Destiny Calls

  Maybe it was better that she kept smiling. The moment she actually accepted what was happening here, she would have to accept the reality that she had no future with Cain. And then the tears and heartache would come even more than they already had. Ignoring the whispers of her common sense was never a wise choice, but her greedy libido and stupid heart had her brain outnumbered.

  She dried herself off and smirked at the odd little washroom. Considering that they didn’t embrace technology, the Amish sure had some interesting ways of making up for the amenities they lacked.

  Destiny tipped her head so that her hair fell over her shoulder and reached for the pitcher of water outside of the galvanized tub. She carefully poured the steaming water, rinsing the soap from her wet curls. As the heated liquid poured past her body and into the cooling bathwater, she shivered. She cupped water to her body, rinsing any remaining suds away as she stood. Once she dried herself with the large bath sheet, she quickly returned to Cain’s room.

  Cain came in as she was combing out her hair. Her heart raced when the door shut with a quiet snick. He came up behind her and cupped his palms over the sides of her arms and placed a kiss on the top of her damp head. Slowly he turned her. They looked at each other, a thousand things to say but neither of them speaking a word.

  Gently, he ran the back of his fingers down the side of her cheek. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Her towel fell away, and without words he lifted her and carried her to the bed.

  The covers were cool against her back. She shivered, and he continued to kiss her, caressing her with unhurried hands. He had never touched her this way, soft, gently. It made her sad. It was as if he were saying good-bye.

  She suddenly wanted to cry. When his mouth found hers again, she poured everything she felt for him into her kiss. He held her in his strong arms as she stripped away his clothes. When he entered her, there was no hurry, no urgent fire that needed stoking, only a slow-burning flame that never seemed to dim between the two of them.

  She raised her hips to meet each slow thrust, and their hands never left the other. It finally struck her. He was making love to her.

  They moved together as if they were one. As natural as the rhythmic push and pull of the earth when it meets the ocean in an endless kiss that strokes along the sand. Her heart raced for reasons having nothing to do with the intensity of their motions, but everything to do with the intensity of her love for this man.

  Why had she allowed herself to get so involved? There would be no future for them. The idea of Cain marrying some sweet Amish girl nothing like herself created a crushing pain in her chest.

  A sob escaped, and she suddenly realized she was crying. He kissed away her tears. “Do not weep, Destiny. Please do not cry.”

  She tried to hold back her tears, but it hurt too much. She wanted him. She wanted Cain, not just any man, but him. Although they shared great chemistry, it was more than that.

  He understood things about her that people who had known her all of her life didn’t get. He seemed able to see into her very soul. He looked at her and saw her as something beautiful and worthy when everyone else just passed her by.

  “I love you, Cain.”

  “I love you, too,” he said with equal sadness.

  When they finished making love, they held each other in silence for quite some time. Cain was the first to break the moment with matters that needed to be discussed.

  “Will you leave tomorrow?”

  She sighed. “I don’t want to.”

  “I don’t want you to either.”

  “What if…What if you came with me?” That was asking a lot, but she needed to ask. Hearing him say no would crush her, and that was exactly what he would have to say.

  It was unrealistic to ask an Amish man to give up everything he knew, his family, his home. When an Amish person left their order, they were leaving it permanently, shunning their beliefs and in turn exiling themselves from everything they were. Yet, there was still some foolish part of her that hoped he would do that for her, that expected him to love her enough to throw it all away.

  “I’m sorry, Destiny.”

  She nodded tightly and blinked back tears.

  “There are just some things you don’t understand. If it were only a matter of giving up my culture, I would go with you in a heartbeat. You mean more to me than anything I have waiting for me on this farm.”

  “Then why do you stay?”

  “Because I can’t be with you like that. We are too different in ways I cannot explain right now. You’ll just have to trust me.”

  His words made her angry. He was purposely not telling her something. “We don’t have to get married, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

  He shook his head. “You are meant to be a wife, Destiny. And you will live a full life and have lots of babies and grandbabies, and when you leave this world, you will leave behind more of a legacy than I could ever accomplish in all my years.”

