Josh chuckled and patted her hand. “Millie, we are born just like any other person,” he said softly, answering the question she hadn’t been able to ask. “We stop aging once our bodies are fully grown.” He nodded towards Cole and said, “He’s only eighteen.”
“But you said I made you,” she challenged, desperately wanting to disprove what he was trying to say. If they were in fact born, than obviously she hadn’t created them. It was simple logic.
“You did,” Josh said, shattering her logic. “It was your magic that made what I am possible.” He broke his eyes away from her, looking at the ground. “After Mitchell had wiped out all the hunters, you created a new batch, and one was meant specifically to mate with a witch for the sole purpose of making me.” He looked back at her then and shrugged. “Cole just kind of happened.”
Amelia opened her mouth and then closed it, feeling like a fish out of water gasping for air. She realized she didn’t actually know what to say, and clamped her mouth shut because, well, right now, logic seriously wasn’t helping.
“Erin? Oh my God, Erin!” Megan’s scream penetrated Amelia’s ears, jolting her from her thoughts, and she snapped her head to the big screen. Megan’s eyes were wide and round as quarters, and filled with concern, but strangely, there was not an ounce of fear. She struggled, pulling against the bindings that held her standing with her legs and arms spread wide. Erin was huddled in a corner of the cage in a small ball rocking back and forth, her knees tucked under her chin.
Something flickered across the screen, moving so fast that all Amelia saw was a distorted shadow. “What was that?” Cole asked, peering at the screen. Clearly, he had seen something as well. “Someone else is …” And then the figure stepped in front of the camera. “Shit!” His voice shook, and he jumped back. “They found us.”
“Mitchell,” Amelia screamed at the top of her lungs. She couldn’t believe he was here, or there, or wherever Megan was. Seeing Mitchell, knowing he was close, knowing that for sure he was still alive, sparked something in her. Something new, strong, and a bit scary. Her heart raced, her breath caught in her throat, and a raw energy surged through her body, racing to every nerve ending. Magic curved around her like a coiled snake. She pulled on it, manipulated it, and with a twisting screech of metal, the bindings that held her snapped.
Amelia vaulted off the bed and ran to the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Josh shudder, and his skin rippled. In a blink, it was gone, replaced by a skeleton. “It’s time, Cole,” he growled, his voice raspy and urgent. Josh’s bones clicked against the cement floor as he moved across the room, and before Amelia could reach her escape, cold and boney fingers wrapped around her wrist and lifted her off the ground.
“Josh, let go,” Amelia shrieked. Her struggles only made her swing around as she dangled in the air by her wrist. She launched bolt after bolt of shimmering magic at him, but the blast passed right through, cracking against the wall behind him.
“Stop!” he shouted, letting his skin snap back in place only around his face. His gray eyes met her with an intensity that chilled her to her core. “The curse needs to be broken, and we are out of time. It will be more unpleasant if I have to stay like this.” He made a waving kind of gesture, showing off his skeletal hand, and his voice softened. “My power is stronger when I’m like this, and it will hurt you more. But I will stay this way if you keep attacking me.”
“Go to hell,” she seethed, and launched everything she had right at his face. She wasn’t quick enough. His skin flicked away just in time for the white-blue light to shoot through his opened jaw.
“Do you want Cole to do it?” he yelled, dropping her wrist and wrapping his boney fingers around her shoulders, shaking her violently. “He’ll drain every last drop from you. He doesn’t care if you live through this!”
Amelia couldn’t stop herself from looking at Cole. It was as if her eyes were drawn to him, and she regretted not closing them. Cole’s sneer was sick and twisted, and there was murder in his eyes.
“I’ll try to make it quick,” Josh said, caressing her cheek. Amelia thought that the gesture was meant to be soft and caring, but his fingers were rough and cold, and his touch made her gag.
“Josh, don’t do this,” Amelia begged, the desperation was heavy in her voice, and she swallowed the urge to vomit. She struggled against his hold, but it was useless. She tried to pull on Mitchell’s senses, to gather strength, but she couldn’t grasp onto it.
