Soul Of A Woman (The Dark Souls) (5 page)

Chapter 4

The laughter around the table had Broni tapping her fingertips on the table in frustration. Humans never believed anything unless it was in front of their face
—the belief in the Gods had died out centuries ago—so she gathered her patience. Taking a deep breath, she used her knowledge of them to gain their belief.

“You’re a hard man
, Adam, but you have one attribute that makes you stand out above other humans, your loyalty. The men in your unit knew you had their backs during the first fights. You were an excellent soldier. I watched many of your fights. You almost died many times, but I was always there, protecting you. It wasn’t your time.

“One battle in particular was very bloody. You were engaged by enemy
fire when the whole camp was bombed. Many soldiers died that night, but your team survived because you had moved them miles away to the next camp. Why did you do that? The camp you were stationed at was supposed to be the safer of the two, yet you moved them. Why?” Broni was surprised when he actually answered her question.

“I had a gut feeling something was g
oing to happen. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. It wouldn’t stop until I told my men to gather their gear.” Adam’s voice was hard as memories of that night were brought back to life.

Broni nodded. “That was me. Remember that knife fight
in Tucson? When those bikers jumped you?” Broni continued, despite his silence, “You couldn’t believe you survived. That was me. They were determined to steal your money. They waited for you that night in the dark, watched as you got drunk, and left with that prostitute at your side. You were about to get in your truck when they struck, yet you were ready with your own knife, killing both of them before they could lay a hand on you. Why did you have your knife hidden in your pocket at the ready?”

“I felt
like someone was telling me about danger. I thought it was just nerves being back in the states, but I still pulled my knife out of my boot just in case.”

Broni
nodded.

“How do you know so much about me?”

“I told you that you wouldn’t believe me.” Sadness was in her eyes as she turned her attention to Rhys. He had come a long way from the spoiled, rich man wearing thousand-dollar suits. “How should I convince you, Rhys? I can tell you anything about your life you want to know, yet you would still doubt me. It is in your nature to look for deceit.”

Rhys stiffened. “Not always.”

Broni really did not want to speak her next words, knowing the pain she was about to cause Rhys regardless of his treatment of her—he would’ve callously let her be raped by the bikers without lifting a hand to help to prevent it.

“Even before your family’s deaths, that was why you became
a lawyer.” Sighing, Broni’s weariness etched her profile. Her voice broke on her next sentence. “When your family died, it cemented a century’s worth of the ugliness of the humans you tried to protect.”

Di
sgust was written all over his face. His chair fell back as he got to his feet. Broni bit her lip. He wasn’t going to listen any longer.

“Sit down,” Adam ordered
Rhys. “Is she telling the truth? Are you a lawyer?”

“Not since my family was killed
,” Rhys clarified as he picked his chair up, reluctantly resuming his seat.

Broni turned to Jace
who was staring stoically at her, not letting his expression give anything away. The club enforcer would be the hardest to convince.

“Do you regret taking the life of your brother?”

Jace’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood to his feet. “I’m not sitting here listening to any more of this bullshit. She’s obviously with the cops who gave her all this information on us.”

“If the police knew you had deliberately killed your brother
, why wouldn’t they have arrested you?” Broni reasoned.

“No evidence.” He neither confirmed
nor denied killing his brother.

“The gun that is
buried in your mother’s grave would be proof enough, don’t you think?” Broni mocked his words.

When
Jace sat back down in his chair, Mason stiffened in his chair as Broni turned to look at him.

“Mason
, remember when you were seventeen? You broke into that home, searching for something to steal to purchase the drugs you were becoming addicted to? You thought the house was empty, but it wasn’t, was it? The father of the small family heard you; he found you ransacking his home. He nearly beat you to death, but you managed to escape. When a trophy fell from a cabinet, you used it to knock him out. You believed you had killed him, so you left town on your bike, afraid of being tried for murder. That’s when you met Adam and became a part of his club. It was a year later that you found out he hadn’t died. By then, you no longer cared.

“At least once
, I have helped all of you to survive. Now, I expect my due—for you to protect me.”

Silence filled the room.

“I have to give you credit. That’s one hell of a spiel to save your ass,” Adam broke the silence, her final words left behind.

She had failed
. They couldn’t believe her. To do so would mean they were as crazy as they believed her to be.

“Get ba
ck to work cleaning. Mason, Jace, make sure the men leave her alone. Rhys, see if you can do a better job at keeping her under control until tomorrow night.”

Broni turned to the doorway
. At least her impending rape had been put off for another day, but she couldn’t leave without giving a final warning.

“Adam,
you need to prepare for the coming battle. They will come for me.”

“Like I said
, we can handle it.”

Broni went through the doorway
. If they didn’t heed her warning, they were already doomed before the battle had even begun.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Adam turned to Jace.
“Call our informant at the station. Ask if there are any mental patients missing.”

“How did she know about us? That was fucking creepy,” Jace said, reaching for his cell phone.

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s psychic? How the fuck should I know?”

Rhys stood up, going to the door.

