Highlanders Short Story Collection Read online

  “You are going to die for touching my wife and I am going to enjoy beating the life out of you.” Cree dropped Fitzbane to the ground and before he could get a good footing or catch his breath, Cree delivered a vicious blow to his jaw, sending him reeling.

  Fitzbane stumbled like a drunken lout and Cree did not wait, he grabbed him and landed one vicious blow after another and not to only his face. When Cree released Fitzbane, he fell to the ground on all fours. He raised his head, blood running from his mouth and nose and his one eye beginning to swell.

  Cree raised his booted-foot and gave Fitzbane’s backside a hard kick, sending him sprawling to the ground. He did not wait for the man to recover. Cree leaned down and grabbed Fitzbane by the neck and dragged him to his feet.

  “I am going to squeeze the life out of you like you almost did to my wife,” Cree said with an angry hiss.

  Fitzbane’s one eye was almost closed now, blood spilled from his mouth and was caked around his nose and once again he clawed at Cree’s hand, fighting to breathe.

  Cree squeezed tighter as Fitzbane gagged and clawed in desperation as Cree began to slowly choke the life out of him.

  Someone grabbed Cree’s arm and he threw the person off him.

  “Cree!” Sloan shouted.

  The panic in Sloan’s voice had Cree turning and there on the ground lay his wife. He released Fitzbane, the man collapsing to the ground as Cree hurried to Dawn.

  Sloan was helping her to stand when Cree reached them and pushed Sloan aside, taking hold of his wife.

  “Did I not tell you to stay in the keep?” Cree snapped his arm firm around her waist. He shot Sloan a scowl. “Once we are done here, find the two idiots who let her escape them and see that they are given extra guard duty for a month.”

  Dawn winced, feeling terrible about the two guards’ punishment.

  “Are you hurt?” Cree demanded, running a quick glance over her.

  She shook her head and gestured at Fitzbane who remained on the ground and shook her head again.

  “Fitzbane gets what he deserves,” Cree said loud enough for all to hear.

  Dawn shook her head again.

  “It is not your decision.”

  She tapped the side of her head.

  “I have thought about it and it is a fitting punishment,” Cree said. “And you will not interfere with what I decree.”

  He was right about that. It was not right of her to question him in front of his warriors and his foe. She needed time alone with him to make him see reason. So, she did the only thing that she could think of...she suddenly swayed in place, laid her hand on his arm and rolled her eyes back and dropped into a pretend faint.

  Cree scooped her up before she collapsed completely. He yelled to Sloan. “See that Fitzbane is locked in the hut and place six men around it. And corral all his warriors here at the camp and keep them surrounded while I see to me wife. Who truly better have fainted.”

  Dawn popped her eyes open as soon as he took the last step up the keep stairs.

  Cree looked down at her with a scowl. “A brief moment to have your say is all I will grant you.” A few steps into the hall and he placed her on her feet. “Be done with it.”

  Dawn did not waste a moment, she began gesturing, hoping his anger would dissipate at least a little and he would realize the truth of her words. After only a few gestures, his brow knitted and she knew he was giving what she said thought, so she continued.

  When she finally finished, Cree turned away from her to pace for a moment. “You are right. There could be others helping him to achieve his goal. Killing Fitzbane would not necessarily free Tallis and her son. More needs to be learned from Fitzbane and his brother Giles notified of his devious plan.”

  Dawn was relieved to see that she had made him see reason.

  “When that is all done, then I will kill him,” Cree said.

  Chapter 11

  Dawn sat on a blanket with Tallis shaded from the sun under a large oak tree while Adian plucked at the grass beyond the blanket. The twins slept soundly in a cradle Dawn had brought outside for them to enjoy this glorious summer day. It was sunny and warm with a light breeze, no time to be spending indoors.

  “It is amazing how much he has improved in a week’s time,” Tallis said with a smile as she watched her son.

  Dawn gestured to her, patting her own cheeks.

  Tallis laughed. “Aye, I have improved myself, but how could I not, having enjoyed such delicious meals? Turbett works magic with food.” She reached out her hand to rest on Dawn’s arm. “I am forever grateful for what you and Cree have done for me and Adian. I still cannot believe that others, who Giles believed loyal to him, also plotted with Terran against him.” She shook her head. “I am so glad Cree kept Terran alive and found out the depths of his plans, including that he was poisoning Giles, his own brother. When Giles had taken ill, Devin and I had our suspicions that he was being poisoned, but we could not prove it. I am so very glad that Cree sent men to help Giles rid himself of his foe and that as soon as it is safe, I will be able to return home. And again I am sorry for the hurt I caused you.”

  Dawn shook her head and gestured.

  “Dawn says no apology is necessary. She also would do whatever was necessary to keep her bairns safe. Wouldn’t we all?”

  Dawn turned and greeted Lila with a smile.

  “I hope you do not mind if I join you,” Lila said.

  “Please do,” Tallis said. “I have so missed the company of other women.”

  Dawn scooted over for Lila to sit and as soon as she placed Thomas, her almost year old son down on the blanket, the lad crawled over to Adian and joined him in plucking the grass.

