Soul Taker (40 page)

Isabella frowned, wondering what he meant.
She glanced at her arm. Blood dripped from her wrist and onto the
floor. Funny the wound didn't even bother her now. Garran wouldn't
look at her, but she could see his jaw muscles work as he clenched
his teeth.

"We'll fight over the spoils later, aye?"
Garran said, making her blanch.

She wanted to staunch the bleeding but that
would require taking her eyes off them. She couldn't do that.

"I'll make you watch as I drain her then,"
Alexander boasted. "I want ye to suffer. Back in Scotland, ye took
all I gained and locked me in a barn to burn. If ye would have left
me alone, I could have been a great clan leader."

Both vampires circled for the right time to
make their attack.

"Great? Ye would have been a laird of
half-starved men, and yer fiends would have killed them off one by
one. Ye wreaked havoc. Ye had to be stopped." Garran wiped his
brow. Then gave Alexander a come hither wave. "All these centuries,
ye've been storin' yer hatred for just this moment. Let's see what
ye have, then."

Garran was in no condition to take Alexander
on, but it didn't stop him from goading the vampire. Isabella knew
what he was doing. He was trying to save her even if it meant his
demise.

Alexander looked as though he'd take the
bait. He even took a step toward Garran, but at the last moment, he
flitted in front of her, but before he could grab her, Garran
swooped in, knocking her to the side. Her breath went out of her in
a huff and she slid on the ground as if she were a bowling ball
thrown to make a strike.

Bruised and bleeding, her efforts to crawl
toward the door were painful and slow. Her vision blurred and she
lay on her side. She was so tired.

Alexander and Garran moved so fast, they were
nothing but a blur of color. Garran's aura of blue and deep purple
swirled around the darker gray aura of Alexander's. Hisses and
growls filled her ears with dread. They were tearing each other
apart and she would most likely be next if she didn't move. She
took a deep breath and dragged herself toward the door. Thoughts of
regret assailed her. She hadn't had the chance to make things right
with her brother and it looked like she never would. She was going
to bleed out.

Alexander threw Garran at the wall, but he
flew to his feet to meet the next blow. Alexander's hand latched
onto Garran's neck. Garran grabbed at his fingers, trying to
dislodge his hold.

Isabella spotted her gun, not too far from
where she had crawled, but she couldn't move. She may be too weak
to crawl, but she could still speak. She focused her gaze on
Alexander as she murmured the incantation to open the veil. The air
shifted around her and she knew her spell was beginning to
work.

Alexander slumped forward, the fight out of
him. Garran stared at him for a moment, not knowing what was
happening.

"Noooo…" Alexander shook his head, his breath
frosting in front of him.

The veil wavered open and closed as she tried
to expel Alexander's soul. Every breath she took was labored.

Garran must have sensed her trouble. He
flitted to where Harrison's sword lay abandoned against the wall.
He retrieved it and flitted back. The remnants of Alexander's soul
stubbornly clung to his body, but with one lethal blow to the neck,
it was severed.

The soul vanished in a whirl of black smoke
into the veil and the curtain between life and death closed
abruptly behind it.

Isabella crawled to her feet. She took a step
toward Garran, but he held up his hand. "Stay back." He closed his
eyes and inhaled. When he opened them again, they were glazed with
hunger.

"Don't you bloody well take another step
toward her."

"Harrison." Isabella sighed in relief that
the werewolf was all right. She had feared the worse.

"Then go to her," Garran demanded of
Harrison. "She's bleedin' out."

Harrison's gaze wavered over her with
concern. He removed his shirt as he hurried over to her to wrap her
wrist.

"I'm okay." But she let Harrison take care of
her. She glanced toward the back room where Sanya and Frimrose
were. "I opened the veil. I didn't know Sanya would be here. I only
protected you." She looked at Garran. True, she had no real
affection for Sanya, but the vampire had tried to help them. She
frowned as she remembered the black smoke-like swirl entering the
veil. "I didn't see her soul leave."

