Taken By the Vicious Highlander (Taken by Highland Devils #5)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

B rahanne Keep stood tall against the pale sky, its stone walls worn by time yet still formidable. Lilith stood near the window of the guest chamber Keegan had provided her, staring out at the distant hills.

She had fled here thinking that she could outrun her emotions. Thinking that if she put enough distance between herself and Damon, she could keep her heart intact.

He wanted me gone.

But she had been wrong. Every breath, every thought, every aching moment had been consumed by him.

And now he was here.

She felt him before she saw him. The shift in the air, the sound of hurried footsteps down the corridor, the sudden pounding of her heart against her ribs.

Then, the door flew open with force, slamming against the stone wall, and there he stood.

Damon .

His dark hair was wind-tousled, his face lined with exhaustion, his cloak bearing the dust of his relentless ride. But his eyes—his stormy blue eyes—locked onto hers, brimming with something raw and undeniable.

“Ye stubborn, impossible woman,” he growled, his voice hoarse. “Do ye ken what ye’ve put me through?”

Lilith opened her mouth, but the words died on her tongue as he strode toward her. His hands gripped her arms—not rough, but desperate, grounding himself in her presence.

“I searched for ye like a madman. Thought I’d lost ye. And I cannae—” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “I cannae do this without ye, Lilith.”

“Do what?”

“This! Life! All of it! Anythin’,” he said, for once coming apart at the seams. “Ye cannae even fathom what went through me mind when I was told that ye were gone. I-I-I could have burned all of the Highlands down to find ye.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “Damon?—”

“Nay, let me speak,” he interrupted, his voice thick with emotion.

He loosened his hold, but only to cup her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing against her cheekbones as if committing every detail to memory.

“I was a fool. A bloody, stubborn arse. I asked ye to marry me for convenience—well, I actually told ye to marry me, did I nae?”

Lilith laughed and nodded her head.

“Aye, I remember it well. I did that, when ye deserved so much more. Ye deserve love, devotion—everything.”

Her lips parted, trembling. “Damon…”

His forehead dropped to hers, their breaths mingling. “I love ye, Lilith. And nae because it’s sensible or because it eases me burdens. I love ye because I cannae breathe without ye. Because every moment I spend away from ye feels like a war I’m losin’. And I will spend every day of me life provin’ that I’m worthy of ye.”

A strangled sob broke past her lips. Her hands lifted, gripping his tunic, anchoring her to him. “I never truly wanted to leave ye—I just thought ye wanted me gone. Last night, ye never even looked at me… Ye pushed me away this entire last week, and I…” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Well, I was afraid. Afraid that what I felt… that it was one-sided.”

Damon let out a low, humorless laugh, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “One-sided? Christ, woman. I’ve been yers since before I even kenned I was. Ye probably kenned it before!”

A breathless laugh escaped her despite her flowing tears. “Ye were terrible at sittin’ still.”

“Aye,” he murmured. “And terrible at lettin’ ye go.”

He tilted her chin up, his lips brushing over hers—a question, a plea. Lilith answered with a kiss that stole the air from both their lungs, a kiss that melted weeks of tension, stubbornness, and fear.

Damon’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against him, and she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was home.

“Let me take ye home, lass?”

“Aye,” she said, a wide smile spreading across her face.

Before they could leave, Keegan and Willow intercepted them in the Great Hall, standing with crossed arms and matching grins.

“Ye cannae leave just yet, Braither,” Keegan said, amusement lacing his voice. “Fair is fair—I saved both of yer lives, after all.”

Lilith arched an eyebrow. “Ye’re demandin’ a meal as payment?”

Keegan smirked. “Aye. Seems only right.”

Damon sighed but smirked. “We’ll stay for supper, then.”

Willow clapped her hands together. “Perfect. I’ll make sure the cooks prepare something special.”

The meal was set up without much of a delay, and the real purpose behind it finally came to light right as Damon and Lilith took their first bite.

“So…” Willow started, trying to affect an air of nonchalance. “Ye’re both here, suddenly. What, pray tell, brings ye to Brahanne?”

“Other than the fact that I havenae seen me sister in three—four months?”

“Has it truly been four months?” Willow gasped and then counted on her fingers to verify.

“Four, Wil. I havenae seen ye or heard much from ye in that amount of time.”

“I’m sorry, Lil,” Willow said, reaching across the table and squeezing her twin’s hand. “Time sort of…” She started giggling. “Well, ye ken bein’ married and all… time sort of… flies?”

