Guy and I caught each other’s glance. He nodded slowly.
Wilson grunted. “Enlighten me. How did you manage to run off with a Newborn vampire?”
“First of all…” Guy clenched his jaw, seemingly irritated. “She wasn’t a vampire when I found her. And secondly, that’s not the point. But to answer your question, the coven at the Bisbee warehouse was where I found her. It has been eradicated.”
Wilson leaned back, his chair creaking. “Yes. I saw.” He brought his glass to his lips and sipped the dark liquid, unaffected by the information. He sat the glass down on a narrow coffee table and glared at Guy. “What is it you want from me?”
The wind gusted outside and shook the old windows near the fire place. Guy shifted his gaze to Wilson. “I need you to help us find a safe haven for her. Somewhere she can learn to be what she is without danger.”
It annoyed me the way Guy spoke about me, as though I weren’t sitting right there. Like a child. I felt like an abandoned, vampire-orphan. But I supposed that’s exactly what I was…
“There has to be some place I can take her where she will be accepted,” Guy continued, as if trying to convince the old vampire of our worth. “Somewhere she can be taught by others like her. Otherwise, she doesn’t have a chance of survival.”
Wilson chuckled. “So you — Captain Stone of the FUSE army— are asking me to reveal the location of the most secret community of Unfortunates?” He picked up his glass again and paused with it at his lips. “I don’t think so.”
Guy huffed. “This has nothing to do with me or FUSE. It’s about Faith.” Guy gestured to me and I resisted the urge to make a face at his use of my new nickname.
Wilson sipped his goat’s blood, his focus shifting to me. I straightened in my chair, my stomach twisting nervously under his scrutinizing gaze. A grin of amusement planted itself on the older man’s lips. “So, Faith the vampire, is it?”
“It’s Ruby actually.” I tangled my fingers together.
Wilson finished his blood in one long pull and set the glass back down. The light from the flames danced its glow off his brown hair, giving it an auburn sheen. His dark eyes slid to Guy. “Even if I did believe you, why would you think I’d know the location? I don’t consort with the others anymore. You know as well as I do, I quit that a long time ago. I like my life here. Alone.”
Guy smiled wryly. “You can’t fool me. You’re the smartest vampire on the continent and are always aware of what’s going on. And you owe me one.” He lowered his voice, almost threateningly. “Plus, I could turn you in at the drop of a hat.”
Wilson returned Guy’s wry smile, but the expression seemed more at home on his face. “I know better. You wouldn’t risk turning me in now that you are in cahoots with a Newborn. I’m sorry. I cannot help you.”
“That’s too bad.” Guy reached into his pack and produced a bag of blood. He held it up for Wilson to see. “I brought this for you. But I guess human blood must be unappealing now when you’re used to feeding from chickens and goats.”
Wilson frowned and considered the blood in Guy’s hand. He sighed in resignation and snatched it away. Guy smiled and I took it as an unspoken agreement of some sort.
“If you found her the way you did,” Wilson rolled the bag between his fingers as if it was smooth gold, “It’s likely her maker is dead.”
His words caused a slight surge of disappointment to flush through me. If my maker was dead, I would never find out who they were or why they’d turned me —something I desperately wanted to know. To think that I’d never learn who made me boiled my cold blood. But the angry thought fled once Wilson continued speaking.
“She would need some training before she could be integrated with the others or she wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Guy nodded, his eyes anxious. “Can you help?”
Wilson made an irritated sound and rose from his seat. He started for a dark hallway at the back of the house but stopped to look over his shoulder. “I haven’t had company in years, so excuse the dust.” He disappeared through the doorway and shouted back at us. “Well, are you coming?”
Guy and I exchanged pleased glances and jumped up. We followed the old vampire through the dark hallway and into a back bedroom. An old chandelier flickered above our heads, revealing the contents of the room. An eclectic mixture of styles made up the furniture and random stuff cluttered the floor. The walls had gouges where the red adobe brick showed through the white paint.
