Free Conquer the Highland Beast: The Vampire Dylan Macgregor (Hearts of Darkness) by Eliza March Page A

prepared to hear the rest of my sad tale? Or should we call it a night?”
    “It’s up to you. This is your past we’re dredging up and your pain we’re laying out to sift through.” Curious, Max wanted to hear the rest, but not at his friend’s expense. He didn’t want to cause Dylan the agony of rehashing the memories. Too bad his vampire blood dulled the effect of the alcohol. Sliding back against the chair, Max waited for the warmth to settle into his bones, but even good Scotch whisky couldn’t break up the knot in his throat or stop Dylan’s acidic memories from eating at his brain.
    “I suppose there’s no way of me dealing with what I’ve become or discovering where I came from without going down this road. But if it’s this painful to me, how much worse must this be for you, my friend?”
    “You have the right of that. But suddenly, the past is too entwined with the present and the future to ignore it.” Dylan looked up pointedly and glanced around as if just realizing where they were. “I need to eat. My berserker is hungry after all this, and I bet yours could do with a steak or somethin’, too.”
    “I could go for a good steak.” Max’s stomach growled on cue.
    “I could stand a full meal,” Dylan agreed. He held up a hand and caught the attention of a young man walking past the table. “Please, would you let our server know we’d like a couple of Angus steaks, rare, and all the fixings loaded?”
    The server looked at the numerous dead bottles on the table and then back at both men. His eyes widened, and he nodded before he took off.
    Max glanced back at the table. “I guess he can’t believe either of us is still conscious.” The chuckle was a sign he hadn’t lost a sense of himself.
    Dylan looked at the bottles and shoved a few beneath the table. He’d smiled vaguely at the kid’s response, before he nodded, “Aye, we should be more discreet about the amount we consume in public. People will be wondering why it isn’t affecting us. Don’t want to give the distillery a bad name.” He sat back and his chuckle warmed Max’s heart.
    “Before the food arrives, I’ll show you the memories that followed—the ones Evie shared with me.”
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 10   Escape
    Faery Cave , Benocght
    Within the hour, Evie heard the familiar whistle and went to the mouth of the cave.
    Dylan dressed in an oversized shirt, pants tied up with a rope, and boots much too big for his size. The enormous broadsword shoved into a leather scabbard hanging over the scrawny lad’s shoulder made him stumble under its weight. It appeared to have been made for a man twice his father’s size, and he was the biggest man Evie had ever seen.
    The dirt on his face...no, she recalled it was soot. The ash was streaked with tears. Yes, of course. She imagined her own face looked much the same with her own tears and dirt. But as he drew closer, she saw the blood.
    “Up here, Dylan.”
    “Stop, lass.” He cleared his throat to speak. It didn’t help at first but, after another attempt, he croaked, “’Tis too dangerous to use our gifts,” he whispered and warily met her eyes.
    “All right,” she agreed, not knowing who might be out there with powers such as theirs.
    Dylan pointed down below. “Not a single soul ’cept us is breathin’ out there. If we’re quiet, ’tis safe now for us to speak.”
    At first, Evie thought he was breathing hard from the long climb, but then realized he favored his right side. “You’re injured. Here, let me give you a hand up.
    He waved her off, resting with both hands on his knees. “Just need t-ta catch my breath.”
    “Then at least let me carry your bag. Your injuries look serious.”
    His eye was blackened, and his whole face swollen. She met his empty gaze understanding his pain, having experienced it firsthand through their brief mind touch. How could he breathe at all after what he’d been through?
    “Thank you. I could use a bit o’ help.”