Page 133 of Evil Hearts

“Y-ye sound worried about me, brother?” Munro’s voice sounded so weak as he staggered and fell in front of them.

“Munro!” Katarina cried out, rushing to his side.

Blood. So much blood! His body was covered in it, and more kept seeping from deep lashes and punctures that littered his body. His face was bruised—his left eye swollen shut and his right lazily swam about from exhaustion. Lachlan cursed in words Katarina couldn’t understand as he fought to wipe the blood out of his brother’s face, only to have it replaced moments after by several gashes in his forehead.

“Brother!” Lachlan cried out, kneeling down. “The vampires… they did this?”

“I… I got away,” Munro gave a crooked smiled. “K-Kat? Kitty-Kat? A-are… are yecryingfor me, lass? Ye… ye look like shite when ye cry,” he coughed on his own laughter.

“Of course I’m crying, you idiot!” Katarina sniffed as the tears continued. “You could’ve been killed!”

“I’ll be alright,” he grinned and then began to cough out more blood. “Just be sore for a day or two. Nuthin’ a pint of ale won’t cure.”

“She’s right, yearean idiot!” Lachlan growled, carefully lifting Munro in his arms. “Lass, would ye be okay with accompanying me to our cave tonight?”

“Of course!” she bit her lip, following after him.

As the two settled beside Munro, Katarina began to grab all the linen she could find and went to cleaning his wounds. She could feel both brothers’ gazes on her as she continued to clean Munro’s wounds.

“Lachlan, I need more water,” she turned, biting her lip as she saw his warm eyes watching her work.

He nodded, struggling to tear his gaze from the two of them. “I’ll go get some. Thank you so much for this, lass.”

She watched for a moment as he left and turned back to Munro, who had begun to relax under her care.

“I can’t believe they did this to you,” she whispered, continuing to clean his wounds.

“It’s no’ so terrible,” he grinned at her. “Worth it t’see you again.”

Katarina scoffed and shook her head, “You’ve lost it!”

“No! Really! Ye are the most beautiful lass I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Well, you only got the one good eye, and even that one looks likeshite,” she smiled as he smirked at that. “I may be pretty, butbeautiful? No way.”

“Ye remind me of our mother,” he chuckled, only to stop suddenly and groan in pain.

“Stop that,” she glared. “You are hurting yourself more!”

“It’s worth it,” he smiled at her. “So… have ye an’ Lachlan shagged yet?”

Katarina’s eyes widened and she paused to look up at him. “What?”

“Ye love ‘im, doon’cha?”

“What? H-how… how can you tell?” she frowned.

“I can see it in the way ye look at him,” he sighed. “He deserves it, though. Mos’ women look away from him; scared of ‘im, I think.”

“What do you mean?” she frowned.

“His scars, I suppose… an’ his eyes; I guess just how intense he is,” Munro shrugged and winced as he did. “Most women are afraid of him, so they come to me. I could see it from the start, but—I won’t lie—I wanted that one taste,” he winked and chuckled, groaning again.

“I said stop that!” she scolded him. Then, satisfied that he would hold still, she added “I’m not at all afraid of him. I can’t believe anyone would be!”

“Och, yer not a typical lass, are ye?” he smiled, “I can’t say I’m not jealous, but I am happy for him,” Munro smiled. “He deserves real happiness.”

Not long after Lachlan stepped back in, and Katarina noticed that the faint curl of a smile tugging at his lips. He looked into her eyes for a moment and smiled, handing her a bucket of fresh water.

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