Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (55 page)

Dane suddenly feared they would make them go back. He had come to terms with never seeing his grandmother again. Cybil liked it here. He liked it here. They had nowhere else to go.

“Uh, I will go talk to the bishop today.”

“You? Cain, do you think that is wise?”

“Wise or not, I have to go there anyway. Apparently Larissa is there and she sent a message through Annalise that she wished to see me. Does Silus know Larissa is back?”

The man pressed his lips tight. “I’ll let your sister fill you in on all of that, back to what we were speaking of. What makes you think the bishop will allow these children to stay on the farm? There are rules against outsiders coming in.” The man looked at Dane as if he was thinking about how exactly to say something without causing offense. “They are not…Amish.”

“I am aware,” Cain said dryly. “Look, Grandfather, they have nowhere else to go. They have lost everyone in their family. Their last remaining relative was called
to my father and that is a whole other complicated mess. I promised I would look out for them and that is what I intend to do.”

“Then why are you at our door?”

“Because Isaiah killed their mother.”

The couple gasped and Dane’s eyes jerked to Cain. He had been trying to follow their conversation, none too successfully, but at the mention of his mother, his ears caught on. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Dane felt a fuzzy, dizzying sensation and then found himself looking at the attractive woman and the man with the long hair. They were both standing akimbo and scowling at Cain. Cain shrugged. “What? I shouldn’t have said that in front of them.” Dane wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Said what?

The woman continued to glower at Cain. “Do not do that again. Come along, children. I’ll introduce you to Fisher and Gracie. I bet you are hungry. How about if I fix you a nice breakfast? I have bread in the oven that should be about done.”

They followed the woman into the house and Dane and Cybil shook off their shoes in the hall, leaving chunks of slushy ice melting on the hardwood floors. Dane leaned down with the sleeve of his sweatshirt and tried to mop up the mess before anyone saw. Meanwhile, Cain toed off his muddy, slush-covered boots and left them right smack in the entryway where they were already forming a puddle. Dane stared after him as he disappeared into the next room.

“Come on, Cybil, hurry up,” he hissed as he helped her stow her shoes along the molding and out of the way. On socked feet they walked farther into the simple home and Dane was intrigued by the old appliances still being used. He knew Amish people didn’t really do cars and electricity, but actually seeing it was a whole different experience.

Cain was talking to the man with long hair and Faith was bustling around the counter doing something with actual flour and other cooking powder things he didn’t think people used anymore. Everything was jarred rather than packaged.

Another male voice came from a doorway on the opposite side of the large kitchen and Dane looked to see who it was. Another man with long hair entered the room. He was smiling and laughing, his eyes on someone behind him. “You would know! Good grief, Grace, how do you ever expect to find an honorable male with a mind like that?” the man said. A cheerful tinkling of laughter rung out behind him and Dane was drawn to the sound.

When the man stepped aside, Dane sucked in a deep breath. If Faith was beautiful this girl was drop-dead gorgeous. Since when were the Amish hot?

“Fisher, Grace, say hello to our guests. This is Dane and Cybil. They are going to be staying with us for a while,” Faith announced and Dane was relieved that they were once again welcome to stay.

The girl turned and smiled up at him. He was not much taller than her, but still taller. He wondered if she was his age. She wore a bonnet same as Faith, only her hair was tucked under the lace less neatly. Wisps of long, dark chestnut hair swept down over her neck and onto her shoulders. She wore a maroon dress with a black apron crossing over her round, generous breasts. His eyes moved down to the floor and he noticed she was without shoes or socks. Her little feet were probably the cutest feet Dane had ever set eyes on. Even her little stout toes were adorable and they weren’t even painted.

He realized he was staring and quickly lifted his gaze from the girl’s feet. She giggled. Obviously she had caught him staring. He wanted to feel embarrassed, but he was too distracted by her perfect smile and sparkling, blue eyes. They seemed almost silver when she turned her head certain ways. “I said ‘hi, I’m Gracie.’” Oh shit, she was talking to him.

He cleared his throat and prayed his voice didn’t crack. “Hi, I’m Dane. Do you live here?” He mentally smacked himself.
Eager much?

“No, I live in the house down the way with the green shutters. We’ll be neighbors though.”

“Cool.”

She cocked her head as if she considered his use of slang odd. He wondered if they knew he wasn’t talking about temperature. Jeeze, if she thought he was talking about temperature…again he mentally groaned.

Gracie leaned down and greeted Cybil. “Hi there, I’m Gracie. I think we’re going to be great friends. Do you like baby animals? It is my job to take care of all the babies and I have been hoping to find a little helper.”

