He stepped forward and snatched it out of her hand pairing it with its mate. He touched it gently, almost reverently, and then he looked over at her. “These belonged to my mother.”
Oh, good Lord, had her mum stolen the comb? That couldn’t be, her mom had been a good woman; she never would have done such a thing.
“Where did you get it?”
Once again Torr used that commanding tone and her skin ran with gooseflesh. She didn’t know if she was in trouble but the only thing she could do was tell the truth and so she did. She gestured, assuming that Torr would understand her and he did.
“Your mother gave you this comb,” he said, confirming her explanation.
She nodded.
“These combs are a set that my father gave to my mother many years ago. I remember my mum wearing them. How could your mum have gotten one and where did the other comb come from?”
Dawn pointed to her fur-lined cloak.
“How did this other comb get in your cloak?”
There was only one person who could have put it there… Old Mary. Dawn did not want to implicate her, but then she didn’t have to.
“You lent your cloak to Old Mary, didn’t you?”
Dawn nodded reluctantly.
“My father needs to know of this right away,” Torr said and wrapped both combs in the cloth and reached to take Dawn’s hand gently in his. “There is much you need to know as well.”
The door opened and Cree filled the doorway. He took in the scene in front of him and a murderous scowl suddenly filled his face. “What did I tell you about leaving my woman alone?”
“I have no designs on your woman, but I do need to know why she is in possession of combs that belonged to my mother. I think it is time Dawn accompanies us to the keep and we talk.”
Cree didn’t like what he was hearing. Had he been wrong about Torr? Was he not as trustworthy as he first believed? Was this a plot or a plan? Could he be responsible for the items found in Dawn’s possession? But why? Too many questions and doubts that he intended to put to rest immediately, but first…
“Take your hand off her,” Cree ordered with what sounded like a feral growl and Torr dropped his hand and stepped away from Dawn.
Cree held his hand out to her and she reached for it. He pulled her against him hugging her tight. “Where you in possession of these items?”
Dawn held up one finger.
“One comb was yours?” Cree confirmed.
She nodded.
“She says her mum gave it to her,” Torr explained and then told Cree how the matching mate was found. “My father could help settle this matter, perhaps he had given the combs away to someone or perhaps to two different people and I didn’t know about it.”
Dawn could tell by his tone that he didn’t believe that for a moment but it was a good enough excuse to get them all to go to the keep. But why was he so intent on getting her to the keep? His father could come to her cottage to discuss the matter.
And that is exactly what Cree proposed. “Bring your father here; it will be discussed in private.”
Torr seemed annoyed with the decision but didn’t argue. He left the cottage to fetch his father.
As soon as the door shut, Cree turned and lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss that turned her knees weak. He finished with tiny nips across her bottom lip that sent a quiver through her and turned her wet.
“I thought I told you to behave,” he whispered and nibbled along her ear.
Her limbs appeared to melt and her body slumped against his. He held her as if he’d never let her go and kissed her again almost as if it was their last kiss and he wanted to always remember it. The thought frightened her and she shivered.
He grabbed her chin and forced her eyes to meet his. “You have nothing to fear. You are mine and no one will take you from me.”
A rap at the door had her pulling away from him, but he refused to let her go. He kept her tucked close against him as he called out, “Enter.”
Kirk entered with a smile and Torr with a scowl that rivaled Cree’s. The four of them were soon seated at the table in front of the hearth. Dawn saw to filling tankards with cider and cupped her hands around hers to stop them from trembling.
Kirk placed the two combs on the table in front of him and got teary-eyed. “I gave these to my wife many years ago and a couple of years after she died I gave them to a woman I fell in love with. She was kind and loving and I would have wed her but circumstances didn’t allow for it. I wanted her to have something that would always remind her how much I loved her.”