A hair-raising scream resonated off the walls. Metal cracked and snapped. Amelia and Josh followed the sound and looked at the screen just in time to see Tristan step up behind Mitchell, and in a sifted motion, he grabbed hold of Mitchell’s head and twisted. Mitchell crumpled back against Tristan, and was swiftly dragged away.
Amelia screamed. Logically, she knew that he wasn’t really dead. She had watched Eric come back from a broken neck, but her mind didn’t want to process that. She screamed again and again and again. It was as if the filter from her brain to her lips was broken, and she just couldn’t stop the sound. Her heart broke; it felt as if someone had jammed their hand into her chest and ripped it out, shredding it into pieces.
Suddenly, Amelia was on her knees, and she felt as if she was paralyzed. There was another sobbing scream lodged in her throat, as if she had swallowed a rock that wouldn’t budge. Josh stepped back, and his skin inched back into place. An electric current pulsed from him like a heartbeat, thumping in time with hers. Lights flashed around him in blues, greens, and whites. It looked like the Northern Lights, as if he had harnessed them, letting them loose within the room.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, locking sad and conflicted eyes with hers. And then, he raised his arm, and a strand of blinding white energy hit Amelia square in the chest. As soon as it connected with her, she felt the pull on her power, and it began to seep from her, winding around his as it rushed towards him.
When the first strands hit Josh, he gasped, and a visible shudder of pleasure shook him. He closed his eyes and breathed in, his expression changing to one of pure and utter ecstasy. He threw his head back and yelled, “I call upon the spirits to hear my pleas,” with a power and authority that rose far above anything Amelia had ever heard before. “I wield the power that set the bond, and with that same power let it be broken.”
The pain was unbearable. Something ripped inside her, and Amelia screamed out in agony. It was as if she was being torn in half, split into two pieces. A whooshing sound rushed out of her, and for a second, hovering in front of her, was Mitchell. His eyes went from heavenly blue to fiery red. His fangs snapped down, and his face contorted with barely controlled madness. Then he was gone.
The light overhead flickered, and another surge of energy pulled from her chest. Amelia gasped for breath. It shook through her, burning her lungs. Mitchell! she called through the bond, but there was no answer, no hum of thoughts, no pull. Nothing. He’s dead, kind of, she told herself frantically, trying to justify the silence. This couldn’t have worked. It just couldn’t.
Josh wavered on his feet, and his shoulders trembled slightly. The paralyzing magic began to dwindle, and Amelia felt life breathe back into her limbs. The excruciating pain diminished to a dull coursing burn, and she struggled to her feet.
“Josh, stop!” Cole yelled. He was at the door, reefing it open with such force that the hinges broke. He tossed it aside and rushed through, calling over his shoulders, “Something’s not right.”
Josh dropped to the frigid concrete floor, and his body sucked up the last of the energy that floated in the room. He looked a bit pale, and he was breathing hard as he struggled to get back to his feet.
“Josh, I need some help!” Cole yelled from somewhere outside the room, and Josh glanced at the door. Even that small movement looked as if it had taken a lot out of him.
Amelia felt drained, cold, and utterly empty, but she managed to pull herself to her feet. She heard scuffling, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sig
ht of the television. Cole was locked, head to head with Luke, and he had a stake in his hand. Angelle, Lola, and Erin were stalking towards Megan with blood red eyes and sharp fangs fully extended, and Eric stood still, gripping at his chest.
She surveyed the scene for a second before her brain processed what her eyes were seeing. Angelle, Lola, and Erin looked as if they were planning to eat Megan.
Adrenaline hit Amelia hard and fast. She bolted through the doorway and skidded across an unfinished basement. She saw another door wide open, and she ran for it, following the sounds of a struggle.
“Stop!” she yelled, as she slid through the door. For a second all eyes turned to her. Angelle snarled, a purely animalistic sound, and then sprung at Megan, who was untied, but cornered, in the cage.
Amelia hit her hard and fast with a streak of hot magic, and she slammed into the side of the cage. “What’s wrong with you guys?” she shrieked, as Lola and Erin made a move for Megan.
