Midnight Customer (Vampire Soul, Book One)

by Mac Flynn

I tilted my head to one side and scrunched up my face. "You're joking, right?"

  He shook his head. "I don't joke about matters of the heart and soul."

  I pointed at him and then the box. "So you stole your own soul from the devil?"

  "You've got it."

  "No, I don't have it," I argued as I put my hands on my hips. "A vampire steals his soul from the devil, locks it up in a box, and tries to pawn it off on a couple of humans?"

  "I didn't lock it in the box. The devil did that," the vampire told me.

  "Fine, you didn't lock it up, but why the hell did you give it to me?" I persisted.

  "Because I need someone to ensure its safety during the day," he revealed.

  "Don't you have a spare coffin you could hide it in?" I suggested.

  "If it's left unattended the devil would be able to take it back, and then I would be in a great deal of trouble," the vampire explained.

  "Then I'd say you've got yourself in a real pickle, and I don't see my way of joining this hamburger stand without getting cooked," I retorted.

  "Must I get on my hands and knees to beg for your help?" he wondered.

  I looked him over. His face told me he was desperate and cute, but maybe not cute enough. I sighed and folded my arms. "That would be a start, but where do I fit in this exactly? I'm supposed to do what with the box during the day? Babysit it?"

  "In a way," he admitted. He passed me and picked up the box. I noticed a slight glow come from beneath the lid. It illuminated his pale face and I noticed his features softened. "It's difficult to explain the loss of one's soul to one who still possesses theirs, but being without a soul is like being without a part of one's self. There's a hole there that can't be filled with simple pleasures, and a sense of loss that can't be forgotten. It would be as though you lived your life, but you could never enjoy its sweetness." A small smile slipped onto his lips and he looked up at me. "I'm afraid I'm terrible at explaining it, but that is what it feels like to be without a soul. A loss without end."

  I nodded at the box. "And you stole your soul back so you could end it?"

  He nodded and set the box back on the table. "Yes, but I find myself only halfway there. I have my soul, but not the key."

  "Where's that?" I asked him.

  "The devil possesses it, and he seeks to regain my soul," he told me.

  "He must be the worst repo man in the world," I quipped.

  "In any of the three worlds. Heaven, hell, and on earth," the vampire agreed. He turned to me and looked me in the eyes. "But that's why I need your help. I need someone brave and strong-willed to keep my soul safe until I figure out a way to free it from its imprisonment."

  "And then what'll happen?" I asked him.

  He raised his arms and looked down at his pale hands. "Then I will be free of this accursed life. I can't finally, truly rest." He curled his hands into fists and shook his head. "But not yet. I've got to find that key, and while I do that I need my soul protected." He looked to me and smiled. "This must all sound insane to you."

  "We passed insane when your soul turned my rug into melted cheese," I quipped.

  "I will pay for the repairs, and for anything else you might desire while you protect my soul," he assured me.

  I held up my hand. "Wait a sec. I haven't agreed to do anything."

  He smiled. "Bu you won't refuse me. I've lived a long time and have studied human behavior thoroughly. You'll protect my box."

  I snorted. "Your studies must be rusty when you picked Charlie to protect your box. He's as meek as a kitten."

  "But he has a big heart," the vampire pointed out. He ran his hand over the box and sighed. "I thought perhaps he would rise to the challenge, but I was wrong."

  It was like looking at a whimpering puppy. There he was stroking his box with that sad look in his eyes and that sad story. I'd done a lot of human study in my time at the diner, and it was telling me the guy was telling me the truth. Damn it.

  I sighed and held out my arms. "Give me the box."

  His face brightened. "You're sure?" he asked me.

  "No, but give it to me anyway."

  He picked up the box and walked over to me. "You do realize this will mean putting yourself in mortal danger."

  I dropped my arms and scowled at him. "I do now. How 'mortal danger' are we talking about? More of those creepy girls in dresses?"

  The vampire stopped in front of me and frowned. "There is only one of those."

  "Good. Two of them and Stephen King would have to sue them for copyright infringement," I commented.

  "But there are others who will seek out my soul," he warned me.

  "Why? What's so special about your soul?" I asked him.

  "A loose soul without even a spiritual body is a rare thing," he explained. "Many would try to harness its power for their own uses."

  I pointed at the box. "But it's in a box."

  "There still may be ways to use it, and that's why it must be protected so constantly," he told me.