“This will be your room for the next week.” Wilson swept his arm in a round gesture.
Guy frowned. “We don’t have that much time.”
Wilson turned to us, his eyebrows drawn close together in disbelief. “A week in itself is barely enough to teach Ruby some control. It would take months to fully train her to where she even stood a chance.”
“I’ve got four days, max, before I’m needed back at headquarters.” Guy absentmindedly picked at a spot on the wall. “And I don’t suppose you’d be willing to escort her to her new coven?”
Wilson didn’t answer. Apparently, the vampire never left his house.
“I thought so.” Guy dropped his arm to his side and leaning nonchalantly against the bricks. He glanced at me, his expression almost playful in a way, teasing my body with his eyes. I swear, every time the man looked at me like that, my insides nearly melted from warm pleasure. My face flushed hot at his gaze, but as soon as it had come, Guy’s playful look fled. He turned to Wilson, serious and stern, yet again. “Four days, and no longer.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Wilson replied with a shrug. “But there’s no guarantee. And we must start tonight.”
Guy nodded and threw our stuff on the floor amidst a pile of accumulated furnishings and cluttered knick-knacks. The musty smell tickled my nose.
“The guest bathroom is to your left. And I’ll hang up some fresh towels.” Wilson smiled at me, although a smile on him looked more like a grimace. “Take a few minutes to get settled in and then we’ll get started.”
“Okay,” I agreed. The old vampire left, shutting the door behind him.
“So this is it?” I asked, not expecting an answer. “I’m officially a vampire in training?” A laugh bubbled from my mouth at the bizarre situation.
Guy shot me a flinty glance, back in war mode I guessed. “You’d better get cleaned up. This is going to be a long night.”
With that, I ambled to the bathroom, trying not to roll my eyes at Guy’s intolerance for anything other than business. It was like the minute he caught himself having fun, he turned it off like a switch. Other than the night I’d transformed, the night he’d opened up to me about his past, I’d only seen glimpses of emotion from him. And now he was back in robot status, cold and abrupt. Great.
But despite his cold manner, I was still warmed by his presence. He was the only thing I had to cling to in this new and strange world and I didn’t want to let him go. My stomach twisted at the thought of having to separate from him in just a few days. It was terrifying. I stepped into the shower and turned on the warm water. I let it cascade over my head and body, the warmth soothing my cool flesh. With every pass of the sudsy washcloth, I felt as though I was washing away my past, letting it disappear down the drain. If only it could wash away my fear, too.
TWENTY-ONE: GUY
To say I was relieved to find Ruby was an understatement. And though having her back in my care alleviated my worry, I still couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. The way she’d collapsed against the sidewalk in front of her childhood home, everything lost, killed me inside. She was like a mountain caving in on itself, the strength of her weakened by one small crack. A crack in her heart, the rocks tumbling to the ground, crashing her spirit.
I’d let her cry against my chest and held her in my arms. I didn’t want to admit it, but I cared for her and didn’t want to see her hurting. I wanted to do something, anything, to help ease her pain. But I knew she was strong and would overcome.
This was just
the beginning for Ruby and she had an eternal life ahead of her, endless possibilities. In all honesty, it was something I’d always loathed about vampires; it was inhuman to live so long. But now, I wanted that for her. I wanted her to find her happiness and have the kind of life I never could. She’d seen her share of misery, but now… now she had another chance. She had something special that no human could ever know.
But the one thing I had now, was a bond to her. A bond that would last the rest of my life. I would forever be able to feel her and read her moods. And despite our distance, whether small or great, I would always know she was there in the back of my mind. A yearning I would never be able to satisfy, an unsated hunger. I could feel it there now, strong as ever. Not only did I need to be near her, but I felt compelled to protect her. But once I handed her over, after her training, I wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. The bittersweet thought fled my mind and I found myself standing in the living room of my allied enemy. Wilson De LeBlanc.
Wilson was a vampire I had crossed paths with on many occasions and our relationship was a bit shaky, to say the least. I was treading thin ice even coming to him. But did I have any other choice?
