Soul Taker (19 page)

She threw him a disgruntled look. She liked
the song. As they finished with the last line, a woman caught her
attention. Her shattered aura proved a distraction compared to the
healthy colors the other patrons wore.

When the song ended, Garran let her go ahead
of him down the stairs from the stage. He may have been playing the
gentleman, but she could feel his heated gaze burning a path down
her back. He most likely was waiting for just the right moment to
blast her for including him on the stage, but before he could lay
into her, she whirled on him, fragmenting his retort into a
sputtered silence. "I spotted a woman over at the bar. Her aura
looks compromised. Not as bad as Johanna's, but enough to make me
believe she's been fed upon."

Garran closed his mouth and looked toward the
bar. "There are five women. Which one?"

She took a step closer to him, breathing in
his heady scent that was all male, or maybe it was just Garran.

"Miss Lucci, which woman?" he repeated with a
note of impatience.

It cleared her thoughts quick enough and she
took a purposeful step back. "The auburn haired woman, wearing the
tight black dress."

"Stay here," Garran warned.

She grabbed his arm to halt him. He stared at
her in surprise, and she stared back in challenge. He would not use
her talent then dismiss her. "What are you going to do?"

For a half a second, she thought he'd give
her the
brush-off
, but then he answered
her. "I'll extract information and find out when she last saw the
Soul Taker
."

"Doesn't the woman need to go to the hospital
or something?" Even before she finished her question, she knew a
doctor couldn't help her. The woman's essence—a part of her
soul—had been taken by a supernatural creature. There were no pills
or antibiotics to magically cure her. Isabella wondered if the
woman survived if she would always feel like a part of her was
missing.

"I'll make sure she stays away from here and
away from the Soul Taker," Garran said.

She didn't question how, but she knew
somehow, he didn't make promises without following through with
them. She'd bet he was old world, when vows meant his worth and he
would never compromise his honor.

She returned to her seat at the table, while
Harrison and Garran worked their Otherworldly powers of persuasion
to secure the woman's safety.

Another brave soul took the stage, a large
man who had too many drinks and was now belting out a
Bon
Jovi
song, one of his early hits from the 80s.

She took another sip of her wine and waited.
Halfway through the song, she chanced a look at the bar. Harrison,
Garran, and the compromised woman were no longer standing
there.

"May I join you?"

At the sound of the deep voice so close, she
whirled around with a start. One glance and she knew the man was a
preternatural being; his aura had a hypnotizing glow about it that
pulsed like a heartbeat.

The guy wasn't as tall as Harrison or Garran,
but he proved as impressive as they were. He had thick hair that
lay in waves at his shoulders; each luscious strand begged for
attention. He wore jeans, a dark blue pullover shirt that he filled
out nicely, and his face…

He stared at her with open amusement
obviously aware she assessed his attributes with a keen eye.

She closed her mouth before she embarrassed
herself by drooling. The gods must have chiseled this man's
features with the intent of perfection— smooth strong features
without being overbearing. There were no other words to describe
him. He was simply beautiful. She met his gaze and stared into
pools of deep blue.

"May I buy ye a drink, lassie?" His musical
voice sent a shiver of delight up her spine.

It took her a moment to realize he'd spoken.
She glanced at her glass. When had she finished her drink? "Uh…
yes, please."

A smile curved his full lips.
Kissable lips
.

"What would ye like?" His ever-sure gaze told
her he was aware of the effect he had on her senses and he rather
enjoyed it. He waved to one of the waitresses as he took a seat
next to her.

"Wine," she managed to spit out.

The colors surrounding him changed and
wavered as if he were sending out some sort of magic to camouflage
his true nature, and at the same time, there was this magnetic
pull, which drew her in. She shook her head, trying to fight
against the strange allure.

Once the waitress had their order, this
angelic beauty leveled his gaze on her. She forced herself not to
flinch. His eyes were still a beautiful shade of blue, but
something dark…evil lurked beneath the surface.
His true
soul.
She squelched the panic rioting inside her. This
beautiful man, who had just ordered her a drink, was the
Soul
Taker.

