“Is this what the English wear?”
Annalise looked down. “These are my pajamas, but I have shirts like this.”
The girl sighed. “Father would never allow me to wear such clothing. Perhaps, in time, you and I could go to town and we could find something similar. I could wear it as underclothes and it would be my little secret.”
“Why does it have to be a secret? I’m not sure what’s going on, but I am not dressing like Little House on the Prairie.”
“Oh, we’re on a farm, not a prairie. And I’m sorry, but you will have to cover yourself. Adam would not like you showing so much flesh and all that lovely hair to the other men.”
What? Annalise didn’t want to break it to the young girl, but she really didn’t give a rat’s ass what Adam wanted. The girl covered her mouth as twitters of laughter bubbled past her lips.
“You shall be very good for my breder I think. Why would you give my brother a rat’s hindquarters?”
“What?”
“What you said…a rat’s…” Again the girl leaned forward and whispered, “ass.”
Annalise frowned. She hadn’t said that. She had thought it, but…
“Gracie.” The intrusion of a man’s voice had the girl straightening and schooling her expression.
“Hello, Adam.”
“I told you to get me the moment she woke up.”
“You were busy, and she just opened her eyes only minutes ago. We were only talking.”
He walked over and crouched down across from Annalise. He looked at her as if examining her condition. “How do you feel, ainsicht?”
She didn’t answer. He had taken her against her will and now she was somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a woman she had never met. She wanted to go home, and if Adam insisted on keeping her there, well, he would just have to learn how much of a bitch she could be. She had nothing to say to him.
Gracie began to giggle again, and Adam asked, “What is amusing?”
“Your mate. She is like an open book to me. She isn’t very fond of you and intends to act like a female dog toward you.”
Adam turned and scowled at Annalise. The tension in his face lifted as he took a deep breath. “So be it.” He reached for the clothing the girl held and said, “Gracie, go fix Anna something to eat while I get her dressed.”
The girl stood to do her brother’s bidding, but paused when Annalise balked, “I can dress myself and I am not wearing that.”
As if she had tried his patience he sighed and informed her, “You will wear this until we can have proper-sized dresses made for you and you will need help with the ties. You are not familiar with the aprons.”
“Look, just get me a pair of shorts and I’ll be fine.”
His sister giggled, and Adam snapped, “Gracie, food, now.” The girl ran off reluctantly. Adam turned back to Annalise. “Is this how it shall be between us, a fight at every turn?”
“Not if you let me go home.”
“This is your home.”
“No, Adam, this is a barn. I live in Bensalem!”
“Anna, you need to trust me. No harm will reach you here. I will build you a house that you will love. I will let you select your favorite fabrics for our bedding. I know this is a lot…simpler than you are accustomed to, but once you adjust, you will have complete freedom here.”
What a fucking moron. “First of all, don’t patronize me. Second, I wasn’t in danger before you started stalking me. Third, will you, dear? Will you truly allow me to select the bedding?” she asked the last in her most syrupy voice, thick with sarcasm. “When will you get it, Adam? There is nothing simple about this. And in case you didn’t know, it’s the new millennium. Women can make their own choices now.”
He frowned, and his lip twitched as if he were trapping his words inside. Finally he asked, “Are you mocking me?” He actually sounded a little hurt.
“That depends, are you going to treat me like a lesser person incapable of making choices and intellectual decisions because I’m female?”
“I think you are very intelligent.”
“Then why do you insist on treating me like a child? Pretty soon I expect to see you cutting my meat.”
He sighed. “I am sorry if I have made you feel that way. I do not think you are less than me. It is just that things are different here. There are things you do not yet understand. The males here…they would not know how to react to a woman like you dressed in English clothing. It would entice the unattached males to a point of hysteria. And the wives of the attached males would not pay kindly to such displays. I cannot protect you if every member of The Order is upset. I am only one male. The clothing is for your own safety. It will allow you more freedom to explore the land without myself or Gracie acting as chaperone.”
It was all suddenly too much. “Adam, why am I here? I don’t understand this. What you’re doing, keeping me like this, it isn’t right. I have a life, responsibilities, finals to take…oh my God, what’s today?”
“It is Monday evening. Almost Tuesday.”
“God damn it, Adam!”
His hand quickly covered her mouth. “You cannot say such things here, ainsicht.”
“I missed my exam!”
“I am sorry, but you must be more thoughtful about your words.”
“Screw my words! Do you have any idea how much you just messed up my life? I…they’re gonna…I may not graduate now!”
“Please do not cry.”
“Why not? I have no control over anything, and everything I worked for may have just gotten ruined. I need to send my professor an e-mail.”
“I will get you some paper as soon as you dress.”
“Paper? No, Adam, I need a computer. Seriously, I cannot just miss my exams. They will kick me out of the program.”
“We do not own such things.”
She growled. She literally growled. “I cannot do this! If I put on these clothes can you take me to the nearest town in the morning? To a library? I need to let my professors know what’s going on.” Then she could find some Good Samaritan to take her to the police.
“Dress and I will consider it.”
