Dawn smiled and slowly shook her head, patted his chest, and then her own and held up two fingers snug against each other.
Cree leaned down, brushed his lips over hers and whispered, “You’re right about that, we stick together always.”
Sloan led them to where Bree’s body was found and while Dawn thought she was prepared for what she would see, she wasn’t. The pretty young lass had been beaten about the face so badly that she was barely recognizable and blood pooled forming a pillow beneath her head while the snow flurries had deposited a light blanket over her. The fingers on her one hand looked to have been broken and her ankle appeared to have been stomped on.
Dawn had to look away for a moment, her stomach protesting the gruesome sight.
“Are you all right?” Cree was quick to ask.
She nodded and took a deep breath before turning to once again glance upon the horrid scene.
“We’ve both seen beatings like this before,” Sloan said. “Ones delivered in fits of anger.”
Cree agreed with a nod. “But what brought on that anger is the question.”
Dawn felt her stomach roil once again and felt the need to look away.
“Dawn?” Cree questioned with concern.
She did not intend to leave until he was finished and so she gestured that she was wondering about the area where her attacker had suddenly vanished.
Cree raised a skeptical brow but relented and walked her to the spot. Sloan followed along.
No tracks remained, the snow that had fallen since then having covered the area. Dawn glanced around and noticed a group of rocks, the last and largest rock not far from a pine tree, the lowest branch drooping from the weighted snow.
She went to walk away from Cree and was yanked to a sharp stop.
“By my side, remember?” Cree said with a tilt of his head.
She nodded and pointed to the group of rocks two steps away, and then to the low tree branch. Cree looked to Sloan who had followed Dawn’s gesture and gave a glance at the tree.
Sloan nodded at the silent command and with careful steps jumped from rock to rock, almost slipping once, then leaped for the low hanging branch and pulled himself up onto it.
“So that’s how the tracks vanished so suddenly,” Sloan said dropping down from the branch.
“I’m surprised that Henry didn’t realize that,” Cree said.
Sloan scratched his head. “I think I recall seeing a warrior sitting on one of the rocks when I arrived at the scene.”
“He was sitting?” Cree asked annoyed. “We’ll discuss his punishment later. Right now make Henry aware of what we have discovered.” He pointed at Bree’s body. “And I want to know why the sentries assigned to this area saw or heard nothing. And where was the guard assigned to Bree? Get me answers, Sloan, and see that her body is stored until the ground is soft enough to accept her. Also, I’m moving Dawn to the keep.”
Sloan was too shocked to speak, not so Dawn. She quickly darted in front of him and shook her head vigorously along with a finger she held up in front of him.
“You will put that finger down and we will discuss this in private,” Cree ordered.
Dawn dropped her hand to her side, realizing it was not at all proper for his warriors to see her arguing with him. She tugged at his hand, anxious to settle this with him, for there was no possible way that she was moving to the keep.
“I have a few more things to discuss with Sloan, then we’ll take our leave.”
Dawn held up their joined hands and nodded at them.
“I will release you as long as you promise to stay in sight.”
Dawn crossed her heart and he released her hand. “I will not be long.”
She gave him a curt nod and wandered toward the body. She wondered over the rage that had caused such a horrific beating. Then she recalled the beating Colum, the former liege lord had given to Timmins, the smithy for questioning him. What she recalled most about it was that Colum seemed to enjoy every blow he had inflicted on the defenseless Timmins. It had served as a warning to others that Colum was not to be questioned. It had taken weeks for Timmins to recover. Bree hadn’t been so lucky, and Dawn couldn’t help but wonder if the man who did this to her had intended to beat her to death or had he been unable to stop.
She drifted closer to the body and gazed at the smashed ankle. Had he stomped on the slender ankle after he had realized she was dead? Was he angry at himself or at her? Had Bree been his accomplice or an innocent in it all? And if he could do this to Bree, what would he do to her if he caught her?
The thought caused her stomach to roil once again and that caused her to think of the babe. Even if she were to survive a bad beating like Timmins had done, would the babe? Knowing she was with child changed everything. She had to be more cautious and sensible in the choices she made. And she had to be careful of who she trusted. The killer could be lurking among them, a smile on his face, and a pleasant nature just waiting for the right time to strike.
Her glance went to Bree’s face and it was as if she suddenly felt the blows the young woman had suffered and the fear that had to have churned inside her. This time her stomach did more than roil, it rushed up into her mouth and she hurried behind thickened bushes to heave.
Cree was there in an instant, his one hand pulling her hair back away from her face and his other hand going around her waist to support her. She felt better with him being there with her, though her retching didn’t stop and when it did, she leaned back against him spent.
He held her firm as he leaned down to scoop up a handful of clean snow and held it in front of her. She took some and ran it across her mouth, but she was simply too worn out to do any more than that.
He tossed the remainder of the snow aside and lifted her up into his arms. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was scowling; it was his way after all. So when she did look at him, his scowl wasn’t a surprise or the concern she saw in his eyes and while she did not wish to cause him worry, she was pleased to know how much he cared. It was one time that his scowl made her happy.