  The women talked and laughed away almost two hours. It was not until Adian and Thomas began to fuss, needing a nap, and the twins started to stir with hunger that the three women got to their feet to take the children inside and see to their needs.

  Dawn stopped when she turned and raised her hand to shelter her eyes from the sun, having caught the sight of riders up on the rise.

  “Who is that with Cree?” Lila asked, shading her eyes to get a better look herself. She smiled. “It is Neil. Elsa will be glad he has returned. But who is the other man?”

  The three women watched as the men approached the village, not surprised to see several of Cree’s warriors following behind them.

  Cree had been secretive earlier this morning when he told her he would be gone for several hours. She had asked him where he was going and he had told her to meet Neil who was on his way home from a mission he had sent him on.

  Dawn watched with pride as the small troop entered the village. Any time Cree returned, villagers stopped what they were doing to stand and stare at him. He always made such an imposing figure, though none as imposing as the first day he had been brought into the village a captive of the then liege lord, Colum. His wrists had been tied, chest bare, and he was tugged along by a rope that Colum held while riding his horse. Yet Cree had walked with confidence and not an ounce of fear. And when his eyes met hers, she had shivered with fear, though now that she thought of it...it may have been with passion.

  She smiled at the wicked thought and was glad he had returned, for she was looking forward to retiring early this evening with her husband. Or perhaps a quick trip to his solar would prove satisfying.

  “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Tallis screamed, then scooped her son up in her arms and ran toward the riders. “Devin! Devin!”

  The stranger, a tall, slim man with fine features, among the troop stopped his horse and dismounted slowly, a distinct limp to his gate as he tried to hurry to his wife.

  Tallis continued to call out his name as if she could not quite believe it was truly him and when she reached him, he threw his arms around her and a now crying Adian.

  Cree continued past them, directing his stallion toward Dawn.

  Lila turned with tears in her eyes to Dawn. “Cree is a good man and the village was lucky the day he inva
ded it and claimed it. And I am glad he fell in love with my best friend. You deserve a good man.”

  Tears pooled in Dawn’s eyes as Lila walked away, grateful for her friendship and her love.

  “Are those happy tears trying to escape?” Cree asked, dismounting and slipping his arm around his wife’s waist.

  Dawn smiled and nodded and pointed past him.

  “You want to know how I found Tallis’s husband.”

  She nodded again.

  “You forget I was once a mercenary. I had Neil make contact with one mercenary in particular that I had a long history with and had him inquire into the attack on Giles’ son. He was generous with his information since Neil offered a generous fee for it. I wanted to know who paid the group to kill the Fitzbane family and prove what I had suspected... that Terran Fitzbane was behind it. Neil tracked the band down and to his great surprise found Devin Fitzbane alive, a slave of the mercenaries, and he negotiated a price to buy his freedom.”

  A tear fell down Dawn’s cheek and Cree wiped it away. “Happy?”

  She scrunched her arms against her, letting him know she was very happy.

  “It also helped that I finally recalled why the name Tallis sounded familiar to me. About two years ago I happened upon an old acquaintance of mine who told me he was just about to carry out a mission he would have been handsomely paid for when it was suddenly aborted. The mission had been to take the life of a woman named Tallis. I can only assume that Fitzbane tried to eliminate Tallis before she could give birth. Why he aborted the mission, I could not say.”

  Dawn tapped her chest, excited and began to gesture.

  “Tallis delivered her son early.” Cree nodded. “That would explain it. Why pay to have Tallis killed when she no longer carried the Fitzbane heir. It is good this has all been discovered. Tallis and Adian are finally safe.”

  The twins cried out at that moment and Dawn gestured as if shoveling food into her mouth.

  “They are hungry,” Cree said.

  Dawn nodded.

  Cree gave his wife a quick kiss. “So am I.”

  The evening was a cheerful one with Tallis and Devin reunited. Food, ale, and wine flowed as plentiful as conversation. Devin ate like a starving man, and though it was obvious he had suffered much the last three months, he did not speak of his ordeal.

  “I think I will eat myself ill, the food is so delicious,” Devin said with a laugh.

  “Eat your fill and then some if you wish,” Cree offered. “And you are welcome to remain here until you feel strong enough to return home.”

  “You have been more than generous to me and especially to my family. I will not continue to impose on your kindness. Besides, I wish to return home and see that my father is well and make certain I rid the clan of those who conspired against us, though I will forever be in your debt.”

  Tallis had not been able to keep her hands off her husband. She was forever touching him, resting a hand on his shoulder or on his arm, as if making sure that this was no dream and he was truly there with her.

  “It will be good to be home again, though I fear that your father will not do what is necessary when it comes to his brother Terran,” Tallis said. “He will never be more than what he is now, an evil man, and I fear your father will not see that.”

  Devin agreed with a nod. “I have thought the same myself.”

  “Have no worry,” Cree said, “Terran will not be returning home with you. He dared to harm my wife and I will see him punished.”

  “Again I am in your debt,” Devin said with a respectful nod. “My father has a good heart and I have no doubt he would forgive his brother as he has over the years.”