"The circle is binding," Garran said and
pointed. "Frimrose encircled Sanya's body with her blood to keep
her safe from me and also to keep Sanya trapped. Sanya's drained,
but no' beyond bringin' her back."

Isabella concentrated on Sanya's body and
noticed her aura was faded, but still intact. She nodded. "And
Frimrose? Did she use her blood to create the circle around
her?"

"No. Sanya volunteered her blood for the
ritual."

"Sanya volunteered?" Harrison didn't sound
like he believed the story, but Garran didn't refute it.

"Alexander knew Sanya was spying on him. He
wanted her dead."

Isabella stared at Monette's daughter, who
sat as still as a statue. "How do we wake her?"

"Her mother will know what to do," Garran
assured her.

Harrison fished out his phone from his
pocket. "Let's get her over here so we can all go home." He
hesitated before he made the call as he glanced at Garran with
suspicion. Garran appeared more like his old self, but it was
obvious he still hadn't fully recovered. "I'll get the blood we
have stashed in the cooler. You better replenish before we take you
out of here."

Garran nodded in agreement.

Isabella couldn't believe it was over. She
glanced at the boxes in the corner, stacked on top of each other.
Did they all hold souls from Alexander's victims? "Can we help
them?"

Garran knew what she spoke of. "It will be
near impossible to find out who the souls belong to, but we can set
them free."

The longer a soul remained away from the
body, the harder it was for the soul to find its way back without
help, if there was even a body to go back to. Even then, she didn't
know if it could be done. She met Garran's gaze. "What about
Johanna's soul?"

Garran didn't have a chance to answer.
Harrison had strolled back in, clutching the container carrying the
pouches of blood.

"Monette's seconds away and she'll awaken
Sanya, too," Harrison announced. He tossed three blood packets to
Garran. Harrison had heard the tail end of their conversation and
looked expectantly at Garran then to her. "Can you detect which
soul is Johanna's?" He looked doubtful as he glanced at the
boxes.

"I've known Johanna most of my life," she
told them. "I would recognize her soul anywhere." She strode over
to the boxes. The souls called to her with whispered pleas for
help. Overwhelmed by the sensation, she leaned on one of the boxes
to steady herself.

"Are ye okay?" Garran asked her as he downed
the last packet of blood.

Before she could answer, Monette stormed in.
"Where's my daughter?"

Harrison gestured toward the back room, and
handed her the cooler containing the rest of the blood packets.

"I will not wake the vampire until I have
Frimrose safely away from here."

"Do as you please," Harrison said.

Monette hurried past him without a backward
glance. She placed the packets of blood beside Sanya within the
circle, before she turned toward her daughter.

Isabella could hear the voodoo queen
murmuring words that would break her daughter's trance. The strong
scent of ozone hit her as the enchantment broke and Frimrose's eyes
opened. Upon recognizing her mother, the girl flew into her
mother's arms.

Isabella was glad there had been a happy
ending for them.

"You don't look so good, Izzie." Harrison
took the steps separating them. "Matter of fact, you look bloody
awful."

"You don't look so hot yourself." Her lips
twitched as her gaze touched the cuts and bruises on his face.

"I'll heal quickly." He looked her over again
with concern.

"She needs a blood transfusion." Garran's
voice hitched in alarm. "Her heartbeat is flutterin'."

"I'm fine." She pushed away from the box to
prove her point, but the sudden movement made everything swim in
front of her like waves of color before blackness devoured it
all.

Chapter Sixty-One

The Guards of Judgment congratulated Garran
and
his team
on a job well done in cleaning up Alexander's
mess. The Nephilim were always looking to pin merit badges, now
that they were out of the closet—so to speak. They were no longer
just
Watchers
, but able to find their soul mates without
having all of Heaven out to smite them. Go figure. They had a new
organization called the WFTL, Warriors for the Light, based in
California.

With Alexander's books and ledgers that Sanya
gladly handed over, the WFTL would take care of the muckity-muck in
Washington, who ordered the souls for his big soiree. Their case
was closed.

