Page 66 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander

Lilith stretched out like a cat next to him, her hands rising over her head lazily before falling back down. “Nay, he just scared me. Did ye get him?”

Damon’s eyes locked onto hers. “Him?”

“I…” she started to say and sat upright. “I just thought it might have been?”

“I thought so too, but I didnae ken for sure.”

The silence between them grew, making the bed feel smaller than ever.

Damon sat up and faced her. “I have an idea I want to share with ye,” he began. “Something I think could help the clan.”

Her curiosity was piqued, and she leaned forward slightly. “Go on.”

“Back at Brahanne, we have a tradition—The Market Day Festival. Twice a year, the people gather to trade, feast, drink, and celebrate. It strengthens the clan. Makes them feel part of something bigger than themselves. I want to do the same here.”

A flicker of interest crossed her face, the corners of her lips twitching. “A festival?”

“Aye. A day for the merchants, the farmers, the craftsmen. A day where the clan comes together, nae just to survive but to live. With all these attacks, I just ken we need a respite.”

“I never took ye for the sentimental type,” Lilith joked, but her fingers combed through her hair, pulling it back from her face, and her eyebrows knitted together as if she were considering his suggestion. “It’s a good idea.” She paused. “But it willnae be easy.”

Damon exhaled through his nose. “I ken it willnae be easy, but that doesnae mean it’s nae worth doin’.”

“It’s nae just about the effort, Damon. Change is… difficult for people who’ve already lost so much.” Her voice was softer now, edged with something unspoken. “They may see it as an unnecessary risk. Or worse, a distraction from things they believe need yer attention more.”

“They may,” he conceded. “But they also need something more than empty bellies and fear to hold onto.” He drummed his fingers on his thigh. “If we wait for them to come to us, we’ll bewaitin’ forever. This is how we show them that we mean to lead, nae just rule.”

She held his gaze, considering, calculating. Then, slowly, she nodded. “Ye’ll need to be careful in how ye present it to the council.”

He scoffed. “Ye mean I’ll need to be careful of Tristan and Sebastian.”

She gave him a wry smile. “They willnae be the only ones who doubt ye.”

“I’d be disappointed if they didnae.”

Lilith leaned back against the headboard, her eyes sharp despite the amused tilt of her lips. “If ye want them to agree, ye must make them feel as though they’ve come to the decision themselves.”

Damon arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Aye. Flatter them. Appeal to their sense of importance. Men like that dinnae like to be told what’s best for them—they like to think they came up with the notion themselves.”

A chuckle rumbled low in his chest. “Ye expect me to stroke their… pride?”

The blush that crept up Lilith’s neck and cheeks was almost too much to resist.

She spoke thoughtfully, “Iexpectye to be smarter than both of them. For all their faults, their opinions hold quite a bit of weight around here.”

“By design?”

“I think it was unintentionally driven by Magnus’s ignorance and violence.”

That gave him pause. He tilted his head slightly, watching her. “So, ye truly think it’ll work?”

“I think it’s worth tryin’. And more than that, I think it could be good for our people.”

Something in the way she said ‘our’ made his chest tighten uncomfortably, but he pushed past it.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll bring it before the council.” He climbed out of bed and made for the door, but her voice stopped him.