The Soul's Mark: FOUND (6 page)

“She’s fine, Luke,” Officer McLean said,
sounding slightly bored.
 
He folded his
arms across his chest.
 
“I found her out
running.
 
Is Mr. Lang here?”

“No, he’s out of town,” Luke snapped, his
eyes still scanning Amelia.
 
What he was
looking for Amelia had no clue, but his panic was rubbing off on her, and she
started to shake.
 
He finally seemed
satisfied that she wasn’t broken and he dropped his hands from her
shoulders.
 
“What the hell were you doing
running this early in the morning?” he yelled at her.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Amelia answered, flinching.
 
Anger blazed in his eyes.
 
What had she done wrong?
 
She didn’t know, but gauging his reaction, it
was serious.
 
“What’s the big deal?”

“Officer McLean,” Angelle’s chipper voice
came from the porch, and Amelia was thankful.
 
Angelle—looking immaculately polished in a tailored dark gray jacket and
slacks and light blue v-neck top—had captured the men’s attention, effectively
drawing the heat away from Amelia.
 
“What
brings you here so early in the morning?”

Luke, of course, recovered first.
 
“He found Amelia out running.”
 
Now that he was sure she was okay that
original panic was gone and he spat the words, clearly annoyed.

“Oh,” Angelle said.
 
A flash of something vaguely like terror
snapped across her face so quickly that if Amelia had not been paying attention
she would have missed it.
 
But in less
time than it took to blink, Angelle had recovered, back to her glamorous,
knock’em dead smile.
 
“Thank you for
bringing her home.
 
That was very nice of
you.”

Amelia watched, stunned, as Angelle turned
away from him, taking a step back towards the door, very clearly dismissing the
officer.
 
Luke followed her lead, and
placed a firm hand on the small of Amelia’s back, nudging her forward.
 
Amelia had only just taken a step when the
cop moved to block the stairs.

“Hold on a minute,” Officer McLean said
sternly.
 
Angelle stopped and gracefully
turned back to give him her attention.
 
“Amelia claims she saw a little girl while she was out.
 
She needs to know how serious this is.
 
It’s not safe for her to be out alone.
 
At least not until the notice is sent.”

Amelia bristled and side stepped away from
Luke’s hand.
 
Did he doubt her?
 
Did he really not believe she saw that creepy
little child?
 
“First of all, there was a
little girl.”
 
That got everyone’s attention,
she thought, suddenly regretting she
had said anything.
 
They were all glaring
at her, even Angelle, and her nerve faltered.
 
But she managed to push on.
 
She
didn’t want her new friends to think she was crazy and that’s exactly what the
cop was trying to do.
 
Amelia was sure of
it.
 
“I swear I saw her.”
 
She looked back and forth between Luke and
Angelle, eyes pleading for them to believe her before focusing back on Officer
McLean.
 
“And I really don’t know why you
keep saying it’s not safe.
 
It’s a gated
street for goodness sakes.
 
And there’s a
guard at that gate.
 
What could be so
dangerous?
 
And what notice?”

“Millie, why don’t you go inside and see
what Eric’s up to?” Angelle said, ignoring her questions.
 
“I need to speak with Officer McLean for a
moment.”

Amelia could not believe what was
happening.
 
Was she being dismissed
now?
 
Were they really just going to
ignore her?
 
They were treating her like
a little kid.
 
And for a hot second
that’s exactly how she felt.
 
She wanted
to storm out, tell them all to kiss her butt.
 
Luckily, she caught herself, because whether she liked it or not, she
knew throwing a tantrum wasn’t going to get her anywhere.
 
It would just show them that she was in fact
the child they thought she was.
 
So
instead, Amelia pushed down her boiling rage, and very calmly looked Angelle
squarely in the eyes and said, “Not until someone tells me what’s going on.”

Angelle held her stare but she didn’t seem
ruffled in the least.
 
No, she looked…
amused?
 
