Conquer the Highland Beast: The Vampire Dylan Macgregor (Hearts of Darkness) (19 page)

“Max! My God, chill with the corny lines…” Shelby rolled her eyes, in disgust before she asked, “Anyone have any idea how much further it is?”

Before anyone had time to answer, three massive demons, burst through an invisible portal about twenty feet in front of Dylan.

The
vampire cloaked Caitlin and traced her to the back of the group as Kyle and Max released their inner demons and attacked.

Max, visibly larger than the others, his berserker nature m
erging with the demon, stepped in front of the group and took on two of them at once. Kyle’s demon was as formidable as he looked with his dark taloned wings spread at least ten feet on either side behind him.

The little Halfling demoness spread her wings and joined the battle, assisting Max with one of the two he
battled. She was deadly with her knives.

Dylan handed Caitlin to the witch.

Cassie frowned. “Do not fear, vampire. I’ll keep her safe. Go.”

She whipped up a breeze encircling her and Caitlin. The air around them began to warp. When the air settled, they were wrapped in a bubble of air. A protection spell. It wouldn’t last long, but it would have to do.

Dylan felt his old protective nature rise with concern and anger. The darkness of his soul would be dangerous for everyone around, but he couldn’t seem to stop it.

Two more demons popped through the portal, and his anxiety for Caitlin’s safety outweighed his concern for his dark soul.
But he had to stop and think. There would be no preventing the dark fae magic his berserker had acquired in battle—not if he gave in to it. His muscles swelled with added power, his heart hammered with strength, and he moved with the speed of a vampire.

When he attacked, neither demon saw him coming. Now that he’d found his life mate, he wasn’t willing to risk his soul.
And as soon as he touched them, instead of destroying them, he entered their minds, turning their dark energy on each other.

They ripped out
one another’s hearts. And as both demons turned to ash before him, he glanced up…and what he saw almost stopped his heart with fear. An army of demons entered the portal.

“Close the fucking portal, witch!
Trap them.”

“Do you want me to release the protection spell and risk the mortal, vampire?”

Símone stepped over by the two mortal women. “Do it, witch.”

“
I’ll protect the human.” Genevieve joined them.

“And I’ll be right by your side, Cassie.” Shelby took a position beside the witch. “On the count of three?”

Everyone nodded, mentally in sync with the idea. Dylan hoped they could handle it as he turned to push back another demon male before he came through.

“One...two…three…”

Cassie released the protection spell around her and Caitlin. Shelby, her pale silver wings spread wide, became the witch’s guard against any attack while Kyle and Max battled up front next to Dylan.

Símone remained a shadow, ready to attack if necessary beside Caitlin.

“Genevieve, beside you on the right.”

Dylan heard her send the mental warning. A large male demon was trying to flank them. Dylan glanced back for a moment, long enough to see Caitlin was in capable hands. The delicate looki
ng demoness took the large male out with one of her throwing stars, beheaded another right behind him, and sent an arrow through a third demon’s chest as he emerged through the closing portal.

“Whoa impressive, little thing!”
Caitlin was impressed.

Suddenly there was silence in the old cemetery.
The witch had closed the portal.

“Get over here, Caitlin. I need to touch you, to calm the rage.”

She was so damn brave, his insides wanted to explode with pride just knowing she cared for him a bit.

“I love you, you big scary dude. You should make love to me until we
both feel better.”

