Authors: Lydia Michaels
“Come back to bed.”
“I want to finish this.”
“You have all of
eternity to do so. I find my need for you quite urgent.”
She glanced at the
mural. Her body tightened. Would it always be like that for them, so potent
where sex was concerned? She lowered her lashes and nodded, lost to his spell.
His finger dragged over
her cheek. As it pulled away she spotted a spot of red paint on the pad of his
thumb.
He kissed her ear and
whispered, “Let me bathe you.”
He led her to the
washroom and stripped her of her chemise. They made love before the water even
touched her skin. It was soft and slow and everything she needed in that
moment. He was going to be her husband. Knowing this, made accepting her
circumstances a bit easier and she found herself looking forward to the days
ahead.
* * * *
Delilah frowned as she
rushed to keep up with Christian’s fast pace. “But why can’t I go with you?”
He sighed as he helped
her step over a fallen limb in their path. The Safe House stood towering in the
distance. “I’ve explained this,
pintura.
It is a private meeting for
elders only.”
“But Dane will be there.
He’s not an elder.”
“He is who requested the
meeting.”
“About Isaiah?” she
said, trying to keep up.
“Correct.”
“Who is this cat? Why’s
he such an issue on the farm.”
Christian stopped and
took her hands, telling her whoever this Isaiah fellow was, he was someone that
affected Christian. “Isaiah was the Hartzler elder before he was called some
time ago.”
“Hartzler as in Destiny,
Anna, Gracie, Cain, and Adam?”
“Yes, and Larissa, who
is now mated to our bishop. Isaiah was their uncle.”
“What happened to him?”
she asked.
“He was
unanswered.
When
he left to find his mate, he failed, and went mad.”
“
Feeish?”
“Very good,
pintura.
You’re
pronunciation is improving. Yes, he went
feeish.
He killed and
brutalized many innocents in his bloodlust to find his mate.”
“Did he ever find her?”
“No.”
“So now what?”
“Now, after many years
of searching for him and many lives lost, he must be destroyed.”
“But you guys don’t
kill.”
“We do as we must, when
an immortal threatens the safety of uncountable others.”
“Why does this matter so
much to your half-brother, Dane?”
“Isaiah killed his
mother.”
Her mouth opened and she
regretted all the nasty things she thought about Dane. Losing loved ones was
something she knew too much about. It changed a person, made them bitter in
ways no one else could really understand. “Will they kill Isaiah?”
“That is what we are
voting on today. It is a difficult decision. While he is currently contained,
he recognizes none of his brethren. This is a male who was once a male of
honor. He is brother to Ezekiel, a fellow elder. We were all once friends.”
“Can’t they help him?
Bring him back? Slip him some Prozac or something so he stops acting like a
raging beast?”
“I am afraid not,” he
said sadly. “His mate has likely passed on and there is no hope for his
salvation.”
“What about the girl,
your half-sister?”
“She is a youth, nearly
an adult. Her situation is different. She suffered a terrible accident and,
through the actions of a selfish male, was transitioned. Only mortals
transitioned by their called mates come through the change. We are only now
discovering the genetic abnormality that occurs when mortals are transitioned
wrongly. It is part of the fall out Isaiah has conjured.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was missing for
decades. In that time he transitioned many women. They are out there, part of
the reason I want you safe on the farm with me. I have never witnessed their
kind, but I am told they are mad beyond hope, violent, and possess souls of
pure evil. The Order has sent a band of brothers out to hunt them until they
are destroyed as well.”
“The girl, Cybil, she’s
one of them?”
“Yes.”
“But she’s a child.”
“And the last of Dane’s
true family. The bishop sympathizes with the boy and I believe that is why the
issue of her execution has been delayed.”
“Who changed her?”
His lips pressed tight.
“Cain.”
She gasped. “Why?”
“She died. He cared for
the child very much and he acted out of haste, much like you did when you saw
that infant wounded.”
“But I didn’t…”
“No. The babe was
wounded, but not yet lost. You saved his life, but had another moment passed,
had he breathed his last breath, you might have sentenced him to an existence
that could only end in destruction.”
“I didn’t know,” she whispered
and he tenderly touched her cheek.
“I know, my love. You
have a big heart. Your intentions were good, if uninformed.”
“Will you vote for them
to destroy Cybil?”
His eyes shut, his
expression tight with regret. “She has existed in a cell for over a year. She
is not living a life that anyone would find pleasurable. I believe her mind was
lost to a world of torment long ago. It would be an act of mercy to end her
life.”
“But what about Dane?”
“I do not know my
half-brother as you assume. He is a stranger to me, sired by the same stranger
who sired me many centuries ago. For I do not even know my father’s name, nor
do I care to. Dane is but a coincidence to my existence.”
“Family is important,
Christian. You should get to know him.”
“Perhaps with time. For
now I must focus on my mate and what needs to be done with the council. Come, I
do not wish to be late.”
As they walked the rest
of the way to the Safe House, Delilah watched the winding roads in the
distance. Every so often a car would pass, its passengers assuming they were
passing another Amish community. Little did they know of the issues hidden
beyond those fields.
When they arrived at the
Safe House Larissa greeted them. Christian kissed her temple and left her in
the den with the other woman. She appeared tense and Delilah wasn’t really sure
what she should say.
Larissa sat on the chair
facing the fireplace, hands clenched over her apron, and appeared to pray.
Delilah’s gaze roamed over the tall walls and wide windows. Amish folk really
liked the color green.
