The Souls Mark: HUNTED

by Ashley Stoyanoff

Page 26

 

  Megan must have seen the same thing. She reached out to touch one of the silky, glowing strands, and shock flashed across her face. She pulled her head up, meeting Amelia square on, and in unison they said, “I could hear him. ”

  Right then, Mitchell and Eric burst into the room, confusion marring their gorgeous faces. “How did you do that?” Mitchell asked hoarsely.

  “Do what?” Lola asked, looking between the four of them. Her knees were bent slightly; her brow pulled tight, and her muscles looked as if they were rolling under her skin, preparing to pounce if needed.

  “Megan called me through the bond, and when I focused in I could hear Mitch and Millie,” Eric said. “It was like…like we were all connected. ”

  “This is awesome,” Megan said, her face lighting up as if she had just found the prize at the bottom of a cereal box. “Do you know what this means? I’m not the secret weapon. We are. ” Just as quickly as it lit up, her face clouded over with concern.

  “We have to find Fiona,” Amelia said, and she was sure that Megan was thinking exactly the same thing.

  For the second time in the last few days, Amelia’s typically calm family lost it, and chaos took over. The difference this time was that the chaos was somewhat organized but not completely. They all launched into strategy planning and prepping as Amelia’s adventure into town was quickly pushed forward. Her solo mission was quickly turning into a full-scale operation. Amelia’s simple trip to the blood bank would now test her multi-tasking skills instead; get the blood, search for Fiona, and make several public appearances that would hopefully lure the vampire hunters out of hiding. She would be leaving in just a few minutes, braving the town at night. It seemed strange to Amelia to be nervous of the night given that she lived with what most people considered to be creatures of the night, but as strange as it was, the looming shadows she saw through the windows looked sinister and creepy.

  “It’s all set,” Angelle said, hanging up the phone. She hovered over the map with a pen. “The surveillance teams are all in place, posted at each stop, here, here, and here. ”

  “Well, I guess I should go then,” Amelia said, slowly standing up.

  “Be careful,” Mitchell said, pulling her into his arms.

  Amelia let the warmth of his embrace calm her jumping nerves, and she stood on her tiptoes, brushing her lips quickly against his and murmured, “Always. ” And then, before she could lose her nerve, she wiggled out of his arms, and without looking back, she headed out the door and went for the Jeep, jumped in, and started it up.

  Amelia’s nerves were shot. Besides the fact that she had really only just learned how to drive and had never actually done it alone, there was also the fact that it was her idea to go out and try to get the hunters’ attention—alone.

  Where the hell did I get that genius idea from? she wondered. She may be daring when she fought with Mitchell, but if she told herself the truth, she knew, even in the beginning, he wouldn’t have really hurt her, even when he was acting like a crazy bloodsucking vampire with no control over his emotions. So having a backbone with him didn’t really count.

  Before she knew it, she had pulled into the parking lot behind Basket of Beans. Not ready to get out, she glanced around the parking lot, trying to spot the groups of officers that were supposed to be watching her. The sun had already set. It was closing in on 9:30, and Amelia could barely make out the shadowy figures as she peered out the window.

  Love, try to relax. You’ll give them away, Mitchell’s voice sounded in her mind.

  His warning made her realize that she had squished her nose against the window in her search for a friendly face.

  She tried to respond to him, but her mind was jumping around just as much as her stomach. So, instead, she glanced at the warm glow of the lights coming from the diner and the heavy stream of customers coming in and out. The Friday night crowd was already there; she recognized a few familiar faces huddling around the doors smoking and laughing.

  Amelia’s hands shook as she pulled her keys from the ignition, and they rattled together as she tossed them into her purse. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, slung her purse over her shoulder, and then pushed the car door open.

  A soft breeze ruffled her hair as she inched her way around the car, double-checking that she had parked far enough back so that the trunk was hidden by the shadows. She tried the trunk, making sure it was unlocked. Mitchell’s contact was due to arrive shortly to load the blood supply that she was supposed to bring home.

  She shuffled around the few items that were in the trunk, tossing the windshield washer fluid and windshield scraper over the seat and then pushing the back seat down to allow for more room. For just a second she thought about driving home and getting the Hummer. There just didn’t seem to be enough room in her Jeep. How would she be able to bring enough home? Even though the thought seemed logical, she knew it was just her brain trying to procrastinate. Mitchell had set up the drop. He had told her which car to take. Obviously, she would have enough room.

  Amelia slammed the trunk, gave her hands a little shake, and rolled her shoulders a few times, and then, only because she couldn’t think of another reason not to, she walked across the dimly lit parking lot, passed the smokers, and stepped into Basket of Beans.

