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

by Jade M. Phillips

  “Smells like grilled cheese in here.” Guy’s deep voice snapped me from the terrifying memory— or what might be better classified as a nightmare. I sat bolt upright, gasping for air. Had I been holding my breath?

  “Are you all right?” he asked, a look of concern washing over his profile. He had shaved now, his angled jawbones smooth and flawless. He shifted and the smell of him blasted me like a gust of wind— crisp clean aftershave and fresh shampoo, nothing like the assaulting smell of mothballs and grilled cheese. And then I realize he’d asked me a question.

  I nodded, releasing an audible breath. “I’m fine.” But my voice broke, signaling I wasn’t okay, after all. My memory was growing clearer now, the details of my death sharp and vivid. But no matter how hard I strained, I was still unable to recall what happened next. I could not draw forth the chunk of time missing from my memory. The chunk of time where I was transported from the crash to the battle where I was turned. And more importantly, I couldn’t remember who’d turned me into a vampire.

  I exhaled loudly, infectious nostalgia twisting my insides. I felt ill. Ill over the memory that had consumed me like a plague, but I didn’t want Guy to know that. He eyed me sideways, dubious.

  “I’m fine. Really.” I forced a laugh and turned my head, pretending to check out the room. I released my tightly clenched fists, and when he moved away, I resisted the urge to sigh with relief. It had only been a memory, but had hit me so hard, been so striking, that I felt like the crash had happened all over again. I looked down at my shaking hands and hid them in my lap.

  I glanced back up at Guy, my lucid memory camouflaged by his strong presence. He towel-dried his hair, his bare chest rippling with muscles as he did so. The band of his pants rested just below his hips, showing the definition of his abs and the carved V that disappeared beneath. I quickly averted my eyes, my cheeks flushing hot. I shook my head, trying to reel myself back in, trying to forget the tempting man in my room and the way he made me feel —amongst other things that seemed oddly inappropriate at a time such as this.

  I grabbed the remote for the TV from the bed stand and flicked it on, diverting my attention from the half-naked soldier, and the terrible flashback I’d had. I needed to pull myself together.

  The early morning weather report was on, forecasting another week of triple-digit days. Maybe the one good thing about being a vampire in Arizona was I wouldn’t have to endure the ridiculous summer heat anymore. I would just sleep right through it.

  “Here.” Guy offered me a glass filled with blood. I took it in my hand, scowling but he prodded me on. “You need to keep up your strength. You need to feed.” I took a breath and held it to my lips.

  This would be the first time I would ever drink human blood. The thought made me gag, but I knew it was inevitable. I was a vampire for goodness sake. And vampires drank blood.

  “Go on,” Guy urged. I closed my eyes tight and proceeded to drink.

  But before the thick, cold, liquid even made it down my tongue I spit it back in the cup, holding back the puke that climbed up my throat.

  “I can’t. I just… can’t.” I wiped my mouth on the blanket.

  “But you have to. You’ll get weak without it.”

  I sniffed the liquid in my cup and wrinkled my nose. The taste on my tongue was metallic and stale. I stuck my hand out, offering it back to Guy. “I’m sorry. I… I can’t drink it. I don’t want to.”

  Guy frowned, accepting the cup back from me. He sighed. “You’ll need to feed sooner or later. You can’t starve yourself to death.”

  “Honestly I’m not hungry. And the thought of drinking human blood is just… it’s just wrong.”

  Guy considered me for a minute, seemingly amused. “A vampire refusing the blood of humans. Now I’ve seen everything.”

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and Guy went back in the bathroom, the sound of water trickling in the sink. But a news brief popped on the TV, catching my attention.

  “This just in.” An overly-tanned news anchor sat behind a long desk. “There appears to have been a break-in at the Bisbee City Blood Bank last night, where two security guards witnessed a man and a woman stealing bags of preserved blood. But according to one witness, this was no ordinary blood bank robbery.”

  “Oh—My—God.” I gasped, concern gripping my chest. “Guy! Come here!”

