Broken Souls (24 page)

FORTY-FIVE: RUBY

My heart skipped a beat when the watchtower door slammed
shut behind us, trapping Guy, Pandora, and I between the looming Tombstone
gates and the impossible scene in front of us. Pandora jiggled the door, but it
had been locked from the inside, confirming the fact that we were indeed stuck.
My attention flashed to the unexpected crowd in front of us, and I couldn’t
help but groan for our awful stroke of luck.

Natalia stood a few spans away in her ridiculous dress,
looking like the entire Victorian era had thrown up all over her. Yet despite
her garish garments of velvet, gold, and lace, she had Orie by the neck, her
fangs ready to rip out his throat.

A whimper then brought my attention to Cloe who hung in the
grasp of another large vampire, his sharp claws pressing into her shoulders.
Her weakened body hung limp as her frightened eyes searched my face for help.
Frantically, I continued scanning the scene.

Behind the vampires and their hostages stood our escape van,
its back door opened, but nobody inside. The humans who should’ve already been
loaded, were instead huddled together on the ground, a group of at least ten
vampires surrounding them.

And last but not least, out in front of it all was my best
friend Horus, his arms wide open in a welcoming gesture. I narrowed my eyes at
him, but the vampire leader was more interested in Guy at the moment.

“I told you, Captain Stone, I’m a very patient man, and do
you see what my patience has brought me?” Horus swept his hand around,
gesturing to us and the humans. “It has brought me all of you.” Horus’ gaze
then slid to Pandora and he smiled wickedly. “And with an added bonus. I was
always right about you, Pandy. You’re weak, a mere shadow of what you could’ve
been. If only the Patriarch was here to see the irony, his little ginger
Overseer breaking the rules and going against everything he set in place to keep
our community whole.”

I glanced to Pandora, fearing for her just as much as
everyone else. She stood tall, her chin held high with dignity, though I sensed
her fear and her dread. I knew in the slim chance we were to get away, she
would never be welcomed back into the gates of Tombstone because of us. I hated
the fact that by siding with me and Guy, she’d decided her fate and forfeited
the life she’d built for herself for so long. Decades of loyalty gone, all
because of us. Guilt crushed my insides, but my emotions were interrupted when
Guy stepped forward in front of Pandora and me.

“It is me you want. I’m the one with information. If you let
them go, I will tell you everything.”

Horus scoffed. “We’ve been down that road before, Captain
Stone. I already have what I need from you so make this easy on yourself and
step aside. Only the strong survive and you are a mere pawn in this game. A
weak human.” Guy’s ears turned red but he held his confidence. His thumb slowly
moved across the gun he held down to his side. He cocked it with a soft click
but kept it down. I held my breath.

Horus’ gaze slid to the gun and he chuckled. “A gun?”

Whimpering came from the group of humans as the vampires
around them took a step closer. Horus smiled, his attention on Guy unwavering.

“You plan on killing me with a gun? And I thought you were a
well-trained vampire killer. You should know better.”

“This gun,” Guy said, lightly tapping the trigger. “This gun
is loaded with silver bullets. One shot to the head and you’re as good as a
heap of vampire guts stuck to the ground.”

Horus didn’t even flinch, an eerie smile plastered across
his lips. His confidence was so bold, he hadn’t even extended his fangs yet. He
took one step closer.

“You underestimate my stealth, Captain,” Horus replied.
“Aside from the Patriarch, I am one of the oldest vampires alive today. I can
have that gun from you in the blink of an eye.”

My heart slammed hard in my chest, anxiety coursing through
me. What was Guy doing? Why would he threaten one of the oldest vampires alive?
But despite my worry, Guy exuded determination by just the way he stood, and I
knew he would stop at nothing to see me safe.

“Yes, I do not doubt that, Horus,” Guy said. “I know how
fast a vampire can be. But what you don’t know is, I’ve recently fed on vampire
blood myself and might be nearly as fast as you.”

Again, Horus laughed, the pitch high and screechy. He shook
his head.

