Chapter 7

Sky ran. She didn't know where she was going and did not care. She just needed to escape the hurt that tore at her heart and soul.

Unlovable.

She had heard that before and had gone with tearful eyes, though she would not allow herself to shed them, to her sisters to tell them what the women had said about her that no man would ever love her. That she was unlovable. Worse they had laughed about how a man would have to slip a sack over her head, so he did not have to look into her evil eyes. Leora demanded to know who the women were, but Sky had refused to tell her, knowing it would only make matters worse. Elsie had told her they were jealous of her beauty and that was why they were so mean. She wanted to believe her sister since it helped lessen the hurt, but the women were right, and Slayer's words had just proved it. No man would ever love her. She was unlovable. Slayer would tolerate her, do his husbandly duties, and care nothing for her.

The rain poured down on her, soaking through her garments, but she didn't care. She just wanted to run, escape, but how did one escape oneself?

Sky gasped when her arm was grabbed, and she was yanked to a stop and spun around to be plastered against her husband's hard, wet chest.

"Don't ever, EVER, run away from me like that again," he yelled to make sure he was heard above the pouring rain and his pounding heart, thinking it could be heard it beat so heavily. "You cannot escape this marriage as much as you may want to and never would you escape me. I would find you no matter where you went. Nothing, absolutely nothing would stop me from finding you."

Though she was locked in no cell, this marriage still made her feel very much a prisoner and one from which she would never be able to escape. Her shoulders slumped and her head drooped in defeat.

He scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the cottage, the heavy rain soaking them every step of the way. Once inside, he stood her on her feet in front of the hearth.

"You need to get out of those wet garments," he said and went to the chest at the foot of the bed and grabbed the blanket folded on top and returned to her. "Take off your garments and wrap yourself in this." He placed the blanket on the table and stepped away from her and began to strip off his own garments.

Sky stood staring at him, too shocked and fearful to move while he undressed without hesitation.

"Get them off, Sky, or I will do it for you," he ordered.

She forced her chin up and she wished she could force her fear away, but that was not possible. Instead, she did her best to temper it. "Please, Slayer, do not make me do this now. I have only learned I am your wife. Please give me a chance to digest this news and come to terms with it before we consummate our marriage."

She had braved her own fear to speak up to him and for that he admired her, and her plea made sense. This was all shocking news to her, news she had yet to come to accept.

"You make a reasonable request so I will not deny it but when it comes time, I will have your word that you will not deny me but willingly consummate the marriage."

"You will give me time?" she asked, her fear subsiding now that she had been granted a delay.

"I will give you a few days, no more."

"A few days should be sufficient," she said, though she had no idea if it would be. But at least it gave her time to better understand her situation and to learn more about her husband and perhaps befriend him as she had thought it wise to do. Maybe then things would not seem as dreadful as they presently felt.

"We will revisit this in a few days. Now get out of those wet garments," he ordered and stepped away and turned his back on her.

She was grateful he gave her a bit of privacy. He was right about the wet garments. They would do her no good, though the thought of having only a blanket to wear left her feeling vulnerable.

She hurried and rinsed the rainwater from her hair before she began to undress and get the blanket wrapped around her so that she would not be left standing there naked when he turned around.

A sudden chill sent a shiver through her, and she hurried to finish tucking the blanket around her a few moments before he turned to face her. He walked toward her with ease and with no regard for his nakedness as though it was a common thing for him to walk naked in front of a woman. The brief view of his wide, muscled back and taut backside had been compelling enough to see, but the front of him assaulted the senses and sent a pleasurable sensation racing through her. He was an exceptional figure of a man and far too easy to gaze upon.

He stopped in front of her. Her two different colored eyes intrigued him but what intrigued him even more was how easy it was for him to see in her eyes what she was feeling. And he did not like the fright and vulnerability he saw there, though he understood it. He had spoken the truth to her and told her that his father had chosen her as a wife for Warrand because he believed his son would not love her and now, she believed the same of him. That love would never exist between them. That he would tolerate her.