  Guy rushed from the bathroom while slipping on his dingy white T-shirt. He stood near the bed, gaping at the scene we’d visited earlier, a similar expression on his face as the one I held.

  A female reporter posed in front of the building, next to one of the security guards. I recognized him as the one I’d pushed through the glass doors.

  “Yes Bill,” the woman said, smiling, “And what could be stranger than a blood bank robbery? Let me tell you; a blood bank robbery by vampires.” She turned to the shaken guard. “Why would anyone want to steal blood from a blood bank?” She held out the microphone for him.

  “I suppose if they were vampires they would need blood to drink.” The man resembled a scared rabbit, his eyes large and the skin of his neck shaking.

  The woman laughed. “Vampires you say? And how many of these…vampires were there?”

  “One male and one female,” he answered frankly, unaware of the woman’s amusement.

  The reporter shot a dubious glance at the camera. “Did they have fangs?”

  “Yes. Well, the female did at least. Right before she pushed me through those glass doors.” He gestured to the shattered glass behind him.

  “So a female vampire threw you through those doors right there?” The woman was clearly entertained by the interview.

  “Why yes, ma’am. She sure did.”

  The reporter chuckled. It was obvious neither she, nor anyone else believed him. I sort of felt bad for the guy.

  The woman turned to the camera again. “Well there are only sixty days until Halloween. It’s quite possible the vampires are preparing early this year.”

  The male and female news anchors doubled over with laughter, but anger crossed the security guard’s face.

  “Damn it!” Guy surprised me by snatching the remote from me and clicking off the TV. He threw it across the room. “So much for being discrete.” He paced back and forth, running his fingers through his damp hair in frustration. His brows came together in a straight line of fury.

  “It’s okay…” I waved it away with my hand. “They didn’t believe him anyway.”

  “It’s not them I’m worried about.” He turned off the lamp in the corner, not even caring to ask if I was ready for bed or not. The room was pitch black, though I could see just fine. “Now get some sleep,” he grunted. So much for his softer side. Captain Impossible was back.

  I sat there in the dark for a moment while Guy grabbed a pillow from the bed and adjusted himself on the floor.

  I leaned out over the side of the bed. “Are you going to get in trouble? For helping me?” He pulled a blanket over himself and placed his wooden stake nearby, on the floor. I wondered if he was still threatened by me.

  He let out the slightest of sighs. It would’ve been inaudible with human hearing, but was clear as day with my new senses.

  “If I can get back to headquarters within a few days there should be no problem. I can come up with something. But any longer than that and I will have some trouble. There will be questions…”

  I realized how much Guy was laying on the line for me. He was jeopardizing his career, his life, for me. Why, though? I knew it had something to do with Lily, the girl he tried to save from the vampires. Did he see a connection there? Was I awakening some memory in him, some unforgettable time in his life?

  “What’re we going to do tonight when we wake up?” I snuggled into the bed and inspected a tiny slice of sunlight trying to force its way past the edge of the dark curtains. If Guy didn’t care about me, he could’ve ripped open those curtains and burned me alive. But he hadn’t.

  “I’m taking you to s
omeone that can help you.” His voice still held a tinge of irritation.

  “Can they cure me?” I pulled the flimsy comforter up to my chin and watched a fly skitter up the wall.

  Guy rumbled and I heard him changing positions on the floor. “There’s no cure for vampirism. But I know someone that might be able to find you a safe haven, a place where you can learn to be what you are.”

  Disappointment sank through me, thwarting the hope I’d had for returning to my human self. He’d said it; there was no cure for what I’d become. And although I’d suspected this all along, I had still hoped for a miracle.

  I took a deep breath and watched the fly zip off and disappear into the other side of the room, thinking I wanted to take a shower but was too tired to do so. I closed my eyes, quickly falling into a dreary state of slumber. I was exhausted and, for the first time in days, I slept deeply. The fog of unconsciousness pulled me under with hazy dreams and memories. The hours flew by unaccounted for. I saw rain and looming trees. I saw John in his football uniform. I saw my mom and dad’s faces, crying.

