Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lydia Michaels

  He slid lower and she felt his hard length nudge against her sex. Larissa pulled her knees back and held herself open for him. She was already wet and ready for him. He slid deeply inside of her until their bodies touched and there was not another millimeter left for him to go. He held himself above her, his muscles rippling with each slow thrust that left her quivering below him.

  Larissa looked up into those dark eyes that were now practically iridescent. She watched Eleazar’s intent face as he rode her long and slow, savoring every press, pull, and slide. Her body began to coil about him and when he smiled, she saw that his fangs had dropped. She imagined he was noticing the same effect in her own features.

  She felt the jolt of his own pleasure shoot through her. They each moaned. As he thrust into her, she arched, her fingers held him tightly to her and she never wanted to let go. Her thighs clung to his hips as he plunged deep and rotated slightly with each thrust. Their heated skin grew dewy and she savored the feel of their flesh clinging to each other. They were getting close. She could sense it in herself as well as in him.

  “Look at me, Larissa.” She looked up at him as their bodies continued to rock together. “You are mine. I am never letting you go. Forever and always, you will know no other body, but my own.”

  “Only you, Eleazar,” she agreed, her breath coming faster now.

  “Now tell me you will be my wife.”

  “Nothing could please me more than becoming your wife, Bishop King.”

  He growled and thrust into her forcefully. It seemed as if he had reached a new place hidden deep within her.

  “I plan on making you a mother today, so I suggest we call one of the elders over to make the marriage official.”

  She worried that with all the determination in the world, Eleazar’s desires might never come true if God did not will it. “Will you be terribly disappointed if I cannot give you children?”

  He frowned. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because I have yet to get with child—”

  “No, why would you assume you could ever disappoint me with something that is out of your control? Larissa, I love you. I think you would make a wonderful mother, but if this is all our family shall ever be, I will never have to look far to find reason to thank God every day, so long as you are by my side.”

  She blinked back tears and smiled up at him. “I love you so much. I never dreamed I would find someone who could be happy with just ordinary old me.”

  “You are far from ordinary and so long as you are with me you never have to worry about anyone thinking you the old one.”

  She laughed and then all humor faded away as their emotions and passion took control. They clung so tightly to each other their bodies became one. When they finally came apart in each other’s arms, it was only a matter of time before they were clawing to be connected to the other again. The morning passed in a blur of sweetly spoken words of love, silly moments filled with laughter, and heated flashes of passion.

  Today was the first day of Larissa’s new life. She smiled, knowing when she would return to this bed later that evening, it would be as Mrs. Larissa King, wife to the bishop.

  Chapter 37

  They pulled up to a snow-covered field that looked much like the last twenty miles they had driven past. Cain told the cabby to stop and paid the driver as Dane opened his door and went to retrieve their bags from the back. As he slammed the trunk closed, Cain came around the car and took both bags and slung them over one shoulder. The cab pulled away and Dane turned in a complete circle, feeling as though he had just been deposited in the middle of nowhere. White, snow-covered fields stretched as far as his eyes could see.

  “Come on, this way,” Cain said as he took one of Cybil’s hands and Dane took the other.

  They walked for a long while. Despite the snow, the temperature seemed to be a little warmer than the day before. The sun shined brightly over the white hills and as they crested the top of one steep knoll, Cybil gasped. Dane perhaps would have seen the view if he wasn’t so taken aback by the sound slipping from his sister’s mouth. Cain was also watching Cybil. They both smiled at her wide-eyed expression.

  Dane turned to see what had provoked such a reaction and almost gasped himself. Set deep in the valley of the mountains was an enormous spread of farmland. Stone houses and other colonial-style buildings dotted the space, appearing miniature from their vantage point. Red barns popped across the white earth and animals left a speckled trail of footprints winding throughout the fields. It was indeed a farm, one of the most picturesque farms he had ever seen.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Cain asked, but Dane did not answer. The answer was plain to anyone possessing eyes.