Sky forced herself not to flinch when he raised his hand toward her and with his finger gently wiped the rivulet of rainwater that she felt dripping from her hair down along her cheek.

"I am a man of honor, Sky, on that you can count. I cannot promise you that I will ever grow to love you, for I am not sure I can love or even know how to love a wife. What I can promise you is that I will honor our marriage vows, be faithful to you, do my duties as a husband and treat you well. I can offer no more than that, but it is more than most arranged marriages offer."

That he was truthful with her touched her heart and had her admitting, "I sometimes fear you."

"You are not alone in that. Many fear me, but you have nothing to fear from me. I will never harm you. Will I never be angry with you? I imagine not. We will probably anger each other at times but you will come to know I command and grow accustomed to obeying my word. And again, I will never harm you."

He had told her that often enough and with how he had protected her so far, she was beginning to trust his word, though she voiced another concern. "I barely know you."

"We will grow to know each other. In the meantime, we will be friends."

He commanded more than offered friendship, but that mattered little. He was offering her something no one ever had… to be her friend.

She responded quickly. "I would like that."

"Then it is settled," he said, and as if needing to seal the agreement, he kissed her lips gently, then turned away from her and went to the chest at the bottom of the bed.

Sky touched her lips faintly as she watched him rummage through the chest. His kiss had surprised her and what surprised her even more was that it had been pleasant. She saw that he pulled out a plaid and quickly wrapped it around himself. When done, he pulled another garment out of the chest and walked over to her.

"A shirt for you to wear until your garments dry."

She took it from him and went to thank him, but different words fell from her lips. "That was my first kiss, and it was nice." She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She was a fool for saying that?

He had not expected to hear that from her, and he definitely did not expect to be pleased to hear it and annoyed at the same time. Though his response offered a sound reason for it. "Aye, your first kiss from me and the last kiss you will ever know will be from me since your lips will touch no others but mine."

His edict confirmed it. They were wed and would remain wed until their dying day. Slayer was her fate whether she wanted him to be or not. So, how did she accept such a fate?

She slipped the shirt over her head, hurrying her arms through the long sleeves and when the shirt fell past her knees, she wiggled out of the blanket and let it fall to the ground. She snatched it up and folded it to place on the bed, then moved the small bench in front of the fire pit and sat. She combed her hair with her fingers, easing the wet strands loose so they would dry, giving her heart time to stop pounding and her mind from reeling. She could not believe all that had happened in the last few days, and she did not want to continue to think about it. She focused on her hair to ease her mind. At least the rainwater had chased away some of the dirt that had accumulated there while she was locked in the cell. She would give her hair a good scrubbing in the stream tomorrow along with her garments, eager to wear clean garments again. And she hoped the squirrel would visit with her and bring more friends with him.

Friends. Slayer offered friendship. She made friends easily with the animals and came to know them well. She could do the same with Slayer… be his friend and come to know him well. Maybe, just maybe, she would not fear him anymore.

That fear burst into a burning flame when he joined her in bed later.

"You may as well get used to me beside you since we will share a bed each night from this night on," he said and discarded his plaid and got in bed with her.

The bed was a decent size for two people of normal size, but Slayer was not normal size. He was larger than most men, so the fit was snug. Sky tried to keep tucked close to the wall, but his weight, from use, had caused the stuffed mattress to sink some in the middle, and she found herself slipping toward him when she moved.

After a few times of brushing up against him, Slayer grabbed hold of her and rested her against his side. "I gave you my word. I will not touch you yet. You can rest against me without worry or fear. That way you can remain still and allow both of us to get some sleep."

"I have only ever slept alone," she said softly as if trying to explain her restlessness.

"And now, you will sleep alone no more," he said, and his arm tightened around her, reminding her that was where she would stay… beside him. "Now go to sleep."

His tone held annoyance and she laid still and stiff in his arms, too worried to move. Needing to calm that worry, she asked, "You are my friend, Slayer, right?"

"Aye, Sky, I am your friend and always will be. Now sleep. You are safe with me."