Harrison healed with success and even he was
in good shape, now that the iron bullets had been dug out, but
Isabella… If it were up to him, he would have made Isabella stay in
bed the rest of the week. The dark shadows beneath her eyes were a
good indication that she had not fully recovered. He didn't give a
damn how many transfusions she received. Her body still needed to
heal.

However, it wasn't up to him to decide and
there was another life hinging on Isabella's capabilities. If they
were going to do this, it had to be now.

Johanna's father had arrived and agreed with
the doctors to take her off life support.

Isabella had combed through the boxes of
witch balls until she located Johanna's soul. With it safely in her
grasp, she opened the veil so the remaining souls could be
released.

Curious, how a tragedy brought families back
together. Nicholas was at Isabella's side the moment he heard she
was in the hospital. Their disagreement wasn't forgotten, but now
they both found time to talk and eventually they would work it all
out.

Isabella convinced her brother to help her
guide Johanna's soul back into her body. Nicholas wasn't pleased
with the idea, but this was Johanna. Nicholas couldn't refuse.

So here they were at the hospital ready to
perform a ritual that only Nicholas had performed. Only he was a
child when he had and it was purely by instinct, not something
practiced and perfected.

This outing could prove… interesting.

Garran stood guard at the door, while the
others readied Johanna's room. Isabella brought her quartz and
other stones. He caught sight of the ancient emblem sketched on
paper they placed on Johanna's chest. Nicholas took one side of
Johanna's bed and Isabella took the other.

Harrison placed the leather case he'd brought
with him on the rollout table used for the patient's meals. He
opened the lid and removed the precious witch ball. The soul was
alive and agitated, if the swirls of color were a good indication.
Odd, how he could see the soul inside the witch ball.

"Are you ready, Nick?" Isabella looked at her
brother and he nodded. She reached for his hands and he took hold
of her, making a bridge over Johanna's body.

Isabella took a deep breath and looked at
Harrison. "Release Johanna's soul."

Harrison removed the stopper and placed the
witch ball on top of the emblem. On the ride over here, Isabella
explained in vivid detail what they were going to attempt. The
stones surrounding Johanna's body were to keep the soul trapped
within the circle so it couldn't escape from the room.

Isabella began to chant, a prayer for guiding
the soul.

He knew she had never called a soul back into
the body with the intent for it to stay, but Nicholas was there to
help her. With both siblings working together, Johanna may have a
chance.

Garran glanced at the woman. She lay as still
as death, but her body was strong and her organs hadn't been
compromised.

Garran could no longer see the soul once it
left the witch ball, but he knew Isabella could. The colors were
always visible to her.

"Johanna, hear my plea." Isabella's voice was
strong and true. "You must return to your body. Listen to my
voice."

Johanna's body began to convulse. The
monitors beeped in protest. It was only a matter of moments before
one of the nurses would rush over to investigate.

"Don't let go of my hands, Nick." Isabella's
voice revealed her fear.

"I won't," he told her, meeting her gaze.

"Johanna, we're all here for you. Me, Nick…"
She glanced at Harrison. "Harrison's here, too."

Again Johanna's body jerked. Her body arched
and her heartbeat jumped. He could hear her heart thud like a drum,
but the others had to rely on the monitor.

The energy in the air sizzled as if lightning
could strike at any moment.

Johanna's mouth opened and even though a tube
should have blocked her vocal chords, a high pitch sound vibrated
from her. The monitor screen cracked and the florescent lights
overhead exploded. Then Johanna's body lay still and the dull tone
from the heart monitor blared as the straight line gave the
testimony to Johanna's heart function.

"She's flat lined." Harrison's voice held a
note of panic.

"No, it's okay," Isabella shot back. "Give it
a second."

Garran glanced out the door. "We have
company." A nurse and a doctor were rushing toward the room with a
crash cart. The beeps of the monitors obviously alerted them—if not
the high-pitched banshee call Johanna had produced.

Garran stepped aside, as the hospital's
personnel burst into the room and at that moment the heart monitor
blipped, then picked up speed with a thump as Johanna's heart began
to pump blood through her veins once more, and the air pump moved
up and down as she drew in a ragged breath.