With a mirthless chuckle, Keegan rolled his eyes. “Och, is she now? And since when did ye wish for Willow to remain in the castle? I had to beg ye for an apology to her nae too long ago.”
His brother tried to adjust, scooting himself up before the injury to his side kept him from moving much further.
“That is just the thing. I was wrong, and ye made sure I saw it. I only wish to do the same.” Damon offered a tired grin. “We are yer kin, yer siblings, and we will always be here with ye to defend the clan. That is our duty as much as it is yers. But we must also work to nae let ourselves become what we are defendin' against. Daenae let yerself become Magnus.”
The blow struck Keegan to the quick, but it was hard to deny that what Damon was saying was accurate. He’d not wanted to allow the man to be buried, and it was only Willow saying that she wanted to be kinder to her brother than he would’ve been to her that changed his mind.
He knew that the darkness was growing within him, and as much as it pained Keegan to admit it, he could see himself following down that gruesome path toward a destination that looked too similar to Magnus’s.
“We are yer siblings, and we stand at yer side. But we arenae yer sole duty. Ye also have a duty to yerself—and to yer bride. Yer heart.”
Keegan shook his head, a horrid sting in his eyes that he wouldn’t truly acknowledge. “And what am I to do if me heart is the verra thing that gets either of ye killed?”
“It will never be yer heart that does us in, Keegan.” Damon took his hand, squeezing it hard, which was a comfort for the strength in his brother’s grip. “Ye blame yerself for the crimes of others. Ye dinnae kill our parents. Magnus did. Ye dinnae get me hurt. It was a consequence of battle with our enemy.”
A choked inhale raked through Keegan’s body, and he could feel the rogue tear that slid down his cheek. He wanted to rub the thing away, but he had heard his brother, and the truth of so many things struck him.
“Ihaveblamed meself. I’ve…I’ve also sworn to never be soft like that again. I dinnae allow meself to ever get to that place, to believe in the good of people. That…that hasnae kept me as safe from harm as I’d have liked to believe. And I’ll admit that I dinnae wish to become like Magnus. I want to be the sort of man our parents could’ve been proud of.”
Damon smiled at him, his eyes still lidded as the fatigue of the day clung to him. But he nodded, his eyes drifting toward the door as if he could see the people who lay outside of it.
“Then ye need to go. Daenae let her get away, Keegan.”
Apprehension itched under his skin, but as he considered the battle and everything that he could have lost, it was resolve that filled up the cracks.
“Ye’re right. And I ken that ye’ll never let me hear the end of it. So get yer rest, and pray that our new lady of the castle hasnae made it far yet.”
Chuckling, Damon shoved Keegan lightly to get him moving. “Go!”
Keegan grinned but took heed of Damon’s words and sprinted from the room. He only hoped that he wasn’t too late, that there was still time to catch up to Willow and tell her…
Tell her I love her.
32
“Ye have been such a fool. How could ye let yerself be so ridiculous?”
Willow shook her head as she rushed down the hallway toward the room where Lilith was waiting. The tears had dried up somewhere along the walk, and now all that remained was the fervent ache in her chest that reminded her of how stupid she had been.
She’d allowed herself to get her hopes up when Keegan had been clear from the start that this was a marriage of convenience. Why had she gotten her hopes up and believed that there was more? It was a childish mistake and one that Willow had assumed she would never make after living with Magnus for her entire life.
Her steps were too loud, a patch for the frantic pound of her blood in her ears, and Willow paused, standing in the empty hall. She turned to the stone wall and pressed her fists into it, desperate to scream.
“Damn ye, Willow,” she cursed at herself. “Ye will never learn.”
Keegan had done all of this to protect his siblings, and for a time, she thought that he might be genuine about his concern for protecting her. But Willow had been wrong. It had only ever been about his own family.
And hers had nearly gotten his brother killed.
Of course, after all that, Keegan wouldn’t think too kindly about being with her. She could hardly blame the man for seeing a pattern between the events. He let his guard down once, and his parents were killed. He does it again, and his castle is attacked.
“God,” Willow looked up at the ceiling, “what am I to do about this? How can I keep Lilith safe?”
A spark lit in her mind, and Willow looked toward the door at the end of the hall where Keegan’s room was. Lilith was inside, but the laird had also given permission to allow them to bury Magnus. Her sister could take his body back to McCallum castle. But Willow knew that they would need to move quickly before Keegan changed his mind.
Willow practically sprinted down the hall and burst into the room. Lilith jumped as the surprise overcame her, and Willow went to her side, pulling her from the bed.
“We must move quickly, Sister.” Willow snatched up the arisaid her sister had thrown over a chair. “Ye will make yer way backhome to bury Magnus. I will speak with Rodrick about helpin' ye to get his body ready for the journey. But ye must go now.”