Page 108 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander

“Ye dinnae want me to deliver it to him directly?”

“Nay, just put it on his desk—it’s nae urgent.”

“Aye, I’ll deliver it later.”

Another pause, and then Ryder spoke again, “Damon is expectin’ ye to stay put, Lilith.”

Her nails dug into the satchel strap.

Ye dinnae ken a damn thing.

She took a steadying breath and softened her voice. “Ryder, I ken that well enough. Please, just let me be.”

Another pause on the other side of the door and then the sound of his boots shifting. “If ye need anythin’ else, I’ll be right here.”

She waited, her breath held, until his footsteps faded.

Then, she turned around, glancing at the far wall. The tapestry hanging there was untouched, still hanging as it had always been.

Lilith allowed herself the smallest of smirks.

He thought he could keep me here after such a disgustin’ speech? Right.

This washerhome, and she knew every single way out of it.

The moment she pushed the tapestry aside, the cool draft in the tunnel rushed over her, smelling of damp earth and aged stone.

It had been years since she’d last used this passage, but she still remembered it vividly.

She stepped inside, her fingers running along the walls until she found the iron latch. With a soft click, the hidden door swung open, revealing a narrow, winding corridor beyond.

A memory flashed through her mind, vivid and sharp—she and Willow slipping through that same corridor, hand in hand, their giggles hushed but still uncontrollable. The sound of their mirth echoed down the corridor even as they navigated it knowingly through the hidden nooks of the keep.

Her eyes stung as she recalled how she and her sister had escaped Magnus that night. They ran through the passageways and out into the night, convinced that they were invincible, that they had finallywon.

She felt that thrill again, her lips curling into a smile at the pure, reckless joy of it. But then her heart sank, turning into lead in her chest, because she rememberedwhyMagnus had never found them.

Ariah.

Ariah had stepped in at the right time and distracted Magnus long enough for them to slip away. And now… now her friend needed her.

Lilith’s throat tightened, and she furrowed her brow with determination, her pace quickening.

There’s only one way to make sure he doesnae harm her.

She had to get him out of the keep.

There was only one way to do it—beat him to the punch.

The tunnel spit her out near the old storage shed behind the stables. The moon was high, casting long shadows over the empty courtyard, and she chanced a look up at the luminous castle.

Damon’s study was lit fiercely, as if he had gone there straight from his chambers and lit every single candle he could find. As if trying to set it on fire.

Her horse, Taran, pawed at the ground anxiously when she approached, sensing her urgency.

Lilith worked quickly, tightening the saddle, tying down her bags, and adjusting the reins, her hands sure despite the wild thundering of her heart.

She mounted the brown and white mare, and the two of them bolted out of the stables. It was about ten minutes later, as they were tearing through Branloch, that they came upon their first, and hopefully only, speed bump. Emma Sinclair.