Dark Exodus (The Order of Vampires 2)

However, she couldn’t allow her brother’s paranoia to intrude on her newfound peace. “Silus doesn’t know where I am, and if he’s on the farm, I’m safe enough.”

“I think the bishop is searching for you.”

“The bishop? Why?” How absurd for a man of his power to trouble himself with her whereabouts.

“Apparently, when Silus requested permission to retrieve his disobedient wife—” he smirked with brotherly pride, “the bishop thought himself better suited for the task.”

“Why would that crabby old male care where I am? I’m not the first female to escape.”

“You’re the first one in some time. My guess is because you abandoned your duty. He was one of The Elders who approved Silus’s request to marry you. Perhaps he’s invested.”

She let out an unladylike snort. “My duty? If Silus had his way, I’d live a millennium as nothing more than an object to serve him. No, I think not. I’m happy here. I’ll never go back. Not for Silus, not for the bishop, not even for our family.”

“Your true mate’s still out there, Larissa. You won’t be free forever.”

She understood that, but she was free for now. “If that time ever comes, it will be different.”

Marriage was child’s play in comparison to the bond shared between called mates. Marriages were contracts by choice, and usually only the male’s choice. Being bonded was a calling from God. There was no breaking a bond between true mates. It was sewn into one’s soul at creation.

“The Elders showed little care about my destined mate when they married me off to Silus, so why should I concern myself with his whereabouts now?” Bitterness tightened her mouth into a frown.

“I think, should you find your mate, you will want to be with him.”

She knew he was right. No matter how liberated or undomesticated she desired to be, surrender remained an innate part of her makeup whenever she fantasized about finding her true mate. Only one other soul could perfectly match hers.

Her heart pinched for her brother. After everything he’d suffered from Adam and Annalise’s mating, he had changed. He no longer smiled as easily or appeared as the carefree brother she had always known.

“Anyway, it was your suggestion I leave.” She plopped beside him on the sofa and gave his shoulder a nudge, attempting to lighten the mood. “I prefer to think of my situation as self-inflicted excommunication.”

Cain chuckled. “If Bishop King finds you, you’ll have a tough time.”

“That wretched old man doesn’t frighten me.”

Cain’s eyes darkened. “He should. I’ve experienced his anger, and it isn’t pleasant.”

She studied him in silence for a long moment. “What did he do to you down in that cell?”

He shook his head. “It’s best for everyone if we never speak of that night again.”

That day was horrific. There had been so much blood, and the sound of her mother’s screams would haunt her for all of her eternal life. Perhaps he was right; some events were best left in the past.

“Well, then I simply won’t be found.”

“Good luck with that.” He stood and the mood finally lightened. “I need to feed.”

Her mind returned to Bishop King. The miserable elder was at least five hundred years older than her. If he wanted to find her, he would.

She didn’t want to live like a nomad. She simply wanted peace and her freedom. He would steal both from her if he delivered her back to Silus. Therefore, he was another enemy.

Wanting to escape such terrifying thoughts, she asked, “How is Father?”

Cain sighed, and his usually jovial expression faltered under the weight of his honest concern. “Annalise tells me he’s worsening every day, growing weaker and more withdrawn from Mother.”

Annalise was married to their brother, Adam, yet she and Cain shared a special bond. Perhaps because he and Adam were twins. No one had a reliable explanation for such a phenomenon.

“He’s losing weight,” Cain continued. “He’s been horribly lethargic, yet Mother claims he refuses to sleep for anything longer than a few minutes here and there.”

“What do The Elders say?”

“Perhaps Father is developing some sort of allergy. The world is not what it was, and the pollution from the English drifts over our land. While we heal fast, we’re still vulnerable to illness. I’m sure he’ll recover eventually.”

Larissa frowned. Their kind rarely fell ill. Allergies were something mortals dealt with, not their species. “Will you go to him soon?”

She wanted to check on him but could not. If she ever returned to her home, she would never escape again. Silus would see to it.

“If he needs me, I will go. You know I would do anything for any of you.”

That was true. Although Cain appeared the most careless member of the family, he was as loyal a brother as one could find.

She squeezed his hand. “I know you would, Cain. So do the others. That is why I thank God every day that you are still a part of my life.” She shivered to think that she almost lost him a not too long ago.