Soul's Mark 02 - Hunted

by Ashley Stoyanoff

  Once in the room, Amelia flipped the deadbolt. Even though it was pointless against a house full of vampires, she hoped that it might give Megan a false sense of security. Megan glanced around the room, and then Amelia led her into the en suite bathroom.

  After depositing Megan on the wide bathtub ledge, Amelia fished out a clean washcloth from under the sink and proceeded to soak it with warm water.

  “Why did he bite me?” Megan murmured.

  Amelia turned to Megan, meeting her frightened, tear-filled eyes. She put on a brave face, forcing a smile, and then sighed, not really sure how to answer that question. How was she supposed to explain something that she barely understood herself? And by no means was the bond she shared with Mitchell the average soulmate bond. She crossed the room and sat beside Megan, dabbing at the drying blood on her neck. “Has the burning stopped?” Amelia asked.

  “Why did he bite me?” Megan asked again, more forcefully. A panicked expression seeped onto her face.

  Amelia took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and then blurted, “Megan, Eric is your soulmate.”

  Megan looked at Amelia as if she had five heads, gooey tentacles whipping around and flapping wings. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

  Amelia let her breath out slowly, stalling. How could she put this? She didn’t want to dump the hard truth on Megan. She’d been there, done that and knew that approach wasn’t the best way to break the news, but she really didn’t see any way around it. Not now. Not since Eric… Dammit! a voice in her head screamed out. How was it even possible that her cousin, another witch, was marked? And not just marked, but marked for Mitchell’s son? She studied Megan for a quick second. They were cousins, Amelia was sure of it. Even if you could overlook the uncanny resemblance, there was no denying the strange connection she felt. It was almost as if they were sharing their magic. Amelia couldn’t refute the soft streams of energy she saw flowing between the two of them as if they were one.

  “He’s a vampire. They’re all vampires. Mitch, Luke, Lola, Angelle, Erin.”

  Megan laughed. Not in a funny “ha ha, you got me” kind of way, but more of a hysterical “ready to jump out the window and run for the hills” kind of way. “You’re joking, right?” she asked, a frenzied hopefulness coating her tone.

  Amelia shook her head back and forth. “That mark you’ve had on your neck all your life…” she started and pointed to her own, titling her head so Megan could see it. “It’s the alchemy symbol for soul, and it’s a witch's curse. You’re not just Eric’s soulmate. You hold his soul.” She paused, trying to figure out how to say the rest. She took a deep breath and dropped her head. “There’s more, though. Now that Eric bit you, and by the way, I’m seriously going to break his neck for that, things are going to change.”

  “That really doesn’t sound good.” Megan’s voice trembled as she spoke.

  Amelia forced an overly bright smile and nervously knotted her fingers in her lap. “It depends on how you look at it. At first, it will be screwy. You’ll feel things and do things that you never thought were possible. The bite strengthens your bond with him. It connects you to him on a whole new level. You’ll be able to hear his thoughts, feel his feelings, and talk to him through your mind and vice versa.”

  Megan searched Amelia’s face with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “What’s the but, cuz? I know there’s a but. I can see it in your eyes.”

  “I’m probably not the best one to be explaining this,” Amelia replied, dropping eye contact and quickly jumping up and moving towards the door. “I should get Lola or Angelle or...”

  Megan jumped in front of the door, blocking her way out. She crossed her arms. Her jaw twitched with tension. “Just get on with it. I want to hear it from you.”

  It was clear that Megan wasn’t about to move, so Amelia took a deep breath and let the words tumble out of her lips. “It’s just...Mitch and I...we’re still working at this. We’re both stubborn as hell and well, we have tempers. We’ve hurt each other, like really hurt each other. It’s hard sometimes, and it’s overwhelming and the pain...Eric is stronger than you are. He can manipulate your mind, force you to do what he wants, and when you disobey, the pain you’ll feel...At times I wished I was dead. It’s all part of the bite and the curse.” A hollow laugh slipped from her, and she shifted her gaze to the floor. “Mother Nature’s way of trying to fix the balance between good and evil. Unfortunately, us soulmates; we got the short end of the stick.”

