Broken Souls

by Jade M. Phillips

  “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.”

  ELEVEN: RUBY

  As soon as I walked into the Crystal Palace Saloon, my breath caught at the wild scene going on inside. Bodies packed the space like sardines in a tin can and it was as loud as one of my ex boyfriend’s football games when the home team scored a touchdown. I grimaced at the smell of stale sweat and the sickly-sweet aroma of fermented liquor and beer. My eyes trailed up the tall walls that encased the sizable building, noting the bullet holes that dotted their way across the top. A collective holler brought my attention back down and I watched in awe as men— or werewolves rather, from their canine scent— stood on the bar tops shouting at something below, their fists pumping in the air. The tables were pushed to the side and a crowd of at least fifty encircled something I could not see. I nudged my way past a group of onlookers, my mouth dropping open when I finally caught sight of what was happening.

  Two fully transformed werewolves stood in the middle of the circle, their snarling lips curled back to show bloody gums and sharp glistening teeth. They rounded each other, the bristly hair on their backs standing straight up. One was pure black and the other a muddled grey. The black one stood a foot taller than the other, its hind legs thick with muscle and its back almost to the height of my shoulders.

  I found myself agreeing with Cloe that this place was certainly wild, and my nerves fired up from just standing there. I shifted my gaze around the bar trying to catch a glimpse of Jax, knowing it would be quite a task to find him through the chaos. I tried to move away from the crowd but in the effort my body was tossed back and forth, bumping into broad chests and backs. Though I wanted nothing to do with the cruel animal fight, a ferocious growl brought my focus back to the scene.

  The black wolf lunged at the cowering grey one and they rolled together in a blur of fur and bared teeth. A loud yelp came from the brawl and the large black wolf moved back to reveal the smaller one lying still on the ground, blood running from a gash in its side.

  The crowd exploded in cheers and whistles, yet I trembled inside from the brutality of it all. My stomach grew unsettled and I was certain I’d get sick. Right when I was sure I couldn’t take anymore, the two wolves morphed into their human forms, the winner of the match being none other than Jax, the werewolf leader. A couple of men approached the one lying on the floor, his chest still moving with breath, and relief flooded me that he was not dead. The sea of bodies parted as the two men dragged his limp body away from the crowd.

  I looked to Jax, and suddenly blanched with embarrassment when realizing he was in his birthday suit, as naked as the day he was born. Apparently, when shifting from a human form into a werewolf form, clothes were either ripped off or deemed unnecessary. But I was spared the need to blush when a man quickly handed Jax a robe and he covered himself from prying eyes. His face was twisted into a perpetual frown and his black ponytail hung long between his shoulder blades. The crowd around him patted him on the back and congratulated him. I couldn’t help but grimace at the fact that he was my new roommate. Fan-freakin-tastic.

  Maybe if I reasoned with Pandora she would let me live with Morin the witch, or maybe she’d even let me live with her. There was still enough time until daylight for me to make it back to Vampire Hall. Heck, it was worth a try. I hustled away from the scene and toward the Saloon exit but three young men blocked my way— werewolves; I could tell by their dogish scent. The taller of them stepped forward and ran his hand down my shoulder in a most inappropriate way, and the way the other two stood behind him indicated he was the leader of their little bunch.

  “Now what would a pretty little vampire as yourself be doing in a place like this,” he assessed. And I assessed he would be leading himself straight into my fist if he didn’t move aside and let me pass.

  “If you will excuse me I have somewhere I need to be,” I said as firmly as possible, trying to move around them.

  “Not so fast,” a shorter and stockier man bounced me back with his chest. “It’s been a while since we’ve had any vampire fun.”

  “Listen,” I said, getting ready to make him a knuckle sandwich for dinner, “I’m new here and if you think—”

  “Ohhhh,” the tall one cut me off. “A newbie vamp. That explains your scent. Even better.” He looked to his companions. “Newborns are weak, less of a fight for us when we take her to our room.”

