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

by Jade M. Phillips

  The screen changed to the landscape of the moon, the Earth rising above us in a ball of green and blue. The Earth then vanished and out came the sunrise.

  Ruby gasped. The great ball of yellow light rose in the blackness of space, small from this distance, but so brilliant from our own little place on the moon. She squeezed my hand and shivers traveled my spine from her touch. My attention flickered back and forth from her to the ceiling, the sky. Her eyes widened as the sun ascended, stars spinning around it like a galactic cyclone, shining and twinkling.

  She laughed, our gazes clashing, and my eyes dropped to her lips. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her like I had at the drug store but then I remembered I’d only done it then to hide her fangs, and to protect myself. But maybe it’d been more than just an impromptu action to save both our lives? Her lips against mine had made me feel strange and warm, pleasant, but I’d brushed it away as fast as the sensation had come.

  But now, I knew if I kissed her, I’d never stop. She’d suck me into her blissful innocence and I’d never find my way out. I couldn’t do that to her and I couldn’t do that to myself. I wanted the best for her, and although I wished it was me that would benefit her life, it just wasn’t so. My gut clenched. The end of her training was nearing and this would be one of the last moments I’d spend with her. And in a couple of short days, it would be as if we’d never met, going our separate ways.

  “Thank you,” she breathed, turning away to gaze up at the false sky. I wanted to tell her it was no big deal. I wanted to say I’d have done it for anyone. But I couldn’t, my mouth dry and my heart swollen.

  Though our time was nearly over, I would always remember her in that moment. Remember her smile, her laugh, her wonder. Remember the way she changed me and made me a better person. I’d always remember my vampire Faith. My Ruby.

  TWENTY-EIGHT: RUBY

  The glow of the yellow spotlight highlighted Wilson’s brown hair, adding an auburn glow to it. His lips were moving but I didn’t hear a word, like watching a silent movie in the background, I was preoccupied elsewhere.

  Guy.

  Just the idea of him brought tingles to my skin and a rush of heat through my body. Earlier that night he’d taken me to the planetarium to see the stars and the sunrise and, for being such a hard-ass when I’d first met him, he was turning out surprisingly thoughtful. Yet when the fluttery, warm thoughts of him arose inside of me, a darkness came along with them— my future. A future without Guy was like a fish without water—pointless. In just a few short days, I’d be all alone in some supernatural city where I’d have to relearn everything and live amongst vampires and werewolves, obeying their rules. The thought made me shiver.

  And yes, as Guy had stressed to me, this was my new chance at life, a fresh start. But I wasn’t too sure I wanted to embark on a do-over just yet. I was quite content in the old ranch house with my two-hundred year old teacher and my Captain Stone.

  “Ruby. Concentrate.” Wilson’s voice jolted me from my stupor and I shook my head, blinking my mentor’s face back into focus. “I want you to try to sense me. My feelings and my mood.” We were back at it again. Good ol’ vampire training.

  Thoughts of Guy and my soon-to-be new life fled, leaving me with the task of arduous concentration. I did what Wilson taught me and stuffed all of my thoughts and emotions into a little box. I then let the box go, vanishing it into thin air, leaving my mind a blank slate. I focused on Wilson and tried to grasp his emotions, tried to sense his moods. But there was nothing. I released the air from my lungs and slumped my shoulders in frustration.

  “Listen, Ruby,” Wilson began, rubbing his chin in thought. “This isn’t as hard as it seems. Vampires have a sixth sense so to speak; the ability to sense other’s moods and feelings. It comes in handy when hunting a predator and sensing their fear. It’s similar to bonding, but for a much shorter duration of time.”

  I shifted my weight and wrapped my arms around my chest. Why did I have to do this? With my distaste for human blood, it’s not as if I would be hunting them down anytime soon. I dug my nails into my arms in hesitation. “I understand, Wilson. It’s just… I feel… nothing.”

  Wilson turned and paced in a straight line, back and forth in front of me. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his orange dress shirt and rolled up the sleeves to get comfortable. He tucked his bolo tie beneath his shirt and stopped in front of me. A toad croaked somewhere in the distance.