“You,” he seethed, glaring daggers in my direction. He spun away from me and crossed the room.
Though possessing the appearance of a young man, Wilson was old. At least a century and a half, from my recollection. He thumbed through a shelf of books and pulled one out, pressing it between his hands. The firelight highlighted his narrow form and his bolo tie hung loose around his neck. His eyes flicked up from the book. “Have you completely lost your mind?”
I released an exasperated breath, frustrated. The vampire and I had never seen eye to eye. Our past was too complicated. My jaw clenched. “What would you have had me do? Kill her? She was just a girl.”
His brown eyes lighted on mine. “A girl infected with vampirism.”
I shook my head with annoyance. Yes, she’d been infected, but it still didn’t change that she’d been human when I found her. I was glad Ruby was out of earshot for this conversation. Wilson and I had waited until she went to shower to air out our differences.
“Have you learned nothing?” He paced with the book in hand. “I would have thought by now, you’d gained some bit of knowledge. To let nature run its course. Not to interfere with things beyond your control.”
Heat rushed to my face at his degrading tone. Of all people, he should be the one to lecture me on morals? I held back a scoff.
“And you’re one to talk about interfering? Ha.” I scrubbed my face with my hands in disbelief and then glanced back up. “Wilson De LeBlanc, great vampire dignitary. Legion leader and highly respected member of the community. That’s what you were, wasn’t it? But now? What do the Unfortunates think of when your name’s mentioned? It sure as hell isn’t respect. They’d give anything to have you in their grasp and fry you in the sun.”
Wilson’s eyes flashed with anger. Good, he finally got it. Neither one of us were perfect. That’s how we had come together in the first place, years ago. Our mistakes were our bond. He slammed his book down on the coffee table and glared up at me. His fangs descended, sharp white points from beneath his lip.
“Listen here, boy. I did not ask you to come here. I did not ask to babysit a Newborn. But that’s what you have brought me, isn’t it? Trouble in the form of a Newborn vampire girl… lovely as she is.”
He reached down and grabbed the bag of blood I’d bribed him with earlier. He shook it in his hand. “I do not need your offerings. And I sure as hell don’t need to get caught up in your messes once again.”
My chest tightened with anger, my shoulders so tense they ached. How could he make me out to be the bad guy? I wanted to shake him. I wanted to walk right up to him and shake the crap out of his vampire body. Instead I pointed a finger.
“You.” I clenched my teeth, trying to bite back my bitter rage. “You were the one who involved yourself in my mess before. I never asked you to help me. You found me, remember?” I could see Wilson’s anger flaring once more, but I continued. He knew the truth as well as I did. “And when you got into trouble, who was the one to help you?” I let a moment of silence pass, but Wilson said nothing. Exactly. “I was the one to help you out of FUSE. I was the one who helped you avoid permanent death. I was the one to set you up here in the middle of nowhere, where no one would find you.”
Wilson threw down the bag of blood and squared his shoulders. His brown eyes blazed with impotence. “I could rip out your throat right here, right now, Guy Stone.”
“Yes,” I agreed wickedly. “But you won’t.”
Our gazes met, chests rising and falling with heated breath. I would not back down. I would not let his self-righteous manner push me away. Not when Ruby needed me. Needed him. I stared him down before he finally looked away and sighed. The old vampire sank into his recliner once again and stared into the flames, resigned.
“You were but a boy when I found you,” he said softly. “Hardly able to grow a hair on your chin. You were a mess. And I thought I was doing the right thing by taking you there to find Lily. I thought I could right a wrong.”
I softened at his sadness, knowing he’d meant well. I realized what he had gone through, but I’d never given it much credit until now. He was a vampire after all.
“But I wasn’t you.” I took a step forward. “And nothing you could’ve done would’ve brought Nora back.”
Wilson shook his head at his former love’s name. He looked down at his brown boots, heartache written all over his face. “I am aware of that now. And that’s what I fear you’ve done, boy. Let your past guide you in this decision. Let’s just hope the Newborn will be accepted, or this could all come back to slap you in the face.”