Dane sensed his sister’s pleasure at the idea and saw an image of the pig from
Charlotte’s Web
in her mind, but her expression gave away nothing. He was just about to tell Gracie that would be something Cybil would like when she said, “Yes, I have piglets and a few baby sheep as well. Do you like chickens?” Dane frowned and Gracie laughed. “Oh, I think you will be the best helper I have ever had.”

How was she doing that? Dane looked at the girl. Her mind was open and pure. He saw images of her and his sister holding hands and gathering eggs.

So sad that she does not speak. I imagine she is quite devastated, having lost her mother and father and now her grandmother as well. At least she has her brother. He seems nice.

Dane made an incredulous sound and flinched. How the hell did he just do that? He could hear her voice. In her head! He was used to seeing images, but never had he heard someone else’s inner monologue. He looked at her again.

I wonder if Cain knows about Larissa and the bishop yet. Perhaps I won’t pick on him too badly today since he did a good deed and found the Foster children.

Dane frowned.
Does she know my last name’s Foster or is she calling us foster children because we are essentially orphans?

Gracie smiled thoughtfully.
I suppose it is ironic that their name is Foster and they are essentially foster children. I had not thought of that.

As if she suddenly realized what had just happened, she shot to her feet, mouth agape and eyes wide and looked at him.
How are you doing that?

How am I doing it? How are
you
doing it?
Dane thought back.

This has never happened to me before,
she said and her inner voice had gone high pitch and panicky, but still cute.
Don’t talk about me like that in your head!

Sorry,
he quickly apologized and began to recite the pledge of allegiance in his head so she wouldn’t accidentally overhear any of his other thoughts.

She squished up her face at him as if she couldn’t figure out what he was doing.

“Gracie!”

She jumped and looked at Cain who had just shouted her name. Dane felt the connection break. “Wha—what?”

“What the heck are you doing?” Cain asked.

“Do not use language like that in my home,” Faith reprimanded.

“Sorry, Nanna.” He apologized then looked back to Grace and said, “What were you just doing? You’re acting like a crazy person. You’re going to scare our guests.”

“I…he…we…I am sorry, I must go.” She turned, pulling her skirt into her fists and ran out of the kitchen. Dane smiled as he caught sight of her sexy, little calves.

Stop that!

Chapter 38

Cain’s feet crunched over the snow as he walked toward the safe house. He wondered what on earth Larissa was doing there. If he found out the bishop was holding her in a cell, he might just have to kill the man. He climbed up the steps two at a time and knocked on the double doors centered on the grand porch. David opened the doors and let him in.

“I need to speak to the bishop. Is he in his office?”

“Yes. You may show yourself in.”

Cain entered the home and turned left down the long corridor. The halls were abnormally quiet today. He wondered if there was something going on that required the council to cancel their scheduled session. When he approached the bishop’s office, the door was slightly opened. He knocked and Bishop King looked up to see who was there. Whatever welcoming expression had been on his face disappeared the moment he realized it was Cain coming to visit.

“Cain. What can I do for you?” he said, pushing away whatever he had been reading.

Cain entered the office, a little distracted by the pile of broken furniture in the corner, and took a seat. “I have a couple of things I need to discuss with you.” The bishop leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers under his chin, waiting for Cain to continue. “I killed an immortal.”

The bishop’s eyebrows rose slowly. “Who?”

“I do not know her name.”

“You killed a female?”

“Before you condemn me, let me explain. She was not of The Order. She was a transition. I know because she had a tattoo from her mortal days. I came upon her in the woods and she attacked me. I believe she has to do with the murders taking place. She, uh, she mentioned my uncle.”

“Isaiah?”

“Yes. She said he loved her.”

“Do you believe this was his mate?” the bishop asked.

“No. She was crazy. Her eyes and the way she talked, there was something very wrong with this female, but that’s not why I don’t believe she is my uncle’s mate. Bishop, she said there were more of them, hundreds, all females. How is that possible?”

The bishop sucked in a harsh breath. “Hundreds?”

“Well, that’s what she said. She was incredibly strong.”

“I wish you would have waited before you killed her.”

“I couldn’t. My…Annalise…she and I share a bond.”

“I remember,” the bishop remarked dryly.

“Well, we still share dreams. The female in the woods, she knocked me out at one point and I dreamt of Anna. I was in pretty bad shape at the time. Turns out, everything that was happening to me was also happening to Anna.”

The bishop frowned. “That’s impossible.”

Cain wagged a finger at him. “Ah, but you forget, they also said it was impossible for two males to be called
to the same female. I am living proof that they were wrong. I assure you my bond with Anna is quite possible and for whatever reason, when I am injured she suffers the same fate as me. I would bring her here to show you, but she is with child and I cannot allow harm to come to her unnecessarily.”