Soul Taker (38 page)

Garran fought to control his limbs, but the
electricity raging through him left it impossible. "Leave… her…
alone," he bit out. "This is… between… Alex…ander… and me."

"I won't have to lift a finger,"
Goatee
demon said. "Alexander has something extra special
planned." He glanced at Harrison who groaned. Mr.
Goatee
pulled out the gun and fired a round into Harrison's leg and
another into his shoulder.

"Ye bloody… bas…tard!" Garran growled. "I'll
kill ye for this."

Goatee
demon chuckled before he
glanced at the demon with the taser. "Our friend hasn't learned who
is in charge yet. Why don't you give him another taste?"

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Since Isabella bonded with Garran, randomly
she'd pick up different memories of his, but in the last two days,
she hadn't had one clear glimpse. There was only a fragmented
connection to Garran and nothing more.

She'd left numerous phone messages for both
Garran and Harrison. She even went by the voodoo queen's shop, but
a 'closed' sign hung in the window. It was as if everyone left town
and didn't leave a forwarding address.

Something dreadful must have happened, but
when? At Monette's when they tried to stop Alexander from taking
the witch balls? When they were supposed to meet up with Alexander
later that night? She didn't have anyone to contact for more
information and she couldn't discuss it with Nicholas.

They had barely spoken in days, keeping their
distance at work and at home. Anyway, she had a hunch he'd be
pleased to hear Garran had disappeared. He made no qualms about
wanting her to stay away from any and all preternatural beings.

This morning, she arrived at the restaurant
an hour before her shift to help Mario with any last minute
preparations. When she strode up front to open the doors, she
spotted Katie Mahoney waiting outside. She hurried to let her in
with hopes she came with news about Garran and Harrison.

"I'm sorry to be bothering you," she said,
nervously looking over her shoulder. She hovered near the door as
if she were contemplating an easy escape if the need arose.

"It's fine, really. Are you all right?" She
searched Katie's eyes for the truth. "Has Alexander sent more of
his goons after you?"

"I am well, thank you for asking." Her lips
curved with warmth. "You are a gem, aren't you, Isabella Lucci?
Asking about my welfare when we only just met the other night. It
is no wonder Garran has taken a liking to you." She sighed and
glanced toward the back of the restaurant. "May we speak
safely?"

"No one will harm you here," she reassured
her.

Katie nodded. "I have news from the voodoo
queen. She couldn't be seen here and sent for me. Things did not
play out the way they should have. Alexander's men laid in wait.
Harrison isn't too bad off now. He took a bit of silver, but
Monette was able to help him. He should be fine in a day or
so."

"And Garran?" Katie's pupils dilated catlike
before returning to the more human appearance. Now that Isabella
knew of the preternatural world, she would never mistake Katie's
gold-green eyes as a human color. "Tell me."

"Alexander's men took him. Alive, but…" Katie
lifted her slender shoulders. "I wouldn't give too much hope into
believing it will stay that way. Monette said Alexander planned to
blood
him."

Isabella frowned, not knowing what that
entailed, but she was sure it couldn't be good. "I need to see
Harrison. Will you take me to him?"

She nodded. "I figured as much. Can ye leave
now?"

Isabella would make a few calls and see if
she could find someone to take her shift. Mario would most likely
call Nicholas and tell him she left early, but she'd deal with her
brother later.

****

As soon as Harrison could move with ease, he
took up residence at Garran's house. The place was set up like a
fortress with cameras, not to mention the arsenal in the weapon's
room.

Monette had helped Harrison once Alexander's
men left her store. She overheard the demons say they were heading
for the Mahoneys' warehouse with Garran. She wouldn't help them any
further, fearing Alexander would kill Frimrose if he found out her
involvement. She still held out hope that Alexander would release
her daughter once this was all over. Isabella doubted it, but she
understood Monette's hesitation.

"You can't rescue Garran by yourself. That's
insane," she told Harrison as she watched him pack his satchel with
so many weapons it looked like he was going to start a war. "I'm
going with you," Isabella told him for the umpteenth time, and
braced for another fight.