I sat on the sofa next to him and ran my fingers through my hair, my anger fleeting. He was entirely right. There was no guarantee my plan would work the way I hoped. But I had to try.
“There’s no going back now, Wilson. I need your help.” I strained to say the next word, but finally let it fall from my lips. “Please.”
He slid his gaze to me, studying me intently. “I already said I would help you. But I cannot promise it will work.”
“Thank you,” I said, placated. Wilson stood and stared down at me sternly.
“But after this, I want things to go back to normal. You are never to step foot on my property again. Never again mention my name. Is that clear?”
I sighed with relief. And though I was not sure my plan would work, I had to hope it would. Ruby’s life, not to mention my own, depended on it.
“Never again,” I answered.
TWENTY-TWO: RUBY
I wasn’t sure what to make of Wilson the vampire. Aside from the beast I’d killed in front of the Mission, he was the first vampire I’d ever met. I guess I’d been expecting someone different. Maybe someone with black hair that came to a sharp point in the front like Count Dracula. Or maybe someone wearing a swooping silken cloak like in an old black and white movie. Heck, I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it sure wasn’t a twenty-something year old boy wearing grandpa clothes, like he’d never gotten past the nineteen fifties. He was nerdy-unique in his own way and I could tell he was very smart. His young face belied how old he really was, but his dark eyes spoke of wisdom and maturity.
He’d seemed nice enough, I guess, but I could definitely sense the tension between Guy and him. I could see it in their body language. And Guy had never told me about Wilson, always avoiding my questions. I wondered what had happened between them to cause such strife, but it was not the time to dig up the unwanted past. It was time to prepare me for the future. One that, in all honesty, scared the crap out of me.
I, Ruby Carter, Newborn vampire, would be living amongst vampires, werewolves, and witches in the very near future. My body shuddered in trepidation. “Now, retract your fangs.” Wilson’s voice snapped me back to my training.
I let my swirling thoughts flee and focused on my mou
th. The tips of my pointed teeth touched my bottom lip. They were sharp, very sharp, and if I wasn’t careful, I could easily kill someone— not to mention do some serious damage to myself. I squinted with concentration and tried to retract them, but nothing happened. I sighed with frustration.
Wilson paced back and forth beneath the glow of a pale yellow spotlight that clung to the edge of an old shed, his corded bolo tie swaying with the motion. The sky was pitch black, no stars to be seen. Even the moon had gone into hiding this night.
We stood in his back yard— a sizable clearing of dirt before a huge expanse of desert. A coyote howled in the distance.
“There will be times you need to appear human.” Wilson gazed out into the night as if listening to something I couldn’t hear. “It will be the difference between life and death.”
“But aren’t I already dead?” I still didn’t understand exactly what vampirism was and how it worked. All I knew was my human-self had died, or almost died rather, not quite sure which, and I’d been reborn as this creature.
“You are an Unfortunate Soul, though I despise the term,” Wilson stated with distaste, turning back to me. “That means you are no longer human. But just because you have immortality does not mean you cannot be killed.”
My stomach cringed in dark understanding of his words, but Wilson tapped me on the forehead and I creased my brows at the invasive touch.
“A quick shot to the head with a silver bullet, or even an old-fashioned wooden stake to the heart would do the trick. I’ve even heard FUSE is working with some scientists to create a new way to kill vampires using UV rays.”
“Jeez,” I replied. “I’ll make sure to wear my sunblock.”
Wilson spiked a brow at my joke, and I made a mental note to steer clear of the bad one-liners from now on. He cleared his throat and continued.
“Now, listen. It’s all about control. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Take every thought, emotion, and memory and combine them together in a small, tight box. Then take that box and banish it from your mind, leaving a blank slate. Let nothing else cross your mind.”
Unfortunate Souls (Book 1): Unfortunate Souls Series (The Unfortunate Souls Series) Page 13