He stopped to address the question. “Officer McLean will release information once we have it.”

Mitchell pushed Amelia forwards and opened the car door when they heard someone call out, “Ms. Caldwell.”

Tyler cut off the questioner. “Ms. Caldwell will not be taking questions at this time. Thank you.” He gestured for her to get in the car, and she climbed in with Mitchell right behind her.

She watched blankly as Tyler talked to Officer McLean for a few minutes. After a few nods and some very vocal hand gestures, Tyler got in the car and the engine rumbled to life. She had assumed they would have to go to the police station, but changed her mind when Tyler turned towards their house. After that, Amelia didn’t notice much of the drive. She rested her head on Mitchell’s shoulder, and they sat in cold silence.

CHAPTER 13

The drive back to the house was the worst drive Mitchell had ever taken. Amelia gripped his hand and murmured words that he thought were supposed to make him feel better, but they didn’t. He was the so-called leader. He was supposed to protect them. And he had failed miserably. There was no comfort that could ease his guilt. And there was nothing that would bring Mabel back.

He had spent the last week in denial. He deeply wanted to believe that the room they had found filled with weapons and plans was just a hoax. He hadn’t been able to find any other sign of the hunters, and honestly, he had never imagined that anyone, hunter or not, would be foolish enough to attack his town. There was too much security, too many vampires. Two weeks ago, he would have sworn anyone stupid enough to do it had a death wish. But it was that idea of false security that had led to this.

Tyler turned onto the driveway and slowed down to a crawl. Every light in the house was on, splashing the gray stone clad castle with a soft, welcoming glow. Mitchell almost laughed at the mockery, because there was nothing welcoming at all about the house. Not anymore. As they approached, his heightened sense picked up on the rising panic within.

Tyler parked the Jeep in the carport and turned it off. No one jumped to get out, and Mitchell stared through the kitchen window, watching vampires and human soulmates mill about, tossing questions and accusations at Luke.

“What’s the plan?” Amelia asked, bringing him back to the car. The way she looked at him made his stomach sink. It was the kind of look that said he knew what to do and he would fix this. It was also the look that he was sure he would get from everyone else and it terrified him. He wasn’t even sure what he would say to everyone. How was he supposed to reassure them when he was on the verge of freaking out himself?

He looked back at the house, not able to look at the confidence that filled her face, and said, “I don’t know.” Without waiting for another word from her, he pulled the lever on the door—it clicked open—and with a deep breath, he braced himself for the pandemonium he was about to meet as he took the few steps into the house. Amelia and Tyler trailed along behind him.

As Mitchell took the last step over the threshold and into the kitchen, the buzzing noise of too many people talking at once stopped, and they all came to a standstill and stared at him. Tyler went straight for Angelle, who was an emotional mess. Amelia joined Mitchell’s side, clutching his hand and offering her unspoken support. It was that gesture that broke the uptight peace that had fallen over the room, and suddenly the humans and vampires spoke at once, shouting out questions and demanding answers.

“Is it true?”

“Vampire hunters in Willowberg?”

“What are you going to do?”

“You promised we’d be safe here.”

“We all need to leave.”

The questions were flying at him so fast that he couldn’t address any of them before the next one was flung out. He wasn’t even sure who was demanding what. They were all talking over each other and pushing in around him. “Please, you all need to stay calm,” Mitchell said, but his voice sounded small and unsure and it really did not sound like his own. He looked over the crowd, feeling insignificant amongst the massive numbers. When had his community grown this much? He couldn’t remember the last time he had needed to have everyone in the same place, but now that they were all here, dread filled him. How was he supposed to protect all of them? He did a quick count, coming up with forty-six vampires and twenty-two human soulmates. So many people, so many counting on him; it was staggering.

“Vampires and humans are dead. How can you expect…” someone yelled, but Mitchell couldn’t pinpoint exactly who was speaking before he was cut off.

“Silence,” Amelia bellowed, pushing her way into the center of the room, pulling Mitchell along with her. “Panicking will not help anything.”

Mitchell was blown over for an instant by the raw authority in her voice and then he pulled on Amelia’s strength and quickly tried to use it and get himself together. “The hunters are being careful. They’ve only attacked outside of the gates for a reason. They’re scared,” Mitchell said, and he was shocked at the conviction in his voice as he spoke, but it seemed to be working so he kept right on going. “They’re scared to face us all together, so right now the safest place for everyone is to stay together behind the gates.”