Katie leaned against the doorframe of the
study and just listened as Isabella argued her point. Katie's
catlike silence annoyed her. She could use a little support
here.

Harrison turned to face her. "You're not
going. You can't help. Garran won't be the same. We've been over
this. He most likely won't even recognize me and I've known him for
centuries. He'll be out of control."

"I don't need your permission." She turned
away, but Harrison's hand snaked out, drawing her back.

"I wanted to spare you, Izzie, but I see you
won't let this go. I may be forced to put him down," he said, pain
evident in his eyes, but she refused to see it.

"Put him down?" She yanked her arm away. "You
put down a rabid dog, not a person."

"You're thinking like a human. Garran
is
not human
. He's a Grim Sith. A Bobhan Sith created him. He's a
lethal vampire that would sooner suck you dry than accept your
help."

She glared at him. "You're
not
putting
him down." She opened her purse and withdrew her gun, checking to
see if it were loaded even though she knew it was.

Frustration radiated from Harrison like a
live wire. She could see the heat rising off of him. "What do you
think those bloody bullets are going to do against a rabid vampire?
'Ey?"

"I told you, I don't want to kill him, but
the iron bullets will put a damper in his step."

For a moment he looked impressed, but then he
shook his head. "I have a better chance at withstanding his bite;
you won't. If he grabs you, he'll kill you."

"Then you better get to him first" She
stormed by him and out of the room. She could hear him cursing her
in Irish Gaelic as she headed to the kitchen. Normally, she would
cook to calm her nerves, but right now it didn't seem appropriate
to whip up a meal in Garran's kitchen, while God only knew what was
happening to him.

She was still seething and doing a little
cursing herself when Katie strolled into the room. "Harrison must
really care about you."

She
harrumphed
.

"He won't say it, but I will."

The seriousness of Katie's voice made
Isabella glance at her.

"You wouldn't be the only one taking a big
chance. Harrison's taking one, too. A vampire's bite can be lethal
to a werewolf. The saliva causes a werewolf's immune system to shut
down."

"Katie." Harrison's voice held a warning for
her to keep quiet, but it was already too late. Katie had said
enough.

"Is what she said true?" Isabella asked him
point blank. "You know you can't lie to me."

"You're like a bloody lie detector." He let
out a ragged breath. "Aye, it's true."

She rubbed her hands over her face. She was
tired and worried and she didn't take into consideration about
anyone else's safety. "I'm a jerk." She shook her head. "I'm asking
you to risk your life."

"Garran is like a brother to me. I would do
anything for him. I swore to him if anything were to happen to him,
I would keep you safe, but it seems I'm doing a piss poor job of
it."

"You know Garran will be guarded. You aren't
going to waltz in there and just take him home. If I need to, I can
open the veil again. You know I can do it." She reached into the
pocket of her jeans and withdrew the folded scroll. "This will keep
Garran's soul safe from harm. It's what I used before."

They stood there for a moment, not saying
anything, but she sensed she'd put a chink in his armor against her
going with him. He couldn't deny she spoke the truth. He'd been
there when she sent three vampires' souls into the veil.

"Bullocks." Harrison threw up his hands.
"Let's go back to the study and go over a new plan. And you need
more weapons than just a gun."

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Salt air tickled Garran's nose and the sounds
of motorboats and the seagulls confirmed what he already knew to be
true. He was in the Mahoneys' warehouse near the waterfront.

Garran tried to block his dreams, hoping he
wouldn't link with Isabella and give his whereabouts away. There
was no reason she needed to be a part of Alexander's sick game of
revenge.

He believed he was doing a good job of it
too, but the longer he was held prisoner, the more time he had to
think about what played out at Monette's.

The demons didn't kill Harrison. They only
wounded him so he couldn't heal immediately and follow. Alexander
was not known to give quarter, not without a reason. Harrison was
part of this chess game. Alexander was moving them into position.
It didn't matter if he blocked his whereabouts from Isabella.
Harrison would find him and he knew with a sinking heart, Isabella
would be at his side. Alexander didn't just want to kill him. He
wanted him to suffer first. He wanted to destroy his spirit. What
better way than eliminate all he held dear, and make him watch,
knowing he didn't have the strength to stop it.

