Chapter 19

Lilith stared, along with everyone else, as Aaden fled from the great hall with hardly a word. She glanced around the room, trying to figure out if anyone else knew what had prompted such a reaction, but they all seemed just as confused as she was—save for Laird MacEwan, perhaps, who barely gave his nephew another glance.

"Upset stomach," the man said nonchalantly. "It was the same when he was a bairn. He would have tae run away from the table often."

"I see," her father said, nodding in understanding. "How unfortunate. Lilith, why dinnae ye see if he needs assistance? Make sure he's alright."

"He'll be fine," Laird MacEwan said, waving a hand dismissively. "There is nay need fer concern."

"I'll go," Lilith said, ignoring the reassurances. She had never seen Aaden leave the table so abruptly before, and no matter the reassurances, she doubted the reason for his departure was an upset stomach. Standing, she bowed to the table and followed Aaden, almost passing him by in her search before she caught a glimpse of him through a window.

He was holding onto the balcony rail, hunched over it, and though Lilith couldn't see his face, she could see that his shoulders were shaking. Perhaps she had been quick to dismiss Laird MacEwan's words, she thought, though she hoped that Aaden hadn't fallen ill.

"Aaden?" she asked, as she stepped onto the balcony. Even as she approached him, he didn't respond or turn to her, but rather continued to stare right up ahead, his head even dropping between his shoulders when she came to stand next to him.

It took Lilith a few moments to notice the tears that streamed down Aaden's cheeks, his hazel eyes shining with them under the soft light of the torches. At first, she didn't know what to say, too stunned by the sight of him like this to find the right words. In the end, she only cupped his cheek and pulled him close, and though Aaden curled around her for the briefest of moments, seeking out the comfort she was giving him, he then pulled back from her completely.

Lilith's hand fell to her side, a lump forming in her throat. Concern flared up inside her, more so now than when Aaden had left the table, as she wasn't used to him pushing her away like this, nor was she used to seeing him in such a state.

This was much more than a simply upset stomach, and she couldn't help but wonder if Laird MacEwan knew the real reason for Aaden's sudden disappearance and was simply trying to cover it up.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a step closer even as Aaden pulled away. "What happened?"

"Naething," Aaden said, turning around from her as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Naething happened. Go back inside."

Once again, Aaden refused to tell the truth. Lilith didn't know what to make of it, this insistence to lie to her when the truth was so obvious, when he was usually so open with her. The last thing she wanted was to argue with him, though, when he was so clearly upset, so she tried to approach him gently, hoping that all he needed was a bit of reassurance that she was there to listen.

"Ye can tell me," she said. "I can see somethin' has upset ye an' I dinnae ken how tae help ye if ye dinnae tell me what it is."

"I dinnae need yer help," Aaden snapped, colder than Lilith had ever heard him before. Even when she had seen him angry in the past, it was never like this, and she curled her hands into fists, nails biting into her palms as she tried to control the anger that bubbled up inside her.

This isnae him. Somethin' happened tae make him like this.

"I dinnae ken what it is that brought ye tae this state, but ye willnae speak tae me like this," she said. "Ye're still a guest in me house. Ye will show me respect."

"A guest, is it?" Aaden said, laughing, though the sound was far from humorous. "An' here I thought I was tae be yer husband."

"Ye're nae me husband yet," Lilith pointed out. "An' perhaps ye willnae be if ye insist on actin' like this."

Finally turning around, Aaden took a few steps towards Lilith, eyes narrowing just slightly. "Is that so? Will ye go back on yer word tae wed me?"

There was a hint of amusement in Aaden's tone, his gaze losing its previous sharp edge as though his irritation was bleeding out of him. Lilith rolled her eyes, her chin jutting out proudly as she said, "I will if ye act a fool."

"An' what will people say then?" Aaden asked. He moved slowly, reminding Lilith of a creator stalking its prey, and a heat began to spread over her body as she looked at him, their argument only throwing fuel to the fire. "Everyone kens we are tae wed now."