  They traveled downhill and as they came closer to the homes, Dane heard sounds of animals grazing and bleating, people talking, buggies crunching over the crystallized ground accompanied with the tromping of hoof steps. He could smell various foods cooking, bacon, eggs, and fresh bread. He spotted a girl in an Amish gown carrying two buckets from a barn. Milk sloshed over the brim as she marched through the snow and the fresh, warm cream formed small wisps of steam in the cold air.

  He and Cybil both turned at the sound of children. Boys in black, brimmed hats and girls in layered dresses and cloaks glided down the hillside upon antique toboggans. Each sled left its own set of parallel tracks winding in its wake. Cybil giggled and Dane felt his smile grow large enough to reach his eyes. He decided this was a good place to be. He was glad he had settled on coming.

  “Come on, munchkin,” Cain said, scooping Cybil into his arms. He pointed to a stone house in the distance. “See that house down there with the smoke piping from the chimney? That’s my grandfather’s. That is where you guys are going to stay.”

  Cybil looked at Cain and her smile faded. Her eyes were desperately trying to convey something to Cain. Dane looked into her mind and saw images of Cybil and Cain together at their grandmother’s house, in the yard, on the porch, in the snow earlier that morning, at the breakfast table. “She wants to know where you will go,” Dane said and Cybil smiled at him.

  “Oh,” Cain turned her on his hip to face him better. “Well, I have to leave for a bit to take care of some things, but I will be back. And when I do return I will be living in that house right there. The one with the green shutters. See, we’ll be neighbors.”

  Cybil tried to smile but in her head flashed images of their mother, their father, their grandfather, and grandmother, all people she had lost. Dane kept quiet and watched as his sister hugged Cain close.

  They walked down the hill and paused at the opening in the twin post fence boxing in the old colonial. The front door opened and a young woman stepped out. She was very attractive, even with her hair covered by a bonnet. “Cain, my boy!” She smiled and clapped her hands together.

  Cain smiled and shifted Cybil on his hip. “Nanna Faith, how are you?” Dane frowned as Cain kissed the girl on the cheek. This could not be Cain’s grandmother. It was genetically impossible. A man stepped out onto the porch and looked softly upon Cain. He had a face that was kind, yet did not seem capable of forming a complete smile. Dane supposed this, his lips slightly pulling toward his cheeks and his eyes crinkling tenderly, was his smile.

  He had the longest hair Dane had ever seen on a man. It reached almost to his lower back and was blacker than a crow’s feather all except for one strip of white that fell down the right side. Cain hugged this man and referred to him as Grandfather. Something was not right here, Dane thought.

  “And who is this you have brought with you?” the woman asked.

  Cain introduced them. “This is little Miss Cybil. She’s ten and a bit shy and this is her brother, Dane. He’s going to be seventeen in a few months.”

  “Oh, you aren’t that much younger than our son, Fisher. He’s twenty-six.” Dane frowned again. Ten years was a pretty sufficient age gap in his mind. “And how long will your friends be staying, Cain?”

  For once, Cain did not
appear the master of confidence. He looked down and shuffled his feet. “My father has arranged for them to stay on the farm with us indefinitely.”

  The man with the long hair frowned. “Jonas has no right to decide such things.”

  Dane suddenly feared they would make them go back. He had come to terms with never seeing his grandmother again. Cybil liked it here. He liked it here. They had nowhere else to go.

  “Uh, I will go talk to the bishop today.”

  “You? Cain, do you think that is wise?”

  “Wise or not, I have to go there anyway. Apparently Larissa is there and she sent a message through Annalise that she wished to see me. Does Silus know Larissa is back?”

  The man pressed his lips tight. “I’ll let your sister fill you in on all of that, back to what we were speaking of. What makes you think the bishop will allow these children to stay on the farm? There are rules against outsiders coming in.” The man looked at Dane as if he was thinking about how exactly to say something without causing offense. “They are not…Amish.”

