Abilene’s eyes wavered from him to his father, to Grace, and back to him. Only Cain seemed unconcerned by their sister’s outburst.
“Adam, dear, is everything all right?” his mother asked.
“It is fine, Mother. Everything’s fine.”
Cain let out a quiet huff of laughter, but continued stuffing his face. Abilene did not miss his brother’s amusement. Her frown deepened. “What’s going on? Gracie?” Grace froze, clearly reluctant to betray her brother.
“Someone better tell me what’s going on right now,” their father announced as he caught Cain’s hand reaching for a second helping of potatoes.
“Hey,” Cain protested.
“Nothing. Nothing is going on,” Grace amended.
“Cain?”
“Hey, I just want to eat.”
“You can eat when I know what has Gracie upset. Adam?”
Adam gave one last resigned look around the table then braced himself for the inevitable. “I’ve got the calling. I can sense her. She’s near.”
Chapter 2
Once Jonas had settled Abilene down, he went directly to his father’s home. Ezekiel Hartzler, at almost three hundred years, was a member of the Elder’s Council. He had been the patriarch of the Hartzler family since the late nineteen twenties when the eldest Hartzler, Ezekiel’s brother Isaiah, left The Order never to return. Isaiah was now considered rogue, a label he’d earned after not returning after receiving the calling.
Other than the required jaunts into town to conduct business, their kind didn’t much leave their land. Unlike other Amish societies, their order did not promote Rumspringa, a running-around time adolescents experienced just prior to adulthood where they would temporarily live amongst the English. If they chose to return it was just that, a choice to be baptized as a permanent part of their Amish order. Jonas’s kind experienced no such choice.
The Order was something one was born into and could only be executed out of. There were no excommunications as in other human sects. Members only left for extended periods to follow the calling of their human mate, a calling not every immortal experienced. Being one of the called was the one and only case exposure was pardoned to an extent. Because the calling was a sort of cosmic pull between an immortal and their sometimes-human counterpart, it was necessary to enlighten those predisposed mortals of their species.
However, if a mortal mate chose not to join The Order, their memories would be erased by the elders, removing any proof of their specie’s existence before they were deposited back into the modern world. The last time this had occurred was in the seventeen hundreds. The vampyre whose mate chose not to stay had to eventually be executed. The rejection of his mate was something his baser needs could not accept, thus causing him to eventually go mad, an outcome The Order preferred to avoid. Such was why, when a member of The Order was called, it was their duty to answer the calling. Otherwise they could easily become a danger to the rest of their species, losing control of their actions, and eventually risking exposure through the carnage left in their wake.
The Order’s laws were simple, no exposure. The laws of their Amish faith placed some restrictions on what their kind could and could not do, but were largely followed without argument since their arrival to America in 1738 by way of the great ship The Charming Nancy. By the early eighteenth century, the conditions in Europe had become intolerable. Rogue outbreaks among their kind had led to slaughter. The dead masqueraded as victims of plague. It was known even then that their species did not need to kill in order to feed, yet there was no governing set of rules and consequences. Eventually, rivers ran red from the carnage, and the devastation was too great. Nine males and nine females fled the continent with ideas of a more peaceful future. It was among the Amish that they found the privacy and sanctuary for their kind.
Ezekiel greeted Jonas in the study, dressed formally as always in his black slacks, black dress shirt, and tidy black suspenders. Although Ezekiel was almost one hundred and fifty years older than Jonas, they each appeared no older than their late twenties. His shoulder-length, black hair and glowing hazel eyes were identical to his father’s. Both men possessed a rugged six-foot-two build with an imposing, muscular breadth that would impress even their kind. Despite the years separating father and son, they could easily be mistaken for twins. Their years of working the land accompanied with a steady diet of organically raised animal blood gave their skin a healthy bronze glow. The only telltale mark that told them apart was the streak of white hair his father had acquired after the disappearance of his brother some eighty years ago. It was an odd marking for an immortal to have, as they rarely scarred nor could they alter their appearance in any way.
“What brings you by this evening, my son?” Ezekiel embraced Jonas with affection, handing over his glass of brandy only to pour himself another. “Here, you look as though you need this more than I at the moment.”
“That I do.” Jonas gladly took the tumbler from his father and sunk into a sturdy wing-backed chair facing the mantle. In this heat there would be no fire burning within the grandiose fireplace. He finished the drink in one swallow and placed the glass on the end table. Leaning forward, resting his arms on his knees, he forked his fingers through his hair.
The tinkling of his glass being refilled and the quiet clank of the decanter being left by its side accompanied his father’s approach. “Well, my boy, what has got you so agitated this night? Something serious I suspect. Is Abilene doing better?”
“Abilene is recovering well, or at least she was. She has found cause for tears once more.” His father tilted his head, encouraging him to go on. “It’s Adam. He has been called.”
Always in control of his emotions, Ezekiel hid his surprise well, yet Jonas saw the moment his father truly comprehended his words. “Is the boy sure?”
