The Soul's Mark: FOUND (12 page)

“You look hot,” Tyler blurted, and then he
blushed
a deep red.
 
“I mean… you look…” he fumbled over the words.

“Are you trying to flirt with me?” Amelia
asked
,
giving him a look that she hoped was extra
flirty.

He grinned and visibly relaxed.
 
“Maybe, is it working?”

Erin looked back and forth between
them.
 
“Hey, Millie,” she whispered into
her ear.
 
“Looks like hottie noticed you
making eyes at Ty.”

Amelia glanced over her shoulder just as
Eric strolled up.
 
He wrapped a
possessive arm around her waist and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
 
“Hey, babe.
Who’s
your new friend?” he asked, jaw clenched, and he narrowed his vibrant green
eyes at Tyler.

The whole room froze, silently
watching.
 
All the buzzing stopped and
the drunken laughter, even the music, stopped.
 
It was quiet as night; everyone watched them as if it was a movie
playing out for their enjoyment.
 
Amelia
tried to wiggle out of Eric’s arms but he had a firm hold on her.
 
She caught the look on Tyler’s face,
confused, hurt and worried.
 
He took a
step back, leaned against the counter and put his hands up.
 
“Sorry, dude.
 
Didn’t know she was with someone.”

“I’m not.”
 
Amelia kept wiggling and managed to get Eric’s arm off her.
 
Erin had backed off a few paces and was
nervously watching the scene.
 
Amelia
completely understood it because the vibe Eric was giving off was ice-cold.

Eric snagged Amelia’s hand before she could
move out of his reach and his eyes softened slightly.
 
“You break my heart,” he said, dramatically,
putting a hand over his heart and gave her a wounded look.

Amelia shot him a look that she hoped told
him to
screw off
and pulled her hand
away from him.
 
It must have worked
because he put his hands up in surrender.
 
“Don’t you have something else to do?” she asked.

“Come on, Millie.” Eric reached out to
touch her again.
 
She pulled away before
he could.
 
“Don’t be like that.”

“Stop it, Eric!” she snapped and rested up
against the counter beside Tyler, who was clearly uncomfortable.
 
He was about the same size as Eric and Amelia
thought they would be well matched in a fight if it came to that, but there was
an animalistic rage brewing in Eric’s posture that was cold and frightening.

Tyler slid away from her and he looked like
he was trying to make himself smaller.
 
He gave Amelia a sad, sorry look.
 
“Hey, I don’t want to get in the way here.”

“No, it’s okay.
 
He’s just my roommate and he was just
leaving.”
 
Amelia glared at Eric.
 
“You’re trashy friend looks lost over there,
Eric,” she said icily.
 
She wasn’t sure
if it would work, and for an eternal minute he didn’t even acknowledge her,
just kept his intense glare fixed on Tyler.
 
Then he shrugged, grinned and walked away.

Amelia looked after him, stunned and
utterly confused.
 
The tension had
obliterated her pleasant buzz, and she snagged a couple of Jell-O shots from a
passing tray, and slurped three, one right after another.
 
That was the cue for the party to start
again, and she was glad when the music picked up and the drunken banter started
up again.

Amelia glanced over at Tyler.
 
“You know what?” she said, taking another
shot and pounding it back.
 
“Let’s have
some fun.”

“Fun sounds good,” he said, smiling and
handed her a beer.
 
Amelia glanced around
for Erin and didn’t see her.
 
But she
didn’t blame her for sneaking out.
 
If
Amelia had been able to she would have as well, because that was really,
really, uncomfortable.
 
She joined in the
beer pong game and in no time, she forgot about Eric and was having a blast.

Amelia didn’t know how many shots or beers
she consumed.
 
Every time she finished
one, Ty handed her another.
 
And since
she wasn’t a drinker, it was hitting her pretty quickly.
 
In no time, she found herself leaning into
him.
 
And flirting.
 
Man, was she flirting!

At some point, he sat down and somehow she
ended up on his lap but she didn’t have a clue how and she didn’t really
care.
 
Tonight was about normal, reckless
teenage fun.

“I think I should cut you off,” Tyler
announced, as he handed her another shot.

“Probably, but you’re not going to!” Amelia
replied seductively—she hoped—but even to her own ears it sounded sluggish and
slurred.

“But I really should.
 
Eric doesn’t look too happy over there.”

“Forget Eric.”
 
Amelia glanced up at Tyler.
 
She didn’t know if it was the booze or the
party, but he was looking pretty cute.
 
Suddenly, she found herself thinking of Mitch.
 
Mitch… she missed him.
 
Missed him horribly and Tyler was no Mitch,
but… and then, before she knew what she was doing, she kissed him.
 
She felt herself leaning into him, blending,
and molding.

His lips tasted like raspberries.
 
The
Jell-O shooters
, her brain told her.

“Amelia,” Eric growled from behind her and
Tyler broke away.

“Um,” Tyler said, looking from her to Eric
and then he untangled himself from her and stood her up.

“What do you want, Eric?” she huffed.
 
“I’m a little busy if you didn’t notice.”

“It’s time to go,” he replied coldly.

“You can leave whenever you want to.”
 
Amelia tried to sit back down on Tyler’s lap
but she missed and landed on her butt on the floor.
 
And for some reason she thought that was
funny, but she really didn’t know why, and started giggling
uncontrollably.
 
