Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (25 page)

“Eventually he left. He stood and turned, presenting me with his back. I watched as he silently put his boots on and replaced his hat. He left without uttering a word. A few weeks later we were married.”

Eleazar had never considered what a female would feel in those moments. He knew bundling was an old custom, but now he was strongly considering having it expelled from their practices. He tried to remain as diplomatic as possible.

“Larissa, it is natural for our bodies to react when touched intimately by another warm body.”

“I know.”

He frowned. “Why then would you assume you are broken if you are doing exactly what your body is made to do?”

“Because that was the last time I reacted that way.” Eleazar knew that was not true. He had felt her reaction to him only hours ago. Before he could argue her statement, she said, “Silus tells me I am cold.”

Eleazar could not stifle the disbelieving sound that passed his lips. “Larissa, you are not cold.”

She looked at him so frigidly in that moment he actually had to fight the instinct to retreat from her stare. “Unless you have visited my marriage bed, Bishop, you are not entitled to speak on such matters.”

He was about to argue with her, but rather shook his head and asked, “Will you tell me?”

She dropped her gaze to her lap again. “It has always been so, since our first night together. After the ceremony Silus was quiet. He was always quiet so I assumed nothing was wrong. Family feasted and celebrations carried on into the night. I had been laughing with Gracie when Silus approached. I smiled at him and began to explain what was so funny. He did not find our story amusing. I excused myself from my sister and turned to him to ask if something was wrong, but before I got a word out, he took me firmly by the upper arm and informed me it was time to retire.

“I wanted to protest that it was still too early, but remembered that I was now his wife and I had vowed to honor and obey this man. I truly did want to please him,” she said, as if forgetting he was there and simply convincing herself. “I did not even have a chance to thank my parents for hosting such a lovely party.

“Silus led me up the steps of our new home and escorted me into what was now our bedroom. I wanted to admire the craftsmanship of the room, but he had begun undressing me before I even had a chance to look around. Everything felt so rushed. I did not even have a chance to unbraid the pins from my hair.”

She grew quiet and Eleazar waited. Perhaps they each needed a moment to gather their bearings. She tilted her head up, facing him, but her eyes remained firmly closed. “He had me on my back in a matter of minutes. There was none of the petting or caressing I had been told about.” A tear slipped from her closed eyes. “There was pain. I expected that, but not to the degree I had felt it.

“His body abraded mine, intruded where I was not prepared for him. But what hurt more was his disregard for my feelings. I was given no time to accommodate him. He simply took what was his due. He took everything from me that night. My body, my blood, my innocence and then he left. He simply left and I lay alone, crying, wondering what I had agreed to.

“That is the way it has always been, Bishop, every night of my marriage, one uncomfortable obligation followed by another.” Her eyes were now opened, looking right into his, but it was his turn to look away. “I have never been a warm body which my husband could take solace in. He is right. I am cold and broken in all matters of intimacy.”

Eleazar could take no more. Through gritted teeth he said, “It is not you who is broken, it is the barbarian you were married to.”

It seemed, while his control was trembling from a fraying thread, a serene calm had washed over her, an acceptance for what was the reality of her life. She shook her head. “What is done is done, Bishop. Do you not understand? I want no man in my bed, not Silus Hostetler and not you. It does not matter that you are my mate. My days of submission have passed.”

“I would never take from you the way he did.”

“Every man takes. It is the nature of the beast.”

He wanted to prove her wrong, needed to, but now found himself in a very difficult situation. Any pressure on his part would be seen by her as a similarity to her bastard husband. Yet, if he waited for her, they would never complete the bond. He needed to convince her that things would be different between them.

“Larissa, it would not be so between us. We are mates. Our bodies were designed for one another. There is a chemistry there so intricately designed, we cannot fathom how deeply it connects us. You cannot deny the connection we already share.”

“We share dreams, Bishop. There are almost five hundred years separating us. You are our leader and I am another man’s wife. Do you not see how many odds are against us already?”

He slowly leaned into her space and growled. “Let us get a few details straight from this moment on so that there is no more confusion. First, my name is Eleazar. You will use it. I do not want my mate addressing me by my title. Second, your marriage to Silus is null and void. I do not want to hear you using it as a crutch any more. Third, while I may be your elder, I expect you to be my equal. I know you are strong and intelligent. While I would enjoy an obedient wife, I want no puppet for my mate. I suggest you come to terms with the fact that you are not some pawn here, but a major player in this partnership. Have the integrity to take what you deserve, Larissa. If you cannot do that, then in the end, your disappointment will be no one’s fault but your own.”

She glared at him. “You think you are so wise. You are a pompous ass! Do not sit here and lecture me about integrity when yours has been handed to you on a silver spoon.”

He laughed. “Is that what you think? Let me clear some things up for you then, little girl. I worked damn hard to get here. I have seen wars that I pray you never have to see the likes of. I have survived plagues and famine and more loss than any man should ever have to suffer. That life you take for granted, the one you are so quick to abandon, was given to you to protect you from a world that will never accept us. The freedom you have to be yourself on the farm and not lurk in the shadows, living in secret, that existence was a gift from your elders, founded by your pompous bishop. Before you were even a glimmer in your grandfather’s eye, I was leading your ancestors on a voyage to salvation.

