“Too much,” he replied. “Way too much. Mitchell filled me in.” He looked over at her, giving her a lopsided grin. “So, he’s your soulmate.”

Amelia laughed and man did it feel good. “Really? You know about vampires, you know I’m a witch and you picked out that I have a soulmate?”

Tyler shrugged. “I was kinda hoping I had a chance with you. That piece of info seemed important.”

Wow. Amelia knew he liked her, but really, that was important? Tyler was cute and sweet and for a quick second Amelia wondered what it would be like to be with him, forget about Mitchell and run away with Tyler. A blush crept into her cheeks and he chuckled. She began flipping through another journal. “I just don’t get it,” Amelia said, frustrated, eager to change the subject. “How were you able to come in?”

Tyler closed the journal he was looking through and leaned back on his elbows. “Maybe we’re looking at this wrong.” He took the warning and started reading it again. “I’m guessing Mitchell is the one who will cause your death and the one who can save you. Maybe this whole lock down has something to do with self-preservation. Maybe I could get in ‘cause I’m not a threat.”

“I think he’s right,” Mabel said, and both Tyler and Amelia spun around. “Obviously, I’m not a threat either.” She ventured into the room balancing a tray of sandwiches and sodas. “I thought you guys might be hungry.” She set the tray down on the coffee table and perched on the edge of one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.

“Mabel!” Amelia squealed. She bolted up from the floor and smothered the older woman in hugs. “What are you doing here?”

Mabel laughed and hugged her tightly. “Mitchell called me. He’s very worried about you, dear.” She kissed Amelia’s forehead and then pried her off giving her a motherly look. “Both of you eat up.” She gestured to the tray of sandwiches. “I think it’s time that someone tells you about Derek.”

Amelia stood in front of her like a rock, refusing to move or to eat. She could tell by Mabel’s expression that whatever she had to say it wasn’t something that she was going to like.

Mabel must have seen the stubborn expression because she smiled, a distant smile, and said, “Derek was marked for Angelle. Did you read the book Eric gave you?”

“Um, yeah,” Amelia answered. “But there was no ending. It just stopped after the bite explanation.”

Mabel nodded. “The book was written by Derek and Lola,” she explained. “After Derek died, Lola couldn’t finish it. It was a great loss for our family.”

“How,” Amelia choked on the words. She swallowed and tried again. “How did he die?”

“Take a seat and eat your sandwich, dear. You too, Tyler, and I’ll start from the beginning.” Mabel crossed her ankles and folded her hands in her lap, waiting for them to comply. For a moment, Amelia thought about crossing her arms, jutting out her lip and refusing to eat but then she looked at the peanut butter and jam sandwiches, her belly rumbled, and she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she ate. She sat on the other chair, snagged a sandwich, and wolfed it down. Tyler followed her lead and popped open a can of soda.

Mabel waited until Amelia finished her first sandwich and started into the second before she continued with her story. “Angelle found Derek by accident. In that life, you were a barmaid. Angelle was helping Mitchell track you down. They had tracked you to a small pub just outside of Scotland, but when they arrived you had already moved on.”

“This isn’t my first life…” Amelia breathed, not as a question, but a statement.

Mabel shook her head. “You have an old soul. It’s a little different for supernatural beings. As a witch, you’re blessed to always come back to the same family. You have always looked the same, had the same parents, everything about you stays the same in every lifetime.”

“That’s awesome,” Tyler said, but Amelia wasn’t so sure.

Mabel smiled and continued with her tale. “When Angelle and Mitchell got to the pub they found Derek instead. Sadly, vampires were more than he could handle. He was terrified of her. It broke her heart.”

“So she bit him,” Amelia said. “He’s the one who said the bond was a curse.”

Mabel nodded, a short bob of the head. “Angelle thought that biting him would bring them closer together. She had hoped that with the increased link between them he would see that she wasn’t a monster. But young Derek was very stubborn.” Mabel paused, drawing in a breath. “I told you once that there is a fine line between love and hate.”

Amelia snagged a soda and took a few long gulps, giving herself time to think before she said, “I remember.”

“Sometimes it’s so thin you can’t see the difference. The bite gives the vampire more of an edge because they already have the power to manipulate our minds. In most cases we’re the weaker species but I don’t think that’s entirely true with you.” Mabel beamed at Amelia with pride. “I don’t understand the magic behind it but it has something to do with our blood mixing with theirs—this links any human to them, but with the soul bond …” she sighed and her eyes glistened. “Angelle realized her mistake and turned him into a vampire, her equal, to stop his suffering. But after the change, he couldn’t accept what she had forced him to become and his hatred grew. In the end, Derek killed himself.”