  Megan tipped Amelia’s chin up, holding it and forcing Amelia to meet her eyes. When they met, she blanched, “Shit. You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yup, but honestly, it’s not all that bad, and Eric…he’s a hell of a guy, really,” Amelia said, trying to sound happy and reassuring, but she wasn’t sure it worked. She stretched her cheeks into such a big smile that she felt as if her face would shatter. That’s when the bright idea came to her, and she really smiled. “I can teach you how to protect yourself. I’ve learnt how with Mitch. Remember, you’re a witch. You aren’t some weak person. You can keep a good balance of control between the two of you.” She took a step back and then quickly turned away. “Why don’t you have a shower? Oh, and I bet you’re exhausted. Maybe try to get some sleep. We can figure this all out in the morning.” Amelia made herself busy, pulling out towels from under the sink and setting them on the toilet seat. When she turned back to Megan, she was standing in front of the mirror running her fingers along Eric’s name. “I’ll just…” Amelia started, but let the words sizzle out, not really sure what she was going to say.

  “Stay?” Megan asked, and she crossed the small distance between them, grabbed Amelia, and wrapped her in a hug. “Don’t leave me alone.”

  Amelia squeezed her tightly. “Have a shower. You’ll feel better. I’m going to grab some clothes and check on Eric. I’ll be right back, okay?” She eased her arms away, and Megan quickly stepped back. Megan’s cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, and then she nodded in agreement.

  Amelia closed the bathroom door behind her and waited on the other side until she heard the water turn on before she slipped out of the bedroom. She hadn’t even managed to shut the door and Eric was there already, hovering over her. “Is she okay?” he whispered, eyes glued to the door.

  “She will be, no thanks to you,” Amelia replied coldly, stepping past him and heading towards her room. A pang of guilt washed over her for her frosty reply, but she quickly pushed it away.

  “Amelia,” Mitchell snapped.

  She spun around on her heels and gave him a vicious glare. “Don’t snap at me.”

  “Can I see her?” Eric questioned.

  Amelia sighed, long and loud, feeling even guiltier when she heard the tortured note in his voice. “She’s in the shower. I want you to leave her alone. Let her settle in. I swear, if you cause her any pain, Eric, I won’t hold back.”

  “Amelia, you need to back off,” Mitchell said, stepping in front of her and puffing out his chest. “This isn’t your call.”

  She almost laughed at him. The display of authority Mitchell was trying to use on her had never worked, and it amazed her that he still tried. She would have thought that he would know that by now, but yet, every once in awhile, he tried with that I’m the boss tone that worked on the rest of their family.

  “She’s my cousin. My flesh and blood. This is my call.” Amelia folded her arms across her chest and gave them both a look, daring them to fight her on this. When neither of them spoke up, she looked at Eric and softened a touch. “You’ll have to figure out somewhere to sleep until we can fix up your room. I’m staying with Megan tonight and Fiona, “she let the name hang in the air, and she scowled at Mitchell before continuing, “seems to have moved into the other spare room.”

  “You can stay in our room,” Mitchell offered quickly, refusing to meet Amelia’s hard glare. He gave Eric a shove to get him moving, making it clear that he would prefer to follow her orders th
an explain why Fiona had suddenly moved in.

  Megan was out of the shower when Amelia returned with pajamas, and she looked exhausted. Her eyes were bloodshot and droopy, and when Amelia tried to convince her to eat, she refused, claiming she just wanted to sleep. After she got changed, they both curled up in the large bed and were asleep almost instantly.

  CHAPTER 10

  “Why am I such a dumbass?” Eric asked again, as he picked up a bracelet and examined it.

  “Oh, Eric, please stop. This is natural. You really didn’t do anything wrong,” Mabel said.

  “Then why do I feel like I’ve just ruined her life?” Because that’s what he had just done. Ruined Megan’s life. Something occurred to him; something so awful, a chill slithered down his spine. “What if we end up like Mitch and Millie? I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “Would it be so horrible if you ended up like them?”

