“No,” the spirits chorused in annoyingly pleasant tones. “We’re your family, child. You may keep the witches. They’re tied to you now through the spells you have cast here tonight, but the others ...” Amelia didn’t hear the rest of their words. It was as if her brain just couldn’t—wouldn’t—process the sound of their voices any longer.
“Amelia, I swear to you I didn’t know,” her mother said, a note of desperation in her voice. “The spirits do not own you. Look into your heart, sweetie. It will guide you if you let it.”
The numbness was coming back to her limbs, stronger than before. She had so many questions, like what would happen to her mother, or what would happen to her family, to Mitchell, but she couldn’t spit them out. Instead, what she asked was, “Have I changed all my mistakes?”
“Yes,” the spirits chimed, their musical voices blending together in a perfect melody. “The bond has been changed. There will be no more pain to those who bare the mark.”
“Good,” Amelia said, nodding her head. “That’s good.” She felt as if the world was slipping away from her, and she was falling into darkness. When the light was gone and the world faded, grayed and distorted, until all that was left was inky blackness, Mitchell was still there. He stood with his hand outstretched, his smile burning like a light, guiding her back to the one place she knew she’d always belong—to her family.
Love, I’m behind you with whatever you decide. His silent reassurance brushed through her mind like a warm spring breeze, and as it did, he let his hand drop from her shoulder and trail down her arm, causing her skin to hum and burn. Then he let his hand drop from her entirely, allowing her to step away from him if that was what she chose to do.
The silence that followed his gesture was more profound than Amelia had ever thought silence could be. It was as if the world had been stripped of all life, and all that was left was her and the spirits. When she finally spoke, her voice seemed louder than it truly was. “I think I’ll pass on the whole unlimited power thing.”
Amelia didn’t wait to see if they were shocked, although she figured since other than the water spirit, the others were only shadows, it wouldn’t have mattered if she had. She shook off Cole and Megan’s hands and she turned from them, launching herself at Mitchell. He caught her easily, lifting her from the ground, and then his lips were on hers, kissing her with a breathless urgency. The feel of his arms around her and his mouth pressed against hers was like a dizzying rush.
“If you walk away, we’ll strip you of your magic,” the voices called from behind her.
At the sound of the threat, Mitchell let her go, and she was gasping for breath, and then her feet were back on the ground. He caught her gaze, his was pained, and he cupped her face, smiling a painfully sad smile, before dropping his hands completely, and stepping away from her. Amelia glanced over her shoulder, and without a second of hesitation, she said, “Go ahead. It’s been nothing but trouble anyway.” She let her gaze travel to her mother for the briefest of seconds, terrified that she would see disappointment or pain or something that would make her regret her words, but as she met her mother’s eyes, what Amelia saw was a smile brighter than any she had ever seen before.
“I’m proud of you, honey,” she murmured, her voice floating through the still night air. She raised her hand in goodbye, and then in a blink she was gone, the spirits leaving with her.
For a long moment, no one moved. Her family stared, unmoving and unblinking, at the place where the spirits had disappeared, as if they were expecting them to appear again, and demand that she go with them, but as the seconds turned into minutes and nothing happened, Amelia figured that Mitchell and her mother had been right. She was a vampire. The spirits had no claim to her soul any longer and could not force her to take a path she did not want to take. And she had made her choice, a choice that no one could make for her—family.
It was Eric who spoke up, first shattering the stunned silence. “Did you just give up a chance at being Mother Nature for us?” He pivoted, facing Amelia straight on, looking at her with a mixture of amazed bemusement.
“You were right,” Amelia said, nodding, as a nervous giggle slipped out. “I guess I do love you guys after all.”
“I never doubted it for a second,” Luke said, smirking. “I’ve told you all countless times that she’d never just leave. Don’t look so stunned, Eric.” He strolled over to her, beaming, and wrapped her in a hug so tight that Amelia was sure if he didn’t loosen up soon, she’d have a broken rib.
“Luke,” she wheezed, “you’re going to break me.” Amelia had barely gotten the words out when another set of arms squeezed around her.
“I would have killed you if you had left,” Lola murmured in her ear. She squeezed Amelia again before letting go, and then she pried Luke’s too tight grip off of Amelia, pulling him away a few paces. Her gaze flicked to the left, just a quick look. Amelia didn’t have to follow it to know who she was looking at. Mitchell. She could feel the tug at her heart, urging her to get closer to him. “Come on, guys. I’m starving.” Lola winked at her and then started dragging Luke towards the house.
“Me, too,” Eric grunted, snagging Megan’s hand. “Come on, Cole. I’ll whip you up something that you’ll love.”
Amelia watched as they walked away, cringing a little at the thought of Eric making any kind of food for Cole. Her stomach did a little flip-flop as her family disappeared into the house, and the chain around her heart pulled taut. She turned to Mitchell, slowly. The moonlight shone down on him, shadowing his sculpted features, as if he had smudges on his cheeks and under his eyes. He was watching her intently, scanning the full length of her from head to toe, over and over, as if he was attempting to memorize every single crease and dimple on her body. And as he watched her, she watched him. She took in his tall, thick frame, forever frozen in his early twenties. She let herself drink in the definition in his shoulders, and the way his chest rose and fell as he breathed. She thought about how amazing it felt when his roped arms wrapped around her, and how her body molded perfectly against the contours of his body, and the way his youthful face lit up when he saw her.