  They looked so sad, but in their imaginary presence, I felt a warmth I’d almost forgotten existed. My heart ached for them. My heart ached for the way I’d reacted to the news of my biological father. It wasn’t their fault. I wanted to hug my dad and tell him I was sorry. I yearned to tell him I still loved him no matter what and that he’d always be my father. I reached out to their sad faces, but they began to fade away, too late now. I cried out to my dad. His green eyes sparkled and his dark hair, so unlike mine, lay across his forehead. But he turned to dust, the pieces of the dream floating away.

  I lifted my lashes, sorrow tumbling through me like boulders. I was fully aware of the dream that left me hollow and empty. But I continued to lie still, listening to Guy’s soft breathing. He was still asleep, body splayed across the floor and arm thrown over his pillow. I gazed at the curtains and where the small slice of light had been coming through before. But it was now dark, signaling the fall of night. We must’ve been sleeping for hours, though it felt like only seconds.

  I eased from the bed and slipped on my shoes. I wondered if I should acquiesce my inner desire to go and see my family. It had been on my mind ever since Guy found me and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. The notion that they were still out there, mourning my loss when I wasn’t really gone, wrenched my heart.

  Without allowing enough time to second-guess myself, I slipped out of the motel room and into the early hours of night.

  SIXTEEN: GUY

  I’d tossed and turned for the better part of the day, unable to sleep. Worry over that damned blood bank robbery we’d committed clouded my thoughts. I wasn’t sure what footage the security cameras had caught and I wasn’t sure how much time I had before FUSE made the connection and came looking for me. But the most terrifying thought trumped all the others, my bond to the vampire.

  Though I wasn’t aware at the time, by drinking Ruby’s blood I’d bonded myself to her. But how? The concept overwhelmed me.

  I lay restless on the motel floor, trying to recall any information I’d gathered on the topic of bonding. Usually, it was between two vampires. It was very unlikely for a human and an Unfortunate to bond, though on rare occasion, it’d been done. And for the vampires, it was a serious decision. Not only did it involve the exchange of blood, but it held an emotional tie as well, like an agreement. They would always be connected on a deeper level. There was love involved. Though before now, I’d always thought it silly. How could anyone love an Unfortunate, even the vampires themselves? They were beastly and wretched, murderers of the night. They were inhuman and incapable of human feelings— or so I’d been taught.

  That’s why I was astounded when I felt that unmistakable pull toward Ruby, like magnets. It started small like the wisp of a breeze, sensing her anger and sorrow. But when it fully hit me, it was as if a hurricane of emotions slammed into me, like I’d known her my entire life.

  And when she confessed to me the moments leading up to her death, the moment she found out about her father, sorrow crashed through me like a wrecking ball and I felt it just as she did. Not only could I feel her sorrow, but I could sense the way she felt about me. I could feel the way she trusted me. God, I didn’t know why. She shouldn’t trust me, but dang it if she did.

  I wasn’t sure exactly how it happened either, the bonding. I hadn’t wanted it to happen, of course and in all honesty, the notion of being connected to a vampire never crossed my mind. The chances were one in a million. But in my defense, I’d been drained of my blood and was near death at the time. Worry about being forever bonded to a vampire hadn’t been at the top of my priority list. How could I have known by drinking her blood I would forever be connected to her? It was bizarre and completely ironic. I, Captain Guy Stone, renowned vampire hunter and illustrious leader of FUSE, was, in fact bonded to a vampire.

  When realizing my bond, I resisted the urge to laugh crazily while lying on the floor of the hotel room. For hours, I laid pondering what the hell had happened. I found it funny that I’d thought my situation tough before. But now it was impossible. How was I supposed to go back to my old life and keep those same morals and ideals I’d had before? How could I ever show my face in front of my men again? My General?

  I’d have to lie. It was the only way.

  And of course, I hadn’t told Ruby of my bond to her and I presumed I never would. Yes, I was bonded to her, but she was not bonded to me, and I couldn’t allow her to know of my connection to her. It was the best for both of us that way.