“They’ve started,” a
voice said from the den entrance.
Delilah and Larissa
turned and she recognized Christian’s mother. Larissa stood. “Will you not
listen from the door?” Larissa asked.
Adriel’s lips drew
tight. “I find my stomach at odds with the topic at hand. There must be a
better choice than this. Your uncle was a good male, child. I feel for those
pressed with deciding his fate.”
“Tis God’s choice,”
Larissa said.
“And so I wish not to be
a male on this day, charged with acting as such,” Adriel said, entering the
room. She smiled when she spotted Delilah. “Hello, child.”
Delilah nodded, unsure
to address Christian’s mom as Ms. Schrock, Adriel, or Mom. The woman’s mouth
suddenly opened.
Crap.
“Is it true? You have
agreed to marry my son?” she asked, barely containing her smile.
Delilah blushed. If
Christian didn’t teach her to hide her thoughts soon, she was going to hurt
him. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Yes.”
Adriel’s hands clapped
together. “Oh, that is wonderful news!”
Larissa laughed.
“Eleazar told me the news last night. I am so happy for you and your mate,
sister Delilah.”
She squirmed
uncomfortably in her chair. “Thanks. I’m not sure how good of a wife I’ll be,
but I’m excited to try. The Amish thing has me pretty scared too.”
Adriel waved her hand,
dismissing her worries. “Nonsense. You are just what my son needs. God knows.
He has chosen wisely.”
“I think the wedding’s
going to be soon,” Delilah said.
“I believe Eleazar
marked it for next week,” Larissa added and Delilah nearly choked.
“That soon?”
“Why wait?” Adriel
asked. “You are already mated. Marriage vows are merely for our records. The
true bond has been made.”
“But…don’t we have to
plan? Order a band? Find a caterer?”
Larissa laughed. “Our
services are much simpler than that. We hold the ceremony in your home and the
food is made by loved ones.”
“Oh. So no vodka luge?”
The women frowned and
Delilah sighed. She’d always imagined, when she did get married, that it would
have a Halloween theme or something equally as unique. She needed to start
thinking in more simplistic terms.
Larissa must have picked
up on her disappointment. She placed her hand on Delilah’s and assured, “Do not
worry, Delilah. We shall make it a great celebration of vibrant colors, much
like the bride.”
She smiled. That was
something.
“So, how was your
journey home?” Adriel asked, changing the subject.
“Good. Christian and I
worked a lot of our issues out. I packed up my business and he helped me box up
my apartment.” Should she tell them about the man they saw, the other immortal?
Adriel tilted her head
and frowned. “Who did you see?”
Damn it!
She needed to stop
thinking. “Um…one of my clients. That’s why we returned so quickly. Christian
said he was one of you, one of us.”
Their eyes widened. “In
truth? Was he certain?” Larissa asked.
Delilah nodded. “Yes.
The guy even had the nerve to send me flowers, which really pissed Christian
off. He threw them away. Jerk.”
“I wonder who it was?
Perhaps someone from the old country, do you think, Adriel?”
“Did the male give you
his name?” Christian’s mother asked.
“Yes. It was Maddox. Cer
Maddox.”
The tiny cup on the
table began to shake, as did the pitcher of water on the mantle. The glass in
the windows rattled and—holy shit they were having an earthquake!
“Adriel?” Larissa said,
a panic stricken expression on her face.
The candles in the
sconces flickered. Delilah turned to her soon to be mother-in-law and gasped.
Never before had she seen the blood literally drain from a person’s face.
Adriel grabbed at her throat and gasped. Her eyes watered. Was she choking?
Having some sort of attack.
Instinctively, Delilah
placed her hands on her and drew back with a hiss. Pain, a sort of tightness
from the woman pinched as it transferred under her touch. “What’s happening?”
Delilah shouted as the room continued to rattle so hard trinkets began to fall
and shatter on the floor. “Do something! She can’t breathe!”
* * * *
Christian listened as
Ezekiel pleaded his brother’s case, begging the council for more time. It was
strange witnessing the male who welcomed Dane into his home face off against
the boy. They were at odds on the issue of Isaiah and hearing their testimony
only left Christian with an unwelcome sense of unease.
“Thank you, Brother
Ezekiel,” the bishop said. “Now we will hear from—”
There was a loud crash
and suddenly the doors to Council Hall flung open. The bishop’s wife burst into
the room, her bonnet hanging on by a sting and her eyes wide.
The bishop growled and
shot to his feet, his fangs shooting past his lips, body set with urgency.
“Larissa? What is it? Is Mariah all right?”
“Come quick!” the woman
shouted. “Something is happening to Adriel!”
Christian’s mind
blanked. His mother? He was on his feet racing past the others in a matter of a
millisecond. He thought he’d find her outside of the hall where she usually
lingered for their meetings, but she wasn’t there. “Where is she?” he roared,
his fangs now extended as well.
“The den! Go quickly!”
Larissa yelled.
He raced through the
halls, his mind picking up on the slight trembling of the house. What was
happening? Where was Delilah?
He burst into the den
and found his mate on the floor, his mother’s limp body cradled in her lap.
Pain, such potent agony radiated from his mate as though her flesh were afire.
He crashed to the floor
on his knees. Delilah was trembling. “Take her,” his mate gasped.
He quickly took his
mother into his arms and Delilah wilted. “What has happened?” he demanded,
probing into Delilah’s mind. As he pressed past the fiery ached that clouded
her memories he saw his mother fall into a state of panic unlike anything he’d
ever witnessed before.