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

by Jade M. Phillips

  “Your biological father left when I was four months pregnant with you. And I never heard from him again.”

  “Why?” I blurted out, my voice cracking. “Why did he leave us?” I studied my mother, drilling into her eyes with mine as though I could see into the past, as though all of the answers lay hidden there beneath her brown irises. Her gaze faltered and she looked down at her lap. After one long moment she glanced back up.

  “Honestly, Ruby, I don’t know. But what I do know is that the man who’s loved you more than words and been there through it all, sits right here in front of you.” Again, she squeezed his hand.

  He gazed at me, his eyes soft with sympathy. He cleared his throat, his voice raspy. “She’s right Ruby. Blood doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m your dad and you’re my daughter. We’re a family, and I love you very much.”

  I stared at him in disbelief, my heart hammering hard inside my chest. I studied his face, a face I’d never realized looked nothing like mine. His eyes were green, where mine were brown. His hair was dark, where mine was light. His face was long, where mine was round. How had I never known? How had I been so foolish to think I was his real daughter, when in all actuality there was some other man out there who’d made me? The thought of my mother being with another man disgusted me, causing my blood to boil like molten lava in my veins.

  Not only did I not know the man who sat across from me anymore, claiming to be my dad, I had been lied to my entire life. I didn’t want their sympathy. I didn’t want anything from them, except the truth. A raging fire blazed from the soles of my feet to the top of my head and I shot from my seat, tears pooling in my eyes.

  “Why now?” I cried. “Why now when I’m just about to turn eighteen years old?” My chest trembled, holding back a sob. “Why not tell me when I was younger? When I could’ve had time to process this?”

  Dad tried on a smile, but it didn’t look sincere. “We did what we thought was best.”

  “Yes, honey,” mom added. “We wanted to wait until we felt you were old enough to handle this. And we understand that you’re upset.”

  Upset? Upset? Oh, I was more than upset. The nerve of them, lying to their only child all of this time. A ball of heat expanded in my middle, threatening to explode. I released a loud scoff.

  “Seventeen years!” I cried, my voice sounding shrill. “You waited that long, why didn’t you just keep it to yourselves forever? Why didn’t you just keep lying to me for the rest of my life? Apparently, you’re very good at it.”

  “Ruby it’s not like that.”

  Both my parents stood, raising their hands as if to calm me. But I wasn’t having it.

  “What is it then? Tell me? If not a monstrous lie, then what is this?”

  I didn’t wait for a reply, but bolted out my bedroom door.

  I vaguely remembered them trying to stop me as I flew down the stairs. I vaguely remember ignoring their words, wishing them to go to hell. I raced out into the evening, away from the people who’d betrayed me. Away from the people who claimed to be my parents for far too long.

  I’d never felt so hurt and so angry in my entire life. There was a hole in my heart, one which I feared would never heal again. All I’d ever wanted was to feel accepted, to feel loved, and at that moment, I felt neither.

  Reality slammed into me by the torrent of pain blasting my insides. I rocked myself against the growing torture. I was back in the Spanish-Catholic mission, Guy sleeping in the chair against the wall. The small room slowly came into focus, but once it did the painful images crashed into my brain like a faulty strobe light. I squinted my eyes and curled my fists, the pain increasing fiercer than before. I wailed, my body flinging itself about on the floor, having no control. Every part of me hurt and torturous agony came in blazes.

  “Make it stop!” My voice rang a higher pitch than I ever thought possible and in an instant Guy was kneeling at my side.

  “Just breathe. It will soon pass.” His soothing manner surprised me. The way his conflicted eyes stared down at me dug deep into my heart. His brows were creased with worry and I wondered if he actually cared what happened to me and what I was going through. Beyond the physical torture I endured, did he know the mental pain I held at losing my family—not to mention the boy I’d loved my whole life?

  I barely had time to wonder before bursts of blinding light spider-webbed beneath my lids. I covered my eyes with my palms and flailed about, my hands still bound together with the cuffs.

