Chapter 15

"Ye'll be fine, but ye shouldnae exert yerself today," the healer told Aaden as she gathered her gauzes and jars full of pastes. They were in his guest chambers, with her hovering over his bed and Lilith sitting by his side, watching the healer work carefully.

In fact, Lilith hadn't left his side since the attack, as though she was determined to protect him from anything else that might befall him. Aaden had tried to reassure her, telling her that he was mostly unharmed and that nothing could happen to him within the castle walls, but she had still lingered, never once leaving his room.

He couldn't complain. If anything, he enjoyed the company and dreaded the moment she would leave.

What he dreaded more, though, was the knowledge that Ruadh was sending people after him. He had recognized one of those men who had attacked them immediately, for he had seen him before. He was one of Ruadh's guards, that Aaden had seen around the castle in his recent visit.

Why is he sendin' men after me? Evander must be sendin' him letters. He must ken that his plan is still in motion.

Momentarily, he considered sending Ruadh a letter of his own, demanding an explanation but he feared it would fall in the wrong hands. If someone else read it, then they would know Aaden didn't have the best intentions. It was better to wait and continue to work on his own plans, fruitless as they had so far proven to be.

At least he knew for certain that no man Ruadh could send would be a threat to his life or Lilith's. They'd know better than to harm them irreparably when Ruadh needed this wedding so much. Still, that didn't mean they wouldn't try to maim and intimidate them, as the men who had attacked them had just shown him.

The incident had left Aaden rattled, not because he wasn't used to fighting, but rather because he couldn't understand what it was that Ruadh was trying to do. It unnerved him, thinking that Ruadh had so much power over him now. It unnerved him that he found the need to remind him he was taking too long.

Aaden hadn't even known there had been a time limit to the plan in the first place.

"I'll leave ye tae rest," the healer said with a soft smile. She was an older woman, short and stout, with calloused, capable hands. "Until the pain stops, try tae use yer arm as little as ye can."

"Thank ye," Lilith told her, standing from her chair to see the woman out. "He'll recover?"

"Och aye, dinnae fash," the healer said. "It is only a matter o' days. He's only bruised."

The moment the healer was gone, Lilith returned to his bedside. She sat in her chair, stiff-backed and formal like Aaden had never seen her before, as though being in his chambers necessitated a more proper behavior on her part. When she spoke, her words were quiet.

"I thought somethin' terrible would happen tae ye. I… I feared fer yer life, Aaden."

His first instinct was to make light of the situation, to tease her and provoke her just so that she wouldn't worry. But this was the first time Lilith had opened up to him like this and he didn't want to her to think that he was mocking her. This was the chance he had been expecting all this time, the one circumstance that could allow him to get closer to her—but it was also more than that. It showed him Lilith cared and his heart hammered wildly, his chest seizing with that discomfort which came with his burgeoning feelings for her.

"Dinnae fash," he told her, reaching over to take her hand in his. He laced their fingers together and Lilith allowed it, making no effort to pull back. "The healer said I'm fine. It is only a bruise, he didnae even stab me that deep."

"Aye, I ken that," Lilith said. "But still, what if he had? What if he had killed ye?"

"He wouldnae have," Aaden insisted. "I would never let anythin' happen tae ye, so I wouldnae have let him kill me. I would have killed them all first meself afore they ever laid a hand on ye."

As he spoke the words, he knew them to be true. The thought of something happening to Lilith was unbearable, panic threatening to bubble out of him at the mere possibility, bile rising to the back of his throat. In the two weeks he had been there, Lilith had become important to him; dear.

She didn't speak. She only tightened her grip on his hand for a second, smiling softly to herself.

Aaden couldn't think of a more beautiful sight.

The hallways were empty when Lilith snuck out of her room that night. She had debated for a long time whether she should force herself to stay in bed or take the plunge and visit Aaden's chambers, but in the end, the desire to see him had won, leading her to sneak around her own home like a thief, trying to remain hidden from any passing guards.

Her stomach twisted itself into a tight knot as she approached Aaden's door. No man had ever made her feel this way before and it baffled her that out of all the people she could have been attracted to like this, it was Aaden in the end who had caught her attention. It wasn't so long ago that she had disliked him, thinking that he was nothing but a pompous idiot, and he had even lied to protect his cousin. But the effort he was making for her and the way he had acted, saving not only her but also the fawn, were making Lilith reconsider his opinion of him.

She didn't bother knocking when she reached the room. She only slipped inside, Gulliver's Travels hanging from her hand. The room was dark, but a small fire was burning in the fireplace and Aaden had left a few candles lit as he lay in bed, his gaze following her when he heard her enter.

"Lilith," he said, sitting up against the headboard. "Did ye miss me already?"

Lilith scoffed, but his teasing didn't stop her from climbing onto the bed next to him, mimicking his posture. "Shut up an' listen," she said.

To her surprise, Aaden did as he was told. The two of them sat there, side by side, arms barely touching every time Lilith had to flip a page as she read the book aloud to him like her mother had done to her when she was a young girl. Next to her, Aaden listened attentively, watching her as she read without making a single sound.

She was well into the story when she realized that Aaden's head was on her shoulder, his hair tickling her neck. His breaths had evened out into slow, deep pulls of air, and when she glanced at him, his eyes were closed.

He looked peaceful like that, more boyish than he did in his waking moments. Even his short beard didn't do anything to detract from that.

With a quiet sigh, Lilith placed the book on the nightstand and then reached for him, running a gentle hand through the strands of his hair, unable to resist the temptation. Aaden hardly stirred. He only shifted a little closer, pressing himself against Lilith's side.

For a moment, she considered returning to her chambers, but she didn't want to disturb Aaden. The healer had told him he needed to rest and so Lilith preferred to let him sleep. It was more than that, though; it pleased her to be near him, to share his warmth, his bed, in a way that was more than simple attraction.

The thought frightened her. She couldn't call it love, not yet at least, but she couldn't deny the fondness she held for him either. Lilith enjoyed his presence more than she would have liked to admit and the more time they spent together, the more Lilith came to like him.

It doesnae have tae mean anythin'. We could be good friends.

She held onto that thought with all her might as she settled on the mattress next to him, closing her eyes. It was the only thing that anchored her, the only thing that reassured her in the face of uncertainty.

Before long, she fell asleep, lulled by the rhythmic sound of Aaden's breathing.