Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (44 page)

“I have refused treatment other than pain-management drugs. The doctors have given me a few months. Already I feel my time approaching. It is as if I can overhear the angels whispering about me at night, just outside my door, biding their time.”

He frowned. “Treatment for what?”

“Cancer, Mister Jonas. I am dying.”

“Only God knows when it is our time.”

“God and doctors, apparently. They do have a God complex, some of them.” She laughed without humor. “I will not go through what I went through years ago. At this age I do not see the point. Sometimes the cure is simply worse than the disease.”

“There is a cure for your condition?”

“Nothing will ever take it away. The only promise we are given in this life is that we will all someday die. The doctors may be able to buy me time, but that is all. There is no such thing as eternal life.”

“What if there was? Would you take it?”

“I am too old to play make-believe, Jonas.”

“But what if you could live forever. Be there for your grandchildren? Would you wish it?”

“Wishes are meant for wells.” She shook her head. “I have grown tired of this life. I have lost everyone I have ever loved and I loved them all dearly. I fear for Dane and Cybil. This world is cruel and dangerous. I am not qualified to protect them. I can barely keep on my feet for more than two hours a day and I am losing minutes with each passing day. I am running out of time and I find peace in that. I wish that I could prepare more for the kids, but all I have is this home to give them. My attorney has it already in their names and protected so that the state cannot take it from them. I have expressed my wishes for Dane to become Cybil’s legal guardian once he is of age. I have money, enough to pay their way so that Dane can put himself through college and afford the taxes and necessities over the first few years. Other than that, what can I do? We all die at some point. I am tired of waiting. I want to be with my Arthur again so that I can tell him all the things I never was able to that morning his plane went down.”

“I am dying as well,” Jonas announced and Clara’s gaze met his, appearing skeptical. “My wife knows it. My children know it. I am the only one who seems prepared for it though. Like you, Clara, I have a cure that I refuse to take.”

“I believe the tragedy of this table rests on your half. You are too young to die. You have young children and a wife who will miss you. I on the other hand have lived my life and am coming to peace with its end.”

“You would be surprised how much of my life I have actually lived. I am not as young as I look.”

“You couldn’t be older than forty and I am only being that generous because Cain must be at least twenty-five.”

“Cain has just turned thirty-eight and my Larissa will be fifty this winter.”

Her eyes grew big. “You are fooling with me.”

“No. Would you like to know how old I am?”

“It’s impossible. Your hair is full and glossy black. You have no wrinkles. You are fit and I can tell by the way you carry yourself that you are strong. I will not believe you are any older than forty.”

“I am one hundred and forty-eight years old.”

“You are lying,” she whispered. “No man has ever lived that long.”

“I am not a man. I am of a race your people know nothing about. We do not age, we heal rapidly, we have incredible speed and strength, and other than in a few rare situations, we are immortal.”

The rifle was suddenly placed upon the table. “I think it is time you left, Mister Jonas.”

Jonas looked to the window. Dawn was coming fast. He would have to seek shelter before the sun rose. He nodded. “I want you to think about what I have said, Clara. I could offer you eternal life. An eternity to protect your grandchildren and never fear death again.”

“Even if that were true and you had that gift to give, which I do not believe you do, none of us are ever free of death’s reach. You are arrogant to believe it so. If I were to live eternally, would my grandchildren be granted the same?” When he shook his head, she continued, “So I would have to watch the last of my loved ones die. No. That is not a gift you pretend to offer, but a curse. The children will be up soon and I want you to go.”

Jonas nodded, not wanting to upset her too much. “I will go, Clara, but please, think about what I have said. I could make all the pain go away.”

Chapter 29

Larissa turned from washing her face at the pitcher and ewer when there was a soft knock at the door. “Who is it?”

“Larissa? It’s Adriel Schrock. May I come in? Eleazar sent me.”

She quickly tied her apron and moved to the door. Pulling it back a crack, she peeked into the hall. A tall, slender woman with sharp, green eyes stared back at her. She smiled and said, “May I come in? I brought you shoes and some other things Eleazar thought you might need.”

The woman seemed familiar with the bishop by the way she used his Christian name. Larissa frowned at the way she used his first name rather than his title. The woman laughed. “Oh, darling, no, you do not have to be jealous of me. Eleazar is merely my friend. I want nothing to do with him or any other male in that capacity. I assure you.”

“You read my mind.”

“Sorry. Habit. I read most minds around here. How else is a female supposed to know what’s going on?”

Larissa stepped back and let the woman through the door. Adriel stepped in and immediately removed her bonnet. Larissa was momentarily distracted by the bold color of her red hair. It was braided so tightly it looked painful. She waited as the woman placed her bonnet on the dresser and turned to face her again.