  “Remember…” Guy’s voice broke through the pain like a cool rain. “This is only temporary.”

  “Temporary…” I panted. My ears rang with the sounds of a thousand screeching children. So loud. I had always loved children, always overjoyed by their laughter, but now I just wanted to punch every single one of the little jerks screaming in my ears. I tucked my head as though it would thwart the sound, but it only grew louder. Tears spilled down my cheeks.

  “Faith. Look at me.”

  I tried, but a bolt of lightning planted itself in my spine and shot down to my limbs, fingers and toes. I whimpered. What on earth did I do to deserve this? Was it a punishment of some sort? Had I won the God hates you and wants to smite you lottery? I howled again, Guy grabbing me into his arms. He held me tight against my involuntary thrashing.

  “Ssshh,” he hushed. But that was easier said than done. I tried to reel myself in, tried to control my movements, but it was impossible. I kicked and squirmed wildly against the pain and Guy squeezed his arms tighter around me.

  “Faith… look at me.”

  It took everything I had, but I twisted my neck and found his eyes. Soft, grey eyes.

  “Focus on me. I’m right here with you.”

  His gaze was full of hurt at having to watch me go through this, but I could also see the strength in him. I kept my eyes locked on his and, as though he was lending me his strength, the pain ebbed and became more tolerable. I panted and moaned in his arms, my body shivering with cold.

  “I’m f… f… freezing.” All of a sudden, my body felt as though it was submerged in freaking ice.

  “It’s part of it.” Guy grabbed the woolen blanket and wrapped it snug around me. I noticed how careful and gentle he was, very much unlike before. My head lay in his lap and he gently pulled my hair away from my face. My lips trembled and teeth chattered.

  I wished I knew what had caused this in the first place, who had changed me into this… thing. Then maybe it would help me to get through it. But the missing piece in my memory held firm and I submitted to the pain.

  “W… when will it stop?” I wondered aloud. God, I wished he could make it stop. I wished this was all just some horrid nightmare and I would awaken in my own bed. I would hug my mom and dad, telling them I was sorry for storming out like that. Tell them that I loved them no matter what our circumstances.

  Guy frowned and stroked the side of my cheek with his thumb. His sudden affection was not lost on me, but the comfort was short-lived. It was all I could do to listen to his voice without wailing. My body shook and shivered.

  “I’m not sure exactly,” he replied, studying my face. “But I’ve heard that once you’ve been infected, the effects should subside when the next sun sets.”

  “How long?” I breathed.

  He looked down and pressed a button on his watch, the blue glow highlighting his strong jawline and the stubble across it. “Ten more hours, give or take.”

  I wondered if I could get through it and how on Earth could I survive ten more hours. It felt like an eternity had already passed and we’d only just begun. My muscles quivered with cold and my teeth clattered together.

  “I feel like I’m going to f… freeze to death. Are there anymore b… blankets?”

  “No.” Guy looked down at me and sighed. After a moment, he shook his head as though about to do something he might regret. He moved to the floor and lay down behind me, cupping my body with his. His warm arms wrapped around me. I raised my brows in surprise,
but didn’t complain. It was the best sensation I’d had all night— or day. Was it daytime? I wasn’t sure anymore.

  “Thank you.”

  I wondered what had caused his sudden stroke of compassion and if I’d been right about him having a softer side. I wondered who he was, this man that was cold as ice one minute, and soothing as warm blankets the next. We lay there a while in the pitch black, our soft breathing the only sound.

  “T… talk to me.” My teeth chattered violently and I was afraid if I spoke any louder it would hurt. “T…tell me about yourself.” I thought if I listened to him talk, it might offer a distraction. Heck, I’d try anything at this point.

  Guy shifted behind me, the pure strength of his chest pressing up against my back. His arms were smooth, like solid rocks holding me tight.

  “What do you want to know?” His breath in my hair sent shivers down my spine and the faint scent of his crisp aftershave calmed my senses.

  “The truth.” I wanted to know more. I needed answers, just like I’d needed answers from my parents. “W…why did you save me?”