For some reason, his words reassured her, and her body relaxed against him, and it was not long before she fell asleep.

Not so, Slayer. He laid awake thinking… about Sky. She was not what he expected, though it was more that he had not expected to find her appealing, not only in appearance, but her nature as well. And it disturbed him that he actually had looked forward to simply sleeping with her, holding her as he did, confirming that she belonged to him and always would.

He would think she had worked a spell on him if he believed her evil as some did. But he had seen true evil through the years and Sky did not come close to being evil. He did not think evil could even survive around her since she had such a kind soul. Not once had she gotten angry at him, fought with him, yelled at him, complained to him, or cried over her misfortune. Her words to him were soft and her smiles gentle. Even with the bruises under her eyes she was still beautiful, and she had suffered her hurt nose in silence, not offering one complaint about it.

It was his mission in their marriage to keep her safe and he had failed her that day even though his warriors had prevented the man from killing her. That culprit never should have gotten close to her. He still had not discovered how the man had gotten past his warriors, a worry that had caused him to double the sentinels around the cottage. Even though it sat in the middle of the Gallowglass practice area, it was not likely anyone would get this far. However, he would take no chance.

With how busy his mind was tonight, he would be lucky to get any sleep at all, though that also might be because his wife had draped her arm over his chest and had rested her slim leg over his leg. She had gotten comfortable against him in her sleep, and he found he enjoyed the feel of her body against his. An odd thing for sure, since like her, he had always slept alone. But no more. She would be there resting against him every night and he felt a smile touch his lips as his eyes closed.

* * *

Slayer woke with a stretch,feeling good even though he probably had not gotten much sleep. Realizing he didn't feel his wife beside him, he jolted up and looked around. Sky was nowhere to be seen. How had she gotten out of bed without him feeling her movements or even sensing them?

He hurried out of bed, snatched a clean shirt from the chest, and got his plaid wrapped around him with haste. He raked his fingers through his long hair just before he opened the door and stepped out of the cottage.

He stopped after only taking a few steps to find Sky smiling and talking to Skell, his stallion, as she fed him wild onions. And bloody hell if the horse didn't nod at her as if he understood her. His eyes also caught sight of her garments and his from yesterday when they had been caught in the rain. They were hanging from tree branches and appeared freshly washed, as did she. Her hair shined a lovely, reddish blonde and fell in careless waves around her face and over her shoulders. He had not noticed the red in her hair before now, which meant she had washed it as well as their garments, which also meant…

"You went to the stream without me," he accused with a raised voice as he walked toward her. She turned the most beautiful smile on him, and it almost stopped him in his tracks.

"I had company," she said, feeding the last of the wild onions she had gathered to Skell.

"Who?" he demanded when he stopped in front of her and caught the scent of fresh pine on her.

"The squirrel who visited with me yesterday and his friend as well as a doe who shared a berry bush with me. I would have woken you, but you slept so soundly and peacefully that I thought it best to let you be. Besides, I was sure you had sentinels posted so there was nothing for me to fear." She tilted her head back and smiled at the sun that shone brightly. "Besides, I usually wake just before dawn. I love the chance of catching a gorgeous sunrise and I was lucky enough to watch one this morning."

Slayer realized how late he must have slept with all she had gotten done and with how high the sun was in the sky. It was rare that he slept so late, usually being up at dawn. It was even rarer that he felt so rested but pushed the thought from his mind.

"Wake me the next time," he ordered, casting a glance around for the spear he had fashioned yesterday for fishing. "I will fish for breakfast for us."

"I have eaten my fill of blaeberries. It was plenty for me."

She was more self-sufficient than he had thought. She did not wait for someone to take care of her. She saw to taking care of herself, a trait he had not expected her to possess.

"I kept extra berries for you if you would like some, though I suspect that will not be enough food to fill you." She walked a short distance away to grab a small basket that sat atop a large rock and returned and held it out to him.

Slayer took a handful, blaeberries being a favorite of his.