“Yes. He is without appetite, the sun is irritating him of late, his equilibrium is off, and he tells me he has had several dreams.” Dreams were not common occurrences among their kind. Although they did not rest often, when they did sleep, they slept like the dead. Scholars of their kind had done studies over the years proving that even brain waves were undetectable during a deep sleep. With nary a brain wave there would be no dreams, yet during the calling it seemed as though a mate’s senses awoke from a lifetime of hibernation with more sensory activity than some could process.
“Did he see her in the dreams?”
“He says no. He tells me he only gleaned a glimpse of images, a scent, the feel of her flesh, the color of her hair.”
“That sounds accurate. I remember when I was called to your mother, my first dream was only an image of a brown frock. You could imagine how common brown frocks were in those days. However, it was the scent of her skin that told her apart from all the rest. I memorized that scent, clung to it, so much so that it followed me around, clouded my head like a swarm of gnats. As time passes he will gain more clues through his dreams to help him locate her.”
“How long do you suspect he has?” Jonas was worried and did not miss the slight crease in his father’s brow.
“I suspect,” he began cautiously, “only Adam can determine that. Each immortal’s tolerance is different. Once a male or female experiences the calling there is only a short amount of time before they will turn feral. An animalistic need for their mate will eventually take over their senses, removing the layers of our acquired humanity with each passing moment, until there is nothing human left, only a rabid beast needing to be put down. Let us hope, in Adam’s case, his calling is still in the early stages.”
“He has been keeping this from us for some time. After questioning him, I discovered he has been suffering mild symptoms for at least a fortnight.”
“Why did he not confess this to you immediately?”
“I suspect he was worried after Abilene losing the babe that the news could push her over the edge.”
Ezekiel took a patient breath and seemed to choose his words carefully. “Jonas, my bo
y, I know that it is private, the business between a male and his wife, but you must make her understand that Adam needs to find his mate and he needs to begin his search immediately. If he waits, if he ignores his calling, his nature will take over, and that is a guaranteed recipe for losing another son.”
“I know and Abilene knows this as well. She has just...” Jonas took a shuddered breath. “She has just lost so many. This was the fifth miscarriage in a decade. I believe she feels that Larissa, Gracie, and the twins are all she will ever have. The idea of sending Adam away frightens her.”
“Understandable, but Abilene has always remained a little sheltered. She chose to marry you by age twenty. It was only your mother and I that prolonged the engagement in case you yourself were called. And don’t look at me like that. We love Abilene and we know you love her as well. Still, there is always a risk in choosing a spouse before destiny calls her for you. You were taking a risk as I told you the day you proposed. You are both still young. Who is to say that your true mate will still not call you? Who is to say that Abilene won’t be called herself some day?”
“Abilene is my true mate.” Jonas growled at the idea of anyone else touching his beloved wife.
“One can only hope. My point is that there is no ignoring the call. Once it grabs you, there is no overlooking it. If Adam waits too long it will destroy him. He must find her before it is too late.”
Jonas knew his father was remembering Uncle Isaiah. If Isaiah was still alive, chances were he was nothing like the strong, compassionate male they knew and loved almost a century ago. He had never returned with his mate, which left only three possibilities. He had either relocated with her and was living in hiding amongst the English, a very dangerous life for their kind and generally forbidden among The Order. He was dead. Or he was rogue, running rabid and killing without conscious.
The only way to suppress the call of one’s mate was to blood-bond. An exchange of blood during mating was the only antidote for the acquired madness that sometimes overtook the called. So much so, that like his father said, if a male like himself were to be called, he would have no other choice but to abandon his family and his wife in order to find his true mate. It was something Jonas prayed he would never have to face.
There was no ignoring the call, no way to silence the beast they each kept leashed behind the veil of humanity. The thirst was said to be unbearable, a craving only satisfied by the blood of a true mate. As time ran out, what was once a strategic pursuit could become a frenzied unapologetic hunt, a game of human roulette where victims were bled dry. The longer one’s mate remained elusive, the more humans died. It would be blood lust at its worst. It would be genocide.
Prior to losing one’s mind, the appetite for food became nonexistent. There was no hunger, only thirst, a thirst, which only a mate’s blood could absolve. Then there was the tolerance of the sun. Exposure to daylight was said to become excruciating, a pain so great the called were eventually run to ground and from then on became nocturnal creatures. Emotions would become nothing more than memories, echoes of mortal feelings long forgotten. The called would eventually become the unanswered. They risked becoming beasts more animalistic than human. A beast too long unanswered would be a creature no human would have the strength to tame. Even the beast’s true mate would be incapable of bringing him back. It would be a futile endeavor, too much time wasted, all hope lost. That was when the called became truly lost. That was when they became daemon, demon, a creature with no salvation, a creature that must be destroyed.
His father’s movement drew Jonas from his disturbing musings. Ezekiel sat down at the large cherry desk in the corner of the study and withdrew a ledger from the top drawer. He made a note then unlocked a lower drawer and removed a crisp envelope that seemed filled to the gills.
