Chapter 1 #2
“Och, is it a scandal now? Me sister was kidnapped by yer braither, and yers by mine. That seems like normal clan business, does it nae? Why does it matter anyway? Keegan and Willow are married now.”
“Well, for all they ken, it was a scandal! It’s nae like they invited any of them to the celebration. That’s what—” Lilith’s resolve hardened.
Even if she sounded like Magnus, she would say anything to get out of another arrangement.
Damon’s eyes danced. “That’s what yer braither put into yer head, did he nae?”
Lilith’s silence seemed to give him leave to press her harder for more details. “And what else do ye ken?”
Unbidden, her thoughts ran out of her like a waterfall.
“I ken ye are mighty confident that ye can step right into this clan and take over without any sort of argument. Magnus, for all his faults, kenned this clan—it’s in our blood.
So, before ye go and start makin’ changes to suit the comforts ye were afforded in Clan Brahanne, make sure ye understand the consequences.
This clan, while handed to ye, are a strong and loyal lot, and they ken that I am the only one left. ”
Her eyes grew wide with realization. She had crossed a line, and would surely pay for it.
What will he do? Magnus would have—I wouldnae have been able to get all of that out if me braither was still here…
Damon inhaled sharply before pushing off the edge of the desk. Bracing for whatever harm this brute in front of her was going to inflict on her, Lilith tilted her chin up defiantly.
But instead of closing the space between them, he clicked his tongue and then moved around the desk.
He silently eased himself into her father’s chair, his eyes locked onto hers as if to watch her reaction.
Her brother’s old paperwork rested on the desk in front of him, but he easily swiped it to the side.
His eyes drew hers to the large portrait of her mother above the mantel before they connected with her fierce hazel glare once more.
“Marry me.”
Lilith’s heart stuttered. A nervous chuckle escaped her lips, but it died quickly when she realized that he wasn’t joking. His expression was firm, his tone unwavering.
“Ye cannae be serious. That’s what ye have to say to me?”
Another thing he wants to be handed! The nerve!
“I am always serious, lass,” Damon replied, his voice suddenly growing sharper. “But if ye dinnae want that, then ye can go. I dinnae have time for this—” He gestured toward the door behind her before turning his gaze to the book next to his left arm.
Lilith’s temper flared at his nonchalance as she spun on her heel and stormed toward the door.
What kind of proposal is this? Why would I marry him? Does he somehow have feelings for—
The realization halted her, the air whooshing out of her lungs as if a horse had kicked her.
With her hand tight around the door handle, Lilith blurted out, “Why?”
Her back to him, she heard him sigh, as if her resistance was an inconvenience. The ensuing silence made every bone in her body want to turn around to face him, but she tightened her grip on the handle and stayed firmly in place. Back straining under the tension, waiting.
Damon’s voice broke through her turmoil, the distance between them had decreased drastically, and she twisted around in surprise. Her back pressed against the cold iron adornments on the study door as she breathed in notes of fresh cedar and vetiver.
“Why what?” he asked simply, his features menacingly dark.
Lilith’s words, laced with venom, shot out between them. “Why would ye wish for me to marry ye? Ye have ruined me family! Do ye have feelings for me or something? Because I can assure ye—”
Damon’s predatory movements—an even more intimidating force than she had experienced before—caused her to cower from him. Her gaze dropped to the floor in submission.
He towered over her, his furious heat permeating the tight space between his wide chest and her delicate shoulders. He was built unlike any man she had ever seen.
“Look at me,” was all he said. His voice was like gravel.
Lilith noted that his hands had remained in his pockets. The folds of his jacket strained against his hard muscles. His sharp jaw clenched, and a muscle fluttered under the edge of his stubbled cheekbone. Finally, she met his icy blue glare—somehow even more blue in his anger.
He could kill me…
“Dinnae be naive. This wouldnae be about romance.” The harsh emphasis on the last word might as well have been a slap across her face. “Neither would a marriage between us ever involve something as baseless and useless as love.”
“Then tell me why!”
That was the last thing Lilith thought she would say before he would deliver an ear-splitting blow. Her body relaxed instinctively because she always recovered quicker and with fewer marks when she wasn’t tense.
As if sensing the shift in the air, Damon’s voice came out like a forbidden flavor of honey.
“Because it is what’s best for yer people.
They dinnae trust me. I have nay intention of harmin’ them.
But if they revolt… drastic measures will be taken.
With ye as me wife, they’ll see that I mean to protect them. ”
Lilith’s mind raced as his proximity overwhelmed her senses.
“Plus, ye have all gone out of yer way to decorate the study. I doubt anyone was made aware of who ye were actually betrothed to—I havenae seen an announcement yet.”
Another scandal to blight our clan’s honor. They’re all expectin’ a wedding, he’s right. Another ruined engagement if I refuse him…
“What happens if someone crosses ye?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damon’s silence was answer enough.
Her thoughts turned to her people, the trials they had already gone through under Magnus’s rule, and the uncertainty of a stranger now ruling them.
They’ll suffer.
“I willnae repeat meself, Lilith Flanagan. What say ye?”
She hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest as blood rushed to her head. “For me people,” she said slowly and nodded. “For them, I’ll marry ye, Damon Aragain.”