The Soul's Mark: FOUND (33 page)

Mitchell must have heard the beating.
 
He stopped swimming and his gaze met
hers.
 
“Hey,” he said nervously.
 
“I didn’t realize you were there.” He brushed
water from his face.
 
“I’ll go.”
 

Mitchell misunderstood her hesitation and
instantly, Amelia felt his doubt and insecurities.
 
She sat on the edge, letting her feet dangle
into the water.
 
“You don’t have to go,”
she said just as nervously, and let her eyes drift to the clear, blue
water.
 
“I wanted to talk to you.”

Mitchell hesitated for a second and then he
swam over to her, placing his hands on either side of her, splashing lukewarm
droplets of water onto her bare thighs.
 
He waited until she met his glorious blue eyes before he spoke.
 
“I need to tell you something first.
 
I’m sorry for pushing all this on you.
 
I should have talked to you first.
 
I should have let you choose this life.
 
I know it’s not an excuse, but I was just so
scared you wouldn’t choose me.”

“I get it.
 
I saw everything.
 
I get it.”
 
He reached over and caressed her cheek.
 
“Mitch,” she breathed. “I want this to
work.
 
But…”

“I know, love,” he said, cutting her
off.
  
“I know it can’t work between
us.
 
You don’t have to say it.”

Amelia bristled.
 
“Oh just shut up and listen,” she snapped.
 
“What I was going to say before you decided
again that you already know everything was…” She paused for a second to give
him a long glare.
 
“It can’t work if you
don’t stop trying to know everything.
 
We’re both gonna have to change.
 
It’s gonna be hard, but hey,” Amelia smirked and raised a flirty
eyebrow, “What fun would it be if it wasn’t a challenge?”
 
Then she got serious and whispered, “I don’t
want to live without you.
 
I love you.”

Mitchell looked totally blown away.
 
He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened
it again, and Amelia giggled.
 
She had
never seen him speechless before, and it was just a little bit cute.
 
He finally got his thoughts under control and
said, “Sorry, but can you say that again.
 
I don’t think I heard you right.”
 
Amelia shoved him away playfully.
 
“I love you, too.”

Without warning, Mitchell grabbed her
around the waist and pulled her into the pool.
 
Amelia squealed as the water splashed around them and then he leaned in
and kissed her.
 
The kiss started out
soft and quickly turned urgent.
 
He
tasted wonderful, with just a hint of chlorine, and she felt herself deepening
the kiss, trying to get closer.
 
His
tongue brushed against hers and her body ignited in fiery passion.

Amelia broke the kiss, lips tingling and she
licked them, savoring the taste.
 
Then
she leaned back just enough to meet his eyes and he groaned.
 
When she was sure she had his attention, she
tilted her head to expose her neck.

He hesitated, and she could see the concern
flashing through his mind, and for a long moment, he didn’t truly understand
what she was asking him to do.
 
When he
realized, a soft smile touched his lips.
 
“It’s okay.
 
You don’t have to let
me bite you.”

“I know I don’t have to.
 
I want to.”
     
Mitchell
stared at her, examining her face, and she could feel him pushing on the link,
trying to get in.
 
He wanted to be sure,
really sure, that she meant it.
 
“Mitch,
please, I want you to do it,” she said, desperation tinting her voice.

Mitchell kissed her, long and hard and then
he let his lips travel down her neck.
 
Amelia had expected the bite to hurt, but it didn’t.
 
It was nothing like the first time.
 
There was no burning, no pain, but a massive
explosion of feelings.
 
Love… passion…
and then, just as she had thought it would, the bond opened up and she was
flooded with his feelings and she knew, suddenly, without a doubt, how much he
loved her.
 
His love seemed to envelope
her in a cocoon of ecstasy.

It ended too soon and when he pulled away,
they were both panting.
 
“It worked,”
Amelia gasped in between raged breaths.
 
“It fixed the bond.”
 

They gazed at each other, speechless for a
moment and Amelia could feel the soft hum of Mitchell searching through her
thoughts, catching up on all he had missed since the link had been broken.
 
When Amelia finally caught her breath, she
smiled teasingly and asked, “So what kind of a stupid name is “Dreams Come True
Scholarship Fund” anyways?”

Mitchell laughed, the first genuine laugh
she had heard from him since they had met.
 
“I know, it’s tacky but I kind of thought…” he grinned.
 
“Well, we met in a dream and when I found you
it was like my dreams came true.”
 
Then
he chuckled, and his brilliant blue eyes twinkled.
 
“The name just seemed to fit.”

Amelia leaned into him and kissed him.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered against his lips and then she kissed him
again.
 
For the first time in years, she
felt as if she was finally exactly where she was meant to be.

###

Ashley Stoyanoff lives
in
Whitby
, Ontario and loves diving into the magical
world of creating fiction. Over the years she has written numerous short
stories. The Soul's Mark: FOUND is her debut novel. When not writing, she can
be found reading sappy novels, watching cheesy chick flicks, and buying far too
many clothes.

Connect with Ashley
Stoyanoff Online:

Website:
http://www.ashleystoyanoff.com

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:
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:
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Email: [email protected]