“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.”
Bishop King drew in a long slow breath. “I do not know what to say.”
“Do you believe me now? About Isaiah?”
“Oh, there is no need for you to persuade me. I saw him.”
“What?”
“Yes, in the woods. His strength has grown and he is incredibly fast. Being that he is still younger than me, I can only attribute his strength to his diet. I assume he has been feeding off humans more than anything else.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“I intend to have him hunted and destroyed.”
Cain sat a bit straighter in his chair. “Let me do it.”
“I cannot.”
“Sure you can. Just give me the go-ahead. I am perfect for the job. I have no ties here and I never will.”
“You have a family to consider.”
“Siblings, yes. I assume you are aware of my parents’ predicament. As far as anyone else, I have no one, nor will I ever. My one chance at a future with my true mate is long gone. There is no one waiting for me here.”
“I cannot allow you to place yourself in danger.”
“Why not?” Cain was getting frustrated. “Someone will have to risk it. Who knows how many of these things there are out there? It must be dealt with and I am volunteering to do the job. I have nothing, no purpose in this world, no destiny to fulfill. Let this be my destiny.”
The bishop sighed. “It is not as easy as simply sending you out to start a one-man war. What of this bond you share with your brother’s mate? What if you are injured and she somehow loses the babe due to your foolishness?”
“I would not allow that to happen.”
“Your family would disapprove and they would hold me responsible for allowing you to go.”
Cain’s brow puckered. “Since when do you care what my family thinks of you? You’re the bishop.”
“Oh, I am aware of what I am and as of late I have found it quite necessary not to upset certain relatives of yours.”
He shook his head. “Look, I am not staying here. I have things to finish out there. I don’t know if I will ever fully be back on the farm for good. There is no way I can just ignore this. I could lie to you and say that I will stay out of it, but you and I both know that’s bullshit.”
“Watch your mouth in my presence.”
“Sorry. Bishop King, you have to let me at least try. People are being hurt, losing loved ones.” He thought of Cybil and Dane. “This cannot continue. It is our responsibility to stop it.”
The bishop gave a resigned sigh and Cain knew he was gaining headway. “All right. I will give you some time to do what you can. You will stay clear of harm’s way. Is that understood? You will also leave a vial of your blood with me. Do not think that you are without authority. I do not care how much you tend to disregard our traditions. You are a member of this order and as such you will follow our laws. If I feel you have gone too far, I personally will ingest your blood and track you down. Do not think you are elusive enough to escape me, Cain. You are not.”
“Deal.”
“Now, you said you had other matters to discuss with me.”
Cain shifted uncomfortably. “My father bonded with his mate last night. At least that was his intention when I left him.”
“Good.”
“He will not be bringing her back with him.”
“With him? He intends to leave his mate?”
“He intends to do as she asked of him and let her go. She wishes to…join her husband as much as my father wishes to reconcile with my mother.”
“As much as that sounds good, I am afraid your father will find it impossible to leave his mate.”
Cain did not wish to condemn his father by confessing his intentions to the bishop. Rather, he just let the topic drop. “I was just informing you on what has been happening with that. Anyway, I guess you could say this has to do with the Isaiah stuff. Um, my uncle may have murdered a woman who left behind two children. They are orphans.”
“It is unfortunate we could not stop him before that happened.”
“Right. Well, I brought them back to the farm so they could live here.”
Bishop King shot forward in his seat. “What?”
“I brought them back with me.”
“Are you out of your mind? No! Absolutely not! I will not allow it. This time you have gone too far. I expect them gone by nightfall.”
“They have nowhere to go,” Cain pleaded.
“That is not our problem.”
“It is our fault their mother died.”
“But not our fault they lost their father as well. I am sorry. They have my sympathy, but that is all I can afford to offer them. There is no place here for them.”
“My grandfather has agreed to shelter and watch over them.”
“Cain—”
“Fine. It’s not just that Isaiah killed their mother. Their grandmother is my father’s mate. She told my father she would only bond with him if he took custody of the children.”
“So why, once the bonding is done, does she not take them back?”
“She can’t.”
The bishop growled. “Why not?”
Cain swallowed. “She’ll be dead.”
“Excuse me?”
“She’ll…she…it is her choice.”
“And how, pray tell, does she expect to kill herself once she is immortal?”
“My father plans to help her,” Cain mumbled.
The bishop began mumbling in French. He was pinching the bridge of his nose tightly and shaking his head. Cain did not know if he should say something, wait it out, or maybe just leave. Finally, after forking his fingers through his hair and leaving it uncharacteristically standing on end, the bishop looked up at him and muttered, “Your family is going to be the death of me.”