  White-hot anger arose in my chest, and my fangs throbbed to be released. I shifted my eyes to search for Jax, thinking I might need some help, but he had already disappeared into the mob.

  “What pretty hair,” the third one said as he pulled me into him and sniffed my head. “It looks like snow.”

  “Come on little lady,” the short one grumbled, yanking me away for himself. “We just want to have some fun.”

  “Let me go,” I growled, ripping myself from his grasp. My hands curled into fists, and I couldn’t help but think I’d already had enough of this whole thinking-I-was-going-to-die-thing. The last thing I needed was to be harassed by a group of stinky werewolves. But they encircled me, blocking me in.

  “Oh we’ll let you go all right, but not before we’ve made use of you.” The one friend turned to another. “Have you ever been with a vampire before?”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” the other one smirked.

  Rage burned through my veins so much so that I thought I might burst from the inside out, and the temptation to sink my teeth into one of them blazed through me in waves. But I reasoned that reaction would only cause more trouble and I needed to handle this in a different way.

  “Come on,” the short one tugged on my arm. “Our room isn’t too far. We can have you finished by sunrise.”

  The group started to make their way with me through the crowd toward a back door when I yet again wrenched my arm from their grasp and planted my feet firmly on the ground. “Don’t touch me.”

  For a moment they froze, as if assessing whether or not I would do something rash —and let me tell you, they should’ve stuck with their first instincts because I was definitely ready to do something rash. But instead of erring on the side of caution as they should have, they began mocking me with phrases like ‘ooh, I’m so scared’ and ‘oh no, the newbie vampire is angry.’

  I couldn’t help but think I’d traveled back to kindergarten and I could feel my eyes blazing with a fury-induced warning. Yet they either didn’t notice the fire they’d ignited within me, or they highly underestimated what pissing me off might mean, because one of them grabbed me again, trying to pull me away. Together, they all laughed.

  “We’ve got a live one here,” the third friend said, running his fingers down my face as he played a game of tug-of-war with me. “Better between the sheets I imagine.”

  I looked him directly in the eye, allowing my fangs to descend. “I told you. Not. To. Touch me.” I grabbed his shoulder, and with surprising ease, threw him over the heads of a dozen men, causing him to land somewhere out of sight, his body thudding to the ground. The noisy bar went silent and, like a rippling wave, bodies turned to face us out of curiosity.

  “Woah,” the shorter one said in shock, lifting his arms in resignation. He stumbled backward and I laughed, thinking that no one was holding me now. The wolf’s lip twitched and he looked to his leader. “I thought you said the Newborns were weak.”

  Though I was anything but happy, a wicked smile formed on my lips. I calmly grabbed the tall one by his arms and made sure he saw my pointy fangs. “That’s exactly what you wanted, right? Some fun with a newbie vampire?”

  His eyes peeled wide with fright and I couldn’t help but deepen my smile. “Don’t worry,” I cooed in a decepti
vely sweet voice. “This will be fun. For me.”

  I flung him backwards over my head and, after a few silent moments in the air, he crashed into the mirror above the bar, the glass shattering noisily and scattering like frozen rain against the counter. His body slid down and thumped onto the bar top, scattering glasses and bottles in every direction. I suddenly realized I didn’t have to do much to call on my strength— that, I had no problem with. Holding back my anger was the hard part.

  I felt myself panting and glanced around the building to survey the onlookers. If the entire bar wasn’t completely aware of our situation before, they were now, hundreds of blinking eyes peering from the dim kerosene light, shock apparent in every gaze. I turned back to the situation at hand, seeking out my next target— the shortest of the three. But once I caught sight of him, he scrambled backward tripping over his own feet. He turned and bolted into the horde of spectators, faster than a speeding bullet. I tried to calm my heaving chest, thinking I was no piece of meat and sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone treat me that way.

