Dark Exodus (The Order of Vampires 2)

“You had no right,” he choked.

“We’re only trying to help,” Anna said.

He no longer belonged there. Family was based on trust, and they had broken his.

Annalise contacted Cain that night through a dream. He hadn’t expected to hear from her so soon and feared something was wrong. When she explained about the intervention with his father, he had no choice but to get involved.

“What is the woman’s name?”

“Clara Barnes.”

Why did that name seem so familiar? “I know that name.”

Surprised, Anna asked, “How?”

“The English news. The reporter following the murders. Clara Barnes was the mother of the most recent victim.”

“Wait, you’re saying your father’s called mate is somehow connected to a victim from the Jim Thorpe murders? You think your uncle might have killed her daughter?”

Even to his own ears it sounded too full of coincidences. “We don’t know enough about mortals when they are called. Did you have any symptoms, aside from the dreams?”

“Um, I was hungry. And sometimes men complained that I had… an odor. But my girlfriends couldn’t smell it.”

“An odor? They didn’t like the smell?”

Anna blushed. “No, it sort of repelled them.”

Cain considered this. “Adam could have put his scent on you.” Knowing his brother and how territorial he was of his wife, that was probably the case.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m wondering if a called mortal might attract a feeish immortal. Maybe that’s what brought this thing to our area.”

She drew back. “Is that possible?”

“I don’t know.” But if something happened to his father’s mate, there would be no saving him. “We have to destroy whatever is out there.”

“What about Clara? Your dad refuses to go to her.”

“He’ll go. Sooner or later, he won’t have a choice. His loyalty to my mom won’t withstand the call of his true mate.”

“But what if she’s in danger?”

They needed to at least figure out where this Clara Barnes lived. “Gracie said she saw the woman’s house?”

“Yes, but she couldn’t make out any landmarks. She said the visions in your father’s head were more like paintings.”

They were running out of time. “I have an idea. I think I know how we can find her.”

“How?”

He grinned, but his smile was anything but kind. “The reporter. She’ll know where the victims’ families live.”

“Cain, you can’t get close to anyone following the murders. What if they suspect you’re involved.”

He waved off her concern. “You underestimate me, Annalise. I can get the information I need and erase her mind. She’s just a mortal woman.”

“Hey, watch it! I used to be just a mortal woman.”

He chuckled. “We all go through awkward stages.”

Chapter 15

Eleazar returned to Larissa’s home before the sun rose the following morning. Autumn’s chill had set in, yet he found her shelter warm and filled with a scent he now recognized as purely Larissa. He explored her apartment while she still slept, searching for clues about his mate.

Finding a worn Bible tucked neatly beside the couch brought him comfort. Larissa had not forsaken all of her values on her journey to the English suburbs, and this filled him with a hope he had not anticipated finding here.

Her apartment was sparse. Not quite to the degree of their Amish homes, but still less decorated than a born-and-bred English woman’s might be.

Unsure how the day would play out, he found himself navigating several nervous jolts of energy. He wasn’t typically an anxious male, so this was new territory for him.

Small bits of dreams returned to him last night. It was still surreal, after five hundred years, to suddenly find himself blessed with a calling. He’d always expected it would come more… effortlessly. Nothing about his situation was effortless. If anything, Larissa required an exhausting amount of effort and, even after trying his best, there was no guarantee that she would like him.

Love wasn’t even a consideration at this point.

Larissa didn’t seem aware of the calling they shared. Aside from her ravenous hunger yesterday, he didn’t know if she suffered any other symptoms. And who knew if her hunger was the result of starvation or a need for her mate? This would be much easier if she felt something other than hatred for him.

But could he blame her? He should have paid closer attention to her when The Council questioned her. She was clearly entering a loveless marriage.

Such information should please him, as her lack of love for Silus Hostetler uncomplicated matters. But it did not please him. Six short months after her wedding, his symptoms had begun.

He had given her away, his most precious gift. And the male responsible for her care at the time had abused and mistreated her. Had he known what was happening in their marriage, he would have interfered sooner, but his anger at himself got in his way.

He knew nothing about the young female and figured they would have even less than nothing in common. Every time he asked Silus about her, the male commented on what a nuisance she was. Eleazer had been a gullible fool.