  Eric huffed. “Don’t give me one of those crappy all-knowing looks. All they do is fight.” He put down the bracelet and headed out of the store. Why was it so hard to find a present? Damn, he used to be so good at it, but nothing seemed right.

  Mabel walked alongside him and linked her arm through his. “Yes, but they love each other just as fiercely.”

  He thought about her words, trying to find some truth in them. They stepped into a fancy candle store, and Eric set about picking up candles and giving them a sniff. “Sometimes I don’t think they actually love each other. It’s more like infatuation. He loves the idea of her. He’s connected to her, but damn, he can be so selfish. I can’t even count how many times I’ve picked her up from one of their fights.” He picked up a pink and white swirled votive and drew in a deep breath of strawberry and vanilla.

  “Hmmm.”

  He gave Mabel a sideways look. “It’s true. Mitch never thinks about her feelings. He just pushes and pushes, and when he doesn’t get his way, he punishes her like some spoiled kid.”

  Mabel gave him one of her stern motherly looks. “He’s teaching her, Eric. Not punishing her. Mitchell is a very powerful man and with that power comes responsibility. He can’t just think about what Amelia wants all the time. He has hundreds of people and vampires in this town that are affected by his actions. The problem with Amelia is that she thinks with her heart and not always in the most logical way or with the residents’ best interests in mind. This town has come to depend on her as Mitchell’s second. If he’s hard on her, it’s only because he wants her to be a great leader. I think you could learn a lot from them.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Why hadn’t he thought about all that? In reality, he was twice Mabel’s age, but she always seemed to have some mind-blowing wisdoms. Was it possible that his father wasn’t the big bad jerk Millie thought he was? The thought was making his mind spin. “What about this?” he asked half-heartedly, and held up the strawberry-vanilla swirl candle.

  He was awarded with another one of Mabel’s meaningful looks. “It depends. What do you want your gift to say?”

  He put the candle back on the shelf and thought about it for a second before answering. “Sorry for being such a moron and for biting you,” he said with a grin. “And I know you probably hate me right now, but I think you’re the most amazing thing since sliced bread, and I’m super stoked to have you in my life.”

  Mabel laughed. “I’m not sure if a candle says all that.”

  “I should get her flowers. Millie always wanted Mitch to do that. She complains all the time that he never brings her chocolates or flowers or takes her to the movies. She thinks that he takes her for granted because of the bond. I want Megan to love me for my witty charm, not because she has to, but because she wants to.”

  “That’s very smart, Eric.”

  He grinned at her, pleased that she thought he was smart. They stepped out of the store and headed through the crowded mall towards the flower shop.

  It took just over two hours, but when they were done scouring every flower shop and jewelry store in the mall, Eric was sure that he had found the perfect gift. He held the pendant up, letting the light shimmer off the diamond chain that weaved around two silver hearts, connecting them as one. It was perfect: the chain and the hearts. He was amazed that he had actually found something that could show the invisible link between them. And since he had bitten Megan, this was exactly how it felt; as if there was an exquisite chain connecting their hearts forever.

  “It’s perfect, Eric,” Mabel said from beside him.

  “Yeah, I guess it is,” he replied. He handed the pendant back to the sales person and grinned. “I’ll take it.”

  Eric spent another thirty minutes picking out a chain for the pendant. He had never imagined that there could be so many different kinds, shapes, or sizes. Did he want a flat one or one that spiraled? Did it matter? He finally decided on a thin, long silver chain. There were so many intricate details in the pendant that he thought plain would be the best for the chain.

  “Thanks for helping me, Mabel,” Eric said as they left the mall and stepped into the cool spring air. “Are you coming back to the house? I would love for you to meet her.”

  Mabel’s lips curved upwards. “I’ll be there soon. I just need to sort out the fair rides for Amelia.”

  “Okay, but hurry,” he said, and gave her a big hug before turning towards his car. As he walked, he noticed an extra spring in his step, and he grinned widely with anticipation at seeing Megan.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Megan, are you okay?” Amelia asked, as she cracked another egg into the sizzling frying pan. Megan had barely said more than two words in a row this morning, and she looked as if she was ready to make a run for it at any second.

