Page 25 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

Guilt gripped him like a vice at the knowledge that he had lied to her about the reasons behind his desire to marry her. Not all of it was a lie—it was true that he had never met anyone like her before and that he wanted her, not only for her looks but for who she was; this maddening, intelligent woman, who was so much sweeter and kinder than she wanted others to think. Still, if she knew why he had come there and who had sent him there in the first place, he doubted she would ever forgive him, and Aaden would understand.

He would simply have to deal with this guilt and the discomfort that came with the neglected hardness under his plaid until he returned to his chambers and had the chance to take care of it. The memory of Lilith writhing under him, moaning so sweetly for him as she opened to his fingers was already replaying in his mind, at least until Lilith shushed him harshly, returning him back to reality.

“What if someone sees us?” she hissed. “We cannae show ourselves.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Aaden assured her. They could stay hidden behind the shrubbery and blend into the shadows. In the darkness of the night, it would be easy to stay out of sight. “Come.”

Before Lilith could stop him, Aaden slipped away from her and into the thick bushes that grew near the path back to the main part of the castle. He kept his feet light, stepping carefully so as to avoid any twigs and leaves that could crunch under his boots and betray his presence, and when he turned to look over his shoulder, he found Lilith already behind him, having caught up to him silently.

The sight of her made him jump in surprise, but he managed to swallow the gasp that threatened to tumble past his lips. Instead, he motioned at her to follow him even farther, the two of them all but slithering through the tree trunks until they could get a good look at whoever it was who had interrupted them.

The moment Aaden’s eyes found the source of the noise, he wished he had never suggested they investigate.

Ye fool! Ye’ll ruin it all fer us both!

There, by the south walls of the castle, stood Evander. But he wasn’t alone. There was a woman with him, one of the servants, judging by her simple dress, giggling as Evander pushed her against the stone and kissed her. Momentarily, Aaden held the hope that he could steer Lilith away before she would see them, but when he turned to look at her once more, he found her right behind him, just like before.

There was no hope she wouldn’t see them. Aaden knew the very moment her gaze found them and she realized what she was looking at. Her mouth fell open in shock, a strangled, barely suppressed sound breaking the silence around them.

It was Aaden’s turn to shush her. There was nothing he could do to fix this, though, now that Evander’s true character had been revealed.

“Come now,” he heard Evander say in a sweet, goading voice. “Why willnae ye come tae me chambers?”

Next to Aaden, Lilith was practically vibrating with rage. He could feel her shaking where their arms touched and when he looked down, her hands were clenched into fists, nails biting into the skin of her palm.

“We should go,” he told her quietly. “We should… I will deal with this later, I promise ye.”

It was far from the right thing to do, but if he only managed to get himself some time to calm Lilith down and knock some sense into his cousin, then perhaps Ruadh’s plan could still be salvaged. He didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if Lilith created a scene and not only ruined Evander’s and Freya’s engagement but also changed her mind about letting Aaden pursue her, too.

Would he ever see his mother again? Would Ruadh have enough regard for her to keep her a prisoner, but unharmed, or would he truly kill her?

Aaden didn’t know and he didn’t want to take the chance, not when he still hadn’t found a different way to rescue her.

“Go?” Lilith said, mouth twisting into a hateful grimace. “How can ye tell me tae go? Dinnae ye see what he is doin’? He has fooled me sister, but he never fooled me. I always kent the kind o’ man he is an’ now I have proof.”

“Lilith, please,” Aaden said, grabbing her arm to stop her as she made to move. She turned her glare on him then, her blue eyes wild with rage.

“I willnae stand here an’ watch while yer cousin makes a fool o’ me sister,” she said. “If ye wish tae dae naething, then dae naething, but I willnae allow this.”

Before Aaden could say anything else, Lilith was stomping out of the bushes and towards Evander. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the confrontation, Aaden followed her swiftly, grinding his teeth at the shocked look Evander gave them.

What did he expect? That he would never be caught?

“How dare ye?” Lilith shouted at Evander, her voice so loud that Aaden couldn’t help but fear she would alert the guards or, even worse, wake up her father or Freya. He could only hope that their chambers were far from that part of the castle and that he could at least convince her to speak quietly.

“Lilith, keep yer voice down,” he warned, but she paid him no mind, as though she hardly registered his presence.

“How dare ye say all those things tae me sister an’ then try tae bed every lass ye find in yer way?” she asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Evander, who was foolish enough to appear entirely unfazed by Lilith’s outburst. He only stood there, looking at her and Aaden impassively now that the initial shock had passed.

At least the servant had the common sense to avert her gaze, shrinking into herself as though she was trying to disappear. Aaden doubted she would have such luck, though, when Lilith was on a war path.

“I was only tendin’ tae me needs,” Evander said, and Aaden groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. He couldn’t believe Evander had the gall to stand there and try to defend himself like this, as though what he was doing should be perfectly acceptable.

Then again, to him, it probably was. He had talked plenty of times on their way there about women and about how he treated them. Perhaps Aaden shouldn’t be as surprised as he was by his foul behavior, when Evander himself had revealed it to him.

It was one thing, though, to act like this when he couldn’t be caught and another to do it in the home of the woman he was to wed. Evander didn’t know about Ruadh’s plan, that much was certain, at least not the full extent of it. What he did know, though, was that he needed to marry Freya and he was putting his entire future in danger knowingly.

All he had tae dae was wait until the weddin’. But he couldnae even dae that.