Amelia smiled, a soft smile, and took a few steps, closing the distance between them. “Hey,” she said.
Mitchell blinked, and then chuckled awkwardly, as if he hadn’t expected her to notice him watching her. “Hey,” he said back, dropping his eyes to the ground.
“Are you, um, okay?” she asked, suddenly feeling all kinds of nervous. Honestly, she’d kind of expected him to be happy about her choice, but as she looked at him, right then, he didn’t look all that happy. Actually, Amelia thought, he looked kind of lost.
“I can’t believe you did that,” he said. “I knew you would.” He shook his head, and then lifted it, meeting her eyes. “I mean I hoped you would, but I can’t believe you did.”
“Mitch,” Amelia gasped his name, as a wave of raw emotion rushed through the bond in a flood. “I love you,” she said. “I love you so much that sometimes it hurts. When they said ...” Her breath hitched in her throat and she swallowed hard. “When they said I couldn’t stay with you it was as if they sliced me open with a jagged blade. Like I was bleeding out and I felt as if I was dying. And you know what made the wound bearable? You. When the world was slipping away from me, I saw you. It was you that brought me back. It’s always been you.”
Mitchell didn’t say anything, and Amelia took another step closer, craning her neck back as she did, keeping her eyes glued to his. His lips parted as if he was about to speak, but no sound came out. Amelia licked her lips, and then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She could feel the breathtaking emotion pulsing from him like a heartbeat, his irrefutable love for her, his undeniable devotion, but yet, as she watched his thoughts through the bond, it was as if he couldn’t find the words to say everything he felt.
Amelia watched him struggle for a moment, drinking in the delirious whirlwind of emotion that fed through their bond, and then s
he rolled up on her tiptoes, and brushed a light kiss across his lips.
Mitchell’s eyes widened for a brief moment before a smirk twitched at the corners of his mouth. “What was that?”
“A kiss?” she said, although it came out more like a question than an answer.
Mitchell chuckled—velvety soft—and his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight against him. “You call that a kiss?” he asked; a mischievous twinkle shimmered in his eyes. He bent his neck, his lips hovering over hers, as he trailed a thumb across her forehead, brushing away some stray curls.
His lips pressed against hers. They were soft and warm and moist, gently working over hers. Amelia’s lips parted, as did his, and then the sweet, gentle kiss changed, morphed, into something urgent, full of need and longing. His tongue brushed against hers. He tasted of spice with a hint of something sweet, and she dug her hands into his hair, wanting, needing to get closer. Her body hummed with need. Sparks raced along her heated skin as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. His hand trailed a line down her back, the sensation—electric. And when he pulled away, and the kiss ended, she was breathless and her knees wobbled, and she felt nothing short of bliss.
He rested his forehead against hers and said, “I love you, Amelia Caldwell. I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me, and even then, I’ll still be yours.”
Amelia gazed at him, lost in his eyes and in his touch, and as she stood there, all she could think was that after all this time, he was finally hers and she was his. And right then she knew she’d never let anything come between them again.
Amelia didn’t know what was to come, nor did she particularly want to know what the future might hold, but as she turned and walked away from the spirits’ version of her destiny, the one thing she did know was that she’d be ready for whatever might come. With her family behind her, with Mitchell at her side, she would be ready.
EPILOGUE
The sky opened up with a thunderous crack and the first fat drops of rain began to fall. Amelia sat alone in the backyard, her legs crossed and hands resting on her thighs, with her back to the castle that had become her home. She figured she should probably seek shelter, but there was something so soothing about the rain beating against her skin that she just couldn’t bring herself to get up just yet.
It had been four days since Amelia’s magic had been taken from her. When she’d first opened her eyes the morning after turning her back on the spirits, wrapped tightly in Mitchell’s arms, Amelia had known instinctively that they had done exactly what they said they would. They’d stripped her of her magic. She hadn’t thought she’d feel so detached without it. She really hadn’t had the gift for that long, not even a full year, but even so, she did.
Mitchell had said he’d stand behind whatever she decided, and he’d done just that. Amelia had to admit she was a little stunned about it. Although he’d said it, she hadn’t really thought that he’d be okay with her giving up all that power, but he was. Actually, he was more than okay with her giving it up to stay with him. And for the most part, Amelia thought she was okay with it, too. Losing her magic felt a lot like mourning the loss of a loved one. It hurt. It was sad. She felt a little empty without it. But as time went on, it would be easier. She didn’t regret the choices she’d made, and she wouldn’t look back.
The last four days had passed Amelia by in a blur. Tyler and Angelle had arrived only an hour after it was over—after the bonds had been changed—with Erin and Lucy in tow. And the moment they realized that they weren’t needed for the spell, Tyler had shocked them all by asking Angelle to change him. Amelia hadn’t thought that Tyler would have ever wanted this life, but as it turned out, all he wanted was a life with Angelle, and if that meant becoming a vampire, that was what he wanted to do.