“The best a vampire’s blood can do for you is heal your
wounds and increase your strength. But you are still a human after all. Your
strength and speed can never match that of a vampire, especially not a vampire
of my league.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would agree,” Guy said. “Yet,
I do believe you underestimate my knowledge, Horus. Not only have I fed from a
vampire, but I’ve fed from a special kind of vampire, one who is much stronger
than you.”

Horus’ jaw flinched, but the doubt in his expression was
gone as fast as it’d come.

“You’re bluffing. There is no such vampire alive. Only The
Patriarch is worthy of that sort of stealth.”

Before I could wrap my mind around what Guy was doing and
stop him from making a mistake, he flashed forward, and back again, now holding
Cloe in his arms, her head pushed to the side with the barrel of his gun.

My jaw dropped open, as well as Horus’ jaw, and I glanced to
the larger vampire who’d been holding Cloe before. He stood dumbfounded, his
empty arms out to his sides as if he was trying to process what had just
happened. I blanched, thinking Guy’s actions were so fast, if I hadn’t known
any better, I’d say he was a vampire himself.

Horus’ face twisted, brows knotted together in center. “How
did you do that?”

Guy pressed the gun further into Cloe’s temple and smiled.

“I told you, you’ve underestimated me, and you’ve underestimated
Ruby. Not only does she have the strength of a vampire, she has the heart of a
human. You could never begin to compare to her power and courage. And with her
blood coursing through my veins, I am a force to be reckoned with as well.”

I blinked in surprise but made no effort to move, thinking
Guy had certainly lost his mind. Yes I was pretty strong, and fast as
lightning, but I was no super hero, just a vampire. Yet, as we’d all just
witnessed, it was obvious my blood had made him stronger, and what’s more,
faster. So maybe Guy wasn’t crazy after all, but in all actuality quite
brilliant.

“Is it true Horus? Is she a half-breed?”

Horus studied me, his dark gaze bringing prickles to my
skin. He huffed. “No, my doll. There hasn’t been a half-breed walking amongst
us for centuries. The likelihood is that they are bluffing and the Captain has
been given a potion by the witches. That would explain his speed.”

Guy cocked his head to the side and smiled indignantly. His
expression said try me, and if I was Horus I wouldn’t want to take the bait.
But even though Guy was telling the truth and my blood had given him an extra
boost of speed and strength, how long would it last? And how could we get away?
I glanced to the vampires surrounding the humans, counting at least a dozen,
and knew we were clearly outnumbered.

Guy still held Cloe as his hostage, her head pushed to the
side by his gun. Her impassive expression belied her fear, but I knew better,
she was terrified. Horus released a belting laugh and dared to take one more
step forward.

“You think I care anything for that wench?” He gestured to
Cloe, her brown hair covering half her face. “She is nothing to me. She is a
traitor.”

I couldn’t help but think Horus was lying, and that Guy now
had the upper hand. Despite how abusive Horus had been with Cloe, she was still
his creation. They were bonded and, from what I’d learned, a bond was the most
sacred relationship an Unfortunate could have. Horus would do anything to
protect her from being killed, and that made him all the more dangerous. He
raised his eyebrows and considered Guy.

 “Go ahead, use the gun. You’d be doing me a favor by
killing her. You have no leg to stand upon, Captain Stone. Give up now.”

Silence filled the desert, not even the sounds of chirping crickets
could be heard. My heart pounded in fear and I couldn’t help but feel that
something was about to go very wrong.

“Never,” Guy said, his voice dangerously low.

In the blink of an eye, Horus disappeared and was suddenly
behind me, his arm around my neck, choking me. I coughed and sputtered as he
shot us straight into the air, our feet leaving the ground in flight. In a
flash we stood at the top of the watchtower nearly twenty feet up, the cold
wind biting at my skin. My heart hammered in my chest and I grasped at his arm
with my fingers, trying to pull myself free. But the sudden nudge of a sharp
needle at my neck had me freezing in place. The suppressant.

“You might want to reconsider your tactics, Captain Stone,”
Horus called down below. “I now have something very dear to you, and I will
make her pay.”

Tears welled in my eyes, knowing I was now Horus’ hostage
and at his mercy. And when I say mercy, I mean lack thereof.

“Horus,” Pandora called up. “Don’t do anything you might
regret. We can solve this another way.”