  “Is it because I’m younger than you?” She should let it go, but she needed to understand why. If it wasn’t leaving his Amish roots, then what?

  “Please don’t do this. Tomorrow I’ll take Vito into town to get what he needs for his car, and you’ll return to your exciting life back home.”

  He kissed her, but she felt like turning away. She wanted to be mad at him for not explaining things better, but at the same time she didn’t want to waste any of the last moments together.

  They made love several times throughout the night, not falling asleep until the wee hours of the morning.

  Chapter 24

  The sound of voices coming from the kitchen had Cain opening his eyes. They had slept late. The clatter of dishes and the scent of breakfast cooking roused him, but he had no desire to get out of bed.

  Destiny lay next to him, cuddled closely to his side. He gently kissed her awake, and she moaned.

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “Mmm, good morning.”

  “Have I told you how gorgeous you are when you sleep? I love listening to your little snores and sometimes there is the cutest little bit of drool you leave upon my pillow.”

  She smacked his arm and laughed. “Jerk! I don’t drool or snore.”

  He laughed with her and pulled her into his arms. She straddled his hips, and he leaned forward to capture one of her nipples in his mouth. She moaned. Reaching down, he pooled the thin white sheet over them and spent a good few minutes kissing her.

  She was softly moaning, but it was enough to miss the quiet sound of the door opening. She whispered that she loved him, and he pulled her closer. “I love you, too, Destiny.”

  There was a sharp gasp, and he stilled. Destiny tensed, having heard the sound as well. Cain slowly pulled the covers back and regretfully cursed when he saw Cybil standing at his door.

  “Cybil—”

  The child’s face was pale, and she rapidly shook her head as if denying what she was seeing as being real. He knew the girl adored him. He felt the same, but the look on her face told Cain she may have fancied him as something more than an older-brother-type friend, which was ludicrous. The girl was a child. Still, the idea of hurting her tender little feelings didn’t sit well with him.

  He gently put Destiny aside and carefully kept the sheet from slipping and shocking the child more. She was breathing fast, and Cain feared she would start to cry. A slip of paper slid out of her hand and coasted to the floor. It looked like a drawing of a father and daughter standing together, colored brightly, sitting in a field of flowers. Destiny shifted off his lap and ducked under the covers.

  “Cybil, please listen to me—”

  Rather than listen she turned sharply and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her. “God damn it!” Cain growled as he climbed out of bed.

  “Is she all right?”

  “I don’t know,” he said as he slid his legs into his pants. The sound of the front door slamming echoed through the house. “I’m sorry, Destiny, I
have to go after her.”

  “Go!” Destiny said, obviously concerned for Cybil.

  Cain threw a shirt over his shoulders, but didn’t bother closing it. Going without his shoes, he ran through the kitchen.

  Dane scowled at him. “What’s going on?”

  “Cybil walked in on me and Destiny,” Cain quickly explained.

  Vito’s head popped up. “You’re hooking up with my sister? Dude, not cool.”

  Dane got in his face. “What do you mean? Walked in on?”

  “I mean we were fooling around, and she walked in without knocking. She’s upset. I have to find her.”

  Cain ran out of the house and spotted a flash of red. Cybil was heading up the hill toward the south.

  “Cybil!”

  She turned to face him and then quickly continued on. He jogged after her and heard Dane echoing his sister’s name not too far behind.

  “Cybil, stop running! I want to talk to you,” Cain called after her.

  Dane caught up to him and scowled alongside Cain as they chased after her. “Why is she so upset?” he demanded, and Cain had the sudden thought that Dane was getting a little too big for his britches. He didn’t need a lecture from a seventeen-year-old, mortal boy.

  “I have no idea, Dane. I guess she didn’t like what she saw.”

  “What were you doing?” he asked accusingly.

  Cain shot him a hard look. “It’s none of your damn business.” He then turned toward the south and shouted again, “Cybil!”

