“I did not bond with another, Abilene. I have never known another female as I have known you. You were my first and will always be my last. At first I was not sure if I should return, but then last night, when I thought my dreams were over, I saw you. You were here, sweeping the cold snow from our door. You saw me, too. I know you did.” Abilene suddenly realized that, yes, she knew the vision he spoke of. She had dreamed of Jonas. “Do you see? Only true mates dream. It is you that I now see when I rest my eyes, you who fills my senses and makes my body hunger. You are my mate and I plan on claiming you now.”
She could not breathe. How was this possible? She had so many questions, but Jonas was now taking steady, measured steps toward her. Before she could organize her thoughts, he was before her, his hands gripping her arms tightly. She looked into his determined eyes and said, “You did not break our vows?”
“Never.” He brushed away a thin ribbon of hair that teased across her face and tucked it behind her ear. Their eyes locked as a universe of emotion passed between them. “You are mine, Abilene, but what’s more, I am yours. Nothing could ever take me away from you again.”
His mouth found hers and warmth spread from her lips to her heart. She made a startled sound when he scooped her into his arms. He continued to kiss her as he led them through the front door and carried her up the stairs. He did not stop kissing her until they reached their room.
As her feet touched down on the ground, his fingers began removing the pins from her clothing. Jonas, never pulling his gaze from hers, carefully divested her of her bonnet and began to unravel her braids. Tears of happiness began to choke her. Abilene bit her lip as Jonas leaned forward and kissed her eyes. “No more tears, my love. I am home and I will never leave again.”
She slowly undid his shirt and spread it wide over his chest. She pressed her palm to his heart, trembling at the contact. She had been so certain she would never know him like this again. Her hair came down over her shoulders and she stepped close to him and placed her cheek over his heart. Jonas lovingly held her to him, their arms wrapping tightly around one another.
“I love you, Jonas.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Love is too small to encompass all the emotions I hold for you, sweet Abilene. You are the blood in my veins, the breath in my lungs, the song to morning and the lullaby to every peaceful rest I take. When God spoke of marriage and love he was speaking of us. My vow to you goes beyond this life and into the next. There is no one who will ever touch the part of my soul that belongs to you.”
She looked up at him, unable to form words. She simply pulled him down to her kiss and showed him what he meant to her. Their clothes were stripped away and Jonas scooped Abilene into his arms once again and carried her to their bed.
As her back pressed into the mattress, Jonas kissed her from her lips to her neck, down to her heart. Abilene held him tightly to her, never wanting to let him go again. His mouth kissed and tasted her breasts and she arched into his caress. Their bodies moved like water flowing over the banks cut by time and repetition. They fit together like a masterpiece and Abilene wondered how she could have ever questioned their providence.
His mouth trailed down to her belly and he stilled, palms spread over her womb. Eyes filled with wonder, he looked up at her. “You are with child.” She nodded and he gently kissed her soft belly with such reverence she felt the heat of his touch spread through her veins to her heart and down to her toes.
He worshipped her, anointing her body with kisses as if she herself was a sacrament to be received. When they came together it was as if their bodies collided with such orchestrated beauty that only God could have designed such love. He pressed into her and she became a bride once more, being taken by her husband whom she vowed to love above all others.
In a passionate slide of give-and-take they moved as one, never to be separated again. Their bodies and minds cried out in pleasure unknown to many. What they shared could not be replicated. It was theirs and theirs alone, the love of two devoted soul mates called to each other by the extraordinary grace of God when nothing short of a miracle could have saved them. He was her Jonas, her miracle, and God had called him to her.
Epilogue
Destiny shivered in her camel petticoat and cursed herself for the hundredth time for thinking UGGs were appropriate footwear when hunting a killer in the snowy mountains of Pennsylvania. She had had a fight with her crew when they wouldn’t stop complaining and told them to just go back. Now she was wondering if she was in fact just as crazy as they had accused her of being. It didn’t matter. There was an assassino, a murderer, in the woods and she was going to catch him. The twentieth victim was found this week. Another female, drained of blood, traces of sexual assault, and fang marks above her carotid artery.
Destiny stomped her wet, suede-covered feet and marched in place. Her wool-clad hands fisted as a sharp wind passed through the trees, making an eerie whining sound. When the wind died down, there was nothing but silence, still, quiet nothingness. She almost wished the wind would pick up again.
She jumped when Adele’s muffled voice began to sing “Rolling in the Deep” from somewhere deep inside her purse. She bit the fingertip of her glove and yanked her hand free. Adele sang on, her song looping back to the beginning, as Destiny searched for her iPhone. “Filho de puta,” she cursed, not wanting to miss the call. When she finally found the phone, she quickly pulled it to her ear. The combination of the cold, her fear, and her frantic searching had left her somewhat out of breath. “Hello?”
“Destiny, were you at my place?”
She pressed her lips together. She should have never answered the phone. Her brother would be pissed if he found out where she was. “Hi, Vito. How are you?”
“Fine. Why is my shit all moved around and why is my gun cabinet open?”
