Soul Taker (20 page)

Her brows rose slightly at his last remark.
He was the one who should worry about drawing attention. She was
sure gorgeous warrior type men didn't wander into a bar every night
of the week.

Once inside, Isabella looked toward the bar,
but Alexander was no longer there. However, she was glad to see the
woman he'd been speaking with still sat there, chatting away with
another guy at the bar.

"He's gone," Isabella said with
disappointment. She scanned the room, but she didn't spot him among
the other patron's either.

She glanced at Garran and noticed he searched
the crowd too. "He glamoured himself," he said dryly. "He's no
longer here." Garran glanced at her then, worry marring his rugged
features. "Let's go back to yer place. Harrison is going to meet us
there." He didn't wait for her to respond, but took her arm and
ushered her out of the bar.

"Sure. Did you bring your car or do you fly
or something?"

"Fly?" His eyebrows lifted in confusion.

She waved her hands in imitation of a bird in
flight. "You know, fly. Like in, can you go
all bat
boy
?"

He closed his eyes in a deliberate blink. He
did have beautiful eyes that had a Highlander slant to them. "I can
no' turn into a bat, Miss Lucci."

They had reached her car now. "Too bad," she
sighed. "I would have liked to seen that."

He
harrumphed
in a manner that made
her wonder if he did so to keep his temper in check or if he liked
to let her know how much she annoyed him. "I have a vehicle," he
told her. "I'll follow ye."

She watched Garran as he strode to his car,
which so happened to be a sleek black
Viper Imperial
.

"No way," she said under her breath in awe.
Never mind that there was a two-year waiting list to get your hands
on one of those babies, but how did he come up with the cash? The
car was worth more than she made in a year. What was she saying? In
two years. She glanced at her reliable vehicle with leather
interior. She still had four years of payments before it was
legally hers. With a sigh, she opened her car door and slid into
the driver's seat.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Garran pulled up and parked behind Isabella.
She jumped out of the car and headed over to him with a purpose. "I
can't believe this,
Dracula
." She ran her
hand over his vehicle with reverence. "Did you kill the previous
owner and steal it?"

Her reference to him being a cold-blooded
murderer pried on his nerves. He never eliminated a life unless he
was justified in doing so. He definitely would not murder for his
own personal gain. There was no need to do so. "I most certainly
did no such thing." She seemed not to hear him or didn't care. She
was all about the car. Just transportation to him, something fast
in case he needed to chase down a culprit, or if he found he'd
timed his return back to his house a little too close and the sun
was ready to rise and fry his arse, the vehicle would get him to
safety quickly.

"I heard it's the fastest car around." Her
eyes lit up like the sun, the gold rims of her hazel eyes blazing
with excitement.

He shrugged. "Zero to a hundred in ten
seconds flat."

She let out a low whistle as she pushed him
aside so she could sit down in the driver's seat. "How about
letting me take it for a spin?"

"No' on yer life."

She sighed with longing as she gripped the
steering wheel. "A girl's gotta try."

He had to admit she gave his vehicle an added
appeal. "How do ye know so much about cars?" he had to ask.

"I have a big brother, and a load of guy
cousins on my father's side. I hung out with them. You tend to
learn a thing or two."

"Hmm." He offered his hand to her, helping
her out of the car before he did something stupid and allowed her
to drive it.

They walked in silence to her flat, or condo,
as the Americans liked to say. He had to remember the right lingo
to fit in, not that he ever lost his Scottish burr completely, so
no one would believe he'd been born here.

Isabella slipped the key in the lock and
opened the door. She went in expecting him to follow. When he
didn't, she turned to stare at him with a questioning frown.

"Aren't you going to come in?" she asked.

"Are ye askin'?"

Her lovely brows furrowed over the bridge of
her nose. Then it finally dawned on her why he was still standing
outside. "You must be kidding." She chuckled. "You can't turn into
a bat, but the legend is true about you not being able to enter a
house without permission?"

"As much as the legends exaggerate, they also
hold a bit of truth to them, now and again. Signing a lease or
mortgage document makes your ownership of the dwelling a binding
commitment. It is as good as an incantation."