Lilith flushed a furious color, and she knew very well that Damon was watching. As was Willow.

Ye havenae?

Lilith heard her twin’s question as if Willow had said it out loud.

Nay. Now, shut it! she conveyed back.

The message was received, though the topic was not dropped.

“How was the wedding, Damon?” Willow asked quickly, shifting focus down the table.

Damon, who had been watching the entire exchange, was poised and ready to parry.

Och Christ. What is he goin’ to say?

“It was a wedding, Willow. As was yers. Only, there was less blood,” he said and winked.

The double entendre was not lost on anyone at the table, especially Keegan, who choked on his food.

“I see,” Willow murmured, patting her husband on the back absentmindedly, all of a sudden too interested in the couple sitting across from them. “Ye do seem quite the same, Lil.”

Can she tell?

Obviously, her twin flashed in her direction.

“By design,” Damon replied coolly.

“And why is that?” Willow pressed.

“I made a promise, and I keep me promises.”

The servants cleared away the dishes, and the next course was served with efficient silence.

As the last of the staff disappeared, Willow leaned forward with a glint in her eyes. “Ye ken what we need, other than… well…” She looked at her sister with playful disapproval.

Lilith tilted her head. “What? What is it that ye think we need?”

“A cèilidh! A proper one. To truly celebrate yer love. Ye are in love, aye?”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “Ye mean another wedding?”

Willow nodded. “I mean, to ye two, it’ll be a second chance at a proper wedding. For the clan, it’ll be a time to celebrate all they’ve conquered and survived through. And ye could invite yer neighbors,” she added, referring to Clan Brahanne.

Lilith’s eyes widened with excitement, and she turned to Damon. “What do ye think?”

Damon considered for a moment, then smirked. “I think ye should plan it.”

Lilith beamed. “Truly?”

“Aye,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I want ye to have the celebration ye deserve.”

Her heart swelled, and she squeezed his hand. “Then I’ll make sure it’s a night to remember.”

The ride back was quiet but charged with emotion. Damon kept her close, his hand brushing against hers whenever the road allowed it, as if ensuring she was still there, still his.

Ryder had taken the lead to clear the brush and give them some semblance of privacy while remaining near.

When the familiar outline of the keep came into view, Lilith exhaled softly. It looked different now—not a cage, but a place where something new, something theirs, could begin.

Damon glanced at her, his expression unreadable. “Ye need rest.”

Lilith turned to him. “Ye do too. Ye look like death raked ye over the coals of hell.”

“Christ, woman. I dinnae look that terrible, do I?”

A ghost of a smile played on her lips. “Aye, but I dinnae mind it.”

He reached for her hand, his fingers warm against hers. “Come. Our seventh night awaits.”

Damon led her to his chambers, closing the door behind them with deliberate slowness. He turned, his eyes locked onto hers already sitting in the armchair in front of the fireplace.

“One secret. One truth. In great detail,” he murmured, his voice low, intimate as he strode over to meet her. “A Sun. Six.”

Lilith swallowed, anticipation curling in her stomach. “Sun. Six?”

“Aye, and ye can ask me anything ye wish, first.”

“Is Ariah safe?” she blurted out before thinking, her true feelings on the matter unwavering. She needed to know.

Damon exhaled as if preparing himself, then said, “Ariah is safe.”

Lilith’s breath hitched.

“I spoke with her and Tristan. She told me about her faither’s plan, as well as gave me more information about his backers, the Sinclairs. If ye remember, Mrs. Bryant mentioned them.”

“Aye,” Lilith said numbly, her heart flipping with anticipation.

“She said that when they were convinced they couldnae get me, they went for ye.” Damon paused and let out a laugh. “I guess even our enemies kenned I was in love with ye before I did.”

Lilith giggled, and she watched his features darken.

“Anyway,” he continued. “I sentenced both Tristan and Ariah to a life of exile. I’ve sent them to Monroich lands, and sent word to Ewan beforehand.”

“Monroich isnae far.”

“Aye, it’s near. And they are together. And,” he added softly, “ye may visit them whenever ye wish. I ken which village they’ll settle in. I told Ariah that it would only be ye, me, and her who ken the truth.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. She reached for him, gripping his tunic. “Thank ye.”

Damon shook his head. “Nay. Thank ye .”

“What did I do?”

“Ye asked me to show mercy. Ye gave her a second chance. It was an attack against ye, this last time—ye were right to demand a say.”

