by Jade, Imari
“The dress was loaded with those killer curves. Isabella took care of things with her powers, shooting some kind of blue rays from her fingers.” He chuckled. “I bet the mayor nearly had a coronary when he saw that.”
Alesandro smiled. Why couldn’t he be lucky enough to see her all dolled up?
“Photographer’s name is Taylor Jones,” Vinnie told him as if reading his mind. “I’ve ordered you a set and it should be ready tomorrow evening.”
Alesandro patted Vinnie on the shoulder. “Good job and thanks for the information.”
Vinnie shook Lucius and Alesandro’s hands and headed back to the second floor of the casino.
“See if you can find out anything else tomorrow,” Alesandro told the wolf. “You’d better get on home and get some rest before Adrianna sends out an APB for you.” Adrianna was Lucius’ mate and one hell of an alpha female.
Lucius nodded. He’d been guarding the casino all night and probably could use a few hours of sleep to regenerate.
Alesandro knew Lucius would put out a few feelers to see if his pack could find out everything they could about Lincoln House.
* * * *
The body of a man, split straight down the middle lay pinned to a wood fence in the middle of New Orleans East. The moon shone down on it, exposing the man’s innards to two people who were busy laughing at the sight.
Blood oozed from the still warm corpse. The man’s intestines had been pulled out and wrapped around his neck.
“He made this too easy, Kubol,” Samedi said to his friend. “I need something more challenging.”
Kubol nodded. “Aye, Samedi, let’s go see what’s happening over at Bayou Saint John.”
“Brilliant idea,” Samedi agreed. The two left the body hanging, not caring who he was or what they had done.
* * * *
Isabella clicked the mouse button and the internet appeared on the monitor. She loved surfing the super-information highway when she had spare time but tonight was not one of those nights. She had to find out what the hell the thing lurking inside of Lincoln House was, and she bet it had something to do with the realm opening. She supposed she should have been more upset and hysterical about the situation but what good would that do? She typed in Wolfgram Sporting Goods Store to see what new toys she could get for her collection.
“Demons first,” she told herself. “Fun second.” She reached over to the bowl on her desk, picked up a couple of grapes, and tossed them into her mouth. Isabella typed in North American demons into the search line and hit Enter. “Seven hundred hits, Great.” She clicked on the first link.
Several hours later Isabella shut down her laptop. Her eyes hurt, her back hurt, and her fingers were cramped. The only thing saving her was she now packed more knowledge about the end of the Mayan calendar than she ever wanted to know.
* * * *
Malcolm signed a few papers, returned a few phone calls, and basically tried to clear his mind about what he witnessed the other night. He paced on the Oriental rug in front of his desk.
Malcolm considered himself a rational man. He went to church often, tried to stay out of political scandal, but never in his thirty years on Earth had he witnessed anything as horrible as what hesaw at Lincoln House. He hadn’t signed on for any of this when he took his oath. No one told him this sort of evil actually existed.
He was not having a really good month. First people started disappearing, then bodies showed up everywhere, now some horrible demon was dwelling inside Lincoln House with Mardi Gras a couple of months away. Malcolm knew something had to be done before then or New Orleans and all its surrounding parishes would not only lose a whole lot of tourist money but a lot of lives as well.
The phone rang on his desk. Malcolm stopped pacing to answer it. “Hello?”
It was his secretary. “Sorry to disturb you Sir but Chief Norris is here for your meeting.”
“Thanks, Torrey. Send him in.” Malcolm hung up the phone and walked to the door to open it.
Anthony Norris walked in.
“Nice to see you,” Malcolm told him, shaking his hand.
“I would have come by earlier, Mister Mayor, but I’ve been very busy trying to get a little order in town.” Anthony sat down in one of the red arm chairs in front of Malcolm’s mahogany desk.
Malcolm walked back over to his seat and sat down. “I’m glad the media hasn’t gotten a hold of this yet. I still think it’s too early in the game to cause the pubic alarm.”
