The Soul's Mark: CHANGED by Ashley Stoyanoff Read Free Book Online Page A

three steps of the raised landing.  Her eyes were cold, hard, calculating, focusing on Mitchell, and her magic flared, a glistening layer of white-blue light coating her skin.  Amelia could smell her anger, hot and thick in the air.
    “Megan,” Amelia said, wit h a lethal warning in her voice, watching Megan closely as she moved closer to them.
    “They ’re scared of me,” Mitchell said simply, before Amelia could say anything further.  The comment made everyone, even Amelia, shift to look at him as if he were crazy.  “What?” he said with a shrug and a chuckle.  “I didn’t really do anything.  I gave them rules; they followed them.  They were too scared not to.”
    Suddenly, Amelia couldn’t take it anymore.  Vampires being killed by their soulmates.  Humans refusing to donate blood.  The hatred etched on Megan’s face.  The lost and helpless look in Eric’s eyes.  Tyler leaving.  “Where’s Lola?” she asked.  The vamps may not be scared of Eric, but Lola and Angelle and Luke … She jumped off of Mitchell’s lap, and paced towards the door.
    “She’s busy,” Mitchell said, brushing off her question, in a way that made her feel like he was telling her to sit down and be quiet while the grown-ups talk.
    Amelia spun back around.  “Dammit, Mitch, where is she?”  She didn’t give him a chance to answer before she shouted, “Lola!”
    Her heart pounded in her chest, relentlessly hard , and she clenched her teeth.  She knew Mitchell was only blowing her off in an attempt to keep her calm.  And she instantly felt a little sick for snapping at him.  He was trying to help her; she got that.  But seriously, it was times like this that she swore he knew nothing about her.  Since when did blowing her off ever keep her calm?
    Not even a second after she shouted, the door swung open and Luke strode into the room.  He was relaxed , as always, and wore an easy smile.  Amelia gritted her teeth and said, “Luke, where is she?”
    He walked right up to her, unfazed by the fury that she was sure was blazing in her eyes, and he ruffled her hair.  “She’s busy,” he said, his eyes bright and quizzical.  “You get me instead.”
    Amelia didn’t know what to think.  Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked up at him, and his smile widened.  Lola was never too busy.  Not for her.  Not anymore.  Realization dawned on her slowly.  “You’re playing into his stupid idea, aren’t you?  You want me to bite him so you’re keeping her away.”  She spun around, narrowing her eyes at Mitchell.  “What’s wrong with you?  You’re freakin’ dying and you want me to do something that will hurt you!”
    Her blood pressure was rising, and her heartbeat, erratic.  Mitchell extended a hand to her, beckoning her back to him so he could help calm the panic that was swirling around in h er brain, but she didn’t move.
    “What do you mean he’s dying?” Megan asked.  Her voice was whisper soft, so soft that Amelia wasn’t sure if Megan was using their link or if she had actually said the words.
    “Use Eric’s senses ; you can smell it,” Luke said, confirming that she’d said it out loud.
    Amelia watched as Megan closed her eyes .  The bright and clean white-blue light of Megan’s magic wove out through the air, and when the strands connected with Eric, they blazed fire-red—the same red that Amelia’s magic now glowed since she had become a vampire.  Megan took in breath after breath, and the blood rushed from her face, turning her complexion pasty and a little green.  Her eyes popped open, and she fixed her gaze on Mitchell.  “Oh, my God.”

CHAPTER 7
     
     
    Mitchell couldn’t sleep.  Aside from the constant coughing every time he laid his head down on the pillow, his brain wouldn’t turn off.  He could see what needed to be done and it terrified him.  Amelia had to bite him to strengthen the bond.  Sure, he’d been asking Amelia to do it, and for the most