The Soul's Mark: HUNTED Read Free Page A

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