Soul Taker (31 page)

"Cute is not the word I would use for it," he
grumbled.

"Oh, come on. You have to see the humor in
it." Again, she threw him that disarming smile.

He snorted his protest at cute, but he used
the cup anyway, placing it in the microwave to warm up his dinner
or rather breakfast. As he waited for the timer, it sunk in that
Isabella had bought him a gift. Sure, it was tasteless, but no one
had bought him a gift in centuries. "Thank ye," he grumbled." He
knew she stared after him and he could well imagine the smile that
tilted her lips.

"You're welcome."

Harrison strode over to the cupboard and
helped himself to two plates. Dinnerware had been Harrison's
contribution since he was the only one who would need a plate or
bowl, but his meals usually consisted of reheating whatever he
purchased on the way over.

The cooking pans were new and must be
something Isabella had brought with her.

Garran glanced at Harrison. The bugger wagged
his eyebrows up and down with a nod toward the coffee cup he had
taken out of the microwave. Then he gestured toward Isabella with
the same sly display.

Garran rolled his eyes. He sipped the warm
substance from his cup, watching Isabella over the rim. The place
reeked of garlic, a pungent scent if there ever was one, but
Isabella's look of contentment made it tolerable. Again he wondered
what had happened within the hours he slept to make Isabella
appear… accepting of the bond between them, or was her complacent
attitude an illusion?

Isabella took a seat at the nook to eat. She
twirled the noodles around her fork and lifted it to her mouth. The
noodles slipped between her puckered lips. Somehow, the simple
action proved erotic to watch.

His gaze lingered on her lips with thoughts
of kissing them again. He tore his gaze away from her and
concentrated on Harrison. "We're to meet Sanya at Tony's at
eleven."

Isabella lifted a brow. "Is that the vampire
who's working undercover for you?"

Garran glanced at Harrison. "Did ye reveal
all our secrets while I slept?"

Harrison took a generous bite and talked with
his mouth full. "Not all, I'm saving a few things for another
night."

Garran only halfheartedly grumbled.

"After my lesson," Isabella glanced at him,
"I want to stop by the hospital and check on Johanna." She looked
at Harrison. "Do you want to join me?"

Harrison squirmed in his seat. "Uh, sure." He
finished the rest of his dinner and headed for the sink to rinse it
off. "I'll have to meet you there though. I have to pick up…
something."

Garran narrowed his eyes at Harrison, but the
werewolf refused to meet his gaze as he headed out of the room.

"Just let me clean up then we can get
started."

He knew she meant get started with the
lessons, but other more wicked thoughts entered his mind. He
watched as her graceful steps took her over to the sink. Her hand
reached for the dish soap, slender long fingers closed around it.
His mind flashed with a fantasy of those same hands gripping…other
things.

He swallowed back his desires. "I am
curious," he said.

"About what?" She glanced over her shoulder
at him.

"I didn't expect ye to show up here tonight."
He flitted behind her, startling her at his sudden movement. "Ye
seemed out of sorts last night." His hand slid down her hair,
moving it to the side as he placed a kiss on her neck. Her heart
sped up a notch. He hadn't planned on touching her… kissing her,
but the action seemed… natural.

She chuckled and moved out of his reach. "Is
this your way of seducing me?"

He leaned against the counter. "How am I
doin'? I'm a bit rusty in the seducin' department."

"Not bad." She crossed her arms over her
chest, and worried her lower lip.

He became serious then. "Why are ye here,
Isabella?" He took a step toward her, never breaking eye contact
with her. "Ye better walk away now before ye cannot. Before I won't
let ye go."

"I had another dream about you."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Good dream, I
would hope."

"It was when you were younger, before you
were changed."

He nodded.

"You don't seem surprised." Her arms dropped
to her side.

"No. It only proves my point."

"That I'm your soul mate?" She may not be
convinced, but at least she hadn't run away from him this time.

"Aye. We have a strong bond, but it takes
more than me tastin' yer blood for us to be truly mated. It's a
ritual, involvin' much more."

"Se-ex?" her voice squeaked and she cleared
her throat. "Is sex part of the ritual?"

