Page 72 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander

Ryder nodded his head slightly in gratitude, and the two cantered on to the next post.

When they came across another pair of guards near the river bend, one of them—a younger lad named Callum—looked particularly eager for their attention.

“Me Laird! Ryder!” Callum puffed out his chest, standing as straight as a tree. “We spotted a group of travelers near the eastern border this mornin’. They didnae cause trouble, but they were askin’ questions. Wanted to ken about the new Laird.”

Damon exchanged a look with Ryder before focusing on the lad. “And what did ye tell them?”

Callum swallowed hard. “Only that McCallum lands are well protected. That our Laird doesnae take kindly to folk pryin’ where they shouldnae.”

A slow smirk tugged at the corner of Damon’s lips. “Good lad.”

Ryder chuckled. “Ach, look at that. He’s puffin’ up even more now.”

Callum flushed but grinned, clearly pleased with the praise.

Damon gave the guards a final word of encouragement before riding off again, his mind already shifting to another matter—the rock face where he’d found the twinflower. He needed to see it again.

He urged his horse on without another word, and Ryder followed closely behind.

When they reached the base of the rock face, Damon dismounted, scanning the area with sharp eyes. Ryder followed suit, rubbing his jaw as he observed his Laird’s intent focus.

“Ye’re thinkin’ about the attack?” he asked.

“Aye,” Damon murmured. “Something’s nae right about it. Feels like there should be more to find.”

With that, he started his climb up in search of something… anything. He combed through the underbrush, checked the ground for disturbances, and examined the rock face itself. But nothing stood out—nothing except for the cavern he hadn’t noticed before.

Did he hide there last night? Was he this close?

Damon stilled, his gaze locking onto the dark opening just beyond a jagged outcrop. Even from where he stood, he could see the faint glimmer of something inside. His mind churned with possibilities.

Then, it struck him.

He’d bring Lilith here. Make a night of it. He didn’t have anything planned for night five anyway, and this would be perfect. He would let her be the one to discover it first, though, to explore what lay beyond the entrance. She hadn’t had the freedom to roam as he had, not with Magnus as a brother.She’d been bound by duty, by expectations, by the weight of her burdensome demons. But here, with him, she could be free.

A slow smile crept across his face.

“Ye look like a man with a plan,” Ryder noted, eyeing him suspiciously.

Damon smirked. “Aye, perhaps I am.”

He strode back down the rock face toward the horses.

They mounted their steeds once more and started the ride back to the keep. The air had warmed slightly, the noon sun burning off the morning chill. Ryder rode in silence for a while before he finally spoke again.

“Ye ken, I’ve been thinkin’ for a while that Lilith might carry some guilt with her over things that happened in her childhood.”

Damon glanced at him, his brow furrowed. “Why do ye say that?”

Ryder exhaled slowly. “I grew up with them, basically. I heard what was said when they didnae think anyone was around.”

“What was said?”

“Just odd things she’s said over the years. Never spoke of her life like it had a future, but more so like she was trudgin’ on toward the end. Never softened, only hardened with time—though I think I was one of the only ones to notice that about her facade.” He paused, his expression darkening. “Me and Ariah, of course.”

“Always figured Magnus had somethin’ to do with it.”

“Och, aye, he did.”