I sank to my knees and sadly brushed her name with my fingers. “Lily,” I whispered.
After finding her dead a couple years ago, I’d never once come to her gravesite. Nor her funeral. The fear and pain had kept me away. FUSE had taken care of all the details with a cover story. Even General Brandt had urged me to go, to grieve. But at the time, I couldn’t allow myself to re-live the trauma of losing her. It’d been my fault for not searching long enough, hard enough. It was my fault for letting her into my life in the first place. I was the reason she’d died.
I found myself speaking to Lily’s tombstone as though she could hear me, my voice gravelly with regret.
“I never should have let you go out there on your own. I should’ve stayed with you. Protected you.” Dry leaves fluttered past my legs in the breeze as if in response. I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”
My stomach fell open inside, a burn traveling to the bottom of my feet. An ache I’d never allowed myself to feel before now. I’d always repressed my feelings, never mourning the way I should have. And now that I allowed the emotions to come forth, my entire body trembled with the magnitude of years of pain. I shivered unintentionally.
“And now I don’t know what to do.” I caressed one of the dry rose petals that had fallen away. It crumbled beneath my fingers. “I’ve intervened in someone else’s life. Their death. I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake. But I think… I think I love her.”
For the first time in as long as I can remember a tear rolled down my cheek, dripping from my chin. The wind gusted and the large oak creaked in its wake. The bustling air brushed against the back of my neck. I’d never thought I could love again. Was it even possible? My skin rose in gooseflesh.
“Tell me,” I said to the empty air. “Am I wrong in trying to help her? Should I have let her die?”
Ruby’s smile entered my mind, her violet eyes glistening with warmth and her laugh tickling my senses. No, I couldn’t have let her die, especially now. Now that I knew what I would’ve missed out on.
“I…” my throat clenched, hesitation stunting my breath. No, I needed to do this. I needed to tell her. I swallowed past the lump and started again. “For so long, I shut down. From everything and everyone. The grief over what happened to you haunted me, Lily. It changed me. I became vengeful and spiteful. I became a monster.”
The smell of flowers traveled on the breeze and I inhaled the scent, wondering if I was still the monster I once was. I wondered if that is what Lily would’ve wanted me to become— a cold ruthless killer. Probably not.
And then it dawned on me that I had changed. Ruby had changed me, just as Lily had. But this time was different— like awakening from a bad dream and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. I wasn’t a vengeful beast anymore, living for the thrill of the kill, relentlessly hunting down Unfortunates as though they were insects. I had become more human again, finally letting my wall break down. But I wondered what that meant for the life I’d pledged myself to. The one where I led men into battle against something I knew little about.
My world was turning upside down, my mind a whirlwind of questions and doubts. But despite the conflict sweeping over me like crashing waves, it didn’t feel wrong to care for Ruby. It actually felt like the right thing to do.
I jerked in surprise as a black crow landed on the headstone, its beady eyes blinking down at me. The bird wasn’t afraid, but studied me as if waiting for me to speak. I stilled with wonder during our silent exchange, as if it were a sign, as if Lily were speaking to me through nature. A cluster of rose petals fell away from the bouquet and danced across my knees. The bird cocked its head before flapping away. Rain began to patter against my shoulders.
I reached into my pocket and brought out the knife Lily had given me long ago. I rubbed the engraving of my last name on the handle. Stone. I licked my dry lips and placed the weapon at the base of her gravestone. A peace offering. A symbol of closure. A new beginning. I touched the grave again, whispering.
“Thank you.”
Though she was long gone, she’d given me the answers I needed.
And maybe I’d done right, after all. Maybe this wasn’t a mistake, but a blessing in disguise. I wasn’t sure what my future held now that the vampire Faith had come into my life. But I had no other choice but to help her. Help Ruby. I would find her a place with people of her own kind, where she would be safe from the likes of me.
