Soul's Mark 02 - Hunted

by Ashley Stoyanoff

  “Mitchell,” Luke said, clearly annoyed. “Start explaining.”

  Mitchell started pacing the room, keeping his eyes on Amelia, and she could feel him pulling on her strength. “It’s not like before. Some of the older vampires in the community threatened to start hunting in town. I couldn’t let that happen. No one would be safe if that happened.” His shoulders slumped and he took a deep breath before continuing. “I made arrangements with the prison. The people they send, like the girl tonight, are all convicted criminals with death sentences. That’s why I didn’t want her changed. She was a serial killer. I couldn’t let someone like her become a vampire and give her more strength. She’d be unstoppable. I just couldn’t let it happen.”

  Amelia was stunned, and as she glanced around, she could tell everyone else was feeling the same. No one knew what to say. No one was used to seeing Mitchell like this. Usually (at least when Amelia wasn’t involved) he was strong, rational. But right now, he looked ashamed.

  After a long moment, Mabel broke the silence. “I’m disappointed in you, Mitchell.” She sighed and dabbed at her eyes with her flowery apron. “When will you learn? It’s not just you anymore, and Amelia can handle more than you think. You are a better man with her and together you are stronger.” She shook her head. “I think Mitchell has some explaining to do. Come on, everyone. Let’s leave them alone.” Mabel’s tone made it clear that she wasn’t asking; she was telling everyone to leave. The room fell silent once again. Mitchell ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand up every which way. Then, one by one, Angelle, Tyler, Eric, and Fiona filed out of the room.

  Erin stood by, looking awkwardly between them. She always seemed to have a really hard time when they argued, and Mitchell noticed her discomfort. “It’s okay, Erin,” he said. “We’ll be fine. You can go.”

  “Millie?” she questioned, glancing between them.

  Amelia mustered up a smile. “We’re good, Erin.” Erin was still so young, and she really had loyalty issues. The human part of her remembered that they were friends. They had met first, and she had held onto that, becoming protective of her friend. But the vampire part was attached to Mitchell. He had saved her, changed her. And he had believed in her when she was weak.

  Erin wasn’t convinced, but she nodded. “Okay, but if you need me…”

  Amelia’s smile widened. “I know. All I need to do is yell.”

  After Erin left in a flash of movement, Amelia smiled to herself. Only last week she had asked Erin why she never just walked. Erin had been so stoked up that she had finally figured out how to use the vampire speed without breaking her neck—literally—she swore she would never walk at a normal pace again. And so far, she hadn’t.

  Once everyone had left, Mitchell sat down and cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him. “Amelia.” He reached across the small coffee table that sat between them and took her hand.

  “I want her gone by morning,” she said, standing up and letting his hand drop.

  “There’s something else I need to tell you.” Amelia felt a rush of guilt coming from him, and she sucked in a breath. Surely, he was going to admit that he had been fooling around with Fiona.

  She wasn’t ready to hear it out loud; thinking it was bad enough. She met his gaze. “I can’t right now. I’m really trying to stay calm and think about everything maturely, but sometimes I think you forget that I’m only eighteen. I haven’t been around for eight hundred years, well at least not in any one lifetime. I know you’ve seen so many things, and you think about this stuff differently, as if it’s just no big deal. But to me, it is a big deal. I need some space to think and try to digest everything. Just go.” She turned from him, not able to look at him any longer, and held her breath. How could he do this? How could he hide Fiona? The small rational part of her knew that wasn’t what she was supposed to be upset about. Fiona was just a hiccup compared to the other lies, but still, they had been together for over a century, and Amelia couldn’t seem to bury the blinding jealousy.

  She should be more worried about the hunting and the girl who died tonight. She knew that, but as irrational as it was, Fiona was the only thing on her mind. I guess that explains the cot, Amelia thought sourly.

