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

by Michaels, Lydia

  Her mother’s lips trembled as if she wanted to smile. “Well then, I suppose I had better begin sewing you a new dress. In this weather I will never be able to grow celery in time—”

  “Oh no, Mother. I do not wish for another wedding. I only want to say my vows to my husband with my family and God as our witness and perhaps Adriel Schrock, since she is one of Eleazar’s closest friends. He is a very private male and I do not wish to burden him with an overdone ceremony and celebration. I simply want to marry him so that we can begin our life.”

  Gracie, who had been quiet for some time, puzzled, “You are the third. How is it possible that in my twenty-one years on this earth, not a single member of The Order was called, yet in the past four months, three of my kin have been? It is a miracle.”

  “Or a curse,” Abilene asserted.

  Larissa and Gracie looked to their mother with sad eyes. “Do not give up hope, Mother. God’s grace is seen in uncountable actions. You must believe that miracles are possible and perhaps you will find your own. Father may pull through this somehow. It is not for us to determine. All you can do is hope and pray that God will call on a miracle for you.”

  Chapter 33

  As the day drew on, Larissa fondly spoke of her new mate and decided that what was in the past should stay buried. She grew more and more anxious to begin her future with Eleazar. Her mother and sister came to terms with her newfound happiness and they passed the day laughing and speaking of mostly good things, avoiding the more painful topics.

  Larissa was grateful for the small moments when she caught her mother smiling. It seemed her face had grown used to not showing such expression. It was as if she needed to relearn how to experience joy. This made Larissa sad, but she tried to remain hopeful that it would not always be this way.

  Late that afternoon Annalise came by. Larissa was glad to have the time with her new sister-in-law. She had only had a small chance to talk to her while she was being courted by Adam. Now she was a part of their family and glowing with life. Her belly was beginning to swell and, while Larissa was happy for her brother and sister-in-law’s blessing, she was also envious.

  She found herself, for the first time, worrying over the fact that she had not conceived once in the year of her marriage. She knew it did not always happen right away, but a year with no results seemed troublesome to her mind. Although she was grateful she did not carry Silus’s young, she hoped there was no reason for concern. Her mother had had several miscarriages since the time Larissa was born. She had been pregnant eight times and only carried three pregnancies to term. Larissa wondered if their inability to deliver children had to do with the fact that they were being bedded by males who were not their true mates.

  As the sun began to set, Larissa grew impatient waiting for her brother to come for Annalise so that he could take her back to the bishop’s house. She supposed she should begin calling it her home. Larissa went to the window and listened for any children running about. It seemed everyone had gone home for the day, not that it was a good day for frolicking outside. It had been gloomy and cold for most of the sunlight hours. The air was wet and chilling to the bone. She imagined being warm under the covers with Eleazar and found the idea all too tempting.

  “Mother, do you have a cloak I can borrow?”

  “Of course. Are you leaving?”

  “I want to get back.”

  “Shouldn’t you wait for Adam to take you?”

  Larissa pursed her lips. “I have waited long enough. The sun is setting and Annalise is tired. Let her have her mate take her home and not be bothered with me. I will be fine.”

  A while later Larissa was clutching her cloak tightly closed at her breast as she walked briskly toward her new home. Rather than black, the sky seemed a deep blue. Clouds shrouded the moon and dimmed the stars. Many of the trees were now bare of their colorful leaves and the wind moaned and whistled as it sifted through their naked branches. There was nary a soul about in such dreadful weather. The scent of wood burning seeped from chimneys and filled the air.

  Larissa’s lungs began to wheeze as the temperature seemed to drop by the minute. Her fingers became dry and brittle. They had turned an angry shade of pink from the cold. Wind kicked up the back of her skirts and snapped her cape open. She moved her frozen hands to hold it tighter. The sound of a carriage drew near and sped by. No doubt its passengers were hoping to return to the warmth of their own home as well.

  She had to pause for a moment and think about the fastest way to the safe house. She had not traveled there often and was not used to these shortcuts. She passed houses that had always been there on their eight-hundred-acre farm, yet seemed new to Larissa’s eyes. Shutters turned and clattered against the siding as the winds continued to gust.

  Relief washed over her when the safe house came into sight. Her steps sped up and she found herself imagining the warm fire burning in the hearth. She took the grand porch steps two at a time and before she could reach for the double doors, they opened on their own. Larissa jumped, not expecting anyone to greet her, but recognized the man from the other night who seemed to guard the doors.

  “Good evening, Ms. Larissa. Does the bishop know you are returning without him?”

  Larissa shivered as the house’s warmth tried to thaw her bones. “I am sorry. I do not recall your name.”

  “I am David.”

  “Hello, David. No, I was going to send for him, but there was no one about on such a dreary night. Rather than wait for my brother to return, I figured to surprise the bishop. Is he in his office?”

  “Everyone has gone for the day.” David appeared anxious. “The bishop left a while ago to pick you up. I am afraid he will be upset you did not wait for him.”

