Chapter 24

Lilith woke to the sunlight that was cutting through the last lingering storm clouds. It shone unbridled into the abandoned keep, bathing her surroundings in a soft light. In the darkness of the storm and the night, she hadn't had the chance to take a good look at the building, but now she could see just how much time had left its stamp on the place. Damp clung to the walls, the stones crumbling, moss and vines crawling up in the fissures. The fire had died, leaving nothing but coals that glowed a gentle orange. In its stead, a circle of sunlight kept their sleeping area bright and warm, trickling in from the crumbled ceiling.

Aaden had not yet stirred. In his sleep, he was tense, his brows pinched together and his hands curled into fists. It was strange, seeing him like this when he seemed so relaxed in his waking moments, so at ease with everything and everyone around him. One would think he would be more peaceful in sleep, but that seemed to be when his worries caught up with him, and Lilith couldn't help but wonder if they manifested as nightmares.

With the storm long gone, it was time for them to return to the castle. Lilith had much to say to her father and her sister. She was going to reveal the truth to them about Ruadh, about his scheme and all the lies he had told her family. He had done more than enough damage to Aaden's and her families' lives, and they all deserved to escape his tyranny once and for all.

Lilith watched him as he slept for a few more quiet moments, taking in the rise of his cheekbones, the slope of his nose, and the strong line of his jaw that she had come to love in the short time they had spent together. He was a handsome man, there was no doubt about that, but it was the warmth and the kindness those features held which had nurtured that love to bloom inside her. Not to mention his love.

Slowly, Lilith leaned closer to Aaden and pressed a delicate kiss to his lips. In response, he let out a soft sigh and blindly chased after her, hands reaching for her even in his sleep. Lilith settled closer to him and kissed him again, once on the lips before pressing a few more to his cheeks and forehead. With each one, Aaden came closer and closer to consciousness, until he was blinking his eyes open, fully awake.

When their gazes met, Aaden gave her a smile as he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. He nuzzled into her neck with a soft sigh, his breath tickling the sensitive skin there, and it soon became apparent to Lilith that he was more than interested in another round of the previous night's activities. His hand trailed down her back, resting over her rear for a moment before his fingers sank into the ample flesh, and his manhood pressed, hardened and insistent, against her thigh.

"That was the best night o' me life," Aaden whispered against her lips and Lilith couldn't help but laugh, nodding in agreement.

It would be easy for her to lose herself in him. It would be easy to surrender to her desire, to kiss Aaden unhurriedly in the quiet of the morning and take her pleasure from him once again. For a few moments, she even entertained the idea, rolling her hips languidly against his and drawing a quiet moan from his lips.

But there were more important things to do, and they both knew it. Lilith had to put a stop to this before they both lost themselves in each other again, forgetting everything about the world around them.

Gently, she placed a hand in the center of Aaden's chest and pushed him back, separating their lips. Aaden only mumbled something incomprehensible, though, and went after her mouth once more, barely managing to kiss the corner of it before Lilith pulled back again, this time her hand turning firm and unrelenting.

"What?" Aaden asked, confused at being denied his pleasure. There was a pout on his lips, one that made Lilith chuckle, reminding her of a petulant boy who had been denied a treat. "Why are ye pushin' me away?"

"As much as I'm enjoyin' this, we must figure out what tae dae with yer uncle," Lilith pointed out. "What about yer maither? What about me family? Ruadh sounds like a dangerous man an' I dinnae want him near them. I dinnae want Evander near Freya."

"I dinnae think Evander kens anythin' about this," Aaden said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. "He is… misguided, that much is true?—"

"Misguided?" Lilith had to scoff shaking her head. She sat up and looked down at Aaden, who rolled on his back and pillowed his head on one arm, the other draping over Lilith's thighs in a placating gesture. "He is far more than simply misguided. The way he has treated Freya is… it is deplorable an' vile an' shameful."

"Aye, I ken," Aaden said gently. "I ken. I'm nae tryin' tae excuse his behavior. I am only sayin' that I dinnae think he kens what his faither has done. Perhaps he does but as terribly as he has treated yer sister, I dinnae think he would go tae such lengths as tae help Ruadh keep our maither imprisoned."

Lilith didn't know what to think. She hardly knew anything about Evander, after all, other than the fact that he was a philanderer and had no regard for Freya. Perhaps it was different with his mother.

"Still, even if Evander isnae helpin' him, it doesnae mean that yer uncle willnae hurt me family or yer maither," Lilith pointed out. "We must dae somethin' tae stop him."

"Ruadh will only release me maither after we wed," Aaden said and the reminder of his original goal to trick her into a marriage was like a vice around her heart, her chest aching with it. Though she believed Aaden when he said he had truly fallen for her, it was difficult to forget so easily that his purpose had been to use her. Lilith pushed it aside, though. With time, the pain would fade. With time, his love would overshadow everything else.

"As much as I wish fer us tae wed, I dinnae wish fer Ruadh tae have what he wants," Lilith said, brows pinched together in a frown. "I cannae allow him tae win."

"He only wins if Freya weds Evander," Aaden said. "I ken that he is plannin' somethin' else, too. He must be. He wants the wealth an' the lands that would come from me marryin' ye but short o' startin' a war, I dinnae ken what else he can dae tae have those things."

