For the next few hours, the four of them sat cross-legged on Eric’s bed, flipping through the journal, studying the pages, and testing what they could find. What they had originally thought was just like the soulmate bond, was, in fact, very different. While the soulmate bond gave an open link to each other’s minds, emotions, and thoughts, the connection Amelia and Megan shared seemed to be based solely on projection. They could fling images and words to each other but could only see what the other wanted to be seen.

Intense emotion came into play with the images. They were able to send anything, even a snapshot of breakfast, for example, but something that triggered a strong emotion was easier to propel at one another. They could only guess this was the reason they had been attracted to each other's soulmates, figuring they must have been projecting the overwhelming emotions connected with their other halves.

“Did you know that with a little magic help and the bond, I can tap into Eric’s enhanced hearing?” Megan asked, as she scanned the pages for something else they could try.

Angelle snickered and giggled before she could choke out, “Did you hear the show last night?” she asked to Megan, playfully elbowing her in the ribs.

“Sure did,” Megan replied with a wink.

Amelia sat there bewildered, glancing between the girls and then noticed that Lola was brandishing a grin as well. What were they talking about? She didn’t have a clue. They were smirking at her, and squirming around excitedly on the bed, tossing back and forth little jabs and innuendos that Amelia was certain had something to do with her.

And then it hit her. Enhanced hearing. Amelia felt her cheeks flare, and she knew her complexion had changed tone to a brilliant ruby red. They had heard her and Mitchell last night.

“Finally,” Angelle chirped and clapped her hands together, seemingly thrilled at Amelia’s embarrassment. “I thought I was going to have to spell it out for you. Spill already! We want the details.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Amelia said, glad she had pulled off a clueless tone. She uncrossed her legs and flipped onto her stomach, burying her nose in one of the books.

Megan raised a disbelieving eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “From what I saw of Eric’s memories, there’s a lot to tell. You guys have been fighting since you met.” Her eyes sparkled with the gossip, and she gushed out the questions in a way only a girl could when juicy information was dangling in front of her. “How did it happen? Who made the first move?”

“I bet she took my advice and jumped him,” Angelle said. “I told you he wouldn’t be able to resist.”

Amelia groaned. Embarrassment wasn’t a strong enough word for what she was feeling; it was more like mortification. She knew she had used their hearing as a lame cop-out last night, but she never really imagined that they would know.

“Are you guys really having the talk without me?” Erin asked, skidding into the room. “You suck.” She tried to sound left out, but she was grinning like a fool as she plopped down on the bed with the rest of them.

“How does the bond feel?” Lola asked Amelia cautiously. “After our first time together, it really changed things for Luke and I, and with your powers, well, are you okay? Stable, I mean?”

“Lola,” Angelle snapped, and shook her head in disappointment, although Amelia wasn’t sure if it was at Lola’s comment or the new path the conversation was taking.

Lola threw up her arms and huffed. “Someone has to be sensible here. We all know she’s emotional, and we are kind of at war here. None of us can deal with her accidentally locking herself away again.” She looked at Amelia sternly. “We need you strong if we have a chance of making it out of this alive.”

A thick and incredibly sad silence settled over them. Reality came crashing back, and the images of their fallen loved ones flooded in. They were all staring at Amelia, even Lola, waiting as if they truly believed she would fix everything.

When had this happened? she wondered. When had they started thinking of her in this way, as Mitchell’s partner and not just his responsibility? It was odd and a bit unsettling, but Amelia pushed those feelings aside, determined to step up to the plate. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine,” she said, reassuringly. “Better than fine, actually. We’re really connecting and he even apologized…”

“Yeah, we know,” Erin said with a quivering lip. “We heard the whole thing.”

“I didn’t,” Megan said, attempting to pout, but her heart just wasn’t in it. “He apologized?”

“Yeah, he promised her that one day he would earn her forgiveness,” Angelle said. She pulled herself off the bed and headed for the door. “We should probably go and help with the planning and let you guys practice some more.”

Lola and Erin stood up and started to follow Angelle. The light, happy mood was clearly over, and the girls trudged towards the door with slumped shoulders and dragging feet. As she watched them leave, her gut twisted, and an overpowering feeling that something was missing settled onto her shoulders, weighing them down. Her brain worked through the last forty-eight hours since Megan had arrived in a blur of calculations, and she felt the blood drain from her cheeks. Lola, Angelle, and Erin must have noticed the change in her heartbeat, because they spun around, locking identical looks of concern on her.

