Page 45 of Highlander the Conqueror

Slayer stood and called out, “Euniss! See to Sky!”

“Aye, my lord,” Euniss said from across the large room.

Sky was not surprised or upset when he left without saying a word to her. Whispers could already be heard amongst the servants questioning her presence and that he had even sat with her at one of the tables meant for his warriors and guests. This was not going to be easy being among so many strangers and not one of them knowing she was Lord Slayer’s wife.

* * *

Sky kepther eyes closed and had hoped to be left alone after she had informed Euniss that she required no help bathing. Euniss had thought differently and after much debate, the woman had agreed to leave her alone to disrobe though not to wash.

She had barely gotten into the tub when Euniss returned with two servants, but she cared not since the hot bath water she was immersed in up to her neck felt far too good to care about anything. If only she could linger in it for hours, the heat easing the few aches that plagued her, but the bath water would not stay heated for long. She was relieved that her raw wrists had healed well, and her bruised eyes had long since vanished or it would have made her arrival here that much worse. Gossiping tongues were probably already busy creating a tale about her two different colored eyes that would no doubt embellish with time.

She shook her thoughts aways, wanting nothing more than to enjoy the heated water. The wood tub was a substantial size, far larger than she was accustomed to, a fit more preferrable for Slayer. Though it might be confining for him with the width of his impressive shoulders and long legs. His size alone could intimidate. It certainly had intimidated her and still did at times. Other times, it did not disturb her at all. And his pronounced muscles could cause any man to think twice about challenging him and yet she loved the feel of them, loved feeling his strength when he maneuvered her around in bed with a lift of one arm to fit her perfectly beneath him.

She bit back the soft moan rising inside her along with her passion. There had to be something wrong with her that her need for her husband was so great. She recalled hearing women talking and laughing among themselves, not realizing she was near or perhaps not caring. What was it some of them had said about their husbands?

Mine stirs me to madness.

Lucky you, mine doesn’t stir me at all.

Mine makes me tingle all over.

A simple touch from mine stirs me.

I got myself the wrong husband.

Slayer could certainly stir her to madness, and he made her tingle all over and, Lord, help her, his touch alone could spark her desire for him. She smiled to herself and silently thanked the heavens that she accidentally found the right husband.

Strong whispers penetrated her thoughts, though she was glad for the interruption, needing to quell her passion. She listened to the whispers, loud enough to hear. The two servants were pleading with Euniss to be dismissed. They feared helping her because of her strange eye color.

“I can see to washing myself,” Sky said softly, understanding the servants’ misgivings. “Please let the servants go.”

Sky said no more since it truly was not her decision to make. She was not the lady of the keep. Though she wondered if she was receiving such attention because she was believed to be the widow of the previous lord, the large room alone alerted her to that possibility since it appeared fit for the lord of the clan. Everything seemed large in the room, from the fireplace to the chairs, to several chests, and a huge bed, four thick posts reaching almost to the ceiling from its four corners. She would have to ask Slayer if she was thought to be Warrand’s widow. But for whatever reason, she did not feel comfortable with the attention. She was accustomed to seeing to her own needs and required no assistance.

She repeated herself softly. “Please, let them go, Euniss.”

Silence followed and she realized that please was not something the servants heard from nobles, but she was not a noble. And she could not be something she wasn’t.

“Be gone with you,” Euniss ordered the two servant lasses.

“You need not stay either, Euniss,” Sky said upon hearing the two servants rush out of the room as if the devil was on their heels. “I can see to taking care of myself.”

“Nonsense.”

Her voice sounded as if she stood beside the tub and Sky’s eyes flashed open to see Euniss standing near the rim, folding up her sleeves.

“I will see to washing myself,” Sky said quickly. “I need no help, but I am grateful for the offer.”

Euniss picked up a slab of soap that had been placed on top of a stack of folded cloths sitting atop a high stool. “I will wash your hair.”

Sky thought to argue but when the woman’s hands began working the soap into her hair and scalp vigorously, she sighed with pleasure.

“You must be tired after your long journey,” Euniss said.

Long journey.The woman was curious as to how long she had been with Slayer. Surely word must have reached here about Sky. She did not believe warriors would hold their tongues. Unless Slayer had issued orders.

Sky kept her response simple. “I look forward to some sleep.”

“Sit up some and tilt your head back so I can rinse the soap from your hair.”

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