Broken Souls (6 page)

NINE: RUBY

Pandora waited until the rest of the legion left the room
beneath the stage, then led me out a back entrance into an alleyway. I wasn’t
sure if she’d saved my life because she saw my sentencing unjust like she said,
or if it was the name I’d given her, Nora. Either way, I was highly grateful. I
was about to thank her for saving me when she grasped my wrist and flashed us
forward, the air leaving my lungs in a gasp. We traveled so fast everything
blurred until we came to a halt in front of a tall building that clearly stated
‘Vampire Hall’ in scroll-like letters. I barely had time to gather my footing
when, yet again, I was whizzed into the doors and found myself breathless in an
office room, my back pressed against the wall.

“Where did you hear that name?” Pandora heaved, her voice
dangerously low. “What do you know of Nora?”

Oh, okay. So apparently she had heard me after all. I arched
my neck against the strain of her hands pressing me into the bricks, wondering
why vampires had a thing about slamming people into walls. It wasn’t the first
time this had happened to me, and I suspected it wouldn’t be the last. I
squirmed, trying to get the words out.

“I… I… don’t know if I’m supposed to say. I don’t even know
who Nora is.” Wilson had told me to be very careful about revealing my
relationship with him, because he wasn’t very well-liked in Tombstone. I wasn’t
sure how much I was to reveal, even to Pandora.

After a moment of glaring, Pandora dropped me from her grasp
and I landed hard on my feet. Sadness claimed her beautiful features, her red
hair falling over her shoulders.

“She was my sister.”

My eyes widened as I suddenly made the connection between
Pandora and Wilson. Pandora was the sister of Wilson’s long lost love, Nora.
Hot damn! That’s how they knew each other. I brought my hands to my shoulders
where she’d pinned me, rubbing the feeling back into them. But Pandora did not
back away, her tall form looming over me, eyes swirling with emotion.

“Who sent you here? What do you know?”

I put my hands up defensively, thinking I wasn’t out of the
woods just yet. “I know nothing, really. I promise. I just… I was instructed by…
by a friend to give you that name. He said you would help me.”

Pandora blew out a breath and gave me one last lingering
glare before rounding a long wooden desk. She sat down behind it and nodded to
a seat on the other side. I quickly made my way to the chair and sat facing
her, my hands in my lap. She leaned in, elbows on the desk.

“Who is this friend? You must tell me.”

I gritted my teeth, fearing what I’d gotten myself into. If
I kept my silence she would more than likely turn me over to Horus and let him
have his way with me, and believe me, that was the last thing on my wish-list.
From the looks of her furrowed, yet manicured brows, Pandora was angry and
would probably retract her earlier objection to my death sentence. I needed to
trust that Wilson knew what he was talking about and she wouldn’t be mad once I
told her his name.

“Wilson,” I grimaced, bracing myself for the worst.

The vampire’s emerald eyes fixed to me as if surveying my
sincerity, but her tense shoulders softened and she sighed.

“Wilson…” she said as though in a daydream, her gaze glassy
and far away. “I haven’t heard that name for many years.” She leaned back and
crossed one leg over the other, shifting her attention back to me. “You haven’t
been completely honest with us have you?”

I frowned and shook my head. She had me there.

She let a long moment of silence pass between us, her
expression remaining flat. I couldn’t tell what she was feeling and, in all
honesty, sensed nothing from her at all. I knew then that she was good at
keeping her emotions in check. Finally, Pandora grabbed a stack of papers and
woodenly fumbled through them.

“If you know Wilson,” she said, breaking the silence, “Then
I will give you a chance and hear you out. Tell me what happened.”

After a moment of hesitant silence, I broke, and like an
avalanche, the words explaining my journey as a vampire tumbled from my mouth. I
proceeded to tell her the truth— well, a slightly marred version of the truth,
but the truth regardless. I told her everything I could without revealing too
much.

I told her about being saved by a strange man at the battle,
to training at Wilson’s house and him dying. But I didn’t tell her the strange
man was a FUSE Captain. And I
definitely
left out the part of being in
love with him. I also left out that my real father was my maker, deeming that
it was none of her business. But everything else I laid flat out on the table. When
finished, I sighed heavily, studying her reaction. But Pandora’s expression
rested steely and unreadable.

“I assume it was Wilson who found you then?”

I resisted the urge to frown at her assumption. It was Guy
rather than Wilson who’d saved me, but she didn’t need to know that. Instead I
nodded, letting her theory become my answer. I hadn’t been much of a liar in
life, but I realized now how good I’d become at it. Wilson told me I could
trust her, but I wasn’t sure how far, especially concerning FUSE.

“And Wilson?” she asked, her voice monotone. “He’s… dead?”

I nodded again, the image of his exploding house planting
itself in my brain. Sorrow rose into my throat and burned like acid. Pandora
studied me, her long fingers ruffling the edges of the papers.

“And he died to save your life?”

“Yes.”

She exhaled loudly. I swore I saw tears in her eyes, but she
quickly shook her head and looked away.