Yes, Amelia thought, amused, and
that just made the hot anger that was already burning her up turn
blistering.
 
After a moment, she looked
away from Amelia, and smiled at Officer McLean.
 
“Would you like to come in for a coffee?” she asked, again ignoring
Amelia.

He looked at his watch.
 
“Sure, I could spare a few minutes,” he said,
and like she wasn’t there, the three of them turned and went inside, leaving
Amelia stunned and staring after them.

Amelia watched them disappear through the
doorway, mentally chewing on a bunch of nasty comments and wanting to spit them
out, but in the end, she swallowed them.
 
She stomped up the stairs, banged the door open and stopped just inside
the door.

Luke, Angelle and Officer McLean were
already sitting at the island, busy in conversation while Mabel was serving breakfast.
 
None of them bothered to look at her when she
came in.

“You look like shit, Millie,” Eric
said.
 
She hadn’t noticed him, but he was
lounging at the island cradling a cup of coffee in his hands, looking hot, of
course, in a form fitting black t-shirt and gray and black plaid pajama
pants.
 
His hair was a mess, standing up
every which way.
 
Amelia took a moment to
appreciate how great he looked all sleepy and rumpled and then she remembered
she was supposed to be mad.
 
She shot him
a look, which she hoped told him to shut up.

“She went out for a run,” Luke said.

“By yourself?”
Eric asked.
 
He got up, went
to the coffee pot and poured another cup then handed it to her.
 
He seemed at ease, not stressed like the
other three sitting around the island sipping at their coffees.
 
“You should have woken me up.
 
I would’ve gone with you.”

Amelia took the cup, gulped down a big
mouthful, as the white-hot anger built up just waiting to erupt.
 
She took another gulp, trying to calm down and
then she shouted, “Someone needs tell me what’s going on!”

Eric pulled out a chair and gestured for
her to sit.
 
Amelia glared at him and
shook her head, determined not to move until someone started telling her what
was going on.

“Don’t pout,” Eric smirked.
 
“It’s really not a flattering look on
you.”
 
He gestured again for her to sit.

Amelia looked around at the rest of
them.
 
It was clear that they were all
waiting for her to sit, faces closed and guarded.
 
She rolled her eyes and huffed loudly, then
stomped her way over to the chair and banged her coffee cup onto the table.

Eric sat down beside her, taking her hand
in his, gently rubbing his thumb across her palm.
 
“Couple days ago one of the neighbors was
attacked,” he said.
 
“It happened in the
early morning while she was out for a walk.”
 
He paused for a moment and kept stroking her hand lightly, looking at
her, Amelia thought, as if he was waiting for her to breakdown.
 
Was she supposed to be upset about this
girl?
 
Things like this happen all the
time.
 
Anyone who watches the news or
reads a paper or even listens to the radio knows that.
 
He must have read the confusion on her face
because the next thing he said hit her hard and all the blood drained from her
face.
 
“It happened on our street,
Millie.
 
She was attacked behind the
gates.”
 
He squeezed her hand a bit
tighter, reassuring her silently.
 
“There’s been a string of break-ins, too and we think that the attack is
connected.
 
So until whoever is behind
this is caught a curfew is in effect.
 
That’s why everyone was so worried about you.”

“Break-ins?
 
How?”
 
Amelia breathed, their concern now feeling
all too real and completely justified.

“We don’t know, honey,” Angelle said.
 
“No one has been able to figure out how
they’re getting in.
 
But the girl that was
attacked is still in the hospital.
 
She
was really beaten up.”

Officer McLean cleared his throat
loudly.
 
“When is the notice going out?”

“Today,” Luke said.
 
“Amelia, the curfew is from nine at night
until seven in the morning.
 
If you need
to go somewhere, please get one of us to go with you.
 
It’s for your own safety.”

“What notice is he talking about?” Amelia
asked.

“It’s nothing,” Eric said.
 
