Chapter 18

Had someone told Aaden only a few weeks prior that he would not only be betrothed to Lilith Stewart, but he would also be happy about it, he would have laughed in their face. And yet here he was now, preparing for dinner with a smile that hadn't faded from his face ever since he had asked for her hand the previous day.

They hadn't seen each other since then, as Lilith had slipped back into her chambers, fearing her father would look for her or that Ruadh would return to see Aaden again, and then Aaden had spent the entire day in bed, resting as per the healer's orders. She had come to him that very morning to change the gauze on his shoulder and had given him the all clear to join the rest of the family for dinner if he felt well enough, but had asked him to spend most of the day in bed.

The wound on his shoulder still ached and Aaden did his best to keep his arm still as he dressed, hoping that he wouldn't bleed through his sleeve. Despite his eagerness to see Lilith, though, he took a lot of time getting ready, simply because he wanted to delay showing up to dinner as much as possible.

Ruadh would be there, he knew. He would be there, and the last thing Aaden wanted was to see the man who kept his mother imprisoned and under death threat, and have to make polite conversation with him.

Besides, Aaden had begun to suspect that Ruadh's tyranny would never end. With him married to Lilith, Ruadh would have yet another lever over him, yet another tool to use against him. But even if he couldn't get to Lilith, Ruadh still had his mother. What if he went back on his word and kept her imprisoned? What if he released her, only to use her every time he wanted to force Aaden's hand?

I could try tae convince Maither tae live with us after the weddin'. I could try tae keep her away from him.

At least now he was prepared for meeting him. Ruadh's sudden appearance had left Aaden feeling unmoored, anxiety simmering just under his skin along with the anger that always showed its ugly head whenever Ruadh was near. Spending the day alone had given him the chance to calm down and remind himself how to behave around his uncle. He had more at stake now than ever before and he couldn't risk the man's wrath.

Surely, he cannae reveal any o' it. It would go against his best interests.

But that didn't mean Ruadh couldn't still find a way to hurt him. Aaden wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating him.

Once he knew he couldn't delay his arrival any longer, Aaden left his chambers and headed down to the great hall. On his way there, he saw another pair of latecomers—Freya and Cameron, who was helping her down the stairs, her hand in his.

"Ye're nae needed anymore."

The voice came from behind Aaden and he turned to see Evander rushing down the stairs, only to stop by Freya's side. When Cameron didn't immediately drop her hand, Evander stared at their joined fingers with a frown and raised his hands up in exasperation.

"Well?" he demanded, crowding Cameron towards the wall until he had no choice but to either push Evander away or let go of Freya's hand.

"I was only helpin'," Cameron said, his expression betraying none of his feelings. He had seemed to master that blankness, using it whenever Freya was near, though he was perfectly happy to show his true feelings to everyone else.

"Freya doesnae need yer help," Evander barked and Freya flinched at the sudden outburst.

This isnae good.

Aaden had already noticed a shift in Freya, ever since that day she had returned with Evander chasing after her. Where once she had acted madly in love with him and could not bear to be apart from him for even a moment, offering her smiles and touches freely, now she was more reserved, seeking out Cameron's company more and keeping a careful neutrality around Evander.

Though it was a subtle shift, it was so strange for Freya, who had looked at Evander as though he hung the moon, that Aaden couldn't help but wonder what his cousin had done to invite such behavior. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good for the plan, displeased as Freya seemed to be, and Aaden could only hope it wouldn't lead to a sudden rejection from her part.

A rejection like that was bound to infuriate Evander and then there was no telling what he would do. He could even go so far as to reveal everything about that night in the courtyard—though it would matter little now that Aaden and Lilith would be married.

That wasn't what Aaden feared the most. It was the fact that Ruadh would go back on his word and keep his mother imprisoned until Aaden found a way to fix what Evander had ruined.

"Evander, Cameron is me friend," Freya said with a sigh, sounding exhausted, as though this was a conversation they had had before, many times even. "He was only helpin' me. Dinnae be angry with him."

Evander, undeterred as always by the light scolding, turned to Freya once more. "Ye'll be me wife soon. I'm the one who is supposed tae be by yer side."

Freya said nothing as Evander took her hand and helped her down the rest of the stairs, but she looked back over her shoulder at Cameron, who stood aside, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth. With a sigh, Aaden gave him a pat on the shoulder and then followed him down to the great hall, the two of them walking inside right after Evander and Freya.

The scene that greeted Aaden was one he had tried to avoid imagining all day. Laird Stewart sat at the head of the table, as always, but this time it was Ruadh who sat to his right, while Lilith sat to his left. The three of them were engaged in a quiet conversation and for a moment, Aaden's blood ran cold at the thought of what Ruadh could be telling them, before he realized he, too, had to make Aaden seem like the perfect choice for Lilith.

