Called to Order [The Order of Vampyres 1] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Lydia Michaels

  His body reacted before his mind could process all the information being sent to his brain. It was a sensory overload that made no sense. When he turned to see what it was that caused such a reaction, he felt as though a Clydesdale had kicked him in the chest. His mate was looking right at him. His mind worked at rapid speed to process what he was sensing. Her scent was as thick as syrup in the air, yet tainted with an odor he could not place, an aroma resting on her skin not being emitted from her blood, not wrapped in the essence that was her. For some reason this new scent was offensive to him. He felt his hands ball into fists and fought the impulse to snatch her out of the car right then and there.

  Then there was, over the rattling clink of her idling car, a tiny click in the distance. He briefly glanced away, identifying the sound as the mechanism inside the traffic light that made the colors change. Another sign that he had found his mortal, his instinct to protect her had quadrupled. He was attuned to even the slightest shifts of energy, checking for any signs of danger. However, his protective instincts forcing him to identify the source of that small click caused him to break eye contact with his mate. That millisecond of distraction was enough to sever the fragile thread between him and his mate.

  He felt her withdrawal like one would feel the removal of a layer of flesh. The moment she drove away, his fangs punched through his gums, and a growl rumbled through his chest. He should not have hesitated to grab her. She was his, and she would not escape him.

  Adam roared in frustration. He had lost her scent, lost her car, and dawn was rapidly approaching. His body was hypersensitive at the moment, sensing even the tiniest vibrations of the world waking up and moving about. A vibration too slight for a mortal to detect, but the slight change in the earth’s rhythms caused by the motions of man was enough to inform him that the presently empty road would soon be swarming with automobiles and humans. He needed to find a resting place.

  Adam walked into the Holiday Inn just as the first fingers of dawn began to stretch between the strips of stores and complexes that dotted the now-busy road. The streets buzzed with traffic, and there was an overwhelming hum of angst coming from the drivers. His telepathy was not as honed as his sibling’s, but he could still glean a sense of emotion in some cases. However he had never been able to read others with the clarity he did now. He sensed an almost universal feeling of urgency and dissatisfaction coming off the mortals in waves at this early hour. The slower a vehicle passed him the more specific the emotion. At first these foreboding emotions did not make much sense to Adam, then it occurred to him, these mortals were heading to work and anxious for the weekend.

  Amish did not necessarily have weekends. There were no days of the week that the livestock did not need to be tended to or fed. Their days always started at dawn and ended at dusk. The Order made exceptions of course. Because of their dietary needs, they did not break their fast like the more traditional orders just after the first milking. Rather than resting, they spent the predawn hours readying the stock for chores and worked through the morning mealtime.

  By noon, most farm business was underway, and they typically worked under shade for the hours that the sun was at its strongest. Evolution had gifted them with the ability to walk in daylight. However, they had learned, that the more hours spent under the direct rays of the sun required more blood to sustain their strength. It wasn’t that there was a shortage of blood on the farm, only that it was more efficient for them to work a more adjusted schedule. Typically by four o’clock during the planting seasons they would return to the field.

  Supper was held at dusk and usually consisted of fresh meats and vegetables for the younger members and gestating members of The Order and distilled blood for the elder members. The elders could digest food, but did not obtain as much nutrition from it as the younger members. It was said that the body’s dependency on supplemental nutrition weaned around age one hundred and even in the years before that, their kind could go days without eating so long as they fed regularly.

  Adam regretted not feeding before dawn. He would have to find a donor before he returned to his search that evening. He was anxious now that he had seen her. He was close and pleased with his progress thus far. Perhaps claiming his mate would not be so difficult after all.

  “May I help you?” A woman in a man’s suit jacket asked from behind the counter in the reception area of the hotel.

  “I am in need of shelter for the day.”

  Without looking in his direction, she checked what Adam assumed was a computer as her fingers moved over a tray of lettered buttons. “Smoking or non?”

  “I do not smoke.”

  “Will you be staying with a guest?”

  “No.”

  “Do you require any handicap-accessible amenities?”

  “I do not understand.”

  “Will a standard bathroom be acceptable?”

  “Yes.”

  “I have a king suite, a double king with sitting area, and a double queen available.” Adam said nothing. She looked in his direction without changing the angle of her head. “Sir? Do you still want the room?”

  “Yes. A simple room will do.”

  “I’ll put you in the double queen then. And how long will you be staying with us?”

  “Just the day.”

  “And what credit card will you be using?”

  He had heard of credit cards. They ran tabs for the English. “I will pay cash now.”

  “Well, we will still need a credit card for security purposes. A bank Visa will work. Unless you damage the facility or order room service you won’t incur any charges.”

  “I do not have a credit card.”

  “Sir, it’s our policy that our guests are required to provide—”

  “You do not need a credit card in this instance. Cash will be fine.”

  The woman’s eyes glazed over slightly as she said, “Cash will be fine.” She blinked several times. “That will be one o’nine ninety-nine.”