“Uh…sorry?”
Bishop King breathed in a deep breath through his nose and let it out his mouth with an audible huff. “Here is what’s going to happen. If your father returns, he will be responsible for these children. When they are old enough to take care of themselves—How old are they?”
“Ten and sixteen.”
The bishop groaned. “When they are old enough to take care of themselves, their memories of being here will be wiped and they will be deposited back into English society.” Cain was about to interrupt, but the bishop held up a hand, halting his protests. “If that is not acceptable to you, then they can leave tonight. If your father does not return by the end of the month, then you will put away all fantasies of your one-man battalion and return to the farm where you will take on the role as these ch
ildren’s father.”
“You expect me to act as their father?”
“Yes. I will be sure to find you a cigar.”
Cain wanted to argue, but he really had run out of arguments. If his father didn’t return, someone would have to be responsible for the kids, especially sweet, little Cybil. He would just have to leave tonight to begin searching for Isaiah and pray that he find him before month’s end. “Fine.”
“Good. Now, if we are done here—”
“Not just yet, Bishop.” The man looked as though he wanted to wring his neck. “I have one more item to discuss.”
“Proceed,” he said, tiredly waving his hand.
“Why is my sister here?”
The bishop froze. The corner of his mouth twitched. Slowly he raised his eyes to Cain and a wicked smirk spread across his face. “Why, Cain, have you not heard?”
Cain frowned. “Heard what?”
“About Larissa,” the bishop said, still wearing an oddly cheerful expression Cain had never seen on him before.
“What about Larissa?”
“She’s my mate.”
Cain froze. He had to have misunderstood. He looked at the bishop who was now watching him with a full-blown smile. “What?”
“You understand. She and I are bonded. Her marriage to Silus was annulled and tonight we will be wed. Congratulations! You now have another brother.”
* * * *
Cain left the bishop’s office in a daze. His sister was mated to Bishop King. There were just some things in life one could never prepare for. As he found his way out of the long hall and back to the main house, he had forgotten all about Larissa’s request to speak to him and was halfway out the door when he heard her say his name.
“Cain?”
Cain looked over his shoulder slowly and his sister grinned as she sucked in a breath and ran down the stairs. He had barely turned when she had propelled herself off of the ground and into his arms. He grunted as he caught her.
“Oh, you’re back! I have so much to tell you! You are never going to believe what has happened.”
He kissed her cheek and placed her back on the floor. “Let me guess. The bishop found you and confessed that you were his mate. You then bonded with the old fellow, he taught you the finer arts of lovemaking, you returned home, faced the council, were attacked by that wretched husband of yours, he was sent away, and now you plan to marry the bishop and have lots and lots of babies, where at least four will bear their Uncle Cain’s name?”
She frowned at him. “You spoke to Eleazar.”
“Eleazar? Well, look at you. You have made yourself right at home, calling the bishop by his familiar name.”
She playfully swatted his arm. “I wanted to tell you the news.”
He could not disguise his happiness for her. He smiled and affectionately pinched her chin. In a softer voice he said, “Well now, my sweet Larissa, there is a merry light in your eyes that I had never thought to see again. Happiness suits you. I am glad you have found it. Tell me, are you pleased with the choice God has made for you then?”
She blushed demurely and looked down as she slightly nodded. “I am.”
“Then I am happy for you.”
After a few moments of recovering from the sentimental exchange, she finally looked toward the door. “You’re leaving?”
“I must. I have volunteered my services to The Order and I have two charges now under my wing as well. There is much to do and I only have a short time to prepare.”
“Prepare? For what? And what do you mean you have two charges under your wing?”
“Larissa, do you know what has happened with Father?”
“It is terrible,” she whispered and he agreed.
“I do not know if Father will ever return. By now I imagine the deed has been done. However, his mate, she did not wish for eternal life. She made a bargain with him. His life for hers.”
“I do not understand.”
“He was already turning feeish, sister. There was not much time left before his mind was completely gone. He had fought to stay faithful to Mother with everything he had and would have continued fighting with his last breath if Mother had not promised him she would follow him to the grave. He had no choice. But when he approached his mate, she told him she would save his life only if he ended hers.”
Her hand went to her throat. “He is going to kill her?”
“That is what they agreed upon. Now, I may not ever have the blessing of loving my mate the way one should, but I do know that I would die before I allowed harm to come to Annalise. She is the closest to love that I will get in this lifetime and is the only comparison I have. I simply would not be able to harm her any more than the bishop could harm you. It is in our genetic makeup to protect our true mates with every power we have. So I do not know if he will ever be able to leave her once the deed is done. I certainly doubt his ability to murder her.”