“Aye, that’s a brilliant idea. Let’s not be
wait’n’ for this lot.”

~~~~

After the expedition to the portal, Dylan invited everyone to his offices at the estate to regroup. The lovemaking was going to have to wait, but Caitlin made him promise they’d be alone after everyone left. He couldn’t wait to clear the decks.

Garr called
the detective, figuring Delavega, knew plenty they didn’t. Besides, he had access to the whole human element in the city.

Caitlin’s
FBI information would expand their knowledge. She was aware of where all the suspicious crimes had taken place outside their area. A few of Dylan’s regular investigators were present as well as the group who’d been with them today.

“We need to set up a command post here.” Caitlin suggested. “Maps, charts, pins. You’ve all watched crime shows.”

Dylan saw a number of heads bobbing. “Good idea.”

“I can help.”
Ramon nodded in agreement.

“Caitlin, m
aybe you and Ramon can join forces, set it up, and tell us what we need to do to help put it together. A few of my staff can stay on top of it.”

“Can you bring the rest
of us up to date on the situation?” Garr asked from the back of the room.

Juliette, the tiny demoness sat on his big lap with her arms wrapped
securely around his neck. Garr seemed clearly at a loss, yet pleased to provide comfort to the wee lass. Dylan didn’t dare laugh. He was actually moved by the big man’s expression.

Caitlin took over the meeting. “Based on
everything we know, demons entered through the portal out in St. Bernard Parrish. We confirmed we haven’t located all of them, especially since there were more ready to come through when we got there.”

Kyle said, “Who knows how many
more are on this side? Between the ones that escaped during the Amyra episode, and us being unaware of this portal. Hell, how long ago was the hurricane? Ten years?”

Simone said, “A lot of demons could have made it through before now
, but Genevieve’s family would have known.”

“C
assie closed that portal, and Genevieve isn’t aware of any others near here,” Caitlin said. “We’ll need the FBI records and yours, detective to figure out where the other portals are.”

“How do you plan to get into the FBI records?” Ramon asked.

“Simone can handle it,” Shelby said.

Simone smiled. “I have my ways.
Being a succubus allows me to become a shadow, able to hide among shadows.” She could move through walls as Shelby had discovered the last time they needed her help. Locks meant nothing to her.

“The
n we’ll leave you to it,” Caitlin said. “Let me know if you need any help.”

Shelby touched Kyle’s arm. “Looki
ng at Genevieve you’d never pick her for a demon when she suppresses that side of her nature. If the rest can appear human, we could be in trouble. Only those of us with demon blood will be able to track them.”

The detective stepped up.
“We’ve had a few suspicious, unsolved killings from time to time. We think a variety of beings could be responsible. But demons are our best pick.”

“Sorry, to interrupt,”
Dylan said, “Everyone should be aware of what else is going on.”

Delavega
filled them in on the local rumors. “Word on the street says there’s a demon overlord gathering an army. The Voodoo queens and the witches say the elements are acting up, and that’s always a sign of bad juju.”

“Really, Ramon. Bad juju?” Max chided.

“Somethin’ bad.” Ramone shrugged with a half-sided grin. “I don’t claim to understand them or the witches, but I listen to them because they’re always right. You all be careful out there while you’re doing your diggin’ around for evidence.”

“Can we meet back here in a week and assemble everything?
” There were mumbles of agreement, so Caitlin put the pad of paper on the desk. “Leave your contact information here before you go.”

“Sounds like a plan,” the Cajun
said. “If anyone has anything to report sooner, let me know. I’m your man on the streets.”

Dylan clapped him on the back and did that man hug thing. “We appreciate your diligence. Thanks for the help and the warning. I for one, never underestimate the voodoo queens or the witches.”

One
month later, Banque of New Orleans

Caitlin stared
into a face of an archangel. When she penetrated his mind to determine his motive for taking the woman in his arms hostage, all she saw was a wall of darkness. The shooter’s beatific eyes met hers and drew her deeper into the evil within him.

“I’m on my way.”
Dylan’s voice sounded frightened and very far away.

“
Stay back. I’m fine,”
Caitlin insisted.

Then
the bullet slammed into her vest like a runaway sixteen wheeler, hitting her chest, and knocking the breath out of her. She staggered back a few feet. Although the force of the bullet plowed into her and sent her reeling, by some miraculous force of nature, she stayed on her feet, observed her mark, took aim, and the gun went off.

T
he scene played out frame by frame.

T
he impact forced her to squeeze the trigger. The unintentional consequence of the reflex helped her hit her target. The bullet hit precisely where she’d been aiming, and the archangel’s lovely head exploded, sending blood and gore everywhere in slow motion.

When life returned to real time, t
hings moved so fast, no one would be sure if it was her bullet or someone else’s that hit him until they did a ballistics check.

But
she knew.

Fortunately, her errant shot missed the innocent woman the man had been using as a shield. In any case, she mentally exhaled a sigh of relief when a nearby agent—she couldn’t make out who—quickly ran toward the blood and gore, extricated the woman being held hostage, and whisked her away.

Caitlin chastised herself for waiting so long to take the shot.

“Something stopped you.”
Dylan had been in her head the whole time.
“What was it?”
His question made her think.

At first, she couldn’t remember. She’d had a bead on the abductor for more than a few seconds because he’d been holding the woman a little to his right. The angle had been perfect, and she’d had a clear shot at him. Confident she could take him down, why had she paused?

“Maybe it was his saintly good looks