“But we’re sitting ducks here,” Jeff, one of the older vampires in town, protested.

“No we aren’t.” Mitchell spun around to find the speaker was Megan. She held his eyes for a second and then stepped up beside Amelia.

“Who the hell are you?” Jeff growled at Megan, looking her up and down as if she was a piece of food and nothing more.

“Do not…” Mitchell started but let the words run out when a brilliant golden glimmer of light caught the corner of his eye. He spun, fixing his focus on Megan, who had conjured a ball of what looked like white lightning in the palm of her hand. Fear and trepidation filled his core and suddenly he came to the realization that they knew nothing about this girl who claimed to be related to Amelia. All these thoughts happened in under a second, and before he came to the conclusion that Megan could actually be a threat, the energy died off, and Megan held her chin high, glaring across the crowded room.

“I’m Megan Caldwell,” she said, putting her hands on her hips, drumming her fingers and narrowing her bright green eyes. “And I suggest you watch your tone with me since I’m the witch who spent all day putting up protection shields around this gated area you guys live in.”

“Megan is my cousin,” Amelia cut in, impeding anyone else from trying to declare their objections. “She is from my coven and she is marked for Eric.” Amelia swiped the hair from Megan’s neck and turned her head to give a clear view of the mark and Eric’s name. Once everyone got a good look, she went on and said, “She is part of this house, and she will be treated as my equal.”

Mitchell felt his jaw drop. Amelia! he sent, flustered and silent. You don’t know her. Don’t give her that kind of power.

Trust me, she replied without even looking at him, and even though he thought it was a mistake, he trusted her more than he trusted anyone, so he gestured for Megan to take to the floor.

“Like I was saying, I have secured the complex,” Megan continued in a crystal clear voice. “The spells will repel anyone who tries to enter with the intention to cause harm to anyone behind the gates. It’s a temporary fix, but it should be enough to keep everyone safe until we have a permanent solution.”

“Good thinking, Megan,” Mitchell said, trying to sound like he stood behind the girl one-hundred percent, even though his gut told him trusting this new witch was a mistake no matter who she was or even who she belonged to. “I want all of you to go home and stay inside. Don’t leave the gates no matter what. Once we have a plan, we will reconvene.”

“What do you mean once we have a plan?” Eric asked. “You don’t have a plan?”

CHAPTER 14

Amelia wasn’t quite sure how, but she kept her cool and dealt with all the frightened people. By the time she finished reassuring everyone and getting them out of the house, it was a little after 1:00 in the morning.

“How are you holding up, kiddo?” Luke asked; his hazel eyes were slightly puffy and a lot less enquiring than normal.

Amelia looked around at her family. Everyone was there except for Mitchell, and each one of them had the same puffy, bloodshot eyes as Luke. Erin fiddled around in the kitchen and was busy unloading the dishwasher and cleaning the counters. Lola stood off in a corner with a distant, unseeing look in her eyes. Angelle and Tyler sat side by side at the kitchen island; their shoulders pressed tightly together and small glistening trails snaked down their cheeks. Eric stood on the porch with Megan, his voice broken and creaking as he cried on her shoulder, blaming himself for leaving Mabel alone at the mall.

“I’m okay, Luke,” Amelia said. She let herself sink to the floor, resting her head against the wall and pulling her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. After a few deep breaths, trying to keep her voice strong, she said, “Take Lola upstairs and try to get some rest.”

He looked like he was about to protest, but then his shoulders dropped and he nodded before putting an arm around Lola and leaving the room.

“Angelle, we should also turn in,” Tyler said. “Get some sleep so we can start fresh in the morning. We’ll have to call the funeral home and…” he stopped, cut off by a gasping sob that fell from Angelle. He pulled her up, keeping a tight arm around her, and she cried onto his shoulder. “You're gonna be okay if we go, Millie?”

Amelia tried to put on a brave face, but she wasn’t sure if she pulled it off. She glanced around the kitchen not wanting them to see how much she was hurting. Someone needed to stay strong, and it definitely wasn’t going to be Mitchell. He had hardly been able to keep the panic under control earlier. She noticed the muddy floors and the blood-coated glasses left behind from a house full of vampires, and said, “Yeah, I’m just going to clean up a bit and then check on Mitch.”