Unfortunate Souls (Book 1): Unfortunate Souls Series (The Unfortunate Souls Series)

by Jade M. Phillips

“What?” I asked, as though I hadn’t heard him. Anticipating the rise I’d get out of him, I leaned in closer. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

  He shot me an irritated glance, knowing very well that I’d heard him. “You saved my life,” he mumbled again, but this time a little clearer. He exhaled loudly, raking his fingers through his dark hair. “I never thought I’d hear myself say this about a vampire, but I feel like I can trust you. It sounds crazy, I know.”

  I smiled, thinking maybe Captain Impossible was finally coming out of his shell after all. I gave him a quick glance as we strode down the wash and around a wide mesquite tree. “It’s not crazy. And you can trust me. Plus, you don’t even smell good to me.” He shot me a sharp look.

  I giggled, backpedaling. “I mean, you smell wonderful. Really, you do. Just… not like dinner.”

  He snorted. But it was true. The smell of him was irresistible in the way a man smells to a woman; a musky, leather-laden roughness, that made my stomach flutter and my legs grow soft. But he didn’t smell like that other vampire smelled last night, mouth-watering and sustaining. Out of nowhere, Guy laughed out loud as if from a private joke.

  “What?” I asked, now grinning from ear to ear.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head and placed his hand on my back to guide me beneath a low-hanging branch. His palm slid to the curve of my lower back and my skin tingled at his touch.

  “No, what is it?” I asked, wondering what he found so funny. I kept my eyes on the ground, trying to hide the flutter of desire I felt for him.

  Guy adjusted the pack on his back. “It’s… you are something else, Faith. You are different from the others.”

  I creased my brows, wondering if that was a compliment or just an observation. Either way, it warmed me, my skin pleasantly buzzing from his closeness. I knew if only for a moment, my soft-centered soldier was back, and I held back the impulse to slide my hand into his, wanting to entwine our fingers together. I instantly thought about the impromptu kiss he’d given me in the store and, whether or not it’d been just for show, warmth spread through my body as if it were happening all over again. I released a breath through pursed lips trying to blow away my sizzling thoughts.

  We hiked for what seemed all night, and I was surprised at Guy’s hard-as-nails endurance. He was the epitome of rugged manliness, and if I hadn’t been a vampire with extended strength, I’d have found it hard to keep up.

  Before long, we came to a large, sterile-looking facility enclosed in a tall, chain link fence with barbed wire curling around the top. We stopped at the padlocked gate and Guy dropped his pack and weapons to the ground. He looked at me, his slate-grey eyes flashing in the moonlight.

  “Remember when you broke through your handcuffs and how you broke through the mission door?”

  I nodded, wondering how I could forget.

  “I need you to do that right now.” He looked at the fence in front of us.

  I also inspected the chain wrapping itself around the entrance like a steel snake. It had a padlock the size of a baseball holding the two gates together.

  “Okay…” I said hesitantly. Yes I had proven powerful, but was I able to focus that power when I wanted? I wasn’t sure.

  Regardless of my doubt, I grasped the chain on either side of the lock and pulled. I could feel the tension within it, the little mechanisms straining, yet it would not give way. I pulled even harder but could not break it. I dropped my arms in frustration and released an exasperated sigh.

  “I can’t do it.”

  “Yes, you can.” Guy closed the gap between us and laid a hand on my shoulder. My breath hitched at his touch and he leaned in close. “Let me ask you a question. What did you feel like when you killed that vampire last night?”

  I looked into his stormy eyes and saw my own reflection there. I hardly recognized myself anymore; light-as-snow hair and violet eyes. But my focus shifted back to Guy, my own silhouette fading away. “I… I was afraid. And angry.”

  “Good.” Guy’s lips peeled into a grin. “And that allowed you to easily bust through your handcuffs, right?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Apparently, emotion is what drives you.” He tapped the lock with his finger. “Focus that emotion right here.”

  Guy stepped back and I took a deep breath, placing my hands where they were before. I let every emotion come to me from the past few weeks— fear, anger, guilt, love, hate, and above all, revenge. Once tapping into them, those powerful feelings coursed through me at lightning speed and with the fire of a thousand suns.