Relief flooded her when he carried her to her cottage. She feared he would take her to the keep and she did not want to go there. And no doubt it would cause a disagreement between them, but she was determined to stay in her home.
Funny that she now felt that way about her cottage. At first it had felt strange to her and now it was where she enjoyed being the most, but then perhaps Cree had something to do with that. She doubted she would feel so comfortable in the cottage if Cree did not share it as much as he did with her.
One of the guards on duty opened the cottage door when he saw them approach and closed it as soon as they entered. Cree walked into the other room keeping her tucked close against him. And she was fine with that. She loved being in his arms. She knew that she was safe there and loved... loved so much more than she ever thought possible.
He stood her beside the bed and slipped off her cloak flinging it to land at the bottom of the bed. Then he eased her to sit and with quick yanks took her boots off and flung them across the room as if in warning that she dare not put them back on.
“You are to rest,” he ordered.
She patted the spot beside the bed.
“Don’t think to try and coerce me into getting your own way. It will not work.”
She patted her lips and pointed back and forth between them, letting him know she wished to talk and once again patted the spot beside her.
Cree sat, though not close to her, a disappointment, but one she could remedy as they spoke.
“By evening you will be residing in the keep and there is no changing my mind.”
He was emphatic about it, but then so was she... she would not reside in the keep. She raised her hands and he quickly captured them in one hand.
“Listen to me well, Dawn. Somehow you found a way into my heart. I do not know how you managed it, but you did. I do not believe you fully grasp the depth of my love for you and what it would mean l
osing you and our babe. I have survived pain in my life but I could not survive losing you. I love you so much more than I ever thought I could possibly love anyone.”
He was right, she had known he loved her but she had never realized the depths of his love for her, and her heart soared with the newfound knowledge, as did her smile.
“The person who wishes you dead is here among us. I assume he expected to find you dead upon his arrival and when he didn’t, he grew furious that his plans had failed. The vicious attack on Bree proves that he will stop at nothing to see you dead. I believed you well protected, but somehow this person has evaded all attempts at capture. My only recourse now is to keep you by my side at all times, where I know without a doubt you will be safe. And when he strikes next, I will be there to finish him.”
Dawn wrinkled her brow. He was placing his own life in jeopardy by constantly keeping her close. He could very well suffer an arrow or dagger meant for her. Then what would she do without him? She felt as he did; she could not survive losing him. She yanked her hands free and began gesturing.
He let her go on and on and on until her hands began to slow and finally came to a rest. He then took both of her hands in his again and kissed her softly, though would have much preferred to kiss her with a hunger that was gnawing at his groin. Regrettably, now wasn’t the time to satisfy that hunger.
“We want the same thing. What better way for us to achieve it than to remain by each other’s side. Then we can protect each other.”
Dawn shook her head, perplexed. Did he truly feel that she could protect him? She asked him directly, her hands moving much slower than before.
“You have proven several times to me just how brave a warrior you are. I have no doubt that you are capable of protecting me.”
The seriousness of his tone made her realize that he spoke the truth. She had never thought herself brave, but she had been forced to be courageous upon meeting Cree. And she had grown braver, gaining a strength she had never thought herself capable of.
“You make me proud,” Cree said and kissed her again briefly, though not quite so softly.
Dawn stared at him stunned by his words. He was proud of her. The only other person who ever told her that had been her mother. Dawn had never thought to hear those sentiments again. And her love for Cree grew threefold. The thought, however, of residing in the keep still did not sit well with her. She liked their time alone together here and besides, she felt as if she was surrendering to the culprit by leaving her home. Then there was the matter of what her presence in the keep would create.
She didn’t know how she could convince him that taking her to reside at the keep right now would only make the situation worse.
“I know you are wondering how you can change my mind,” Cree said causing her brow to quirk. “But it seems no matter how many guards I post—”
Her hand shot up and began gesturing, not giving him a chance to finish.
It pleased Cree that he was getting to understand her quick gestures more easily and so he listened to her tell him that all the guards he had posted had kept her safe. And that she would need to be diligent about making certain she did not go anywhere without them. And that his warriors would continue to inform him of her every move, and of course he could also spend more time with her. Her wicked smile and her hand moving along his leg left no doubt to what she meant. And while he wanted nothing more than her warm hand wrapped around his stiff rod, now was not the time or so he kept telling himself.
He grabbed her hand and smiled. “Later I will satisfy that insatiable lust of yours.”
Her smile faded and she shook her head. Her hands moved slowly between them, now and again touching him, telling him that the slightest touch of his hand tingled her senseless and that at first she thought she was a sinful woman for having such wanton feelings until she finally realized that it was love that made her feel that way. And she wanted to love him as much and as often as she could for nothing felt more wonderful and satisfying than having him inside her, loving her.
That did it, he was lost. It took barely any time to get them both naked and him inside her where he proceeded to take his time loving her.
