The Soul's Mark: FOUND (24 page)

“You must.
 
It is the only way to keep Mitchell safe.
 
The less he knows, the safer you both shall
be.
 
He will understand when the time
comes.
 
Now repeat after me.”
 
Madame Crystal took her free hand, Erin clenched
the other and Amelia repeated the phrase word for word.

“
Single
candle burning bright, shield my mind with your light.
 
Let my thoughts be private once
more,
cleanse my spirit to its core. So I ask. So it shall
be
.”

“Did it work?” Erin asked as soon as the
last words left Amelia’s lips.

“I don't know.
 
I can still feel him but he’s…” Amelia paused,
closed her eyes and reached out to him; a rush of panic left her
breathless.
 
His thoughts were jumbled,
scared.
 
And then he confirmed it.
 
Mitchell could not feel her and he thought…
she was dead.
 
Her cell phone rang, ear
piercing loud and all three of them jumped.

“Turn it off, Amelia,” Madame Crystal
said.
 
“Don’t answer.
 
We don’t have much time.
 
Your bond with him is stronger than most
because of your powers.
 
It is also what
has made you so conflicted.”
 
Amelia
hesitated and she stared at his name flashing on the call display.
 
He was so scared, so worried it took every
ounce of willpower she had to ignore the call and turn off her phone.

Madame Crystal continued, “You must leave
before they find you here.
 
There is
danger in your future.
 
Many wish you
harm and will seek to destroy you.
 
The
one you love most will be the cause of your death.
 
But be warned he is also the only one who can
save you.
 
Revenge is for the weak.
 
When the time comes, you will need to forget
the past and forgive those who have harmed you.
 
Only then will you be able to forgive yourself.
 
If you choose to be weak, you will sacrifice
those you love.
 
Now go.
 
Take these books and learn the craft.
 
Your life depends on it.”
 
She shoved a stack of old journals into
Amelia’s hands and pushed her and Erin towards the door.
 
“You were never here.
 
He must not know that I helped you sever the
link.
 
Please understand if Mitchell
finds out I am the one who helped you, my time here will end.”

"Wait,” Amelia gasped as she was shoved
out the door onto the porch.
 
“What does
all that mean?
 
What about Mitchell?
 
Will the spell wear off?
 
When will the link come back?
 
Why can I still feel him?”

“All your questions will be answered in
time.
 
Now go.”
 
The door was closing on Amelia’s face and she
shoved her foot in just in time to stop it.

“But what do I tell him?
 
What if I don't want to keep him out?” Amelia
asked frantically.

“Look inside yourself, Amelia.
 
When you are ready, you will know how to
bring him back.
 
Now please go.
 
I must leave before it is too late for
me.
 
Be safe and trust only those who are
worthy.”

Amelia moved her foot and the door
slammed.
 
She stood there, staring at the
closed door until she heard the engine of a car rumble to life.
 
A white Honda sped around the back of the
house, and squealed onto the road, Madame Crystal at the wheel.

“Did you really shut him out?” Erin asked,
as the taillights of the Honda disappeared around a bend in the road.

“Yes.”
 
Amelia was shaking.
 
She was
trying to wrap her head around the impossibility of what just transpired.
 
But as impossible as it was, she knew deep in
her heart, it was all true.

“You’re a witch.”
 
Erin took Amelia’s hand, lacing their fingers
together.
 
“I’m probably going to sound
crazy but I didn’t believe in witches.
 
Weird, huh?
 
I can
handle vampires but this witch thing is just… I don’t know.”
 
She was rambling and she was trembling.
 
Amelia could feel it vibrating through her
like a plane in turbulence.

“I know.”
 
What else could she say?
 
She had
thought the exact same thing.
 
Her head
was swimming and Mitchell—Mitchell was about to send out a hunting party.
 
She could hear him rallying the troops.
 
Jessica was there.
 
Amelia closed her eyes, trying to piece
together what she was seeing.
 
His
thoughts were broken and hard to piece together.
 
It took her a few minutes to figure out what
was going on.
 
Fiona had gotten away.
Mitchell thought Fiona had killed her.

Amelia dropped her bag.
 
Keeping a tight grip on Erin’s hand, she
crouched down and fished through her bag for her phone.
 
She found it, switched it on and called
Mitchell.
 
He answered on the first
ring.
 
“Amelia?” His voice sounded
frantic.

“I’m okay, Mitch,” Amelia said.
 
An overwhelming flush of relief washed over
her, warming her cold and trembling fingers.
 
