Soul Taker

by Nutt, Karen Michelle

  Apparently even preternatural beings filed for divorce or whatever its equivalent was. "Go on."

  "When I arrived back home, I find me Da and brothers are missing and a horde of vampire scum decided to make the warehouse their lair. I want the… What did you call them? Aah aye, damn bloodsuckers out." The woman looked her over with a scrutinizing gaze. "You're human, are you not?"

  Isabella nodded.

  "I didn't think you were shielding Otherworldly abilities. Why are you here?"

  "Long story… I'm Isabella Lucci by the way."

  "Katie Mahoney."

  Once the niceties were over, she wondered if Katie would stick around and help her. "I was meeting… um… two associates, Garran and Harrison. They believe these vampires are holding a young woman here against her will."

  "Aah, aye. I do believe so. They had her locked up in me Da's offices."

  "Had?" She didn't miss the past tense.

  "They didn't suck her dry, if that's what you're thinking. They moved her somewhere else a few hours ago, along with a crate marked for shipment. I heard one of the vamps talking about it. I don't know where though, but she's still alive since she's a bargaining tool of some sort. I didn't catch for what though."

  Isabella tucked this bit of information away. She'd let Garran and Harrison know as soon as she saw them.

  "So where are your associates?" Katie asked with a quirked brow.

  "Good question." Isabella looked toward the warehouse.

  "There." Katie pointed. "Is one of your friends a werewolf and the other… Damn, another vamp."

  She caught sight of them now, too. She would know Garran even in the dim lighting. He moved with a grace she thought not possible for such a large man. "Trust me, Garran is one of the good guys." Katie didn't seem convinced. Isabella couldn't blame her since vampires had killed her family.

  "What are you two doing here?" a deep voice boomed the demand.

  Isabella and Katie whirled around to face the threat. Katie hissed and her aura shifted colors. Isabella could only assume Katie was about to shapeshift into her alter ego and disappear. She might have considered the option herself if she had the choice.

  Isabella didn't have claws, but she did have a gun with iron-based bullets. Thanks to Harrison's 101 bullet update earlier on the way to Garran's house, she learned silver would weaken a vampire, but iron could do considerable damage in a shorter amount of time.

  The vampire could not expel an iron bullet. It had to be surgically removed, which proved a problem with how fast a vampire healed. The flesh would seal the iron in their bodies where the offensive substance would eat away their insides. Of course, Harrison admitted he had never witnessed anyone succumbing from such a wound. All his knowledge was hearsay.

  No time like the present to find out if the theory had merit. She pointed the Glock at the vampire and he lifted his hands in the air.

  "Settle down, girlie." His gaze only flickered briefly on the fleeing calico. No doubt he would hunt Katie down once he finished with her, but first he had to catch the wily cat.

  Isabella released the safety on her gun. "Give me a good reason why I should?"

  His mouth slid into a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll give you two." His gaze flickered over her shoulder.

  Isabella didn't look. She highly doubted the vampire would try to trick her so he could gain the advantage when—let's face it—he already had the advantage.

  But whatever. She'd go down fighting. She fired her gun.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Pop, pop…

  "What in the…?" Garran halted his steps at the sound of gunshots. His senses flared to life, the sensation of fear and something akin to excitement hit him full force. "Isabella," he rasped out.

  "Isabella?" Harrison looked at him as if he lost his mind. "Here?"

  Garran threw him a lethal glare. "I knew her givin' in without an argument was too easy." He took off in the direction his senses steered him.

  Harrison cursed and followed suit. There went their moment of surprise and best chance at rescuing Frimrose.

  Garran caught sight of four vampires, heading to the rear of the warehouse. They most likely would secure the prisoner at all cost before aiding their comrades. He couldn't worry about it now. Frimrose wasn't in any immediate danger, but Isabella could very well be.

  As they neared the building to the far left and nearest the pier, Garran waved to Harrison to slow down. They needed to assess the situation before charging in for the rescue.