He let go of her hand and tapped the plate in
front of her, which she guessed Mabel had brought but she hadn’t noticed.
 
When she didn’t budge, he sighed and handed
her a fork.
 
“It’s just to let the
neighbors know you moved in.
 
Everyone’s
really jumpy right now so seeing someone new raises a lot of questions.”

Makes sense.
 
“Why didn’t you guys tell
me all this before?”
Amelia asked, and took a bite of her eggs.

“We really didn’t think you would just wander
off by yourself the first morning you got here,” Luke answered, his calm and
thoughtful expression back on his face.
 
“And we didn’t want to scare you.”

Officer McLean must have been satisfied
because he finished his breakfast in two bites, pushed back his chair and stood
up.
 
“I’d better be going,” he said,
sauntering towards the door.
 
“You take
care of yourself, Amelia and try to be careful.
 
I would hate for something to happen to you.”
 
He nodded to the rest and then left.

Amelia quickly finished her breakfast.
 
Now that she had calmed down, she realized
how much she needed a shower.
 
She put
her fork and knife on her plate, gulped down the last bit of coffee, and stood
up.
 
“Hey guys, I’m really sorry I scared
everyone.”

“No
worries,
honey,” Angelle said.
 
“Now go get
ready.
 
We have a fun shopping day ahead
of us.”

Luke and Eric chuckled in unison and rolled
their eyes.
 
And Amelia couldn’t help but
smile, because, well, she realized with a start, as she looked at her new
friends, that she was falling in love with them.
 
All of them.
 
It was suddenly clear to her that they were a
family, not just friends, but also a real family—and she was part of it.

Kandi
slinked around the house, sticking to the shadows.
 
She didn’t dare peek in the window, but she
needed to get closer.
 
The energy was enthralling
and she just needed to feel it again.
 
What was she?
 
Kandi
wondered,
feeling the pulse, like a heartbeat of power, coming from the house.
 
She didn’t know what it was, but the energy
that radiated from Amelia was incredible, better than any blood she had ever
smelled, and she knew she needed more.

She crouched behind one of the massive
willows outside the kitchen, closed her eyes and let the energy surround
her.
 
She could hear their whispers and
she knew she should be listening, but it was almost as if she was high.
 
Whatever Amelia was throwing out, it was like
a mind-boggling drug.
 

She was sure that
He
was going to be mad.
 
She
should never have let Amelia see her.
 
It
could ruin everything, but that smell, the energy…
 
Kandi
licked her
lips, imagining what
Amelia’s blood would taste
like.
 
Focus,
she scolded herself and after a few shakes to clear her hazy
mind,
Kandi
opened up her ears, stretching her
senses.

“Did you guys feel that?” Eric’s deep voice
drifted to her ears.
 
“It’s awesome.” His
two roommates nodded their heads in unison, unable to verbalize the
apprehension they were feeling.

 
“Do
either of you know what happened the last time Mitch found her?”
Angelle’s
musical voice sang and
Kandi
cringed.
 
After all these years,
Angelle’s
voice was still grating.
 

“All he said was that he was too late to
save her,” Luke answered.
 
Kandi
would never forget that booming baritone; just the
sound of it sent a chill racing down her spine.

“I’m really worried about Mitchell,”
Angelle said.
 
“He’s a mess.
 
The connection is screwing with him.
 
Whatever is happening with them, something is
definitely different.
 
Honestly, I would
have thought he had already bit her by the way he’s acting.
 
He actually accused me of challenging him
last night.”

“Seriously?”
Eric said.
 
“But Mitch’s such
a push-over.”

Kandi
almost snickered but managed to hold it in.
 
It sounded like there was trouble in
paradise.
 
If Mitchell was really losing
it, it wouldn’t be long before his trusted followers would turn against him.
 
He’ll
want to hear this,
Kandi
knew it.
 
It will be so much easier to get rid of
Amelia if Mitchell wasn’t thinking straight.
 