He lifted his head and glanced above him at
the blackened windows to keep the sun's rays at bay. He hung upside
down like a piece of meat. The iron manacles were clasped around
his ankles and the chain hung overhead attached to a rafter. Escape
proved impossible. His wrists were slashed and blood dripped from
them into the buckets below. The
drip, drip, drip
a constant
reminder of his impending doom.

The resounding click of a lock on the door,
told him he had a visitor or as it turned out
visitors
.
Alexander strolled in with his henchmen who dragged two women in
with them. The flow of Spanish flavored curses told him one of the
women was Sanya before he even saw her. The other lassie, a
dark-skinned beauty, resembled Monette and had to be Frimrose.

"So nice for ye to visit," Garran said as a
way of welcome.

Sanya's nostrils flared and her eyes glowed
red as her gaze latched onto the blood-filled buckets.

Alexander strode forward. The cocky bastard
wore a smug grin, making Garran seethe with anger. He wanted to rip
the expression off Alexander's face, but he couldn't muster the
strength to raise his hand.

"I'm goin' to have so much fun with ye."
Alexander chuckled as he pushed the buckets of blood away. Blood
sloshed onto his boot, speckling the black with spots of red.

Alexander flashed the key he'd been holding
in front of Garran's face before he slipped it into the manacles
clasped around his ankles and released him. He fell to the ground
with a thud, his hands useless to stop the momentum of the fall. He
forced himself to his knees, but he couldn't stand. He had no
feeling in his feet where the iron had burned to the bone.

Alexander backed up toward the door. "Get the
blood," he ordered one of the demons. "And leave the females."

One demon grabbed the buckets and the other
demon shoved Frimrose into Sanya, making the two females stumble
back.

The door slammed shut as the trio made their
hasty escape.

"Enjoy yer dinner and dessert."

Alexander's chuckle left a sick feeling in
the pit of Garran's stomach. Drained of blood as he was, he
wouldn't be able to hold back for long. The bloodlust would set in
and rational thoughts would cease to exist. Frimrose was human, and
her heartbeat sped up as she met his gaze, sending her blood
flowing through her veins at an alarming rate. He tried not to
inhale too deeply.

Sanya's blood would sustain him for a while,
but going after her in his state would probably be a death sentence
for the Spanish vampire, or him, for that matter. He doubted she
would just offer a vein.

Her dark eyes widened. His gaze swept over
her gaunt features then to her wrist where the wounds hadn't healed
completely yet. He realized, she'd been drained, too. Her fangs
elongated and she took a defensive pose.

Alexander wanted them to fight over who would
feed off Frimrose first. No matter who came out the winner,
Frimrose's fate was supposed to be sealed.

However, Frimrose was not entirely helpless.
His chat with Monette in regards to her daughter's abilities had
proved quite enlightening.

He looked at both females, who stared at him
with wariness of a person standing off with a rabid animal. He
didn't take offense though.

"Well lassies, listen up. I have a plan."

Chapter Fifty-Nine

At the warehouse, Harrison moved with ease
even loaded down with his arsenal of weapons: sword, daggers, and
stakes. Isabella had a few weapons of her own, courtesy of Garran's
weapon room.

Isabella knew both Garran and Harrison had
fought many wars through the centuries. They were warriors,
soldiers, and mercenaries. They had worked under the worst of
conditions. She, on the other hand, only fired her gun at a firing
range. Even with her conjuring capabilities, it would take time to
open the veil. Time they most likely wouldn't have if Harrison
couldn't hold off what came after them.

Katie voted not to go on this adventure. Here
in Boston, she was the last of her family line and didn't want to
make it easy for Alexander to take her out. Isabella couldn't blame
her.

Isabella stood behind Harrison, waiting for
his signal to make the move. Her heart thudded so loud in her chest
it was all she could hear over the seagulls flying overhead with
their constant squawk as they dove for food.