Destiny Calls (24 page)

The heavens opened, and rain poured down. Vito cradled his head in his lap, obviously terrified for whatever fate awaited him. The storm above raged on as the storm churning in his blood swirled angrily. Squalls ripped over the hills from the north, and laundry tore from lines like forgotten scraps of paper tearing through the sky.

“Shit, man, do you guys get tornadoes out this far?”

Cain couldn’t answer. The pressure filling his loins was ungodly. His heels dug into the earth as his hands fisted to his sides. He shouted through his teeth at the pain and screwed his eyes closed tight, knowing they were fully dilated by now.

He was dying. There was no doubt in his mind at this point that no man, immortal or not, could live through this sort of pain. His only regret was that he wanted to kiss Destiny one last time.

Like a hot blade cauterizing a limb, something burned through him with such fierceness, he was certain it was the devil himself. And then, as if a part of him had suddenly been ripped away, all the pain left.

The storm eased, and the downpour turned to only a light drizzle cooling his skin. The fields had become freckled with pools of mud and the black clouds retreated back into the heavens.

Cain breathed. He was alive. The sudden shock of what he had just suffered slammed into him, and for the first time in his adult life, he found himself fighting back tears. What the hell was wrong with him? His body shook, and Vito patted him, offering unconvincing words of admiration and encouragement.

“See, man, whatever it was, it’s over now.” He looked just as terrified as Cain had felt. He kept mumbling, as if the horror of what he had just witnessed made it impossible for him to hold his tongue. “I don’t know what the fuck you just went through, but I never saw anything like that in my life. Dude, you were in some pain. Never heard a man scream like that before. Don’t ever want to hear a man scream like that again. You just rest here as long as you need. Someone will come.” He kept repeating the promise. “Someone will come.”

Chapter 19

The baby squawked out a cry, and shivers of joy ran through Destiny’s body. What a miracle! Never in her life had she seen anything so miraculous.

Anna had done wonderfully. They returned a short while ago to drop off soup, as Adam’s wife hadn’t been feeling well. Just as they were ready to leave, Anna had made a peculiar face, and then there was a trickling sound upon the floor. Gracie had cheered that the baby was coming and led Anna to a bed. She quickly instructed Destiny to go and get Adam.

“I don’t know what Adam looks like,” Destiny said, panicked by all the excitement.

“He looks exactly like Cain, but smarter!” Gracie said quickly. “He will be in the barn. Go and find him.”

Destiny lifted up her skirt and ran to the barn. She skidded to a stop in the wide doorway and a man, looking just like Cain stared at her with confusion.

“Adam?” she panted, and the man nodded. “Anna…the baby…your wife’s having the baby…” He had left the barn so fast she didn’t see him again until she returned to the house.

Destiny was so moved by the way Cain’s twin held his wife and encouraged her through each contraction. No matter how impolitely Annalise spoke to her husband, he never lost his patience.

“Son of a bitch!” the woman cursed as a big contraction took hold of her.

“Language,
ainsicht.
Our son doesn’t need to enter this world hearing such things.”

“Shut the fuck up, Adam. Until you have a human being coming out of your dick, you will keep your opinions to yourself. If I can’t have an epidural or drugs, then I’m allowed to say whatever the hell I want.”

“I can see his head!” Gracie called from the foot of the bed.

Anna breathed through another contraction. Although she cursed, she had remained pretty calm and breathed through most of the pain with little complaint. She never shouted or even raised her voice through the entire ordeal except for the moments when she chewed her husband a new one.

Destiny admired her strength and thought it was an amazing thing that some considered women the weaker sex, yet they were the ones who created life.

When the baby was finally delivered, mother and father embraced as Gracie cleaned up the small bit of life. He was in fact a boy as they’d all assumed he would be. Destiny observed, immobile and speechless, as Gracie placed the newborn into the mother’s arms.

Anna appeared to be in no pain at all once the baby was delivered. Her color was already returning and, although she trembled slightly, Destiny believed it was more from emotion than pain.

Anna looked down into the face of the swaddled child. Although the baby was premature, he was actually quite large for a newborn. She smiled as the husband and wife pressed their heads together and stared lovingly into the eyes of their new baby boy.

“I will have to tell the bishop a name for the records. Do you have one?” Gracie asked.

Anna’s eyes glistened as her mouth curved. “Cain Paul Hartzler.”

Gracie obviously flinched. “Are you sure? Adam?”

Adam sighed and looked at his wife lovingly. “Are you sure,
ainsicht?
He will bear that name for a very long time.”

“I’m sure,” Anna said. “Cain has sacrificed a lot for us. He’s a good man.”

Adam nodded and then looked at her apprehensively. “And Paul?”

She smiled as she cooed at her son. “Everyone thinks that John was the cutest Beatle, but really it was Paul. A son as handsome as ours needs a name deserving of such.”

Destiny frowned. How the hell did an Amish chick know who the Beatles were? The two became lost in their own world and Destiny wanted to stay and watch them in their happiness, but Gracie gently took her hand and led them out of the room, allowing the family their privacy.

“I must run to the safe house and inform the bishop that The Order has a new member. Why don’t you head home and I’ll meet you there. Cain and your brother should be back by now.”

Destiny nodded and slowly walked back to the house. She smiled the entire time. She looked around at the wet ground. It must have rained while Anna was in labor. She had been so preoccupied watching the miracle of life take place right before her eyes, she hadn’t even noticed.