“I brought you shoes, some toiletries, a new gown, which now looking at you, may be a bit too short, and a sandwich.” She held up a cloth-wrapped sandwich and Larissa almost ripped it out of her hands. She had had breakfast a few hours ago. Eleazar had left a tray for her, but she was still hungry.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the sandwich and unwrapping it from the cloth. It smelled divine. “Have you eaten?”

“I’m fine. Please, eat. I figured we could talk.” She sat in the chair by the window as Larissa sat upon the bed and began to eat. “I understand you are Eleazar’s mate.”

Larissa paused, midbite, and looked at the woman. No one was supposed to know her situation until her marriage was absolved.

“Child, I am Eleazar’s friend. You can trust me. He has done many kindnesses for me in the past and I will not betray him or his mate. No one else knows that you are here.”

“You are friends?”

“Yes. Eleazar is an extremely private male, one I don’t believe many know. We have been friends since our days in Europe and I intend to keep him as my friend for many more centuries. Will that be a problem?”

Larissa felt a bit chastised by the woman’s directness. She shook her head. “I cannot choose the bishop’s companions.”

She frowned. “Really, I had expected a different answer from the way Eleazar described you. Perhaps I was misinformed.”

“What did he tell you?”

“That you were strong willed and intelligent.”

Larissa scoffed. “I am intelligent.”

“Then why on earth would you timidly accept my demand to be your husband’s companion when you know nothing of me. You are the wife of the bishop, not a field mouse. I had always hoped I would find an ally in his mate, someone who would join me in my campaign for our rights as females of this species.”

“The bishop and I are not yet married.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “I am not concerned with Silus. He is a rodent. You will marry the bishop in no time and what I said will be true. I would hope you would come to terms with your position quickly, before the other females begin drawing conclusions about your character.”

“Why would they care?”

“You don’t get it do you, dear? You are marrying the patriarch of The Order. You will hold a position no other female has ever even dreamed of. You will be the neck that supports and turns the head of our society. Many women, well, the intelligent ones, will desire an alliance with you and seek your ear on issues the males have no time for.”

Larissa suddenly had no desire to eat. She wrapped the remainder of her sandwich in the cloth and pushed it aside. “I have no say in how the bishop handles his affairs.”

Adriel slowly shook her head. “No, my little mouse, you have all the say in the world. Do you not know that a mated male will place everything second to his mate’s happiness? It is impossible for them to disappoint a mate.”

It was Larissa’s turn to laugh. “I assume you are not mated. I assure you, Eleazar is quite capable of telling me no.”

The intimidating woman lowered her gaze to the floor. Larissa feared she had somehow offended her. In a very quiet voice the other woman confessed, “I am a mated female. However, I chose to leave my mate.”

“What? How? It is impossible to ignore the call.”

“I did not ignore the call.
We bonded. Cer was not who I wanted to spend my eternity with, so I fled. Eleazar helped me escape and I have not seen Cer since the night I left him.”

“Your mate’s name was Sir?”

Adriel numbly chuckled, still gazing at the floor. “No, his name was Cerberus. It means demon of the pit, which is exactly what he was.” She shook her head as if dispelling some memory that had grabbed hold of her for a moment. “Anyway, Cer is my mate and he owns no part of me. However, being mated, I can assure you a male is incapable of telling his mate no without suffering greatly for it. It may anger him. It may put him in a rage for a bit, but a strong female will fight for what is right, her mate’s displeasure be damned.”

“Is that what you did? Did you fight Cer?”

“No, my dear. Cer was too strong for me. There was no beating him. Eleazar on the other hand would never abide punishing you the way my mate would have punished me for going against his will.”

“I do not wish to be punished at all. The bishop is ten times my age. He has inconceivable strength and has offered me his protection which I need. I am sorry, but I think you will be disappointed. I am not the female you were hoping for.”

“Eleazar tells me you feel his passion.” Larissa blushed. “I see it’s true. He also tells me you somehow managed to knock him out.”

“That was an accident.”

“No, sweet Larissa. That was God’s gift. I always knew if Eleazar ever was gifted with a mate, she would have to possess incredible strength so she was not worn down like water wears a shell into a pebble over time. Eleazar is no easy male to tolerate. God would not give you to him unless you were capable of standing as his equal.”

“You are wrong.”

“Am I? Could it be that you two share passion because when he is around you he is so distracted he lowers his guard? Perhaps you are like a mirror for his strength. Whatever he throws at you, be it passion or power, you reflect it right back, making a kind of volley that knocks between the both of you.”