The Soul's Mark: HUNTED (2 page)

CHAPTER 2

Looking back, Amelia figured she should have known that the
honeymoon phase
wouldn’t last.  She had really wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, the vacation had worked.  Perhaps the magical perfection they resurrected while they were away would remain, and it did–sort of.  They hadn’t fought for about three weeks, but realistically, long-term bliss didn’t seem entirely possible now.  Something was definitely different, something seemed wrong, and no matter how hard she tried, Amelia just couldn’t put her finger on it.

They fought.  That’s just what they did.  It wasn’t something to be proud of by any means; she hated to admit it, but their squabbles made them work, and she kind of, sort of, missed it.  She had always believed that fighting was healthy to a certain extent.  Yell a little, say what’s on your mind, and with it out in the open, it’s easier to get over the issue and move on.  But since they had returned, Mitchell had been distant, on edge, and overly sensitive.

For a quick second, Amelia thought about sneaking a peek into his mind.  What was the point of having a link to each other’s thoughts if they weren’t going to use it?  Besides, she was dying to know where he had taken off to in such a rush.  Her brain tried to reason with her, insisting that one little peek wouldn’t hurt.  A little bit of information now could prevent a slew of misunderstandings later.  That’s a good thing, right?  But her heart couldn’t do it; it pleaded and begged her not to snoop.  It twisted and turned, insisting that she let things be.

Part of their agreement eight months ago was to stay out of each other’s minds.  It had been Amelia’s idea, and she had been adamant that their bond should only be used for emergencies—no more snooping.  And no matter what, no matter how much she was itching to snoop, she wasn’t going to be the first to break that rule, even if it was torture not knowing whatever it was that she didn’t know.

They had been about to go for a swim when his cell phone rang, and to her disbelief, Mitchell—strong, in control Mitchell—actually jumped when it started to ring.  He tried to hide his anxiety from her, but thanks to the bond (or maybe cursed by the bond; Amelia wasn’t sure) she felt every bit of turmoil that bounced around in him during that very short call.  After a few
yes’s,
Mitchell hung up, and then without any real explanation, only saying he had some business to attend to, he had taken off.  She knew, just knew, he was hiding something—something big—and her suspicion was driving her crazy.

Amelia huffed, and instead of checking in, she threw a tank top and a pair of shorts on over her bikini and then stomped out of her bedroom and onto the terrace, gazing over the vast gardens while deep in thought.  Had she made the right decision?  She wasn’t sure, and she couldn’t help but wonder if putting a limit on their connection was actually the right thing to do.  Amelia knew she should think of it as a gift.  Most people would kill to know the inner workings of their boyfriend's mind.  Even so, Amelia knew all too well that knowing everything wasn’t always a good thing.  It led to anger, jealousy and, above all else, danger for their friends.

It was an unseasonably warm night for mid-April.  Amelia glanced at the thermometer and wasn’t surprised that it was still 90 degrees.  In spite of only wearing lightweight clothes, she felt sticky and gross from the humidity.  There wasn’t even a touch of a breeze to ease the discomforting heat.

The sky was alive with heat lightning that danced through the clouds, and the far off rumble of thunder signaled the approaching rain.  Amelia hopped down the steps and strolled over to the pear-shaped pool.  The water looked so alluring and almost magical with streaks of silver as the lighting continued its rain dance.  A few scattered droplets of rain fell around her, light and refreshing.  She perched at the edge of the pool and dipped her feet in the cool water.

Amelia guessed she should have been happy.  Over the last few months, she had really made some headway with Mitchell.  With some careful planning and a touch of flirty manipulation, she was able to convince him to put a stop to the hunting and lift the curfew in their little gated community.

But really, stopping the hunting was a must.  Amelia remembered when she had first arrived in Willowberg and found out her little gated community was actually a hunting ground for vampires.  The thought of it still turned her stomach.  Really, it was the twenty-first century.  They can’t just go around killing people like barbaric cavemen.

It had taken months of arguing, but in the end, she had convinced Mitchell to put a stop to it.  And with that
win
, he had slowly started to back off, treating her like an equal and not like a precious little flower that always needed protection.  But lately, there had been a shift in the incredible balance they had found.  Instead of dictating what she could and couldn’t do, he was using sugar to get his way.  And that was really, really infuriating.  Especially since Amelia was positive that he was using this oversensitive, sugary attitude to get his own way.  How could you say no to someone who was just so damn sweet?