Lilith took a breath, steadying herself, then met his gaze. “Yer turn.”

“Aye. Thank ye, lass,” he said smoothly, finally sitting down across from her. Lilith watched as he leaned his body forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, his chin perched on one hand, the other hanging loosely between them. “Tell me, do ye wish to kiss me again?”

Her stomach dropped right between her hips, right where she wished for his hands to be. She felt her heart beat in two different places at once, sending a shiver down her spine.

His expression turned into something raw, something undone, but he waited patiently for her response.

“I—” Lilith started to say but then stopped herself.

Watching his eyes on her, knowing he would notice every single move she made, she uncrossed her ankles deliberately. Damon’s gaze flickered downward, hunger tightening his features.

She leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I wish to do a great many things to ye, Damon.”

His jaw clenched impossibly tight. “Aye?”

She leaned back in the armchair lazily and nodded. “But alas, ye will have to work for them…”

A growl rumbled deep in his chest.

“I intend on it,” was all he said before he was on her. His lips crashed against hers, his hands greedily pulling her close.

The kiss wasn’t soft, nor hesitant. It was urgent, desperate—months of longing and stubbornness igniting all at once. Lilith gasped as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed.

He laid her down with reverence, his lips tracing a path down her jaw, her neck, the frantic beat of her pulse. She tugged at his tunic, wanting more, needing everything.

Damon helped her, his movements jerky with desire, until there was nothing left between them but heat and skin. His hands mapped her, learned her anew, memorizing her all over again.

“Ye are mine,” he rasped, his forehead pressed against hers. “Say it.”

Lilith arched into him, her nails dragging down his back. “I have always been yers.”

Damon groaned as she let her knees fall wide, revealing how sopping wet with desire she was for him. His eyes darkened, a plea tumbling past his lips in heated gasps.

“I need to taste ye. Tell me I can,” he almost begged.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she nodded.

He rested his large frame between her thighs, kissing his way up her legs with painfully slow precision, until finally, she felt his soft tongue glide expertly against her. She gasped with indescribable need, loving every second of his mouth on her but needing far more—needing far more, immediately .

He slid his long fingers into her without delay, sensing her urgency. He pumped them into her, reaching an inexplicably deep, sensitive spot inside her.

“Damon!” she cried out, unable to contain herself as he relentlessly pushed her further and further toward sweet, reckless abandon.

Her entire body convulsed around him, and she breathed heavier and heavier until she finally fell over the edge. A scream tore from her throat.

She needed more—she needed everything . She wanted to give him everything.

His mouth trailed up her torso as she came down from the high of her release, his body starting to shift to lay next to her, when she gripped his arm, her eyes hazy but determined.

“Nay,” she managed to say between gasps. “Dinnae stop.”

Damon’s eyebrows rose. “Are ye sure?”

Lilith frowned, her need for him heightening her frustration. “I hate repeatin’ meself,” she said.

Damon couldn’t help but smile, no doubt noting one of his first words to her.

He shifted to hover just above her, his blue eyes never leaving hers as their bodies joined. The initial shock of his length filling her subsided around the pressure that was almost too much to bear and pushed her to her limit with each slow thrust.

“Are ye all right, love?” Damon asked, true worry etched on his face.

Lilith raised a hand between them, smoothing out the lines as a smile tugged at her lips. His rhythm was a smooth, familiar, and yet entirely new feeling that she needed more of.

“Aye, I’m well. I need more…” she begged.

Damon flashed her a devastating grin. “We do oblige, Mrs. Aragain.”

His deep, sensual voice raked across her bare skin, making it tingle, before his lips found hers, and then her neck, and then her nipple. His teeth and lips coaxed another wave of ecstasy from her body.

He worshipped her, slow and deep, as if proving every word he had spoken. Lilith clung to him, her body meeting his every thrust, her heart shattering and reforming in his hands.

When they reached the peak together, she whispered his name like a prayer, and he held her as if he never intended to let her go. Sleep took them in waves, each waking up searching for air in each other’s kiss.

As dawn broke over the keep, Lilith stirred against his chest. His arms were wrapped around her, his breath warm against her hair. She smiled, pressing a kiss to his skin.

“Are ye awake?” she murmured sleepily.

“Aye,” he rumbled, his arms tightening around her slightly. “Just watchin’ ye.”

She sighed, contentment settling deep within her bones. “Then keep watchin’.”

And for the first time in forever, neither of them ran.