Soul Taker (11 page)

Her gaze shifted to the window. She had no
reason to feel afraid. She hadn't been threatened by anyone. Yet,
she sensed something stalked them, something that could harm
Johanna and her if given the chance. Something
evil
.

Harrison sensed it, too. Why else had he
given her his phone number? Why else had he warned her
not to
invite anyone in
?

Her brows drew together with worry. Why had
Harrison chosen those words: Don't
invite
anyone in. She
couldn't help but think his words had a hidden meaning behind
them.

Vampire. Fiend. Evil.

She stared at her mother's book as she ran
her hand through her hair and chuckled. "You must be tired if
you're considering vampire's exist." She shoved the book into her
purse and zipped it shut. Sleep beckoned her, but she couldn't
relax. Her gaze wandered over to the bedroom door where Johanna
slept peacefully.

She feared if she dosed off, Johanna would be
in danger. She glanced at the door that led out into the hotel's
hallway then to the chair seated beside the couch. She grabbed the
chair and pushed it against the door. It wouldn't keep anyone out,
but it would warn her if someone attempted to enter. She flipped
the security lock into place, too.

She then headed to the makeshift kitchen and
made a pot of coffee, downing the first cup before pouring herself
a second, loading this one with cream and sugar.

She retrieved the Glock from her purse and
plopped down in the chair by the lamp to keep vigil. She fingered
each of the different bullets then loaded them into the gun.
Whoever stalked them… Whatever it was… she had a hunch one of these
bullets would bring it down.

No one would be
invited
in, welcomed
or not.

Chapter Seventeen

Sanya dug through her makeup case and grabbed
her black eyeliner. She cursed when her hands shook and she
couldn't draw a straight line. She hadn't had human blood for
almost a week and her body was craving a fix. "Damn, the vampire
reject," she threw her eyeliner against the wall. She reverted to
her native tongue. Spanish curses flew easily from her mouth as she
damned Garran to hell and back.

"What seems to be the problem, my sweet
lassie?"

She whirled around at the sound of the
Scottish brogue. She inhaled sharply. She waited for Alexander at
the house he'd rented. All the windows were darkened to ward off
direct sunlight, a vampire lair with all the amenities, but she
knew Alexander didn't sleep here. His scent didn't linger on
anything. "Alexander."

His fingers tugged at his black gloves,
slipping both off before he removed the leather jacket. His broad
shoulders and muscled biceps spoke of the warrior he'd once been.
He reminded her of Garran in that sense, but that is where the
similarities ended. Alexander's face held no lines of age since
he'd been turned probably in his early twenties. A beautiful face,
some might even call him pretty if his blue eyes weren't like
shards of glass ready to cut into you.

"Were ye expectin' someone else perhaps?" His
gaze met hers and she forced down the urge to hug herself. The
gesture would make her look weak.

"No, no of course not." She gave him her best
smile and sashayed over to him, hopefully appearing braver than she
felt. "I had almost given up hope you'd return here. You've been
away for so long." She pouted her lips. "Where have you been?" she
dared to ask.

His hand snaked out, grabbing her hair and
twisting the strands around his fingers in a hold she couldn't
break. He yanked her head back so her neck was exposed. She gasped
in surprise, but didn't shy away or let her fear seep through. She
needed to prove her worth by standing up to him. Her survival
depended on it.

He leaned forward, grazing his elongated
fangs against her flesh. "I've missed ye, Sanya." His fangs pricked
into her skin as if he'd been hungry for a taste of her and
couldn't wait a moment longer. He didn't suckle. He bit without
taking blood, leaving vampire love bites along her neck and
shoulder. His hands did the honor of ripping the bodice of her
dress.

Damn, she liked that dress, but she also
liked the way his hands roamed greedily over her. "Yes, oh yes,
more," she encouraged.

He chuckled, a deep growl from his chest. He
continued his assault, his need to consume her set her blood
scorching through her veins.

"You torture me, Alexander." Her fingers
pulled at his shirt, working beneath the fabric to rub against his
cool skin.

He took her mouth and pushed her back,
slamming her against the wall.

