Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Her silent gasp caught in her throat as lips rested near her ear.
“If you did as I ordered, wife, Beast, would have his teeth in the person you feared was behind you.”
Dawn sagged with relief against her husband and silently admonished herself for not realizing it was her husband. But then the nearby pines in the woods had masked his musky scent.
Cree turned her around in his arms slowly and before he could rest her snug against him, her arms hurried around him, and she buried herself tight against him. He did not like that fright still lingered in her, and that he had been the cause of it, sneaking up behind her, worried that she might go into the woods alone when he had spotted her standing there as if in contemplation.
Or had he been the cause of her fright?
“What happened, Dawn?” he asked annoyed that she should feel fear in her own home.
She tightened her hug on him, letting him know she needed a few moments, and she was relieved when his powerful arms squeezed her tighter.
“I am here with you. You have nothing to fear,” he said, wondering what had caused her fright.
As if suddenly realizing she could be wasting time in finding whoever it was she had seen, she pulled herself out of his arms and gestured.
“You need to slow down. I cannot keep up with you when you gesture fast,” he urged.
Dawn sighed heavily to calm herself, then gestured at a reasonable pace.
Cree followed along easily. “You saw what you thought was brown cloth like that of the cleric’s robe weaving in and around the cottage as if fleeing and chased after him?”
She nodded and pointed to the woods, then flung her hands up and shook her head.
“You lost him when he entered the woods?”
She nodded again.
“Did you get a look at him?”
Dawn’s shoulders slumped and she shook her head slowly.
“Are you certain it was the brown cloth of a cleric’s robe you saw?”
Could she be sure? It had all happened so fast. What if it had been nothing but a bird in flight? She frowned as she shrugged in response.
“It happened too fast for you to be certain?” Cree asked.
Dawn nodded.
“I caught sight of you standing by the edge of the woods. Were you looking for him?”
Dawn nodded again, then pointed to her eyes then her ears, and shook her head.
“You saw and heard nothing?”
Dawn nodded, then tapped near her eye, shook her head, then shrugged.
Her response was clear. “You are not sure of what you saw.” Cree took her in his arms as she once again nodded, and she rested herself against him. “Certain or not of what you saw, it still needs to be looked at. I will send Henry with some warriors to see if he can find any tracks.”
Dawn smiled softly at her husband and mouthed, thank you.
“You are a wise woman, Dawn. I would be a fool not to pay heed to what may be something of importance. I would wonder if the cleric could have possibly escaped if Sloan had not assured me that he was secured in a cell and a warrior stationed at the door to the dungeon, the only way out. We will see if Henry can find anything. And you, wife,” Cree said with a gentle tap at the tip of her nose, “will keep Beast with you as ordered.”
Her eyes shot up, recalling her tired son, and she hurried to gesture.
“Worry not,” Cree said, “I saw your da gathering them all up to take into the keep.”
Dawn gestured as they walked.
“Beast thinks you are at Old Mary’s?” Cree shook his head. “You left him to play with the children while you visited with her, and he still thinks you’re there.”
A wide grin was her response.
“Will you ever obey me, wife?”
Dawn gestured, her grin turning to a silent laugh as she hurried ahead of him.
“Did you just say what fun is there in that?” Cree called out, and seeing her head nod repeatedly, he warned, “You’ll pay for that, wife!”
Dawn turned and with a finger traced an X on her chest.
“Aye, that’s a promise,” he said with a wink and went to catch up with her when he spotted Sloan. He looked to Dawn and pointed to Sloan.
She nodded, understanding he would speak with Sloan about sending Henry to see what he may discover, if anything, about what she may have seen. Part of her hoped he found nothing. They didn’t need any more pieces added to the game. As Old Mary had said, there were enough pieces already.
She hurried to collect Beast and head to the keep.
“Time is growing short to save my brother,” Tate said the next morning after breakfast and everyone had taken their leave except Cree and Dawn. “You should have let me give the cleric the drawings I had and let him leave. You could have followed and captured the culprit.”