"You do, I fear. We both do." He stood with her in his arms and stepped up out of the pool.
The shock of the cool Nordic climate against her warm skin was sufficient to dispel any lingering sleepiness. Mairead shivered and at once Gunnar grabbed the discarded wolf's pelt from the ground and wrapped her in it.
"Your clothes are back there, by the tree where you presented your lovely bottom for spanking. You may use my cloak for now."
She hugged the fur close and breathed in the heady scent of the Viking which permeated the cloak. It smelled of woods and leather, and something elusively masculine which was him alone. Gunnar dressed swiftly, belted his sword back on and turned to pick her up.
"I can walk," she protested.
"Not without your shoes." He allowed no further debate and she snuggled against him as he strode back through the forest.Neither spoke. They had an understanding, she thought, and it would do for now.
9
It was dusk when the small group cantered into Gunnarsholm. As they neared the largest longhouse which was his own home the grumpy, grizzling cries of a hungry baby reached their ears. Gunnar turned his mount toward the house and halted before the door. He took Mairead's arm and lowered her to the ground.
"Go," he commanded. "She wants you. I will see to the horse and I shall be in soon."
He watched as she scampered across the hard-packed earth to disappear inside his home and wondered what he must do to ensure she remained there. Nothing, perhaps. She was his property after all, where else might she be? He found that conclusion strangely unsatisfactory.
Weylin followed him into the stable. "Do you require help with your horse, Jarl? I can see to him. There is food prepared... you must be hungry."
Gunnar turned from unbuckling the saddle to regard the man behind him. Hewashungry, but that was not the matter uppermost in his thoughts. "No, I will do it. I would be obliged,though, if you would bring me the items stolen by the boy. I trust you still have them."
"Of course, Jarl." The man bowed his head and withdrew.
A few minutes later Gunnar entered his longhouse, the stolen items in a small bag. Aigneis crouched beside the fire, stirring the cauldron which always hung there but otherwise the central hall was empty. He set the haul on the table and seated himself. At once Aigneis placed a dish of steaming broth before him.
"Thank you." He managed a smile for her. She was a good and willing servant. "Where is Mairead?"
"In your sleeping chamber, Jarl, tending to the little one. The boy is with her."
He nodded and reached for the hunk of bread she now offered him.
"Jarl, about the lad..."
The kindly face was etched with concern – yet another female slave who feared his brutal justice.Was he truly such a monster?
"Not now, Aigneis." He was at once weary, and acutely conscious of the fact that he had spent the past month pursuing robbers, sleeping under the stars, living off the land, then chasing down runaway thralls. He wanted his food and his bed, but there was a matter he must address this night if any of them were to have the peace they needed. "I will eat first, then deal with him."
Aigneis nodded and returned to her pot.
He could have returned to Gunnarsholm sooner, he knew that and so did his men. The pursuit of the robbers had been relatively swift, and it had taken him a little over a sennight to regain his stolen sheep. He could have driven the flock straight back, but instead opted to rest them and allow the animals to benefit from a few days of good grazing on the inland pastures. When he finally did tell his men to prepare for the journey home,their pace had been leisurely. He had offered the excuse that he wished to spare the horses, but this was not really the true reason.
The truth was, he had been avoiding his latest female thrall. If he had to look upon her, share a bed with her, he was not convinced he would be able to stop himself from having her. He would need to fuck her, to bury his cock within her and pound her until she screamed his name. He had but to observe Mairead, only to cast an eye over the gentle sway of her hips, the bright sheen of her hair, the mossy green of her eyes, and his cock swelled. He was permanently hard in her presence and out of it, and it was her fault.
He groaned and promised himself the ordeal would soon be over. It had now been a month since the birth of her baby and she seemed well enough. She had been responsive when he took her to the hot spring, had enjoyed his touch and been relaxed in his company once the whipping was out of the way. He knew many men would not have waited even as long as he had, but despite his desire for Mairead, Gunnar had no appetite for forced lovemaking. His slave would accept him, when she was ready. He might press her, and he would without doubt do what he could to entice and seduce her, but ultimately, he would wait.
The broth was good. He accepted a second bowl and more bread, followed by apples stewed in honey, and all washed down with a mug of fine mead. Replete, he could put off his final task no longer, though he remained uncertain just how he intended to resolve the matter. Perhaps it would be clearer when he had heard the lad's side of it. He rose from the table and approached the curtain which screened off his private chamber.
He paused to listen to the soft voices from within, Mairead's gentle tone and Donald's slightly higher one. She was telling her son a tale, recounting some legend from their Celtic folklore. Gunnar listened for a few moments to the story of a selkiestranded on a beach, lamenting his lost home in the deep. He presumed this to be a sea creature since the being had emerged from the waves to become trapped when the tide turned. The boy seemed dissatisfied with his mother's account of events, demanding to know why the selkie did not simply magic himself back into the water because surely he possessed such powers. Selkies could do anything they chose, just like Vikings.
Ah.He gritted his teeth and pulled the curtain back.
"Donald, come with me." The words were softly spoken, but a command.
At once the boy scrambled from the bed where he had been sitting with his mother and baby sister. Mairead made to follow him.
"No, you stay here. Just the boy."