Ten minutes later Annalise stood in possibly the ugliest getup she had ever worn while Adam crossed and tied her apron at her back. The only concession Adam made was allowing her to keep her regular panties rather than the bloomers Gracie had provided. She looked like she was heading to a costume party.
“Dear God, I look like I belong on the compounds of Big Love.”
“What is Big Love?”
“It’s a show on HBO about polygamists.”
He seemed to think about that. “Multiple wives?”
“Yeah.”
He grunted. “Turn around so that I can tuck your hair in your bonnet.”
Rather than argue, she did exactly as he asked. She just kept telling herself the more agreeable she was, the sooner she could get to town and get the hell out of Dodge.
When she was fully dressed in her prairie garb, he turned her to face him and took a step back to analyze his work. Even in the darkness of the barn, she could see his pupils dilate, the black consuming the silver. It seemed the more his eyes dilated the more catlike they became. Weird.
Adam’s fingers gently tucked a loose hair that had slipped from her bonnet behind her ear. “You are beautiful, Annalise.”
She hated the way his compliment made her feel. She wanted to hate him for hijacking her life. She didn’t want to notice things like how sexy his forearms looked bulging past his cuffs or how masculine his hips were fitted out in his black slacks. Keeping her eyes downcast, she quietly thanked him.
She wished she knew what he was thinking. He seemed determined yet regretful at the same time. After a few minutes in the quiet barn, he finally pulled her hand in his and said, “Come, I will take you to my home.”
Chapter 12
She was upset. Although the occasional wave of curiosity would roll off of her, there was an overall aura of bewi
lderment coming from his mate. This did not make him feel like he was doing a very good job. He tried to think of something that would cheer her up, but did not know enough about her yet. Perhaps Gracie could pick something out of Anna’s mind that would give him some clue as to what would make her happy. He knew it would be more honest of him to simply talk to his mate and ask, but she had stopped speaking to him, and he didn’t think his questions would be welcome at the moment.
The sight of her in Amish dress had a shockingly erotic effect on him. The English women he had seen while looking for her were all so overwhelmingly bare, the shock overrode the appeal. Anna, on the other hand, was breathtaking. The fact that she hid delicious curves behind her apron, curves that only he would see, touch, and taste, made it difficult to stop his imagination from running wild. The moment he tied the last ribbon of her gown he wanted to teasingly tug the strings until the garment fell to the floor inch by torturous inch.
He’d briefly spoken to his father upon his return. The man was displeased to learn that while Adam had retrieved his mate, he had yet to bond with her. Adam would have to complete the bonding soon. Although her presence balanced his equilibrium somewhat, his moods had grown severely darker. His behavior at the hotel the day before had surprised and disgusted him. It was as if Anna somehow split him in two. He was no longer Adam, the rational man. He was Adam, the beast, needing only to mark and claim his mate and shame on any other male that came within reach of her.
His thirst had grown into an almost steady ache. While he had carried Anna home, her body limp under the veil of his command to sleep, he had stopped along the way and sipped from her wrist. She’d stirred slightly, but never truly regained consciousness. The sip, although small, was enough to stave off his hunger and need to throw her to the ground and complete the bonding without her permission. He had fed the moment they’d arrived at the farm, needing three animals to satisfy his thirst. Never before had he ever required so much blood. He glutted himself until he felt ill, sure that should hold off his hunger pains. However, after only sitting with her sleeping body for a few hours, he felt the pangs of hunger come back with a vengeance. He had not wanted his family to be aware of their presence until he had a chance to speak to Anna, but he was ravenous.
Luckily he caught Gracie walking close by. He asked her to find some clothing then set her to the task of keeping an eye on his mate. He had told her to come get him the moment she woke, however, typical Gracie, she’d chosen to use those moments to make some discoveries for herself. If he had known she had awakened, Adam would not have taken a few minutes to find his father. Lord only knew what Gracie had told Anna in those minutes.
He pulled Anna to a stop and pointed to an open field. “That is where I will build our home.” She eyed the expansive space but said nothing. Adam sensed her doubt. Rather than take a moment to convince her things would be fine, he continued to walk toward his family’s home.
The large farmhouse showed lanterns burning in every window. The entire family would no doubt be waiting anxiously to greet Annalise. As he held the small gate open for her to pass, he said, “My parents will be eager to meet you. You have already met Gracie. My brother Cain lives here as well. However, my eldest sister Larissa no longer lives with us. She was mated last year.”
“You mean married?”
“Yes, she and Silus are married. I misspoke. A mating is slightly different.”
“Different how?”
“More…involved. Here, watch your step.” He guided her up the steps. He could hear Gracie’s voice ringing from the kitchen. Adam took a fortifying breath and pressed through the screen door.
Everyone stopped speaking as they entered the kitchen. Gracie smiled at them, and his mother’s expression was equally pleased. Cain was absent from the group, and his father looked quizzically at Anna.
“My son,” his mother said, coming to hug him. Her embrace was warm and affectionate. The relief he felt from her in that moment gave him reason to smile.