I rose to my feet and gave the stone one last glance before turning away. I left the cemetery with a new air about me, peacefulness relaxing my body. I accepted my new outlook on life, finally letting go of Lily. Finally letting go of my past.
Now I had to go help a girl. A girl I would forever hold a bond with. Whether we were meant to be together or not, whatever the distance, I would always hold a place in my heart for Ruby. I would forever be connected to her, my beautiful vampire Faith. A gift from beyond the grave.
TWENTY-FIVE: RUBY
I sat bolt upright, gasping for air. My heart pounded in my ears and I clasped my hands to my chest in hopes to slow it down.
“Guy?” I stumbled from the bedroom, the shards of another dream finally letting go, leaving me dark and anxious inside. Sweat beaded my forehead.
My racing heart finally slowed as I padded down the hallway, reminding myself it was just another dream, another memory— one of my death. Since making no progress on the missing piece of time from my memory when awake, I was hopeful it’d come to me in sleep. But for some reason when my dreams hit the revealing point I’d been searching for— the clue to who made me this way— they stopped abruptly. It was as if something wouldn’t let them pass.
I released a long breath to calm myself and called out to my savior again.
“Guy?”
I’d woken to the darkness, finding myself alone. Guy’s pallet was rolled up and put to the side, his blankets folded and stacked neatly atop his pillow.
The house was dark except for a few candles and low-light lamps casting a dim glow. I plodded down the hall, passing a closed red door and a few others that were wide open. Clutter and antiques filled the rooms, but I saw no one.
“Hello?” I called out warily, but got no response. “Wilson?”
I moved through the living room and into the kitchen only to find a half-drained glass of blood and a plate with toast crumbs. On my way back down the hall, I stopped by the red door and heard soft murmuring within.
I grasped the brass doorknob carefully and opened the door a crack. An electronic blue glow beamed from the room and I heard Wilson muttering to himself inside. “Too close. Too close.”
“Wilson?” I asked with hesitation. I’d never noticed this room before and I didn’t want to intrude on Wilson’s privacy. But curiosity got the better of me and I creaked it open a bit more.
A ferocious growl pierced my ears and I found myself slammed against the hallway, my body pinned by my neck. My heart pounded in response to Wilson’s dark eyes flashing at me, his expression twisting with anger and fear. His breath heaved on my cheek and if I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought he would kill me right then and there.
I opened my mouth but was unable to speak for the strain on my neck. My fangs extended and my instinct was to fight, to kill. But I reluctantly restrained myself, not wanting to hurt Wilson, wondering what the heck had happened to him.
His eyes burned with the fury of a wild beast but I saw a sudden change there. A realization. He dropped me to the ground and stumbled backward, panting.
“I… I…” he stammered, leaning against the wall. He adjusted the tie around his neck and scrubbed his forehead. “I don’t know what came over me. Are… are you all right?”
I rubbed my neck, though to my amazement, felt no pain. “Yes, I’m fine.” He reached out a hand and helped me from the floor, his face lined with regret.
“I’m sorry. I fear I’ve become a bit antsy in my old age.”
Yet again, my racing heart slowed its pace, but my hands sti
ll shook with adrenaline. I took in the old vampire standing before me. He looked worn and tired, as though he’d had no sleep.
I concentrated on my fangs like Wilson had taught me the night before and to my pleasant surprise, they retracted with little effort. But pride over my accomplishment fled when I saw the relieved expression on Wilson’s face and I wondered what could’ve caused him to act in such a way.
As though hearing my questions, Wilson laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I wasn’t completely honest with you. I didn’t leave the Unfortunate Souls willingly.” He heaved out a long breath. “I escaped.”
I scrunched my brows in unvoiced question.
Wilson rubbed his palms together, weighing his words. “Without going into too much detail, all I can say is that I broke the rules. I did something unforgivable by our kind.”
“Did you kill someone?” I asked, my own mishap at the old mission instantly coming to mind when I’d killed the vampire.
