“What?” Megan gasped, and then coughed and wheezed, choking on the question. She grabbed Amelia’s shoulders and spun her around so quickly that Amelia had to grab onto the chair to stop from falling over. Megan was beaming at her with excitement and hope and, well, she shone like the sun on a cloudless morning.

“Ty, go find Sally,” Amelia said, as Megan wrapped her into a bone-crushing hug, burying her face in Aemlia’s shoulder.

“No need, my dear. I saw the whole thing. You want to recreate the bond.” Reluctantly, Amelia let go of Megan and slowly turned to see Sally strutting into the room, juggling an armload of white votive candles. Tyler jogged over to her, snagging a few before they fell, and then set them on the coffee table.

Amelia avoided looking at Josh, straightened her shoulders, and said, “That’s right.” She groped around in her jean pocket and pulled out the piece of paper with the spell. “I’ve been replaying the memory, and I wrote down the spell Mother Nature used.”

“You need to break the original curse,” Josh said. “The one where you stole all their souls to start with.” He grabbed Amelia’s hand and spun her around to face him. “Why do you need to tie yourself to him again?” he asked with a pleading note in his voice.

Sally giggled. “She almost picked you.” She tapped the side of her head with her pointer finger, and an oddball kind of smile stretched upon her lips. “And to answer your question, she cannot do what you are asking. She would need to use black magic again, and besides, Mitchell is her soulmate.”

Josh’s face crumpled and contorted, and his grip on Amelia’s hand tightened. “He’s not your soulmate,” he hissed, searching her face for a reaction. But the reaction that he must have seen in her did not help, and like a switch, he shut down. It was as if Amelia could see the doors slamming as he closed himself off from them. He dropped Amelia’s hand and padded across the room, sliding into one of the chairs.

“Why does it matter what kind of magic she used?” Cole asked, watching Josh with confusion and a hint of curiosity.

Sally cleared her throat, and gave Cole a dirty look. “That’s why this whole thing blew up in your face,” she said, ignoring his question. She fixed her steamy glare on Josh. “When you took her magic, you didn’t dig deep enough. You pulled on the pure strands and not the darkness that lies beneath them.” She narrowed her eyes. “But you already knew that.”

Josh ignored the implication. “So, use black magic now,” Josh said, lounging back in the chair as if this whole conversation was pointless.

Sally arched a brow. “If it was that easy, don’t you think Mother Nature would have done it in the first place? Power like that changes a person. It shapes them into something dark. It was that darkness that forced Mother Nature to create the bond. She covered the darkness with light. But it’s also the same darkness that made Amelia create you.”

The tension was suffocating. It was as if a layer of plastic wrap was coating the room, sagging around her, and cutting off the air. Tyler was lighting the candles, or trying to; he couldn’t get the matches to stay lit within his shaking hands. Megan was pressed to Amelia’s side, and Cole and Josh seemed to be having an intense and silent conversation filled with eyes, hand gestures, and nods.

Amelia couldn’t stand it. “She’s right, guys,” she murmured, kicking her toe at the floor. “I can’t …” she started, and then shook her head, “I won’t use black magic. It’s caused enough problems.” She shot an automatic and completely involuntary look between Josh and Cole.

“I’ll use it,” Josh said bitterly, glaring right back at Amelia. She could see what he was thinking, that he was one of the problems caused by the magic, and she averted her eyes, unable to deny it.

“Stop it!” Megan shrieked. “Stop being so selfish.” She vaulted over to Josh and got right in his face. “You’re a murderer! It’s not just your imaginary relationship at stake here! People are dying.”

“Imaginary,” Josh seethed. In a motion so fast, that none of them saw it coming, he stood up and grabbed Megan by the scuff of the neck, holding her off of the ground like a puppy.

Megan didn’t struggle. Instead she laughed. “Wow, you’re more screwed up than I thought. I call you a murderer and all you hear is imaginary.”

Amelia saw red, blazing, crimson red. “Enough!” she shouted, and with her shout, she unleashed a blast of magic, hitting Josh with such force that he dropped Megan and flew into the air a good five feet before hitting the ground with a thud.

Josh whimpered—literally—and he shrunk, curling himself into a ball. Cole smirked and Sally giggled. But Megan was anything but amused. She stomped up to Amelia, her face red and her fists balled, and she snatched the paper from Amelia’s hand.

To Amelia’s surprise, Cole defused the tension quickly and asked, “So do we need to hold hands or something?” He strolled over to Megan and peeked over her shoulder, his eyes moving along the page as he deciphered Amelia’s hasty scribbles.