“Rhys… why didn’t you ever try to get yourself out of trouble when you were arrested?”

“I was a lousy lawyer.”

*  *  *

Fate stared at the twinkling sky. The beauty of
it was not what held her attention, instead she watched her daughter. Her fingers tightened on the balustrade when she felt a movement behind her.

“You are not allowed in my home
,” Fate warned him.

Odin mov
ed to stand by Fate, deliberately blocking the sky with his height. A finger reached out and traced an imaginary line from her throat down her breastbone, left bare from the cleavage of her gown.

“You’re looking especially beautiful tonight.” His large hand reached
out again, this time cupping the nape of her neck, pulling her closer to his muscular body.

Fate felt d
warfed by his size, fighting against the intimidation that he was trying to instill within her. Stiffening her body, she jerked away from him, moving a distance away to resume her study of the sky.

“I was informed of Cara’s return home.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Fate saw him lean casually against the balustrade, his arms crossed casually across his chest.

“Our bargain will not be met until all of my daughters are home.” Fate was well aware of why Odin had decided to show up at her palace.

Odin grinned at Fate’s tart reply. “Will they also have a tag-along?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Cara is soon to be wed to a demi-God. Did none of the Gods meet with your approval?”

Fate angrily took a step toward him. “Are you suggesting that I endangered my daughters to find them husbands?”

Laugher erupted, turning his sensual face almost boyish with the charm of the sound. “Not at all, but I am certain that you would take advantage of the situation to find them husbands you deem appropriate.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Now, now. Don’t bring my brother into this.”

Fate narrowed her eyes, giving
the buffoon a look that any sensible God would take as a warning. No one had ever said that Odin was a genius, however. She would have her revenge on his clumsy attempt at humor. She would win in their battle of wills. Odin was never going to get in her panties ever again, even if she had to fight her own desires to thwart him.

“Your brother would never be smart enough to kidnap my daughters.” As the words left her mouth
, an idea formed that she should have thought of earlier—much earlier.

“Why are you here
, Odin?”

Odin shrugged, remaining silent.

“Your brother wouldn’t take my daughters, but he might know who did.” Fate looked at his impassive face. “You came here to help me?” Fate could not keep the incredulity out of her voice.

Once again
, Odin moved near her, cupping her cheek in his hand. “I am becoming impatient to have you again. I have no problem in giving you my help to achieve my own goal.”

Fate turned around
, a faint blush coming to her cheeks. She had agreed to spend a night in his bed in payment for his aid in getting her son, Thor, to agree to speak with her.

“That sounds more like the Odin I know.” Slapping his hand away
, Fate glided away from him, moving towards the doorway.

“And love.” His whisper followed her inside
. For all his power, Odin was not permitted inside her home without her or Mother’s approval. Her anger at Odin’s duplicity had angered her into giving Fate the added protection of keeping him at bay.

Fate wearily climbed the steps to her room
, worry and fatigue forcing her to rest to gather her strength. As she passed Cara’s bedroom, she heard her daughter’s laughter and a male groan in response. Smiling, Fate continued to her room, softly closing the door behind her.

Dismissing her waiting servants, she removed her gown then took a relaxing bath in private
before sliding between the silk sheets of her bed.

There was no laughter in her rooms, no male presence, no one to lighten the
burden she carried on her shoulders of not only her daughters’ lives but of billions of others. Loneliness filled her chest, and tears she no longer knew how to shed filled her eyes as she turned on her side to gaze outside her balcony doors to the sky that waited once again for her attention. Always waiting…

Chapter 5

Broni danced on the stage
, thinking vengefully that she hoped her enemies would find her. Dee and Layla danced beside her tonight as the men yelled vulgarities at them.

She
’d promised herself she wouldn’t lift her sword to save not one in the room. Well, except for Dee, Nikki, and Becca. Maybe Layla. Then the woman threw her a hate-filled look and Broni crossed her off the short list of those she would try to save. She hoped whoever was after her would deal with Layla first, then Tank. It was a close tie for who she despised most.

Rhys staggered d
runkenly to the stage. She had known she had seared open his pain today, but that didn’t ease the agony in her gut when he motioned Layla to him.

Layla
jumped off the stage into his arms, winding her legs around his hips. He carried her out of the clubroom towards his bedroom while Broni continued dancing, refusing to acknowledge the men.

I
t was over an hour before Layla and Rhys returned to the room. He took his seat at the back table while Layla went to the bar and started serving drinks. Her heart heavy, Broni wished she didn’t care the two had just had sex as her legs trembled with fatigue.

“Adam said that’s enough for the night
,” Mason said from the side of the stage.

Broni leaned down
, picking up her clothes. She dressed before climbing down from the stage, determined to go to the room she shared with Rhys. As she walked between the tables, Tank reached out, jerking her down onto his lap.

“Why did you get dressed again?” His hands went to the bottom of her t
-shirt, jerking it off.

Broni struggl
ed against him, feeling his cock underneath her wiggling body.

“Keep that up
, and I’ll come in my jeans,” he groaned in her ear.

