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Slayer pulled his lips off hers.

“That hurt,” she said, her hand going to her mouth.

“Bloody hell,” Slayer mumbled, angry with himself and left the cottage.

Sky tasted blood in her mouth and fear sent a shiver through her. Slayer, the Gallowglass warrior, had returned, and she was not sure how to deal with him. She shook her head. How could she love part of him and fear the other? It was like the animals in the woods. She loved them but she also knew that they could be dangerous when cornered or hungry. Those times she avoided them or approached them differently.

Then she recalled how he had given his word to her that he would never harm her, that she was safe with him. And if anything, her husband was a man of his word. She told herself to always remember his pledge to her and went in search of him.

He hadn’t gone far. He stood under a large oak tree, his back braced against it.

His hand shot up to ward her off. “Leave me be! Anger invades me and I will not have it touch you.” He shook his head. “I did not mean to hurt you.”

“I know,” she said and smiled as she walked toward him. “You are troubled. We should talk before we kiss again.” She quickly licked her lip to stop the blood she felt in her mouth from reaching her lips.

Slayer pushed himself off the tree and had his hand at her chin so fast that it caused Sky to gasp.

“Is that blood? Did I cause you to bleed?” he demanded, his fingers tugging gently at her lip to have a look. “Bloody hell!”

He shut his eyes briefly trying to contain his anger at seeing the blood in her mouth. He knew the calm he had known with Sky these past few weeks would not last, that the powerful warrior within him would rise and take command again. But he never intended to visit that fierceness upon Sky.

She tried to reassure him. “It’s nothing.”

“It most certainly is something. I had no right to hurt you.”

“You did not mean to.”

“That’s no excuse and never should you accept it as one.”

“And should I have lashed out at you and suffered the blow of your hand on my cheek for doing so?”

“I gave you my word that you were safe with me. You should have trusted it,” he argued.

She eased his hand off her chin. “I did and it is why I came in search of you. Now will you tell me what troubles you?” It was easy to see that he was reluctant to tell her. “We have shared and talked about many things these last few weeks. Please don’t stop talking and sharing with me.”

He did not want to cause her more pain or upset or frighten her, though the warrior in him warned against such a foolish thought. She needed to know. “It has been learned that the woman the mercenaries search for has reddish blonde hair.”

Sky instinctively grabbed a strand of her hair. “That means it is either me or Leora they search for.”

“Aye, and it has also been learned that a group of Lowlanders has crossed the border into the Highlands, but the reason is unknown as of yet.”

“But you think it may have something to do with the search for the woman with the reddish blonde hair.”

“I doubt it is a coincidence,” he said and wiped away a small spot of blood on her lower lip with his finger. It fired his anger all over again that he had hurt her, though he was not surprised that he could not harden his heart against it.

What surprised him was that he had come to care a great deal for his wife these past few weeks. It wasn’t only the pleasure he found in coupling with her, it was the time they spent together talking and laughing over foolish tales of when they were very young. There was also the contented silence they shared at times. There was not a time spent here that he did not enjoy being with his wife and the realization was something he continued to try and understand.

Sky left him to his silence having come to realize there were times he needed silence to think. She watched his eyes shift with his thoughts, from anger to concern, then troubled. She had come to understand the difference and it allowed her to come to know him better.

“Two days,” Slayer said. “We leave for Clan Ravinsher in two days.”

“I will be sorry to leave here,” she said.

“It is better not to get attached to anything.” Slayer almost shook his head hearing his father’s words coming from his mouth.

“Too late,” she said with a gentle smile. “I have already grown attached to this lovely place but more so to you.”

She had not intended to say that and yet she had not been able to stop herself.