Score one point for the bond.

“I’ll talk to him,” Eric offered.

“Not a good idea right now, Eric,” Angelle
said sternly.
 
“He’s not stable.”

“Come on.” Eric’s rumbling laugh tumbled to
her ears.
 
“I’m his kid.”

“Angelle, Eric’s right,” Luke piped in. “If
he really is that unstable, Eric should go.
 
Mitch will be less likely to feel threatened by one of his
children.”
 

Kandi
heard the door swing open and she froze.
 
Crap!
 
Did they know she was listening?
 
She waited behind the tree, staying as still
as possible until she heard the purr of an engine turning over, and the tires
crunching along the driveway.
 
She snuck
a quick look, making sure the coast was clear, before running as fast as she
could to report back to headquarters.
 
He’ll
be pleased.
 
She was sure of it.

In under a minute,
Kandi
bolted through the door of their temporary base of operations and skidded
across the linoleum floor to a halt in the living room.
 
“She’s here,” she blurted, hardly able to
contain her excitement.

“Finally,” a grin twitched at the corners
of his lips and his midnight black eyes shined.
 
He
was sitting on the couch,
his arm draped around that useless Erin.
 
Kandi
turned up her nose slightly at the sight
of those stupid overalls.
 
And what was
with the little spiky pigtails?
 
Erin
looked like a little kid and she didn’t get it.
 
Why would anyone try to look so young?
 
Maybe she was jaded, but she had been stuck in an eleven year
old’s
body for seventy-four years and it sucked.
 
Why did he keep her around?
 
Kandi
knew he had
no plans to change Erin, especially if his scheme went as planned.
 
She could only hope he’d dispose of her soon,
because she just couldn’t imagine spending eternity with Erin.
 

You’ve
made him happy.
 
Good work, my dear,
Adam sent the message silently through their bond to her mind and
winked.
 
Kandi
almost swooned at the attention from her
soulmate
.
 
Adam didn’t give her attention often, always
paying more attention to
Him,
but
when he did notice her,
Kandi’s
heart fluttered and
her body tingled all over.
 
She had to
admit, she was the luckiest girl ever.

“There’s something different about her,”
Kandi
added, hoping that this would get her more
attention.
 
“I tried to find out what it
is but they don’t know.”

He
laughed.
 
“I’m surprised
Mitchell hasn’t told them.”

“What do you mean?”
Kandi
asked, inching forwards.

He
rolled his intense black eyes at her question.
 
“She’s a witch.
 
I felt it the night I met her parents.” Then
he shrugged lazily, “Mitchell always suspected it.”
 

“But if she’s a witch…” Erin said with
panic trembling in her voice, making
Kandi
cringe
with annoyance. “God, what if she…”

“She won’t,”
he
cut her off and
Kandi
giggle.
 
At least he kept her in her place while she
was around.
 
“She probably hasn’t even
figured it out.
 
She’s only been eighteen
for a month and without her parents, no one would have shown her how to access
the power yet.”

A burst of red-hot anger hit
Kandi
and she fixed her eyes on Adam, begging him to keep
his mouth shut.
 
She could feel the rage
coursing through him, hitting her through the bond harder and harder with each
moment and she knew
he
wouldn’t put
up with an outburst from any other them.
 

Adam either didn’t notice her anxiety or he
chose to ignore it, shouting, “Why didn’t you tell us?
 
This changes everything.
 
If they strengthen the bond, we won’t stand a
chance against them.”

“Enough!”
he
bellowed, eyes washing red.
 
Kandi
winched, man he could be scary.
 
“I’ve waited too long for this.”
 
He
kept
his terrifying gaze on Adam for a long and painful moment and
Kandi
held her breath, terrified.
 
But then his lips twitched into a cruel,
little grin and he shifted his gaze to Erin, who still cuddled in his arm.
 
“You’re up.
 
See what you can find out.”