  During the day, Basket of Beans was a cozy little diner, but in the evening, especially on the weekends, it was the popular place to go for pre-drinking and meeting up with friends before heading out to the real party. According to Mitchell, it had also been one of Fiona’s favorite places to pick up a snack. He explained that by the time people filed out in search of the next party, they were usually pretty tipsy which made them easy pickings and also willing participants. Although he swore he had never participated and was just telling her what Fiona had said, Amelia had made note to check that out later. With any luck, Fiona would be in there, and at least that part of the mission would be over.

  After scouting out the place and seeing no signs of Fiona, Amelia slid into an empty corner booth and began to glance over the drink menu. Maybe I’ll get lucky and Fiona will just magically appear, and then the hunters will come in and call a truce, she thought.

  “Amelia,” Sarah said, bounding towards her with a wide smile. “What a pleasant surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without one of your hunky roommates. ”

  “Hi, Sarah,” Amelia said, returning the smile.

  Sarah slid onto the bench across from Amelia and reached across the table, taking her hand. “I’m sorry for your loss. I know you and Mabel were close. Have you set a date yet for the service?” Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders and dangled across their hands, tickling Amelia’s thumb as it swished past.

  Amelia sighed and pulled her hand away. “We can’t really do anything until they finish with the investigation. Officer McLean said it would be at least five days before we can take her. ”

  “Oh, that’s awful. Poor Mitchell,” Sarah's singsong voice lilted. She blushed slightly, giving away the crush the young waitress had for Mitchell. Sarah blushed even brighter when she caught the knowing look Amelia was giving her. She rushed on, her words spilling out so quickly they hardly even sounded like words, and if it wasn’t for living with Angelle and Erin, Amelia was sure she wouldn’t have caught any of it. “I’m sure he’s just a mess over all this. He works so hard at keeping us safe. He really loves this town. I just can’t believe this happened. I mean here, in Willowberg. I guess I just figured if someone died it would be because, well, you know,” Sarah said, miming fangs. “Is it true that two of them died as well?”

  The door chimed and Amelia spun around, her heart leaping to her throat. It’s okay, love. You’re doing great, Mitchell’s reassuring voice filled her thoughts, and she took a deep breath.

  Feeling more relaxed, Amelia said, “Sarah, I’m sorry but I can’t talk about it right now. ” She looked back at the dr
ink menu for a second, scanning through the options. “Could I get a soda with no ice?” She raised her gaze and smiled.

  Sarah quickly popped up and nodded. “Yeah, of course,” she said and then swiftly left the table.

  The diner was packed, which Amelia thought was strange. Given the recent murders, she really hadn’t expected so many people to be out and about. Sarah was back within minutes to drop off Amelia’s drink, and then she went about her work.

  It wasn’t long before people made their way over to her, offering condolences, asking about the service for Mabel, and wondering if the rumors of vampire deaths were true. Everyone wanted to know how Mitchell was holding up, if she knew anything or if there were any leads. The most surprising thing was that despite the deaths, the people believed in Mitchell so blindly that there really was no fear. It was as if they couldn’t seem to understand there was a killer on the loose.

  Amelia sipped at her soda, frequently glancing out the window and at the door waiting for something to happen. She had been at the diner for just over thirty minutes and was starting to think she should move on to the next spot. Surely, the blood delivery would be loaded in her car by now.

  She drank the last mouthful, emptying her glass, and was just about to get up when Jake and a few of his buddies staggered over, obviously a bit tipsy. Amelia forced a smile. She liked Jake. He was a few years older than her and was a TA in one of her classes at school. Most of the time he was harmless, but she had found out at a party that when he drank he could get a bit on the grabby side, and he had absolutely no word filter.

  “You tell Mr. Lang that we all stand by his decision. He has our one hundred percent support. ” Amelia looked at him blankly, unable to wrap her head around what Jake was trying to say as he stopped in front of her table. “We know what he did, Ma’am, and frankly, we’re all glad he’s watching out for us. It’s reassuring to know that he won’t let his vamps kill and get away with it. He did the right thing getting rid of Jessica and Justin. ” Then he leaned in closer, and Amelia almost gagged on the thick smell of beer on his breath. “I always thought something was wrong with those two. They were far too nice. I’m just sorry to hear they got to your housekeeper before he could stop them. Between you and me, I think they knew Mr. Lang was gonna,” he said, bringing his finger up to his neck and slicing it across, “and they struck out in fear. The old lady was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. ”