"Yes, baby, take me. Take me now," she
begged, surprised at her own need.

"Oh, I intend to," he promised.

He may take a human now and again to slate
his perverted tastes, but only a preternatural being could
withstand his aggressive nature. Then again, Sanya thought, he
probably didn't care if the human survived his assault.

He moved her hair away and nuzzled her neck.
He sunk his teeth into the slender flesh and this time suckled.
Before the act could prove erotic, he removed his fangs and spit
out her blood as if it were tainted. "Ye taste like a pig,
Sanya."

She let out an exasperating sigh. "I've been
drinking pig's blood."

"Why, when ye live in a city where humans
would give their blood willingly?"

"The bastard MacLaurin demands it," she said,
wishing she didn't have to talk. She wanted to enjoy what Alexander
was doing to her.

As if sensing this, Alexander stilled his
caresses. He obviously wanted answers first.

She sighed in frustration. "You know
MacLaurin rules Boston and the surrounding cities now, not Franco
Meridos. MacLaurin acts as if he's a vampire with sins he needs to
atone," she continued. "He's part of those high and mighty beings
who lord over the preternatural world and expect everyone to follow
the rigid rules set down by the Guards of Judgment. We must ignore
our true natures. If anyone defies him, they are subject to
punishment." Her chest ached at the reminder.

Alexander's cold eyes bore into hers. "We'll
have to fix that, will we no'?" He didn't wait for her to answer as
he drove his fangs into her neck.

****

Later, Sanya leaned near the mirror,
inspecting the bite marks on her neck. They were healing, but she
needed more blood. Alexander had taken his fill. He probably would
have indulged more if she hadn't fed on pig's blood. Maybe that had
been a blessing in disguise.

She hated MacLaurin with a passion, but a
vampire knew where they stood with Garran. Alexander had no
boundaries. He killed humans and preternatural beings for pleasure
and formed no loyalties. Alexander may be good in bed, but she knew
she'd be foolish to team up with him on a permanent basis.

"I'll be back, Sanya." Alexander gripped her
shoulders from behind.

She turned in his arms, a smile forming on
her lips. "I would hope so, lover."

He caressed her face then kissed her with a
whispered promise, but he pulled away all too soon. His gaze bore
into hers. "No more pig's blood," Alexander warned.

"What about MacLaurin?"

"Let me worry about him, hmm."

"What do you have planned?"

He eyed her warily. He may want to have his
way with her and take her blood, but he obviously didn't trust her
enough yet to share his plans. "There's no need for ye to worry, my
pet."

"I'm not worried. If you plan on torturing
him, I would love to watch."

He twirled her dark strands around his
finger. "I have something special in mind for Garran MacLaurin."
Alexander had beautiful eyes, the cool blue color of marble. She
had once seen such eyes in a statue that depicted a saint of some
sort in the
Church of Our Lord
. The Catholics did like their
statues. Alexander reminded her of them: perfect, hard, and with
eyes that were soulless.

Chapter Eighteen

Harrison drove to the spot Garran said he'd
meet up with him and cruised at a nice fifteen miles per hour. He
was late, but they still had plenty of time before the sun made its
cheery appearance.

A dark figure jumped in front of his vehicle
and he slammed on his brakes, bringing the car to a screeching
halt. "Bloody friggin' hell."

His car lights shone on Garran's face. The
grin he wore really pissed Harrison off.

The vampire strode to the passenger side of
the car, yanking the door open.

"You're a wanker, you know that don't you?"
Harrison grumbled.

"Flattery will get ye nowhere. Besides, I
thought ye'd appreciate the flair of my arrival."

"Now you take my advice," he grumbled.

Garran's low chuckle vibrated from his chest.
"How did yer night go?"

Harrison gave Garran a sideways glance. "I
ran into Isabella."

"Who… ah, aye," he rolled his eyes, "yer
human. What was she doin' in Salem?"

"Taking the same ghost tour I took."

Garran's left brow arched as his gaze leveled
on him. "If ye're seein' the lassie, ye don't have to pretend to
meet up with her."

"You're an eejit. I'm not dating her. She was
here with her girlfriend, Johanna."

