Her pleasure combined with his and he swallowed back his own groan. His cock twitched in her hand and he fought the urge to throw her down and drive into her. He took a deep breath through his nose, the scent of her arousal slammed into him and made it more difficult to stay focused and in control.
“I want you to rub that spot. Rub it fast and do not stop until I tell you.” Her arm reached lower and he watched as she began to fondle herself. Her eyes struggled to stay open. “Does it feel good, Larissa?”
“Y–yes.”
“I feel it, too. You are doing a good job. Do you think you can do that while I teach you how to please your mate?” She nodded. “I want you to tighten your grip on me. Not too tight, but you can hold me firmer than you are.” She did just as he instructed, never once allowing the adjustment to slow her movements between her thighs.
“Good. Now I want you to pump your fist up and down the way you were before, only faster.” She did. Her head seemed to be having trouble staying upright. She was becoming drunk on lust. “Now take me into your mouth. I did not say you could stop playing between your thighs.”
She blushed and continued touching herself. At first she merely licked the tip of his cock, rubbing the soft head over her smooth lips. Even that seemed too much. He felt her body climbing toward her climax. He wanted to share her release.
When her mouth closed over his flesh, his knees nearly buckled. She slid her mouth up and down, following the motions of her fist. He felt her experiment with her tongue and when she did something that felt particularly decadent, they both moaned.
She began to make noises in the back of her throat. Her fingers plucked faster between her thighs. Her hand tugged over his flesh, holding him in a tight grip as her mouth pulled hard. The longer she continued, the more aggressive she became. With each stroke her mouth reached a little lower until finally he felt his cock nudge the back of her throat and her palm release him as she pressed it flat over his lower abdomen. His hand held her head there as he went up on his toes.
She moaned long and deep, matching his cry of pleasure. Her sex began to contract at the same time he felt his balls draw up tight. She worked her mouth quickly now over his wet cock, her muffled sobs of pleasure echoing through the woods. He held on to her shoulder as he felt their climaxes coming. Larissa’s body began to jerk. Her head tipped back, mouth opening as she cried out and made herself come.
He grabbed hold of her hand and held it in place, wrapping both their fingers around his cock. He began pumping their fists quickly and suddenly he was coming with her, long ribbons of white shooting down her breasts and over her belly.
They fell to the ground and he wondered how he would ever make it home now. When he felt her moving next to him, he opened his eyes. Astonishingly, he watched as she pulled her fingers from between her legs and brought them to her mouth. She ran her tongue slowly over the length of her middle finger and he felt his cock begin to stiffen once more. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
He smiled at her. “Well?”
She bit her lip shyly. “Well, I think I am sweeter than you and I am pretty sure we cannot make babies by doing what we just did.”
This time when he laughed, he did not even attempt to hold back. His head fell back and his laughter mingled with hers, waking several sleeping animals in the nearby trees.
They lay there for a while, until their bodies cooled and their skin grew chilled. Rather than find their clothing and dressing, they made love. By the time they were each shouting out their pleasure once more, the sky was fading to pink and the sun was beginning to rise.
Eleazar helped Larissa find her gown and she helped him button his shirt. As he stood behind her, pulling small bits of leaves from her braids, she said, “I am actually quite anxious to return home. I miss my family.”
His fingers stilled from where they were tying her apron strings. He wondered if Larissa knew about what was happening with her parents. If Adriel was right and Jonas Hartzler was in fact being called, Larissa would be devastated.
“What is it, Eleazar?”
He was about to tell her it was nothing when he heard a sound in the distance. “Shh. I hear something.”
She immediately became silent and waited. Taking her hand, he led her away from where they had spent the past few hours and toward the sound. They were not alone. He scented the air and stilled. Vampyre.
There was another male nearby. He pulled Larissa over to a nearby log and sat her down. He squatted before her and whispered, “We are not alone. Someone has followed us. Another male. I want you to stay here while I go take a look. Do not leave this place for any reason. If you need me, scream.”
She nodded up at him with frightened eyes. As he was about to turn, she grabbed his hand. “I love you.”
He kissed her quickly. “Je t’aime, Larissa.”
He turned and raced through the woods. Whatever was out there had realized he was in another male’s territory. Eleazar could not imagine who would be this far off the farm. He worried that it might be Silus and, for his family’s sake, prayed it wasn’t. If he found Silus coming after Larissa at this point, Eleazar might just kill him. He didn’t care if he was her husband. A male did not touch another male’s mate.
A branch snapped and he bolted toward the sound. He could scent the other male clearly at this point, but did not recognize the scent as someone he was familiar with. He ran after the male, leaping swiftly through the trees as branches whipped across his skin and tore at his clothing. He knew he was traveling farther away from Larissa and did not want to leave her too far back in case there was more than one male.
The closer he came to the other male, the faster he would run. It was as if he were trying to deliberately draw Eleazar away from his mate. Whoever he was chasing was fast.
When Eleazar was about ten miles away from Larissa, he decided he had gone far enough. He leapt off the ground and landed with the agility of a feline in a tree high above the forest floor. He looked for the male. When he did not see him, he shouted, “Show yourself.”
