Page 89 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander

“I need to speak with her.”

“Nay.” Damon’s refusal was immediate, his hand clenching into a fist. “She doesnae deserve the chance to speak to ye. She’ll rot in the dungeons for what she’s done.”

“Damon, I need to hear it from her.” Lilith gritted her teeth as she swung her legs over the mattress. “Please.”

His eyes burned with reluctance, but he exhaled sharply and stood up. “Fine. But I’ll be there with ye.”

“Nay. I’ll go alone, husband.”

The muscle in Damon’s jaw ticked, but he relented. “Fine, but I’ll be at the end of the corridor.”

“I’ll meet ye in the study.”

With a sigh, Damon nodded firmly. “If ye arenae up here in ten minutes, I’m comin’ down for ye.”

“Fine.”

The dungeons were cold, damp, and reeked of mildew. Ariah sat on the floor of her cell, her once-pristine dress wrinkled and stained with dirt. Her arms wrapped around her legs, her head bowed.

Lilith took a shaky breath. “Ariah.”

At the sound of her voice, Ariah’s head snapped up. Her brown eyes widened, then flickered with something unreadable. Guilt? Fear? Resignation?

“Ye shouldnae be here,” she murmured.

“I need to understand why.” Lilith stepped closer, gripping the iron bars. “I trusted ye. I loved ye like a sister. And ye poisoned me. Why, Ariah?”

Ariah lowered her gaze, her fingers curling into the fabric of her dress, but she said nothing.

Lilith’s breaths came quicker, her fury simmering beneath the surface. “Say something! Ye owe me that much!”

Still, Ariah remained silent, her lips pressed into a thin line. Lilith couldn’t tell, and it only made her angrier.

“Damn ye, Ariah! Have ye nothin’ to say for yerself?” Lilith’s voice rose, echoing through the damp stone walls. “After everything, after all?—”

Her words caught in her throat as she thought all of those times they hid away from Magnus.

Clearing her throat, she said instead, “After everything we shared, ye’ll nae even give me a reason?”

Ariah’s shoulders curled inward, but she remained silent.

Lilith’s chest tightened with frustration, her nails digging into her palms. “Did ye hate me so much? Was it jealousy? Were ye after Damon all along?”

At that, Ariah’s head snapped up, her lips parting slightly. But still, no words came out. Her throat bobbed, as though she was swallowing down something she could not say.

Lilith exhaled sharply, trying to rein in her emotions. “Was it Tristan? Did he put ye up to this? He’s been against Damon from the start, and I’ve been defendin’ him this whole time, sayin’ that he’s just doin’ his job. But is this his idea? Tell me, damn ye!”

Still, nothing.

Lilith let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Coward.”

Ariah flinched.

Lilith turned to leave, her hands trembling. But before she could take a step, Ariah finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, “I’m pregnant.”

Lilith froze. Slowly, she turned back, her stomach churning. “What?”

Ariah’s lips quivered. “I… I’m with child, Lil?—”