  The crowd parted, leaving me standing alone with fisted hands and bared fangs. My body trembled and I breathed deeply, trying to subdue my own fury. I scanned the people watching me, their faces contorted in confusion, and couldn’t help but think a small blonde vampire hurling large werewolves like Frisbees on a windy day was probably quite the sight.

  “Enough!” A baritone voice boomed from behind me, but I made no move. “There’s nothing else to see here.”

  Jax appeared before me, fully dressed in old-western pants and suspenders, his frown even more distinct than before. If I wasn’t so wound up I might’ve been frightened by his booming presence, but the adrenaline coursing through me made it hard to care. He grabbed me by the arm and stormed me through the astonished watchers and out the back door of the Saloon, the cool air blasting me in the face. He threw me to the side none too gently, and I frowned at him.

  “Watch yourself vamp. Remember, you are still on probation.”

  My insides still quaked with adrenaline, fear, and most of all anger, but I stood up straight and met the werewolf’s eyes with mine. “They were trying to take me to their room,” I growled. “They said they wanted to have fun with me.”

  Jax and I eyed each other for one long moment, the brisk night air stinging my flushed face. If at all possible Jax’s frown deepened. “My young wolves know better than that. You must be mistaken.”

  Jax folded his arms over his chest and stilled. The wolf-man still had blood on his face from the earlier brawl and it was obvious his power would certainly match my own strength, not to mention sway the legion to have me killed. In that regard, I didn’t want to anger him, but I also didn’t want to get taken advantage of either. He needed to know what his young males were up to.

  “I am telling you the truth. I acted that way out of self-defense.”

  His face turned a deep shade of red as he let my words sink in. “I don’t believe you. I train my young ones to act with respect and they would never do such a thing.”

  I was about to release a huff of annoyance when a young man exited the doors with a trash bag and stopped in front of us. My eyes had already adjusted to the darkness and I soaked in the details of the newcomer. A band tied his long hair in a tail and his darkly tanned skin was a contrast to his yellow eyes. He looked a lot like Jax, though thinner and not quite as tall. His gaze lighted on me and he frowned.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I saw the way those three treated you. It wasn’t right.”

  Relief subdued me over the fact that Jax would finally know the truth. I glanced to the stunned werewolf leader, ignoring the urge to say ‘I told you so,’ thinking I’d be no better than the immature threesome that had assaulted me in the saloon.

  Behind the werewolf and beyond the horizon, was a subtle glow signaling daybreak, and I could tell he was letting the young man’s words sink in for the expression on his face. Anger flushed his cheeks more than when he thought I was the one mistaken.

  “Then it’s true…” Jax grumbled. But he did not apologize nor give me even a glance. “I will talk with those three later. For now, we must go home. Come Orie.”

  The younger werewolf named Orie frowned. “But curfew isn’t for another hour.”

  “Now!” Jax barked.

  Orie quickly stuffed the bag in a metal trash can on the side of the building and scurried to follow Jax who hustled me away into the dark.

  “We will be having a guest with us for a while,” Jax grunted, tugging me along. “Her name is Ruby.” Apparently Pandora already informed the werewolf we would be new house buddies. He seemed just as pleased over the notion as I was.

  “We’re going to have a vampire living in our house?” Orie asked, giving me a once over. He sounded excited as though it weren’t a commonplace thing.

  “She should be with her own kind,” Jax answered. “But Pandora thought it was best for now.”

  Orie rushed up beside me, eyeing me from head to toe like I was a strange breed of animal. He smiled.

  “Hi. My name is Orie,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m with security.”

  I smiled at his warmness and placed my hand in his. He was a handsome young man and looked to be hardly older than myself. Probably a year or so younger though.

  “A pleasure to meet you,” I beamed, thinking it was nice to finally meet someone with a shred of humanity in this place.