  The soft click of the door and a tug at her back told her that he left, and Amelia let out a long breath. She climbed the steps, her feet sinking into the plush carpet of the landing, and she padded over to her bed, flopped down, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind was foggy. Maybe if she just kept her eyes shut, she would fall asleep, and when she woke up, she would realize that it was all just a horrible dream.

  CHAPTER 4

  Mitchell watched as Amelia turned her back on him. It was times like this, when she was being stubborn and unreasonable, that he really wanted to stop her. He could make her listen. Whether she knew it or not, she had been the one who gave him that power back—given him the control over her actions, even her magic—and right now that was exactly what he wanted to do. Make her listen so he could explain everything, but if he did that…No. That wasn’t an option anymore. He was in too deep now, drowning in a sea of lies.

  It had all started so innocently—just a little white lie. He remembered the glow of happiness in Amelia’s cheeks when she thought that they had found a way around the bond. She had been so excited after letting him back in and fixing the bond. He didn’t understand what made her think that he no longer had control over her actions. It wasn’t as if he had even had a chance to test it before she made that declaration, telling him that they could finally be a normal couple. She didn’t have the slightest idea that the reality was he had just figured out how to use a little self-restraint. He guessed believing that he had lost the only thing that kept him going could do that to a man, and he had really thought that he had lost her.

  But in spite of the fact that he had no clue why, Amelia was still here. After all the horrible things he had done, he had been sure that Amelia would leave without a second thought. Except she didn’t. She really wasn’t the kind to give up, and he was sure she didn’t even know the meaning of throwing in the towel. Instead, she gave him that second chance to be the man she needed. And what did he do? He had bitten his tongue, keeping back the thing that he knew would make her change her mind. He couldn’t bear to see her face twist in disappointment, that look she gave him that ripped out his heart when she blamed him for something that was out of his control.

  But that one little white lie had quickly turned into another and then another, and now it was hard to tell where the lies ended and the truth began.

  Mitchell glanced at the cot in the center of the room, and a wave of disgust hit him. How had he let it get to this? He couldn’t even share a bed with her, scared that if he let his guard down while asleep she would see everything. She would see that he could stop her magic. She would know that he could make the pain come back. She would realize that he was in control. And if she figured it out, then she would break the bond just like before, and he didn’t think he could live through that again. Not knowing if she was okay. Always worrying that something had happened to her.

  Give her space, he told himself with a sigh. After another long glance, soaking up every beautiful curve and glowing feature, he turned away, slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

  He had just pulled the door closed when Luke grabbed his arm. Mitchell swiveled around, surprised. He had been so lost in his own guilt that he hadn’t noticed anyone waiting for him. Had Luke been listening? he wondered, and then a rush of suffocating anger consumed him. Did they still think he would hurt her? After everything that had happened, did they still believe he needed a chaperone? He had proven time and time again, dealing with the painful attacks and her hurtful words, that he had his temper under control. Mitchell gritted his teeth and was about to blurt out a slew of nasty words but bit his tongue when he saw Luke holding a finger to his lips, signaling for him to keep quiet. He gave Mitchell’s arm a forceful tug and pulled him t
hrough the house, up the stairs and into his bedroom.

  “What the hell is going on?” Mitchell demanded, as soon as the door was shut. He noticed Lola and Angelle sitting cross-legged on the large bed with matching grim expressions.

  Luke spun on him, rage passing across his usually calm face. “How could you let Amelia and Eric hang out outside at night without telling them about the hunting? Where were you?”

  “I didn’t let them do anything,” Mitchell retorted, furious. “And I don’t believe it’s any of your business where I was.”

  “Mitch,” Angelle chirped. “Seriously, you need to tell us what’s going on. Why is Fiona here?”

  “And why didn’t you tell any of us she was back?” Lola added.

  Mitchell rolled his eyes. “What is this? An interrogation?” he questioned, completely floored. Were they really ganging up on him? The idea was laughable, and he chuckled in disbelief.

  His humor was replaced by dread when Lola drew her full lips into a hateful smirk. “Start talking, Mitchell, or I swear I will get Amelia involved.”