He shook his head. “No. I did something that, in their opinion, is much worse than murder.”
I opened my mouth to ask what possibly could be worse than murder but before I could speak, Wilson guided me to the red door, changing the subject.
“And that is why I live here, alone. Though I don’t like to admit it, Captain Stone was the one who helped to set me up here, where I could not be found. And that’s why, when I found you at the door, I panicked. I’m always on edge, fearing they will one day find me and serve me with permanent death.”
I nodded, realizing there was more to Wilson than I would ever understand. I was about to ask another question when he opened the red door, revealing what looked like some sort of control center.
“On a lighter note… I have something to show you.”
We entered the hidden room and I gazed around in wonder. The walls peeled with yellowing wallpaper and were hung with security screens and old picture frames. The frames were filled with black and white portraits of people long since gone. I wondered about the picture I had of my family. I wondered if in a few short years, it too would be an antique. I gazed at the hazy black and white memories that had lost their color, their brilliance gone.
Wilson leaned over one of three desks, which was crammed with glowing computers and laptops, a tangle of wires running this way and that. Tall shelves overflowed with old books and baskets lined the floor with rolled-up maps and other furled documents. It was a strange and eclectic gathering of new and old, yet I found myself comforted by it.
“Have a seat.” Wilson gestured to a rolling computer chair and I sat down, scanning the television monitors in awe.
“What is this, Wilson?”
“My office.” He flashed me a dry smile, sitting down in the chair next to mine.
“Yeah.” I giggled at his obvious answer. “I figured that much. But why all of the computers and television screens? What’s all this stuff? What do you do?”
“These are the notions of an old, crazy vampire,” he said, his voice raw and sleepy. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Some would call me paranoid, but I like to think of myself as well-informed.”
I focused on one of the screens which captured the training area from the night before. The yellow spotlight highlighted the side of the shed and the dirt below.
“You must feel pretty secure here.” Astonished, I noted all of the many locations currently being recorded. “Do you have security cameras surrounding the whole property?”
“And other places around town,” Wilson added with a smile. My eyebrows arched in question, and he continued. “I knew about the blood bank robbery hours before any news reporter. Why do you think that was?” It was a rhetorical question.
“Wow,” I said, amazed by his expansive technology.
“I considered bringing you here tonight, anyhow.” Wilson rolled his chair closer to the desk in front of us, the wheels squeaking. “Now that you’re one of us, there are some things you should know.” He leaned over and pointed to a spot on an old hand-drawn map lying flat on the desk, the distinct smell of vampire hitting my nose. “This is where Captain Stone will be taking you when the time comes.”
I studied the lines and curves of the map, my eyes shooting wide in recognition to a place not far from my home. “That’s the town of Tombstone. But why would he be taking me there? It’s just an old abandoned ghost town.”
“That’s exactly what they want you to think.” Wilson winked mischievously. “Tombstone may have been condemned and closed off to tourists years ago, but it’s hardly abandoned.”
I leaned in, amazed, and looked harder at the yellowed map. I thought if I looked closely enough, I might see inside the little drawings, clueing me in on the mystery of the secret city.
Wilson rubbed his hand softly over the paper. “Tombstone is the largest Southwestern hub for Unfortunate Souls, complete with its own community of Werewolves, Vampires, Witches and the like.”
My mouth hung open at the new information and my mind spun like a dust devil. I’d only just now started to come to terms that vampires themselves actually existed— not to mention that I’d become one myself. But now, this? Seriously? It was a herculean concept; an entire populace of otherworldly creatures, all living amongst each other. Mind blowing.
“It’s a nice little town, really,” Wilson continued, breaking my train of thought. “And for the most part, it is run fairly and can be peaceful at times. Or at least it used to be, anyway.”
I frowned, wondering what he meant by ‘peaceful at times.’ What happened the rest of the time? I didn’t even want to imagine.
