Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 104340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
She cradled her arms and made a rocking motion.
Cree frowned. “From when you were born?”
Dawn nodded.
“You have never uttered a single sound?”
She shook her head.
“Yet you understand so much.”
Dawn turned and a few inches beyond the blanket she brushed the dirt clear and began drawing with her finger.
Cree watched amazed once again. She drew a picture of a woman, so lovely that it brought a smile to his face. “Your mum.”
Dawn beamed; her face lighting with joy as she pointed at the woman and then at herself.
“Your mum taught you.”
She continued smiling and threw her hands up stretching them out in a circle.
“Your mum taught you a lot.”
Dawn nodded, sadness washing over her face as she brushed the portrait of her mum away and brushed her hands together to rid herself of the dirt before pointing to him.
She asked about his mum and he laughed, it sounding foreign to him. How long had it been since he last laughed? He couldn’t recall.
He leaned close to her and whispered, “It’s rumored that the devil hatched me.”
Dawn didn’t know what made her do it. Perhaps it was pure instinct, the need to protect not only herself but him from such an evil thought. He had to have had a mother and she had to have loved him. Someone somewhere had to have loved him. How horrible to think otherwise.
She placed her hand to his cheek and shook her head to let him know that she didn’t believe that.
How foreign and yet how comforting her cool, gentle touch felt. He had forgotten how a gentle and caring hand felt and to be comforted for the simple sake of it. Dawn expected nothing; she gave generously of herself and all to let him know that she didn’t believe such nonsense.
Her fingers grazed slowly along his cheek as she removed her hand. Cree felt the loss of her caring touch down to the pit of his stomach. It was almost as if she had branded him and now he belonged to her.
He belonged to no woman and never would.
Irritated that she had affected him so foolishly, he struck at her with words, “I am not a pet you can comfort with a tender touch.” Her response surprised him and quickly had him regretting his words.
She placed her hand to her face, pointed to him and then waved her hand back and forth while shaking her head. She was telling him that she would not do it again and regret washed over him.
And so did anger.
He stood and yanked her up by the arm and propelled her to the door. He pounded on it and when it opened he shoved her out. “Do not return until this evening.” He closed the door with such force that a board cracked.
His hand fisted so tightly that his knuckles turned pure white and he restrained himself from punching the door. He turned and went over to the blanket but didn’t sit. He opened his fisted hand and placed it to the cheek she had touched and his hand tingled.
What had it been about her simple touch that affected him so? Never had he felt anything like it before, but then it had been far too long since he had felt such tenderness. And he regretted even more his response, for she would never touch him again. That meant he would never again feel such pure loving tenderness.
He sat and was about to push the food away, his hunger gone when he changed his mind and grabbed a piece of bread. Food kept one strong and he had to stay strong. What nonsense for him to waste time on a mute. The only purpose Dawn served for him was to learn what he could from her. And seeing that she was more astute meant that there was much she knew about the village and Colum.
Tonight they would talk and only talk. There would be no touching and tonight he would send her home to sleep. Regret once again pinched at his gut and he shook his head. He would not have her sleep with him, not now, not ever, the thought grew him much too hard and the consequences much too unacceptable.
Chapter Seven
Fear prickled every inch of Dawn’s skin. She knew the moment that Cree threw her out that she was in trouble... serious trouble. The guard John grabbed her arm and squeezed it so tightly that her breath caught in her throat.
“You’re in trouble now.”
Her breath returned with a soundless gasp as he dragged her off after issuing orders for Angus to stay alert while he took her to Colum.
The villagers stared at her, their mouths agape as John forcibly dragged her through the village yanking her up whenever she stumbled but not before rocks skinned her leg, bringing a silent grimace to her face.