  “Damn it!” Dane snapped. “She’s heading to that damn bull pen.” He ran faster.

  A jolt of fear had Cain’s steps staggering. “Clive’s pen? Why would she go there?” He increased his pace.

  “You know how she is. She likes to hang out places people don’t usually go. Cybil! Stay away from that bull!”

  As they crested the hill, Cain’s heart stuttered. She was climbing the gate to the fence. The bull was at the far side of the pen, but not happy about the trespasser. “Cybil, no!”

  She looked back at him, their eyes meeting over the long distance, and even from this far away he could spot her tears. He picked up his pace and bolted toward the fence. His increase in speed seemed to jar her. She turned and quickly hopped over the gate.

  “Cybil! Get out of there!” Dane shouted, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

  The bull huffed, steam bellowing out of his nostrils as he stomped his front hoof. “Dear God, please…” he prayed as he sped to inhuman speeds. It was too late.

  By the time he reached the gate, two thousand pounds of muscle and flesh was barreling toward Cybil. “Cybil!”

  Her red dress blew in the wind like a taunting flag as Clive charged toward her, horns down, fur already sweating. “Run, Cybil, Run!”

  Dane shouted behind him as he jumped the gate and tore into the pen. The bull raced toward the center where she stood, her red skirt whipping in the wind. Cain and Clive raced toward her, only the bull got there first. He screamed in horror as Cybil’s small body took the impact of the bull, red skirts swirling as she crumpled to the ground in a cloud of dust. “No!”

  When he made it to her, the bull was just turning and coming back for more. Cain faced the animal with such rage pumping through his veins he could barely control himself. He growled at the beast as it charged toward them, ran at it, meeting it head-on. When he crashed into the bull using all his strength, the animal bleated in pain. Cain grabbed hold of its horns, spreading over five feet wide, and grunted as he gave a sharp twist. The animal’s neck snapped, and it fell to the ground. He quickly turned and went to Cybil’s crumpled form.

  His hand shook as he gently reached out to touch her pale cheek. Dane skidded in the dirt beside him, frantic, and crashed down on his knees.

  “She’s okay, she’s okay, she’s okay,” Dane repeated over and over again. Cain knew before he touched her that her heart had stopped.

  “Tell me she’s okay?” the boy growled angrily at him.

  Cain looked at him, the wind cold against the tears running down his face. He shook his head.

  Dane shook. “No! No! Do you hear me?” He shoved Cain and Cain didn’t think to stop him. “You fix this! You bring her back!”

  Cain looked at him, wishing he could undo this, but knew he couldn’t. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. “Dane, I’m sorry—”

  “No! Don’t you apologize to me! You fucking fix this right now!”

  “I can’t!” Cain practically sobbed back at the boy.

  Dane shouted in his direction as tears streamed down his face. “I know what you are, and I know you can bring her back! Why won’t you save her?”

  He tried to hold the boy, but he shook him off. “Dane, you don’t understand. She isn’t my mate. It only works if she’s my mate.”

  “That’s not true. I heard the other men talking. They said it can still be done.”

  “Who did you hear?”

  “It doesn’t matter! You’re losing time. Do it!”

  “I can’t. If she isn’t my mate, it will make her mad. She won’t be the same.”

  “You don’t know that!” He looked at him with such desperation in his young eyes. Cybil was all Dane had left. As if his strength suddenly abandoned him, he fell into a fit of sobs. Dane wiped the heel of his palm angrily at his eyes. “Please, Cain. She’s all I have left.”

  Unable to deny him, Cain reached for Cybil’s small form and pulled her limp body into his arms. He looked at Dane one last time, and the boy nodded. Cain opened his mouth wide and hissed as his fangs punched free from his gums. He sank his teeth into the child’s tender neck and drained her dry. He could taste the youth in her blood, and it made him sick. Why was life so cruel?

  Still reluctant to go on, he hesitated a moment after he placed her pale, bloodless body back onto the ground. The contrast of her crimson dress against her pastel white skin looked unnatural.