She stared and blinked. "You make it sound as
if we signed a deal with the devil."

He shrugged. "It holds as much worth."

She shook her head. "Oh, come in already. I
invite you in," she told him. "Can I get you anything to drink?
Soda? Coffee?"

"I'm fine, thank ye." He closed and locked
the door behind him. "Do ye live alone?"

"No, I live with my brother. He's out of town
for a few days, a business seminar. He left sometime this evening."
She pursed her lips and her expression looked troubled.

"Are ye worried about him?"

"What? Uh…no." She brushed a wayward hair
away from her face. "We had a little argument earlier at the
restaurant and… I should have apologized."

"Ye and yer brother are close, aye?"

She nodded. "He's always been there for me.
My parents died when I was young and most of the responsibility
landed on my brother's shoulders."

He could imagine the difficulties the two
endured. Nicholas was not much older than she was, maybe six or
seven years, but he would have been barely a man himself when he
took on the responsibilities to raise his sister. "I'm sure he
knows ye were sorry…for whatever ye two argued about."

Her lips curved slightly. "Most likely, but
still…" She let her words fade away as she moved to the kitchen. He
could hear her stirring in there, most likely fixing herself a
drink of some sort.

Isabella's home was warm and inviting with
her sofa a rich color of green and burgundy with drapes to match.
She had candles on the mantle of her fireplace, along with a few
framed photos. Her bookcase was stuffed with books of all
genres—Shakespeare's sonnets, books about European art,
Encyclopedias, medical books, and volumes of life after death from
various authors. On her desk, she had a laptop. He moved the mouse
and the fairy screen saver turned off to reveal the last thing
she'd been looking at.

"Oh," he heard her say from behind him. "I
was looking up—"

"I can see.
Vampires from Hell
?"

She held a cup of steaming liquid with a
pleasant flowery aroma. "Hey, I didn't write the article," she
defended herself.

He looked at her then, this human girl…woman,
who seemed not to be afraid of him. She barely reached the middle
of his chest, but what she lacked in height and strength, she made
up with determination and spunk.

Her skin held a flawless glow as if the sun
had kissed her cheeks. She smelled like herbs, spices, and a sweet
feminine scent that was all her. She was slender, but with curves
in all the right places, which pleased him more than it should.
"What do ye want to know? About vampires," he clarified. He was
immediately afraid she'd bombard him with a million questions he
had no wish to answer. He was already regretting his offer when she
put her cup down and grabbed a notebook and pen from the side
drawer of her desk.

She moved to the sofa and offered him a seat
with a wave of her hand. He took the large recliner across from
her.

"Can a stake through the heart harm you?" was
her first question.

He hesitated, wondering what kind of fool he
must be to tell her, but he nodded all the same.

"You'll combust?"

"How nicely put," he growled. "By chance, are
ye a fan of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
?"

"Of course, isn't everyone?"

"Splendid." He pursed his lips together in
disgust. "No, a stake won't make a vampire combust. It'll paralyze
a vampire's limbs, but no' his mind."

"Interesting. You mean you'll know all that's
happening to you, but you can't do a thing about it?"

"Aye." He gave her a curt nod.

She frowned as she scribbled down what he
told her. "Are you afraid of crosses?" She looked at him again.

"No."

"What if I threw holy water in your
face?"

"Then ye would be the one hurt. No one likes
havin' somethin' thrown in their face."

"Vampires need to be invited in," she
muttered as she wrote. Her brows puckered and she looked at him
wide-eyed with worry.

Maybe he had revealed too much for one night.
He rose to his feet. "I think this was a mistake."

A knock at the door stopped Isabella from
saying more. She sighed as she abandoned her notebook to answer the
door.

"That's odd," she said. "No one's there."

Garran's eyes riveted to her and his heart
thudded against his ribcage as he watched her take a step outside.
"No, close the door. Now!" What a fool he was for letting his guard
down and assuming it would be Harrison back from running his
errand. Garran flew to Isabella's side with the warning, but he was
too late. She screamed as she was yanked off her feet. Garran
charged after her only to skid to a halt.

