Before she knew it, Amelia was breathing in, deep full breaths of the bittersweet smoke. The herb spoke to her and her body tingled with pleasure. She could feel the light shooting out in little sparks from her fingertips. “I can't do this,” she whispered in between a lungful of the cleansing herb.

“You must. It is the only way to keep Mitchell safe. The less he knows, the safer you both shall be. He will understand when the time comes. Now repeat after me.” Madame Crystal took her free hand, Erin clenched the other and Amelia repeated the phrase word for word.

“Single candle burning bright, shield my mind with your light. Let my thoughts be private once more, cleanse my spirit to its core. So I ask. So it shall be.”

“Did it work?” Erin asked as soon as the last words left Amelia’s lips.

“I don't know. I can still feel him but he’s…” Amelia paused, closed her eyes and reached out to him; a rush of panic left her breathless. His thoughts were jumbled, scared. And then he confirmed it. Mitchell could not feel her and he thought… she was dead. Her cell phone rang, ear piercing loud and all three of them jumped.

“Turn it off, Amelia,” Madame Crystal said. “Don’t answer. We don’t have much time. Your bond with him is stronger than most because of your powers. It is also what has made you so conflicted.” Amelia hesitated and she stared at his name flashing on the call display. He was so scared, so worried it took every ounce of willpower she had to ignore the call and turn off her phone.

Madame Crystal continued, “You must leave before they find you here. There is danger in your future. Many wish you harm and will seek to destroy you. The one you love most will be the cause of your death. But be warned he is also the only one who can save you. Revenge is for the weak. When the time comes, you will need to forget the past and forgive those who have harmed you. Only then will you be able to forgive yourself. If you choose to be weak, you will sacrifice those you love. Now go. Take these books and learn the craft. Your life depends on it.” She shoved a stack of old journals into Amelia’s hands and pushed her and Erin towards the door. “You were never here. He must not know that I helped you sever the link. Please understand if Mitchell finds out I am the one who helped you, my time here will end.”

"Wait,” Amelia gasped as she was shoved out the door onto the porch. “What does all that mean? What about Mitchell? Will the spell wear off? When will the link come back? Why can I still feel him?”

“All your questions will be answered in time. Now go.” The door was closing on Amelia’s face and she shoved her foot in just in time to stop it.

“But what do I tell him? What if I don't want to keep him out?” Amelia asked frantically.

“Look inside yourself, Amelia. When you are ready, you will know how to bring him back. Now please go. I must leave before it is too late for me. Be safe and trust only those who are worthy.”

Amelia moved her foot and the door slammed. She stood there, staring at the closed door until she heard the engine of a car rumble to life. A white Honda sped around the back of the house, and squealed onto the road, Madame Crystal at the wheel.

CHAPTER 25

“Did you really shut him out?” Erin asked, as the taillights of the Honda disappeared around a bend in the road.

“Yes.” Amelia was shaking. She was trying to wrap her head around the impossibility of what just transpired. But as impossible as it was, she knew deep in her heart, it was all true.

“You’re a witch.” Erin took Amelia’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “I’m probably going to sound crazy but I didn’t believe in witches. Weird, huh? I can handle vampires but this witch thing is just… I don’t know.” She was rambling and she was trembling. Amelia could feel it vibrating through her like a plane in turbulence.

“I know.” What else could she say? She had thought the exact same thing. Her head was swimming and Mitchell—Mitchell was about to send out a hunting party. She could hear him rallying the troops. Jessica was there. Amelia closed her eyes, trying to piece together what she was seeing. His thoughts were broken and hard to piece together. It took her a few minutes to figure out what was going on. Fiona had gotten away. Mitchell thought Fiona had killed her.

Amelia dropped her bag. Keeping a tight grip on Erin’s hand, she crouched down and fished through her bag for her phone. She found it, switched it on and called Mitchell. He answered on the first ring. “Amelia?” His voice sounded frantic.

“I’m okay, Mitch,” Amelia said. An overwhelming flush of relief washed over her, warming her cold and trembling fingers. He was silent, and she could feel him pushing against the link, trying to feel her. “I’m coming home,” she continued. “Call off your hunt. I’m okay.” She hung up before he could say anything else.

“What’s happening?” Erin asked.

Amelia was numb. It was as if her body was shutting down. She could feel the chaos and her brain was trying to convince her that her world was ending, but she just couldn’t bring herself to care. “Erin, I need you to take me home.” Something had changed in her and it was as if her emotions had been turned off.