  “Do it!” Dane growled.

  Cain bit into his wrist and quickly pressed it to her lips. Droplets of red, so dark against her translucent skin they appeared black, dotted her chin. She wasn’t swallowing. Cain pulled her into his lap and tipped back her head.

  Her bonnet fell to the ground and her unbraided, straggly white-blonde hair spilled over his sleeve. “Rub your hand over her throat. She has to swallow it.”

  Dane did as he was told and forced as much of Cain’s blood into her body as possible. When the wound on his wrist closed, he carefully pulled his arm away and rocked her. She was so thin and small. Dane rocked with him, never taking his eyes off his sister’s still form.

  “What now?”

  “Now we wait and see if it worked.” He looked at the boy and wanted to warn him that if she survived he may very soon wish she hadn’t, but figured his words were useless at this point.

  Although the elders weren’t completely sure, Cain had seen what had become of the transitions in the woods. A mortal only turned safely if it was through the blood of their mate. He didn’t want to do that to Cybil. Why had she run into the damn pen?

  His body shook as he took a deep breath, and he realized he was still crying. He looked at Dane who was crying as well. All of this was Isaiah’s fault. If he hadn’t killed their mother, they wouldn’t have been here and Cybil would still be alive.

  “Did you see that?” Dane whispered. “Her finger twitched.”

  Cain laid her out on the ground and carefully pulled her red dress over her knees. He put an arm up, forcing Dane to step back. Her finger twitched again. Dane tried to go to her, but Cain put a restraining hand on his arm. Cain looked at her chest. There was the slightest flicker, too light for Dane’s mortal eyes to detect, as her heart began to pump.

  Color slowly returned to her skin in a red wave from her chest to her shoulders to her fingertips.

  “It’s working!” Dane said, and Cain apprehensively watched as color rose in her neck, putting life back in her cheeks, and taking away the gaunt appearance o
f her sunken skin.

  Dane gasped, and Cain followed the boy’s gaze to Cybil’s hands. The cuticles filling the beds of her nails receded, and the choppy, chapped skin around her fingertips rejuvenated. Her hair thickened from baby fine to a weighty mass with a full and healthy sheen. Her lips plumped and pinkened and her silver lashes practically doubled in length.

  They waited, neither one of them daring to breathe.

  Suddenly Cybil’s chest filled, her small dress tightening and expanding over her small chest. Her mouth opened wide and two sharp little fangs showed over her bloodred tongue. Her eyes opened, but they were no longer blue. There was no white surrounding her irises. Dane gasped as he stared into liquid pools of red.

  Cain quickly stood and yanked the boy behind him.

  “Wha—”

  “Stay back!” Cain held Dane behind him as Cybil blinked and panted at the sky.

  “Cain?” Cain turned quickly at the sound of Destiny’s voice.

  “Destiny, go back to the house,” he shouted, trying to keep his voice calm and praying she listened to him. He looked back down at Cybil who was appearing more and more agitated by the second.

  “Is everything all right?” Destiny called, and he could tell she was getting closer.

  “Everything’s fine. Go back to the house,” he yelled quickly.

  “Where are you—”

  “Go back to the damn house!” he shouted, and suddenly Cybil shot to her feet with unnatural agility and speed.

  He looked back at the new transition and saw no remnants of the sweet little girl in her eyes. “Cybil,” he said her name slowly, soothingly. “Listen to me, Cybil. We only want to help you.”

  Her head lowered as she hunched over, bringing her shoulders up to her ears. She reminded Cain of a vulture on a perch. Her eyes tracked every movement, ready to attack at any moment. He prayed Destiny didn’t say another word and did as he said. Unfortunately, as always, his prayers went unanswered.

  Destiny stomped into view, a scowl on her face, obviously prepared to give him hell for speaking to her in such a nasty way. As soon as she stepped into view, Cybil saw her and growled. Cain looked at Destiny, and fear choked him. “Destiny, get out of here!”