He was silent, and she could feel him pushing against the link, trying
to feel her.
 
“I’m coming home,” she
continued.
 
“Call off your hunt.
 
I’m okay.”
 
She hung up before he could say anything else.

“What’s happening?” Erin asked.

Amelia was numb.
 
It was as if her body was shutting down.
 
She could feel the chaos and her brain was
trying to convince her that her world was ending, but she just couldn’t bring
herself to care.
 
“Erin, I need you to
take me home.”
 
Something had changed in
her and it was as if her emotions had been turned off.

“Is that a good idea?”
 
Amelia looked at Erin, who appeared like a
scared little child.
 
Her eyes wide and
red from unshed tears, her normally tanned complexion white as paper.
 
When did this happen?
 
Erin was the strong one.
 
She usually had no fear or at least hid it
well.
 
And then, Amelia suddenly realized
that even though she could see how terrified Erin was she just didn’t
care.
 
Her friend—maybe her only
friend—was terrified and she didn’t care.

“Yes,” Amelia answered, a blank expression
on her face, matching her lifeless sense of self.
 
She dropped Erin’s hand, walked to the car
and climbed in.
 
Erin hesitated, and for a
minute, Amelia thought she wasn’t going to follow, but then she grabbed
Amelia’s bag and the journals that Amelia had dropped and got into the car.

They didn’t speak during the ten-minute
drive to Amelia’s house.
 
Neither of them
knew what to say and the silence was peaceful.
 
It gave Amelia time to figure out what to do next.
 
She didn’t know what would happen when she
got home.
 
Now that Mitchell knew she was
okay his anger grew black.
 
He was sure
that she had done something but he didn’t know what it was.

Amelia made Erin drop her off at the
gate.
 
She didn’t want to risk Erin,
especially since every vampire in town had been called and were all at her
house.
 
Amelia promised to call her
later, shoved the journals in her backpack, shouldered it, and went off to face
the music.

As soon as she reached the driveway, Amelia
felt Mitchell pick up her scent and suddenly, he was in front of her, wrapping
her in his arms, kissing her cheek, forehead, and every inch of her face.
 
She let him examine her from head to toe and
when she felt that he was sure she was okay, she took a step back.
 
“The bond isn’t broken.
 
I can still feel everything.”
 
Then she turned away and headed for the
house, Mitchell trailing behind her.

You
can still hear me?
he
asked silently.

“Yes,” she replied.
 
“And don’t ask me how because I don’t
know.”
 
Amelia climbed the steps and
reached the front door.
 
She was just
about to turn the doorknob when he stopped her, holding her tightly to his
chest.

His voice sounded cold and broken.
 
“You’re lying to me, Amelia.
 
You know exactly what happened.
 
You may have blocked me from your mind but I
have your blood in my system and you hold my soul.
 
I can hear the frantic beating of your heart
and you always hold your breath when you lie.”

Mitchell’s lips trailed along her neck and
his fangs came down scraping against her skin.
 
“You will not bite me,” she murmured and closed her eyes.
 
He licked her neck, sending a tantalizing
chill down her spine.
 
Damn him!
 
She didn’t want to feel this way.
 
But every part of her body was yearning for
him.
 
And it chilled her that part of her
actually wanted him to bite her.

“You’re mine.” His lips vibrated against
her sensitive skin as he spoke.
 
She
could feel herself relaxing into him, and her body was calling to him.
 
She was about to take it back and tell him to
do it when he continued, “I can do what I want with you and it’s time that you
learn that.”
 
His lips continued to trail
along her jaw to her ear.
 
“If you try to
fight me, we’ll just see how much of the bond you were able to destroy.
 
Are you willing to see if the pain is gone?”

“You should be happy,” Amelia said, the
image of Fiona popping to her mind, giving her a newfound strength.
 
“Now that I’ve blocked you out you’re free to
play with Fiona.”

He was turning into the monster.
 
Amelia could feel his black anger swirling
with red-hot rage.
 
His fangs pressed
against her neck, the pressure increasing and she could feel the pinch.
 
He’s
enjoying this
, she realized, disgusted.
 
He was trying to do it slowly so she could feel his fangs slide into her
skin.
 
He wanted it to hurt.
 
He was trying to teach her a lesson.

Amelia stiffened.
 
Every muscle in her body wound tight.
 
Her anger was taking over and mixing with
his.
 
She could feel a burst of warm energy
building in the pit of her stomach, yearning to be set free.
 