Leaves crunched and the wind whistled as it filtered through the branches of the trees that were more bare than full. Just as Eleazar was about to give up and turn around, there was a loud crash as an enormous sycamore began to groan and fall to the ground. The earth vibrated from the force of the tree crashing down, causing animals to squawk and scurry to safety. Eleazar had the sense that the tree did not naturally fall, but was pushed by something with incredible strength. Birds screeched and found shelter elsewhere. He jumped away from the wreckage and waited for the cloud of dirt and debris to settle.
As the dust dissipated, Eleazar noticed a figure about one hundred yards away. It was the silhouette of a male. He ran toward the male and the chase started again. A second later another enormous tree fell. The ground shook as the trees’ long roots were ripped from the earth and left exposed like a skeleton’s hand reaching for something no longer there.
This time Eleazar did not wait for the dust to settle. He shut his eyes and followed the other male’s scent. When the cloud of dirt had cleared, he opened his eyes and stood fifty or so feet in front of none other than Isaiah Hartzler.
Chapter 23
Larissa waited silently, wringing her hands and listening for any sound of Eleazar. He had been gone a while and she could no longer sense him. The sun had risen and the forest creatures were waking, making it more difficult to listen for others approaching.
She wanted to go search for him, but knew that would upset him. He had instructed her to stay there. She watched her surroundings with wide eyes, her ears twitching at the slightest rustling within the leaves. She practically screamed as a chipmunk skittered a few feet away from her. That would not have been good if Eleazar thought she was in trouble because she screamed and when he returned, she pointed to a fuzzy, little chipmunk as the culprit. She needed to get a hold of herself.
Her eyes drew up as she saw a flash of movement in the trees above. So
mething was up there. Suddenly something large jumped to the ground in front of her. Without looking to see what it was, she stood to run and began to scream. Strong arms grabbed her about the waist and a heavy hand covered her mouth. She kicked frantically.
“Shh, Larissa, it’s only me.”
She stilled at the sound of Eleazar’s voice. Her heart was beating frantically. He turned her in his arms and kissed her forehead. She swallowed a sob of relief.
“Sweetheart, it’s all right. It is only I. I did not mean to frighten you.”
She held on to him and found comfort in his strength. “Where did you go?”
“I made it about ten miles from here.” He kissed her cheek then took her hand. His shirt was torn in some places.
“Did you find what was out there?”
He was tugging her along now. He wouldn’t look at her. “Yes. You do not need to worry about it. Come along. We must get back.”
He seemed rushed and in no mood to talk. Larissa silently followed him through the woods. This time there was no merriment about their journey. Eleazar seemed to be deep in thought. As she climbed up a steep, rocky slope, Larissa remembered how he had helped her over the bumps and divots the night before. Now, however, he seemed to have forgotten she was even following him.
When her foot came down on a sharp rock, she finally snapped, “It is proper for a mate to look out for his female, don’t you agree, Bishop King?” But he just kept moving as if he didn’t hear her.
Larissa recognized the area. They were approaching the farm. She began to fear that everything they shared was over now that they were home. She began to panic. She did not run from one bad marriage simply to enter another one.
They crossed the property line and Eleazar began walking west. Larissa paused. He moved about thirty paces more before he realized she had stopped. When he turned to look for her, she was quite far from him. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot irritably. Let him come get her if he expected her to follow.
“Come, Larissa. We need to get home.”
“And what home is that, Bishop?” she shouted.
“What are you talking about? Come along, please. I have urgent business to tend to.”
She stomped her foot. “If your business is so urgent, then I will let you get to it while I sit here and decide which home I should be returning to.”
“Do not do this now, Larissa.”
“Shall I go east, to my parents? Or perhaps west to the Hostetler acreage.”
He growled. Good, let him be angry with her. She was not too fond of him at the moment either.
“You will follow me east to the safe house and be done with this childish nonsense. Do you understand me?”
She felt a bit of her bravado slip. Her eyes prickled. It was unkind of him to call her childish. Had she made a mistake? Did she misinterpret the man he was? Although her chin trembled, she refused to allow him to intimidate her. “I think I will go back south the way we came.”
Not a wise threat. He was in front of her in a heartbeat. He grabbed her arms a shook her until she gasped. “Stop behaving like this. It is childish and I do not have time for shenanigans at the moment. Something has happened, do you understand that? Something that affects us all.”
She wanted to tell him no, she didn’t understand because he hadn’t told her anything since they left the woods. She also wanted to cry over how thoughtless he was being. She felt a familiar icy shell crawl over her. It was the same armor she depended on throughout her marriage.
Larissa stiffened her spine and forced her chin to stop quivering. She lifted her nose and hid every emotion from him. Looking at him with cool eyes, she primly said, “My apologies, Bishop. Please, after you.”