  And before I knew it, the two gates burst open in a flash, pieces of metal and chain link raining down to the ground. I gasped, looking back at Guy for his approval and, to my pleasure, he nodded and smiled.

  “Now let’s get in and get out.” He reached for me and I was struck by the gentle way he took my hand instead of wrenching my arm, as he tended to do. Warm pleasure traveled from our point of contact all the way through my body.

  After a wink that said he liked me more than he was letting on, Guy urged me through the gates and up to the building’s doors. He slipped a slim card into the crevice, jiggling and shaking the door. The door popped open with ease and we both grinned with relief.

  “Well, that was easy.” I stepped into the facility, Guy close behind.

  “I’m surprised there’s no alarm,” he mused, scanning the place. “It’s so quiet.”

  Suddenly, a loud horn belted through the building as if mocking our stupidity.

  “Or not.” Panic zapped through me at the incessant alert signal.

  “Shit.” Guy’s jaw clenched. “This way.”

  We bolted through another set of doors and sailed down a long, cold hallway, Guy flinging doors open left and right, peeking his head inside.

  “Here.” He surged through the last one on the left and I followed close behind. A large metal refrigerator took up the entire wall and, when Guy flung it open, it held bags of preserved blood. He grabbed a padded cooler sitting nearby and stuffed a handful of bags inside.

  Once it was full, we burst through the door into the hallway only to find a security guard awaiting us, looking as surprised to see us as we were to see him. Guy sucker punched him in the face and the guard hit the floor with a loud thump, sounding like he’d been knocked out cold. My heart beat like a wild pack of horses as we raced through the facility and I pondered the feeling. Wow, vampires really do have a heart. Cheesy, I know, but a true realization.

  But my contemplation didn’t last long before a hand reached out and grabbed ahold of the back of my shirt, stopping me in my tracks. I turned and locked eyes with another security guard, his neck jiggling with anger. I grabbed him by the arms and threw him over me, his body flying against the front doors, shattering them as shards of glass scattered like spilled ice cubes in the moonlight. A flashing red light struck with the sound of the alarm, highlighting Guy’s surprised face at what I’d done. I crinkled my nose. “Oops.”

  Guy looked at me as if I’d sprouted horns and I didn’t blame him. Like me, he was just now realizing the magnitude of my strength. After a moment of shock, he sputtered out a laugh. “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

  I nodded my agreement. “Let’s.”

  FOURTEEN: RUBY

  My mind whirled as we raced from the blood bank. The farther we went into the desert, the softer the wail of the alarm became. It was hard to comprehend what we’d just done, what I had just done. Not only was I an accomplice in a robbery, but the way I’d thrown the guard through the glass doors with such ease, blew my mind, yet I couldn’t help but hope I hadn’t caused any major damage.

  As my mind raced, so did my legs, carrying me away through the darkness, my heart slamming hard inside of my chest. In the blink of an eye, Guy was gone and I found myself alone and panting over a rocky hill. I looked around, confused.

  Crap. I was still getting used to my own speed and, in my haste, had bolted ahead at least thirty yards. I fla
shed back to Guy and slowed my pace to stay at his side.

  “What’re you trying to do?” he breathed, holding a hand over his chest theatrically. “Give me a heart attack?”

  I snickered under my breath, amused by his reaction. After the shock of nearly getting caught began to dissipate, we continued walking together in silence for at least another hour, immersed in thought. The moon had cleared the sky and was nearing the desert horizon, indicating the approach of dawn. Temptation pulled me to a halt, unable to peel my eyes from the impending sunrise. Guy trudged off without me.

  “C’mon Princess.”

  I scrunched my face in, taken aback by his comment.

  “Princess?” I repeated, insult claiming my voice, not understanding what would give him the idea I deserved such a name.

  Guy stopped for a moment and glanced back, his jaw twitching with discomfort. “Just… let’s just get a move on.” He started forward.