Intimacy played a part with preternatural
bonded couples, but so did it with human rituals. Marriage involved
a honeymoon after all. "Aye, but it is the last of it."

Her brows furrowed. "The last? How much more
is there?"

He didn't want to scare her away before he
had a chance to woo her. She wanted him. Her arousal cloaked him,
her scent egging him on to complete what they started, but she
wasn't ready to commit. Heck, he didn't know if he should pursue
it. He had always assumed his soul mate would be a preternatural
being. "Let's take this slow, aye? See if it is where we both want
to go." He offered his hand to her.

"We'll take it slow," she repeated. She
placed her hand in his, intent on shaking it as if this would seal
the agreement. He wanted more and pulled her closer.

She inhaled deeply, startled, but she didn't
shy away. He decided to take a chance. He leaned down and kissed
her, tasted her, breathed her in. She moved her head to the side,
moistening her lips as she drew in a breath.

"I want you," she whispered like a curse.

He chuckled. "I know."

She met his gaze. "But it scares the hell out
of me."

"I know that, too." He knelt down on one knee
before her, his right hand over his heart.

"What are you doing?" Her voice revved up a
notch.

"I pledge to ye: I won't do anythin' ye do
no' want me to do. We'll take this at yer pace." He held out his
hand again. She was beautiful with her hair pulled back and her
face void of makeup. Her scent mingled with the herbs she used.
Surprisingly, garlic never smelled so heavenly until he met
her.

A part of him wanted her to refuse his
gesture, to walk away so she would remain safe, but the other part,
the demon inside of him wanted her to take his hand and seal her
fate.

She didn't take his hand. No, his wee brave
fool took the steps separating them and walked into his
embrace.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Harrison purposely arrived early at the
hospital and entered Johanna's room. The woman barely hung onto
life, and Harrison already knew she'd lose the battle, like all the
others. Still he couldn't help but cling to hope. He placed the
flowers he bought on the end table next to her bed and pulled up a
chair. The beeps of the monitors and the sound of the air being
pumped into Johanna's lungs filled the room.

Harrison reached for her hand. It was so cold
to the touch. "Hey, Johanna. It's Harrison again. I thought I'd see
how my girl was doing." The sad part of all this was the knowledge
she was never
his girl.
The way it looked, he wouldn't have
the chance to find out if it could have worked between them.

When he talked to her, he didn't expect her
to answer him, but on the off chance she could hear him, he wanted
her to know he was fighting for her. "We'll get the wank…um…demon
that did this to you. I promise, luv." Her hand twitched and his
gaze riveted to her face. No movement, no fluttering of the
eyelids, but he had felt her fingers move. Maybe Isabella's crystal
treatments were working. "Johanna, if you can hear me squeeze my
hand."

Long agonizing seconds ticked by.
Nothing.

"Johanna, come on, luv. Squeeze my hand." He
stared at her hand, willing it to respond.

"Harrison?" Isabella stood at the door.

He let Johanna's hand slip from his as he
flew to his feet.

"I just thought, I… you know I didn't want
Johanna to think we'd forgotten about her."

Isabella hesitated at the door before she
walked toward him. "She'd be glad to know you care." She placed her
backpack on the side of the bed. "You like her, don't you?"

"Of course I like her."

"No." She waited for him to look at her. "I
mean
you're in love
with her."

He glanced at Johanna before he answered her.
"She wouldn't want me."

Isabella chuckled and shook her head. "You've
had women draped on your arm since the moment I met you, but you
didn't think you had a chance with Johanna?"

He threw her a lopsided grin. "Johanna is
different, you know. I believe she may have been, well…
the
one.
Isn't that the corker? I didn't even have the chance to
convince her she could trust me. I never had the chance to take her
out on a date." He met Isabella's gaze. "A Mac Tíre is supposed to
protect his mate, but I let the bloody
Soul Taker
suck the
life out of her."

Isabella reached for his hand. "This wasn't
your fault."