  God, I wished I’d never decided to save the girl in the first place, but I couldn’t imagine going back and reacting any other way now that I knew her. And now I would be haunted for the rest of my life by the ghost of a vampire girl.

  In the late hours of the afternoon, I found myself finally settling into sleep unable to fight the exhaustion anymore. I was pulled into the darkness of my mind, but the realization of my situation never fully left me.

  Ruby’s name floated through my mind like the breeze through the clouds. She was with me at all times now and I could feel her, sense her, and taste her lips as though she were standing right before me.

  Ruby…

  Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, and time flew by unaccounted for in my uneasy slumber.

  I yawned and stretched my arms in the darkness, knowing before I even opened my eyes that something was wrong, like the sinking sensation you get during a nightmare.

  Ruby…

  I sat up and looked around the dark motel room, my stomach clenching with fear. She was gone, the blankets on the empty bed rumpled and askew.

  I rubbed the grit from my eyes and looked again.

  “Faith?” I called out in case she was in the restroom. “Faith? You here?” I jumped from the floor and flew to the bathroom. Yep, she was gone. Shit.

  I slapped on my boots and gathered my gear, leaving the room key on the table. I needed to find her quickly, before anyone else did. Before another vampire who felt threatened by her or, God forbid, FUSE.

  If I hadn’t been so worried, I’d have almost deemed the situation funny. Irony be damned, I was about to embark on a journey like I had years ago. Except this time I wouldn’t be searching for the vampire that had taken a girl, I would be searching for a girl who was now a vampire.

  SEVENTEEN: RUBY

  The haze from the sunset clung to the distant mountains, the sky a muddled grey. The air was warm and dry as it should be in late August. I crossed the motel parking lot to the main road, the smell of fried grease choking the breeze. I felt bad leaving Guy lying there asleep, unaware of my departure. He’d probably freak when he woke up and found me gone, but I had to see my family. I had to know if my mom and dad were okay. I wasn’t sure what I’d do when I got there or if I’d reveal myself to them or not. Guy had firmly instructed me not to, but I just had to go, to see if they were all right.

  I shook my head at my silliness. Of course, they
were all right. My mother was one of the strongest women I knew and my father was a tough man as well. They would be fine.

  Maybe I wasn’t going for them, after all. Maybe I was going for me. To relieve the guilt over my actions. To mourn the loss of myself. To gain some sort of closure to my situation.

  I wasn’t worried about how to get there. My body had already proven itself as a speed-induced traveling machine and our motel wasn’t that far outside of Bisbee. I knew my hometown well and the small city was easily walkable. I sped off in the direction of my east-side neighborhood, the one I’d grown up in for seventeen— no, eighteen years of my life. I laughed, realizing my birthday had come and gone, passed in the hours of turning into a vampire. Ha. Happy Birthday to me.

  I pushed away the unpleasant thought and made my way home. Blurs of colors whirred by me as I rushed through town, my mind focused on one thing only— my family. But I screeched to a halt when I heard someone crying out for help. I let the sound guide me and stopped so hard that my momentum had me toppling over. This whole fast-as-lightning thing was going to take some getting used to.

  I brought myself up straight and blinked my eyes to get my bearings. I was downtown in a dark alleyway. The three-story Victorian buildings towered over me, casting the alley into deep shadow. There was a woman on the ground crying, a man on top of her. My town had always been peaceful and for a population of only 5,000 the crime rate was next to nothing. So I was shocked to see the man pull out a knife and hold it to the woman’s throat, demanding she hand over her money. He didn’t seem to know I was there.

  Fear dredged up my insides like stomach bile and my mind spun, trying to come up with a solution. Maybe there was a police officer nearby and I could call for help. But by then, the woman could be hurt, or worse. It was up to me to do something. I had to stop this. But how?

  Anger finally tore through me at the situation, at the man who thought he could take advantage of the woman. My fangs shot forth and my heart rampaged in my chest. Realization that I was more than just a girl hit me. I was a vampire and could easily rip the man’s throat out. But I was no murderer, even if this guy was a low-life piece of crap. Yes, I’d killed a vampire when Guy’s life was on the line. But to kill a human?