  “You wouldn’t,” Mitchell breathed. That was the last thing he needed. If she knew everything he had just uncovered…his gut twisted into knots merely thinking about it.

  Lola laughed. “Actually, yes, I would and I will.”

  “No need,” Fiona said, waltzing into the room, letting the door slam behind her. “I was being chased by a vampire hunter, so I came here. I just knew Mitchell would help me.”

  Angelle giggled. “Chased by a vampire hunter?” And then she fixed her laughing eyes on Mitchell. “And you believed her.”

  “Of course he believes me,” Fiona purred, gliding over to Mitchell and running her fingers over his chest. “We’ve been together for over a hundred years.”

  His skin crawled from her touch. How had he spent so many years with this awful creature? She may be beautiful, but she was a far cry from Amelia. Fiona was vicious, conniving, and a self-absorbed bitch. Even when she had stood at his side, she had never cared about the people; she only cared about herself. He saw that now, and it made him feel sick that it had taken him so long to figure it out. He cleared his throat. “We were together,” Mitchell corrected and firmly removed her hand from his chest. “And it will never happen again so you can stop this little act.” He took a few steps away from her, shutting out her whiny protests and leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. “I didn’t believe her, but she was scared. I couldn’t just turn her away,” he said to Angelle and then shrugged. “And as it turns out, she wasn’t lying.”

  “What do you mean she wasn’t lying?” Luke asked. “There haven’t been hunters in four hundred years. You saw to that yourself.”

  How could he explain? Luke had been with him, tracking the hunters and disposing of them. They searched everywhere. Every corner of the earth. So how could this be? Could they have missed some? He had really thought they had gotten rid of them all, but…

  He must have been thinking about it longer than he had thought, because Angelle suddenly broke the silence. “Dammit, Mitchell!” she yelled, smacking her fists against the mattress. “You can’t hide this from us.”

  “Keep your voice down,” he growled, and glanced at the door, waiting for Eric or Erin to crash through at any second. When no one barreled in, he shot each one of them a meaningful look and whispered, “I don’t want the others involved. Eric and Erin are too young; Tyler is just a human and Amelia…” He shook his head, trying to get rid of the idea of anything happening to her, and said, “We can’t talk about this here.”

  After giving them all a firm glare, he opened the door and gestured for everyone to follow him. Thankfully, none of them made a scene. On his way through the kitchen, Mitchell grabbed Angelle’s keys and went straight for the black Hummer, the whole time debating on what and how much to tell them. If they knew they were targets…but then again, he knew that they were targets. He had seen the proof with his own eyes.

  “Where are we going?” Angelle asked, as Mitchell started up the car and put it into gear.

  He didn’t answer right away. He didn’t know where to start or even how much he wanted to tell them. He made a left out of the driveway, heading towards the gates. “I got a phone call from Officer McLean tonight. Some college kids thought the old warehouse on Chestnut Drive was a great place to party, and he ended up getting a noise disturbance call.” He pulled up to the gates, lowered his window and nodded to Joe, who flicked the switch to open the gate.

  Once they were through, Lola asked, “Is there a point to this little story?”

  “You’ll see when we get there,” Mitchell said, knowing it was better for them to see it rather than him trying to explain it.

  Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the old warehouse. It sat on the outskirts of town, abandoned and falling apart. The roof sunk in places, windows were missing, and graffiti marred the crumbling red-brick walls. Mitchell turned off the car and got out, everyone following close behind. The steel door protested with a grinding sound as Mitchell pulled it open. He ushered everyone inside and steered them across the main floor to the rickety metal steps that led to the upstairs office, where many years ago the factory manager could overlook and survey the workers on the factory floor.

  The fifteen steps felt like hundreds, and with every single one, his nerve faltered a little more. Mitchell knew he couldn’t handle this crisis alone. He desperately needed some help, and this desperation forced him to continue up the stairs with the others following on his heels. When they reached the top, Mitchell opened the door without a word, and stood aside.