“I promised those that followed me a better life. And if you think that there are not days I wish my responsibilities belonged to someone else, you are mistaken. It is not easy having my job. Everyone, every single member, wants something from me, but you ask them all, how many consider me a friend. It is a thankless and demanding job, but I have never shrugged off my responsibilities to The Order. If I seem a bit pompous at times, it is because I should be. Every single one of you expects me to live according to some unreachable standard. I have never, since the day I spoke of finding a better life for our kind, been able to simply exist as a man. I have always been their bishop first, but at least I have the integrity to claim what is rightfully mine. The good and the bad I hold only myself accountable for in this life.”

“Is that what you think integrity is?” she shouted at him. “Integrity is not simply being reliable, it is honor. How could you say I do not live my life by a code of honor? Honor is all I have at the end of the day!”

He shouted right back at her, leaning far into her personal space. She did not back down. “How is it noble to honor a life you have lost all faith in?”

“I was doing what was expected of me! How dare you belittle my efforts because you suddenly are aware of what kind of man I was married to? If you want someone to blame,
Bishop,
blame yourself! You gave me to him!”

He could take no more! He sprung from his place and toppled her back onto the bedding. She yipped and grabbed hold of his shoulders as his mouth slanted over hers. He would shut her up if it was the last thing he did. Forcing his tongue between her lips, he was suddenly tempered when he felt her own tongue press into his mouth. No longer shy or tentative, she seemed to want to punish him for his words as much as he wanted to punish her.

He felt pulled to dominate her. He kissed her with bruising force and she fisted her fingers in his hair until his scalp stung. He pressed her lower body deeper into the bed and yanked her arms above her head, forcing them away from his hair. She opened her eyes and he saw that they were completely dilated. Her irises were so pale they were almost the color of diamonds. The contrasting black slits now splitting them apart only added to their beauty.

She nipped at his lips with her sharp, little fangs and he tasted blood. Pulling back, he watched her, giving them each a momentary reprieve to gain control of themselves. They were each breathing heavily. With every breath her breasts pressed into his hard chest. He could feel her nipples protruding beneath the fabric of her dress. Her face was flushed and her lips swollen.

“You are so beautiful, Larissa.” She simply looked at him through cat eyes. Slowly, he leaned down and licked the fullness of her lower lip. A low purr began to hum from deep within her throat. “This,” he said, licking the pulse that fluttered just below her ear, “is not the reaction of a cold female.” He pressed himself more firmly into the cradle of her hips. “You are afraid,
bellissima,
but I assure you, you are not cold. Integrity is admitting truth in all matters. Have the integrity to admit that you are a warm-blooded female with a healthy appetite for your mate.”

“I want no mate.”

“Liar.” He rotated his hip again and her lashes lowered, leaving only half-lidded slits looking back at him.

“You are old and delusional. You do not know what you are talking about.”

He chuckled. “I may be old, but I am not dead.” He licked at her throat and she submitted a bit more, rolling her head to the side so that he could better sample her flesh. “It will be different between us, Larissa. It will be how it should have always been for you. The way God intended it, beautiful. There will be no pain when I take you as my mate, only
plesseer,
pleasure. You will see.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I will show you.” He nuzzled his nose to hers. “All you have to do”—a lick across her open mouth—“is ask me.”

He pushed himself up off of the bed. He hid a smile at the sound of protest she let slip. He fought the agony raging inside his pants, begging for relief, and walked to the door. Larissa remained on the bed, arms suspended above her head, nipples forming twin peaks under her dress, legs sprawled, and hair wild. She was stunning. Allowing himself one last look, he turned to leave. Just before he walked out of the room, he reminded her one last time, “All you need to do is ask.”

Chapter 15

As night fell and the temperature continued to drop, Cain hunched his shoulders and moved farther into the forest. He had purchased some items in town today in order to set up a fake camp in order to lure whatever was lurking in the woods out of hiding. He lit a fire, but its heat did nothing to warm him as he was several yards away in the shadows. He had set up camp and littered the area with mortal items, from food packages to women’s perfume. He had even gone as far as visiting a thrift store to purchase some items of female clothing in hopes that some mortal scent still existed in the fibers.

He had been waiting silently for hours and was convinced he would be there the following night because nothing had happened yet. When there was suddenly a snap of a branch in the distance, he rethought his plans. He turned toward the sound and listened. He heard the slight crunch of leaves and then a rush of fast movement circling the faux camp. His body heated with anticipation and his limbs loosened in preparation for whatever was out there.

Although he had never met his Uncle Isaiah, he had been told he looked exactly like his grandfather. The forest grew eerily quiet, a sign that a predator was near. Cain scanned the nearby shadows for any unnatural movement. To his left another branch snapped. He was certain he was not alone.