Page 30 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

At the mention of their mother, Lilith’s face hardened and she gritted her teeth to keep herself from saying something cruel, like pointing out their mother was long gone. It infuriated her that Freya would try to use their mother as leverage, especially when Lilith knew she, too, would agree Evander was far from a good match.

“Maither?” Lilith scoffed, shaking her head. “Ye truly think ye can use Maither tae convince me?”

Freya undoubtedly sensed the rage in Lilith. For a few moments, she froze, blinking owlishly at her, her mouth opening and closing as though she couldn’t decide what to say. Lilith only stared at her with her arms crossed, waiting impatiently, as though anything Freya could say at that point would be helpful.

“I didnae mean tae…” Freya’s words trailed off, silenced by the anger in Lilith’s eyes. She took a deep breath and tried once more. “It isnae what I meant.”

Lilith was about to respond and undoubtedly start another round of their argument when Cameron walked into the morning room as if summoned. When Freya saw him, she flinched, hand flying to her chest with a small chuckle.

“Ye scared me,” she said, though her peering eyes told Lilith something different. She was trying to see if Cameron had heard any of their conversation, but he didn’t show any signs of it.

“Ach, forgive me,” Cameron said. “The laird told me ye wished tae visit the town, so I came tae accompany ye.”

“Ye dinnae have tae come with me,” Freya said, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m sure ye’re busy. I can take a guard.”

“Nay, nay,” Cameron insisted. “Yer faither asked me an’ besides, I’m happy tae come.”

The hesitation in Freya arose not from her concern for Cameron’s schedule, Lilith knew, but rather from the conversation they had just had about him. Perhaps she would see him differently now. Perhaps she would look for signs that Lilith’s claims about his feelings were true.

Perhaps it will be enough tae change her mind about Evander.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Aaden was at the end of his rope. He didn’t know what he could possibly do that would make anything better between him and Lilith, but he supposed the fact that he had not been thrown out of the castle yet meant that she hadn’t told her father anything. Aaden would almost prefer that to what he was going through, though. He existed in a limbo, not knowing what Lilith would do or say next or if she would ever even speak to him again.

Surely, she will. She cannae avoid me forever.

He had to find a way to get back to her good graces, no matter what it took. He would do anything to bring the plan back on track, not only because he feared for his mother’s safety, but also because he didn’t want to be on bad terms with Lilith.

It was foolish to care about what she thought of him, and yet he couldn’t deny it any longer. He was only lying to himself if he thought he was still doing all this just because of Ruadh’s orders, as if his feelings had nothing to do with his desire to make her like him. But whatever feelings had started to bloom inside him were too complicated for him to sort through when there were other priorities for him to focus on—namely, his mother, who was still in danger.

In the week he had spent with Lilith, he had come to care for her. Now that she hadn’t even spoken to him for just as long, his stomach dropped every time he caught a glimpse of her in the castle, his heartbeat picking up at the mere sight of her. He recognized it for what it was: an infatuation, the same kind he had felt when he had first laid eyes on her in that inn all that time ago. With time, it would fade, but as long as he was near her, his fascination held strong.

“Look at them,” Evander said, scowling where he stood next to him, the two of them taking a break from training. Though it was a pleasant enough day, dry and cool, they were both drenched in sweat, since Aaden was still doing his best to take his revenge any way he could. After the incident with the maid, he had yelled at his cousin for days, drilling it into his thick skull that he was jeopardizing everything for the both of them.

He could only hope that Evander finally understood.

“Who?” Aaden asked, but then he followed his gaze to Freya and Cameron, the two of them walking together side by side, laughing. Color had risen to Evander’s cheeks, his gaze hardening whenever Cameron appeared in front of him. Aaden could only sigh, preparing himself for whatever scene was bound to follow now that Evander had seen him with Freya, but he still tried to warn his cousin. “Behave.”

Scoffing, Evander dropped the training sword to the ground, smoothing his hair back with a nervous hand. “Freya!” he called, giving her his brightest grin when she turned to look at him. The moment their eyes met, her entire expression brightened, and she waved cheerily at him, though much to Evander’s displeasure, she didn’t approach. Instead, she continued walking with Cameron, and Evander let out a low growl in frustration, his features settling in a mask of determination.

“Wait!” he called as he ran up to them. Cameron didn’t pay him ay mind, perhaps thinking that they could escape if they rushed out of there, but Freya pulled him to a stop, waiting for Evander to catch up to them. Though Aaden couldn’t hear what his cousin was telling them exactly, he could see that Cameron was anything but pleased, his hands clenched into fists by his sides as he listened to Evander and Freya talk. In the end, though, none of his silent protests mattered, as Evander pulled Freya away, leaving Cameron behind to stare at her retreating back until they were gone from his sight.

When they disappeared, Cameron turned to find Aaden staring at him and though he tried to avert his gaze, he had no doubt he had been spotted. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over, joining Aaden on the bench where he sat, collapsing on the seat.

“I was supposed tae take her tae the town,” Cameron said.

“I am guessin’ the plan changed, then?” Aaden asked.

“So it seems.” For a moment, Cameron stood as though he was going after Freya, but then changed his mind and sat back down. “I dinnae understand why she would just go with him.”

Aaden very much doubted that. Surely, Cameron understood perfectly well, but perhaps what he couldn’t understand was why Freya was so fond of a man like Evander.

“Ye love her,” Aaden said and Cameron didn’t bother denying it.

“Does it matter?” he asked. “She only views me as her friend.”

“Well… have ye tried tellin’ her how ye feel?” Even as Aaden said it, though, it sounded silly to him. Freya must have known by then how Cameron looked at her—as though she was the only thing in the world that mattered. The fact that she was still so taken with Evander meant that she truly saw Cameron as only a friend and she needed a push to see him in a different light. “Or perhaps makin’ her jealous? Has she ever seen ye with another lass? Ye could court a pretty maid an’ see what she does.”