Forcing a smile on his face, Aaden took his seat next to her. His smile turned a little more sincere when their gazes met, her lips quirking up in a small smirk and her hand reaching for his, lacing their fingers together.

Laird Stewart noticed, of course, and so did everyone else around the table. Evander even chuckled, though Aaden couldn't tell with certainty if the hand-holding had prompted it or something else.

As the servants brought the courses, Aaden listened to the idle chat around him without participating, though his gaze kept straying back to his uncle. It was odd to see him there, surrounded by the Stewart Clan and acting so charming—the perfect picture of a gracious laird, skilled at holding a conversation that seemed to lead nowhere, humorous, always ready to deliver a compliment It was a stark contrast to the man he knew and Aaden was sick to his stomach at the thought that his uncle could fool everyone there so easily.

"I'm very glad we can unite our families like this, Thomas," Ruadh told Laird Stewart, and it startled Aaden to hear his uncle refer to Laird Stewart by his first name. When had the two of them become so familiar with each other?

"When will the weddings be, dae ye think?" asked Evander.

"Are ye in a hurry?" Said Lilith, raising a curious eyebrow. "Dae ye think ye an' Freya have spent enough time with each other?"

"Well, Freya loves me," Evander said with a small shrug and then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "An' I love her, o' course. An' as the next Laird o' the MacEwan Clan, I should have a good lass by me side. I think the real question is if ye an' Aaden have spent enough time with each other. This… love between the two o' ye has been quite sudden, wouldnae ye say?"

"That is how things are sometimes," Lilith said with a shrug. "Some loves blossom an' others… it withers."

Evander bristled with anger at that. Aaden saw it in the way his fingers curled around his fork and his face took on a pale red tint, blood rushing to his head. On a different day, Freya would have jumped to the defense of their love, but now she only stared straight ahead, over Cameron's shoulder.

Still, Evander knew better than to say anything in response, especially when his father and Laird Stewart were there. He only gave Lilith a fake smile that was all teeth and said, "Besides, I am eager tae show Freya her new home. I am certain she will be very happy in Castle MacEwan, it's such a bonnie place. There is a loch near the castle where ye can finally swim, Freya."

"There is a loch near here, too," Lilith pointed out. "Ye would ken that had ye taken the time tae visit the area."

"But Freya doesnae like that loch," Evander insisted.

"I like it," Freya said, speaking for the first time since the dinner had started. She, too, like Aaden, had kept silent, listening to the back and forth between the others. "I told ye I dinnae swim there often because I cannae swim well, nae because I dinnae like it."

When Aaden glanced at Lilith from the corner of his eye, he found her smiling smugly at Evander. Whatever had happened between him and Freya, the rift it had caused between them seemed to please Lilith immensely. Perhaps now she hoped her sister would finally understand Evander was not a good match for her.

"Right," said Evander. "I must have forgotten."

Time seemed to stretch as silence fell over the table. To Aaden, it seemed as though an entire minute passed before Laird Stewart spoke once more, trying to change the subject.

"I'm saddened tae see Lady MacEwan isnae here," he told Ruadh. "Will she nae be joinin' us fer the festivities?"

The mention of Aaden's mother made him freeze, his fork falling from his hand onto his plate with a clatter. Rage ran hot in his veins when Ruadh simply smiled, as though he wasn't the one who kept her away, as though he wished she could be there, too.

"She hopes she can arrive on time," he said. "She is visitin' her family."

It must have been a lie that Ruadh had rehearsed many times before. There was nothing to suggest that he was lying, nothing to prove that his mother was in danger, locked up somewhere out of his reach. With every labored breath Aaden took, the truth threatened to spill out of him, consequences be damned. Ruadh couldn't get away with everything he had done to her, to his father, to Aaden himself. He couldn't be the one who stood victorious in the end.

But if I telll the truth, he will kill her. He will kill her an' I will lose Lilith, too.

Abruptly, Aaden pushed his chair back, the wood scraping against the stone floor. He stood, standing still for a brief moment, and then left the table, mumbling a half-hearted excuse.

"Aaden?"

Lilith's concerned voice barely reached his ears. They were buzzing with the rush of his blood, every other sound dampened behind the insistent droning. He didn't stop walking until his feet had taken him to one of the long balconies that curved around the front of the castle, his mind clearing a little only when the chill air hit his face.

Aaden gripped the stone railing, his shoulders crumbling into his chest. Despite the abundance of air, his chest constricted, and he felt as though he couldn't breathe, his body refusing to cooperate with him as he tried to draw air in his lungs. Only a few steps away, Ruadh was probably making excuses for him, laughing and drinking and eating cheerfully.

All while his mother suffered, locked in a cage.