It was waiting with anticipation, building
bigger and stronger, waiting to explode like a loaded gun.
 
She focused her mind on it, pulling it all
together into a bullet of white fire.
 
She pictured a gun, the blazing bullet in the chamber, and pulled the
trigger.

Mitchell let go and Amelia watched as he
crashed through the door, breaking it off its hinges, and slid into the house,
across the foyer floor.
 
He jumped up in
a blur, crimson eyes blazing and in a flash, he was grabbing her again.
 
Amelia closed her eyes and focused on the
heat, and like a flash of lightening, Mitchell was back on the floor, crashing
into the wall.

A collective gasp hissed through the room
like a nest of rattlesnakes signaling an attack.
 
Amelia’s eyes snapped open, and she was oddly
undisturbed by the frightening sight before her.
 
Every vampire in town stood behind Mitchell,
fangs flashing and eyes blazing.
 
A few
of them advanced on her.
 
Mitchell was
staring at her as if she had six heads and had grown snakes for hair.
 
For a moment, Amelia thought he was going to
let them attack her and she pulled on the energy, preparing herself for a
fight.

Amelia could feel the drain and knew she
was not strong enough to hold off the ones moving in on her.
 
She looked at Mitchell, pleading with her
eyes and held her breath.
 
Would he call
them off?
 
Would he let them kill
her?
 
His aura was shifting faster than
her vision could register and she could tell that there was not one stable
emotion in him.

It was a surreal feeling, watching her life
flash before her eyes.
 
Her mother’s smile, her father’s voice, and Mitchell.
 
The first time they kissed.
 
The first time he said, “I love you”.
 
All the laughter, all the love, it surrounded
her, lifting her up, keeping her strong.
 
The thoughts filled her heart with sunshine, and flowers, and kittens,
and everything wonderful and beautiful.
 
How could memories of him bring her strength?
 
Because
he is you,
a voice in her head whispered.
 
He is your other half.
 
He is your light.
 
He is what makes you whole.

Amelia shoved the thoughts from her
mind.
 
She would not use his strength
against him.
 
She just couldn’t.
 
She felt squeezed, as if she was being pushed
from all sides at once, as Mitchell tried to get in and take control.
 
Amelia kept her gaze on him.
 
If Madame Crystal was right, Mitchell would
be the cause of her death, and there was no doubt in Amelia’s mind that she was
right.
 
But she wouldn’t go without a
fight.

“Mitchell,” Amelia said in a strong
voice.
 
“It’s about time that you know
what it feels like to have no control.”
 
The air around her shimmered, like diamonds in the light as she spoke
the words, and before she knew what she was doing, Mitchell screamed out.
 
It was a scream so
bone
chilling
and ear splintering that the windows shook.

Amelia tried to pull back the light.
 
It was soaring from her, sparkling and
shifting like a kaleidoscope.
 
What was
she doing?
 
She needed to stop it.
 
She hadn’t meant to hurt him, not like this.

Someone touched her shoulder.
 
“Millie, you need to stop,” Angelle said in
her ear, scared and sad.
 
“You’re killing
him.”

Killing
him?
 
Amelia
could see it now.
 
She could see the
little sparks igniting over his skin and the smell of burning flesh drifted to
her nose.
 
A part of her, a very small
part, wanted to let him die.
 
Madame
Crystal’s voice rang out, “Revenge is for the weak.”

“Stop,” Mitchell gasped.
 
His voice, small and scared, spoke clearly to
her heart, urging her to help him.
 
Amelia blinked, shook herself like a wet dog shaking off water from its
coat, and watched as the flecks of red from his eyes faded, turning back to the
glorious color of a clear, blue sky.

Mitchell was looking at her as if he had
never seen her before.
 
Why?
 
He
sent the question silently and it made her feel sick.
 
Amelia knew what he meant.
 
She knew he was not asking why she hurt him,
he understood that.
 
He wanted to know
why she would try and kill him, and that, that she couldn’t answer.
 
Amelia looked at him for an interminable
minute.
 
Everyone else in the room faded;
for that minute, it was just the two of them.

Amelia took in a deep cleansing breath, and
let her gaze focus on each vampire individually.
 
“I’m going to my room,” she said, surprised
at the authority in her voice, and even more surprised at the horrified looks
on their faces.
 
Was she the monster now?
“I suggest you tend to him since you can all see I’m more than capable of
looking after myself.”
 
Amelia turned on
her heels, head held high and glided down the hallway.