  A strained silence fell between us and I knew I’d struck a chord. But I didn’t care, and it was the first question that came to mind.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “T… ten hours,” I said in regards to the amount of time we still had left. Ten hours before this torture was over. Ten hours before I was a vampire. I gritted my teeth against the cold.

  He inhaled, the rise in his chest pushing against my back. He eased out the air and began. “There was this girl…”

  Of course. That’s how the story usually begins; a girl. I waited in the silence for him to continue. He paused, gathering his thoughts, weighing his words strategically, just like I assumed he did everything.

  “Her name was Lily.” His body tensed when he spoke her name, obviously a sore subject. “I was young. Had just finished boot camp. I didn’t go to college like my dad wanted, but enrolled in the military straight after high school.”

  I focused on Guy’s voice, the low tenor of it, the calming effect it had on me. He took another slow breath before continuing.

  “I never liked being around people and never usually went into town. But when I did, I’d have coffee at a local diner in Sierra Vista. That’s where we met. She was a freshman in college, a journalism student. She wanted to know about me. She wanted to interview me on the effects of military on youth. I didn’t want anything to do with her but she was relentless. Day after day, she’d try to talk to me. And day after day, I’d ignore her. I wondered what she saw in me or why she wanted to interview me. Maybe because of the challenge I posed?”

  His arms snaked tighter around me, encasing my body in their warmth. The icy coldness subsided and I melted into him, unbelieving that he was opening up to me like this. When I asked him to talk to me, I'd have settled on the weather, but this was just as good. No, it was better. I was finally seeing another side of Guy, a side I suspected, not many people saw.

  “Anyway,” he continued, his voice deep and husky. “I finally gave in. I told her she could interview me, but only if it was on my terms. She agreed. I took her to my campsite, the desert I would frequent on the weekends when I was off duty. I was a private in the army then and was more concerned about my training than having friends. I would rather live as a survivalist.”

  I instantly pictured Guy out in the desert in his combat gear, much like the way I’d seen him the night before when he’d rescued me —Camo pants, black boots, tight shirt stained with mud. Not a bad image, if I do say so myself. Guy shifted, causing me to shake off my visions of his strong appeal. He propped himself up on an elbow.

  “So she came along with me and saw how I lived my life. How I liked to be alone out in the wilderness, only the stars and me. The big open spaces. I was free out there. Free to be myself. I thought if I let her see my simple existence, the way I liked to rough the elements, she’d finally leave me alone. I mean, what girl wanted to hunt rabbits and chop wood? But she stayed with me for two days and three nights, scribbling in her journal, barely saying a word. And then she came back the next weekend, and the next. And our two-day interview was long gone and it was nearing the end of summer. I ended up falling for her. She was the first person I could open up to without judgment. She got me. And I got her. Right when I considered asking her to move in with me, possibly even marry me, she was taken from me.”

  He fell silent for a moment, leaving me wild with curiosity. I wondered where his Lily had been taken and by whom. And what was it about her that affected him so deeply.

  “She was taken from me…” his chest expanded with breath against my back, “by a vampire.”

  His words hit me like a gong. I got it. It all made sense. I’d only known Guy Stone for less than a day, but I understood him now. I understood why he was the way he was. Cold, distant, and, last but not least, a vampire killer. Complex emotions washed over me, compassion and guilt combined.

  “And that’s why you now work for FUSE? Revenge?”

  He said nothing, but nodded in confirmation. All at once— as if I were the one personally to blame for his love’s disappearance— guilt shattered my heart like a vase thrown against a wall.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “It must’ve been horrible…”

  “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

  I wondered exactly how long he meant. It couldn’t have been more than a few years for he was only a couple of years older than I was. I was sure of it. The pain of his loss echoed through me and I could tell he used care in planning his next words.

  “And when I saw you there on the ground all alone… it was like it was happening all over again. I couldn’t let them kill you.” Something about his voice rang different now. He was no longer the jerk he had been to me earlier. He was softer somehow.

