Heart of the Dead: Vampire Superheroes (Perpetual Creatures Book 1) by Gabriel Beyers Read Free Book Online Page A

moment. “I’m not sure.”
    “You don’t know your own name?”
    The man shrugged. “If I have one, I cannot remember what it is.”
    Jerusa wasn’t quite sure how to reply. “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Jerusa Phoenix.”
    A small, knowing smile fluttered on the man’s lips. He gave a slight bow with his head. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Jerusa Phoenix.”
    An uncontainable smile broke on Jerusa’s face. Alicia, however, scowled. She walked slowly to Jerusa’s side, as if the man might spot her and pounce, and though Jerusa couldn’t be sure, she thought she did see his eyes dart toward Alicia for the briefest of moments. Alicia motioned to Jerusa that it was time to move on, but she wasn’t ready to go.
    “Where are your clothes?”
    He looked down at his naked body. “I don’t think I have any. There weren’t any when I woke up, and I left in such a hurry that I didn’t think to search for any.”
    “Where did you wake up? A hospital?” She wondered if he might have escaped from a mental ward or possibly even prison. Alicia didn’t think much of the man and that should have been enough to send Jerusa running, but for some reason, she didn’t feel at all threatened by him.
    The man considered her question. “I don’t think so. There was medical equipment there, but I don’t think that it was a hospital.”
    “It wasn’t a prison, was it?”
    “Maybe,” the man said. “They didn’t want me to leave.”
    “Who didn’t want you to leave?”
    “The men with the guns,” he said with such frankness that a dark laugh slipped out of Jerusa’s mouth. “They called themselves Light Bearers.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “Did they hurt you?”
    “Yes,” the man said. “But I’m all right now.”
    Duel knots of repulsion and sadness slithered in Jerusa’s gut. Someone, a cult from the sound of it, had kidnapped the young man and did terrible things to him. That was why he was naked. That was why he couldn’t remember his own name.
    “Are you in danger? Do you need help?”
    “I don’t believe so,” he said. “But I think they will come looking for me soon.”
    “Then you should come with me,” Jerusa said, scanning the forest.
    In an instant, her perceptions had changed. Before the forest was green and lush, full of the fragrance of life, golden beams of sunlight dancing with the trees. But now, all she could see were the creeping shadows. A darkened world shunning the light while giving refuge to all things sinister.
    Once again, she regarded the young man, the way Alicia had reacted to him, and she wondered to which perception did he belong: the light or the darkness? It was clear what Alicia thought, but Jerusa was unsure. She had grown up in an overprotective world, constructed by a mother, that measured on the strict side of the scale. In these modern times, children were taught to trust no one, scrutinize every situation, because everyone is out for themselves and one didn’t need to search long to find those who desired to destroy others in one fashion or another. Even so, Jerusa sensed no malice in this man, and she was once again overwhelmed with his almost childlike nature — not in form or thought, but in innocence.
    “Go with you?” the man asked, amused by the notion. “Where to?”
    “The police. They can help you.”
    The man shook his head. “No. I don’t believe that would be a good idea.”
    “Why? If you’ve been abducted then they can protect you. Get you back to where you belong.”
    A deep sadness welled up in his eyes. “What if I don’t belong anywhere?”
    “What do you mean? I don’t understand?”
    The man didn’t answer, but instead, offered her a tender smile.
    “I have a friend,” Jerusa said. “His name is Foster. He lives close by. Will you follow me to his house?” She felt a panic creeping into her voice, though she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was Alicia’s agitation transferring to her, though is