?” It was hard to believe anything that beautiful could be so evil.
She should have known better.
“No not that.”

The man was psychic
like she was—like Dylan.

“
Surprise.”

No, it had been something else she never expected. It had been
curiosity
. And more. She’d sensed this had been a trap set for her and a danger to Dylan. She got the impression the man had been searching for others like her to use. For what purpose? To what ends? She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t feel right. The mental blocks he’d flung up to put her off had opened every now and then—tempting her as if he was teasing her into letting down her guard. Once she’d relaxed her guard to probe into his thoughts, he suddenly penetrated her mind. Unable to fight back, she’d frozen. He had cast a sly smile before he’d drawn her into the quagmire of his twisted mind. For a moment, she was lost in the maze of evil thoughts.

She’d been foolishly naïve to think she had to know
an unsub’s mind before she took the shot. The evil mind had been terrifying, and the others’ he’d been linked to were even worse.

She warned Dylan.
“He was like us and there are others.”

Caitlin tried to inhale and couldn’t. Her vest felt too tight. Hesitating had been a mistake, and the aftermath made her shaky.
Probably shock.
Expected, right? The hand she had clutched to her chest felt damp and sticky, and when she extended it for a better view, she saw…blood.

“Damn it.”
Dylan’s concern came out of nowhere, and his next question whipped through her mind. “
You’ve been shot.
How bad is it?”

“I don’t know.”
There wasn’t the pain she’d expected. “
The pressure knocked the wind out of me.”

Try as she might, she couldn’t catch her breath. The bullet had been a cop-killer.
That was the last vision she saw in the demonic angel’s mind. The idea reached her with his evil laugh, right before his head exploded. Not only had she been naïve, apparently she’d made a deadly mistake. Her knees went weak.

Dylan rushed tow
ard her in a blur. With his duster whipping in the breeze, he caught her before she hit the ground and scooped her into his arms.

“You’re here. How?”
Hadn’t he been across town at the time her knees started buckling? She dismissed the thought because he’d materialized out of nowhere, and she wasn’t exactly thinking clearly.

“Sifting
.”

“How did you find me so quickly, Dylan?”

Blood red tears dripped from his eyes and cheeks when he frowned down at her. A sad smile barely broke the hard planes of his face. “
You think you’re the only one with secrets?”
His tone sounded like he was teasing, but his expression looked deadly serious

“No, I guess not. The perp was a psychic. There were others.”

The sound of heavy metal roused her when her weapon dropped out of her hand to the ground at her side. The vest hadn’t held against the hollow-point bullet.
“I opened to read him. He jumped my barriers, manipulated my mind for a split second, long enough—”

“Shush, don’t worry.”

“It was a trap for psychics. Be careful and warn the others.”

The scene around them played out as if an action movie paused and then resumed in slow motion. The events unfolded. To her surprise, the shocked faces of the agents were filled with disappointment and anger.
And so was she.

She refocused on Dylan and saw the realization of her condition hit him. His expression contorted into a horrified mask when he moved her hand, and the soundless scream pouring from his mouth seemed so much worse because the world had grown quiet. She couldn’t hear anything. The earlier sounds, the deafening chaos, the sirens, and bustle of the emergency crews, somehow muffled into silence.

Reality settled over her. Regret replaced frustration. Liquid heat spilled from her chest, soaking her jacket, a warming contrast to her chilled skin. Her insides grew colder and colder, her peripheral vision more narrow—until Dylan’s face was the one thing she could see.

Without air in her lungs, it was hard to speak, but she managed to whisper, “I’m sorry.” She’d been foolish to think all monsters were ugly and grotesque. No matter how handsome they appeared, how beautiful their smiles, or how brightly the false light in their eyes shone, their souls might belong to some dark demon.

This time the serial killer fooled both her and her gift into believing he was something other than what he truly was—a calculating, stone cold murderer.

Well, the woman is safe, and I’ll never make that mistake again.
She almost laughed at that black humor.

“Are you laughing? Laughing!”
Dylan asked, incredulously.
“Max, contact me!”

She heard his thoughts but there was no sound, no light, just a gray mist. She tried to smile. She was dying. Leaving him would be her only regret. Those emotions hit her first before the cold taking over her body turned to ice.

“Gods, Caitlin, I can’t stop the bleedin’. Three hundred fuckin’ years I’ve waited for you and now this.” He choked over his last words and sobbed. “I just found you, lass. I can’t lose you.” The old Highland brogue leached into his usual accent when he was upset and it grew thicker as he rocked her and crooned.

“Stay with me, Caitlin. I promise everything will be okay.” Dylan’s heart ached, but his mind searched the area for the danger she warned him about. When he connected to the evil, Dylan felt the darkness rise within him for the first time in three hundred years. His fangs dropped without provocation, his blood boiled, and his muscles bunched, ready to burst.

If anything happened to his mate, gods help the world. His berserker had grown stronger since he’d been turned and trained by Niccolai. Until Niccolai emerged from stasis, Dylan was the most powerful entity on Earth, and he would be a danger to everyone and everything if he lost Caitlin.

“Dylan! What’s happened?”

“Max!”
Dylan let out a curse and searched his mental connections.
“I need you to contact Kyle and Shelby at the medical center. Tell them I’m bringing in a human. Caitlin. Gunshot wound to the chest. Critical condition. We have to keep her alive, at any cost, or be prepared to turn her.”