  “I am aware,” Cain said dryly. “Look, Grandfather, they have nowhere else to go. They have lost everyone in their family. Their last remaining relative was called to my father and that is a whole other complicated mess. I promised I would look out for them and that is what I intend to do.”

  “Then why are you at our door?”

  “Because Isaiah killed their mother.”

  The couple gasped and Dane’s eyes jerked to Cain. He had been trying to follow their conversation, none too successfully, but at the mention of his mother, his ears caught on. “What did you say?”

  “Nothing.” Dane felt a fuzzy, dizzying sensation and then found himself looking at the attractive woman and the man with the long hair. They were both standing akimbo and scowling at Cain. Cain shrugged. “What? I shouldn’t have said that in front of them.” Dane wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Said what?

  The woman continued to glower at Cain. “Do not do that again. Come along, children. I’ll introduce you to Fisher and Gracie. I bet you are hungry. How about if I fix you a nice breakfast? I have bread in the oven that should be about done.”

  They followed the woman into the house and Dane and Cybil shook off their shoes in the hall, leaving chunks of slushy ice melting on the hardwood floors. Dane leaned down with the sleeve of his sweatshirt and tried to mop up the mess before anyone saw. Meanwhile, Cain toed off his muddy, slush-covered boots and left them right smack in the entryway where they were already forming a puddle. Dane stared after him as he disappeared into the next room.

  “Come on, Cybil, hurry up,” he hissed as he helped her stow her shoes along the molding and out of the way. On socked feet they walked farther into the simple home and Dane was intrigued by the old appliances still being used. He knew Amish people didn’t really do cars and electricity, but actually seeing it was a whole different experience.

  Cain was talking to the man with long hair and Faith was bustling around the counter doing something with actual flour and other cooking powder things he didn’t think people used anymore. Everything was jarred rather than packaged.

  Another male voice came from a doorway on the opposite side of the large kitchen and Dane looked to see who it was. Another man with long hair entered the room. He was smiling and laughing, his eyes on someone behind him. “You would know! Good grief, Grace, how do you ever expect to find an honorable male with a mind like that?” the man said. A cheerful tinkling of laughter rung out behind him and Dane was drawn to the sound.

  When the man stepped aside, Dane sucked in a deep breath. If Faith was beautiful this girl was drop-dead gorgeous. Since when were the Amish hot?

  “Fisher, Grace, say hello to our guests. This is Dane and Cybil. They are going to be staying with us for a while,” Faith announced and Dane was relieved that they were once again welcome to stay.

  The girl turned and smiled up at him. He was not much taller than her, but still taller. He wondered if she was his age. She wore a bonnet same as Faith, only her hair was tucked under the lace less neatly. Wisps of long, dark chestnut hair swept down over her neck and onto her shoulders. She wore a maroon dress with a black apron crossing over her round, generous breasts. His eyes moved down to the floor and he noticed she was without shoes or socks. Her little feet were probably the cutest feet Dane had ever set eyes on. Even her little stout toes were adorable and they weren’t even painted.

  He realized he was staring and quickly lifted his gaze from the girl’s feet. She giggled. Obviously she had caught him staring. He wanted to feel embarrassed, but he was too distracted by her perfect smile and sparkling, blue eyes. They seemed almost silver when she turned her head certain ways. “I said ‘hi, I’m Gracie.’” Oh shit, she was talking to him.

  He cleared his throat and prayed his voice didn’t crack. “Hi, I’m Dane. Do you live here?” He mentally smacked himself. Eager much?

  “No, I live in the house down the way with the green shutters. We’ll be neighbors though.”

  “Cool.”

  She cocked her head as if she considered his use of slang odd. He wondered if they knew he wasn’t talking about temperature. Jeeze, if she thought he was talking about temperature…again he mentally groaned.

