Page 138 of Evil Hearts

“Lachlan…” she whimpered, “LACHLA—”

A shadowy figure started up the hill towards her, and a swell of hope that Lachlan had already found her was quickly dashed as sleek, feminine features came into focus and the redheaded vampire stepped into the moonlight.

“D-don’t come near me! I’m warning you! He’ll kill you if you harm me! My Lachlanwillkill you!” she whimpered.

“Oh I’m quite certain of that,” she smirked, drawing a dagger from a sheath at her waist.

“P-please no! Don’t! I don’t want to die!” Katarina whimpered, “I need to see him again!”

“And you will,” she said as she began to cut through the binds securing Katarina to the log. “I’m Anna, and I’m helpingyourLachlan and his brother to stick it to my brother.”

“Your brother? Then you’re… youaren’tfighting with the other vampires?” she frowned, eyeing her warily.

“I’m a big girl, anapriek; just like you—I make my own decisions and everything. I decided to free Munro from mybrother before they could kill them, and I’ve decided to help you now. You have my word that I’ll help keep you safe,” she smiled as the last of the binds were severed and she helped Katarina to her feet. “Now, let’s get you out of here!”

“What about Lachlan and Munro?” Katarina bit her lip, “We need to help them!”

“The greatest help we can offer them is getting you outside of camp,” Anna gave her a stern look. “You aren’t strong enough to fight with them, so we need to remove the threat of your harm from their list of burdens.That’show we can help them right now.”

Anna was right. Katarina was no fighter; there was no way she’d be able to handle herself in a battle. But if their concern for her was a distraction that could get them hurt, then she owed it to them to stay safe and preserve their focus.

Anna, seeing Katarina nod, took her by the wrist and began to escort her down the hill. A short distance away, near the rocky point of a steep hill, Katarina caught sight of Lachlan—recognizing his wolf-like form—and, beyond him a short ways, Munro. The two were as an impressive sight as they’d been the first night she’d seen them, and their ferocity was no less awe-inspiring. A vampire, clutching a long sword and wielding it clumsily, charged Lachlan from the front, only to have the therion’s powerful claws take him by the throat and disarm him.

Katarina gasped, covering her mouth in shock. Disarm? He’dliterallytaken the vampire’s arm off!

Its shrieks and hisses garbled by Lachlan’s choking grip, the vampire flailed for a short moment until the therion, dropping the sword and arm that still clutched it, ripped his head off and cast him aside like a used-up toy.

Katarina gawked at the scene. “He’s so…”

“Awesome?” Anna finished for her, “I know. You should’ve seen Munro when we were coming into camp. Tore one ofmy brother’s largest cronies in half!” She made a snapping motion with her hand accompanied by a wet, squelching sound. Smirking at Katarina’s stunned stare, the redhead shrugged, “What? It’s like you said: awesome, right?”

Katarina blushed, “Well, actuallyyousaid—”

“Oh hush! Come on! While our boys have them distracted!” Anna continued to lead her down the hill.

Katarina took one last look at the brothers as she struggled to keep up with Anna, but the sight on the battlefield was enough to stop her in her tracks. A new vampire—one more experienced with his sword and more competent in battle—was drawing Lachlan back with a series of wide swings. Lachlan, distancing himself from the blade, kept himself poised, waiting for an opening to take his attacker out; unaware of Declan’s approach behind him. The golden-eyed vampire had his own sword in hand, readying a kill strike. Katarina’s mind spun; desperation screaming in her core.

Don’t be a distraction!

Get to safety!

No way he’ll survive!

Have to stop…

Anna caught sight of her brother as well and cursed under her breath. “Dishonorable, snake-bellied coward!” Her eyes flashed with the same luminescence as her brother’s as she looked at Katarina, her fangs beginning to extend. “Stay here and stay down! Don’t let yourself be seen!”

And then she vanished.

Blinking at the plot of earth where the vampire had, only a moment ago, been standing, Katarina was startled to hear the violent scream of metal-on-metal and looked back to the battlefield.

Anna had appeared behind Lachlan and was holding back her brother’s sword with her own dagger; their faces glowering at one another as they hissed and cursed.

The vampire attacking Lachlan tried to use the moment as an opening to lunge, only to have the hulking therion twist out of the blade’s path. Momentum and sacrificed balance dragged the vampire past Lachlan, who reached out and pulled Anna from her brother just as his attacker’s blade plunged into Declan’s chest.

A shocked-and-excited squeal erupted past Katarina’s lips before she could think better of it, and the stunned vampire that had just impaled his leader whipped his head around, spotting her in the distance.

Then he vanished, leaving Declan to collapse between Lachlan and Anna.

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