  “Thank you,” I breathed.

  But the distraction his words offered was abruptly forgotten as another bout of cramps traveled through me. Guy leaned over me, his eyes grim and his face tight with worry.

  “Don’t thank me now. We’re still not out of the woods yet.”

  NINE: RUBY

  Pain had me lifting my lashes, the whispers of a troubled dream I couldn’t recall fading away like a blown-out birthday candle. I wriggled uncomfortably, my stomach wrenching in on itself as though mocking my terrible situation. I couldn’t tell how long it had been since entering the old mission, but it seemed an eternity. Guy lay with me on the floor, one of his arms flung over my shoulder, his hand dangling in front of my face. His breathing was slow and even and I figured we must’ve dozed off at some point.

  I was no longer cold, the heat of his body behind mine warm and cozy. A flush crossed my cheeks at the idea of being so close to him and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the pressure of his chest against my back. But the pain in my stomach diverted my attention and I squirmed again, my insides twisting and churning.

  Awakening, Guy bolted upright, his fingers wrapping gently around my arm. He leaned over me.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, and his voice was laden with sleep. He squinted his eyes and stared, unseeing, in the darkness. But I could see him perfectly. His mussed hair stuck out in every direction and he looked oddly adorable.

  I nodded, but pain shot through my core, slicing through me like a hot knife. Noting this, Guy tried to distract me.

  “What about you? You didn’t tell me your story…” He laid down and wrapped his arms around me again when I started to jerk.

  Hmm… My story. Along with the pain of my transformation, a deep sorrow bled through me like toxic poison. Before— only a few days back— I’d had a good story. A good life. I’d had a normal family who loved me and a boyfriend I could count on— not to mention that I’d been human then. But now… now it was all gone like dust on the wisp of a breeze. My story was a sad one now. A story I wasn’t sure I wanted to share the details of. Again, hot blades cut deep into my back and I arched my neck in restra
int. I tried to focus on his question. His question about my story.

  “My… my name is Ruby —not Faith.” Guy chuckled and I couldn’t help but smile through the pain. “I… I had a pretty normal life before. A good life....” I moaned, unable to finish the sentence, agony coursing through my body.

  “What else?” His deep voice brought my attention back to the conversation. “Tell me what was so good.”

  I sucked in a gulp of air, warding off the needles stabbing my insides.

  “I don’t know. I… I always enjoyed school. I play piano —played piano.” I wondered when I’d ever get over the fact that I was a vampire and things would never be the same.

  “You could still play,” Guy offered.

  I snorted. “A piano-playing vampire?” The idea was bizarre and comical. I imagined a circus act of clown-clad vampires, red noses and all, playing instruments and performing different tricks. I laughed out loud at the thought.

  “I don’t see why not.” I felt him shrug. “We’ve apprehended vampires that worked in all different facets of the community. Some were bartenders and some cops. Why not a pianist?”

  I shook my head, realizing our silly conversation was helping to subdue the pain. “I don’t know. I guess it just sounds funny.”

  Guy sighed and his body relaxed against me. I nestled up into him, realizing I didn’t want our time together to end. Not yet. Not when it meant I would have to face the world as a blood-sucking monster.

  “What else?” Guy insisted. “What makes Faith… Faith?

  I let out an annoyed breath. He was well aware of my name but for some reason insisted on calling me Faith. I chuckled inwardly. Whatever. I wouldn’t let it bother me. Not when I was finally starting to feel a little better.

  “Um… I always wanted to be like my mom. She’s a nurse. She’s so beautiful… and the most caring person I’ve ever met.” A sudden pang of sadness struck me square in the chest at the thought of losing her. “I miss her…”

  “You said you were enrolled in college?” Guy interjected, trying to get away from a touchy subject; the reality that I was never going to see my family again. I thought of how awful our last conversation had been, the last conversation we would ever have. Grief sank its sharp teeth into my heart, but I shrugged off the sour feeling, playing into Guy’s diversion. I was more than okay with it.