he would sleep separate from her.

  He was stripping off the last of his garments when he turned and saw that her eyes were open. He didn’t go directly to her. He continued disrobing.

  He was such a magnificent creature and no matter how many times she laid eyes on his naked form, she couldn’t peel them away. She loved looking at him, though touching and tasting was definitely more to her liking. He was sculpted to perfection and she wondered if the babe, a boy if she were to believe Old Mary’s prediction, would be as handsome as his father.

  Once Cree finished, he eased himself down on the bed to rest stretched out,close against her. “How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Flanna left soup for you. Do you have pain? I can have Elsa bring you something for it.”

  She pressed her finger to his mouth to stop him from talking. Then she took his hand and pressed it to her stomach, anxious to know how he felt about the babe, for she recalled his surprised expression when he had realized what she had been trying to tell him.

  “You have been injured. You need rest. We’ll talk another time.”

  She shook her head adamantly and pointed her finger up and down emphasizing that they would talk here and now. She had to know; she couldn’t wait. She had to know if he wanted their child as much as she did.

  “It can wait,” he said wanting her to rest.

  She shook her head.

  “You have been through enough. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  She shook her head more vigorously. She could not wait that long.

  “Shake your head all you want; it will change nothing.”

  Anger bubbled up in Dawn and, to Cree’s surprise, she scurried out of bed with a facial wince and quickly slowed her pace, which irritated Cree, and went to stand by the curtain that separated the two rooms. She pointed at it while she glared at Cree.

  “Are you telling me to leave?”

  Dawn tapped her lips and then pointed at the curtain.

  “You’re giving me a choice? Talk to you or leave?” he asked incredulously.

  Dawn nodded, raised her chin, and crossed her arms over her chest.

  Cree stretched out on the bed, crossing his arms beneath his head. “I’m not going anywhere and I’m not talking, so you may as well come back to bed.”

  It infuriated her that he gave her no choice, but then she didn’t have to join him in bed. She went to the hearth and sat in front of it bunching her legs up in front of her. Her mind had been so overwrought that she had forgotten about her wound and winced again from the catch in her side, though the only indication of i
t was a hunch of her shoulders and the pain-filled grimace she made when she stretched her arms to wrap around her raised legs.

  Cree flew off the bed, and to her side, when he caught her reaction. “Damn it, woman, you’re stubborn.” He went to pick her up and she shoved his hands away, then tapped at her lips. “All right,” he relented. “We’ll talk, but briefly.”

  She doubted that their talk would be brief but if he wanted to believe otherwise that was fine with her.

  He scooped her up gently and deposited her on the bed with the same tender care, then got under the blankets to sit beside her. He reached out to take her in his arms and she brushed his hands away and tapped her lips.

  He leaned over until the tip of his nose touched hers. “Don’t push my hands away when I reach for you.” She raised her hand to respond but he grabbed it. “Under any circumstances.”

  Then he did something completely unexpected.

  He splayed his hand across her stomach. “You and the babe are well?”

  She nodded.

  “How long have you known?”

  Her fingers counted off a month.

  “You’ve known a month?”

  She nodded, scowled, and pointed at him wanting to know if he was angry, needing to know.

  When he didn’t respond right away, she thought he didn’t understand her and she went to gesture again, but he stopped her. He rested his hand on her stomach. “I heard you. I am not angry. I am overwhelmed with joy that you carry our child.”

  Our child. Dawn felt her breath catch. He was happy that she would have their babe. Her breath caught again only this time with worry and she patted his hand that continued to rest on her stomach and searched his face with troubled eyes. If he was happy why didn’t she see it in his eyes?

  He leaned down and kissed her softly, then cupped her face in his hands. “I wish you would have told me sooner.”

  Dawn cocked a brow in question confused by his mixture of joy and anger. Was he truly happy or...

  He smiled and kissed her again. “Trust me, I am more pleased than you’ll ever know. Quickly though, I realized that I have failed, and rarely do I fail, to protect you not only from being harmed but from getting you pregnant while being my mistress and now failing to protect my unborn child as well. That is not acceptable to me.” He paused a moment to softly caress her cheek with his finger. “Tell me. You knew you were already with child when I told you to take the potion to prevent such a situation, weren’t you?”

  There was no longer any point in hiding the truth from him and so she nodded.

  “You could have aborted the babe by taken the potion, but you didn’t. You chose to defy me and protect our babe.”

  She nodded again.

  He cupped her chin. “This is one time I am grateful for your defiance.”

  She patted her chest to let him know that she felt the same.

  “While I wish to shout out the news for all to know, there is much to be settled first,” he said letting go of her chin.

  She let him know that she agreed.

  “There are possibilities now that didn’t exist before.” He took her hand again and brought it to his mouth to kiss it. “I must ask you something very important.”

  She pressed her hand to her ear to let him know that she was listening.

  “I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, no matter what you hear, no matter what transpires over the next few days or weeks that you will trust me, never doubt me and that you will remain by my side and not think it prudent to leave me.”

  She cringed inwardly, feeling guilty that she had already given it thought, though she was quick to cross her heart and give her promise. And to seal it, she told him that she loved him, her hand going from her heart to his.