"Perhaps he will start a war," Lilith said. "Or perhaps he has something else in mind. Either way, I doubt Freya will wed Evander now. We must tell everyone the truth, Aaden. We must tell me faither."

"Aye, but I doubt yer faither will believe me like ye have," Aaden said. "What if he thinks I'm helpin' Ruadh because I wish it? What if he thinks me a traitor?"

"I will explain it tae him," Lilith said, reaching for Aaden's hand and lacing their fingers together. "He will listen tae me."

Sitting up, Aaden brought Lilith's hand to his lips, pressing them to her knuckles. Quietly, he asked, "But what if he doesnae?"

Lilith knew her father well. He had trust in her. He allowed her to make her own choices and believed that she always made the ones best suited to her.

But even he had his limits. Once he found out about all this, then there was no telling if he would believe in Aaden's innocence or if he would think he was still lying about his mother just so that he could trap Lilith into a marriage. What if he thought of him as guilty? What if he forbade Lilith to marry him?

"Well, what else is there tae dae?" Lilith asked. "We have nae choice but tae tell him the truth. He must ken what Ruadh has done. Perhaps he already kens part o' it. Freya must have told him as much as she kens by now."

Leaving like that, without saying a single word to anyone, had been foolish. Not only was Lilith certain that her father and her sister were worried sick over her disappearance, but she had also missed her chance to take control of the narrative from the start. Now her father would have heard different versions of the truth from Freya, Evander, and Ruadh, and he wouldn't know who to believe.

"Perhaps," Aaden said, but then fell silent, frowning to himself. Lilith waited for him to continue, but he was too lost in his thoughts, his gaze distant.

"Perhaps what?" she prompted.

"I have the letters," said Aaden. "The letters me maither sent me. I keep them with me always. Perhaps if I show yer faither the letters an' explain tae him that I am her son an' what Ruadh has been doin' tae her, then he will believe me. She speaks o' it in them. She's told me everythin' he did, but the last one I received from her was ‘afore he locked her away."

"But it should be enough tae convince me faither about the truth if he doesnae believe what I tell him," Lilith said. Her hand wrapped around the back of Aaden's neck and she pulled him close, smashing their lips together in a heated kiss. When she pulled back, she gave him a teasing smirk and said, "Ye finally had a good idea."

Aaden answered with a smirk of his own as he grabbed Lilith's hips and dragged her into his lap. Lilith yelped in surprise as she was manhandled, hands grabbing onto Aaden's shoulders to steady herself, laughing softly when he kissed her. For a few moments, she allowed it, even tilting her head back to let him scatter kisses down her neck, her fingers tangling his hair.

"I didnae hear ye complain about me ideas last night," he said, voice low and gravely, and Lilith's blood rushed to her face, her embarrassment painted in a bright pink over her cheeks. Before Aaden could convince her to stay there a little longer, she pushed at him and disentangled herself from his arms, much to his disappointment, quickly gathering her discarded clothes to pull them back on.

At least they had dried throughout the night, she thought, as she pulled on her dress.

Aaden on the other hand did nothing but lay back, watching her as she covered her body back up inch by inch. Once Lilith was done, she turned to him with her eyebrows raised, gesturing at the pile of his clothes that he had not yet touched.

"Well?" she asked. "Why are ye starin'?"

"I'm simply admirin' ye," Aaden said with a shrug. "Am I nae allowed tae dae that?"

The embarrassment that had faded in the time it had taken Lilith to dress now returned with a vengeance, heating her cheeks uncomfortably. She grabbed Aaden's shirt from the pile and tossed it at him, hitting him squarely in the face much to her satisfaction, a grin spreading over her lips as she saw his features morphing into an indignant expression.

"Dress," she said. "Me family will be worried."

"Aye, aye," Aaden said, as he finally pushed himself up to his feet. It was Lilith's turn to stare now, her gaze roaming over all that bare skin and the muscles that rippled underneath, tracing the contours of his shoulders, his chest, the taper of his waist. When Aaden caught her staring, he grinned at her, preening, and Lilith couldn't help the undignified squeak that escaped her as she quickly averted her gaze.

"Ye can stare all ye wish," Aaden told her, stretching his arms over his head once he was dressed to get the tension out after sleeping on a stone floor all night. "I dinnae mind."

"I wasnae starin'," Lilith said, though there was little point in trying to hide it. With a huff, she began to prepare the horses for their departure and Aaden joined her, the smirk he was sporting never leaving his face.

"If ye say so," he said. "I must have imagined it."

"O' course," said Lilith.

Aaden only hummed in response. For a while, they worked in silence and then they stepped out into a chilly but sunny day, heading back to the castle. They had hardly crossed a few feet before he spoke again.

"I want me wife tae stare at me."

Lilith couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I'm nae yer wife."

"Ye will be."

Aaden looked at her smugly, the heat that bubbled under her skin born from equal measures of lust and irritation at his antics. With a smirk of her own, Lilith tightened her grip on the reins.

"I am beginnin' tae change me mind about that."

Before Aaden could respond, she was off, riding fast into the distance.