The Soul's Mark: HUNTED

“Mitchell,” a girl yelled from behind him, and Eric spun around just in time to see Amelia launch herself at him, her face glowing with a huge smile.



Eric didn’t have time to react, and in that second he knew Amelia was going to jump on him, but then, she didn’t. One second she was flying through the air at him and the next she was passing right through him.



“What’s wrong, love,” Mitchell said.



Eric pivoted around, and he gasped. “How the hell did you do that?” he asked, taking a giant step back. They didn’t even glance at him.



“I can’t believe I found you,” Amelia cried, clinging onto Mitchell for all she was worth. “I’ve been looking for days.”



Mitchell stroked her fiery red hair and kissed the top of her head. “I’ve only been out a few hours, Amelia.”



Eric didn’t know what to do. His throat felt tight and uncomfortable as he watched the intimate moment between his father and Amelia, but he couldn’t seem to turn away. Why was he dreaming of Amelia and Mitchell?



And then something occurred to him. Amelia’s hair was brown. This wasn’t Amelia. This was…



“Who’s Amelia?”



Eric rocketed up, his feet landing on the floor with a thud and his blankets dropping to his feet. He kicked them away and ran to his bedroom door. “Millie,” he hollered, throwing it open and running to the media room next door. “Millie, where’s Mitch?”



CHAPTER 8



Amelia was working hard to swallow the lump in her throat, but it was the size of an apple, and it seemed to be growing bigger by the second. She tried to remind herself that she had chosen a horror flick to keep her mind off Mitchell’s rejection, but her bulging eyes and thumping heart didn’t seem to want to remember.



Suddenly, the floor beneath her shuddered as if it was about to give way, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Before she fully stood up, a frantic and rumpled looking Eric was charging in. “Millie, where’s Mitch?” he yelled, eyes crimson and sharp, glistening fangs extended.



Amelia cast an involuntary terrified look at him. “I’m…I’m not sure,” she stammered and retreated back a few paces.



“Well find him,” Eric growled. The look he gave her was savage, and he advanced on her like a stealthy jungle cat, stalking its unsuspecting prey. “Find him now!”



Eric smashed his fist against the wall; it vibrated from the force of his blow, and Amelia scampered back further, suddenly feeling like a trapped and frantic little mouse.



Amelia hesitated for a few seconds, feeling the building energy course through her veins. Her heart was racing, and her whole body shook, but the last thing she wanted to do was attack him. Something was wrong. He wasn’t thinking and she was absolutely sure he would not, under any circumstances, hurt her. It wasn’t until Eric leapt at her that she realized he had completely lost his mind. In a split second, she tossed up a shield, and he crashed into it, bouncing back across the room.



He was back up in seconds and growled. The manic look in his eyes intensified as he stalked towards her.



“Eric, what’s wrong with you?” she screeched, as he started to pound against the shield. It sagged and strained against his blows. Beads of sweat trickled over Amelia’s brow as she fought against the attack, desperately trying to keep the shield in place. Her knees trembled with exertion, and she panted for air.



“Where is he?” Eric yelled, and his eyes burned brighter.



Suddenly, Luke crashed into the room, tackling Eric to the floor. Amelia collapsed onto the ground gasping for air, and the shield crumbled around her.



She heard a loud clatter and swiveled around. Through the debris of wood and white powder, she saw Luke and Eric sprawled out on the floor in Eric’s room, a massive hole in the drywall where they had crashed through. Before she could move, they were both back up on their feet, circling each other and snarling like beasts.



“Do you have a death wish?” Luke growled, as they continued to dance around each other.



Eric snarled and then made his first move, but Luke saw his attack coming and sidestepped just before Eric’s fist could connect. Eric lost his footing and stumbled. Luke took advantage of this, and in a flash, he had Eric in a headlock.



“What the hell is going on in here?” Luke demanded, tightening his grip around Eric’s neck.



Eric stopped struggling. “I need to find Mitchell,” he said in a shaky, unsure voice. “And she won’t help me,” he continued, glaring at Amelia.



“Eric,” Amelia started in a soft voice, trying to be as unthreatening as possible. She got up and started to move forward on shaky legs.



Luke cut her off and fixed his blazing eyes on her. “Call him and stop being so damn stubborn,” he said ruthlessly. Amelia didn’t know what to do, and she froze, jaw dropped, and gawked. “I said call him!”



She didn’t have to be told again. Not that she really had to be told the first time, but man, they were terrifying and, well, she had frozen. She focused on Mitchell, picturing his blue smiling eyes and his velvety voice. Mitchell, can you come home? she sent the shaky thought through the link.