"So?" Lilith asked, playing along. As Aaden came closer, she moved back until her shoulders hit the wall and she was suddenly caged between his arms. "I'll tell them ye're a brute who doesnae ken how tae behave in polite company."

"A brute, is it?" Aaden asked, eyes gliding with mirth rather than tears now, before he bent down to bite the curve of her neck, drawing a yelp out of her.

Shocked, she slammed her hands on his shoulders, but Aaden didn't budge. "What are ye doin'?" she said, struggling to keep her voice quiet. "What if ye leave a mark?"

"Then everyone will ken I'm a brute," Aaden said and claimed her lips in a kiss.

Lilith would be lying if she said the thought of him leaving a mark behind wasn't appealing or that his attentions didn't fill her with need, her body responding to him instantly. She arched into his touch, lips parting with a soft sigh to let him deepen the kiss, and her arms wrapped around him, holding him close.

When they parted, Aaden rested his forehead against hers, speaking quietly, with no real bite behind his words. "Why are ye so insufferable?"

"Ye're the one who is insufferable," Lilith countered but the effect was lost when she was already breathing heavily, her skin flushed with want.

Aaden chuckled and kissed her again. "Forgive me. I suppose I can be very insufferable."

"Stop talkin' and kiss me," Lilith said, fingers wrapping around the fabric of Aaden's shirt to pull him close again, smashing their lips together.

Laughing, Aaden did as he was told, scattering kisses down her jaw and neck. His hands found her hips and then her rear, squeezing around a handful of flesh and forcing a moan out of Lilith, one that she had to bite back.

They weren't far from the great hall, and there were guards and servants in the castle who could be walking right past them. The thought didn't give Lilith any pause, though. If anything, the risk of it added to the thrill, making her even more eager for the pleasure Aaden was giving her.

"Shall I take ye right here?" Aaden whispered against the skin of her chest, his hand pulling on the neckline of her dress so that he could slip his tongue under it, teasing her nipple. Lilith had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep quiet, the rough hold of his hand and the wet heat of his tongue driving her mad with lust. "Ye'll have tae keep quiet. Can ye dae that?"

Lilith nodded frantically, shivering at Aaden's warm breath over her skin. She would do anything to satisfy this craving, and she was rushing to help Aaden as he pulled her skirt up, but then the sound of footsteps brought her back to reality and she realized they truly were exposed to anyone who walked by or looked up.

The footsteps moved closer and closer with purpose, and Aaden pushed himself away from her as she righted her clothes. At first, she made to leave through the same door she came, but the footsteps seemed to be coming from that direction. Grabbing her by the waist, Aaden pulled her behind a narrow column in the wall, hiding her behind it, but it didn't take them long to see that she was still perfectly visible, her dress peeking out from behind the stone.

"That way," Aaden whispered, showing her the far window that would lead her back inside through the corridor. Lilith rushed to it as quietly as she could and gave Aaden one last look where he was leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He looked disheveled, even in the dark, his face reddened and his hair mussed, and Lilith was certain she wasn't much better herself.

Before she could be caught on the balcony, she slipped back inside, heading to her chambers to become presentable once more before appearing in front of her family.

Aaden stood with his back against the wall for support, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He had almost forgotten everything about the dinner and the reason why he had left the table so abruptly, but when those footsteps reached him and he saw Ruadh there, coming out onto the balcony, the resentment returned with a vengeance, a surge of fury coursing through him.

He didn't try to conceal any of his rage anymore as he pushed himself off the wall and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "What dae ye think yer doin' here?"

Ruadh was entirely unaffected by Aaden's outburst. If anything, he seemed amused by it, pleased to see him lose his temper. He gave a shrug as he paced around the balcony, though his gaze never left Aaden.

"I told ye," he said. "I came tae meet the brides."

"The truth," Aaden demanded. He knew there was more to it than that and he wasn't simply going to let him get away with it.