"I spotted a patch of juniper berries. They will flavor a meat stew quite nicely if you hunt today."

"My warriors will hunt for us, and food supplies should arrive today."

"Why do we stay here, Slayer?" she asked as he reached for another handful of berries. "It cannot be for my safety alone since you have told me enough times that I am safe when I am with you. So why are we truly here?"

He nodded at the bench under the large oak tree and, placing his hand low on her back, urged her toward it. He waited until they were seated to answer her. "Ross is the only one who knows that we are husband and wife, and it will remain that way even when we return to Clan Ravinsher. No one must know, not even your sisters, at least not yet. I thought the news best delivered when we were alone, and you were given time to accept the marriage."

"But why keep it a secret?"

"Until I can find out why my brother and father were murdered?—"

She gasped. "You think your father and brother were murdered by someone who wishes to lay claim to Clan Ravinsher—" She gasped again. "If that is so, then your life is in danger as well."

"Yours as well since you can produce an heir to the clan," he said, amazed that she had thought of him being in danger before even considering that her life was in danger for two distinct reasons.

"Do you have any suspicions of who it might be?" She shook her head and did not give him a chance to answer. "It doesn't make sense. Only a fool would kill the brother and father of a renowned Gallowglass warrior. It would bring the Gallowglass down on him." She gasped again and grabbed hold of Slayer's arm. "Unless the culprit is part of the Gallowglass."

"That brings us to another reason for us being here," he said, appreciating his wife's sharp mind since he had thought the same. "This cottage sits in the middle of the Gallowglass training ground."

She squeezed his arm. "Are we surrounded by Gallowglass warriors? Are they all loyal to you?"

"The ones in the surrounding area are, but they come from all over the Highlands, and those I cannot vouch for, though I would be surprised if a Gallowglass betrayed one of their own. Honor is something the Gallowglass lives by."

Sky turned quiet, not saying a word, and her hand fell off his arm.

"I know what you are thinking, Sky," he said, annoyed that he favored her touch. It was not like him to feel that way about a woman's touch, and yet he found Sky's innocent, casual touches oddly comforting.

"You are observant so I would say you probably do know my thought."

Slayer proved it with his response. "You think my warriors would wonder why I brought you here and so they do not discover the truth, you believe I told them the reason was to drive the evil out of you."

"It would serve a double purpose since you could bring me home to your clan a cleansed soul."

Again, he admired her quick mind, but it also cautioned him to be careful, for she could find out things that might be better kept from her. Or was he worried she would discover things before he did?

"You could benefit from such an assumption," he said. "People would not fear you and would begin to befriend you."

"You do not truly believe that, do you?" she asked as if she could not believe she had to ask, and she shook her head. "I fear there will come a day that you regret our marriage."

"Never!"

He responded with such force that Sky drew her head back quickly.

"Never will that day come. I will never regret having you as my wife. I may be a fierce, brutal warrior, but I am an honorable man and will do right by you."

"Aye. I am sure you will since duty calls for nothing less from you," she said and did not understand why that saddened her.

"I must go to the Gallowglass compound. There is someone there who may have information on who poisoned my father," Slayer said and stood.

Sky stood as well and rested her hand on his chest. "Will you share with me what you learn? I would very much like to help you solve the mystery of their murders as well as solving my sisters and my dilemma."

"Perhaps," was all he would offer her.

"Please do consider it," she said as her hand fell away from his chest.

"Do not go wandering in the forest while I am gone. Stay close to the cottage, though you may go to the stream. The men guard that area well." He went to his horse and began to saddle him. "I do not know how long I will be gone."

"I will keep busy with cleaning out the garden so the new sprouts can grow."

At least the task would keep her occupied, though he did not want to tell her that she wouldn't be there to harvest the plants. They would be long gone from here before then.

"We will talk more when I return," he said and mounted his stallion.

"I look forward to it," she said and realized the truth of her own words and hoped it was a good beginning to their growing friendship.

He felt the same, but he did not tell her. He rode off not glancing back at her but wanting to and that annoyed him.