Anthony nodded. “It’s been hard enough to convince the people, who attended the party the other night, not to say anything, especially Tiffany Jasper and Morris Evan’s families. Everything is hush, hush for the moment but I know it won’t be long before the news leaks out.”
Malcolm strummed his desk with his fingers. “Have you heard from PAK?”
“Yes. They’re taking a few of their people over to Lincoln House this afternoon.”
Malcolm frowned. “Are you sending any of your men to accompany them?”
Anthony shook his head. “No, the Petres asked me not to. Miss Petre thinks they would only be in the way and their lives might be in danger.”
Malcolm chuckled weakly. “To say the least.”
“I did put a few cruisers in the area. If anything goes down, they’ll be there as quickly as possible.”
Malcolm seemed assured. “What about the murders? Do you have any leads?”
“Nothing so far. I’ve assigned some of the best agents to the cases. I’m sure we’ll find the culprits soon.”
Malcolm sure hoped so. Louisiana had already made the World News. He was sure people were anxious to find out what was happening.
Anthony rose. “This is only a theory between me and you, but I think those murders are tied into what happened at Lincoln House.”
Malcolm rose and nearly fell back down. “I wish you hadn’t told me. How in the hell are we going to protect New Orleans from this kind of activity?”
“I don’t know,” Anthony admitted. “But I think you need to prepare a speech for the public in case.”
“I’ll get on it right now,” Malcolm said, thinking such a speech would probably mean the end of his career.
Anthony left, closing the door behind him.
* * * *
Anthony Norris had four square city blocks roped off for the people of PAK when they arrived at Lincoln House. Isabella was thankful for that much especially since Collena asked the police not to interfere. Her boss was great, but sometimes she was just a little too overconfident about her agents’ abilities. Any help, in Isabella’s mind was better than none at all. Hopefully, Collena had not noticed the police cruisers working the streets nearby. Anthony Norris was a good cop and he wouldn’t take any unnecessary chances with security, no matter what Collena said. If all hell broke out in Lincoln house, she’d waste no time sending for them.
Clifton and Marc, the two engineers unloaded their equipment from the van, while, physics Ernie and Otto tore down the boards at the front door entrance. Collena stepped from her limousine with the assistance of her driver, Shane, while her assistant Irene, followed closely at her heels, taking notes and basically getting in the way.
Lucky for them Joshua decided to remain behind and look after the business. Isabella smiled. There’s no telling what sort of trouble he could get into if he were here. Isabella felt whatever it was the moment she arrived and from the looks of some of the others she wasn’t the only one. Ernie and Otto looked shaken as they removed the boards.
Ernie unsealed the last board on the door. “It’s free,” he shouted at her.
A cold chill ran up Isabella’s spine and adrenalin rushed through her nervous system.
“I don’t like the feel of this,” Otto, the overweight, blonde physic said to Ernie.
“You can always stay out here,” Ernie replied.
Otto patted Ernie on the shoulder with fat, pink fingers. “You must be kidding. I wouldn’t miss this for the world, silly boy.”
Isabella stepped through the doors first and Ernie and Otto followed. Collena and Irene brought up the rear. Whatever she put to sleep the other night was there waiting for her, awake.
“Get some lights in here,” Collena said to Marc and Clifton as they walked into the door. Both men looked at her, holding their mobile equipment and stood where they were.
“Chicken shits,” she called them. “I should have brought Travis and Tracy instead of you two.”
“Want me to call them?” Marc asked her sarcastically. “I’m sure they’re intelligent enough to find the light switch.” He walked over to the wall and flipped the switches.
Collena rolled her eyes at him as the great hall filled with light. “Okay, smart ass, you win this time. The next time you come ghost-busting with us, you’d better go in first and make sure we don’t enter in complete darkness.”
Isabella ignored them, walked away from the others, and started from the ballroom without saying a word to them.