“Oh, Cain, how has this happened? What cruel game has God been playing with our family?”
He brushed the back of his finger down her cheek and smiled sadly. “Do not be sad, sister. While some of us have paid dearly for a curse disguised as a blessing, you and Adam have unearthed the joy of a true miracle. God is all-knowing. I have no doubt He has a plan for us. It is those He places the heaviest burden upon that He holds the greatest faith in. I am coming to terms with my anger. It is time I did something with my life. I know that I am not meant to be called to a mate, but perhaps He is calling me to a different destiny. I am no longer a boy. It is time I became an honorable male and realized I am intended for greater things.”
His sister looked at him with sad pride. “I feel as if I do not know this male before me. You are honorable, Cain. You have always been honorable to me. You never turned your back on me and have always protected me when I was too weak to protect myself.”
“And now you have your bishop for that.”
“Where will you go?”
He sighed. “Larissa, there have been some troubles in the woods nearby. I do not wish to upset you.”
“Please tell me. Do not shelter me simply because I am a female.”
“All right, sister. Women have been dying. English women. There have been over a dozen. They are being murdered by something evil lurking in the woods.”
She gasped. “What is doing this?”
“Our uncle.”
“What?”
“Grandfather’s brother, Uncle Isaiah.”
“How? He has been gone since before I was born. He could not have survived all this time—”
“He has and he has been brutalizing women. He is creating transitions that are not his mate. They are deranged and serve his demands without question or morality. He must be destroyed and I am going to do it.”
She grabbed his arm. “You cannot!”
“I can and I will. This is what I can offer. I will never be a father nor will I ever have a mate to love as my own. I am not without honor, Larissa. He endangers our own by risking exposure and someone must protect The Order. I refuse to watch mated males go out and risk their own lives when I am capable of doing this thing myself.”
“But what if you are wounded?”
“I will heal.”
“What if you die?”
“Then so be it, but I promise you this, I will not leave this world without taking some evil away with me.”
She began to shake her head as if she simply could not accept what he was saying.
“Now I have something to ask of you, dear sister.”
“Anything.”
Cain smiled. Larissa was always someone he could depend on. “The two charges I spoke of. They are the grandchildren to Father’s mate. They are mortal. Our uncle murdered their mother and they have no one else. I have given Father and his mate my word that I would protect them until they no longer required my protection.”
“They are children?”
“Yes, Cybil is ten and has not spoken a word since her mother was
killed. Dane is sixteen and has a lot to learn about being a man. I believe he will get there sooner than he expects, however. There is something unique about him that I have not figured out yet. Something…intuitive. They are good children and I want them treated as if they were our own.”
“Where are they now?”
“I have set them up with Grandfather and Nana Faith. They will stay there until I or Father return.” He hesitated for a moment. “Larissa, if I do not return—“
“Do not say such things, Cain.”
“I must. If I do not return, I need your word that you will let no harm come to these children, especially little Cybil.”
She tilted her head and looked at him peculiarly for a moment. “You love her.”
“She is very special. I do not know why, but I feel as though I must protect her. Will you give me your word to look after them in my stead? Be kind to them and help them learn their way around the farm?”
“Of course.”
“You are a prize, Larissa. I hope that your mate sees what your husband could not.”
She smiled shyly. “He loves me.”
“As any good man should. Do you love him?”
“I do. We are to be married this evening.”
“Then I am truly happy for you.” He looked toward the front and took notice of where the sun was positioned in the white sky. “I must go, Larissa. I wish you many blessings.”
“I wish you many blessings as well,” she said, grasping his hands in her own. Leaning up on her toes, Larissa placed a kiss on his cheek. “God speed, Cain. Do not be too reckless chasing destiny. My children will need more than a bedtime story of their uncle’s adventures to understand what a remarkable male he was. I expect you to be around to show them and teach them all your wily ways.”
“I am quite cunning,” he teased. She laughed and Cain noticed the bishop watching them from the foyer. “If you need me you need only to tell Anna and she will find me. I love you, sister.”
“I love you, too, Cain.”
Bishop King came to them and protectively placed an arm about Larissa’s shoulders. She was upset, but fighting to remain stoic. The bishop whispered something in her ear and kissed her temple affectionately. Perhaps he would be good for his sister, Cain thought. With a final good-bye, he turned to leave. He had only a few hours to gather some things and be on his way.
Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 36