Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
She laid her head on her husband’s chest, though she was unable to stop worrying. That she didn’t upset her since she always found solace in Cree’s strong arms. His embrace never failed to comfort, protect, reassure, and she needed all of that right now. Her wound had waned more of her strength than she cared to admit not only to herself but especially to her husband.
“It may sound strange, but I get the feeling that wolves rule here more than humans,” Cree said, skeptical of his own thought.
Dawn bobbed her head rapidly then cringed.
“You cannot bob your head like that, it does your wound no good,” Cree scolded, hating to see her in pain.
Dawn sighed, frustrated, and gestured as she stepped away from him.
“I want to go home as well, but your wound and the fog prohibit our departure.” He could not help but say, “I have rarely seen you this agitated.”
Dawn gestured again.
“You are uneasy here.”
She nodded and continued to gesture.
“Secrets? You think secrets lurk here?”
She gestured again.
“Dangerous secrets,” Cree said to confirm what his wife meant.
Dawn nodded slowly and drifted back into her husband’s arms.
Cree hugged her close. “I will let nothing happen to you.”
Dawn turned worried eyes on him and tapped his chest.
“Worry not about me,” he said, and she raised her brow. “All right, so we both worry about each other, but there is not much we can do about it right now. We are stuck here for two, possibly three days.”
Dawn held up two fingers.
Cree saw the stubbornness in her eyes. She would stay no more than two days, but if the fog didn’t cooperate, they would have no choice but to remain there. He didn’t argue with her. The only thing he could do was take one day at a time and get them out of there as soon as it proved possible.
Dawn fell asleep shortly after finishing the hot brew and he worried that the healer had put something in the drink to have her sleep. He wasn’t sure if he was pleased with that or not. Though he knew Dawn wouldn’t be. But perhaps the healer thought it best that she rested.
Cree pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders and left the room to explore the keep and see what he could find. He did not know how long she would sleep, but he was sure about one thing, he did not want her to wake and find herself alone. So, he would hurry and make himself familiar with the keep then return to Dawn.
The keep was quiet, barely a sound stirring, a far different atmosphere from his keep. Talk and laughter were usually heard as well as his children running, laughing, and shouting throughout the keep or Beast’s huge bark was heard when he chased after them in delightful play. His keep was full of joy. There was no joy in this keep.
He explored the two floors above the bedchamber where he and Dawn had been moved to. Torches with dwindling flames sat in wall sconces and cast barely sufficient light along the winding staircase. He measured his steps carefully, not sure what each turn would bring. He yanked one of the torches out of the bracer to light the way as he explored. There were two bedchambers and a lady’s solar that obviously had not been used in some time since numerous cobwebs and a plethora of dust now occupied both.
He stopped when he heard something overhead. Were those footfalls he heard? Was Lord Tiernan’s quarters overhead? But why would quarters that hadn’t shown use in years be beneath his? Usually, a lord of a clan had quarters on the first floor above the main floor. It granted him easier access to whatever was going on below and provided a faster route to make an escape if necessary.
Cree heard the noise again and listened. It wasn’t footfalls he heard, and he listened more closely. What was the sound he heard? It came to him. It sounded like Beast’s nails when he failed to keep them trimmed and they could be heard scratching along the wood floors. But he had seen no signs of a dog’s presence in the keep, so where did the sound come from, or was he wrong about the sound?
He considered going and investigating, but he was a guest here and it would be improper to be caught exploring the keep without Lord Tiernan’s permission. And the sound was made by either man or beast, and it would not be wise to get caught by either.
Cree made his way below to the Great Hall, which was empty. He found a closed door behind a drapery that led along a corridor and at the end of it, he found himself facing a locked door. He was looking for exits besides the usual main entrance and exit. There was probably an exit through the kitchen, though he hadn’t found a corridor that connected the keep to it. A corridor kept the kitchen a safe distance from the keep, preventing any potential fires from reaching the keep. Although some keeps kept the kitchen completely separate with no attachment at all. He found that unlikely with the problem of wolves in the area.