“Merda” she cursed under her breath. She cleared her throat and said, “I, uh, needed to borrow something.”
“From my hunting cabinet? What the hell did you take?” She could hear him riffling around through the trunk and hoped he wouldn’t be able to tell what was missing. He growled. “Destiny, where the fuck is my crossbow?”
“Look, don’t get mad, but I needed it.”
“For what? That shit’s dangerous. You don’t even know how to use it. Bring it back here right now.”
“Uh, I sort of can’t.”
“Why not?” he snarled.
“I sort of lost my ride and I can’t get back right away.”
“Back? Where the hell are you?”
Destiny wondered if she simply claimed she was in a tunnel and hung up if he would call back. Knowing he would, she gave up and mumbled, “Jim Thorpe.”
“God damn it, Destiny! And what the fuck do you mean you sort of lost your ride? Where the hell is your crew?”
“They left.”
He growled. She heard him moving around and what she assumed was him grabbing his keys. He let out a stream of Portuguese curse words and then she heard him slam his car door and the crank of his engine. “Tell me you are at least in the town and not back in those damn woods or so help me God, I am going to kick your ass when I get there.”
“Calm down, Vito. That’s why I have the crossbow.”
“Are you insane? There is a fucking killer in the woods and you don’t have the common sense to stay out of there. Why can’t you have a normal job?”
“Like what, all the strippers you work with?” she asked snidely.
“At least they’re safe. You on the other hand have a death wish.”
Her phone beeped in her ear and she looked to see that her battery was about to go. Great. “Look, V, I gotta go. My phone’s about to die.”
“Well, tell me where you are and do not go into those woods. I will be there in a little over an hour.”
“I’ll meet you right by the—” Her phone shut down with a cheerful chime that Destiny found inappropriate. “Merda!”
She shivered and tucked the useless
device into her coat pocket. Her fingers were freezing. She shoved them back into her gloves and crossed her arms as she began to bounce in place in hopes of getting warm. It wasn’t working.
She looked around the forest and saw nothing but pine needles and crusty dead leaves peeking from the snow. Low squawks came from somewhere far above and she wondered if that was the sound bats made. Maybe she should just head back to the bottom of the mountain and wait for her brother.
She heard a crunch that sounded like a foot stepping down on the frosted ground and dry debris. She lifted the crossbow and turned quickly. “Who’s there?” She looked left and right but saw nothing but spindly trees casting black over blue shadows. Branches looked like arms and shrubs, roots, and vines resembled legs. Her mind was playing tricks on her. While she knew she was only staring into an empty forest, she could have sworn for a brief moment she saw several eyes looking back at her.
She held the crossbow at her chest in what she hoped was the proper position. So long as the arrow wasn’t aimed at her she figured she was good. Her hands trembled and the weight of the weapon began to wear on her. She stood still, her muscles tense, for possibly fifteen minutes when there was suddenly another crunch behind her.
She jumped and turned the other way, her breath coming fast as she began to panic. “Who’s out there?” She listened, but heard nothing. “I have a weapon and I will shoot anything that gets too close.”
A branch whined high above her and then there was an odd sound. It took her a moment, but she soon realized it was a falling limb. She jumped out of the way just in time, but in her haste her finger must have hit the crossbow’s trigger. The arrow released with a whiz and now was embedded deep in the trunk of an evergreen, the bark seeming to bleed with sap from its wound.
She had fallen on her butt. She could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her hands continued to tremble uncontrollably as she pulled out her last arrow and loaded it into the sophisticated bow. Why had she only brought two arrows?
She awkwardly stood up on shaky legs and frowned at the mud that now covered her favorite skinny jeans. She had landed on something sharp and there was a tear at the thigh. She winced as her finger brushed over the tear and she realized she was cut. She took a shuttered breath and decided she should go, but before she even took a step, her body froze as something let out a slow, ominous growl behind her.
She began to hyperventilate. Unable to turn her body in such a state of panic, she merely gripped the bow and stared straight ahead. Suddenly something big jumped from the trees, maybe a mountain lion or a bear, and landed right in front of her. Destiny screamed as loud as she could and turned to run.
She bolted through the woods, branches whipping across her frostbitten cheeks. She heard whatever that thing was chasing her. It was tall, without fur, and had long hair like a person, a female person, but it was also naked and very obviously male. It had red eyes that glowed unnaturally. Meu Deus, was that the thing that had been killing the girls in the woods? It was incredibly fast. She cried out for help as she ran. She was too slow.
Claws scraped down her back, tearing her coat into shreds. Pain lashed through her and she fell to the ground and screamed. The crossbow flew out of her arms and off into some nearby shadow. She turned onto her back and awkwardly crab crawled away from the thing seething over her. Fangs. Motherfucker had fangs.
“Vampiro,” she breathed, truly terrified.
He drew his clawed hand back as if to strike her and she wrapped her hands protectively around her head and screamed, thinking she would never see her brother again. Like a flash of lightning her mind shot off a list of all the monumental things she had yet to experience, true love, notable sex, motherhood. Her life flashed before her eyes and she was suddenly annoyed that there wasn’t more of a flash. The thing growled and she remembered where she was and winced. Before the animal-man-beast made contact with her flesh, there was a crash of noise and a horrible roar. All she could do was hide her eyes and scream for her life.