“But he’ll come back, right?” Amelia asked. “Maybe he’ll be okay with it next time.”

Mabel stayed quiet for a moment and Amelia took another sip of her pop, letting the sugary syrup soothe her fears. When Mabel finally spoke, breaking the tense silence, her voice was distant, as if fighting against an unbearable pain. “No, he won’t. Humans come back because we have souls. Our souls stay intact in death. For a vampire, it’s different. Their souls leave them and find their mates. Since Angelle is a vampire, when his soul found her it joined together and ended the circle.” Mabel reached over and took Amelia’s hand, eyes glittering with tears.

“Are you saying that the only way to break our connection is for me to become a vampire and then one of us has to die?” It couldn’t be true. There had to be another way. Then an idea came to her. Did she even want to break it? She couldn’t imagine what life would be like without Mitchell.

Mabel must have seen Amelia’s inner conflict and she squeezed her hand reassuringly. “What I’m telling you is that Derek’s the only one who managed to break the bond and it didn’t turn out so good for him.” She searched Amelia’s face. “Do you hate Mitchell so much that you could not spend your life with him?”

“I don’t hate him,” Amelia said, amazed at the passion in her voice.

Mabel sighed, a long, gusty sound. “Then you fear him.”

“What if she’s not scared of him?” Tyler said and both women shot him a look. Amelia had been so involved in the story that she had completely forgotten he was there. He put up his hands. “Just hear me out. You almost killed Mitchell, right? So what about the other part of the warning? The revenge is for the weak part. What if you’re doing this so you won’t hurt him?”

“Do you really think it’s that simple?” Amelia asked.

Tyler shrugged, stood up and paced, thinking. “Maybe this whole warning is about you accepting Mitchell. Maybe the death part is you becoming a vampire. It would make sense you know. He kills you but then he also saves you by changing you.” He shot a questioning look at Mabel. “Vampires are the undead, right?”

“You’re a very bright young man,” Mabel said, getting up from her chair and walking towards the door. “I think we need to let Millie have some time to think. Please bring the tray with you, Tyler. You can help me clean up.”

“Wait.” Amelia jumped up from the chair and rushed forward. “Don’t go. Please, don’t leave me in here alone.”

“Amelia, you have the power to leave whenever you wish,” Mabel said wisely. “As the prophecy said, look inside yourself. You will know what you need to do.”

Tyler picked up the tray and collected the dirty dishes, stacking them up. “Ty, don’t go!” Amelia pleaded.

Tyler grinned, and his eyes sparkled with amusement. “Don’t worry, Millie, I’m not leaving. Mitchell moved me into one of the guest rooms until you get better. Your house is sick.” He elbowed her in the ribs and winked. “Take your time figuring all this out. I don’t mind hanging around.”

Amelia shot him a look that she hoped said she was not impressed. She must have missed the mark because he laughed and left the room.

Amelia glared at the door. It’s not fair, a voice in her head shrieked. Being a witch really wasn’t helping much. Shouldn’t she be able to wiggle her nose, point a finger and get out like Sabrina the Teenage Witch? She tried, embarrassing herself at the absurdity of the sight—the nose wiggling didn’t work.

Amelia was just about to give up when the ear-piercing ring of her cell phone went off, she rocketed upward, a good foot off the ground.

Shaking off the jitters, she let out a nervous giggle and went in search for her phone. On the fifth ring, she found it under the masses of pillows on her bed and answered it just in time. “Hello,” she squeaked, breathlessly.

“I’ve been calling you for days,” Erin’s panicked voice blasted through the phone. “Pack a bag. I’m coming to get you. You need to get out of town, fast.”

“Take a breath, Erin. What’s wrong with you?” Amelia perched on the edge of her bed.

“I can’t explain. You just need to trust me. You’re in serious danger and you’ve gotta get as far away from here as you can,” Erin blurted in a frantic frenzy.

The hairs on the back of Amelia’s neck rose and a biting chill encased her skin. ”You’re not making any sense.” She glanced back at the door and a flood of scorching fury washed over her. “And I can’t leave. I kinda locked myself in my room.”