  Three vampires escorted Isabella toward the water's edge. His gaze wavered over the vampires, trying to gage their worth. The reddish-brown haired vampire stood tall, but didn't look as though he ever lifted a heavy weapon with his lanky limbs.

  The long sun-streaked haired vampire looked more like a California surfer than a bad tempered vampire living in Boston.

  The light-brown haired vampire might have proved difficult. He had broad shoulders and thick arms, but he sported a pronounced limp.

  Garran's lips twitched in amusement. Isabella must have shot Mr. Limpy. At least the little twit had brought a weapon.

  Meeee...ow.

  Garran looked down at the calico cat, swirling in between his legs and around as she rubbed against him. "Go." He tried to shoo it away. This is no place for ye." But the persistent cat wouldn't leave him alone.

  "Looks like the pussy cat wants to play." Harrison chuckled, which won him a lethal glare.

  "I'll take limpy and the blonde surfer vampire," Garran said with a growl. "Ye go after the other one."

  "How about I take on limpy?"

  Harrison and Garran frowned as they stared at each other then at the calico at their feet.

  The aroma of magic scented the night air as the calico transformed into a beautiful blonde with gold-green eyes.

  "I'm Katie Mahoney," She made the introductions. "And you blokes must be Harrison and Garran. Isabella told me you were her partners."

  "Well, did she now?" Garran rolled his eyes, wondering how Isabella had found time to team up with a Mahoney. "Let's do this before we have to fish the wee dunderhead out of the bay."

  ****

  Isabella fought to be free of the vampire's grip even though she knew it was useless against the brute strength of a preternatural being. He dragged her behind him despite her efforts to dislodge his hold on her.

  Her distractions at least gave Katie a chance to steal away. Hopefully, she would go for help.

  The vampires were furious that Katie slipped away since the reddish-brown haired vampire voiced as much. Their orders were to eliminate all the Mahoneys. They knew there was a daughter and had been waiting for her to return home.

  Blondie blamed Isabella and had taken it out on her with a blow to the side of the head. Her vision kept blurring in and out, and her head ached, making her fear she had a concussion.

  The vampire yanked on her arm again to keep her moving. She wasn't sure which pissed him off more, the fact a werecat and a human outwitted him, or she shot him with iron bullets. She was glad to see the wound hadn't healed and he was in obvious pain with the way he grimaced with each step he took.

  "Keep moving." The lanky vampire, who walked behind her, decided to give her a push.

  "Sorry, boys, if I don't seem to be in a hurry. Your kind of party doesn't sound like something I want to attend."

  This won her a whack to the head again from Blondie. Her vision swam. Great, if she kept this up, she wouldn't be able to remember her mother's incantation she'd memorized.

  An awful cracking sound as if bone splintered made her cringe. Her vampire escorts growled and hissed.

  If they were scared, she most likely should be, too. She craned her neck to see the new threat, but before she could make out the cause of the commotion, her captor shoved her away. She stumbled back, falling on her rump. Her bruises were adding up.

  A blur of gray caught her eyes as it hurtled into the vampire, taking him down in a snarling
struggle for dominance. "Harrison." Her lips curved. Even in his wolf form, she recognized his aura. "Thank you, Katie." She looked skyward with her praise.

  To the right of her Garran fought Blondie. Isabella couldn't keep her eyes off him. His moves were like a choreographed dance of lethal grace. His weapon of choice was a broadsword. In that moment, she could well imagine him in a kilt on a battlefield, swinging the weapon, strong and sure, as he took down the enemy.

  So caught up in the fight, she forgot what her plans had been. Coming to her senses, she scrambled to her feet.

  After Harrison knocked the vamp with the injured leg away from her, he let Katie take over as he went after surfer vamp and the skinny dude that were both circling Garran now.

  Even in Katie's human form, it wasn't difficult for Isabella to imagine she was also a cat. Her graceful moves were fluid as she sent a kick to the vampire's injured leg. The vampire howled in pain, but Katie didn't let up. Isabella caught a flash of something long and sharp as Katie swiped her hand across the vampire's face. Razor sharp claws, she believed. The vampire's eyes glowed red as he charged Katie.