“Here is ten thousand dollars. I will go with you to give it to Adam. He must leave before dawn. I will inform the elders of his whereabouts. I will petition that they give him one month to seek and return with his mate under the guise of Rumspringa. I would ask for longer, but I don’t believe they would agree to it. In the past century they have preferred to keep such matters ‘contained.’” Jonas took the money with shaky hands. “It will be all right, Jonas. Adam is strong and sensible. He will find her and do what he must.”
* * * *
Adam placed the last of his items in his suitcase and tried to ignore Cain. His father had gone to speak with his grandfather and Grace was keeping an eye on their mother. It wasn’t that he was afraid, he simply was reluctant to leave his family.
“What if she’s fat with bucked teeth?” Cain asked as he examined one of Adam’s whittled figurines resting on the bureau in Adam’s bedroom. Adam removed the fragile, hand carved fox from his brother’s hand and returned it to its rightful place.
“I am sure she will be suitable to my tastes.”
“You don’t even have taste to go by,” Cain corrected.
“Just because I do not sully every unattached female on the farm like you, brother, does not mean I have not sampled the fairer sex.”
Cain paused in his perusal of his brother’s belongings and smiled. “And who have you sampled?”
“That’s none of your concern.” Adam reached into a small antique box on his nightstand and removed his signet ring bearing the Hartzler family crest. Jewelry was considered proud and frowned upon among the Amish, but to their kind the ring could be the difference between life and death. Although they kept no association with immortals outside of The Order, it did not mean they didn’t exist.
“You’re no fun, Adam. I could probably guess anyway. Was it Daniel, Ethan, or Jason?”
Adam tossed his hat at his brother. “You’re a dummkup.”
“Whatever you say,” his brother ribbed.
“If you must know, it was Eve.”
His brother found great amusement in this admission. “Oh, Adam and Eve, how charming! Tell me, brother, did she tempt you with her forbidden fruit?”
Adam gave him a reproving look, but was relieved of having to answer when Grace knocked at the door. He bid her to enter and could tell by the look in her eyes that she was still feeling guilty about what had happened at supper. There was nothing for it. His path was set in motion the first night he dreamt of his mate. Gracie had only sped the process along. She was in no way responsible for sealing his fate. He slid the last of his personal items into his suitcase and turned to her, gently tipping up her chin with his knuckle.
“What’s this now, Gracie? Tears? We will have none of that.” She threw her arms around his neck and burst into hysterics.
“Oh, Adam, I’m so sorry. I never meant to expose your secret. I was just shocked when I overheard your thoughts. I would have never betrayed you had I been expecting such a revelation. I could have controlled my reaction better.”
“Hush now, child. You have not wronged me. It is not you who has placed this burden on my shoulders, it was fate.”
“But you’re leaving so soon.”
“Yes, and when I return I will have a new sister for you.”
She seemed to smile at that. “Oh, Adam, perhaps all will go well and you will find your ainsicht and fall madly in love. I know she will love you the moment she sets eyes on you.” Adam chuckled at his little sister’s romantic notions, but it was Cain’s snort of laughter she reacted to. “What are you laughing at, toad?”
“How am I a toad and Adam is a stunning prince? That is unfershtendich, we are identical twins, runt.”
“It is not absurd, you unmannered hog, and I am not a runt!”
“Ganoonk! Enough. The two of you stop it,” Adam said, standing between the two. “Gracie, how is Mother doing?”
His sister frowned. “She is resting. I put some brandy in her glass to help her sleep. She is so sad, Adam. I am afraid she will cry the entire time you’re gone.”
Cain groaned. “This is going to be worse than when Silus chose Larissa.” Their mother had been devastated when the elders
agreed upon Silus’s request for a union so quickly. Typically there was a period for the parents of a female to petition for more time. With Larissa there seemed no such period. It seemed only weeks after Silus’s request to court her that she was moving out of their family home and relocating on the western territory of the farm where the Hostetler’s properties existed.
“It will not be that bad,” Adam assured his brother and sister and hoped he was not telling a lie. Finding a woman he had never seen nor knew the proper name of was destined to be a challenge. As if it was not complicated enough, he would also have to introduce her to a species the rest of the world assumed was nothing more than folklore. This would all have to be done delicately in order to persuade the girl to sacrifice everything she has ever trusted and known based on an intangible promise of kismet. He had his own apprehensions and promised, “I will move as swift as my legs will carry me, and before you know it we will be sitting here once more calling Cain a toad while discussing my more admirable traits.”
Later that evening, they sat at the kitchen table, listening to Ezekiel’s instructions for Adam. Gracie stood by the door, keeping watch over their mother who slept peacefully in the next room. Jonas sat next to Adam’s grandfather, his posture tense and worried. Cain stood by the counter, finishing off the leftovers from supper.
“It is important you maintain a low profile,” his grandfather was saying. “The fewer mortals you speak to, the fewer questions you will have to answer. If anyone asks, you are on Rumspringa and plan on returning to your Amish roots by month’s end to be baptized into your faith. Do not allow yourself to be photographed and keep yourself well fed.”
Called to Order [The Order of Vampyres 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 3