  Gracie leaned down and greeted Cybil. “Hi there, I’m Gracie. I think we’re going to be great friends. Do you like baby animals? It is my job to take care of all the babies and I have been hoping to find a little helper.”

  Dane sensed his sister’s pleasure at the idea and saw an image of the pig from Charlotte’s Web in her mind, but her expression gave away nothing. He was just about to tell Gracie that would be something Cybil would like when she said, “Yes, I have piglets and a few baby sheep as well. Do you like chickens?” Dane frowned and Gracie laughed. “Oh, I think you will be the best helper I have ever had.”

  How was she doing that? Dane looked at the girl. Her mind was open and pure. He saw images of her and his sister holding hands and gathering eggs.

  So sad that she does not speak. I imagine she is quite devastated, having lost her mother and father and now her grandmother as well. At least she has her brother. He seems nice.

  Dane made an incredulous sound and flinched. How the hell did he just do that? He could hear her voice. In her head! He was used to seeing images, but never had he heard someone else’s inner monologue. He looked at her again.

  I wonder if Cain knows about Larissa and the bishop yet. Perhaps I won’t pick on him too badly today since he did a good deed and found the Foster children.

  Dane frowned. Does she know my last name’s Foster or is she calling us foster children because we are essentially orphans?

  Gracie smiled thoughtfully. I suppose it is ironic that their name is Foster and they are essentially foster children. I had not thought of that.

  As if she suddenly realized what had just happened, she shot to her feet, mouth agape and eyes wide and looked at him. How are you doing that?

  How am I doing it? How are you doing it? Dane thought back.

  This has never happened to me before, she said and her inner voice had gone high pitch and panicky, but still cute. Don’t talk about me like that in your head!

  Sorry, he quickly apologized and began to recite the pledge of allegiance in his head so she wouldn’t accidentally overhear any of his other thoughts.

  She squished up her face at him as if she couldn’t figure out what he was doing.

  “Gracie!”

  She jumped and looked at Cain who had just shouted her name. Dane felt the connection break. “Wha—what?”

  “What the heck are you doing?” Cain asked.

  “Do not use language like that in my home,” Faith reprimanded.

  “Sorry, Nanna.” He apologized then looked back to Grace and said, “What were you just doing? You’re acting like a crazy person. You’re going to scare our guests.”

  “I…he…we…I am sorry, I must go.” She turned, pulling her skirt into her
fists and ran out of the kitchen. Dane smiled as he caught sight of her sexy, little calves.

  Stop that!

  Chapter 38

  Cain’s feet crunched over the snow as he walked toward the safe house. He wondered what on earth Larissa was doing there. If he found out the bishop was holding her in a cell, he might just have to kill the man. He climbed up the steps two at a time and knocked on the double doors centered on the grand porch. David opened the doors and let him in.

  “I need to speak to the bishop. Is he in his office?”

  “Yes. You may show yourself in.”

  Cain entered the home and turned left down the long corridor. The halls were abnormally quiet today. He wondered if there was something going on that required the council to cancel their scheduled session. When he approached the bishop’s office, the door was slightly opened. He knocked and Bishop King looked up to see who was there. Whatever welcoming expression had been on his face disappeared the moment he realized it was Cain coming to visit.

  “Cain. What can I do for you?” he said, pushing away whatever he had been reading.

  Cain entered the office, a little distracted by the pile of broken furniture in the corner, and took a seat. “I have a couple of things I need to discuss with you.” The bishop leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers under his chin, waiting for Cain to continue. “I killed an immortal.”

  The bishop’s eyebrows rose slowly. “Who?”

  “I do not know her name.”

  “You killed a female?”

  “Before you condemn me, let me explain. She was not of The Order. She was a transition. I know because she had a tattoo from her mortal days. I came upon her in the woods and she attacked me. I believe she has to do with the murders taking place. She, uh, she mentioned my uncle.”