“This… this is a lot to take in. Wilson is not a well-liked
name here in the community, and I see now why you were not fully honest. But
they don’t know what I know, and I hold him very dear to my heart.” Her gaze
drifted off as though grasping at a long lost memory. “Wilson was always a…
unique man.”

I resisted the urge to giggle at her description of the old
vampire. Yes, she knew Wilson very well.

“But I never questioned his judgment,” she continued. “And
if he did indeed sacrifice himself to save you, that is all I need to know. Take
comfort that I will see you protected if that is what Wilson wanted.”

Relief flooded through me, and I found myself wanting to ask
her a deluge of questions. Like what it was about the old vampire that allowed
her to look past my lies and accept me as one of her own. Was it because he was
in love with her sister and Pandora was a part of the scandal that happened so
long ago? The scandal where Nora died because of Wilson’s bond to her, because
she was a human? But instead of asking more questions, I kept my silence,
thinking I’d already pushed the bar too high and if I wasn’t careful it just
might break.

“We will discuss this no longer,” Pandora said flatly, and I
was glad I hadn’t asked anything else. The earlier sorrow I saw on her face was
gone like it never existed, replaced with placid aloofness. “Your secret is
safe with me and I will do what I can to protect you. I assume that was
Wilson’s intention, anyway. But do not tell anyone else and don’t make me
regret my decision.”

I nodded enthusiastically, thinking the last thing I wanted
was her to regret saving me from permanent death. Pandora took in a deep breath
and leaned back in her chair. She exhaled through pursed lips.

“Moving on,” she said, flipping through the papers on her
desk. Silence fell as she rifled through the documents and I took the
opportunity to survey the little office. Butter yellow paint covered the walls
and the dark brown molding encased the boarded-up windows. A sign on the door I’d
missed before read, ‘New Recruit Job Placement.’ I took it as a symbol I was no
longer a prisoner, but a new recruit in the city of Tombstone. Thanks to
Wilson. Even in death, he’d helped me more than he knew, and the thought
squeezed my heart; joy and sorrow combined.

Pandora’s cherry-red hair hung long over her shoulders and
she wore a long green dress indicative of the eighteen hundreds. I looked down
at myself in comparison, wondering if I would be made to wear the same style
clothing. She leaned back, the chair creaking as she studied me.

“First, we need to address your lodging here in Tombstone.”
Pandora tapped the stack of papers on the desk to straighten them. “Seeing as
you are under a period of probation, you will need to be placed with one of the
legion leaders.”

A fearful lump formed in my chest.
Please not Horus.
Please not Horus.

Pandora made a thoughtful tsking sound with her tongue and
slid me a glance. “Honestly, the best fit for you right now would be Jax, the
werewolf leader.”

I exhaled loudly, thankful it wasn’t Horus. I had hoped for
the nice witch lady, Morin, but at this point beggars could not be choosers. Pandora
continued, ignoring my outward relief.

“And if, after your trial period, you are deemed fit to live
on your own, you will be placed in your own residence, barring anything unforeseen
happening until then.”

I nodded eagerly, but Pandora cleared her throat, tapping
the papers with her finger.

“Now for job placement. Tell me a little about yourself,
Ruby. What did you do in life? Before becoming a vampire, that is.”

“Oh. Um…” 

I was lost for words. Though it was only a short while since
I’d been human, it felt like an eternity ago. The memories of my human life
were faded and blurry. But the memory which stayed most fresh was the car
accident, and the moments leading up to my death. The moments causing me to
make such a rash decision by driving into the storm.

The night before my eighteenth birthday, my parents had
revealed a long-kept secret that my real father had abandoned me and my mother
before I was born, the father who’d raised me not being my blood relative after
all. It had hurt me beyond words, and when I called John, my former boyfriend,
to relay the news, he’d broken up with me. Under the influence of anger and
pain, I’d recklessly driven into a monsoon, crashing my car and well… dying. To
say I’d had a bad day was a huge understatement. My hands trembled just at the
thought of it, but not wanting to dredge up the painful memories, I started on
a lighter note.

“I was supposed to start college soon. Nursing school, like
my mother.”

Pandora scribbled something onto a paper. “Good,” she said. “All
right, what else? Any hobbies or careers that would enable you to contribute to
this community? What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

I pondered her questions. Like grasping around in the dark
for a toothpick, I tried to recall the moments of my prior life. So I focused
hard and, little by little, flashes came back to me.

“I loved children. I would babysit all of the children in
the neighborhood. And piano…” I instantly remembered the conversation with Guy.
The conversation we had that epic night in the mission during my
transformation. He’d been trying to distract me from the terrible pain and I’d
told him I loved to play piano. And though I reasoned he would mock me, he
hadn’t. At the time a piano-playing vampire struck me as bizarre. “I loved
playing the piano,” I recalled.

Pandora held a pen in her hand and tapped it against her
chin.

“Interesting,” she said, yet I got the feeling that she
found me less than impressive.

But I tuned out her indifference, seeing that once I’d tapped
into my memories, they started flooding back like a river. I sat up straight.