  “Let me ask you something. Have you never once felt something since you’ve turned? The smallest inkling of emotions or feelings from someone else?”

  I bit my lower lip in thought, wringing my hands together. This training stuff was harder than I’d imagined. “I don’t know.”

  Wilson regarded me. “Think hard. It comes naturally. There must’ve been at least one time you sensed something. Fear? Pain? Sadness?”

  “Umm.” I wracked my brain, searching for what Wilson was talking about. I kept coming up short, but then it hit me and I snapped my fingers. “Actually, I think I might have. I sensed fear from Guy when he first found me. And fear on you in the red room. But I don’t feel it anymore.”

  Wilson’s face contorted into something that might’ve been mistaken for pleasure. “Good! That’s exactly what I am talking about! That’s the part of your brain you need to access. It’s achieved the same way as anything else, like speed or vision. Except with this, you need to reach out to the person you are trying to read.”

  “Okay.” I nodded eagerly and closed my eyes. Yet again, I cleared my thoughts.

  “Now, reach out to me with your mind,” Wilson said, as if from at the end of a long tunnel, his voice echoing ethereally through my head.

  I reached out to him, focusing on his energy. I felt something there but it was closed off as though through a blockade or wall. I tried harder for a few long moments, sweat beading my forehead and my lungs tightening with effort. But I lost it and thoughts of my failure rushed to mind.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, panting. “I felt something there but I couldn’t get to it.”

  Wilson considered me for one long moment, searching my face like a professor would a scientific equation. “Wait here,” he said.

  Before I could even speak, he was gone in a flash, leaving me in a cloud of dust. I was starting to think this vampire training stuff wasn’t for me after all when he was already back, a flustered Guy in tow. My savior’s damp hair hung in his eyes and water beaded down his bare chest. He was shirtless after just stepping out of the shower —not that I minded— but he looked irritated and ripped his strong bicep from Wilson’s grasp.

  “Jeez.” He rubbed the red marks on his arm from Wilson’s fingers. “Next time, a little warning would be appreciated.”

  “Read him.” Wilson ignored Guy’s annoyed glare and shoved him toward me. “Read his mood, his emotions. But do not physically touch him.”

  I shot an embarrassed glance back at Wilson, but he shooed me on with a flap of his hand. I met Guy’s stare, my knees wobbling. Did I really want to know what Guy was feeling? His innermost emotions? It seemed very intrusive and I wasn’t sure I liked it.

  Guy didn’t question Wilson’s motives, nor did he utter a single word. He stepped closer to me, practically devouring me with his eyes. We were so close I felt the heat evaporating from his body. So close, I felt his breath on my face, fresh mint and coffee. God, this was unnerving.

  “Go on,” Wilson urged. “If Captain Stone is the one person that enabled you to use your senses before, then surely he can do it again.”

  I nodded, sucking in a gulp of air. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind, allowing myself to float in black nothingness. Even the sounds of the night seemed to fade away, the croaking frogs falling silent. I mentally reached out to Guy, the fingers of my brain delving into him. And like a finger in an electrical socket, I was jolted by him, all of his energy shocking me to the core. Startled, I gasped.

  “What do you sense?” Wilson’s voice broke throu
gh my concentration like a shard of glass in my heel, sharp and brazen. “What is he feeling?”

  “He feels you need a new wardrobe,” I quipped, unable to help myself. All of this closeness and mind-delving was getting a little too hot and heavy. Guy chuckled, bringing a smile to my face, but I kept my eyes closed.

  Wilson sputtered a false laugh and I could practically see him rolling his eyes. I heard his feet shuffle in the dirt. “Good try. But this is not mind reading. It’s mood reading. Try again.”

  Reluctantly, I focused harder on Guy’s pulsing energy. It was like a beam of light surrounding him, warm and vibrant.

  “I… I feel his strength.” My voice came out as a whisper, my eyes still shut tight. “His dominance.” It was there, hard as nails, his commanding nature. But I sensed something else beneath it.

  “Good, good. That is his being. Now, what else? You need to go deeper. What is he feeling right now?”

