Dawn saw that it was more worry than burden for the man. He truly cared about his niece, and it was now clear why. The Highlands could be a harsh place, but it held beauty as well, it was learning the difference that mattered.
“Flora is stronger than you think, Da,” Tavia said in her cousin’s defense.
“I hope that is so, daughter, for she will need that strength, here in the Highlands and in her new life,” Newlin said with little confidence.
Drink and food were enjoyed while talk continued, though on more pleasant subjects and it was Beast who stood from his resting place by the fire that brought the evening to a close, letting her know he needed his time outside before settling for the night.
“I will see him out. Wait here for me,” Cree ordered and was not surprised his wife stood along with him. “You want a bit of fresh air before bed?”
Dawn nodded.
Cree tucked his wife’s fur-lined cloak around her before they both left the keep, Beast hurrying off as soon as they stepped outside.
Snow flurries fell and a sharp cold stung the air. Dawn hugged her husband’s arm tight and rested herself against him as they walked slowly.
“I miss home and the twins,” Cree said, the thought a near constant in his mind.
Dawn patted her chest, letting him know she felt the same.
Cree chuckled. “I even miss your chatty friend Lila.”
Dawn smiled.
“I owe her much,” Cree said.
She was surprised to hear that.
“I do not know what I would have done without her when we first met and I did not always understand your gestures, especially when you got angry with me. I was always relieved when she was able to interpret with ease. I was so jealous.” He chuckled again. “She is a good friend to us both.”
Dawn agreed with a nod.
“I want to go home, wife. We need to solve this problem and quick,” he said.
They had been here barely two days, though had spent almost four days traveling, and he had mentioned that he wanted to go home several times already, and she was glad. It reaffirmed what she knew that she and the twins were home to him, and it was where he wanted most to be.
“I have been giving possibilities thought and I wonder if the problem has anything to do with Tavia’s new husband, Lord Bhric.”
Her brow went up in surprise, not that her husband saw it, his mind not only distracted but his eyes as well. They were busy concentrating on the shadows that appeared to dance along the perimeters of the keep. A sudden chill seized Dawn and she wondered if one of the many shadows could be real.
“Northmen are known to take slaves to serve them,” Cree said.
Dawn tapped her husband’s arm so he would look at her and see her shake her head.
“I know why you shake your head at my thought. Older men and women would only be a burden on the Northmen so why take them?”
Dawn nodded.
“The same thought struck me, but I needed to visit it for myself to see if it would make sense so I could rule it out. There would be no reason for him to abduct anyone from here. He could simply order someone removed.” He shook his head. “Who would want the ones taken or could they have walked off of their own accord, an absurd thought since… where would they go?”
Dawn had thought the same.
“The dead man makes it more of a puzzle. Where had he come from? What was he doing in the area? And does it have anything to do with the disappearance of those from this clan?”
Dawn drifted around in front of him and wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist and rested her head on his chest. They had had enough puzzling thoughts for one day. It was time to think on other things and her thought was on the desire that had been poking at her too often throughout the day. She had the same thought her husband had expressed earlier… it had been too long since she had felt him inside her.
“Are you telling me you have heard enough about this dilemma for the day?” he asked, his arms folding around her.
She nodded and smiled up at him.
“What do you want, wife?’ he asked.
She tapped his chest.
He lowered his head to capture her lips in a kiss when Beast’s sudden anxious barking stopped him. He hastily shoved Dawn behind him, and his eyes searched the area for Beast.
He silently cursed the dog when he saw him bouncing playfully beside Henry as they emerged from the shadows.
“Forgive me, my lord, I did not mean to intrude. Beast barked when he spotted me near the woods and hurried to join me,” the tracker said as he approached.