  He pressed his hand over hers. “I am fortunate that you love me.”

  She smiled, though it appeared more a gentle laugh as she nodded, as if she let him know that he was very fortunate to have her love him.

  “You think it humorous that I should feel fortunate?” he said giving teasing pokes to her ribs.

  She raised her hands to ward off his playful attack and cringed from the pain that shot through her.

  “Damn,” Cree mumbled. “I forgot about your wound.”

  And of course a yawn had to attack her just then, since she was feeling more relaxed than she had in hours.

  Cree shook his head. “And you’re tired and need rest. That’s it. No more talk, it’s time to sleep.”

  Dawn had no intentions of arguing with him. He helped her stretch out and then eased her against him when he stretched out beside her, making certain that her wound was left undisturbed.

  Another yawn hit Dawn and she was prepared for sleep to claim her fast. The problem started when she felt Cree harden against her backside. Fatigue never kept her body from responding to his and now wasn’t any difference.

  She wiggled against him as if adjusting her position, which she was, though it was to fit more snuggly against his growing hardness. After all, a quick joining would surely help her sleep soundly.

  His hand pressed against her stomach, as if wanting to prevent her from moving, then he must have thought better of it, thinking he would disturb the tiny babe inside her and he moved his hand down further.

  A definite mistake.

  She didn’t wait; she placed her hand over his and guided it between her legs.

  “You are too tired and do you forget you were wounded?” he whispered, though she could hear desire thick in his voice.

  She shook her head and encouraged his hand to delve and explore.

  His growling groan in her ear fired her passion even more and she pressed her backside hard against his bulging groin.

  “Damn it,” he mumbled and retaliated by slipping his finger inside her.

  She pressed her finger against his arm, once, twice, three times.

  “You like that do you?” he whispered in her ear.

  She shivered, his warm breath tickling her ear and nodded vigorously.

  “You will not lift a finger and disturb your wound. Tonight I do all the work.” He chuckled and nuzzled her neck. “Though this work I thoroughly enjoy doing.”

  There were times Cree was gentle with her, but tonight he showed her a gentleness she hadn’t known existed. He lavished her body with kisses, teased her with gentle touches and when he was ready to enter her, he slipped one arm beneath her back to easily lift her while he placed a pillow behind her head, and then carefully laid her down.

  She silently sighed with his tender thoughtfulness. And then he moved down between her legs to ease them apart with his hands, taking his time to stroke her legs and tell her...

  “You are so beautiful and so soft.” And with that he leaned over her and entered her slowly as he braced both arms on the sides of her shoulders and lowered his head to capture her lips with his.

  He moved then, picking up speed and rhythm and she grabbed his arms without thinking of her wound and cringed, her eyes shutting tight against the pain.

  He stopped abruptly and her eyes shot open and she shook her head adamantly.

  “Do not move,” he ordered sharply.

  She nodded, fearful he would not finish what he started and that she could not bear.

  “I told you that I will do all the work.”

  And he did.

  Dawn climaxed hard not once but twice, Cree joining her in the second one. And no soon as they finished and he wrapped her in his arms, then her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Cree woke at sunrise, though was quite content to remain abed with Dawn in his arms. She had fallen asleep instantly after he had made love to her and had slept peacefully. He had worried that her wound would wake her but her fatigue had been more powerful than her pain and he was glad she had gotten to rest.

  He was still a bit shocked over the news that he was to be a father. He was also shocked at the joy that had seized him when he
learned about the babe. He had never known such a wonderful feeling, though perhaps it was that he had never known such happiness. And since Dawn had entered his life he had known endless happiness along with a substantial amount of worry and fear.

  That worry and fear had gripped him soon after learning of the babe and the thought that he could lose them both, if he failed to protect her, had filled him with immense anger. Once he had left the cottage, he was more determined than ever to make certain that he made Dawn his wife. He would not let his child be born a bastard.

  He also knew that once Kirk learned the news, he would insist that Dawn wed his friend and that would never happen. Besides with what Kirk had told him, it had made it possible for him to petition the King to negate the present marriage agreement between him and Lucerne and arrange one between him and Dawn. But first there were secrets to uncover and identities to be confirmed and when he had all the proof he needed, then he could contact the King. The only thing he feared was that the King would want concessions so that everyone would be appeased. And he wondered what they would be.

  Dawn stirred cuddling closer against him and he tucked the blanket over her shoulders. There was so much he wanted and needed to say to her, but the time wasn’t right, but most importantly the situation wasn’t right. And he blamed much of that on himself.

  After his mother had died he had had no choice but to put his sister in a convent, and he had sworn he would let no one dictate his life. He had worked, though mostly battled hard, to reach that point. And now it was only the King he answered to and he found even that too restrictive.

  What he had learned though was to manipulate those in power to get what he wanted and he wanted Dawn and nothing would stop him from having her as his wife.

  The soft tap to his chest had him glancing down at Dawn, her eyes not yet fully opened. She looked as if she peeked between her lashes and yet she seemed to see him clearly, since she reached up to gently caress the scowl bunched between his eyes.