She entered the house wearing a grin and feeling as if she had witnessed something beautiful and priceless. Her brother, looking a little ragged from his day working on the farm scowled at her and snapped, “
Where the hell have you been?
”

Chapter 20

“Why are you shouting? I was over at Annalise and Adam’s. She had the baby, Vito, and I saw the whole thing!”

“Well, that’s just great. Where’s Gracie? Cain’s sick.”

Destiny’s joy slipped away. “What do you mean sick?”

“I mean sick. Really sick. I thought he was having seizure or some kind of heart attack. I never saw a man in so much pain. I don’t know what the fuck these people do for doctors around here, but I’m pretty sure he needs one.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s in his room sleeping—”

Destiny ran to Cain’s room, concern making it difficult to breathe. She took a deep breath and quietly entered the room. The curtains had been drawn, and he lay sleeping on top of the covers. His clothing was damp and musty smelling, and his face was creased with tension.

She quietly stepped over to the bed and sat down gently by his side. She touched his forehead. No fever. “Cain?”

He groaned, but didn’t open his eyes. “Destiny?”

“I’m here. Are you okay?”

He gave a tight nod. “She’s gone.”

“Who?”

“Anna. I can’t feel her anymore.”

Destiny tipped her head in confusion. She brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. “Anna’s fine, Cain. She had the baby. It was a boy, just like Gracie thought. They named him after you.”

Cain smiled, but his eyes remained closed. “He shall be a devil for them then, just as his namesake is. Foolish girl. She should have named him after his father.”

Destiny thought the same thing, but kept her opinion to herself. She didn’t understand the bond between Anna and Cain, only that there was definitely something there and for some reason there was tension as well between the three of them. “Cain?”

“Mmm.”

“Did you and Anna…did you used to date?”

He gave a dry laugh. “What we shared was more than dating. She’s very special. Very sweet.”

It sounded as though he loved her, but she was married to his brother. Destiny had a strange reaction to the tone in his voice as he spoke of the other woman. She quickly changed the subject. “Can I get you something? Is there a doctor I should call?”

“Always looking for an excuse to call someone. I’m fine now. At least I understand what happened to me.”

“What happened to you, Cain?”

“Don’t you worry. It’s over now. Just lay with me a while as I wait for my strength to come back.”

Destiny carefully slipped off her muddy boots and climbed onto the bed beside him. She didn’t want to crowd him if he were feeling sore or ill so she left a bit of space between them. However, as soon as she settled, he pulled her close and snuggled her into his side. Destiny smiled. She liked the way he held her.

* * * *

Gracie left the safe house smiling and nearly plowed into Dane. She quickly shut him off from her thoughts. It had become a reflex, since learning he, too, could see into peoples’ minds. His hands caught her by the shoulders and steadied her. She gasped and pulled herself out of his grip.

“Dane, what are you doing here.” Something was wrong. She could tell by the tight set of his shoulders and the crease of his brows. She probed his mind, but found his thoughts closed off as well. She felt guilty for having talked to him so cruelly the other day, but knew it was best to keep her distance from the young man.

“I came to see the bishop.”

“Oh.” She looked to the fields and shifted her feet, searching for something more to say. “Anna had the baby. His name is Cain Paul Hartzler.”

He frowned. “She named him after Cain?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s nice, I guess.” He shifted awkwardly.

“What do you need to see Eleazar about?”

His lips formed a thin line as if he were debating on sharing his purpose with her. “I want to leave the farm for a bit.”

Sharp disappointment cut to her heart. “Why?”

“I need to check on my grandmother’s estate. I don’t want to wait until Jonas returns. There are things I need to ask about.”

“Are you planning on living there?” Although she couldn’t entertain thoughts about Dane and her as far as futures went, she didn’t want him to truly leave.

“Perhaps when I turn eighteen. I don’t know. I don’t really belong here, but this is where Cybil wants to stay. I don’t want to leave her, but…”

“Then don’t.” Her voice sounded angry, but she couldn’t ignore the sense that he was betraying her by leaving, abandoning her. It was irrational of her to expect him to stay when she could make him no promises, yet she wanted him to all the same. She wanted him to fight for her and perhaps convince her foolish, stubborn mind that it would be okay to love him, to finally
be
loved.

He sighed and then looked at her through softened eyes. “Ask me to stay and I will, Grace. Give me a reason, and I’ll never go.” She remained silent, knowing she couldn’t promise what he asked for. He was so young. He would grow and change and eventually move on and fall in love with someone else. What he suffered was merely a childish crush.

His brow creased. “That’s why I need to go. I have no reason to stay.”

“Stay because you like it here, because your sister’s here.”

His shoulders sagged, and he suddenly looked very much the confused seventeen-year-old boy he was. “I don’t know. Maybe I will. I have just as little out there as I have here.”

Her heart ached for him. Such tragedy had befallen his family after their mother was murdered in the woods. Poor Cybil never spoke, and Dane seemed to carry the blame of what had happened. Although Gracie’s father had played a part in the children’s lives, he had not saved their grandmother in time. They were truly all alone in this world.

She gently slid her hand down his arm and squeezed his hand. Their eyes met, and that same pull she had ignored since meeting him returned. “You have friends here,” she whispered softly.

He withdrew his hand from hers. “What if I want more than friendship?”

She gazed at the porch floor. The wind cut through her cloak and loosened her bonnet. She tugged a strand of hair away from her face. “Isn’t friendship enough?”

“Not with you,” he said, and she saw a side of him that was incongruous with his young age. There was something very determined hiding inside of Dane, something that told her he would someday be a great man.

“I’m sorry, Dane. You’re still young—”