Harrison nodded. "Yeah, I guess I know that,
but it's still a pisser." He turned away when his eyes filled with
tears. Isabella didn't need to witness the
big bad wolf
whimpering like a pup. He looked at Johanna lying there helpless…
lifeless… Dark bruises colored the tender flesh beneath her eyes.
"Do you see any changes in her aura?" he asked against all
hope.

"No, but she isn't any worse either." She
took a deep breath. "May I ask you something?" He glanced at her.
"About mates?" she clarified. "You mentioned Johanna might be
yours."

He nodded. "Go on."

"How do you know? I mean, is it the same as
it is with a vampire? You know…finding a mate?" She wrinkled her
nose and smiled nervously. "I know I sound ignorant with all the
preternatural ways, but this is new territory for me."

Harrison frowned, wondering why she was
curious, particularly about vampires and mates. He teased Garran
about Isabella, but only because he thought nothing would come of
it.

Then it dawned on him. Isabella had bought
Garran a gift. Had it meant more than a frivolous gesture on her
part? Was she starting to care about Garran—in a romantic way?

This infatuation was probably not a good
thing. In all the centuries he'd known the vampire, he never
committed for long and never with a human. He didn't want Isabella
to end up hurt. "Listen—" A movement in his peripheral vision
caught his attention. He cursed as he dragged Isabella behind
him.

"So we meet again," Alexander announced at
the doorway of Johanna's room.

Sanya hung on the Soul Taker's arm as if the
two were out on the town instead of visiting a woman in a coma. She
looked a mite cozy with him, all dressed in a slinky red dress and
high-heeled shoes. She sported a nice vampire hickey on her neck,
too.

Sanya narrowed her dark eyes on Harrison
before shifting her gaze to Isabella with curiosity.

"It's a pity, isn't it?" Alexander nodded
toward Johanna. "I so wanted to play with her at my leisure."

Sanya threw Alexander a lethal glare, but the
dark-eyed beauty remained silent beside him. No doubt she didn't
like the fact Alexander had wanted to be with another woman. No
matter if Johanna had merely been a plaything and nothing more.

Harrison made a move to go after Alexander.
Flashes of tearing his throat out blurred his vision, but Isabella
placed a hand on his arm and spoke, bringing his rage down a few
notches. "Don't play into his sick game."

Alexander's low chuckle held a note of
annoyance as if he were disappointed there wouldn't be a
confrontation. "Isabella, yer a smart one. I do admire a lassie who
is sure of herself, but… a woman who despairs… who has low
self-esteem, now she's more pleasurable when I suck the essence
from her body." He smacked his lips together as if he was enjoying
the sweet snack now.

Alexander had angelic features, the picture
of innocence but his eyes were cold shards of ice, revealing his
true nature, the monster hidden within. "Do ye want me to end her
life? Give her peace." Alexander offered. "It's over anyway." His
shoulders lifted in a shrug. "But I could take what's left and end
her pathetic existence."

"Don't you dare touch her," Isabella
threatened.

He shrugged again, as if it didn't matter one
way or the other to him.

"What do you want, Alexander?" Harrison
spat.

"For ye to give Garran a message."

"So, what is it already?"

"Tell him I want to meet him at the warehouse
by the pier, I do believe ye know where it is. Seems my crew
somehow disappeared after yer last visit." His gazed leveled on
Isabella as if he suspected she had something to do with it.
"Tomorrow night will be our own private Boston bloody tea party."
He laughed, but when no one else joined in, he sobered up. "Oh come
now,
Boston Tea Part
y, bloody party…" he shook his head. "No
sense of humor."

"Give me a good reason why I should bother to
tell him," Harrison asked.

"Because I have something he wants. What ye
all want."

Harrison frowned. "And what's that?"

"Johanna's soul," Sanya spoke up for the
first time.

Hope lit Isabella's eyes. "But I
thought—"

"I can give the soul back, if I so choose, or
let it absorb into my body. Souls are like fine wine. I let them
age a bit before I savor every last drop. Do ye know what a soul
goes for on the Otherworldy black market?"

"You bastard." Isabella seethed with anger,
clenching her fists, but she knew better than to go after him. She
stayed rooted at Harrison's side.

"
Tsk, tsk
, Isabella, such language is
not very ladylike."