Panic shot through him as he heard an explosion a distance away. “There’s a fire—Lily!” he yelled.
He made a move to run towards the keep, but Laird McLennan grabbed his shoulder tight and dragged him back.
“Ye cannae go in there… It is a fire… Ye cannae…”
Another explosion rocked the ground beneath them and tossed most of their men off their feet.
Killian collapsed hard on the ground when the explosion knocked him off his feet. His head thudded on the ground, leaving him with an echoing pain that erupted through his temples.
His eyes closed slowly, and he tried to deal with the pain. Every other sound around him vibrated through his skull. His vision blurred, and his chest ached, as if there was some sharp object piercing through him.
“Laird MacColl… Laird MacColl…” Killian heard Laird McLennan calling to him through the ringing in his ears, and he forced his eyes to stay open even though the darkness tried to drag him down.
He struggled against it because he knew he had to save Lily.
If she is in the keep… if she dies there, then my life is over.
“Lily—” Killian coughed, choking on the smoke that infiltrated his lungs.
Laird McLennan coughed hard too, and Killian stretched out a hand so Laird McLennan and his men could help him up.
“I need to get in there,” Killian wheezed, gasping for air till he regained full control of his lungs. “My sister, my—”
“Who do ye need to find? I will come with ye and—” Laird McLennan held Killian’s arm to stop him from running into the keep.
“No!” Killian yelled. “I need to find them. I need to do this on my own. I need to find Lily…” He dragged his arm out of Laird McLennan’s grasp. “Lily is in the keep… I willnae let her die,” he cried out, tossing his sword aside before he swallowed hard and shook his head. “I will die tryin’ to save her if that is what I need to do.”
They exchanged a meaningful glance before Laird McLennan nodded. “Go find her,” he said, but Killian was already running before the words were fully out of his mouth.
33
Lily coughed as the smoke infiltrated her lungs and made her chest burn. She hated that she was locked up in here, with Fletcher’s hawkish eyes piercing hers like he was waiting for her to say something.
I should have known.
She swallowed hard to push down the lump in her throat. Tears stung her eyes as she thought of Killian one last time, and what he would do when he realized she died in this fire.
“You cannot do this, Fletcher,” Lily said, trying to make Fletcher understand how wrong it was to burn all Killian had to the ground. “This is your home too. This is your life… you cannot burn it all to the ground. Think about this, Fletcher. I can plead with Killian for his mercy… I can—”
“I dinnae need ye to plead for me, lass,” Fletcher cut in before she could say anymore. The madness in his eyes sent more spiraling waves of fear through her. “I will kill ye here and have Killian watch as yer remains burn to the ground. If I cannae be laird, then no one else will be.”
Lily fought the tears stinging her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, sniffled hard, and then swallowed. All she could think of was Killian.
I will never get a chance to see him again—to say goodbye.
“I told ye I would burn this place to the ground,” Fletcher growled. “Ye will burn with it.”
“Killian is coming,” Lily challenged, mustering up the courage, even though the heat from the flames were already scalding her skin.
Lily tried not to choke as she coughed some more. Her throat felt parched, her eyes burned at the corners, and Fletcher’s smile made it harder to calm her rising panic.
I can’t die here.I can’t die when I have not told him how I feel.
Lily knew she should have said the words. All this time, she had kept wondering what her growing feelings for Killian meant.
I should have told him.
Lily knew she would regret dying if she did not tell Killian how much he meant to her.