I couldn’t see the people below for the way Horus had my
head twisted, my only view being his arm around my neck and the dark horizon
beyond. I couldn’t help but wish for a miracle, knowing that I’d need one to
get out of this predicament alive.

“Oh I will solve this all right, by doing what I should’ve
done a long time ago.” Horus turned into my ear, his icy breath fanning the
side of my face. “Remember what I said to you, baby vampire? That I would
eventually see you dead? Well, the time has come and you will now meet your
end.”

I felt the prick of the needle and cried out as it slowly
sank in, shooting fire into my flesh. My body instantly sagged in Horus’ arms,
suddenly feeling like I’d become very ill, my limbs growing heavy and mind hazy.

“Bring out the gallows!” Horus belted, and I swallowed hard
at his words, thinking I might have misjudged my captor. Maybe he didn’t care
what happened to Cloe after all and would do anything to see me die, even if it
meant risking her life in the process. Actually, I was becoming more and more
certain of the notion with every passing second.

Horus shifted slightly to where I could now see a group of
vampires below wheeling out the large wooden contraption from the side of the
watchtower. The noose swayed in the breeze from the vertical beam it was
attached to, and I instantly knew the threat the device posed to me. Horus had
wanted me executed by means of hanging and sun ever since the night I arrived.
Yet I couldn’t help but be slightly confused, because the sun was hours away
from rising and I was pretty certain a vampire could not die from a mere noose
around the neck.

My thoughts were interrupted when Horus placed one foot off
the edge of the watchtower as if he were about to walk us off the end of a plank
into the ocean. He paused for a moment, teetering on the edge, and I could feel
my rapid pulse drumming in my ears. Without warning, he stepped forward and we
began plummeting downward, the ground and the gallows rushing up to meet us.
Yet, just when I thought we would be crushed by the impact, Horus stopped us
mere inches from the wooden floor, hovering as if by magic. He gently lowered
us, our feet touching the platform, and I panted, my breath pumping quickly in
and out of my lungs.

“Make another move, and I will kill your creation.” It was
Guy’s voice and my eyes quickly found him still holding Cloe in his arms, his
gun pressing into her skull. But despite his dominant position, he looked
anything but confident. Fear radiated from his eyes as he glanced between me
and Horus, and I couldn’t help but think this might be the last I saw of my
captain.

“I told you Stone, I am not worried about that rat. On the
contrary, it is you who should be worried for your precious baby vampire.”

Faster than a bullet, Horus lashed the noose tight around my
neck, and I looked down to see myself standing in the middle of a trap door. I
brought my fingers to the noose, but for being so weak, could merely claw at
it, my clumsy fingers betraying me. Horus tugged the rope, tightening it even
further, and I struggled to swallow past the restraint. He nonchalantly leaned
up against a support beam and laid his hand on the trap door’s lever, a round
device that looked like a wooden steering wheel. He flashed a smile out to the
small crowd. “I’ve given her a concentrated dose of the suppressant and she
will die just like a human, right here, with only three turns of the wheel.”

I released a quivering breath, gazing around at my
companions, my lips trembling with fear. Orie, Cloe, Guy, and the humans were
all still stuck in compromising positions. Even Pandora, who was free from
anyone’s grasp, made no move, afraid for what would happen if she did.

Horus stood up straight and wrapped his long, thin fingers
around the circular lever. “And you all will have the pleasure of watching the
Newborn die a slow and painful death. One.”

He turned the wheel once. A groaning sound emanated from the
contraption.

I looked at Guy through blurry eyes to see his finger
trembling on the trigger. I hoped he wouldn’t kill Cloe, knowing she was my
friend, and I gazed at him with pleading eyes.

“Two.” Again, Horus turned the wheel, the trap door shaking
beneath my weight as if only being held closed by a thread.

Pandora shot forward, but in a blur, three of Horus’
vampires had her restrained. She growled from within their grasp, her red hair
flying wildly as she thrashed.

Horus shook his head like a scolding father. “Now, Pandora.
You know better than to go up against me. I will deal with you later after all
this is done with.” He gestured with his chin to the three vampires holding
her. “Get her out of my sight.”