“Mother, let me introduce Annalise. Anna, this is my mother Abilene.”
His mother pulled his mate into her arms and hugged her close. “Annalise, what a beauty you are. You shall be a lovely frau for my Adam. Welcome to our home.”
Adam led her to the table and Gracie scooted over into the other chair so his mate could take her proper place to his left. “Anna, this is my father Jonas.”
“A pleasure, Annalise.”
She simply nodded but said nothing.
“Gracie prepared you a sandwich. Is there anything else you would like?” his mother asked, pushing a plate in front of her.
“Thank you. This is fine. I am starving.”
“Poor dear, Jonas tells me you slept almost a day and a half. I can imagine this is quite overwhelming for you. Eat and then we ladies will talk.”
“Where is Cain?” Adam asked his family once he saw that Anna was eating.
“Cain has been staying with the Hostetlers. They are preparing to raise a barn this coming Wednesday. He is staying with Larissa and Silus.”
“I was hoping that we could begin to gather the materials for my new home. I was thinking about the pasture on the other side of the wall.”
“Oh, the wall gets the loveliest laurel in the spring. You will love having that outside your windows, Annalise.”
At his mother’s comment, Anna swallowed and placed her half-eaten sandwich on her plate. “Pardon me, but I already have a home. I am not staying.”
His mother froze, a look of concern on her face, while his father eyed him intensely. Gracie turned to Anna and whispered, “That won’t work.”
Anna looked at his sister and frowned, “What?”
“Your plan. He won’t let you leave the farm until you bond.”
Suddenly confused, Adam asked, “What plan?”
Anna looked at him with wide eyes, but it was Gracie who said, “Anna wants to go to town and send a message home. She also plans on escaping you and begging a stranger to help her get home. She may even contact the police.”
His father let out a gruff harrumph, and Adam looked into his mate’s eyes in an attempt to read the truth of the matter. “Is this true, Anna?”
“I need to return home. I don’t belong here.”
How would he convince her that this was where destiny had determined she belonged? Thankfully his mother intervened by saying, “Anna dear, if you are about done, why don’t you come with Gracie and me. We can get you settled for now and answer any questions you may have.”
Adam was surprised when Anna looked to him as if asking for permission. He touched her hand and smiled. “Everything will be fine. Go with the women and let them help you relax. I will be in shortly.”
Once the women excused themselves and went toward the back of the house, most likely to Adam’s bedroom, he addressed his father. “I know what you are thinking.”
“Do you?”
“You are thinking she is going to flee.”
“I have faith in you not to allow it.”
“I will not.”
“Good. Have you explained any of this to her? Does she have any idea of what we are?”
“No. She is aware that we have shared dreams, but does not understand how or why. There is something that concerns me however.”
“What is that, my son?”
“She has nightmares. I witnessed her having one. They are quite frightening to her. She said she heard my voice speaking to her during the dream, and there were insects drinking from her.”
“Have you taken her blood?”
“Yes.”
“That should aide you in reading her emotions. Do it enough and you will eventually be able to hone your tracking skills as well. How is it you have drank from her yet she is not aware of what you truly are?”
“She was unconscious,” Adam confessed and his face heated under his father’s scrutiny.
The older man cleared his throat. “I have been with your mother for many years, Adam.
Taking blood from a female is intoxicating to more than the stomach and tongue. Tell me you did not allow your bloodlust to get the best of you.”
“I…we have not yet mated that way.”
“Very well. Do not assume you will be able to keep yourself in control. The more you drink from her, the more your baser desires for your mate will come into play. I cannot imagine it has been easy for you thus far.”
“It is a challenge I am not accustomed to, but I am determined to have her with her permission or not at all.”
His father frowned. “Sometimes patience is not an option. Destiny has chosen her for you. She will forgive your haste eventually if that is what it comes to. You are a male of worth and have needs that cannot be ignored. Do not play with fire. Bond with her soon or you risk finding more trouble than you can handle.”
* * * *
“Do you have family, dear?”
Annalise looked at the woman who was said to be Adam’s mother. Although she seemed quite maternal and wise beyond years, Annalise found it hard to believe that the woman had given birth to the man who had brought her here. Abilene did not look a day over twenty-nine. Adam, she assumed, was around thirty years old. How was their relationship possible? When she first entered the kitchen, she assumed the other man was his brother, but then to hear Adam introduce the man as his father…it didn’t make sense. What was in the water here?
“No. My mother died shortly after I graduated high school, and I never knew my father.”
“Do you not have any siblings?”
“None that I’m aware of.”
Gracie placed a hand on her knee. They were sitting in a very plain bedroom on a wooden bed covered in a maroon and cream quilt. “Well, now you have a sister, two actually, although Larissa isn’t around much. I will leave it up to you whether or not you want to claim Cain as a brother. He’s a dummkup.”
“Grace,” the girl’s mother quickly scolded. “Do not listen to her, Annalise. Cain is a nice boy. He is just a bit of a handful even at his age.”
“How old is Cain?”
Called to Order [The Order of Vampyres 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 12