He did not seem to expect her to be so agreeable all of a sudden. He looked at her with skepticism, but eventually released her arms. She thought she saw a bit of regret flash in his eyes, but it was gone too fast for her to be certain. He stepped away from her and waved his arm out for her to precede him so she did, spine straight and chin held high, the way a bishop’s wife should be.
When he reached for her hand, she did not pull away, nor did she acknowledge his touch. He seemed to notice this. Rather than comment, however, he lifted her fingers and secured them properly in the crook of his elbow. The only reason they remained there was because he held them in place with his own fingers.
When the safe house came into view, Larissa lost sight of where she was going and her steps faltered. Eleazar steadied her before she could fall. The home was enormous, a literal fortress. She had seen it before, but never expected to actually enter, let alone reside there.
Women did not typically visit the safe house. It was where the Elders’ Council had their meetings and where men were taken if there was trouble. It was also the original home of the farm and where the bishop lived. The only reason she had ever known of a woman’s presence required within those thick stone walls was to be questioned by the council. Larissa was an obedient female who never dreamed of being called to such a task, so the idea of entering the safe house now left her with feelings she was unprepared for.
The closer they came to the house, the more intimidated she grew. Her steps slowed and soon it was as if the bishop was dragging her alongside of him. When her reluctance became evident, he stopped and looked at her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of the rambling steps and tall columns yawning ahead of her. Thick stone buttresses supported each corner of which there were many. Larissa counted over forty windows on the front of the home alone.
“Larissa?”
She looked at him. He didn’t seem as irritated as he did when they first reached the farm, but she did not want to aggravate him again. She tried to remind herself that this was Eleazar, her mate, the man she loved that could make her cry out in passion and laugh until her belly ached. But all she could see was her bishop.
Without saying a word she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she began to walk again and he led her up the steps to the twin front doors.
As the heavy doors creaked open, a man stepped forward. “Bishop King. It is good to have you back.”
“David. I trust everything is well.”
“Yes, sir.”
Larissa tried to fade into the woodwork, but the bishop pulled her forward. “David, are you acquainted with Larissa Hartzler?”
“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Hartzler,” the man said and Larissa nodded, unable to form a reply.
“Larissa will be staying with me for some time. Her presence here is not to be made public knowledge. I trust I do not need to explain what that means to you.”
“No, sir.”
“Very good. If you will excuse us. I have business that needs tending to in my office.”
“Sir…” The man looked as though he wanted to warn the bishop of something, but only said, “Perhaps Ms. Hartzler would be more comfortable up here.”
She felt the bishop’s hand tighten over hers and then scented his mating scent filling the room. His jaw clenched and he said, “I think she will stay with me.”
David appeared to want to argue, but only nodded. “Very well, sir.” He folded his hands behind his back and stepped out of the way. The bishop led her down a quiet hallway.
They reached a steel door and Eleazar used a key to open it. Larissa found it odd that he used locks within his home, but said nothing. As they walked down a long, narrow corridor that sloped slightly, Larissa felt the temperature drop and her ears adjusted to the pressure. They were below ground she realized. She silently took in the long hall as the bishop’s shoes tapped and echoed in the empty space.
They turned and there was another set of double doors. Larissa read the wood-carved sign above the doors. Written in German, the sign read, Council Hall, All men shall be obedient to the will of God.
They continued down another hall and Larissa noticed an open door that appeared to be an office. There was also another heavy door just across the hall. The bishop stilled and
turned toward the heavier door. His brow creased in a frown. “Someone is here.”
Larissa looked around but saw no one.
“Have a seat in my office, Larissa. I will be back in a moment.” He waved for her to enter his office and she did. She watched as he pulled another key from his pocket and unlocked the heavy door. It wailed as if it was not often used.
She watched the bishop’s form slowly disappear as he walked down yet another long hallway.
* * * *
Already, Eleazar regretted being back. He had to call an emergency meeting to inform the others of Isaiah’s existence, who also happened to be his mate’s great-uncle. He did not look forward to delivering her or her kin upsetting news. He knew Isaiah would have to be destroyed.
The male had been deranged. When Eleazar had finally been close enough to recognize him, he noticed his eyes were devoid of any humanistic trait. He did not seem to understand what Eleazar had tried to tell him, nor did he seem to care. When Eleazar approached he reared back like a cornered tiger and began to hiss and claw. His jaws snapped down in a manner that told Eleazar, that while he had recognized the male, Isaiah did not recognize him.
He could barely process that the filthy, naked male was actually Isaiah, that he had somehow managed to survive all of these years unanswered. He recalled the last time he had come across the male in the woods some eighty years past. Eleazar could still smell the blood and death to this day. Isaiah was feral then so it was safe to assume he was beyond reconciliation now. They had never considered he would actually survive.
Perhaps it was Isaiah Hartzler attacking all of those women in the woods. Eleazar sighed. He did not wish to inform his mate’s family that their brother, uncle, had survived only to sentence him to death in the next breath. There had only ever been one case in all of his years since coming here from Europe that required Eleazar to demand an execution of one of their own. That was eighty years ago when Isaiah went rogue. He supposed the execution sentence still stood.
Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 24