  “No.” I stood firm, causing him to stop again. Heat rose to my cheeks like the glow of red-hot metal. “Why did you call me Princess?”

  I was confused by the name he called me. In our time together, I’d been a lot of things, but a freaking princess was the last thing that came to mind.

  Guy sighed, rubbing his fingers over his tired face. “It was nothing. Let’s just go.”

  I shook my head, anger fighting to break through my calm façade. “It’s not nothing. I want to know why you called me that?”

  Guy huffed and trudged back to me. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just… you just seemed like one of those girls before you died…”

  My face twisted in shock, a metaphorical knife slicing through my gut. “One of those girls? And what exactly do you mean by that?”

  “You’re taking it the wrong way, Faith. C’mon, we need to get somewhere for the day.” He latched onto my arm, but I scoffed and ripped from his grasp.

  “I don’t think so. I’m not going anywhere with you until you explain yourself. What did you mean by ‘Princess’?”

  Guy shook his head and inhaled slowly. “You just struck me as a girl with a privileged life. A perfect family. You still had both of your parents. You were enrolled in college. Your nails even— when I found you— were perfectly manicured. I just meant that you seemed to have it all together. It’s more a compliment than anything else.”

  Resentment tore through my chest like a lash and I clamped my hands to my hips, squaring my shoulders to him. “Oh, and because of that, you think you know me? You think you know anything about me? Well, you have another thing coming Captain, because you know nothing about my privileged life. You know nothing about my perfect family. So don’t pretend you do.” The wind whipped through the desert, lifting the fine hairs from my heated face. “Do you even know why I died? The reasoning behind it?”

  Guy shook his head, something that could’ve been mistaken for shame covering his face. But I didn’t care. I forged on, fury blazing through me.

  “My father abandoned my mother when she was four months pregnant with me. And my parents had kept that little piece of information from me my entire life. They lied to me. They finally told me the day before my eighteenth birthday. And what do you think happened next?” I asked him, boring into him with my angry eyes.

  Guy shrugged, digging the heel of his boot into the dirt. My fangs extended with rage as I continued. “Not an hour later, my boyfriend broke up with me, my best friend. The person who was supposed to be there for me. And then to top it all off, I died. I made the stupid mistake to go driving in a monsoon and I crashed my car into a tree. And died. And it was all my fault. I’m the reason I died. I’m to blame for turning into a damned vampire. I’m not perfect and I’m the farthest thing from a princess, Captain Stone.”

  I pressed my lips together in a thin line, my hands trembling at my sides. I almost felt bad for the way I was speaking to him. But he didn’t know me, and I wouldn’t allow him to presume that he did. I folded my arms over my chest, hoping to subdue my rage.

  Guy frowned, looking down at his feet with remorse. “I… I didn’t know…”

  I glanced down too, staring at my flip-flops we’d gotten from the drugstore, my toes caked with dirt. Shame washed over me, subduing my anger as I thought about the fact that Guy had done so much for me already, and thinking he couldn’t have known about my life. He couldn’t have known what I’d gone through in order to get to this point. Just like me, only having a glimpse into his background, I didn’t fully know him. I heaved a sigh, letting my rage blow away with the expelled breath. I glanced up into his eyes.

  “Of course you didn’t know. I never told you.”

  “Look, Faith…” Cautious, Guy edged closer to me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He gingerly placed a hand on my shoulder, like you would to a wounded animal. The feel of his calloused fingers drew warmth to my skin and I clasped his hand with mine, a smile forming on my lips.

  “It’s okay. I overreacted. I just… this whole thing is just…”

  “Crazy,” we both said simultaneously. Our eyes met and we laughed. Guy slid an arm around my waist and drew me into his side. His breath tickled my ear.

  “What do you say we find someplace where you won’t turn into a vampire potato chip?”

  “Sounds good.” I smiled widely. “But if I do turn into a chip, I hope it’s barbeque. That’s my favorite.”

  Guy snorted and we walked together away from the illuminating horizon, toward the mountains, arm in arm. I glanced to my side wondering how long I’d have with him before we’d have to part ways—for I knew it would eventually happen. But for me, anytime was too soon.