  Even though he had just seen it, it all still seemed so unreal. Every inch of the walls was plastered with pictures of every vampire and soulmate in town, blueprints of their houses, and maps of the gated street. Someone, most likely more than one someone, had been watching them for some time now.

  “Oh my God,” Angelle gasped, looking around the room. “That’s our house,” she said, standing in front of one of the blueprints. Next to the blueprint, each of their pictures was taped up with statistics: age, status, height, weight, and a short biography. She proceeded to read the information listed beside her photo. “Angelle O’Connor. Height – Six-foot. Eyes – Brown. Hair – Auburn. Age – Four-hundred and eighty-two. Soulmate – Dead. Relation to Mitchell – Trusted Advisor. Notes – She may look innocent, but do not let her stunning looks fool you. When challenged she is ruthless, and she is one of the oldest in the coven.”

  “What the hell is all this?” Lola asked, spinning around. “Every house on our street is here. How does anyone know all this about us?”

  “The human soulmates have been marked, too,” Mitchell said, running his fingers across the photo of Amelia.

  “It says ‘recruit,’" Fiona said, looking over his shoulder. “Why would the hunters want to recruit her?” She said the last word with a dripping disgust.

  Mitchell spun on her, ready to tell her exactly what he thought, but stopped himself when he saw the fear that clouded her face. Fiona was scared. Terrified. And as he looked around at his friends, the telltale signs of panic were evident on every single one of them.

  “It’s probably just some hate group,” Angelle said, but the tremor in her voice screamed that she didn’t believe what she was saying. “You know there have been some issues since Ty set up the donation bank. I bet this was done by some pissed-off humans in town.”

  She slid over to stand in front of Mitchell, hope filling her eyes. He wished he could agree with her and erase the fear, but the idea seemed too unlikely. It was a well-known fact that not all the humans loved them, but they accepted them and depended on them, and to orchestrate something like this? To actually plan… he shoved the thought away and pulled Angelle into a tight hug. And the way she clung to him, as if her life depended on it, broke his heart. All of them expected him to fix this. Wipe it away as if it wasn’t happening, and it was killing him that he couldn’t.

 
“Silver arrows,” Luke said thoughtfully, bending down to examine a pile in the far corner of the room. He reached out and the second his fingers touched an arrow, they erupted into flames. He howled, yanking his hand back. The flames were spreading fast.

  “Luke!” Lola cried, rushing towards him. In a flash, Mitchell let go of Angelle and blocked Lola’s path as he pulled off his shirt and quickly smacked out the fire. A thick, rancid smell of burning flesh filled the air. Even though it only took seconds for Luke’s blisters to heal and fade, the smoke’s odor still lingered in the room.

  As soon as Mitchell was sure that the fire was completely out, he stood back, and Lola jumped into Luke’s arms, frightened tears streaking her face.

  “They’re charmed,” Fiona said with a self-satisfied grin. “Even I know that.”

  Mitchell gave her a fierce look to shut her up and then said, “We need to collect everything. Get it out of here before the hunters come back for it.” He marched over to the photo of Amelia and pulled it down.

  The clean-up went on for hours. They sorted through the maps and plans, keeping everything in order so they could examine them closely later at home. The weapons were carefully wrapped and loaded into the car. It was nearly sunrise when Mitchell pulled down the last of the pictures. He looked at Luke and said, “I need to get home before Amelia wakes up,” and got a disapproving scowl in return. “I don’t want her to know. She’ll try to fix this, and she'll…Just not yet, okay?”

  Luke raised an eyebrow. “You think you can hide it from her?”

  Mitchell shook his head from side to side and said, “Yes.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Ripped out of her dreamless slumber, Amelia shrieked. Her bed drooped and sagged, and her eyes flew open. “Get up,” Eric said, jumping up and down, the mattress springs creaking under his weight. “Let’s go for a run.”