Chapter Thirty-one
An uneasy stomach woke Dawn the next morning and she slipped out of bed leaving Cree to sleep. She worked as silently as she could, preparing a brew for herself that she hoped would ease her nausea. She had been relieved when Cree had relented and agreed to allow her to remain in her cottage, though more guards had been posted.
She sat at the table, her mind filled with thoughts of poor Bree. Last night when Cree returned to the cottage he had been annoyed that none of the sentries had seen anything unusual take place in the area where Bree had been found, though the warriors had reminded that their duties were to patrol sections so there were times when areas were not being watched.
Dawn was so caught up in her thoughts that she startled when Cree’s arm slipped around her waist, his hand settling over hers where it rested on her stomach.
He leaned over and pressed his cheek to hers. “Your thoughts are so deep that you forget I am here?”
She turned just enough for her lips to brush his, then shook her head and brushed her lips over his again, reminding him that that wasn’t possible.
“I am glad to know that you do not forget or else I would have to return you to bed and remind you.”
Dawn scrunched her brow and tapped her finger to the side of her mouth.
Cree grinned. “So you’re not sure after all?”
Dawn was about to shake her head when a bout of nausea hit her so quickly that her eyes clamped shut and her hand pressed harder against her stomach.
Cree was quick to scoop her up and settle her in his lap, his large hand brushing hers away to gentle caress her stomach.
“He will learn to listen to me and not trouble his mother,” Cree said as if issuing an order and as if the babe heard his da, the nausea calmed.
Dawn nestled against Cree quite comfortable to sit on his lap until she realized he was naked and she could feel him swelling against her. Of course it had her growing wet in an instant and she had no doubt that they would return to bed as soon as she felt well enough, which she did not mind at all.
“If you keep fidgeting against me like that you know what’s going to happen.”
She hadn’t realized she had been doing that but now that she did know... she continued doing so.
A low groan rumbled in Cree’s throat. “You’re not feeling well.”
Dawn squirmed even more.
“I’m warning you—”
She silenced him, rubbing her bottom slowly across his growing hardness.
“That’s it,” he said with a determination that thrilled Dawn.
Before Cree could get to his feet a knock sounded at the door.
“Damn, but I’m tired of these interruptions.”
“Cree!” Sloan shouted and pounded the door at the same time.
“Enter,” Cree yelled and when Sloan walked in Cree shot him a murderous glare. “This better be important.”
“The fellow who attacked Dawn is at Elsa’s cottage. He was seeking her help to heal the wound he suffered when he attacked Dawn. Elsa says he waited too long and he doesn’t have much time left.”
“I’ll be dressed in a minute,” Cree said and stood placing Dawn on the chair.
She was out of it in a flash and rushing past him into the other room to slip out of her nightdress and into her clothes. She sent him a look that warned that she would not be left behind.
Cree didn’t want to waste time arguing with her, and besides he could see if Elsa had anything that would help ease Dawn’s stomach. He hated seeing her suffer even if it was the natural course of things.
Dawn had her cloak on and was waiting at the door beside Sloan when Cree entered the room. He stretched his hand out to her as he approached reminding her that she was to stay near him. She took it and nodded and out the door they went.
Elsa didn’t stand out of respect as she normally would do when Cree entered a room and it was easy to see why. A young man lay on the bed babbling incoherently. Elsa was busy bathing his face with a cool cloth and talking softly to him.
Cree released Dawn’s hand and nodded to Sloan who stepped closer to her side as Cree walked over to the young man.
Elsa looked up at Cree and shook her head.
“Can he hear and understand me?” Cree asked.
“The fever has a hold of him so I cannot say for sure.”
“Help,” the young man cried out. “Please... help me.”
The last of his plea could barely be heard.
His hand shot out and Elsa took hold of it. “It’s all right, lad. It’s all right.”
“Noooo,” he cried. “Help... have to help.”
Cree had seen many a young warrior beg for help as he faced death. There was never anything he could do for them but sit with them so they wouldn’t die alone. Something no one wanted to do alone.
But this young man had answers that could help save Dawn’s life and he wanted those answers before the lad died.
He nodded to Elsa to move and once she did he sat. “Who hired you to kill the voiceless woman?”
The young man’s eyes turned wide and he shook his head and was barely able to spit out, “Help.”
“I’ll help you but you must answer me. Who hired you?”
“Me good,” the young man mumbled his eyes drifting closed. “Me good. Help.”
“Answer me,” Cree shouted.
Dawn rushed over to Cree and plunked herself down on his lap. Before he could move her off, she reached out and took hold of the young man’s hand.
His eyes popped wide again and he barely got out ‘love’ when he started choking. His hand stayed clamped around Dawn’s and when he was finally able to catch a breath he pleaded once more, “Help me.”
One last cough and catch of a breath and he was gone.
Dawn held his limp hand for a moment before resting it on his chest. Then she stood and walked away from Cree, only half listening to the many questions he bombarded Elsa with. There was something about the young man’s barely audible pleas that bothered Dawn. Something was missing from them and she couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
Forbidden Highlander (Highlander Trilogy 2) Page 26
