Page 65 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander

Ryder exhaled deeply before following him. “Aye, let’s go. Stop with all of this flower crap.” He laughed knowingly before sauntering away.

With every interaction, Ryder was proving to be a loyal and trusted man. Not that Damon needed that reassurance, for he trusted Lilith’s judgment. But because he couldn’t trust anyone’s intentions, he wanted to see how Ryder responded when put to the test. He let out a hearty laugh and followed the man back to their horses.

Back at the castle, Damon wasted no time. He summoned the guards, barking orders at them to tighten patrols around the grounds and keep a vigilant watch on all entry points.

“Smith, call a council meeting.”

The thought of Lilith brought to the forefront of his mind the way she tasted and how delicious his name sounded on her moaning lips, and he was rooted to the spot by it.

Ryder continued instructing the men around them, and the room started to focus on the stairwell. Smith sidestepped knowingly.

Up,he thought, and his body moved without hesitation.

He heard a distant “in the morning, Me Laird,” from Smith before he was bounding up the steps toward his chambers.

She has to be safe. She must be all right.

“Lass?” Damon hissed into the darkness of his room.

His eyes darted around the space, adjusting too slowly for his liking. He stepped further inside, careful not to wake Lilith if she was still in his room.

Nae on the bed…

He poked his head into the sitting room before walking toward the simmering hearth inside.

“Lass?” he whispered again, his voice no louder than a leaf falling.

Her wild hair glinted in the firelight, and he instinctively crouched down. An arm was thrown over the armrests of the lounge chair she occupied, her head and neck contorted into what looked like a death trap.

She stayed?

“Lass, are ye well?” he whispered louder but didn’t receive a response again.

He slid his arms under her comatose body with ease and carried her to his bed.

I’ll just lay her down and leave.

He turned away, but her small hand tugged on his tunic.

Damon pulled back slightly to see that Lilith had found purchase on a fold of the fabric, and her vice-like grip refused to relax when he gently tried to pull away. A smile tugged at his lips, and he maneuvered around her hold to lie next to her.

Several hours later, Lilith stirred next to him. He blinked one eye open to see that her grip had still not relaxed, and he chuckled softly before closing his eyes once more.

The council will be meetin’ soon. I should probably figure out a way to get out of bed without wakin’ her, but?—

Damon’s hesitation was only punctuated by the memory of how well she dealt with the villagers in Branloch.

She has a way of seein’ things that others dinnae. Her insight could be valuable. Maybe she recognized the man before he took off…

“Ye look troubled,” she said sleepily, her hazel eyes suddenly fixed on him. “What’s on yer mind?”

Damon pried one eyelid open. “Are ye well?”

“I feel… different, but aye, I am well.”

Damon closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, fighting the pull he now felt in his groin. He hadn’t asked her that question to gauge her feelings about the evening they had shared, although perhaps he should have because she had very clearly misunderstood.

“Good,” he managed to say. Then, he paused before beginning the original line of questioning again, one arm resting on his stomach and the other tucked beneath his head. “Did the attacker hurt ye in any way last night, lass?”