The air sputtered around Amelia, and magic surged from behind her. “Amelia, order the hunter not to kill,” Madame Crystal’s voice rang out loudly. Amelia spun to find Madame Crystal and Tyler in the doorway with Josh behind them, looking a bit shaky. She blinked in confusion, and the psychic yelled, “Amelia, do it now!”
Amelia didn’t argue. “Cole, do not kill him!”
Cole looked at her with barely controlled hatred. He dropped his stake, grabbed onto Luke’s cheeks, and twisted. The sickening snap of bones echoed off the cement walls, and Luke landed with a thud.
Madame Crystal stepped into the room, and sent a tendril of energy at Eric. It circled around his body, from shoulders to toes, holding him still. Josh rushed over to the cage, adding his own power to Megan’s to construct a shield against the others.
Angelle, Lola, and Erin froze, blanched, and then, a burst of wind ruffled Amelia’s hair, and they were gone.
Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! That’s pretty much the only thing that went through Amelia’s mind at that moment. Well, that and the image of Mitchell crumpling against Tristan, as he was dragged away to who knows where.
“You,” Madame Crystal said, pointing at Josh. “Go and get some rope to tie these two up.”
Josh glared at the psychic. “Who the hell are you?” he growled with contempt.
“Just do it, Josh,” Amelia said as she rushed over to Megan, who was leaning over, her hands on her knees and panting. She could feel his eyes on her back, and she was certain he was glaring at her. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing his clenched jaw and balled fists, and she snapped, “Do it!” Josh’s jaw dropped, and he shot her a look of disbelief and then left without a word.
“Megan,” Eric whispered, as soon as Josh left. He stood still with the blue energy snaking around him, holding him tight. His eyes washed red, and his fangs slid down. “Megan,” he called again, drawing out her name as if it was a song.
“Eric,” Megan breathed, looking past Amelia and locking eyes with him.
He smiled, his trademark half grin, but there was something wrong with it. Something cold and creepy and dark. “Remember last night?” he asked. “You begged me to bite you, and I did. You liked it.” He chuckled. “Actually, you more than liked it.” His grin widened, and he winked at her promiscuously. “Why don’t you come over here, and I’ll do it again for you.”
“Eric!” Megan shrieked, and turned ten different shades of red.
“Don’t be shy,” he purred. The sound of his voice filled the room, and the air grew sparse, but he didn’t seem to notice. His grin widened, and he licked his lips. “I know how much you want me, too. I can smell the desire rolling off of you.”
Megan looked at Amelia; her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “What’s wrong with him?” She bit her bottom lip, and Amelia was pretty sure she did it to stop it from quivering.
Amelia opened her mouth and then promptly closed it, because really, she didn’t want to believe that breaking the bond could cause her family to go all crazy blood hungry, and saying it out loud would only make what was happening real.
Tyler went straight for Megan and wrapped her protectively in his arms. His expression was a mask of indifference, but Amelia couldn’t miss the worry she knew he was feeling. She could see it in his shoulders, the way the muscles twitched, and in his stance, as if he was ready for the worst.
Madame Crystal said, “The bond is broken. It was not Amelia’s magic that created the bond.” Right then, Josh walked back into the room, his hands filled with thick rope, and she glared at him. “By tampering with the spell that was meant to fix Amelia’s mistake, it caused the magic to revert back to her original curse.” She sighed long and loud and said to Amelia, “These hunters have essentially created the soulless monsters that you had envisioned almost fifteen hundred years ago.”
CHAPTER 11
Luke’s fingers began to twitch, just small little movements, but it was more than enough for Amelia to push all her frenzied questions aside. At least for the time being. She was floored that something as simple as rope could restrain a vampire, but when she thought about it, it made sense. They had wrapped the ropes like a noose from shoulders to ankles around Eric and Luke, pinning their arms and legs tightly together, taking away their momentum and rendering their strength useless.
It had been Megan’s idea to return to their house. Amelia had been reluctant at first. She hadn’t thought it would be smart to just waltz into a gated complex that housed a bunch of vampires who no longer had any link to humanity, but Madame Crystal assured them that the vampires wouldn’t be there. She was certain they would hide, and soon, they would begin to hunt.