  Oh, my God. Could I do this? Did I have any other choice but to try? I slowed my breath, letting it in and out softly. I kept my mind focused on Guy, the effort making me shake. I pushed harder.

  “I feel… relief. Like a weight’s been lifted.” I wasn’t sure why Guy would feel that way, but I trudged on, uncovering his emotions like bugs under a rock. And then something else tickled my senses, like a feather on skin. “I feel… not fear, but… apprehension?”

  “Go on,” Wilson urged through the inky blackness.

  In that moment I was so close to Guy it was like his soul was pouring into me, filling me to the brim like a cup of thick hot chocolate. But then…

  “I sense a…a foreboding. Like trepidation?”

  “Keep going.”

  “I feel…” And there it was, the one part I’d been afraid I might find— the way he felt about me. It was warm and protective, solid and passionate. The energy of him bled into me, covering me like a warm blanket and I knew instantly what it was. It was love. I panicked and my eyes flew open.

  “That’s all,” I announced, stumbling backwards from Guy.

  “That is it?” Wilson questioned me, his expression deep with curiosity.

  I reeled myself back in from the onslaught of Guy’s emotions tearing through me. I couldn’t believe he actually felt that way for me. Especially now, when we had to part. I calmed myself and sighed, focusing on the peeling paint of the shed. “Yep. The bottom of the barrel. I can’t feel anything else.”

  Guy wasn’t smiling, nor was he frowning. He just looked at me deeply, so deeply. God, I knew it then, he loved me. And I loved him. A vampire killer and a vampire in love with each other. Ha, what a freaking screwed-up world we lived in.

  Wilson scratched at the back of his head and sighed. “All right, then. I could go for some refreshments. Care to join?” He looked between me and Guy.

  Guy shifted his weight, the gleam from the moon cascading down his bare muscled chest. His steel eyes lingered on me for one long moment. “I’ll let you two go ahead. I’m going to finish getting dressed.” He turned to Wilson with mocking sarcasm. “Only if it’s all right with you?”

  Wilson said nothing, his expression impassive.

  Guy looked back to me and I shrugged, resisting the urge to laugh. I totally wouldn’t mind if he decided to join us just the way he was, shirtless. But I understood his modesty all too well. Guy flashed me a boyish smile, like the one when he earlier whisked me away on our ‘date,’ and then took off toward the house.

  I walked with Wilson, trying to match the slowness of his pace but tripped over my own feet in doing so. Wilson chuckled wryly. He grasped my arm and led me into the house.

  As I followed Wilson up the yard I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever gain control over my new body. But I also wondered, when the time came, if I’d ever be able to part from Guy.

  TWENTY-NINE: RUBY

  I was still rattled by the emotions I’d gleaned from Guy during my training. They were like a big, fluorescent, blinking arrow pointing to the fact that he loved me, and I couldn’t help but blush at the thought of it. I’m not gonna lie and say it hadn’t been awkward in that moment— the moment I literally forced my way into his brain— but now, knowing he reciprocated the feelings I had for him, I felt all warm and gushy inside. I never knew it could be this way, caring for someone so much that it ached like a stubbed toe, but it’s not like I had much to compare it to. I hadn’t realized it before, but, John, my former boyfriend, had treated me like crap. And especially now, after meeting Guy and seeing how selfless and caring he was, I knew how it felt to be truly wanted and adored.

  But the feelings we shared were especially unnerving because they didn’t matter. Much to my dismay, Guy and I would be parting ways soon. We would never see each other again. That’s why I tried my hardest to brush away the warmth in my belly, steeling myself for what was to come. I’d be with my own kind soon and couldn’t worry with my silly, girly infatuations.

  I stood in the kitchen, staring numbly out the window as Wilson closed the curtains in preparation for the sun. He grabbed two chalices from a shelf on the wall and retrieved a bag of blood from the fridge —the one full of human blood Guy and I had stolen. He filled the cups and handed me one. I grimaced and sat down at the table, wondering how I could avoid drinking the stuff without Wilson noticing. Goat’s blood was bad enough, but this? Gag.

  He took a sip of his and slid me a sideways glance, looking suspicious. “Something wrong?”