  Adam reached into his bag and withdrew the manila envelope that held his money. It was a cumbersome stack, and he made a mental note to divide his funds into two sets later that day, one for pocket money and one for the remainder of the money. He placed two hundred-dollar bills on the counter and realized the woman was gawking at the green-filled envelope. She then seemed to take in his appearance for the first time, her gaze pausing on his wide-brimmed hat.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “I am from Lancaster.” He slid the two hundred closer to her.

  “Well, between you and me, you may want to stop at a bank while you’re here. It ain’t smart walking around with that kind of money. You could get robbed.”

  “I’m sure I will be fine.” He gave her mind a gentle push to complete the transaction and forget his appearance and anything unusual she may have noticed.

  The woman asked for his name and made some more clicks on the computer then slid a plastic card across the counter. Adam tried not to react when he noticed her claws. The woman’s fingernails were so long they curled, and they were decorated like a calico cat. He took the card and his change, thanked the clawed woman for her time then headed to his room.

  Adam’s slumber was restless. Rather than the peaceful dreams he had become accustomed to, he had fleeting visions of ledgers and clocks. There was a sense of imperativeness he could not shake. He saw hands wrapping a black cuff of some sort around a frail arm and more clocks and dials he did not understand. Then the dreams shifted.

  He saw a brick building with dark windows. The perimeter of the structure was littered with trash. There was a glowing sign next to a green door, but he could not make out what it said. The door opened, and he moved into darkness.

  The images were so rapid and inconsistent he did not glean much from any of them. The only consistency among them was a subtle mood of company. He felt as though he was not seeing these images alone. That made no sense.

  The broken dreams continued throughout
the day until Adam’s restless mind grew too tense and forced his body to wake. It was not quite dusk, so he spent his afternoon performing his daily ablutions, sorting his money, and reorganizing his bag. He had switched on the television again out of pure curiosity. The machine seemed to make time pass faster than normal, and he was growing impatient.

  Rather than the mustached man who had spoken to him the day before, today he watched an English man and woman interact. The woman was blond and dressed in men’s pants. Her shoes were unnaturally tall with spikes at the heel. The man wore a dress shirt and necktie. They spoke briefly about divorce. Divorce was not permitted among the Amish. It was grounds for excommunication. Among The Order, separations between man and wife only took place when a spouse was called to their destined true mate. Only then and in the rare instance of a spouse dying were members of The Order permitted to remarry.

  Adam studied the plush furniture and noticed technologies his home did not possess. The man, called Nick, made mention of preparing breakfast for the woman whom he referred to as Sharon. Cooking and baking was considered woman’s work to the Amish community. Adam did not know how to do more than heat a basin of water in the kitchen.

  Suddenly the woman began to caress the man’s face and in the next moment she was kissing him. Adam sat entranced as the man called Nick began to untie the woman’s blouse and remove it from her shoulders. In the next instant the man’s shirt was gone and the woman ran her hands over his bare flesh. He pressed her into the upholstered chair and began to kiss the soft flesh of her belly hidden by her undergarment.

  Adam reacted to the images he was seeing. His stomach tightened, and his body hardened. Although the sun was setting around him, the television displayed broad daylight streaming through the windows as the couple fondled each other’s half-naked bodies. Then suddenly the picture changed to people he did not recognize. What had happened? Had he pressed a button on the device that activated the television? Where had Nick and Sharon gone? He examined the black device he held in his hand, removing the batteries then replacing them again, trying to figure out what he had done. Then suddenly Nick and Sharon were there again, now naked and sharing a small blanket as they kissed and caressed.

  This, more than anything, made Adam want to find his mate. He left the small black devise on the table with the batteries and picked up his bag. The sun had set enough. He pulled out his sunspecs, placed them on his face, and left the room.

  Chapter 7

  “I need two Buds, draft, and a bottle of Rock.”

  Kyle reached for two glasses and held them one at a time under the tap. “How’d your exam go today?”

  “Good. It was hard. There were a lot of essays, and I ran out of time on the last one. They wanted a task analysis of checking blood pressure, which I should have gotten full points on, but our professor called time.”

  “That sucks. Was it worth a lot?” Kyle placed the beers on her tray.

  “Nah, probably about four or five points. Other than missing that one, I think I did pretty well. I should get at least a B.”

  “Good.”

  Annalise smiled as she turned to deliver her order. It was Friday, so Jimbo’s was busier than normal. As she dropped off her order at one table, she was flagged to another. There would be no sitting for her until closing tonight. She hurried over to one of her regulars and playfully said, “What is it now?”

  “Sweetheart, will you please explain to my friend here what makes a Boilermaker. I got ten bucks saying there ain’t no vodka involved.”

  “The way we serve them here is just a shot of whiskey and a beer. I’ve seen guys down one after the other then I’ve seen others drop the shot into the beer and drink them together.”

  “Hah!” Bruce shouted as he made a grab for his companion’s ten.

  Annalise laughed at the exchange. “But since you didn’t know that, being as you’re a Boilermaker yourself and all, I think that ten should go to me.”