  “What job have you been placed in?” Orie asked me, his face brimming with curiosity. He rushed to keep up with Jax’s wide gate, the leader’s arm still latched to mine.

  “Blood slave duty?” I said it more like a question than an answer. I wasn’t exactly sure what the gory-sounding job entailed, but I suspected it wouldn’t be pleasant.

  “Oh!” Orie exclaimed, his expression brightening even more. “That means you’ll be with Cloe!”

  I creased my eyebrows at his excitement over the young vampire.

  “She’s so nice,” Orie smiled, his gaze dreamy. “She’ll take good care of you.”

  I don’t know exactly how I knew —maybe using my senses as Wilson had taught me— but I could tell Orie had quite the hankering for Cloe. But before I could reply, Jax grunted.

  “That’s enough pleasantries, brother. We have a lot of work to do. I need you to help me clean up the cellar for our… guest.”

  So the two were brothers, I thought. It made sense now. Our steps picked up pace and I noticed the sky growing even lighter. We made our way alongside the huge chasm running down the center of town and past the courthouse I had been held prisoner in. I shuddered at the thought of the cold jails inside, thanking my lucky stars I was no longer there. I wondered if anyone else was in there and what they’d done to be put in such a grim situation. I touched the rosary hanging beneath my shirt and sent them my prayers.

  My gaze then fell to the group of houses we approached, their fronts leaning forward drastically. It appeared they would topple into the great crack in the road at any minute.

  “This one’s ours,” Jax said, pointing across the street.

  Surrounding the small yellow house, stood a rusted metal gate with intricate scrolls and patterns. The roof slumped so much that fallen shingles littered the front lawn, and it was literally falling into the chasm. I frowned, sadness washing over me.

  “Why hasn’t anyone done any renovations?”

  Jax shot me an irritated look but Orie chimed in before he could say anything.

  “There are so many buildings here in the werewolf district and we don’t have enough supplies or man power.”

  “What about the vampires?” I asked. “There are thousands of them. If they helped, then maybe—”

  “No,” Jax grunted. “Vampires and werewolves do not help each other.”

  “She’s right,” Orie said. “If we all pulled together we could repair some of our homes, and maybe some of the businesses too.”

  Jax ignored his younger brother and made a huge
leap across the chasm to land in front of the door. Orie and I followed, the younger brother then turning to me.

  “The vampires mostly live in the better parts of the city, the places that were hardly affected by the cave-in.”

  I found it strange how even here in a town inhabited solely by Unfortunates, equality was such a stretch. It didn’t sit right with me. I felt the corners of my mouth turn down. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair,” Jax growled, flinging open the front door and storming inside the house. “Come on Orie. We’ve got work to do.”

  TWELVE: RUBY

  After taking a soothing and much needed shower —cold as it was for the lack of the electricity necessary to heat it— I settled into the cot Orie and Jax set up for me in the cellar of their house. Orie had lent me a pair of pajama pants and T-shirt, and though I swam in them, I was thankful for the clean and comfy clothes. I sighed in relief and glanced around the room, finally having respite from all of the chaos my life seemed to attract. The floor of the basement was dirt, there were no windows, and cardboard boxes surrounded me, but compared to my cell in the jailhouse, it was a five-star hotel. I scanned the crumbling walls of my temporary home and sighed once again.

  It was unbelievable how drastically my life had changed in the span of just a couple of weeks. The strange and foreign nature of the situation was not lost on me. In fact, I’d been trying to wrap my mind around everything that happened since the night I died, or since the night I turned, rather.

  I was constantly reminding myself of how new I was to the world of the Unfortunates. Only a couple of weeks ago I was human. I had a normal life, a normal family, and a normal boyfriend. But that was before the crash, before I died. And I remembered dying now, the cold chill of it freezing my veins and the desperation to fight for survival. I remembered those last few breaths of mine and my real father’s eyes before he turned me. I remembered how I prayed to be taken to a better place where all my questions would finally be answered.