Through the entire procession, Amelia kept herself glued to Mitchell’s side, and she was thankful for the firm arm he kept around her waist. When Mitchell suddenly dropped his hand from the small of her back, Amelia snapped out of her bitter trance. A surge of wrath, mixed with staggering anxiety, coursed through her veins. Mitchell stiffened, and with a swift movement, he shoved Amelia behind him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eric do the same to Megan.

Amelia tried to inch back around him to see what had freaked him out so much, but Mitchell blocked her every attempt. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here,” he growled in such a low timbre that Amelia only felt the words rumble through her mind, and her body went numb.

An arm went over Mitchell’s shoulder, and then Cole’s chubby face peeked over. His intense gaze fixed on Amelia as he whispered into Mitchell’s ear. “I want the girls. If you give them to me willingly, I’ll leave your town untouched. If you don’t, I’ll take them and kill everyone here.” He let his arm drop and patted Mitchell’s shoulder as if he was trying to comfort him. “It’s your call. You’ve got two days to decide.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, Amelia almost rushed forwards to go with him. If going with him would keep her family and Mitchell safe, she knew that was exactly what she would do. And she would have left at that very moment if it hadn’t been for the bone-chilling look that Mitchell shot her.

Cole’s self-satisfied grin confirmed that he had noticed their exchange. He winked at her and said, “I’ll be seeing you soon, Amelia.” And then he turned his back to them, walking away with a maddening confidence. Without a doubt, he thought that no one would come after him with the whole town standing as witness, and she hoped he was right.

Cole had only taken a few steps before he turned back. “You realize I had her first, right?” he said to Eric, although he glared a straight line to Megan. Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open, making Cole chuckle before walking away.

The crowd hushed, and Amelia noticed many of the vampires that stood amongst the townspeople tense. Most of them were watching Mitchell expectantly, waiting for his signal.

At that exact moment, Amelia was certain that Mitchell and Eric would forget that the whole town was watching and they would attack. Mitchell’s jaw twitched; the muscles along his back rolled, and red flushed up the back of his neck. She grabbed onto his forearm and yanked, not that it would help if he was determined to go, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do.

From beside her, Eric grunted, and with a quick look, she noticed that Luke and Lola each had a firm hand on his shoulders. So firm, in fact, that their knuckles went completely white and blue veins popped from the skin with the tension of the grip.

Mitchell yanked his arm away from Amelia’s grip, and a slew of bloody images tore through her mind. Mitchell ripping off Cole’s head. Blood spraying over the townspeople. Panicked screams. It all happened so quickly that Amelia hadn’t had time to move before Mitchell shifted his weight, bending at the knees as if he was going to chase his prey.

“Mr. Mitch,” a little girl called to him in a singsong voice. Amelia gaped as a tiny thing ran up the steps, oblivious to the danger. She grabbed onto his pant leg and tugged. “Mr. Mitch,” she said again, looking up at him with big brown eyes and an excited grin. The little dimples on her cheeks were absolutely adorable. Amelia was certain she couldn’t be more than four years old.

But Mitchell didn’t seem to notice the little thing. Mitchell! Amelia screamed through the bond as he took a step forwards. He froze long enough for Amelia to rush in front of him, and she placed a firm hand on his chest. His eyes were beginning to change, and she could tell from the bulge of his lips that he was trying to conceal his fangs that had extended.

Amelia was sure he was going to bat her out of the way from the glare he shot her. And he actually reached out to move Amelia aside, but the girl tugged again. “Mr. Mitch,” she whined, as she tried to get his attention.

A young woman cried out from the crowd, shoving against the vampires who were blocking the path to Mitchell, and, Amelia assumed, her daughter.

Then Mitchell glanced at the child. Recognition swept over him, and he closed his eyes. His chest rose as he inhaled a deep breath. An engine rumbled to life from somewhere off to the side of them, and tires squealed on the pavement. When Mitchell’s eyes opened, they were a breathtaking sea blue.

“Hi, sweetie,” he said in a gentle, velvety voice. A warm smile curved his lips upwards. He lowered himself to the ground, resting on one knee before the child, so they could be at eye level.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she climbed up onto his outstretched knee, flung her long pigtail braids over her shoulders, and then took his tie in her hands, playing with the end. She wiggled around on his lap, swinging her legs back and forth, and Mitchell put an arm around her waist to keep her from falling.

“When’s Mabwel coming back?” she asked. “She promised to make me an andy apple at the fair.”