“Welcome back, Vanquisher,” the voice said loudly.
Shit.
Collena and the others ran into the ballroom.
The room was pretty much as they’d left it the other night with over-turned chairs lying in dried blood.
“You’ve brought company,” the voice stated.
“A few friends,” Isabella replied, stepping into the center of the room.
“Yes, but they’re not like you. They’re human.”
Isabella frowned. This being was intelligent. “No, they’re not like me but each of them is special in their own way.”
Marc and Clifton began setting up their equipment, while Otto, Collena and Irene stood where they were. Ernie came to her side.
“Wait,” the voice replied. “He is like you, but a little different. You have brought me a worthy opponent.”
“I’m glad you approve,” Ernie said sarcastically.
The lights flickered off and on. “I don’t like sarcasm.”
“It’s strong and old,” Otto shouted.
“What do you feel?” Collena asked Otto.
“It’s very powerful, maybe a thousand years old. But there’s no humanity to it.”
“Not exactly what I wanted to hear,” Irene confessed. “I knew I should have stayed behind.”
“Maybe you should go,” Collena agreed.
Irene turned to leave but the doors to the ballroom closed and locked.
“Going somewhere?” the voice asked.
“I was,” Irene answered, walking back over to Collena. “Don’t eat me first. I’ll leave a nasty taste in your mouth.”
The voice laughed. “I like her. She has a sense of humor.”
Isabella frowned. The thing wanted her but make no mistake it would kill the rest of them all the same.
“You’re right, Vanquisher. I would.”
Isabella continued to frown. “So, you can read my mind. Big deal.”
“An advantage?”
“Not much,” Isabella replied. She walked around the room, clearing her mind of all unnecessary thoughts. Blood began oozing from the walls.
“What’s that shit?” Marc asked.
“It looks like blood,” Clifton answered.
Marc went back to setting up the equipment. “I’m so glad we brought in everything we needed.”
“Are you trying to block me out of your head, Vanquisher,” the spirit asked Isabella.
“Yes, I don’t like things reading my mind without my permission.”
“Does that include Alesandro Roma?”
Isabella stopped in her tracks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The lights flickered off and on again. “You lie, Vanquisher. His mind is linked with yours even as he slumbers.”
“Funny.”
“I grow tired,” the voice said.
Irene started to choke.
Isabella looked over in her direction. Irene’s hands were around her own throat.
Collena moved toward her assistant. “Something’s cutting off her breath.”
“I told you I was getting tired,” the voice replied.
“Release her,” Isabella shouted. “She is an innocent.”
“No,” the voice shouted back. “I will collect every soul here and then I will collect yours.”
It attacked Marc next, strangling the breath out of him.
“I said let them go,” Isabella shouted again. “Leave them alone. It’s me you want.”
Marc and Irene recovered quickly and scrambled to their feet. Clifton turned on the battery operated scanner and began sweeping the room for demon signatures.
“Show yourself,” Isabella told the voice.
“As you wish, Vanquisher.” The lights went out and everything went dark except for the blue ray of the scanner.
Chapter Twelve
Shane, the chauffeur, didn’t like what was going on inside the building. Lights were going off and on and he heard some scary shit over his radio. Shane stepped outside the navy blue Mercedes. He walked over to the door of Lincoln House and stepped inside. His action was met by screams somewhere inside the place. One of them sounded like Irene. He continued walking toward the sound until he came to the main ballroom. He pulled on the doors but found them locked. Shane tried to ram his shoulders against it to open it but the door wouldn’t budge. He tried again but he still couldn’t open it.
Something lifted him from the floor. “What the hell?” Shane struggled but the force was too great and it threw him bodily toward the entrance of Lincoln House. His body slammed into the wall, knocking the wind out of him and sending pain through his body.