  “Oh, well I am sure when he hears I already left he will understand I was only anxious to get back to him. Now that I am here, you may go.”

  He looked at her as if she were touched in the head. “I cannot leave you here by yourself, Sister Larissa. The bishop would have my head.”

  “That man has more people believing he is a lion than any man should. He is nothing more than a pussycat beneath all that hissing and growling. If you are not comfortable leaving me here, then by all means stay. I am going to warm my bones by the fire.”

  Larissa headed into the home, leaving David in the sectioned-off entryway. She paused and looked to her left where the long hall that led to Eleazar’s office was. The corridor was dark and empty and only served to remind Larissa of the day before. She quickly turned right and smiled when she saw the ottoman sitting temptingly before the hearth where a fire smoldered. She gathered up her skirts and sat so close to the fire she felt her skin begin to burn, yet she hadn’t the common sense to scoot back. It felt too divine as the flames heated her frozen limbs. Her fingers burned and tingled as her blood came back into her fingertips. She still felt stiff from the frigid walk.

  She sat for a while, simply gazing at the yellow and orange tongues of fire as they licked along the soot-covered stone and painted shadows within the hearth. Her mind grew sleepy as she watched the glow of the dancing flames. When she heard a door slam, she pulled herself out of her daze and turned. The sound had come from the council area. Had Eleazar returned?

  She stood and felt the chill of stepping out from the hot sphere of the fires glow. As Larissa walked across the hall, she saw David still standing by the door. Had Eleazar come in a different way? She moved down the dark hall and heard movement at the far end where Eleazar’s office was located. She shook her head. The man simply never ceased working. She hoped he was not upset with her for returning without him and that was why he did not come right in to greet her.

  As she approached the office, she heard the sound of drawers opening and closing and papers being rustled. She would just have to distract him if he intended on working on this cold night. She was still chilled and required her mate’s undivided attention to warm her. Larissa pulled her bonnet from her hair and tossed it on the bench she h
ad come to think of as Adriel’s then turned toward Eleazar’s office. As she approached the doorway, she purred, “I am afraid I have need for a warm-blooded male. Do you know of anyone who could assist me?” As she lifted her lashes seductively, she felt all the blood drain from her face and stumbled into the doorframe.

  “Hello, wife.”

  * * * *

  Dane did not understand what was happening, but he knew something wasn’t right. His grandmother was lying. He could sense it. She had told them that she was traveling with the man, Jonas, to a clinic where she was going to have some tests run. This made no sense to Dane since his grandmother had been quite adamant that she planned to no longer seek treatment.

  As Cybil packed her suitcase in silence, Dane glared at the door. He could hear them whispering. Cain then came to their room and asked, “Are you guys about ready?”

  Dane resented him. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew since Cain had arrived, nothing had been right. Cybil on the other hand looked up at him and smiled. He didn’t understand his sister’s feelings for this stranger. Every time Cain was around, Cybil’s mind filled with warm colors of orange, pink, and red. Dane wondered if she had a crush on the older man.

  “I don’t understand why we have to leave. How long do a few tests take? And who has a lab open at this time of night? You aren’t telling us something and I don’t want to leave. Why can’t we just stay here? I’m old enough to watch Cybil.”

  His sister shot him a withering look and he knew it was because he had just embarrassed her by insinuating she needed a babysitter. Cain then said, “We have no idea how long the tests will take. Your grandmother wants you to come with me for the time being.” He walked over to Cybil and playfully yanked on her blonde ponytail. “Have you ever been on a farm?” She looked up at him with big eyes and smiled as she shook her head. “You’re going to love it. There are all kinds of animals and plenty of other kids your age.”

  Dane scoffed. Why was everyone simply accepting this guy’s presence? And the other one, Jonas, was even weirder. “We have to bring Shimmers, you know,” he said, hoping it would put a wrench in their plans.

  “That’s fine. Shimmers will love the farm.”

  Dane continued to pack in silence while he seethed. Cain eventually carried Cybil’s bag out to the living room and she followed him like a stray. Although they had told them they would only be gone a few days, Dane for some reason looked around his room as if he would never see it again. It wasn’t even his room, yet for some reason he was sad to leave it. He paused from zipping his bag and went to the pile of cardboard boxes stacked in the corner. He flipped the top one open and sifted through old baseball cards that were essentially worthless, a few forgotten video games, and other familiar objects of his past. When his fingers reached the bottom and found nothing but a few loose LEGO pieces, he picked up the box and moved it aside.

  He opened the next box and continued sifting through it. He did not find what he was looking for until he reached the bottom of the fifth box. Dane’s fingers passed over comic books and old school projects and landed on the smooth binding of an album. He pulled it out and sat down with it on his lap, just holding it for a moment.

  He took a deep breath and opened it to the first page. There, in a faded picture, was his mother in a hospital gown holding him the day he was born. He ran his finger over the vellum covering and sighed. She looked terrible. He always remembered this picture and found reason to be grateful he was a guy.