  I shook my head but said nothing, clasping my fingers tightly around the cup, feeling the liquid’s coldness through the porcelain.

  Wilson sighed, scrubbing his forehead with his fingers. “You need to feed Ruby. It won’t do you any good to refuse human blood. That’s all you will have available to you when you’re in Tombstone.”

  Well, apparently he already knew of my aversion so there was no sense in hiding it anymore. Still though, I didn’t know how to approach the topic without him thinking I was a freak so I kept quiet.

  Wilson took another sip and when I gave no response, he continued. “It seems quite peculiar to me that you do not seem to crave as other vampires do. Do humans not make you salivate?”

  I looked down at the chalice of red thickness in my hands, my stomach churning. I then glanced to the walls, absentmindedly taking in all of the pictures and strange memorabilia hanging there. Salivating over human blood was not my subject of choice, but obviously I couldn’t avoid it. “Not really. It just seems… wrong.”

  “Hmm.” Wilson paced the kitchen, his thin body moving in and out of light and shadow from the old overhead hanging lamp.

  “But I did crave a vampire.” Once the words left my mouth, I knew I’d seriously screwed up and clamped a hand over my mouth. Guilt rose up to burn my throat like acid, but not from the actual act of killing the vampire— he would’ve killed Guy and me if given the chance. No, the guilt came from a place of what others would think of me, what Wilson would think of me.

  Wilson stopped dead in his tracks. “You what?”

  Cringing, I lowered my eyes, hoping he would not think I was a weirdo, or worse yet, a murderer. I mentally readied myself and continued, trying to explain what I’d done.

  “Shortly after I met Guy, he was attacked by a vampire. He almost died, Wilson. And I could smell the vamp. He smelled… delicious. And I drained him. I… I killed him.”

  I dropped my head, ashamed over my admission. Was I in fact a murderer? Did self-defense constitute such a crime? And not only had I killed someone, I’d killed one of my own kind. I hoped I could trust Wilson. He was an outcast himself, and I hoped he wouldn’t turn me in. I nervously looked up into my teacher’s wide eyes and waited for his reply.

  “You killed another vampire?” he repeated, shock written all over his face.

  “Yes.” I bit my bottom lip. “But it was in defense of Guy’s life. He was dying.”

  Wilson sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. He frowned, drumming his fingers on the granite in thought. A lump
formed in my throat.

  “Am I going to be in trouble, Wilson? For killing another vampire?”

  “Was anyone else there to witness this act?” He stretched his neck tensely to the side.

  “No.”

  He exhaled through puffed up cheeks. “You might have been lucky enough to escape a sentence of execution.”

  I frowned, morbid fear rushing through me. A sentence of execution? God, I’d just recently escaped my own death, and narrowly at that. The idea of having to go through it again terrified me. I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t allow it to happen. I had killed that vampire for a reason, not out of malice or anger. I’d done it out of defense, to save Guy’s life. My own life. No, I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I raised my head stoically.

  “But like I said, Wilson, it was in defense!”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Wilson retorted. “Not only did you kill a member of your own kind, but you did it in order to protect a human. And not just any human. A human who is one of the most influential leaders of FUSE. And in case you didn’t know, FUSE is a vampire’s worst enemy. You would be seen as a traitor.”

  My nerves lit up like a neon sign. I was only a few days old in my new life and I’d already committed the most treacherous crime of my kind. My heart pounded in my chest. “Are you going to turn me in, Wilson?”

  Wilson laughed abruptly and clasped his hands together. “If I did that, I’d be incriminating myself. No, I will not turn you in.”

  I studied him and realized my presumption had been right. He was similar to me in the fact that we were outcasts and I knew then that I could trust him. My body relaxed, only slightly though. I was still wound up from knowing the possible recourse for my actions, imagining a group of terrifying beasts coming after me with torches and pitchforks.

  Wilson sat down next to me, snapping me out of my frightful thoughts. He focused all his attention on me, his dark eyes looking even darker in that moment. “You know, I’ve been thinking.” He twiddled his fingers together, his voice sounding strange and foreboding. I warily raised my brows. “I’ve been thinking a lot about how different you are from myself and any other vampire I’ve ever met.”