  Megan glanced up, plastered an unconvincing smile on her lips, and shrugged. “I guess.” She focused back on her steaming coffee cup and let out a long breath. “Man, I wish he’d come home though. I feel, I don’t know…empty. And it’s a struggle not to run out and find him. How do you deal with it?”

  Amelia grinned. “It’ll get easier,” she said, as she pushed the lever down on the toaster and then pulled out some plates from the cupboard. She glanced at Megan, and her smile widened. Amelia hadn’t been expecting her to be so open to the whole vampire soulmate thing. She had sort of expected Megan to resent Eric the way she had Mitchell. He had just taken away her independence. But the look on Megan’s face…she was glowing and had that far off girl in love kind of look in her eyes.

  “At least he’s a complete hottie.” Megan shot Amelia a sheepish grin from across the kitchen. She popped up from the island, padded over to the fridge and grabbed the butter, setting it down beside the toaster.

  Amelia good-naturedly elbowed her in the ribs. “Glad you think so, because if you keep drooling over my man...”

  “I don’t think you’ve ever called me that before, love,” Mitchell said, cutting Amelia off midsentence. “I like the sound of it.” He leaned up against the counter top with a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

  Amelia groaned. “You weren’t supposed to hear it,” she said, waving the spatula in his direction and then taking a minute to admire him. His hair was damp and the soft, spicy scent of his shampoo wafted about the room. He had on a pair of light khaki pants and a grassy-green golf shirt that hugged his muscles. Amelia licked her lips as she let her eyes absorb every inch of his drool worthy frame. Megan cleared her throat loudly, and Amelia reluctantly pulled her eyes away from a chuckling Mitchell. “Where’s Eric?” Amelia asked, trying to hide her burning blush as she focused on flipping the eggs.

  The toaster popped and Megan began buttering the crispy bread. Amelia thought she looked like she was trying to stay busy and not show how much she wanted to know the answer, but it wasn’t working. There was a slight tilt to her body, as if she was leaning in so she wouldn’t miss a single note of Mitchell’s response.

  “He’s with Mabel. Said something about wanting to do something special for Megan since he you know...”

  Mitchell was cut short by
a loud smash. They both glanced over to see Megan on the floor surrounded by slivers of porcelain from a shattered plate. “What the hell,” Megan said with a groan. “Crap, sorry about the plate.”

  “No worries,” Amelia said, taking a few cautious steps over to her and reaching out her hand to help Megan get up. She started to reach for Amelia’s outstretched hand, but never accepted it. Her eyes widened, and Amelia was pretty sure she had completely stopped breathing. It was almost as if Megan no longer saw her, instead, she looked past Amelia with awe and wonder lighting up her face.

  “Hi, Megan,” Eric said, walking towards her. He picked her up off the ground and set her on her feet away from the mess. Once she was standing, he grinned and stuck out his hand. “We didn’t get a chance to properly meet last night. I’m your dumbass soulmate, Eric Carter.”

  Mitchell chuckled, and Amelia glanced at him quickly. His face was alight with pride as he watched Eric, his son, find his way through this awkward mess. Megan’s jaw dropped even further and her eyes widened, but she didn’t reach for his outstretched hand. Eric awkwardly let his hand drop and a look of devastation settled onto his perfect face. Amelia began to take a step towards Megan, but Mitchell stopped her, taking her hand and pulling her back. He cleared his throat and was about to say something when Megan blurted, “You’re not a dumbass.” Just as quickly as the words came out, she slapped her hands up to her mouth and backed up a few steps.

  Mitchell squeezed Amelia’s hand tightly, urging her to stay out of it, and then said, “I know you are probably feeling a lot of different things right now, Megan, and it’s probably scary and overwhelming, but it’s all normal.”

  “Why are you so sad?” Megan breathed, eyes still glued on Eric. “It’s…it’s…it’s…”

  Eric jammed his hands into his jean pockets and dropped his gaze to the floor. “Because I think I ruined your life.”