“I also volunteered a lot, in group homes and shelters. I
enjoyed helping people. I love to cook as well, though I’m not very good at
it.”

Pandora laughed. “Well there’s not a lot of need for cooking
around here. Plus, the witches have that covered.”

“Right.” My cheeks blushed at the irony of a vampire chef.

Pandora sat forward and placed her pen on the table. “I
normally would not do this with a new recruit, but I’m placing you on blood slave
duty. Seeing from our earlier snafu, Horus insists you be somewhere he can keep
an eye on you. That is his area and you will be training with Cloe.”

The lump that had formed in my chest earlier grew in size,
making it hard to breath. The last thing I wanted was to be under Horus’ scrutiny,
but training with Cloe might be the silver lining I needed. If I had someone to
talk to, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all, and I liked Cloe. She was kind
and I might just find a friend in her.

Pandora reclined in her seat again and eyed me intently.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

A million questions were at the tip of my tongue, but at
that moment I couldn’t think of a single one. The relief of no longer being put
to death must’ve overshadowed everything else. I shook my head.

“You will report for duty tomorrow night. For now, go to the
Crystal Palace Saloon and tell Jax I sent you. He’ll show you to your quarters
and get you settled in for sleep.”

“Thank you.” I gave her a tentative smile, worried I’d
stirred up past feelings she didn’t wish to rehash by bringing up Nora. I saw a
depth of sadness in her eyes which normally held indifference.

“Now go.” She waved a dismissive hand. “The sun will be
rising soon and I don’t like peeling vampire jerky from the streets.”

With that, I was off to the Crystal Palace to find my new
roommate. I touched the place on my chest where the rosary Guy had given me
laid hidden beneath my shirt. I hoped Jax the werewolf was less unpredictable
than Horus the vampire. I also hoped that I could eventually let go of the fear
holding me so tightly. I was home now and needed to make the best of it.

TEN: GUY

They were at it for hours, interrogating me and basically beating
me senseless. Bruises and cuts covered my body. My throat was parched and
tongue dry. I’d lost track of time since being kept in the cell, my body
weakening from physical damage and lack of nutrition.

But I refused to utter the slightest of sounds, my silence
infuriating the vampire Horus even more. Despite the pain, it amused me to know
I was getting the better of him, and he and his sidekick vampiress were tiring.
It wouldn’t be long before they gave up and left me for the day only to return
the next night for another round.

My left eye was swollen shut, but from my right I watched
the onyx-eyed vampire pace furiously inside of my cell. He pressed a cigarette
firmly between his lips and took a long draw.

“You are making this harder than it needs to be
Captain
Stone,” Horus said, and I couldn’t help but notice the disdainful inflection he
used when saying my title. “I could kill you right here and now, but I am a
patient man and always get what I want.” He vanished, then appeared again
face-to-face with me, knocking his forehead against mine; a speedy vampire
trick. I nearly fell sideways from the bench they’d chained me to, but my
restraints helped keep me upright. Horus smiled.

“What I want from you,” he hissed, “is information.” He lifted
the glowing cherry of his cigarette and pondered it a moment before digging it
into my neck, letting my skin sizzle. I grimaced but held firm, keeping my pain
at bay with reflections of Ruby.

I’d learned to tolerate the pain by clinging to thoughts of
her. Every time I received a punch or a kick, my mind faded away from the
present, blocking out the grim reality of my situation. Every time Horus ordered
his female vampire to hurt me, all I had to do was think of Ruby. I kept a
picture of her face firmly planted in my mind, pulling my strength from her
smile, and my resistance from her lips. I remembered the night I’d found her
vulnerable and scared, taking shelter with her in the old mission to see her
through her painful transformation. I remembered holding her close and wiping
away her tears.

I recalled the night I kissed her in the drug store to keep
my FUSE brothers from seeing her fangs. I dreamed of the nights I slept next to
her on Wilson’s floor, listening to her soft breathing. I remembered when I
brought her here to Tombstone and how badly I wanted to take her away with me,
how badly I wanted to feel her next to me. I remembered her tears on my face as
I kissed her, and it broke my heart. But I took solace that I sensed her nearby
and that she was doing better than when she arrived. Her level of anxiety had
diminished and her spirits had climbed a little. That’s all I cared about.
That’s all I wanted. I wanted her happiness and her safety.

Horus threw me back, my head cracking hard against the wall,
bringing me from my reverie. The skin on my neck blazed from the cigarette burn
and my skull throbbed from the collision.

“You will break sooner or later, Guy Stone, and I will be
there to watch you beg for mercy,” he hissed. I couldn’t help but think if the
tables were turned, and it was he who was my prisoner, I’d do a lot more than
make him beg for mercy. I’d make him rue the day he was ever born —or in his
case,
re
-born.

“Come,” he snapped at his assistant. “Let this worm stew
over what tomorrow brings. Let him wallow in thoughts of his own suffering and
death.”

The cell door clanged shut and Horus locked it tight with
his metal key.

“Sleep tight, Captain.” His voice echoed down the hall as he
left. “And remember. I am a Very. Patient. Man.”