Shane dropped to the floor and crawled out of the door. People walking by in the neighborhood stood and looked at him but no one tried to assist. He crawled to the car and pulled himself up. He opened the door and slid himself in behind the wheel. He reached for his cell phone and punched in the number.
“This is Shane,” he told the party on the other line. “We need backup. Send Taj and Maestro to Lincoln House immediately.” He disconnected the call and slumped back in the seat. Whatever it was inside the building had the ability to do more than one thing at a time. He, on the other hand, knew his limitations.
* * * *
It was the ugliest thing she had ever seen in her life and Isabella had seen some doozies. It was big, light blue, with bulging eyes and tentacles. It looked much like a jelly fish/octopus combination, but had more layers. Something foul oozed from its pores. The others covered their noses with their hands…all except her.
The thing reached for Isabella with one of its tentacles but Ernie stepped in the way. The tentacle caught him across the arm, slicing through the skin. Ernie howled and grabbed for the arm to stop the flow of blood. “It’s razor sharp,” he warned the others. “Stay away from the tentacles.”
“You cannot stop me, mortals. I will have Isabella.” It reached for her again but Isabella ducked, escaping its grasp.
The room shook around them. “Do not toy with me, Vanquisher. I am the Soul Gatherer. It is your turn.”
Now, why didn’t the world end before this? Isabella wondered.
Collena pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and dialed. “Hello, Angela. This is Collena. Find me everything you can on a demon called the Soul Gatherer and get back to me ASAP.”
Collena hung up. “Angela is checking this thing out. She said Taj and Maestro are on the way.”
“Good—more souls,” the demon replied. “The more the merrier.”
Shit. More mortals to protect. Isabella moved so quickly that no one saw her…it was a gift inherited from her father, Darius.
“You impress me, Vanquisher,” the Soul Gatherer replied.
There was a sound outside the ballroom.
“Our guests have arrived.” The Soul Gatherer released the doors and they opened. Taj and Maestro, PAK’s resident magicians stood in the hall. While everyone’s eyes were averted, Irene was swept up by one of the tentacles.
Irene screamed as the razors cut into her skin.
Collena was about to go to Irene’s rescue when her phone rang.
“Answer the damn phone,” Isabella ordered. “I’ll get her.”
“We got a lock on that thing.” Marc shouted to Isabella. He awaited her instructions.
Collena interrupted the conversation. “It’s Angela, the researcher. She said this thing is the real deal. It collects souls. There are only two known Soul Gatherers, one in the United States and the other one is in England. As of the last writing, there is no known way to kill it.”
“Great,” Isabella replied. “It’s a damn Grim Reaper.” She kept her eyes trained on the thing and Irene. “Let her go.”
Taj and Maestro entered the ballroom and began to chant.
The thing holding Irene shook her wildly like a rag doll. Thankfully Irene fainted, which was a plus in their favor.
The sounds of the chanting and conjuring from the magicians echoed in her head. She had to get Irene but first she had to find a weak spot. Isabella pulled a dagger from her boot and charged the creature, plunging the knife into what she hoped was a wet stomach. Fouler goop oozed from the wound. The Soul Gatherer dropped Irene and turned its attention on her. Marc and Clifton ran over and picked up the young woman and carried her over to Collena.
It spoke in a language Isabella did not understand and suddenly her body grew limp. Isabella struggled but the thing pinned her arms to her side and paralyzed her legs. It also messed with her breath.
Isabella cleared her mind and joined the chanting with Taj and Maestro even though she could barely breathe. She called on the Loa, Papa Legba for strength.
The door of the building opened and closed; a great energy flowed from everyone in the room. Otto and Ernie joined the magicians, using their abilities to strengthen Isabella’s mind.
The engineer’s equipment rattled. Marc and Clifford held on, trying to keep a grip on the energy field of the Soul Gatherer.
Isabella looked over at them. Collena wrapped herself around the unconscious Irene. She was alive but badly injured. The thing lifted Isabella into the air. She couldn’t struggle any more.