Tyler finally managed to get the candles lit, and then he plopped down on Amelia’s bed out of the way. Josh was the last one to join the group, and Amelia wasn’t sure whether to be glad or hurt that he made a point not to squeeze in beside her in the circle. Instead, he slid in between Megan and Cole, and the way he held onto Megan, caressing her hand with his thumb, Amelia swore he was trying to make her jealous. It didn’t work.

As soon as he connected the circle, power surged through them like a circuit. A bright light flourished around them in a ring, and the flames on the candles leapt into the air like torches doused in gas.

Amelia took a deep breath, and from memory she said, “Lost souls hear me.” Her voice was a little shaky, and she swallowed hard, drawing in the steamy power to calm her nerves before continuing. “Find your other half and bind together. Through the mark of the soul, let the vampire find a link to humanity, and let them find love through their mate.”

Amelia had expected to see something. More light, that was for sure, but nothing seemed to change. In the vision, Mother Nature had glowed, her aura brightening with the spell. She remembered the feeling of a new surge of power, something stronger—something stable. She looked around the circle, studying everyone’s faces, hoping to find awe or shock or anything to confirm something was happening or had happened.

When Amelia’s eyes landed on Sally, the psychic asked, “Do you feel anything?”

Amelia shook her head from side to side, and then looked at Megan. “You?”

“No. Try again,” Megan said with determination.

Amelia shut her eyes, focusing on the flow of energy, and when she spoke, her voice did not waver. It was strong, laced with command and authority, and to her ears, it did not sound like her own voice. “Lost souls hear me. Find your other half and bind together. Through the mark of the soul, let the vampire find a link to humanity, and let them find love through their mate.”

A pulse, like a heartbeat, touched her skin, and Amelia’s eyes popped open. The flames from the candles jumped, licking at the ceiling, and then went out with a hiss as if they had been doused in water. A current rushed through Amelia, running from her fingertips, and then it rushed at her, hitting her with a burning shock as if she had touched a live wire. She shrieked, and yanked her hands away, breaking the circle.

The air around them hissed and crackled, becoming as thick as butter, and then with a final deafening crack, the pulsing magic vanished.

“Well, that sucked,” Cole said, massaging the hand that had been attached to Amelia’s as if she had stung him.

“Am I right to assume you do not feel anything different other than a little crispy on the fingers?” Sally asked, and Amelia nodded, annoyed. “What are we missing?” she continued, thoughtfully, releasing her hold on Megan. “You are the Mother’s blood, so theoretically you, actually, you both, can wield her magic.” She bent down, picked up the pack of matches, and began relighting the candles.

“Did anything else stand out in the vision?” Tyler questioned, watching them all with a mix of fear and awe. He shifted awkwardly on the bed, and inched back a bit.

“Only Mitchell,” Amelia said, letting his name float out of her lips with a longing sigh.

“Obviously, she’s not strong enough,” Josh said, his cold eyes avoiding Amelia. “It takes less power to break a spell than it does to cast it. The groundwork was already there, all I had to do was find it. We need to break the original curse.” He let his eyes land on her then and said, “I will not let any more of my people die because of you.” There was something else hidden under his words, something cold and sinister, that reminded Amelia of when he pointed an arrow at her heart, and she was certain there was an underlying threat in his statement.

“Are all you immortals this petty?” Amelia hissed. “You realize that it’s not normal to threaten a person just because that person doesn’t want you, right? Jeez, between your and Mitchell’s mood swings, I’m surprised I’m not dead already. I’m sorry I made you. I’m even sorrier that I let you kiss me. But I can’t change that! And acting like a two year old isn’t going to fix it.” The words just flew out of her, without caution or care, and after they were said, she felt … better—clearer.

If her words had any impact on Josh, Amelia didn’t know. He was a mask of indifference, blank and emotionless.

“Millie, can you show us?” Megan whispered, her eyes filled with grief.

Josh shrugged, as if to say whatever, and he took a seat in one of the chairs. One by one, Sally and Cole did the same, and Megan curled up beside Tyler on the bed, all waiting to watch what had happened all those lifetimes ago. Once they were all seated and ready, Amelia evoked the spell, displaying her past for everyone to see.

Amelia couldn’t say how many times she had played it over and over. She had lost count after the ninth time. They picked it apart, fast-forwarding, rewinding, pausing, watching as the slithering blackness entwined with her aura, and the bright light of Mother Nature washed over her grief stricken features.