Called to Order (44 page)

She paused a moment and listened. She chuckled. “You sound like your father. That man spent most of his days on this earth worrying about the next catastrophe. I told him then, that was no way to live a life and I’ll tell you the same now.”

She was quite beautiful. He would guess she was in her late sixties, yet there was a self-possessed sense of vitality about her.

“Of course I will call you the minute I hear back from the doctor. Who else would I call? Now, let me say hello to my sweet grandson I hear chattering beside you and then I have to go. I have a customer coming out to look at some paintings later this afternoon.”

As the woman spoke sweetly into the phone, he took a step back. He should not be here. He needed to get back. He did not want to know this place with sparkling sculptures and dry, singing winds.

His hands went to his head as he took another retreating step and then another. How did he leave? A white haze began to creep into his peripheral vision. The world began to falter. He blindly reached for balance in the sculpture to his left. His grasp slipped through the hard object like a knife through softened butter. What was happening? Was this a dream?

He wanted to go home, but he did not know how to escape this place, this retched dream. As panic charged his senses, Jonas covered his eyes from the mystic place and screamed,
“
Abilene!”

The singing wind and chiming sculptures faded until all he could hear was his heavy breathing. He kept his palms pressed into his eyes, afraid to see the world surrounding him.

“Jonas?”

At the sound of his wife’s voice, he slowly removed his shaky hands and opened his eyes. He was home, in his bed, beside his beautiful wife.

“Jonas? Are you ill? What has awakened you?”

His heart beat as his breath passed over his lips. His wife’s eyes scoured his face, and he slowly reached for her. He needed to know she was truly there. Tucking a long strand of blond hair behind her ear he said, “Nothing, my love. I thought I heard an animal scratching around downstairs. It is probably just Gracie. Go back to sleep.”

She rested her head across his bare chest, and he watched her slowly drift back to unconsciousness. He would not tell her. He could not.

Chapter 31

Annalise sat in the field and waited. He would be there soon. He never went longer than a week without coming to her, and it had been six days since she’d last seen him. There was a small flicker in the distance, and he suddenly took form there. She smiled. This was how it always was, always this same field, always starting far away and working closer.

He sat down on the grass mirroring her pose. He was a bit more graceful about finding a seat on the grass than she. Of course he did not have the slight bulge of a belly to maneuver around either.

Another flicker and his seated form disappeared and moved again. He appeared across from her. His smile was as mischievous as ever. “Beautiful Annalise, how are you?”

“Cain.” She smiled at him, glad to see him. “You are a rat for making me wait six days. I am well. What have you been up to?”

“Oh, many un-Christian things. It seems the Devil’s playground is actually quite entertaining.”

“Will you be coming home soon?”

“I will be there before the baby is born, but there is still time yet, correct?”

“Yes, you have time. I look too fat for two months, don’t you think?”

“You look beautiful. Healthy. Perhaps you are carrying twins.”

“Bite your tongue! Gracie assures me there is only one baby in there.”

He laughed. “Speaking of twins, how is my brother?”

Annalise sighed. “Perfect as ever. He is having a barn built closer to our house so he can set up a workshop. He finished the baby’s cradle this week and is now working on whittling a collection of toys to fill the chest he built last week.”

“He always did have a gift for building. Send him my love.”

“I will. And what of Larissa? Have you found her yet?”

He pursed his lips. “No. Has the Bishop returned?”

“Not yet. Silus is furious. He walks around like a storm cloud threatening to disobey the council’s order and go find his wife himself. Honestly, I do not know how your sister tolerated him for the better part of a year.”

“She holds more temperance than the rest of us, that’s for sure. I would have smothered him in his sleep after the first week.”

Anna laughed. “Your father seems to be recovering.”

Cain’s relief at her news was evident in the way his posture changed. “Did they determine what was ailing him?”

“The healer said it might have been some odd allergic reaction. Once Jonas finally admitted that something was wrong, your mother contacted the healer right away. It seems something is giving him headaches. The healer suspects it is some new fiber. They used a new bull for breeding this year and some suspect it is the cow dander in the air that is causing his illness. Your mother has forbidden him to work with the animals for the time being, and Adam has taken over his chores with the livestock. He says his head is worse during the day so he has been working mostly at night and keeping to the house during the day.”

“Is he sleeping?”

Anna sighed. “Not really. He works all night and he refuses to rest during the days. He seems to have some revulsion to sleep lately. It is noticeably aging him.”