~~~~

The chest wound gaped open, an affront of ruby red blood, ragged muscle, bone chips, and tissue erupting from the perfection of her pale ivory skin.

Dylan stared for countless moments, unbelieving and desperately considered calling for help from the EMT’s nearby. Help wouldn’t come in time to save her.
But he could.

Damn, fate!

He’d wasted too much time, already. After waiting for a life mate, here he was, in an alley off Bourbon Street, holding the mortal woman meant for him in his arms while she bled out.

“Fuck that!” he gr
owled. He’d deal with this as he’d dealt with everything for the most of his life—alone.

There’d been few he’d turned to for advice.
No one, since Niccolai had gone to ground. Once Amyra sucked his soul dry in exchange for her blood. He swore he’d never go back to her for a favor. He couldn’t go to her no matter, since she’d been sent to ground for a thousand years.

I
f he lost Caitlin, the cost to their world would be too high. After Niccolai’s life-mate died, he’d been like a madman, useless to his people and to his son, Jackson. Dylan, suddenly faced with the same prospect, had no advisor, and for all practical purposes, in this he was alone. Dylan had cared for Jackson since he was fifteen and assumed the role of council leader until Niccolai’s return or until Jackson reached his prime at thirty.

Maybe the council...?

No. He was the leader, for now anyway. And one thing Dylan discovered years earlier. Leaders have no confidantes.

Caitlin stirred and coughed up blood. He angled her head higher to stare into her strangled gaze. Unless
she gave him permission to turn her soon—and to do that he needed her conscious—there was no hope for her. Time was a luxury that was about to run out.

She needed to choose now.

“Caitlin, baby, can you hear me? Look at me. There’s something I have to explain—”

She struggled to focus on his lips.

Even if she couldn’t hear him, she’d be able to read his mind if he pushed his thoughts deep enough. She was the FBI’s best profiler for a reason. Her psychic aptitude surpassed any known capability and because of that, he believed she just might survive the change.

“You know how you have that “special” gift?” he whispered and sent her his thoughts and his memories.

“It might mean you can be immortal, if you choose. But you must choose.” He thought he heard her laughter in his mind. At the same time her mouth twitched into an almost a condescending smile.

“
I love you! Do not leave me.”

“Be careful. Trap...”
Her eyes fluttered shut.

“I know. Caitlin, listen. I can save you if you want me to, but I have to know this is what you want.”

“I want you.”
Her eyes opened, rolled, and blinked shut again before she answered.

It wasn’t enough.

Blood saturated his hands—her blood. The scent overwhelmed him, horrifying him. Her sweet scent was enthralling, intoxicating. His mate’s blood. The flow continued to pump from her chest, bringing her closer to death. She weakened with each heartbeat, her life seeping onto the street, running into the gutter.

“Do something, damn it.”
When he looked around, Ramon moved in his direction.

What more could he do? Nothing—not unless she agreed.
Her brother died during an attempted change. He could give her his blood to keep her alive for a while. But not here.

Ramon
glanced down at Caitlin and frowned. “Get her out of here. I’ll cover for both of you.” The detective turned his back on them and pulled his gun. He began running, shouting for help, and fired into the empty alley across the way. Police turned away. Paramedics helped others.

Once all attention moved
away from Dylan and Caitlin, he would be free to give her his blood and trace her away to safety. He hoped it wouldn’t be too late. After all, it was Niccolai’s blood coursing within him—ancient and powerful.

He tore open his wrist and squeezed some of his potent blood between her lips.
“Drink,”
he ordered. Her moan sounded almost erotic as his blood dripped onto her tongue.
“More!”

She swallowed and took a little more. The bleeding from her chest wound slowed, but even he could see how the bullet had severely damaged her heart. The blood wouldn’t be enough, no more than duct tape on a ruptured dam. Her heart needed to be repaired and they had to stop the blood loss soon. They weren’t far from one of the private hospitals where Kyle and Shelby volunteered. Many of their kind were often treated at that location. He closed the tear in his wrist and picked her up gently.