  “A mighty chieftain can have a good heart, but never a foolish one or his clan will suffer for it. Evil deeds and disobedience must be punished and rules obeyed or discord will prevail and eventually chaos will rule. Remember that and you will be a good chieftain one day.”

  Cree turned to his wife and Dawn smiled. He did not have to say a word to her, she knew his thought. He was letting her know that he had not forgotten that she had disobeyed him.

  Dawn leaned closer to him as if she were about to whisper to him and crossed her wrists.

  “Aye, you are right. I should tie you up and punish you,” he whispered, and then scowled, the image arousing him. “One of these days...” he shook his head, the image growing much too clear and he growing much too hard.

  Dawn’s smile grew and she crossed her heart several times and he wanted to throttle her since it was as if he heard her clearly.

  Promises. Promises.

  Dawn gestured that she was going to feed the twins and afterwards she would retire and wait for him in their bedchamber.

  He silently cursed his thoughts of her naked in bed waiting for him since it did not help his arousal any. And naturally, time could not go fast enough after that. It was only an hour later, though it felt much longer to Cree that Devin and Tallis bid him good evening and retired to their room. Cree took a few moments to talk with Sloan, then made his way to his bedchamber.

  He was eager to make love to his wife and could not take the stairs fast enough. He was surprised that he did not find her in their bed naked, waiting for him. She stood by the hearth in a delicate nightdress, the fire light creating a silhouette of her body beneath.

  She was a beauty and the thought brought back a memory that had haunted him since the day he had spoken the words.

  He walked over to her and slipped his hand around the back of her neck and tugged her to him to meet his lips that swooped down in a hungry kiss. His tongue shot into her mouth, catching her silent gasp before turning her senseless with his demanding kiss.

  After only a moment, he pulled his mouth away from hers. “There is something I must tell you.”

  Her heart slammed in her chest, seeing his eyes fill with pain and she worried over what he was about to say.

  “That day that Tallis arrived and you heard me say that I would have remembered a beauty such as her...I never meant those words. I meant only to see her reaction and what I could learn from it. When I turned and saw you there, I learned what I never expected to learn.”

  She scrunched her brow.

  He kissed her lightly. “I learned that I would rather suffer the tortures of hell than to have you believe that I think another woman more beautiful than you. There is no woman that can come close to your beauty.”

  Dawn’s heart soared with joy and she smiled so wide she was sure it devoured her entire face.

  Cree smiled along with her, pleased to see how happy he had made her. Her smile faded suddenly and he grew worried. “What is wrong?”

  She patted her chest and hung her head.

  “What are you sorry about?”

  She tapped his chest, then his mouth, and then herself and shook her head.

  Cree nodded slowly. “For not obeying me.” He turned and walked away from her to sit on the end of the bed. “You disobeyed me several times in a matter of two days and you forced me to punish the two guards who failed to keep you safe and in the keep.”

  She nodded and gestured again.

  Cree shook his head. “No, you do not deserve their punishment. Their failure earned them their punishment.”

  She patted her chest.

  He nodded. “Aye, you deserve to be punished for what you did. But what your punishment will be is what weighs heavily on me.”

  Dawn hung her head for a moment, then slipped her nightdress off her shoulders and let it fall to puddle around her feet. She took slow steps toward him.

  Her beauty grew him hard in an instant.

  She stopped beside him, smiled, and lowered herself over his knees, presenting her bare backside to him.

  Cree smiled as his hand came softly down on her bottom, and said, “We are both going to enjoy this punishment, wife.”

  * * *

  The End...not quite.

  Look for more stories about Cree and Dawn and their family and friend
s.

  If you’d like to see how Cree and Dawn got together you can read their story in Highlander Unchained/Forbidden Highlander

  About the Author

  It was her love of reading and daydreaming that started USA Today bestselling author Donna Fletcher’s writing career. Besides gobbling up books, her mom generously bought for her, she spent a good portion of her time lost in daydreams that took her on grand adventures. She met heroes, villains, and heroines that, while usually in danger, always found the strength and courage to prevail. She traveled the world and through time in her dreams. Some places and times fascinated her more than others and she would rush to the library (no Internet at that time) and read all she could about that particular period and place. After a while, she simply could not ignore all the adventures swirling around in her head. She had no choice but to bring them more vividly to life, and so she started writing.

  Donna enjoys living on the beautiful Jersey Shore surrounded by family and friends and a cat who thinks she’s a princess, but what cat doesn’t, and a dog who bows to the princess’s demands.

  For More Information:

  www.donnafletcher.com

  Also by Donna Fletcher

  The Pict King Series

  The King’s Executioner

  The King’s Warrior

  The King and His Queen

  Machines Sisters Trilogy

  Highlander’s Stolen Heart

  Highlander’s Rebellious Love

  Highlander: The Dark Dragon

  Cree & Dawn Series

  Highlander Unchained/Forbidden Highlander

  Highlander’s Captive

  Cree & Dawn Short Stories

  Highlander’s True Love

  Highlander’s Promise

  Highlander’s Winter Tale/Highlander’s Rescue

  For a complete list of Donna’s titles, visit her website.