Before she could stop herself
, she elbowed him in his stomach. His hand went to her hair, jerking it back before slamming her head onto the table. Broni was stunned at the brutality of the man’s actions, unable to fight back when he roughly grabbed one of her breasts, pinching her nipple cruelly.

“Let her go,” Rhys spoke above
the laughter of Tank’s friends sitting at the table.

“Fuck off, Rhys. You’re not in charge. Why should you be allowed to be the
only one to fuck her? You’ve had her and Layla, too. Dee’s with Jace tonight and Becca is fucking Mason. There’s nothing left.”

“If you hadn’t put
Nikki out of commission, you would have her. Layla’s not tired; she’s good for another round.”

“Bastard!” Layla screamed
from across the room.

“Adam doesn’t want her touched until tomorrow
. If you want her that bad, buy her. Then she can be yours anytime you want her.”

Broni gaped at Rhys
. She didn’t want the bastard to have control over her.

Tank pinched her breast tighter. “Okay, but I’m going to take a taste to do me until tomorrow night.” His huge hand jerked her head back
again.

This time
his mouth covered hers, his rank breath making Broni want to vomit, but she held it back, refusing entrance to his vile tongue. However, he bit at her lips until she helplessly opened them to his thick tongue. She started to have a hard time trying to still her rolling stomach. Just as she was sure she couldn’t hold it back any longer, he raised his head, and Broni tore herself off his lap.

She tried to move towards Rhys
, but the biker sitting next to Tank jerked her back down onto his lap, pawing her breasts as he took her mouth in another disgusting kiss. Broni struggled against him, and he raised his head, laughing at her furious face, passing her to the biker sitting next to him. This time, she didn’t struggle against the mouth pressed down onto hers, only wincing slightly when her mouth was searched by another man whose mouth tasted like beer and sweat.

Thankfully the last one at the table released her
, letting her get to her feet by Rhys. He held out her t-shirt and she yanked it from his grasp, tugging it over her sore breasts. Forcing back her humiliation as she gave both Rhys and Adam disgusted looks, she left the clubroom going to Rhys’s room.

She went in
, slamming the door closed behind her, the already miserable night made worse when she was confronted with the stifling smell of alcohol and sex. The tumbled bed spoke volumes about the lust that Rhys and Layla had shared a short time ago.

Broni lost what temper she had le
ft. Storming to the bed in a fit of temper, she jerked off the dirty sheets and blankets before wadding them together. Going to the door, she opened it and threw the bundle out into the hallway.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Rhys
asked, stopping to pick up the dirty sheets and blanket.

“Getting rid of the odor you and your whore left in the room
,” Broni said in a deceptively calm voice.

“If you don’t want to sleep on them
, then sleep on the fucking floor or go wash them. I’m sure Tank will be thrilled to see you again.” Rhys threw the dirty laundry down onto the only chair in the room.

“Why don’t you go wash your own dirty laundry
? You’re the one that got them filthy,” Broni snapped.

“Jealous?” he questioned. “What’s wrong
, Broni? Are you upset I picked Layla to fuck? Don’t worry; after tomorrow, I’m sure whoever buys you will share. I give it a week before you’re begging for my dick.” Rhys’s cruel words were like a smack in her face. She turned, giving him her back.

“I’m tired
. I want to go to sleep. Unlike you, I haven’t slept the better part of the day.” Silence met her quiet words before Broni heard the door open and close.

She went into the shower
, taking a clean t-shirt and panties with her. She washed her hair and body, seeing that the tips of her breasts were bruised. She dried off after her shower then went to the sink to brush her teeth, rinsing the taste of the bikers out her mouth.

Dressed in her t
-shirt, she went back into the bedroom to find Rhys lying on the bed. The mattress had a clean sheet and blanket on it. The dirty ones were still on the chair, so Broni knew at least he hadn’t put those back on while she had been showering.

Broni walked barefoot across the room
, turned out the light, and climbed onto the bed, her back to Rhys. She stayed as close to the edge as possible, not touching the man.

Neither
spoke in the stiff silence. Gradually, Broni was exhausted enough to drift off. She tossed and turned throughout the night, unable to get comfortable. Unconsciously, she slung out her leg and a loud yell half woke her until a pair of strong arms pinned her to the mattress. She often had nightmares about those last few moments in the Hallway of Death.

Broni woke in the morning
with Rhys’s heavy weight lying on top of her. For a split second, she lay underneath him, enjoying the warmth of his body on hers. Regretfully, she carefully slid out from underneath him. Dee would be coming to wake her soon, and Broni didn’t want to wake Rhys since there was something she needed to do before the men woke. Broni feared the troubled dreams that had kept her awake most of the night had been a warning that danger was drawing nearer.

She dressed quietly
, and when the knock came at the door, she turned to leave with a last glance at Rhys to make sure he was still sleeping. Quietly, she went to his side of the bed. Reaching down, she brushed away the tracks his tears had made, her heart melting. She hadn’t been the only one who hadn’t slept well.