The only word Amelia could push from her lips was, “Fiona.”

CHAPTER 18

He needed a better view. Weeping Willows were definitely not meant to be lookout trees. The branches were too flimsy and draping, instead of strong and long like an oak or maple tree. It was way too much work to find a spot where he was high enough to see anything. He glanced up, looking for a branch that looked somewhat sturdy. The one just above him looked iffy, but he needed to see what the witches were doing. So, against his better judgment, he swung himself up to the next branch, held his breath, and prayed that it wouldn’t give way under him. Once he was sure it was stable, he parted the flowing branches and pulled the binoculars back up to his eyes.

He scanned the house for any signs of movement and held still when the branches creaked below him. Why couldn’t the boss have listened to him? he wondered as he waited, not moving, to see if the branch would give out. He had warned Cole that going after the housekeeper was a bad idea. If the boss man had listened to him, just this once, he wouldn’t have to be stuck in a tree. He would have still been able to sneak onto the property and watch comfortably from the ground. But no. That couldn’t happen now that the spell had been cast around the complex.

What he really didn’t get was why the Caldwell girls were so important. Why did they need another witch on the team? Weren’t Cole and Josh enough? He wondered if maybe Cole wasn’t as powerful as he claimed to be and that’s why they needed the girls, but something about that didn’t seem right. He had seen with his own eyes what the boss could do, and these girls seemed like nothing compared to him.

But why hadn’t they attacked yet and just taken them? He had been on a few missions now and they were always the same. Hit the town, kill the vamps, and leave by morning. Never before had they killed the human soulmates. Without the vamps, they really weren’t a threat; no one else would turn them and their marks would vanish once the vamps were dead and never coming back. The whole thing just seemed…wrong.

“There they are,” he said to himself, adjusting the lenses to get a better view. He carefully dug in his pocket, trying not to move too much and pulled out the hearing device that the boss had made. He stuffed it into his ear, pointing the small antenna in the direction of the girls. Right away, the world inside the house came alive.

He focused on the brown haired one, who was looking pretty pale, and he heard her say, “Fiona.”

“Took you long enough,” he said with a snicker. He had been wondering when they would notice one of their friends was missing. It had been two days since they snagged the vamp, waiting for them to clue in.

He waited to hear more, honestly hoping for mayhem and tears, but what happened next almost made him tumble from the tree. Before his eyes, the Caldwell girls began to glow. It was a soft, pale yellow light, just barely visible, but it grew, and grew, until it formed a ball around them. It was as if the two witches were becoming one, and the light became blinding, brighter than the sun.

He could just make out their faces through the brilliant light and noticed their lips were moving as one, saying the same words, the same… His heart rate picked up, hammering in his chest. The first thing he thought was they had seen him. They were casting a spell. They knew he was watching. His instincts were screaming at him to drop from the branches and seek cover from their view, but he couldn’t move a muscle. It was as if he was being forced to watch the beginning of his own slow and painful death.

But then the light vanished, the girls pivoted to face each other, and in unison they said, “I could hear him.”

His pent up breath rushed out of him when he realized they didn’t know he was watching. Who had they heard? He had no clue what they meant, but he wasn’t about to sit around and find out. He slid down the tree with reckless abandonment for his own safety and ran for the base. Whatever just happened, Cole would understand it, he was sure of it.

CHAPTER 19

Mitchell, Amelia screamed through the bond with a head-splitting shriek. Since her return, Fiona had made sure she was in the center of everything, especially Amelia’s love life. So how had she not noticed that Fiona was MIA? How had any of them missed it?

Amelia closed her eyes and focused on Mitchell, feeling him tuning in to her cries. She heard the beginning of a reply, but then he stopped and Megan’s voice echoed through her mind, Eric, Fiona’s missing.

Warmth washed over Amelia, and then an uncomfortable, almost blistering heat sizzled along her skin.

What do you mean Fiona is missing? Mitchell demanded.

Fiona’s missing? Eric questioned, panic settling into his voice.

Amelia’s eyes snapped open, and she was surprised by the blinding energy that had encircled her. She spun on her heels to her right and gasped. The light wasn’t just coming from her, but also from Megan. It was as if their power was intertwining and blending them together as one massive energy source. She could clearly see the silky strands of energy leaving her and entering her cousin, tying them together and balling around them.