She smiled and patted her chest.
He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. “You are a courageous woman.”
He sounded as if he admired her and the thought caused her breath to catch.
“The warrior guarding Seth was knocked on the head from behind and never saw his assailant. Did Seth say who freed him?”
Dawn gestured as she did once before when she wanted to identify Goddard to Cree and he remembered.
“Goddard, I thought as much. He was nowhere to be found.”
Dawn tensed.
His hands tightened at her waist. “Do not worry. I will find him and put an end to him. Then he will trouble us no more.”
Us. It thrilled Dawn to hear him refer to them as us. Could Rem have been right? Did the devil love her?
“I’ll return later,” he said and lowered his lips to hers to savor for a moment.
It was far too many minutes before they broke apart and reluctantly, then quickly joined again. She knew he had to go, though she wished he wouldn’t. She wished he would stay and…
The thought that perhaps she could make him stay if only for a short…
Dawn didn’t think on it, she daringly acted, slipping her hand over the bugle between his legs and teasing it. He groaned and his kiss deepened as his mouth grew hungrier against hers. She felt empowered by his eager response and she continued tormenting him into submission.
“Damn it, Dawn,” he all but moaned as he tore his mouth away from hers. “I have no time—”
She hurried to the table, hopped up on it to lie on her back and spread her legs and stretch her arms out to him.
Cree grinned and didn’t hesitate to accept her invitation. He planted himself inside her quickly, an easy plunge since she was so wet and ready for him, which excited him even more. It wouldn’t take long for either one of them, another thought that had him thrusting in her even harder.
Damn if he didn’t enjoy her more and more each time they coupled. And damn if he wasn’t building to an explosive climax as always. And one final damn if he didn’t lov—
He burst in a blinding climax as she wrapped her legs more tightly around him forcing him to plunge even deeper as she tightened around him. He shuddered as his climax ended and he pulled out of her so quickly that her body startled and her eyes grew wide.
He didn’t say a word to her. He adjusted his leggings and stormed out of the cottage leaving her staring after him.
Chapter Thirty-four
Dawn was bewildered. What had she done wrong? Cree had been as eager as she had been to make love. So why had he stormed out of the cottage so quickly when they had barely finished. If he had remained inside her just a moment longer she would have reached a second climax.
She grew annoyed at what she didn’t know. What she did know was that she didn’t intend to remain in the cottage and sulk or linger on having watched two men die today. She quickly adjusted her garments and was out the door expecting to see Neil or another guard stationed there. When she saw none; she smiled. She was on her own for how long she didn’t know but she intended to relish her freedom.
It didn’t take long for her to decide where she was going. First, she would retrieve the basket she had left by Elsa’s cottage and then she would go and see how Lila and Thomas had faired through this all.
A few injured warriors lingered around Elsa’s cottage waiting their turn to be tended. There seemed to be only minor wounds that needed attention. Dawn did not want to be in the way and so she grabbed her basket and walked around to the back of the cottage and headed to Lila’s.
She had taken only a few steps when she was grabbed by her hair and around the waist. She fought her assailant twisting and throwing punches that caused him to lose his grip and stumble. When she saw that it was Goddard she fought even harder. He had caused her immeasurable suffering and there was no way she’d let him hurt her again.
She couldn’t scream, but she might be able to…
She twisted quickly in his arms and when he went to hit her, she grabbed his arm and snuck her teeth into it hard. He did exactly what she hoped he’d do and what she couldn’t do… scream.
Cree had joined Sloan at the top step of the keep when he heard the scream. Both men turned to see where it had come from and saw the warriors at Elsa’s cottage run around back. Cree and Sloan flew off the steps.
Cree couldn’t help it; his first thought was of Dawn. He had left angry, not at her but himself. He could not let love interfere with commitments he had made. He wasn’t even capable of loving. He had turned his heart cold long ago and had no intentions of ever warming it to anyone.