  FIFTEEN: RUBY

  Within the hour, Guy and I made it to a decrepit one-story building. And it was a good thing, too, for the sun was a hair’s breadth from rising over the mountains. Before us, stood a flickering neon sign. It flashed, ‘The Lazy Motel’.

  “Stay here.” Guy dodged into the building, leaving me alone in the parking lot. To the east, the sky blushed pink and purple as if bruised by the night, and it was obvious we didn’t have much time.

  I wondered what would happen if I ignored my instincts and stayed to watch the sun come up. Would my skin melt away from the heated light? Would I immediately combust into flames? I had a strange compulsion to find out, probably because I shouldn’t. In my human life, I’d always done what had been asked of me, following the rules. But I’d changed since then, was more daring now. Death will do that to a person, I suppose.

  Guy reappeared with a key, shaking me from my disturbing thoughts. He guided me to our room on the north end of the property, next to a retro-style soda vending machine.

  Once inside, he drew the black-out curtains and bolted the door. One queen-sized bed stood in the middle of the room and next to it, a desk and chair. An old box TV sat atop a low dresser and a brass lamp hung in the corner of the room, casting a yellow glow over Guy’s face. The room smelled of grilled cheese and mothballs. Classy.

  “I’m going to shower up.” Guy dropped his pack and weapons onto the desk. I plopped myself down on the lumpy bed as he closed himself in the bathroom. I laid back and gazed up at the popcorn ceiling, wondering how the hell I’d gotten myself into this mess.

  In the span of just two nights I’d lost my family, my boyfriend, and my life. And the shitty thing was I knew I couldn’t go back. Grief oozed through me like an overripe fruit. Images of a memory flashed to mind, John, my former boyfriend’s voice breaking through the haze. I was immediately transported back to that night, the night of my death…

  “Rubes…” John sighed, his breath crackling through the phone speaker. “I got accepted to ASU. I’m leaving tomorrow to check out the dorms.”

  My heart plummeted. “But…”

  “It’s better for me. It’s a better scholarship. Some of the best pro football players are recruited from ASU. I just… I can’t pass it up.”

  I clasped the phone so hard, my knuckles ached. My heart raced,
but I took a deep breath and reeled myself back in. I vaguely remembered trying to come up with a solution. And I vaguely remembered John shooting me down.

  “I’m sorry Ruby. I didn’t want it to end like this.”

  The rest of our heated conversation was a blur. It was buried beneath an avalanche of hurt, resentment, and betrayal. John had been my best friend, we’d grown up together, and now he was throwing it all away. Especially when I needed him most.

  I barely remembered throwing my phone into the dirt at the park, and running to my house, to my car. I vaguely remembered climbing in and driving into the howling wind, fat raindrops spattering the windshield as I peeled from the drive. The radio was on, music blaring. Tears flooded my eyes.

  I vaguely remembered the way the car wavered from the harsh winds and how the red taillights in front of me were barely visible through the rain.

  I vaguely remembered feeling numb and outside of myself, as though it wasn’t me in that car, as though the scenario wasn’t happening to me. My life was over, the idyllic life I’d dreamed of all along. I’d always known John was a little self-centered at times, but had never realized he could hurt me this badly, just like my parents had. The signs had been there all along and I’d been such an idiot for not seeing it before. And my parents… I didn’t even want to think about the turmoil they’d inflicted on me, the pain they’d caused me.

  The thump of the music on the radio mirrored my pounding heart. It was fast, too fast. I swiped the tears from my eyes and looked down to turn the knob.

  I vaguely remembered glancing back up, blurry darkness and swatches of color rushing toward me. Closer… closer…

  Fear clawed through me and my scream was barely audible over the storm. I swerved and wavered, held my breath. The car careened and swayed in slow motion, like the soft rocking of a boat on water. It was like time stood still, locked in a frozen moment. The trees were too close now, branches scratching the hood. The car bucked and rumbled over rocky terrain. The darkness came closer… closer…