There were now two things. They were fighting like rabid dogs, clawing and biting at one another in a tumble of movement. Destiny, from what she could see in the dark, could tell that the newcomer was wearing clothing. Was it a man?
In a panic, she scrambled around where she had fallen and let out a sob of relief when her fingers touched on the crossbow. There was a disgusting snap and the animal that had first attacked her cried out angrily and fled, disappearing faster than some sort of jungle cat into the trees.
Destiny watched the dark shadows until she could no longer hear the branches snapping under its retreating footfalls. Slowly, she turned to face the other. Gray-camo fatigues tucked into heavy black boots were planted about ten feet from her. Her eyes traveled upward. A tapered waist so muscled she could see damp ridges pressing through the fabric of his white tank top. His arms were heavily corded with muscle. His bare skin steamed in the cold winter air. He stood with his treelike limbs planted firmly apart and his arms held away from his body as if he were prepared to fight her if need be.
Her eyes moved over his well-worked chest and up his thickly corded neck and then she froze as panic overtook her again. She knew him. It was that reporter she had seen a month or two ago, only not. It looked like him, but this thing had silver cat eyes and fangs. He breathed heavily as he watched her. She held the crossbow in her trembling hands as if the sight of the weapon would keep him at bay.
“What are you doing here?” he panted. Okay, he was obviously pissed off.
She would address that later. At the moment she could only ask, “What are you?”
“You could have died!” he snapped and on instinct she raised the bow. He laughed at her. “What do you plan to do with that? What? Did you get bored with your microphone? Decided you’d move up to bigger and better toys?”
“Don’t come near me! I’ll shoot you. I know what you are,” she warned, still not believing her eyes.
“Put the weapon down, Destiny,” he said firmly and she felt an odd tingling along her scalp. She adjusted the bow and pointed it directly at his heart. He frowned. “I said put it down.”
“No. Did you kill those women?”
He scowled at her. “Put it down! Why won’t you do as I say?” He seemed furious as if she should just dumbly follow his command. “You will drop the weapon and then come with me to the bottom of the mountain. You will forget everything you saw here tonight—”
“Are you crazy? I am going right to the police—”
He growled through his sharp teeth at her and began stomping toward her. He suddenly looked all too menacing. Destiny scrambled backward and whimpered. Shit, shit, shit! He was coming after her. She shut her eyes and screamed as her finger pressed down on the trigger.
His growl was silenced with a grunt. She opened her eyes and watched as a stain of red spread across his chest where the arrow now protruded. Unsure what to do, she scuttled to her feet and tossed the bow aside. “Meu Deus, I didn’t mean to do that, but you were coming after me.”
He dropped to his knees with another grunt. His hand went to his chest as if he had to touch the wound to believe it. His disbelieving gaze slowly lifted to hers and there was such vulnerability there it was not possible this was the same cocky, self-assured face she had seen only moments ago. He looked at her in sheer panic and wheezed, “Anna.” Then he fell to his side, his blood staining the white snow beneath him.
THE END
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GLOSSARY
A
Abedit - appetite
Aesel - jackass
Ainsicht - only one
B
Blabbermaul - talkative
Bredder - brother
Brederlich - brotherly
Buss - kiss
D
Dobbich - awkward
Dormlich - dizzy; vertigo
Dummkup - idiot; dumb (also referred to as glutzkupp)
E
Eawichkeit - et
ernity
F
Fahoongart - starved
Feeish - beastly; animal like; the condition suffered by a called vampyre when he or she goes unanswered; a loss of ability to make rational choices; a severe loss of control
Ferhext - bewitched
Ferricked - deranged
Ferroonzeled - disheveled
Ferleicht - perhaps
Fershteckle - hide
Frau - wife
G
Gagrish - loud cry
Ganook - Enough!
Grex - grunt
H
Hesslich - hateful
Hongwarsth - mischievous youngster
K
Kenn - know
Kintish - childlike
L
Looshtich - jolly
N
Niddertrechticha - vile
Nochich - naked
P
Plesseer - pleasure
R
Roontzel - wrinkle
Rootsh - crawl; squirm
Ruich - still
Rumspringa - known as the “running around time” in the Amish communities; generally experienced by young men and women of the community prior to being baptized into the faith. This time is granted so that they may enter the English world and experience modern living before committing to a life with their Amish relatives.
S
Schmecklich - luscious (as in kisses)
Shrecklich - frightful
U
Unfershtendich - absurd
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lydia Michaels is an author of paranormal and contemporary erotic romance. She lives in Pennsylvania, with her wonderfully supportive husband, beautiful daughter, and her two ridiculously spoiled dogs.
After graduating college, Lydia discovered her love for literature. The only hobby she enjoys more than reading exciting romance novels is writing them! If she is not off spending time with her family you can usually find Lydia at her computer working on her next story or hiding somewhere quiet with a great book.
Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 38