Alexander smiled viciously as he glared at
Garran. He held Isabella in a deathlike grip.

Garran could hear Isabella's heartbeat. It
had sped up a notch, but hope still lit her eyes as she looked at
him to be her savior. He was no knight in shining armor. He was
more apt to cause her death than to save her. "I'm lookin' at a
bloody ghost," Garran addressed Alexander. "I knew the signature
kills were familiar, but I thought ye were dead, Alexander."

"Isn't it funny how the dead do no' stay
dead." He chuckled. "I knew I smelled ye underneath the dog's scent
on this lovely human. Is she a gift then, for old times' sake? Ye
did leave her at the bar for me, did ye no'?"

"Let the human go," Garran warned, his fangs
lengthening.

"Now why would I be inclined to do such a
silly thing like that?"

"Because ye might live to see another
night."

A low growl to the left of them announced
Harrison's arrival.
Now he shows up
, Garran thought.

Harrison flanked Alexander, his large
werewolf form ready to pounce if Garran gave the word.

Alexander hissed and backed away, dragging
Isabella with him. "Call yer beast off, Garran."

"Let the girl go," he threw back. Alexander
could easily kill Isabella, but in the time it would take for him
to do so, Harrison or he would rip his throat out.

"Girl?" Alexander clicked his tongue and
shook his head as his fingertips slid down Isabella's chest with
interest. "She's all woman, Garran, or have ye forgotten what one
feels like?"

Isabella's gaze leveled on Garran as if
pleading for him to do something. He couldn't look at her. If
Alexander believed she meant anything to him—even if it weren't
true—he'd kill her out of spite. "I have no need for little girls
who would break from my touch."

Harrison edged closer to Alexander and the
Grim Sith hissed his warning. "Stand back, dog, or I'll break the
fragile human's neck."

Garran motioned for Harrison to hold his
position. "Ye can't win this, Alexander. There are two of us."

Alexander's condescending laugh made him want
to slash his throat just to shut him up.

"I know ye will no' rush me," Alexander
taunted. "Ye're always savin' what ye should be feedin' upon." He
stood in the middle of the street now. His hand brushed Isabella's
long hair aside, exposing her neck. "So tender," he whispered near
her ear.

Isabella closed her eyes and bit her lower
lip as he dragged his nail down her neck, drawing blood.

"Ye know this is my territory now," Garran
reminded him as if he needed to. He had a hunch Alexander already
knew this. "It's been sanctioned by the Guards of Judgment and let
me set ye straight, I'm no' like Franco Meridos."

"I don't give a flyin'…" For a second, he
lost his cool reserve, but just as quickly, he reined it in with a
raw bitter laugh. Alexander licked Isabella's blood off his
fingertip and smiled. "Sweet. I believe ye'd find her tasty,
milaird
. We could share her."

Garran clenched his hands into fists.

Alexander lifted his brows. "No?" He placed a
kiss on Isabella's wound, closing it. "Soon I'll make ye mine," he
promised Isabella. "I'll make ye just like me." Alexander's gaze
shifted then.

Garran tilted his head and heard what
Alexander most assuredly had heard, too. The low hum of a car
approaching—SUV by the sound of the engine. Soon it would round the
corner and they would be seen. He glanced at Alexander, meeting his
gaze. A chill slid down his spine as he watched Alexander's mouth
twist into a sardonic smile. Then he knew what the bastard intended
to do.

Garran made his move at the same time
Alexander gathered Isabella in his arms and tossed her like a rag
doll, toward the oncoming headlights of the SUV.

Garran flitted toward Isabella. He caught her
in his arms and swept her to safety. The SUV screeched to a halt.
Harrison had lunged forward, too and couldn't stop his momentum. He
leapt and landed on the hood of the SUV, denting it with his solid
wolf frame.

Gazes locked—man to beast. The man's eyes
widened in terror and he let out a choked scream. Harrison jumped
off, landing on all fours. Knowing Isabella was safe, Harrison
switched directions once again to pursue Alexander. The frightened
driver revved his engine and screeched away, burning rubber as he
went.