Sloan nodded and the pair left, though not before Lucerne turned to Dawn and said, “Thank you.”
As soon as the door closed, Cree eased her close against him, burying his face in her damp hair and inhaling gently, then he brought his lips to her ear and whispered, “You smell… inviting… and that dress… entices.”
Dawn shivered, his warm breath tickling her ear and she instinctively turned her head to capture his lips in a much needed kiss. He was tender, she was hungry, and it didn’t take long for him to feel the same. And before either of them lost control, Cree stepped away, his breath heavy and his groin throbbing.
“We need to go now,” he demanded and she nodded agreeing.
He grabbed her cloak off the peg and draped it over her shoulders, though avoided touching her, and before he opened the door he turned to her and said, “Tonight I intend to feast on you.”
Dawn nearly stumbled out the door, his words creating an image in her head that tingled her entire body senseless. He had done it on purpose, for he knew full well what his words would do to her. All she could think about was him licking and nipping every inch of her naked flesh.
Dawn stumbled again as they walked the snow-covered path.
His hand was quick to catch her arm and right her steps and the wicked look in his eyes told her that he knew exactly what he had done to her. She tried to yank her arm away from him, but he wouldn’t have it.
“I’ll keep a hold of you; I don’t want you to fall.”
Dawn had no choice but to comply, though she did turn her glance away. It was then she realized that it was snowing lightly and that more than the usual amount of villagers were out and about, and staring at the three of them.
Gossip was probably already spreading and why not? Cree was walking through the village with two women in tow, his intended and his mistress. And no doubt they believed that only a devil of a man would have the audacity to do such a thing. Or perhaps he was doing more than she realized, perhaps he was letting everyone know that he had the matter well in hand.
Elwin and two guards followed behind and to the sides of them, taking up sentry duties when they reached Elsa’s cottage. Cree opened the door and held it for the two women to enter and then he followed them in.
Elsa bobbed her head. “My lord.”
“Elsa, we have need of your help. Lucerne is being poisoned.”
Lucerne’s eyes filled with tears again, only this time a smile filled her face. “Thank you, my lord, for believing me.”
“Dawn trusts you, so I trust you. Don’t make me regret it.”
“You have my word,” Lucerne said.
“As for Dawn,” Cree said turning to see her smiling at him. “Her wound pains her.”
“I will have a look at Dawn first. Lucerne’s problem will not have an easy or hasty solution.”
Dawn was fine; there was nothing wrong with her. She was more interested in what was happening to Lucerne and what would need to be done to help her than a twinge to her small wound that was healing nicely. But Cree’s concern had to be alleviated or they would never move on to Lucerne.
“Will you wait outside while I see to Dawn?” Elsa asked of Cree.
He looked ready to protest, then saw Dawn place a hand to her chest and gave a gentle nod and he knew she was saying please.
“Do not take long,” he ordered and turned and walked out.
Elsa did not need much time to ascertain that all was fine with Dawn, and Dawn herself went to the door to let Cree know they were finished. She smiled and patted her chest.
“I’ll let Elsa be the judge of how you are,” Cree said, though looked relieved.
After Elsa reaffirmed what Dawn had told him, the healer asked them all to take a seat at the table. She filled tankards with hot cider, and then sat herself.
“Healing plants are wonderful but they can also be deadly if not used properly,” Elsa explained. “And it takes a knowledgeable healer to know the difference. With the few questions I had asked you once before I began to suspect that you were ingesting something that was disrupting your nature and causing confused and erratic behavior. The headaches could be an effect of such ingestion.”
“Are you saying that someone wants Lucerne confused and unstable?” Cree asked.
“It is a possibility,” Elsa confirmed. “Depending on the poison used and the amount, it either can be deadly quite fast or make a person very ill until finally he is confined to bed and dies. That is not so with Lucerne.”
“When did your problem start, Lucerne?” Cree asked.