“Did you ever live there, Wilson?” My heart pounded with excitement and just a hint of fear.
The old vampire furrowed his brows together in a frown. He played with the edge of the map, furling and unfurling it. “Yes. In fact, I was a highly respected leader. I was head of the vampire legion until…”
He let his words trail off. What? What did he do that was so bad, forcing him to flee with his life? The suspense was killing me. I tilted my head to the side, waiting for him to finish. But to my disappointment, he waved a hand indicating his dismissal of the thought.
“No matter. When you get there, you will want to meet with a woman named Pandora. She is the head of new recruits. She will help you get settled in and find a place for you to contribute your skills.”
Hmm… My skills. I had trouble envisioning a town in which vampires and werewolves worked hand in hand, contributing their skills. But the more I considered it, the more it seemed plausible. I mean, for all intents and purposes, we weren’t that different from humans after all… Or were we?
I surveyed the security screens again, one in particular catching my eye. “Is that Tombstone, there?”
I saw the old cracked sign resembling the one I’d seen in pictures, but this one was marked ‘Condemned.’ The old ghost town had been open to the public at some point in the past. But sometime before I was born, there’d been a tremendous cave in from the gold mines beneath, making it uninhabitable. Most people in Southern Arizona knew the devastating story, a part of old west history.
“Yes, indeed,” Wilson nodded. “I’m able to see who comes and goes but not what goes on inside the town.”
I studied the screen again, but saw no movement out on the old road leading into the blocked-off town. I gaped, in awe of the old vampire and his technology. Technology that could survey a place nearly two hours away.
Wilson froze, his eyes fixed on one of the glowing screens. I followed his line of sight to see Guy pulling up in the front drive in our ‘borrowed’ truck. I resisted the urge to laugh, remembering the way Guy had beamed proudly over his hotwiring skills.
“Time to lock up.” Wilson shot up from his seat and shooed me out of the room, closing the red door behind us. He took a key from his pocket and locked the door.
“Ruby.” He held me steady by my shoulders, his gaze serious and unrelenting. “I’ve shown you this in confidence, assuming you
will keep my secret. You mustn’t tell a soul —dead or alive— any of the information you have seen.”
“Yes,” I sincerely agreed. “Of course.”
Wilson released me, but leaned in, the sound of his voice dark and ominous. “You must understand if I’m found out by FUSE or even the Unfortunates themselves, my home would be destroyed and I would likely be killed— not to mention all the information they could find. It could mean the end for a lot of Unfortunates. It could mean great devastation.”
My guts flipped inside my stomach, the severity of Wilson’s secrecy now becoming very apparent. And I liked the old vampire. I’d never do anything to harm him. “I understand, Wilson. I won’t tell a soul.”
Wilson ushered me out into the living room where Guy met us with armloads of shopping bags and boxes. He laid them on the ground before me.
“What’s all this?” I asked.
“Yes.” Wilson cocked his head to the side, unamused. “What’s all this?”
Guy contemplated Wilson warily, but then diverted his attention to me. He beamed, causing a flutter in my stomach. There was something different about his smile. Was it lighter? Happier? I couldn’t tell what, exactly. But I didn’t care, warmth spreading through my body from beneath his gaze.
“I bought you some new clothes.” He stepped forward, our bodies closer now. “I figured you’d want something different to wear when you join the others.”
My heart warmed and my skin flushed. Guy never ceased to amaze me. Under his hard exterior and grim manner, he was a sensitive and caring soul. I couldn’t help but grin widely. Things were definitely looking up.
“Thank you so much.” I threw my arms around Guy and he flinched before finally softening into the hug. He felt so good. So good in fact, I never wanted to let go. His strong fingers gripped my back and his warm breath tickled my hair. But I forced myself to part from him, dropping to the ground to scoop up the bags and boxes.
Unfortunate Souls (Book 1): Unfortunate Souls Series (The Unfortunate Souls Series) Page 15