Page 4 of Worse Fates (Soulmates Suck #1)

Monsters are real.

Bloody hell, monsters are fucking real.

I’m walking so fast I’m nearly running and have been since I escaped that fucking mansion last night. In the fresh light of early morning, the image of whatever the hell I was sharing that mansion with is too-clear in my mind.

He was naked, body like a flimsy plastic bag over-stuffed with bones. Towering over me—which, fair enough, isn’t hard when I’m 5’6. And I know it was a man because while the only dick I’ve ever seen is my own, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, that monster definitely had a penis.

And it’s face, it was…gaunt doesn’t give it credit.

I’ve seen gaunt before, I’ve been homeless on and off most of my life. I know what starving looks like. That was a skeleton wrapped in white flesh, teeth a graveyard of shattered tombstones. Nails long enough to curl, like claws in a straight to TV horror film.

I slap a hand over my mouth, swallowing the rising vomit. I’ve seen bones before, chicken, lamb, my own bloody kneecap when I took a nasty fall as a kid. Nothing like this. They were grey, dull.

I dart into a café and straight into the toilets, locking myself in a stall. Pulling my legs up onto the seat to bury my face into my knees.

Monsters are real.

My pocket burns where the brooch sits. Because, of course, even after I dropped the candle and legged it like my life depended on it, apparently I’m still greedy enough to hold onto something valuable.

And surprise surprise, monsters are real, what about curses?

Because fuck no, I’m not dealing with a curse.

If only my phone hadn’t died then I’d look up what to do with a posisble cursed brooch. Instead, I take a deep breath, which I instantly regret because, God, I’m in the men’s toilet. Still, time to deal with this madness that has become my life. I leave the stall and rush out the dingy little café, brooch back in my pocket.

I know I shouldn’t base my life on what happens in movies, but movies are all I’ve got right now. So, I do the only sensible thing I can think of and head towards the library.

It isn’t too long a walk, but I keep my head down and hands stuffed in my pockets. I might not be back in my part of the city, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be recognised.

The library is a big square box made out of brick and metal. I take the wide concrete steps two at a time and push open the heavy glass doors once I’ve reached the top to get inside.

It’s busy, but quiet like most libraries, smelling like books and recently cleaned carpets.

Librarians work behind desks, tapping on their keyboards.

I flash my library card as I head for the computers way in the back, behind long shelves of books, near the DVD’s, I bet nobody rents.

And drop my bag beside my feet to get comfortable in a chair that’s got stuffing poking out a broken seam.

It’s soft, so I’m not gonna complain.

Once I’m logged in, I begin my search:

'Are curses real?'

The existence of curses is a matter of belief and there is no scientific evidence to support their reality.

Since I’ve learnt that monsters are real and live in old mansions, science ain’t going to be helping me here.

'Are rubies cursed?'

The Black Prince's Ruby is said to be cursed because it was obtained through an act of deceit and murder.

'What's the The Black Prince's Ruby?'

The Black Prince's Ruby is a large, red, semi-precious stone set in the Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom…

Way too many hours later, I’ve fallen down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about diamonds, of all things. Turns out they’re not even that rare, we’re all being conned. Gold is rarer than diamonds.

“Shit.”

I frown at the screen, stopping my mouse from clicking on the Wikipedia page for the ‘European Food Safety Authority’, who OK’d gold to be used in food.

“What was I doing, again?”

“Shh!”

A little boy reading a book about elephants glares at me. I raise my hands in surrender, then remember the brooch in my pocket.

I push the European Food Safety Authority out of my head. This isn’t how I should be using my time.

The chair creaks as I lean back, and memories of bones and skin slide into my mind. My heart stops, a shiver runs up my spine. Whipping my head around, I check the room to make sure nothing comes lurking out from behind the romance section.

“All alone,”

I sigh, dropping my head into my hands.

I should just sell the bloody thing. I’ve never seen or felt anything strange since I left the mansion, so maybe it isn’t chasing me.

Hell, the alarm didn’t even go off when I stole a loaf of bread and a jar of jam earlier.

My eyes drop, and I realise how nicely warm the library is. The first proper warmth I’ve felt in ages.