Megan hadn’t taken the plunge yet, but Amelia had a gut feeling that it wouldn’t be far off. She’d been spending a lot of time working on her magic with Cole, taking a few precocious measures to make sure that when she did, she wouldn’t end up as a flaming ball of fiery mess like Amelia had been. And Cole, well, Amelia thought that he was … happy. He’d moved into the last spare room they had, and it didn’t look like he’d be going anywhere anytime soon.
Cole wasn’t the only new person hanging around the house. Amelia had noticed Drew more than a couple of times in the last few days, and although Erin seemed to be keeping it to herself, Amelia wouldn’t be surprised if they soon had another addition to their seemingly ever growing family.
But the thing was, after it was over, and her family was back together, and she wasn’t a witch anymore, Amelia started thinking—really thinking. The spirits had said she would have had unlimited power had she become Mother Nature. Amelia didn’t want unlimited power, and she was sure that as time passed she wouldn’t miss the power she’d had either. Still, knowing that they had that kind of power, that they could have stopped all this, stopped the pain, stopped the hunters, stopped her from even creating them in the first place … knowing it all made her a little sick. So many people had died—innocent people—because they wanted to test her.
Amelia hadn’t expected it, but even after so much loss and heartbreak, her family was still together—still strong. It was all a bit mind-boggling. They hadn’t blamed her, or turned their backs on her. They’d hugged her and comforted her and told her how glad they were that she’d stayed with them, even after all the trouble she’d caused them over the past nine months. In the last few days, they’d been nothing but supportive. They may not be her blood, but they were and always would be her family.
Amelia glanced over her shoulder towards the house. She knew she should probably get back. People were waiting. She could hear them milling about inside. They deserved to know what had happened, why the bonds had changed, but even knowing they were waiting, she just couldn’t bring herself to leave her perch. After today, once Mitchell finished delivering the new laws that would govern the Willowberg vampire population, nothing would ever be the same. For the most part, the new laws weren’t much different than they’d always been: no hunting, and no eating your soulmate. The big change, though, was that if a soulmate wanted to be changed, their vampire partner had to comply. No more keeping them as pets. It would be better this way; deep down Amelia knew that the change was necessary. And that was life—full of change. And change was good. Without it, Amelia was sure she’d still be that sad girl, hiding away and wasting her life. She was better because of the changes, because of her choices. Right or wrong, she was better for them.
The rain pelted down soaking through her clothes and dripping from her chin. Off in the distance, the sky was clearing, only speckled with a few wisps of white fluff. The wind was gusting steadily, and she figured it wouldn’t be long before the rain clouds overhead passed.
Amelia sighed, smiling to herself. She couldn’t remember a time when she had been this content. After everything that had happened, the only thing that Amelia wished she could have done was thank her mother. She’d already said her goodbyes. She’d said them long ago and made her peace with losing her parents. But Amelia wanted so much to thank her. Thank her for spending centuries guiding her and loving her and teaching her. Amelia wanted to thank her for Mitchell, for her family, and for what she’d done for Angelle and Tyler. She knew that that little trick had been her mother’s doing. Really, who else had the power to tie souls together that had never truly been meant for each other?
“Amelia, love, what are you doing out here?” Mitchell asked, sitting down on the sopping grass beside her. “Everyone’s waiting.”
Amelia glanced at him, her smile growing. “Just thinking,” she said.
He was already drenched. Large beads of water dripped from his hair, and down his face. His bright, sky-blue eyes searched her face for a moment—those eyes, Amelia thought she could stay right there, forever, lost in them—and then he leaned into her, kissing her forehead before he said, “You could send a message to your mother through Megan or Cole.”
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Amelia leaned back, looking at him thoughtfully. “Yeah, I guess I could,” she said. “I’ll ask them.”
“You don’t regret staying here, do you?” he asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. “If they came back for you …”
Amelia pressed her fingertip to his lips, stopping him mid-sentence. “I’d choose you every time.” And as she said it, she knew she always would. She’d always choose family and Mitchell; he was a big part of that. Her family may not share her blood, but family wasn’t just about blood. It was about love and trust. It was about the people who would always be there, supporting and encouraging, no matter what mistakes she made or how tough life got, and Amelia knew with every fiber in her body that she wouldn’t trade her family for anything.
She rolled up to her feet, and reached out a hand for him. “You ready to tell them all that they can’t keep their soulmates as pets anymore?” she asked, smirking as he took her hand, letting her pull him up.
Mitchell groaned and rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. “As long as you’re here with me, I’m ready for anything.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashley Stoyanoff is an author of paranormal romance books for young adults, including The Soul’s Mark series and the Deadly Trilogy. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband, Jordan, and two cats: Tanzy and Trinity.
In July 2012, Ashley published her first novel, The Soul’s Mark: FOUND, and shortly thereafter, she was honored with The Royal Dragonfly Book Award for both young adult and newbie fiction categories.
An avid reader, Ashley enjoys anything with a bit of romance and a paranormal twist. When she’s not writing or devouring her latest read, she can be found spending time with her family, watching cheesy chick flicks or buying far too many clothes.
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