Page 46 of Evil Hearts

Chapter Five:

Foolish Pride

“ W h-where’s Kat?” Munro’s pained voice rose as Lachlan stepped into the cave, and he growled at the unwelcome greeting.

“She’s gone! She left us… and good riddance to her!” Lachlan snarled.

“Whoa! What’s with ye, Lachlan? The lass is in love with ye!” Munro struggled to sit up, propping himself on his elbows. “What’s all this about then? Why are ye not going after her?”

“She just wanted to make us her pet project!” Lachlan hissed, turning away.

He couldn’t bear to look his brother in the eye, not when he knew that the expression he’d be rewarded with was the same condescending disbelief he was presently bludgeoning himself with. Much as he wanted to believe his own contrived shite—much as he ached for his outburst to be so simple and rational—he couldn’t bring himself to a single conclusion that justified it.

New York…

The United States…

As though venturing from the safety of their cave and following the lass into the village hadn’t been a grand and terrifying enough endeavor already, now there were planes and oceans and entire new worlds. This girl—this seemingly simple little anapriek—was a part of a bustling existence that differed from their own like the day differed from the night.

But did he truly believe that she’d wanted that for him for herself?

Or had he just been grasping at the first opportunity to preserve his simple life?

“Better a prideful dick than a loose whore!”

How could he…

“What happened, brother?” Munro’s stare turned serious.

“She… she offered to pay for us and move us in New York with her,” he scoffed. “Probably to use us as pets and try to bleed us for more inspiration.”

“An’ that’s what ye believe? That’s what’s got ye so pissy an’ lettin’ the best thing to ever happen in your life get away?” Munro growled. “Of course she offered to pay for us, Lachlan; we live in a bluidy cave! Were ye thinking ye’d live a life with her paying with ale-farts and the never-ending rivers of piss an’ vinegar runnin’ through yer veins?”

“I…” he frowned, not having any response to offer.

“You really bollixed this one, didn’t ye?” Munro sighed. “Lass is prolly shagging the first laddie she came across, assuming she actually—”

Lachlan’s eyes widened. “Assuming she actually made it back t’the village…”

Munro was already dragging himself to his feet. “Those leeches are still out there, brother! We canna let ‘er brave those woods on ‘er own!”

“ Aye !” Lachlan nodded, “Are ye feeling up t’joining me, brother?”

“An’ risk letting ye bollix up the lass’ offer all o’er again,” he shook his head. “No thank ye! I wan’ t’see the city lights, an’ I’m not lettin’ yer foolish pride muck it up!”

Katarina never made it back to the inn…

Lachlan froze, staring at the innkeeper who had just given them the troubling news. The innkeeper tried to pass it off as a foreigner getting caught up in the nightly activities of the deprived and Lachlan narrowed his gaze at her.

“Ye best not say anymore,” with that, he turned and left the inn, heading back towards the mountains.

Something about that old woman rubbed him the wrong way; something about her certainty and sudden casualness towards one of her tenants going missing.

“So much fer the bleeding heart we saw earlier, aye ?” Munro guffawed beside him. “An’ the ol’ boot stinks like boogered panties!”

As the brothers put the lantern lights of the village behind them, Lachlan shot his brother a confused glance. “What are ye going on about?”

“Tha’ innkeeper wench! She’s twofaced! Rantin’ earlier ‘bout how nervous she was for Kat when she di’n’t come back last night, but shruggin’ off her absence t’night; it doona seem right?”

“An’ what was that about ‘boogered panties?’”

“Oh, aye !” Munro chuckled, “Ye dinna notice? Ol’ hen reeked of crusty blood! Almos’ like a…”

“Like a vampire?” a husky feminine voice rang out from behind them.

The brothers spun to face the redheaded vampire. Though they’d encountered her several times before, circumstances had never allowed for them to see her with much clarity. Now, however, without her hissing or lunging or chasing them through the hills, she seemed peaceful; almost regal.

“She’s actually in league with us—well, them at least,” she went on about the innkeeper. “Offers over tourists and low-key locals to save her own gizzard. Can’t say I’m flattered by all this ‘panty booger’-talk, but you’ve certainly hit the nail on the head.”

Lachlan bared his teeth. “What do ye want, vampire ?”

“You’re looking for that pretty blonde anapriek, yes?” she asked as she sauntered towards them, her hips swaying.

Knowing that Munro wouldn’t survive another attack from her kin he stepped in front of his brother and snarled, letting the change begin to take him.

“Hold yer beast, brother,” Munro clapped a hand on his shoulder.

Lachlan scowled and looked back, demanding answers with his gaze.

“She’s no’ like the others,” Munro explained, nodding towards her.

Lachlan sneered, “How can ye be so certain?”

Munro nodded back towards her, “Because she’s the one that let me go before they got the chance t’kill me.”

“What?” Lachlan narrowed his eyes at him, not sure if he believed his ears. “Why would ye not tell me that sooner?”

“Would ye have believed me sooner?” Munro cocked a brow.

Sighing in resignation and reversing what little change had taken hold of his body, Lachlan turned back to the female vampire. “What would you know of the anapriek?”

“I know my bastard of a brother and his lot of cockknobs have captured her and are planning to kill her.”

“Planning?” Lachlan growled, “Yer kind doona delay a kill if there’s no reason to!”

“Quite right. You’re not as dense as they like to believe,” the redhead cooed, polishing her nails on her dark green, leather bodice. “They’re expecting the two of you to attempt a rescue,” she rolled her hand, “The whole noble hero bit, you understand.”

“Is that why yer tellin’ us this?” Lachlan glared, taking a step towards her, “To lure us into yer nest?”

“Our… nest?” the vampire cackled, “My dear, what do you think we are?” She shook her head and held out her hand, “No, no. Don’t answer that. I feel it’d be a long and tiresome rant.” Sighing, she shrugged, “To be truthful, I hate my brother—hate the whole lot of them, actually; insufferable behemoths!—and I’d no sooner see their plans come to fruition than I would piss out a fire should they ever combust.”

“Ye talk funny,” Lachlan spat.

“So do you,” the redhead chirped.

“I like the way she talks,” Munro shrugged.

Lachlan shot him a look, “Who asked ye?”

“She helped me once before, brother,” Munro pointed out. “Perhaps she’d be willin’ to do it again if ye doona offend ‘er!”

“My my,” the redhead purred, “what a novel concept.”

Munro looked to her, his eyes pleading, “Ye wouldn’t deceive me, Anna, would ye?”

“Anna?” Lachlan nearly choked on his own gasp, “Ye even know the beast’s name?”

“Look at the pot calling the kettle black,” the redhead— Anna —sneered. “I see your brother’s the only one with any manners,” she smirked, “Though he’s certainly the only one with the looks.”

Munro blushed at that, and Lachlan stifled the urge to retch.

“Will ye take us to ‘er?” Lachlan asked, then, biting his lip at the formality, added “Please?”

Anna smiled at that, and Lachlan was surprised to see that her teeth weren’t the savage nightmare he’d always believed her kind to wield.

“There’s the magic word,” she nodded, turning away and leading them into the night.