“Millie, what are you doing out here?” Eric called, ripping her from her thoughts.  Not that she minded.  In truth, she was relieved not to be alone with her thoughts.  They could be dangerous—destructive.  “Where’s Mitch?”

Amelia glanced over at him, and her breath caught in her throat.  Eric was shirtless and looking incredibly yummy in his snug cut-off jeans.  He wandered towards her, and she couldn’t help but admire his perfectly sculpted six-foot frame.  He was grinning at her with a grin that Amelia was sure had broken many hearts and turned even more girls into giggling fools.  Despite her best efforts, she was not immune to his charm.  His leafy-green hair was dripping wet, and the drops beaded on his chest.  His vibrant green eyes twinkled with mischief.

Eric plopped down beside her and sprawled out on the dampened lawn, stirring up the sweet scent of fresh-cut grass.  His grin spread even wider, and he chuckled.  “Better not stare at me like that, Millie.  Mitch could be watching.”  He said it jokingly, but there was something in his voice that sounded strained, and Amelia was sure there was a hint of longing that she forced herself to ignore.

Things weren't easy between them.  Not since their little kiss.  The kiss still lingered in her mind, popping up occasionally.  His sweet and soft, moist lips.  His musky scent. 
Stop it!
Amelia scolded herself silently.  For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why the memory was still so vivid.  From what she had read and been told about the soulmate bond, she knew she shouldn’t even be able think about anyone other than Mitch, especially since he had bitten her, strengthening their link and claiming her as his mate.  But there was just something about Eric that made her tingle all over.

Amelia swallowed hard and tried to tell herself it was okay to admire, because Eric was so oh-my-God hot, and she would have to be a complete freak not to notice.  As long as it didn't go any further than that, it was fine, right?  She gave herself a shake and then grinned at him.  “Didn’t you have a date?”

Eric’s gentle gaze turned into a fierce glare.  “Don’t change the subject.  Where’s Mitch?”

Amelia tried to glare back at him, but it was useless.  Eric always seemed to know when something was up with her, and it was hard to resist opening up to him.  He was exactly that kind of guy.  The kind of guy you just wanted to spill all your secrets to.  “Don’t know.  He just took off,” she huffed, annoyed that she sounded so whiny.

“What?”  He looked genuinely surprised; his eyebrows lifted so high that it looked as if they were about to jump right off his face.  “You and Mitch have been getting along great since you got back from the lake.  He even moved into your room.  What’s up?”

“I don’t know, Eric,” Amelia snapped and shifted her gaze back to the water.  She swished her feet violently, sending out waves of ripples.  The water sloshed up her legs, leaving puddles all the way up to her thighs.  “And he may have moved into my room, but he set up a cot.  He won’t touch me,” she said, glancing at him with a quick look.  She felt a hot and rosy blush creeping all the way up her neck, settling onto her cheeks.  She wasn’t sure why she had told him, but man it felt good to get rid of some of her frustration.

The good feeling vanished far too fast.  Eric laughed and then coughed over it, trying to cover it up.  “Damn girl, you’re kidding me, right?”

Amelia bristled.  “Seriously, Eric, I don’t want to talk about my lack of a sex life with you.  I don’t know why I even said it.”

He tossed up his hands in surrender, and the laughter vanished.  “Whoa, sorry I asked.”

Amelia flopped back onto the grass, keeping her feet in the water and groaned.  “What about you?  You had that hot date tonight.”

“Yeah, I canceled it.”

Amelia tilted her head towards him and raised a questioning brow.  “Why?”

They locked eyes for an uncomfortable minute, and Amelia wished she understood the feelings she had for him.  It was a jumbled mess of emotions—not a single one made any sense.  She wondered if she had met Mitchell first, if he had been the one to greet her, would she even notice Eric now. 
Probably
.  There was just something between her and Eric.  A fierce spark.  And the weirdest part about it was that every now and then, she felt as strongly for Eric as she did for Mitchell—as if she was bonded to both.