He responded immediately. I’m in the driveway.



Amelia cleared her throat and edged towards the door. “He’s, um, in the driveway,” she said hesitantly. “Can I…”



A gust of wind cut her off and she jumped. Eric was gone. “Can you explain to me why Eric, of all people, just attacked you?” Luke asked, his probing eyes scanning every inch of her. He folded his arms over his chest, blocking the door and waiting for an answer.



“I don’t have a clue,” Amelia replied, sounding as dumbstruck as she felt. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.” She attempted a smile, but she was sure it fell flat.



Luke sighed and gave her a look that clearly said he didn’t believe her. He gestured towards the door. “Well, come on, kiddo. Let’s go see what this is all about.” Amelia took a step forward and was stopped by Luke’s tight grip on her shoulder. He leaned in and whispered a firm warning in her ear. “You know Mitchell will rip him apart if he finds out about this, right?”



Unable to make her voice work, Amelia nodded. After an agonizingly long second, Luke released his grip and ruffled her hair. “You sure know how to drive those two crazy, kiddo.”



Amelia knew he was trying to joke and make light of the situation, but his words had an edge of truth to them that she really didn’t want to hear. What had she done to make Eric turn into the crazed lunatic she had just seen?



Luke kept a hand at the small of her back as they followed the voices from the kitchen, but she hardly noticed. Her heart was beating erratically, and the usual butterflies felt like birds taking flight in her stomach as she closed the distance between her and Mitchell.



By the time she got to the bottom step, she couldn’t stop herself, and she started to run towards him. Maybe Eric’s erratic behavior had something to do with it, but Amelia suddenly felt as if she hadn’t seen Mitchell in years, and the distance between them was excruciating. She rounded the corner into the kitchen and then skidded to a stop.



Standing in front of her, making googly eyes at both Mitchell and Eric, was a spitting image of herself.



“Come over here, love,” Mitchell said softly, extending his hand out to her. When she didn’t move, he stepped closer and put a warm hand on her cheek. It felt good, really good, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling and leaning into it. His touch made her feel warm and tingly and loved. She blocked out her surroundings and focused on that perfect sensation. Right here and now, nothing else mattered. She forgot about psycho Eric and the crazy twin that stood in the kitchen. Even Fiona was a distant memory.



Mitchell tilted her head up to meet his face and said, “There’s someone you need to meet.”



Those six words shook her world, and the heavenly peace she had just felt came crashing down around her. Mitchell sensed it and washed her with a powerful feeling of cheerfulness.



Eric cleared his throat. “Millie, this is Megan Caldwell.”



Amelia felt a surge of utter panic. “Caldwell?” She locked eyes with Megan, searching the sparkling green for any hint of a lie, but she didn’t find what she was looking for. Instead, she only managed to find confirmation. Megan looked almost like her twin with the same small and curve-less frame, identical lips, wildly curly hair, and the same height. The bright-red pigment of her hair, the freckles across the bridge of her nose, and her green eyes were the only different features that confirmed they weren’t actually sisters.



Megan nodded. “Hi, Amelia. My dad was Jeff Caldwell.”



Amelia was speechless. No one had heard from Uncle Jeff since she was ten, and he hadn’t had a child then. She narrowed her eyes at the fraud standing in front of her. “Uncle Jeff took off eight years ago, and he didn’t have a child then. You’re what, eighteen, nineteen? Do the math, honey.”



Megan put her hands on her hips, narrowing her green eyes into little slits. “I’m eighteen, and he didn’t know about me.”



Giggles drifted from outside, and Lola, Angelle, and Erin strolled in. Tyler followed on their heels, lugging an armload of shopping bags. The three of them stopped abruptly, glancing between Amelia and Megan, and Tyler crashed into their backs, dropping the bags and staggering to catch his balance.



“Jeez, what’s wrong with you guys?” he said with an annoyed tone as he bent down to pick up the bags. On his way back up he noticed what the girls were staring at and dropped them all again. “Millie, you didn’t tell us you had a sister.”



“I don’t,” Amelia replied, keeping her narrowed eyes glued on the intruder.



Just then, Fiona waltzed in. “There you are, Mitchell,” she said in a sexy purr. She glided over to him and brushed a hand against his cheek.



Amelia was about to snap when a bolt of white lightning came soaring through the air, knocking Fiona to the ground.



Stunned, Amelia froze and stared at Megan. Stripes of gold and hues of blue pulsated from her, and her lips twisted into a sneer. “Don’t touch him,” Megan spat and launched another blinding attack on Fiona.

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