Ruadh chuckled. "What dae ye think? Evander wrote tae me sayin' that ye were takin' too long tae complete yer task, so I came tae see fer mesel'. Imagine me surprise when I found out ye already had Thomas' permission. Ye did well."

"Why did ye send yer men?" It wasn't so surprising that Ruadh wanted to control the situation himself, but Aaden still couldn't make any sense of the men who had attacked them. "Why risk it?"

"They were only meant tae scare ye," Ruadh said. "An' I didnae ken yer bride would be with ye. I told them tae come find ye when ye were alone but I suppose ye cannae trust anyone these days."

For a few moments, Aaden could only gape at Ruadh in disbelief. All that just to scare him? "Ye could have revealed everythin' tae Lilith," he hissed. "Even worse, ye could have harmed her. Dinnae ye care at all?"

"The lads kent tae leave ye unharmed," Ruadh said. "They kent tae leave her unharmed, too."

"Well, yer lad stabbed me in the shoulder," Aaden pointed out. "He would have stabbed Lilith had I nae stepped in front o' her when I did."

"But it all worked out in the end," said Ruadh. "Thomas agreed because ye saved her life an' I'm sure it impressed her, too. It was all in yer favor after all."

As much as Aaden wanted to pull out his knife and stab Ruadh where he stood—and it would be easy now, with the two of them alone—he had to remind himself where he was. He could hardly kill the man in cold blood in Laird Stewart's home. Besides, with Ruadh dead, there was no telling what would happen to his mother.

It was that thought, more than anything else, which held him back. For all he knew, Ruadh had instructed his men to kill his mother if they received word of his death. Everything else was insignificant. Facing the gallows seemed like a small price to pay if it meant that the world would be freed from a man like him.

"I ought tae kill ye where ye stand," said Aaden through gritted teeth, hands clenching into fists.

Ruadh laughed, as though the threat meant nothing to him. "But ye willnae, because ye' weak. It is a wonder ye acted as such a hero, savin' the lass when all ye are is a coward."

Aaden's hand flew to his knife as he started advancing towards Ruadh, but the man raised his hands as if in surrender. "Soon, I'll have me gold an' ye'll have yer maither. It would be unwise tae kill me now."

The mention of his mother gave Aaden pause once again. He had to keep reminding himself that killing Ruadh wasn't worth it, not yet at least. Even if he didn't care about his own life, the life of his mother was precious to Aaden and he refused to do anything that would put her in danger. Putting up with Ruadh for the rest of his stay there would be far from easy, but he had to at least appear polite in front of everyone else. If the truth was revealed, then Aaden, too, had much to lose.

"That's right," Ruadh said. "Ye willnae dae anythin' that endangers yer maither, will ye?"

Aaden didn't respond, but he didn't need to for Ruadh to know he was right. There was nothing he could do until Ruadh had what he wanted.

"Control yer son," Aaden spat at Ruadh for lack of anything better to say to him. "He has almost ruined this fer us both an' Freya doesnae seem as fond o' him as she was. Dinnae fash about me an' what I dae… fash about Evander."

"Me son kens what he is doin'," Ruadh said, but his previous smugness was absent from his tone. Though he spoke confidently of Evander's abilities to keep Freya interested in him, he didn't seem to quite believe it.

How could he? O' course he kens his son is failin'. He saw how Freya is treatin' him now.

Silence stretched between them for a few long moments. Then, without saying another word, Ruadh headed back inside, leaving Aaden alone once again on the balcony. Simply having the knowledge that he had managed to rattle Ruadh brought a small smile to Aaden's lips. It wasn't much, but at least now Ruadh would be thinking about that for a few days.

With a sigh, Aaden rested his forearms on the ledge, staring up ahead at the dark horizon. He didn't feel like going back to the great hall just yet—in fact, he didn't feel like going back at all. Not only would he have to be near Ruadh again, but he would have to face Lilith once more while knowing that he was deceiving her.

I cannae continue tae lie tae her like this. But what else can I dae?

He could never tell her the truth; not if he wanted to keep her.