But Amelia knew that was impossible.  There was no such thing as two soulmates.  Although at one point, Amelia could have sworn that there was no such thing as soulmates at all.  She would have been happy to believe that they were just a foolish romantic idea.  Maybe it was her stupid witch powers that were interfering.  Or maybe she still had doubts about Mitchell.  Maybe?  Who was she trying to kid?  Hell yes, she doubted Mitchell, doubted their bond, doubted everything about their relationship.

When it had been just her and Mitchell, alone in the middle of nowhere, life had been beyond perfect.  No distractions, no business, nothing but time to get to know each other.  But now, back in the real world with real problems, it was just…

Just when Amelia thought the look would never end, Eric whispered, “I’ve been dreaming.”

Amelia let his words bounce around her brain.  If he meant what she thought he meant, then why did he look so defeated?  Shouldn’t he be ecstatic?  He definitely did not look pleased.  She tossed around a bunch of different things to say.  She wanted to be happy for him.  She really did, but he looked just so upset, so broken.  She swallowed hard, plastered on a smile, and said, “That’s awe…”

The words fell short.  Amelia was abruptly cut off by a girl screeching, “Help me!”  In a flash, Amelia and Eric both jumped to their feet.  Eric took off towards the tree line with vampire-speed before Amelia even figured out where the screaming was coming from.

“Help!” another cry sounded.

Amelia started running in the direction of the cries.  Eric had already disappeared through the willows at the back of the property, and she broke through the trees at a break-neck run, colliding with Eric.  He gave her a sideways look, eyes washed with crimson and fangs down.  “Go,” he snarled.

Amelia flinched, and she really had to fight not to run.  If there was one thing she had learned over the last eight months, it was to not show fear.  The vampires could smell it, and they thrived on it.  Even the friendliest of them could lose control and mistake a friend for a tasty snack when the hunting instincts kicked in.

Eyes still fixed on Amelia, he growled, “Fiona,” in a lethal undertone.  “Put her down.  There’s no hunting here.”

Fiona?  The hair on the back of Amelia’s neck rose, and a prickling chill rushed down her spine.  She pushed past Eric and froze mid step.  Her eyes settled on Fiona.

In theory, Amelia understood the concept of feeding.  It wasn’t as if she had never been bitten before.  With Mitchell, the bite was tender, pleasurable, filled with intense emotions.  It brought them together, connecting them on a whole new level.  It was almost as if, in those blissful moments, they were one.  One person, one soul; they were whole.

However, what Amelia now saw before her was nothing like she experienced with Mitchell.  Fiona looked like a prostitute gone mad, clutching a young girl in her arms.  Her normally runway model perfect hair was a wild mess.  The tangled black strands fell into her blazing eyes, making her pallid complexion look unearthly and almost colorless.  She snarled at Amelia, flashing razor sharp fangs, and a trickle of blood dripped down her chin and stained her lacy, orange tank top.  Her black spandex shorts left little to the imagination.  They were so tiny that they looked more like a pair of boy-cut underwear than shorts, and she was wearing a pair of coal-black knee-high leather boots.

The girl was crying so hard that her screams were scarcely heard, coming out instead as strangled coughs.  Fiona held her by the wrist effortlessly as she struggled to get away.  Amelia drew in a steadying breath, hoping to come off as unruffled.  She wasn’t sure if she could pull it off.  In truth, she was shaking like a rattlesnake’s tail on the inside.  She squared her shoulders and focused all her attention on Fiona.  “Let her go,” she said with a ringing authority that she didn’t even know she had in her.

Fiona threw her head back, her long jet-black hair fanning wildly around her face, and her laugh was pure evil.  “Oh, Millie, I thought I told you before.  You’re nothing; Mitch is the one who rules, not you.”  Fiona gave a big toothy smile, and her gold nugget eyes streaked red.  “Besides, he’s the one that gave me permission to hunt here.  If you have an issue with this, you should take it up with him.”

Amelia opened her mouth and then closed it, completely stunned.  Had Fiona just said what she thought she said?  Mitchell gave her
permission
?  The idea was ludicrous.  Or was it?

Right then, Eric made a move towards Fiona and everything after that happened in a blurry mess.  Fiona sunk her teeth into the girl’s neck.  The girl screamed a terrifyingly, agonizing sound.  White-hot rage surged through Amelia, and she bellowed through the bond,
Mitchell!