Page 26 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

Aaden, too, was overtaken by a wave of rage at the mere sight of his cousin. The only thing that kept him from delivering a lecture of his own was that he needed to keep Lilith calm, but it was difficult to do so when all he wanted was to punch that smirk off Evander’s face.

“Evander, shut yer mouth,” Aaden warned him, his gaze hardening as they stared each other down.

“Nay,” Lilith said. “Let him speak. Let us hear what he has tae say.”

“I’m a man,” Evander said with a small shrug. “I have needs. An’ this doesnae mean anythin’. I still wish tae wed Freya, but it’s been a while since I was last with a lass. Surely, ye understand that I need this.”

Whirling around, Lilith turned her glare to Aaden as though she expected him to agree with his cousin. “Is that so?” she asked. “Is that what ye believe too, Aaden?”

“I never said anythin’ like that,” Aaden pointed out and that answer seemed to satisfy Lilith enough to get her scrutiny off him.

“He never said anythin’ like that,” Lilith repeated to Evander. “So it seems tae me that ye’re the only one who thinks ye have the right tae betray me sister.”

“I didnae betray her,” Evander scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “We’re nae even wedded yet.”

“Ye tell her ye love her an’ she believes ye!” Lilith threw her hands in the air in exasperation, exhaling in a rush of air. “Ye have managed tae blind her with yer words an’ now ye think ye may dae as ye please. This is who ye are, is it nae? I could tell from the beginnin’ there was somethin’ insidious about ye an’ I ken now what it was. Ye’ll never stop. Even if ye had me sister, ye would still run after others.”

“I wouldnae dae that,” Evander said, but he didn’t even sound convincing to Aaden.

“I dinnae believe ye,” Lilith said. “An’ neither will me sister an’ me faither when I tell them what I saw here tonight.”

That was precisely what Aaden had been fearing it. A chill ran down his spine at the thought that Lilith would let everyone know about this, effectively ruining Ruadh’s plan.

Can I tell her about me maither? Can I tell her the real reason why I’m here?

No, Aaden couldn’t reveal the plan to anyone. He had to find another way to deescalate the situation, difficult as that seemed. If he told the truth, especially now, he would only make things worse. Lilith could have been persuaded to help, perhaps, had she known from the start that his mother was in danger, but Aaden had already lied to her so much that she would undoubtedly be furious with him too.

Evander seemed to harbor the same fear. He blanched at the mention of Laird Stewart, the color draining entirely from his face and making him look ghostly under the moonlight. His eyes widened and he looked to Aaden for support, but there was nothing Aaden could give him.

He deserved this. They both did. And now there were no tricks up Aaden’s sleeve that he could use to get them out of this situation.

Then, Evander looked at Lilith, his cockiness returning in his posture. “Ye willnae tell them anythin’,” he said. “Because if ye dae, I will tell them ye were doin’ the same thing with Aaden an’ then ye will never find a proper suitor.”

“Ye dare threaten me?” Lilith growled as she took a few steps towards Evander, who stumbled back in surprise. “Ye think I care? Go ahead an’ tell the world. I dinnae wish fer a suitor at all.”

“Evander,” Aaden tried again, holding out a hand to make him stop talking, but there was no hope of it anymore.

“Ye think it will only affect ye?” Evander asked with a mocking laugh. “Yer family’s reputation will be destroyed. Yer sister will never find a husband either.”

That seemed to give Lilith pause if only for a moment. If she had to choose between a life of lies and a life of loneliness for her sister, Aaden didn’t know what she would settle for in the end. He was certain she wanted the best for Freya but she couldn’t bear to see her upset.

The worst o’ this is that he’s right. Even a rumor can cause irreparable damage.

“Stop it,” Aaden demanded, stepping between Lilith and his cousin. “Ye’ve done enough, Evander, dinnae ye think? If ye tell anyone about this⁠—”

“What will ye dae, cousin?” Evander challenged him with a raised eyebrow, this time stepping forward to make a threat of his own. He was emboldened by his plan, knowing that there was little Aaden or Lilith could do to expose him if they didn’t want to be exposed themselves.

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a few long seconds, breathing in each other’s space. Then Lilith spoke again, dragging their attention back to her.

“It doesnae matter,” she said, sounding perfectly determined. “I cannae allow me sister tae marry a man like ye. She will be miserable fer the rest o’ her life with ye. Dae ye think she willnae ken? Dae ye think ye can fool her fer years? Eventually, she’ll find out an’ she will hate ye an’ she will hate us fer never tellin’ her. So nay, I willnae stay silent.”

Barking out a laugh, Evander made to approach Lilith but Aaden slapped a hand on his chest, pushing him back. The gesture didn’t seem to bother him, though. In fact, it hardly registered with Evander, convinced as he was of his victory.

“They’ll never believe ye,” he said. “Why would they? It’s yer word against the word o’ a man an’ ye think they’ll believe ye? Someone as hysterical as ye are?”

Fer a moment, Aaden feared that Lilith would try to murder Evander on the spot. He also feared he wouldn’t even try to stop her. Slowly, her expression morphed into one Aaden hadn’t seen before on her. She had been cold before, distant, but now her mouth twisted in a cruel snarl, reminding Aaden of a predator circling its prey.

“Ye truly are a fool,” she said, looking at Evander as though she was truly seeing him for the first time. “Ye believe that, dae ye nae? Ye think everyone will believe ye over me. Me own faither an’ me sister… o’ course they’ll believe me!”