If I don’t find a way to let him know I love him, I’ll never be at peace.
As her thoughts drifted towards what to do next, Fletcher approached her again, and this time, he grabbed the bars of her cell.
“Ye shouldnae have come here. Ye shouldnae have tried to convince him about Laird McLennan’s innocence. I had it all planned out. I kenned I could kill him in the end, but ye ruined all of that by saving his life countless times. At first, I thought if I kept trying, I would find a way in the end, but now… now I just end it myself.”
“Killian will notice I am missing, and he will come for me.”
“Nae if he dies on his way here.” Fletcher’s cold eyes pierced hers and caused a nauseating feeling to rise in her stomach. “I have my men handling that. Killian will not make it into this keep alive if he dies in battle with Laird McLennan.”
He shot her a cruel smirk. “Goodbye, milady,” he told her one last time as he backed away from the dungeons, then headed out.
Lily’s heart dropped when she realized she was all alone, down in the dungeons of the burning keep.
Will Killian ever find me here?
She gasped, found her voice, and yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would hear.
“Killian!” she shouted. “Someone—” Smoke invaded her nostrils and blocked her lungs.
The tears stung her eyes hotter as she coughed. “Someone help!! I am in here… I am…”
Lily’s screams for help did nothing. Her hollow voice only hovered around her till she felt weak and dizzy.
The flames etched closer now. It was led by the blinding thickness of smoke. The fog encroached on her cell first, and she fell to the ground, scrambling away from the smoke like it would sting her skin.
“Killian,” she called out again. Her heart seized with panic, and she felt the first wave of dizziness hit her as she inhaled the smoke.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she tried to call out to Killian one last time, but only a croak left her lips.
She could not give in to the darkness just yet. She knew she had to fight it if she was going to live.
I need to find Killian… I must tell him.
“I love you,” Lily whispered as she let out a sigh and let the weakness take over.
If this was her end, then she could say she had lived a good life.
Lily had found family. She had also found happiness here in MacColl. Here, she had found love, and that was more than enough for her. She had just one regret. Killian would never know how she truly felt.
Lily couldn’t tell how much time had passed as she slid in and out of consciousness. Smoke was everywhere, and she couldn’t make out a single thing in her line of sight, but when she heard Niamh’s familiar voice calling out to her, she cried out again with the last of her strength.
“I am down here!” Lily screamed at the top of her lungs. “Niamh!”
She heard Niamh rattle the bars and then yelp as she withdrew her hands immediately.
“I cannae open it. I shall get Fletcher… I shall come back.”
“No,” Lily managed, but she doubted Niamh heard her because she was running down the hallway to get help.
As Lily’s eyes fluttered shut again, she tried to calm herself with one thought.
Help is on the way.
Killian would come for her, she was certain of it. He would come, and she would get the chance to tell him how much she loved him.
Killian made it inside the keep through the chaos, but he could not find Lily or Niamh anywhere.
“Lily!” he yelled, rushing towards the stairway just before it collapsed in front of him.