“You tell him I said to get some rest for my mother’s sake. And tell my mother if I can be of help, all she needs to do is send you with the request.”

“I will.” Anna felt a tugging inside of her and smiled then blushed.

“I suppose that is my brother waking you up.”

She smiled bashfully. “You know he gets jealous of our dreams. He doesn’t like me to be away from him for too long.” She turned her head and thought for a minute. “Do you think we will always share this gift?”

“I hope so. I may not have gotten your heart, but I am glad I was able to keep this. I like our conversations, Annalise.”

“I like them, too, Cain.”

“Well, I had better be going. I know how my brother can be when he is feeling possessive of his mate.”

He began to flicker. “Cain?”

“Yes, sister?”

“You know you did get part of my heart. Just not the parts that already belonged to Adam.”

He smiled. “I know.”

Cain disappeared and the dreamscape faded to whiter shades of pale then to black. Anna arched as her husband kissed her neck and smiled. Without opening her eyes she teased, “You know you are a territorial male.”

He chuckled and nestled the soft spot of her throat below her hair. “I never claimed not to be. Do you know you smile in your sleep?”

“Do I?”

“Yes.” He kissed a line to her breasts, and she arched into his caressing mouth. “How is my brother?”

“He is well. He misses you.”

“I wonder if he misses you more.”

“We are friends, Adam. That is all.”

“I know. Yet for some reason after you dream with him, I always have a need to remind you the difference between friends and mates. Shall I show you now?”

Her legs spread as he climbed over her, careful not to put too much weight on her abdomen. “Yes, please.” And he did.

His body molded to hers like a second skin. His mouth kissed and sucked and soon it was her mouth doing the same. His arms formed a strong band around her as he seated himself deep inside of her. There was no other place she would rather be than in his arms.

Over the past two months, Adam had more than proven he was a man worth trusting. He had shown Anna there was a God that watched over them, and she thanked The Almighty for giving her Adam every day. She also thanked him for the grace of forgiveness. She would never forget the way Adam had walked away from her on the evening of their wedding, but she had forgiven him. He was her mate, for now and for always, him and no one else.

“Adam, I need you,” she moaned as her tongue traced the strong cord of his neck.

He thrust deep inside of her, his soul attaching more to hers with each powerful stroke. “Take what you need,
ainsicht.
That is what I exist for, satisfying and loving you.”

Her fangs scraped over his pulse as her body tightened around him. Her heels pressed into his back, and he lifted her more onto his lap. As she moved up and down over him, their dewy flesh pressed together and heated. “I love you, Adam. You, for all
eawichkeit.”

“For all
eawichkeit, ainsicht.
You are the one, my only one,” he said reverently and she sunk her fangs into his throat, sending them both into ecstasy.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lydia Michaels is an author of paranormal and contemporary erotic romance. She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her wonderfully supportive husband, beautiful daughter, and her two ridiculously spoiled dogs. After graduating college, Lydia became a mother and 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.
She loves taking a romantic plot with steamy chemistry and pushing the characters through an evolution of emotion by creating real-life challenges any hero or heroine worth their salt could overcome. She presses the bounds of love and surprises readers just when they think they have her stories figured out. Her books are intellectual, erotic, haunting, and always centered on love.

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GLOSSARY

A

Abedit-
appetite

Aesel-
jackass

Ainsicht-
only one

B

Blabbermaul-
talkative

Breder-
brother

Brederlich-
brotherly

Buss-
kiss

C-D

Dobbich-
awkward

Dormlich-
dizzy; vertigo

Dummkup-
idiot; dumb (also referred to as
glutzkupp)

E

Eawichkeit-
eternity

Erector-
destroyed

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

Ganoonk-
Enough!

Grex-
grunt

H-J

Hesslich-
hateful

Hongwarsth-
mischievous youngster

K

Kenn-
know

Kintish-
childlike

L-M

Looshtich-
jolly

N-O

Niddertrechticha-
vile

Nochich-
naked

P-Q

Plesseer-
pleasure

Pricker-
sharp object

R

Roontzel-
wrinkle

Rootsh-
crawl; squirm

Rootshis-
squirmy

Ruich-
still

Rumspringa-
referred to as the ‘running around time’ when young Amish men and women explore the modern world and return to their Amish culture only upon committing to being baptized into their faith once and for all.
 

S-T

Schmecklich-
luscious (as in kisses)

Shrecklich-
frightful

Schwiiz-
descendant of
Switzerland

U-Z

Unfershtendich-
absurd