The psychic seemed so sure, claiming she had already seen it, that Amelia finally caved. She hated the idea, but she knew that if they could make it into the dungeon, they would be able to lock up Eric and Luke. Mitchell had explained to her once that the dungeon had been made to keep vampires in, so she figured it could also keep them out.
“Let me see if I’ve got this all straight,” Amelia said, once they were piled in the Hummer with Eric and Luke in the trunk. “At some point, like fifteen hundred years ago, I was in love with Mitchell. He was killed by a vampire, and I decided to cast some stupid spell to take away the souls of all vampires out of revenge.”
Madame Crystal laughed. “Your mother told me that you were always a bit dramatic.”
Tyler laughed. It was shaky and forced, but it was still a laugh, and Amelia cut him a look. The others were looking at him as if he was crazy, but he just shrugged it off, put the SUV in reverse, and said, “A bit dramatic is a bit of an understatement.” He was trying hard to keep everyone’s spirits up, but it was hard. Especially with the addition of Cole and Josh.
“I still don’t understand how you could talk to her mother,” Megan said. She was fidgeting, clipping and unclipping her seatbelt, straightening her top, and dabbing at the dried blood on her wrists. Amelia figured it was her way of keeping herself busy and distracted from Eric’s constant calling to her.
“Magic,” the psychic replied with a twinkle in her eye.
Tyler pulled onto the street, and put the car in drive, moving at a crawl. His eyes scanned the shadows along the side of the road. He flicked on the interior lights, and kept glancing in the rearview mirror, watching everyone closely as if he was certain something was about to happen.
“Whatever,” Amelia said with a dramatic, drawn out sigh, which she hoped told Madame Crystal exactly what she thought about her mother contacting her. “So, after I created a bunch of monsters, Mother Nature fixed the spell and created the soulmate bond, right?” Madame Crystal nodded at her summary, and Amelia pushed on. “What I don’t get is why, when these morons decided to break the bond, it reverted back to the curse.”
“Because they asked for the bond to be broken,” Madame Crystal said simply. She must have noticed all the blank stares, and she went on explaining, “By accessing your magic, the magic from the first coven, they in a way accessed Mother Nature’s ma
gic. Mother Nature is the first witch, and you are her descendant, which means your magic flows as one.”
As soon as they had gotten in the car, Cole had planted himself in the front seat beside Tyler. He kept his eyes glued to the side window, with his bow and arrow ready, which seemed pointless to Amelia. What was he going to do? Shoot through the glass? “Why couldn’t I kill that bloodsucker?” he asked, scanning the shadowy edge of the street.
Amelia gaped at him. The caustic tone that coated his words was corrosive, offending even. The way he said bloodsucker, it was as if the word made him sick even thinking it. She wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed, angry, or compassionate, because really, she figured it was her fault he was like this.
Tyler, she guessed, didn’t feel the same. He slammed on the brakes, and spun around in his seat towards Cole. He moved so close that they were nose to nose. “Dude, keep it up,” he growled, shoving Cole back against the window.
Josh was up and in between them, wedging himself between the front seats, faster than Amelia’s eyes could process the movement. He gave Tyler a hard look, and after a second, Tyler backed down and put the car in drive again. Josh then turned to face Cole square on. “Because she gave you an order not to,” he answered. Cole grunted in response, and focused his stare back out the window.
The air grew heavy and thick with silence. The SUV began to roll forwards, and Tyler turned off the street, making a left out of the subdivision. Josh squeezed in on the seat between Amelia and Madame Crystal, keeping a close eye on Tyler and Cole, and Amelia wiggled over trying to put some space between them.
Out of everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, Amelia found that part the hardest to swallow. She could see the memory. She knew she had created the vampire hunters in the lifetime after she had been burned alive, but still, it just didn’t feel right. She couldn’t imagine hating Mitchell so much, that she would actually create a breed of hunters to track him down and kill him. It just seemed so … cold.