"And I need to know this because…"

"Because Isabella can sense Johanna is
infected."

Garran sat up straighter. "She told ye
this?"

"No, not exactly."

"So ye're a mind reader now."

He glanced at Garran as he drove, wishing the
vampire would have an opened mind about this. "You refuse to see
it."

"Where did ye leave yer human with the
witch-like
abilities?"

"
Isabella
," Harrison stressed her
name, "is back at the hotel with Johanna."

"Please enlighten me how you came to yer
conclusion about the infected human."

"When we were on the tour, Johanna
disappeared. We retraced our steps back to
Burying Point
Cemetery
where we saw Johanna last. I picked up the scent…"

"…of decay," Garran finished for him.

"Yes, a scent similar to when flowers in a
vase have perished, and you have yet to throw them out, not
something centuries old," Harrison clarified.

"I was at the cemetery, too." Garran recapped
his night. "I found a woman unconscious there and thought the Soul
Taker had attacked her, but before I could check her mouth, a
lassie approached, calling out to me. I hurried away, not wanting
to stop my search with endless questions that were sure to entail
answers I could no' give."

"The lass you came across, was Johanna.
Isabella must have seen you running away or rather disappearing.
She mentioned as much. Did you pick up the Soul Taker's trail at
all?"

"No, but I could sense the bugger. I just
cannot understand how he's alluding capture." Disappointment hung
on the word. Garran glanced at Harrison. "Where are the lassies
now? Maybe they shouldn't be left unprotected."

"Don't worry, I warned Isabella not to let
anyone in. She's spooked enough that I'm sure she'll heed my
words.

"If they're safe then, we should head back to
Boston. Sanya may have news for us."

Chapter Nineteen

Sanya slipped into the booth where Garran and
Harrison were seated. Garran decided on Tony's Pub since Sanya
frequented the bar often. He wanted her to keep to the same routine
so not to alert the
Soul Taker
.

"Well?" Garran asked as soon as she was
seated.

"Give us all the details and don't hold
back." Harrison said, impatience lacing his words.

She lifted one lovely dark brow. "
All
the details?"

"Keep it clean, Sanya," Garran warned. "I
have no wish to hear about yer perverted escapades."

"Prude." She pouted her lips. "Fine, suit
yourself." She leaned close and ran her long fingernail down the
side of his jaw. "You can imagine how tantalizing making love can
be. You do remember it, don't you, Garran? Your nether parts didn't
fall off from lack of use, have they?"

Harrison stifled a chuckle behind his fist.
Garran glared at him and he recovered his control.

"Sanya, I am a patient man." Garran ignored
her harrumph. "Do not waste my time. Ye know what—"

"Fine," she interrupted. "Alexander wants
your head. Okay?" She eyed Garran and chuckled. "You must have
pissed him off big time. He says he has something special planned
for you and I have a hunch, it's not a surprise party you'll want
to attend."

"Oh, goody, you just told us something we
didn't know," Harrison said as he clapped his hands.

Sanya threw him a dirty look.

Garran ignored both of their antics. "Do ye
know where he's stayin'?"

"He's rented out a place, but it's just for
show. Wherever he holes up during the day, he hasn't told me." She
patted her hair before she smoothed her hands down her skintight
dress. "We do have a date tomorrow night. He promised me a night on
the town."

"Aye, I bet," Garran said.

Her red lips turned down in a pout. "Why are
you so mean, Garran? You once coveted this body." Her hands slid
down her sides, making sure her hands hovered near her breasts that
were on the verge of spilling over the neckline.

"That was before I knew everyone else did,
too."

She snarled, baring her fangs.

Garran lifted a hand. "Settle down. Ye knew
we didn't belong together as much as I did."

She sat back in her seat. "Soul mate," she
said with a curse, but she let the matter go. "By the way, for this
to work with Alexander, I need to drink human blood."

Garran shook his head. "Humans are off
limits."

"If he comes back and I smell like pig, he'll
be suspicious. He doesn't like it."

Garran pursed his lips together. "Fine. I'll
see what I can do."

Harrison's gaze riveted to him in disbelief,
but he remained silent.