Dark Exodus (The Order of Vampires 2)

When she finished and closed the wound, he flipped her to her back and took her hard, driving into her with greedy force and claiming all that was his. Baring his fangs, he plunged his teeth into her breast and drank his fill.

Her cries of pleasure hit the rafters, echoing through the empty house. Soon those carnal cries would be a familiar song within these walls, and his house would become a home, rich with character and loud with the pitter-patter of their children’s feet.

His male ego flexed at the idea and he thrust hard, urgently wanting to fill her with his seed. He fondled and teased, driving her pleasure as high as his own, and when they finished together, he saw a glimpse of heaven on Earth in her eyes.

She was his salvation in every single way a female could be.

Collapsing next to her, he tugged her body close, unwilling to let a single shadow separate them. Was this love? This need to have her close to him at his side, to know her every tell, was nothing like anything he needed before. As a matter of fact, when he had her to himself, he needed nothing else. She was his everything.

Larissa awoke in an unfamiliar bed only to find Eleazar gone. Sliding her hand under the covers, she found his side of the bed cold, and she frowned. The sun had yet to rise fully and he was already gone? She’d assumed he’d at least stay and have breakfast with her, especially after reconnecting last night.

The chill filling the room brought a shiver and she snuggled deeper under the blankets. But sleep evaded her.

After several long minutes of contemplating what to do with herself, she rose. She shivered as her bare feet touched the cold wood floor. While there was a large fireplace in the bedroom, there was nothing but ash inside.

Her dress and chemise draped over the chair in the corner, but she was still without a bonnet. She quickly dressed and visited the water closet.

Once she plaited her hair, she returned to the bedroom and waited, growing more and more impatient by the hour, but no one came. She was without a kapp and, therefore, restricted to the private quarters.

She listened for sounds in the silence, her thoughts drifting to matters outside of her control. Today, Silus would learn of her return. Her father might find his mate. Her mother would be eternally heartbroken. It felt criminal to sit idle while so much went on outside of these walls.

She paced for a while, but her anxiety only grew. When she reached for Eleazar’s mind, she found it completely closed off. He was likely around others and trying to keep his private business private, especially while her presence must remain a secret.

She understood why Eleazar wanted her to hide, but she didn’t do well with boundaries. She spent months locked away in Silus’s bedroom.

Despite all the hours she’d passed trapped inside the Hostetler house, it never welcomed her like a home. It had only ever been a prison. She didn’t want the bishop’s home to feel the same.

Braving the halls, she explored the old house. It was simple, more so than the typical Amish home. No needlepoint or greeting cards hung by the entry. No family birth records displayed on his walls. There was only one large mechanical clock in the kitchen and a wooden calendar that hadn’t been changed in weeks.

She wondered if he’d object to her adding accents.

The second floor had plenty of bedrooms, but each one was empty and cold. The first floor had a large den that she’d visited on occasion for prayer service. Although it was within his private quarters, The Order treated it as a public space. Memories of sitting beside Silus in that room caused her to back away from the threshold before stepping inside.

Her stomach growled. Searching the pantry, she found very little fresh food. Older immortals did not rely on plants, grains, or proteins the way younger immortals did. She shut the cabinets and sat down at the table, staring at the empty kitchen in silence.

He had suggested that she rest and read, but she wasn’t tired and had yet to find a single book. In the hallway by his office door, which then led to Council Hall, she found a large poster with scribbled cursive. It was a listing of all the nearby towns and their zip codes. She spent an hour memorizing the numbers out of sheer boredom.

By midafternoon, her boredom shifted to anger. Not once had he stopped in to check on her or ask if she needed anything.

By now he had to have notified The Council of her presence and disclosed their calling. Didn’t he understand how lonely it was trapped in this strange house by herself? The least he could do was send for Gracie once the news got out.