  "And I'm supposed to protect it from all these other people how?" I wondered.

  "With your stubbornness and kindness," he replied.

  "Uh-huh. I don't think that would've saved me from the child of the corn," I pointed out.

  He gave me that cute half-smile of his. "Perhaps it would have if I wouldn't have interfered."

  "More likely you would've opened the door to a really mad drained corpse," I countered.

  "Humans have more powers than they give themselves credit," he argued. He held the box out to me. "Will you take responsibility for my soul?"

  "To have and to hold until death do us part. . ." I mumbled as I reached out and took the box from him.

  He smiled and set a hand on my shoulder. "You won't regret doing this."

  I snorted. "Too late." My eyes widened and I looked down at my watch. "Shit! I'm late for work!" I stuffed the box into his arms and raced down the lane to my car.

  The vampire caught up to me and ran with ease at my side while I wheezed like a chain-smoker. "Do you want my help?" he offered.

  "Anything. . .you. . .can. . .give," I replied. He tossed the box in my path. I ran into it and juggled the box for a moment before I had a firm grip against my breasts. The whole episode made me skid to a stop far short of my car. "This isn't. . .what I had. . .in mind!"

  "Toss your necklace to the side," the vampire instructed me.

  I glared at him. "Sorry, Fangy, but I'm not falling for that one. The garlic stays on."

  "Then you will be much later than you need to be," he replied. I frowned. He held out his hand. "Trust me."

  I looked down at the box in my hands. What the hell? I never wanted to live forever, anyway. "All right, but I'm counting my blood cells when I get to work," I warned him as I pulled off the necklace with one hand.

  The minute I had it off me was the minute he jumped forward and scooped me into his arms. I was so surprised I dropped the necklace and wrapped my arm around his neck.

  "What the hell are you doing?" I asked him.

  "Hold on tight," he warned me.

  He knelt down and sprang into the air. I didn't expect the whitest boy in the world to be able to jump, but we flew fifty yards straight up. We floated there for a moment before he leaned forward. We shot through the air at a speed that would've been frowned on at the Autobahn. The wind whipped past us and slapped my hair in my face. The tops of the trees sailed past beneath us and I saw a fleeting glimpse of my car at the edge of the woods.

  "My stop was back there!" I yelled at him.

  "I will take you directly to work," he explained. "In the meantime, enjoy your first-class flight."

  "There better be a meal in this. . ." I mumbled as I brushed my hair out of my face.

  The vampire slowed, I looked ahead of us. My eyes widened as I beheld a view of the valley. There was the glistening river as it reflected the bright moon. Far off to our
right little lights shone through the apartments and houses that filled the small streets of my hometown. Cars zoomed across the roads with their headlights reflecting their journey to home after a long day of work. Below us farmhouses dotted the countryside made up of yellow and green patches of earth with the occasional cow pasture dotted with aspiring hamburgers.

  "Wow. . ." I breathed.

  "Do you like it?" he asked me.

  I coughed and looked away. "Not bad." I chanced a glance up at his face. He looked down at me with that sly grin. I frowned. "What?"

  He shook his head and looked forward. "Nothing."

  We made record time and landed behind the diner in the employee parking lot. He set me down on my feet and I glanced at my watch. A drive that would've taken me half an hour was flown in five minutes.

  "I guess being your box watcher does have its perks," I commented.

  He smiled and bowed his head. "Glad to be of service."

  I looked around at the parking lot. "I think you're going to have to be of service later. I don't have my car to get home."

  "I will be here to retrieve you," he assured me.

  "You'd better." I pushed the box into his hands and straightened my skirt. "Anyway, thanks for the ride."

  "It's the least I could do considering how much you have helped me," he pointed out.

  "Yeah, well, I'd better get going." I half-turned from him, but paused and glanced over my shoulder. He still stood there with the box in his hands. "You know, I haven't caught your name," I told him.

  His smile widened and his long teeth glistened like a toothpaste commercial. "It's Roland."

  "Roland, huh?" I guess the little girl wasn't lying about that. "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

  "We will be seeing much of each other," he returned. He floated off the ground and flew off into the night.

  I didn't like the sound of that.

  For all books by Mac Flynn visit her author's page or visit Mac Flynn's website.

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  For all books by Mac Flynn visit her author's page or visit Mac Flynn's website.

  Want to get an email when my next book is released? Join the Wolf Den and receive an email whenever a new book comes out!

  Sign up here for my newsletter