  Isabella stood out of the way and was glad to have been forgotten for the moment. She concentrated on the vampires, who were attacking them and recited the incantation from her mother's book. She understood most of the Latin words. It was the first thing Uncle Sebastian had taught her when he hoped to train her, but it wasn't until a few years ago, she had taken an interest to refine what she learned from him. "… libera nos a malo." Deliver us from evil. These vampires were evil. She could see their auras, dark and muddied with deeds they had done.

  The air around her grew cold as she spoke, her words frosted on the wind. "Send them back. I give thee their souls."

  The vampire who attacked Katie howled in pain and it had nothing to do with his damaged leg or the beating he was taking from Katie. Katie scrambled back, fear and confusion lighting her features. The vampire clutched his chest as he fell to his knees.

  Isabella chanted louder.

  "Stop!" Mr. Limpy's screams of agony brought all the others to a halt. Their intent to rip each other apart was apparently forgotten for the moment. Harrison shifted back to his human form and stared, his brows furrowing over the bridge of his nose.

  Electricity flowed around Isabella and she felt her ponytail lift off her neck. The ritual was working.

  "What is she doing to him?" Blondie growled. "Stop her!" he ordered Garran.

  "I cannot stop her." She heard Garran tell him. His gaze shifted to her and she caught a look of concern before he hid the emotion.

  Isabella wished she could have told Garran he would be safe from the spell. The scroll guaranteeing his protection rested in her bra, close to her heart. She could feel it pulse against her.

  Blondie growled and decided to take matters into his own hands. He charged Isabella, but the incantation latched onto him as well. He fell beside his fellow vampire thug, clutching his chest. The lanky-looking vampire took a step toward his comrades, but seeing his buddies were withering in pain, he stayed rooted where he stood, but in the next moment it proved distance wouldn't save him. The spell finally took hold of him, and he joined the others on the road to perdition.

  The vampire she had shot lay on the ground now, his body convulsing. His eyes rolled back into his head.

  Isabella witnessed the soul leaving his body. The action was something similar to the way a vacuum removed unwanted debris, sucking it up and holding it within its grasp, only the soul was sucked into the veil. With one final scream, the vampire's body stilled.

  The other two vamps' souls went at the same time. At that moment, she chanted the closing lines to the ritual. She hadn't been sure what would happen. Loosely translated, the ending of the spell called upon the sun to cleanse the earth.

  In the next breath, it became clear. The vampires' bodies burst into flames, sizzling and hissing as if a ray of light shone on them.

  As she closed the door to the veil, the last of her energy left her. She collapsed to her knees.

  "Izzie," Harrison called to her, but it was Garran who flew to her side and took her in his arms. She blinked and met his slanted Scottish eyes. "I did it."

  "Aye." He looked worried, but he gave her a whisper of a smile before she lost consciousness.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  "Hot damn!" Harrison shouted in disbelief, making Garran shake his head. "I've seen a Necromancer bring forth a shade, but never have I seen it done the other way around," Harrison continued. "I'm not sure if her mother could have done better. And Louisa was good. She was damn good."

  "Aye," Garran agreed. He brushed a lock of hair from Isabella's face. He had known the moment she started the chant what she was about to attempt. He believed he would suffer the same fate, until he felt her inside his head. Not a voice, but impressions. Fear, strength, and her courage flowed into him and then safety. It was if she were trying to tell him he would be safe. He didn't fully understand the reassurance from her until he realized he wasn't suffering any of the symptoms the other vampires experienced.

  Katie looked uneasy as she stared at Isabella. "Are you sure she'll be all right?"

  Isabella's eyes sprung open again, large and wide, and shadowed with raw emotion. The connection they shared sizzled between them like a live wire. He could feel it and he sensed she could too. He felt the same connection when he blood bonded with her, but now the link between them strengthened as if some invisible line had been pulled tighter.

  She was a powerful Necromancer, more so than he had given her credit.