She giggled so much that
her stomach hurt but she couldn’t stop.

Eric reached down and yanked her up so hard
that she could feel bruises forming under his fingers.
 
“Let go, Eric!” she screamed.
 
“You’re hurting me.”
 
A hushed tension fell on the room, the party
stopped and everyone froze, staring at them.

“What’s going on here?”
came
Angelle’s sugary voice, and Eric dropped his grip on Amelia.
 
Angelle gave the room her sweet glamorous
smile.
 
“Don’t stop the party on our
account,” she chirped and then waited.
 
After a moment, the buzz and chatter started up again.

Amelia was cradling her hand, and blinking
back tears from the burst of pain.
 
“Eric
was just leaving,” she choked out.

“You’re drunk Millie, and he was all over
you,” Eric sneered.

Tyler shifted uncomfortably beside her,
inching away under the stare of her roommates, which was made even more intense
by Luke.
 
“Maybe you should go,” Tyler
said, obviously trying to look anywhere else but at her.

“What?” Amelia asked.
 
She tried to take a step towards him but he
backed up.
 
“Whatever, I’m going for a
walk.”
 
She turned on her heels, lost her
balance and almost toppled over again but managed to catch herself and stomped
off, out the patio door into the cool night air.
 

Behind her, she heard Angelle’s voice.
 
“Let her cool off, Eric.
 
She’ll be fine.”

It was chilly and it turned out that the
fresh air did not do wonders for her buzz.
 
It only seemed to make it hit her harder and with every cold, crisp
breath, her head spun.
 
Amelia hung onto
the railing, glad it was there and focused on breathing which turned out to be
a hard task.
 
If the
deck would just stop moving…

Before she heard his drawling, southern
voice, Amelia smelled him coming.
 
It was
a rancid smell, like meat rotting in the summer heat.
 
“What do we have here?”

With every ounce of concentration she could
muster, Amelia managed to turn around and prop herself against the sturdy
railing, again silently thanking it for supporting her.

“That’s Amelia,” said some girl.
 
Amelia had to blink a few times to clear the
double vision but when it did, she almost screamed.
 
The girl, the creepy little girl she had seen
running, was just inches away.
 
She
grabbed Amelia’s chin and tilted her head, examining her neck.

“Let go of me,” Amelia yelped, stumbling
sideways and landing on her butt.
 
Her
head was swimming, and she suddenly wished she had never drunk.

The girl’s eyes stayed fixed on
Amelia.
 
And the guy, thin and wiry
looking, moved in closer.
 
“Her
bodyguards shouldn’t have left her alone,” he said, a malevolent smile creeping
up on his face.

Amelia tried to stand up but she couldn’t
make her legs work.
 
“Leave me alone,”
she said, sliding away from them.

“Why would he let you wander around all
alone,” the creepy girl murmured, watching Amelia scoot across the deck and
lean in against a corner.
 
“Very careless,
don’t you think?”

“Very careless, indeed,” he agreed, his
grin spread wider, and a flash of white sharp teeth popped down.

Amelia felt cold.
 
She was shaking and her head was still
spinning.
 
She couldn’t believe what she
was seeing.
 
It was the booze.
 
It had to be the booze, but those teeth… they
looked real, sharp, and… scary.
 
“Who are
you guys?” she choked out.

They ignored her question.
 
“And look at her mark,” the man said.
 
“He hasn’t even bothered to claim her yet.”

Claim her?
 
Amelia knew that sounded important but the ringing, buzzing in her ears
wouldn’t let her brain put it together.
 
She could see the party carrying on through the glass patio doors.
 
No one noticed her outside, probably trying
to ignore her, she thought, and with all the drama she had caused, she didn’t
blame them.
 
She tried again and managed
to get to her feet.
 
She started backing
away towards the party.
 
If she could just get back in the door.
 
Eric would see her.
 
He would help her.

“Leaving so soon?” the girl
questioned.
 
Amelia hadn’t seen her move
but suddenly, she was right in Amelia’s face.
 
Amelia screamed as she got a look at the girl’s eyes.
 
Blazing red.
 
And she clasped her hands to her mouth.
 
It’s
just the booze
, she told herself.
 
This isn’t real.
 
You’re just drunk.

The man chuckled unpleasantly.
 
“Oh, Kandi.
 
Stop scaring the poor thing.”

“But Adam,” she whined, “Listen.
 
Just listen.
 
That beat.
 
It’s musical.
 
And he obviously doesn’t want her.
 
He would be here if he did.”

Amelia scrambled backwards and tripped over
her own feet.
 
She crashed down, smacking
her head hard against the railing, the railing that just a minute ago she had
thanked for being there.
 
A shooting pain
pierced her skull and, mixed with her drunken stupor, sent her stomach into somersaults.
 
Bright spots flickered in her vision and she
closed her eyes tightly, only succeeding in making her spinning head speed
up.
 
She blinked a few times in an effort
to make it stop.
 
A hot and sticky
feeling trickled down the back of her neck, and she caught the harsh red glow
of eyes and white flicker of razor-sharp teeth, and she knew the stickiness was
blood.

Amelia heard the piercing scream, bone
chilling and terrifying, and it took her a moment to realize it was coming from
her lips.

“
Kandi
, Adam, did
you miss the mark?”
 
Amelia heard a new
voice, familiar and booming with authority and the screaming stopped.
 
Luke.
 
“She’s taken.”