  He turned the next few pages and found pictures of himself blowing out candles on his first birthday cakes, his first day of kindergarten, him smiling proudly with his first missing tooth. Dane continued to flip the pages until he reached the empty ones. There was so much left to fill, but he knew they would always be empty now that his mother wasn’t there to fill them.

  Sometimes he felt as if he was the only one aware that she was truly gone. Sure, Cybil was dealing with the loss, but she never talked anymore, so it wasn’t as if they could actually talk as brother and sister about their grief. His grandmother was growing more and more ill. He knew, no matter what tests they ran, she no longer had months. Perhaps she had even run out of weeks and was now down to days. He had lost his father when he was five. He lost his mother last month. Cybil was there, but not. And now he was going to lose his grandmother. For some reason he knew that when he left here tonight, he would never be back. Everyone seemed to just be giving up.

  He finally stood and placed the album gently in the top of his bag and covered it with a bulky sweatshirt. He zipped the top shut and moved to the door. Looking back one last time at the room that was never actually his, he shut out the light.

  * * * *

  Eleazar ground his teeth as he pulled the carriage along the side of his house. How could she have deliberately disobeyed his order to send for him or have her brother take her home? When he arrived at the Hartzler home and found the four of them, including Adam, sitting around chatting, but did not see his mate, didn’t he look the fool? They all merely looked up at him and explained Larissa had decided to walk home on her own.

  He unhooked the horses and walked them to the barn. Although it was getting bitterly cold, his temper was running hot and his blood was boiling from his frustration. Once the horses were in the stalls and taken care of, Eleazar swiftly marched back to the house.

  David opened the door for him and by the look on his face, Eleazar knew he understood why he was upset.

  “She is sitting by the fire in the den, sir.”

  “Thank you, David. You may go home for the evening.” The man nodded and quickly gathered his belongings and left. He likely did not wish to be around for the storm that was about to break.

  “Larissa!” He tossed his hat onto the table in the hall and when she did not answer, he stomped into the den. A female cloak lay over the ottoman in front of the fire and the room smelled of her fragrance. “Larissa, where are you? I would like to speak to you.”

  He listened, but heard nothing. Frowning, he looked up to the dark stairs in the hall. Perhaps she had gone to bed. His frustration continued to grow as he mounted the stairs.

  * * * *

  Larissa’s heart raced as she squealed. Silus’s hand roughly covered her mouth, stifling her scream.

  “You must be pretty satisfied with yourself, vainly parading about as if you have been given your due. Well, what about me, Larissa? Where is my due? I carried you around like a cross on my back for the past year and you abandoned me. You did not even have the good grace to repent for your sins.”

  He held her with her back against his chest as he hissed into her ear. His grip across her face was crushing. She could hear her breath coming from her nose fast as it beat against his hand. His other arm banded around her waist, pressing painfully into her breasts. Her eyes began to water as they darted to the door. She needed to break away from him or scream loud enough that David would hear her.

  “Do you know how long I have waited to get my hands on you? And you shamed me all the more with your return!” He turned her and pressed her roughly into the wall. Larissa trembled uncontrollably. Her hands were pinned awkwardly between her torso and the wall while he crushed his body to her back. Her face turned so not to bruise her cheek against the hard surface. He leaned hard against her and proceeded to ridicule her with biblical comparisons. “You provoke me to anger with your lustful promiscuity. No better than the Egyptian whore who engaged in prostitution with her lustful neighbors. Tell me, Larissa, is it as Ezekiel says in the bible? Did the bishop touch you with the flesh lengthened to that of a mule? Were his emissions like those of a horse? Did you allow him to fill you with quantities that rival the annual flooding of the Nile?” He enunciated his last question by jerking her head roughly against the wall.

  She whimpered as tears reflexively flooded her eyes from the sharp whiplash. She knew he could sense her fear, but she refused to play victim to his cruelty one more time. “He is my mate,” she gritted out. “And
he will slaughter you when he finds out about this.”

  Silus laughed harshly. “You stupid female. Your precious bishop is bound by the laws he created to do no harm to me. Yes, I will atone, but then I shall be forgiven for my trespasses and I promise you this, wife, you will never forget that you belonged to me first. You will never forget the disgrace you brought to my home.”

  His hand squeezed at her waist in a way that had Larissa cringing away from him and closer to the wall. “When did you become so vain that you thought yourself more important than your betters? So proud you are. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Perhaps I should be serving our Lord now and do this deed for him. How do you think your bishop will like you without your whore mouth and serpent’s tongue?”

  The more Silus continued to quote scripture, the more frightened she became. When he talked like that, it was because he was in the foulest of moods, which there was no near relief of. She worried if he would murder her for betraying him so. She felt a dark agony wash over her for the life she would lose with Eleazar, the children they could have had. Tears began to fall from her eyes unchecked as she begged. “Please, Silus. I am sorry I have wronged you. Please do not hurt me. I was only doing what God had asked of me.”