  Bruce’s companion snatched the bill back from Bruce and said, “I believe the lady is right. Here, sugar, you put this in your tip jar.” Bruce looked like he wanted to argue about the transaction but thought better of it. Being as Annalise was the only waitress Jimbo’s employed and he frequently drank there, it would be wise of him to let her have the tip.

  Over the next few hours, darts, pool, and music were played. The dinner rush came and went, sprinkled with conversations about the weekend and the ever-present recession affecting the middle class. By eleven o’clock Annalise was ready to call it quits, but she had another three hours to go. The bar usually closed after the last patron paid their bill, but on the weekends Jimbo expected the doors to remain open until two.

  The grill was now closed, so she only had to haul drinks back and forth from the bar. At the moment, everyone’s drinks appeared full. She dropped her tray at the bar and said, “I’m gonna run next door and grab a cappuccino. You want anything?”

  Kyle looked at the clock and said, “Yeah, grab me a power aide.”

  She untied her apron and placed it on her tray then turned to head out the door. The warm air was actually refreshing compared to the cool smoky space inside the bar. The humidity was thick, and she could smell rain in the slow breeze. The convenience store was only two doors down from Jimbo’s thankfully, because just as the bell above the door dinged and she stepped in, there was a loud crack of thunder, the skies opened up and rain began to pelt the hot pavement.

  * * * *

  Adam was frustrated. He felt as though he was walking in circles. Everything that was generally foreign to him now seemed irritatingly familiar. Cars all looked the same, buildings seemed identical, people appeared equally unremarkable and self-involved. He passed no landmarks associated with the images of his dreams. And just as he was about to regroup and feed, it had begun to downpour, which would make finding an animal more difficult in this already overdeveloped place.

  Stepping out of the rain, Adam rested under a small alcove with a bench. The simple structure was made up of three glass walls that someone had scribbled on with different-colored ink and a map with the word “SEPTA” written on it. The rain seemed to beat the heat into the ground, bringing a misting of cooler air with it. Steam rose from the hot sidewalks. Suddenly his skin prickled and not from the wet chill in the air.

  He stilled and focused on the subtle sensation tickling his nerves. He shut his eyes and gently probed the minds of the mortals driving by. Small flashes of emotion passed with each car that sloshed by, but what was prickling his senses gave off a steadier vibe. He placed his hat on his head and stepped out from under the small structure, and the feeling doubled. There was a gentle tugging at his nerves, pulling him east.

  Without thought Adam began to walk toward the vibe. With each step the sensation became more defined. He increased his speed, and the next thing he knew, he was running through an industrial complex toward a busy intersection.

  The rain pelted his chest and soaked through the fabric of his shirt and pants, but did nothing to slow his pace. He veered left, now having a firm grasp on the route of what was pulling him. He weaved through a cluster of automobiles idling at a traffic light and ignored the sound of horns honking at him. Once back on the sidewalk, he momentarily paused, sending out mental feelers, then continued running northeast. The sidewalks of what appeared to be a commercial strip were uncluttered with people thanks to the rain, so no one stood in his way.

  As he progressed, buildings sat farther apart and houses began to appear. Cars continued to pass, splashing water over the curbs. At what seemed to mark the entrance to a neighborhood, he paused. The sensation was still there. He turned into the neighborhood and probed each house he passed with his mind. Was this where she lived? The farther he entered the residential area the more encompassing the feeling grew. It was as if he was in the nucleus of a body of energy.

  He could no longer sense if he should go left, right, or straight ahead, or even back the way he had come. The feeling wa
s all around him as if he were in some sort of mental cloud. He slowed his pace and continued to probe each house he passed but did not pick up on any of the mental markings he associated with his mate.

  When he finally reached the end of the development, he let out a frustrated groan. The rain had slowed to a soft drizzle, and Adam took a moment to catch his breath and survey his surroundings. She was close. He was certain. He meandered down the road and saw some businesses in the distance. There was an odd glow that caught his eye, and he decided to take a closer look. He realized the glow was coming from a sign, electric letters of some sort. So focused on what the letters spelled, he did not notice the building to which they clung.

  It wasn’t until he was close enough to read the word Jimbo’s that he recognized the building. It was brick with blacked-out windows and a painted green door. That was when he saw her.

  His heart stuttered as he set eyes on her for the first time without barriers. She was stunning. Due to the lack of light and presence of rain, her hair appeared more russet than the ruby-tinged gold he knew it could be. She wore it pulled off her face, and it swayed down her back in a bouncy tail. Her figure was slight, but curvy. She wore a cotton, fitted shirt, and with his nocturnal sight he could see the delicate peak where her breasts pressed against the fabric. Her legs were displayed in what his people would consider undergarments, short pants only covering her limbs to midthigh. Rather than let her lack of modesty irritate him, he took a moment to admire her hindquarters as she skipped over puddles on the sidewalk.

  She held something in her hand and stuck close to the buildings to avoid the drizzle. Then she reached the green door and adjusted the items she held in her hands and pulled the door open. As she disappeared inside the establishment and the door slid closed, Adam heard the sound of male voices and music. He crossed the street and followed her through the green door.