  She reached for him, her fingers caressing his cheek. He could have lost her tonight. She could have been killed. He didn't know if he wanted to throttle her for not staying home or… kiss her. He reacted to the latter. He leaned down and she met him halfway as he captured her lips in a searing kiss.

  Sweet mother of God, she tasted better than he had hoped and he exploited her mouth for all it was worth. He might have stopped and managed control if she hadn't met his assault with one of her own. The little minx tried to seduce him with hot deep slides of her tongue… And it worked. He cradled her closer, shutting out the world around him, not caring where they were or who stood there witnessing their romantic interlude.

  "Hmm… Garran?" Harrison cleared his throat.

  "Are they mated?" Katie asked.

  Mated? Garran ended the kiss and breathed in a ragged breath, willing his thudding heart to be still. Isabella stared at him in disbelief, as if she couldn't believe they'd kissed. Her hand flew to her lips and her skin flushed red, her cheeks taking most of the warmth.

  Garran needed to hash out what happened between him and Isabella, but not now, when his emotions were raw, and not in front of an audience. He tried to ignore the awkward situation and stood. He offered Isabella a hand up before he focused his gaze on Harrison. "We should make a quick sweep of the warehouse, but I have a hunch we won't find anyone. Those who didn't suffer from Isabella's spell would have left by now and with Frimrose in tow."

  "Do you mean the lass they were holding prisoner? A baby-faced vampire came for her at sundown. Took her with him when he left," Katie offered the update.

  "It must have been Frimrose," Garran grumbled. "Alexander knew we were coming."

  "Sanya." Harrison cursed beneath his breath.

  "Maybe," Garran said. "For now, we should head out before Alexander realizes he's lost communication with his crew and sends more of his minions to find out why." He glanced at Isabella. "I'll drive ye home."

  "I have my own car," Isabella told him.

  Garran ignored her claim. She still looked unsteady on her feet. He glanced at Katie. "Do ye have somewhere to stay, lassie?"

  "I do, thank you. I'm staying with a friend."

  He nodded. "If ye don't mind, let us exchange phone numbers. If either of us have any news—"

  "Aye," she broke in. "I would like to be kept in the loop, too."

  Once the numbers were excha
nged, Garran took hold of Isabella's arm and led her away.

  She prickled with annoyance at his insistence at wanting to hold onto her. "You can let go of me." Her voice vibrated with a warning.

  Maybe he had overstepped his grounds. He let his hand fall away. "I only wished to keep ye steady."

  "I'm fine."

  He highly doubted it, but arguing with her about it would lead them nowhere. He settled with keeping stride beside her.

  As they reached the car, her hand slipped into the pocket of…a tool belt. Tool belt? His gaze shifted over her choice of clothing – dark, tight-fitting clothes that left nothing to the imagination as they clung to her lithe figure.

  She beeped the car fob to open her vehicle. "I'm sorry." She gave him a sidelong glance and he lifted a brow. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I know you mean well."

  "Will ye let me drive ye home, then?" he asked.

  She gave him a quick nod. He reached to take the keys from her, but once his hand covered hers, electricity sparked from the touch. Flashes of memories bombarded his senses.

  Her eyes widened as she stared at him. He had no doubt she had experienced something similar. Her scorching gaze only fueled the spark, making him want more than a mere touch of hands. He wanted… no needed, to touch her. He acted before thinking it through. He pinned her against the car as he took her lips. He felt her hesitate for only a heartbeat before she gave into the passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His hand slid down her body, his fingers gripping the edge of her shirt so tight he feared he would tear the fabric.

  For a second, a lucid thought entered his lust-filled mind. What was he doing? He broke the kiss and stared down at her, but he still had not released her.

  She pressed her hand to his chest, as if this would stop him from kissing her again. "What just happened?" she asked.

  He shook his head. He was as flustered as she was. "I don't know. Possibly the blood bond initiated all this." He had other theories, but he wasn't sure if he should share them with her—at least, not yet. "This attraction will fade." He hoped.