"Do ye come here often?" His Scottish
flavored words reminded her of Garran's speech, but Garran didn't
try to charm her with his will. This man was making it his
mission.

She concentrated on her words, forcing
herself to stay lucid. "First time. It's a lively crowd."

"Aye, quite lively."

The way he said
lively
sent a chill
down her spine, this time not in a good way. Was she his intended
victim for the night? She glanced around at the couples sitting at
the tables. She was the only one who had been sitting by herself.
Is this how he selected the woman? Someone alone, or perhaps he
chose a woman who didn't have a man doting over her.

His gaze traveled the length of her before
they settled on her mouth. She cleared her throat and he met her
eyes once more.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" She hadn't meant
to blurt that out, but he made her nervous and, let's face it, she
hadn't dated much. Though, if he were the Soul Taker, dating wasn't
on his mind.

He threw off mixed messages:
seductive
,
fearful, angelic;
but there was always
evil skimming the edges, lurking just below the surface. Her heart
froze when she realized why the mixed signals. He harbored stolen
souls and she was picking up on them.

"To the point, I see." His amused chuckle
forced her to focus.

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "You're a
good looking guy."
Where was she going with this?
"It's
difficult for me to believe someone hasn't snatched you up."
Come on Garran, Harrison, where are you guys?
"I do hate it
when a jealous lover interrupts, don't you?"

He placed his hand on hers and she tried not
to recoil from his touch. "Let me assure ye, no one will interrupt
us." He leaned near, a seductive whisper stroked over her with the
effect of a soft warm kiss placed near the tender area below her
ear.

Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and
her body warmed to his touch.
It would be so easy to…
She
turned her head. His mouth hovered near hers and she parted her
lips to accept his open invitation for more, but she caught a
glimpse of his aura spiking, the colors like a warning. No, her
mind screamed, and she groaned with just a tad bit of regret as she
placed a hand on the Soul Taker's chest and leaned back with a
smile. "I don't believe you gave me your name."

He tilted his head slightly as he assessed
her with mild amusement. "I am called Alexander."

She held out her hand. "I'm Isabella."

His gaze flickered to her hand with a
chuckle. His hand covered hers, but instead of shaking it as she
thought he would do, he caressed her hand with a kiss. "Isabella."
Her name rolled off his tongue like warm honey. "A beautiful name
for a beautiful woman."

"Thank you."

He didn't release her hand. "Would ye like to
go somewhere a little more private?"

She knew
that
look, vampire or not,
this guy expected her to put out. She removed her hand from his
grip. "Listen, you're cute and all, but I don't operate in fast
mode." She pushed back her chair and stood to leave, but his hand
snaked out.

His grip was gentle, but firm. "Please,
wait."

She frowned at him, narrowing her eyes in
suspicion. She didn't have to pretend she was miffed. She
was
miffed! He didn't even want to wine and dine her before
he sucked the soul out of her. She scanned the bar quickly for her
back-up team. Where the heck did Harrison and Garran go? She was in
way over her head here.

"Please forgive me," Alexander said. "I
didn't mean to offend ye, but it is apparent I have. It is so loud
in here and I only wished to know ye better."

She sat back down, only because she hoped
Garran and Harrison would return and take this guy out. "Apology
accepted, but I can't stay long." She put her elbow on the table,
leaning her chin on the palm of her hand. "But you could ask me
out."

A smile spread across his face. "How about
tomorrow? I'll pick ye— "

"I'll meet you," she interrupted. She might
as well go with this, but make it on her terms.

"As ye wish."

She reached for a napkin. Sensing what she
would need next, he removed a pen from the inside pocket of his
jacket and handed it to her. Where should she meet him? She
couldn't give him her home address or the address to her
restaurant. "How about I meet you for dinner at Bailey's? Say
eight?" The place was always busy, so she didn't have to worry
about being alone with him.