“Is that a good idea?” Amelia looked at Erin, who appeared like a scared little child. Her eyes wide and red from unshed tears, her normally tanned complexion white as paper. When did this happen? Erin was the strong one. She usually had no fear or at least hid it well. And then, Amelia suddenly realized that even though she could see how terrified Erin was she just didn’t care. Her friend—maybe her only friend—was terrified and she didn’t care.

“Yes,” Amelia answered, a blank expression on her face, matching her lifeless sense of self. She dropped Erin’s hand, walked to the car and climbed in. Erin hesitated, and for a minute, Amelia thought she wasn’t going to follow, but then she grabbed Amelia’s bag and the journals that Amelia had dropped and got into the car.

They didn’t speak during the ten-minute drive to Amelia’s house. Neither of them knew what to say and the silence was peaceful. It gave Amelia time to figure out what to do next. She didn’t know what would happen when she got home. Now that Mitchell knew she was okay his anger grew black. He was sure that she had done something but he didn’t know what it was.

Amelia made Erin drop her off at the gate. She didn’t want to risk Erin, especially since every vampire in town had been called and were all at her house. Amelia promised to call her later, shoved the journals in her backpack, shouldered it, and went off to face the music.

As soon as she reached the driveway, Amelia felt Mitchell pick up her scent and suddenly, he was in front of her, wrapping her in his arms, kissing her cheek, forehead, and every inch of her face. She let him examine her from head to toe and when she felt that he was sure she was okay, she took a step back. “The bond isn’t broken. I can still feel everything.” Then she turned away and headed for the house, Mitchell trailing behind her.

You can still hear me? he asked silently.

“Yes,” she replied. “And don’t ask me how because I don’t know.” Amelia climbed the steps and reached the front door. She was just about to turn the doorknob when he stopped her, holding her tightly to his chest.

His voice sounded cold and broken. “You’re lying to me, Amelia. You know exactly what happened. You may have blocked me from your mind but I have your blood in my system and you hold my soul. I can hear the frantic beating of your heart and you always hold your breath when you lie.”

Mitchell’s lips trailed along her neck and his fangs came down scraping against her skin. “You will not bite me,” she murmured and closed her eyes. He licked her neck, sending a tantalizing chill down her spine. Damn him! She didn’t want to feel this way. But every part of her body was yearning for him. And it chilled her that part of her actually wanted him to bite her.

“You’re mine.” His lips vibrated against her sensitive skin as he spoke. She could feel herself relaxing into him, and her body was calling to him. She was about to take it back and tell him to do it when he continued, “I can do what I want with you and it’s time that you learn that.” His lips continued to trail along her jaw to her ear. “If you try to fight me, we’ll just see how much of the bond you were able to destroy. Are you willing to see if the pain is gone?”

“You should be happy,” Amelia said, the image of Fiona popping to her mind, giving her a newfound strength. “Now that I’ve blocked you out you’re free to play with Fiona.”

He was turning into the monster. Amelia could feel his black anger swirling with red-hot rage. His fangs pressed against her neck, the pressure increasing and she could feel the pinch. He’s enjoying this, she realized, disgusted. He was trying to do it slowly so she could feel his fangs slide into her skin. He wanted it to hurt. He was trying to teach her a lesson.

Amelia stiffened. Every muscle in her body wound tight. Her anger was taking over and mixing with his. She could feel a burst of warm energy building in the pit of her stomach, yearning to be set free. It was waiting with anticipation, building bigger and stronger, waiting to explode like a loaded gun. She focused her mind on it, pulling it all together into a bullet of white fire. She pictured a gun, the blazing bullet in the chamber, and pulled the trigger.

Mitchell let go and Amelia watched as he crashed through the door, breaking it off its hinges, and slid into the house, across the foyer floor. He jumped up in a blur, crimson eyes blazing and in a flash, he was grabbing her again. Amelia closed her eyes and focused on the heat, and like a flash of lightening, Mitchell was back on the floor, crashing into the wall.

A collective gasp hissed through the room like a nest of rattlesnakes signaling an attack. Amelia’s eyes snapped open, and she was oddly undisturbed by the frightening sight before her. Every vampire in town stood behind Mitchell, fangs flashing and eyes blazing. A few of them advanced on her. Mitchell was staring at her as if she had six heads and had grown snakes for hair. For a moment, Amelia thought he was going to let them attack her and she pulled on the energy, preparing herself for a fight.