Was the monster even real?

I’ve barely slept in days. I haven’t eaten properly in a long time. Maybe I imagined it, scared myself senseless wandering in the dark, and started seeing ghosts round every corner.

When was the last time I had a proper eight hours sleep, anyway? Or was safe? Probably at Jace’s place.

I snort at the thought. Reach for my phone. Remember it’s dead and stop.

I feel safe now. Warm and belly full. Kind of heavy in a good way, eyelids fluttering closed…

A hand on my shoulder startles me, and I leap from my chair, heart going wild.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I stare at an old woman, short and plump with glasses hanging from a chain around her neck, wearing a strawberry jumper.

“That’s okay, I’m sure my heart will find its way out my throat,” I joke.

She offers a small smile.

“I’m sorry, love, but we’re closing.”

“Closing? But it’s…”

I trail off, looking at the clock. It’s six in the evening.

“Right. Sorry, I lost track of time.”

I clear my throat, grabbing my bag.

“Did you know diamonds aren’t rare at all? Gold’s rarer. So are rubies.”

“That’s interesting.”

She gives me the sort of smile when they don’t actually care, but don’t want to hurt anyone's feelings, either.

“You know, there’s a homeless shelter about fifteen minutes from here.”

“Next time I see someone homeless, I’ll let them know.”

I duck my head and move past the librarian. Her shoes tapping behind me as I rush towards the exit.

“Thanks for waking me up, and remember that stuff about diamonds, too. Better to get gold if you want a present from now on. Probably better to barter with if the world ends. I always hear people saying the end is here, but that's normally because their coffee brand has run out, ya know?”

“I’m more of a tea person.”

She offers me another polite smile, and it's hopeful like I'll take her advice about the shelter. I want to tell her I will, just to keep her smiling.

“Have a nice night.”

I don’t look back, just dig my hands into my jeans, bracing as the cold air knocks all the library’s warmth out of me.

I’m not sure where to go, so I keep walking, my stomach grumbling.

I walk past people in restaurants and hate them. I hate that they don’t need their coats, and can hang them off their chairs, don’t wanna get too warm, right? I hate the couple exiting a fancy Italian place who complain loudly how long it took their food to arrive.

My mood can be pretty shitty when I first wake up.

Shaking it off, I dig my hands in deeper and head towards the park. No one’s going to be there when it’s this dark and freezing.

Once I’m there I sit myself on a bench that sucks away any lingering warmth, and pull out my half-empty jar of jam, along with the bread and scoop up a generous amount onto a slice. Shoving it into my mouth, the burst of strawberry flavor explodes across my tongue, and the sugar hitting my bloodstream is a nice jolt of adrenaline.

Bouncing my foot, I try to think of anything but the brooch, only for it to be the only thought ricocheting off the walls. If it’s not cursed and I’m making up monsters, I should just sell it. And now I’m annoyed that I didn’t try to find a pawn shop close by.

I wanna take the brooch out of my pocket and examine it, but am I stupid enough to pull out something valuable in the middle of the park where anyone could be hiding?

Unfortunately—yeah, I am.

Because less than five seconds after that thought, I have it in my hand.

For something decorated with fat rubies, it’s lighter than it looks, and I hold it up to catch the moonlight. The rubies are like drops of blood, but hard as I run my thumb across the smooth surface.

Movement catches my eye, and I drop my hand. Startled, I recoil as a tall man looms over me. I know I can get distracted, but I should’ve noticed a six foot something guy with white-blonde hair and pale white skin staring down at me.

“Er…”

I shove the brooch back into my pocket.

“You alright, dude? Listen, I’m not selling drugs, or sex. And if you’re looking for someone, it ain’t me—”

His hand shoots out, and before I even register what's happening, I’m dangling in the air, my legs kicking as I struggle to breathe as something tightens around my neck.

I claw at his arms, kick my feet at his legs, but he stares at me with hard, uncaring eyes.

Then, I watch in horror as his canine’s elongate, and sharpen into fangs.

‘Monsters are real,’ I think, as he lunges for my throat.

Next, all I feel is pain.