"Bailey's then." Before she realized what he
was about to do, he took her hand again and pressed it to his lips.
This guy was definitely the touchy feely type. "Until tomorrow," he
said and rose from his seat. He sauntered away, his strides strong
and sure, a predator in every sense of the word.

Isabella didn't want to waste another second.
She wanted out of here before Alexander changed his mind and came
after her tonight. Who knew when Garran and Harrison would come
back for her. She wanted to escape the
Soul Taker's
attention, while he was busy making small talk to another
woman...
potential victim,
she corrected. She shivered at the
thought, but she wasn't going to wait around to find out.

Isabella slipped outside and practically
jogged to her car. The moment she rounded the corner of the
building, an inkling of apprehension shot through her. The
streetlights were scattered in the parking lot, allowing the
shadows to hover like spectators awaiting doom.

Her stomach rolled and the fine hairs on her
forearms stood erect. Someone followed her. There were no footsteps
echoing behind her. It was only her gut feeling. Had Alexander
followed her outside? Could vampires go invisible at will? It was a
little late to think of that now and playing the scared victim
didn't sit well with her. However, she knew first hand her gun only
slowed down a vampire.

Harrison and Garran hinted the iron bullets
could kill a vampire if they weren't removed, but that didn't prove
to calm her nerves. A vampire could do a lot of damage before he
succumbed to a bullet wound.

"Screw this." She bolted for her car, using
her key fob to unlock the doors. She skidded to a stop. She grabbed
for the door handle, but someone moved behind her. She whirled
around and swung her purse at the assailant's head.

"Ouch! Will ye stop, yer foolishness woman?"
Garran bellowed, yanking the purse out of her hands. "Where do ye
think ye're goin'?"

Her hand flew to her chest in relief. "You
nearly scared me to death."

"And well ye should be scared. Are ye bloody
stupid? Why are ye out here and no' waitin' for us inside?"

"He's here. The
Soul Taker...
" The
last came out in a hoarse whisper. "He asked me out on a date."

Garran's brows furrowed. "Ye made a date with
the devil?"

"Nice choice of words, and yes. You and
Harrison weren't around, and I didn't know what else to do when the
evil Grim Sith sat down next to me. I thought about just asking him
to give me the souls he's taken, but I had a hunch he wouldn't have
been forthcoming." She ignored how Garran's eyes narrowed at her
and his aura spiked like flares. Nice to know a vampire's aura
behaved the same as a human's when pissed off. It would at least
give her a warning, not one she planned on heeding. "Besides, if
he's dating me, maybe he won't take someone else's soul."

"No, of course no'. Only yers."

She swallowed hard, but she refused to let
him scare her. Hell, she was already scared, but there wasn't any
need to let it consume her. It wouldn't change the fact that she
made a date with the Soul Taker. As for him taking her soul…"Well,
isn't that where you and Harrison come in? You're supposed to stop
him." She frowned. "By the way, where's Harrison?"

"He's taking the woman from the bar home.
Since ye were making yer own plans for doom, what did ye find out
about him?"

"He's Scottish, good looking…"

He
harrumphed
.

But she ignored him and continued to give a
vivid detail of what he looked like and what he said to her.

"Does it sound like someone you know?"

"Aye, a long time ago." He leaned forward and
opened her car door for her. "Go home, Miss Lucci. I'll head back
inside to see if I can have myself a nice chat with Alexander."

She shut the car door again. "I'll go with
you." She was feeling braver now that she had a vampire at her
side. She'd only taken a few steps, before Garran's hand snaked out
to halt her.

"Ye're no' goin' back inside."

"Yes, I am. I would be safer beside you
anyway. What if he sneaks out the side door and comes after me
while you're inside?"

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When
he opened his eyes again, he pinned his gaze on her, not without
annoyance. "Fine. But stay behind me and try not to draw attention
to yerself."