A young woman, who Amelia vaguely recognized as a waitress at the local steak house, stepped forward, breaking through the crowd. A guarded and slightly paranoid expression marred her face as she climbed the steps and bent down in front of the girl. “Honey, we talked about this. Mabel won’t be coming back,” she said softly, and then she looked at Mitchell, her cheeks flushing a soft pink with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Mitchell,” she said softly as the soft pink brightened to a candy apple red. A small smile lit up her eyes. If Amelia had to guess, she would swear that the woman had a thing for Mitchell.

“Don’t be,” Mitchell said. The little girl started to cry, and she threw her arms around Mitchell’s neck as large tears dripped from her chin. Mitchell hugged her, letting the girl cry, and he stroked her hair soothingly. “I’m going to miss her andy apples, too, sweetie,” he said, tipping her chin up. He brushed away some of the tears that had soaked her flushed cheeks. Amelia felt the last bit of anger he was still harboring sizzle away as he attempted to comfort the child.

A tear slipped down Mitchell’s cheek, and the child’s brow furrowed as she watched it fall, and her tears began to dry up. Then she looked up at her mother and said, “Mommy, can we make andy apples for Mr. Mitch, so he won’t be sad anymore?” Her big brown eyes brightened at the idea.

“Sure, honey,” she replied, her voice cracking on the words. She bent down and took her daughter’s hand. “Now come along. Mr. Mitch needs to talk to the other people.”

Grasping onto her mother’s hand, the child wiggled on Mitchell’s knee, swinging her little legs back and forth, preparing to jump to the ground, but then she stopped, and to everyone’s surprise, she looked back up at Mitchell, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

****

“I should have killed him,” Mitchell seethed. It had been the only thing he had really said since they had gotten home, and no matter what she tried, Amelia couldn’t get him to stop his pointless ranting.

So instead, she tried to shut him out and focused on how the hell she’d be able to get away. Because she knew that leaving was the only way to make the mindless killing stop. Cole had made it clear. Her family would be safe if Megan and Amelia went with him.

Amelia looked over at Megan, wishing she could see into her mind. She knew for a fact that Megan had to come with her. Cole had made it clear that he wanted both of them, but Amelia wasn’t sure if she would be able to convince Megan that leaving was for the best.

Right now, Megan was sitting on the terrace steps, her face in her hands. Eric hadn’t spoken to her, at least not out loud, since Cole had insinuated that he had been with Megan. And since then, Megan refused to speak to Amelia or anyone for that matter, at least not vocally or silently as far as she could tell.

“Come on, Mitch. You expected him to show,” Luke said. “You planned for it and you handled it.”

Luke was right, but then again, Luke was usually right. Always so calm and calculating, looking at every angle of the problem. The whole point of bringing the entire street of vampires was to prevent an attack. Security in numbers. And it had worked. Cole may have showed, but no one got hurt.

“Handled it!” Mitchell jumped up and began his restless pacing again. “You call that handling it? I let him walk away.”

With a loud and exaggerated sigh, Amelia got up and went to him. She tried to rub his back, hoping to soothe him, but when her hand touched him, he flinched away and growled, “Don’t!” And his furious glare chilled her to the bone.

“They want Meg and Millie,” Eric said. All eyes focused on him, and Amelia couldn’t stop the shudder that rushed up her spine when she noticed the toothy grin that had spread across his face. “So why don’t we give them what they want?”

CHAPTER 24

Cole swung the front door open with a bit too much force. The doorknob cracked against the wood, leaving a large ragged hole in the log walls. What the hell is Megan doing? he asked himself again as he slammed the door shut behind him. He couldn’t contain his white-hot rage. Seeing her with that bloodsucking fanger, the way she held onto him…well, it was just wrong. Utterly wrong.

He kicked off his shoes and tossed his keys onto the small table by the door. He wasn’t sure how much more of this waiting crap he could take or how much longer he would be permitted to hold off the attack. Surely, the others sensed the deaths in his group, and they would probably be here anytime now. And once the elders showed, he would have no hope in hell of getting Megan, or Amelia, for that matter, out alive. Foretelling or not, if the girls wouldn’t join them in this life, they would be executed. They were too dangerous, especially now that they have figured out that the vamps could tap into their magic. Cole shuddered at the thought.

“Cole, is that you?” Stephanie called from the living room. She peeked around the corner. “How’d it go?”

“Fine,” he snapped, annoyed. Without even a sideways glance at her, he went straight for the stairs and bounded up them, taking them two at a time. He knew she would follow, she always did, and he wasn’t surprised that she was right on his heels when he threw open the door to his bedroom.