Dawn pressed her fingers to her throat and shook her head.
“You cannot speak?”
She nodded and waited apprehensively for his response.
“How long before you can?”
He did not understand. He assumed her ill.
She shook her head, trepidation mounting.
He looked with puzzling eyes on her and leaned forward away from the door and closer to her, his face so close to hers that his warm breath brushed her cheek. “Are you telling me that you cannot speak at all?”
She answered with one quick bob of her head.
“Not a grunt or groan?”
She shook her head and waited.
“How long have you suffered this —” he shook his head— “I am asking you questions you cannot answer.”
She was about to gesture that she could speak with him in her own way, but recalled Colum telling her that she was to report everything Cree said to her. If he knew that she could communicate then he might be averse to saying anything to her. Colum would certainly punish her if she had no information to give him. So she chose not to let Cree know.
“Colum was wise for sending me a dumb one.”
Dawn was aware that anyone without a voice was referred to as dumb, but along with it came the assumption that the person was also ignorant. Her mother had made certain she was anything but that. Though she could not speak, she could understand French, Latin and various Gaelics, her mother having taught her. And her mother had encouraged her drawing, insisting that Dawn had been given such a generous talent as a distinct way of communicating.
“He believes he has bested me.”
Did he suddenly think her deaf too? Would he chatter away and give her news to take to Colum?
“You do have a name, do you not?” Cree asked.
She nodded.
“Is there some way you can express it to me?’
She didn’t see any harm in letting him know her name. She turned her gaze on the ground beside her and cleared the dirt of the few leaves and stones, grabbing one as she finished. She drew a horizontal line and above it a half circle. She finished it with lines bursting from the top of it.
Cree studied it a moment and then glanced up at her. “Dawn. Your name is Dawn.”
She smiled and nodded, pleased that he understood so quickly.
“Dawn,” he said curtly.
Her name was so abrupt on his lips that she thought him angry. However, she did not shiver, though she remained still.
“It is time for you to take your leave.”
He stood then and returned to the shadowy corner.
She did not hesitate to stand and hurry to the door, leaving the bucket of water and basket of remaining food for him. She wanted out of the small prison and away from Cree.
“Dawn.”
Not a shout, and yet the potency of it had her cringing and reluctantly turning around. She could not see him, the shadows having swallowed him. She waited hoping he had not changed his mind.
“When you return with my evening meal bring a blanket.”
She nodded, relief trickling all the way down to her toes.
“Make it a large one. You will be sleeping with me tonight.”
Chapter Four
Night fell and pitched Cree into total darkness. A chill came with it, but he did not shiver or bemoan his circumstances. He remained strong and focused on what must be done next. He needed to learn as much as he could.
He had had no doubt that the stout leader Colum would send him a woman or ply him with food in hopes of retrieving information from him before they tortured him mercilessly, and then killed him. It appeared his fate was inevitable or at least his enemies believed so.
He had counted on their ignorance, and they hadn’t failed him. Though he had been surprised to see that Colum had sent him a woman who could not speak, assuming he could learn nothing from her. Dawn, however, was not as dumb as no doubt many assumed. In the short time he had spent with her, he learned that she was capable of communicating, and he doubted that Column was aware of the extent of her soundless speech.
She would serve him well, and he would see that she did, though he couldn’t allow lust to interfere with his plans. He had grown hard when her face accidentally met his groin. He had not bed a woman in awhile, his mission keeping him busy so it had only been natural that Dawn’s mishap had grown him hard.
While he could easily abate his need between her legs, he had no intention of bedding her. He favored women who could moan and groan and scream, quite loudly with pleasure from his mighty thrusts.
He would make Colum think Dawn was serving his purpose while using her to his advantage. Then when the time was right...
Night shadows scurried away from him when he grinned, the dark even fearing him.
He had fought many battles in his bid to get here and now that he was here, he would let nothing stand in his way—especially not a plain woman without a voice.