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

without a doubt that Amelia and Mitchell would need them both—they’d need all of their family—to succeed in this lifetime.
    A burst of fire flared in front of her, and a strong gust of wind whipped around , tousling her hair, and blowing it into her eyes.  Mother Nature glanced up from the pond, and smiled a soft kind of smile, as she tucked her hair behind her ears and watched the spirits gather in front of her.  The stone ledge began to crumble to her right, bits of rock and dust floated into the air, piecing together as they made their way to the crackling flame.  A stream of water rose from the pond, filling in and fleshing out, and the air rushed in a mini tornado.
    The elements danced a round each other for a moment, and then, with an audible groan, they blended together, taking on their favorite form as one unit.
    Mother Nature pursed her lips and she felt the tightness in her forehead as deep frown lines creased between her eyes.  The spirits laughed, a musical and playful sound, and she glared at them, not finding any humor in it.  She swore they chose this form to mock her, and remind her of her failures over the past twelve-hundred years.
    “Interfer ing again?” the spirits asked.  Their voices were like a perfect melody, high and low.  Even as they merged together as one unit, she could still hear all four tones as they spoke.
    “After all this time, you still can’t get her eyes right,” Mother Nature said with a shake of her head, ignoring their question.  “Her eyes are more gray than blue.”  She scanned the body over; everything else was perfect; the chocolaty brown curls, the slim figure, even the nose was an exact replica of Amelia’s.  But those eyes … they were Mitchell’s sky-blue eyes.
    The spirits laughed, and smiled widely at her before looking down into the pond that they hovered above in mid -air.  “Tell us, how did the man that was meant for the last Mother Nature end up the soulmate of a vampire?”  When they glanced back at her, all the playfulness was gone, replaced by a furious looking storm that brewed in their eyes.
    “Don’t give me that look,” Mother Nature said , waving a dismissive hand.  “The last Mother Nature’s soul will never be put back into the life cycle, and neither will Angelle’s soulmate.  There’s no harm in sharing some happiness.”
    “This is what you call happy?” they shouted, pointing down at the image of a tear stricken Angelle, watching Tyler continue to pack his bags.
    Mother Nature drew in her magic, pulling it from the pond and removing the scene before them.  “It will come,” she said through tight lips.  “Have a little faith in me.”  She rose from her perch, and forced a smile as she asked, “Why are you here?”
    “Mitchell’s time is running out, and so is yours,” they said happ ily, as if this was good news.
    “Just a few more days,” Mother Nature said.  She forced her smile wider, refusing to let them see any trace of the nerves she felt clawing at her stomach.  She’d never been meant to hold this power for twelve-hundred years, and she was ready to let it go, but she knew if Amelia couldn’t prove herself, it would be passed to someone else.  Someone less deserving.  It was a punishment.  Mother Nature understood that.  Amelia should have been ready lifetimes ago.  And it had been her job to get Amelia to that point.  But just because she understood that they were being punished, it didn’t make it any easier to accept.
    “It’s already been a few days since the last time you asked,” they reminded her, and laughed again.
    “And now I’m asking for a few more.  Mitchell sees it.  Amelia just needs to see it, too.  They’re close.”  Even to her own ears, her voice sounded desperate, and she hated it.  She rushed on quickly, attempting to cover up her distress.  “They are the intended pair.  They will restore the balance between our kind and the vampires.  And now that