Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Lydia Michaels

fully embrace without a twinge of guilt for her conceit, but she was proud of her children. Perhaps if she had more babes, she would not feel so alone. But God had not blessed her with children since Gracie.
    She wondered if she would ever hold a babe with Jonas’s ice-blue eyes and her own straight nose in her arms again. Beyond the grace of God was the distance that had invaded her marriage. Did no one want her anymore? Had she served her purpose? She felt as if she was a jar of jam being set on a shelf for the winter. Perhaps she was entering the winter of her own life. The moments of vibrant life, blossoming in every corner, were gone. It seemed a frost was setting in and although Abilene was seventy-eight, she was not ready to simply sit back while the others lived on.
    She was more than happy for Adam and Annalise. They were true mates and come spring they would be giving birth to her first grandbaby. Anna was a beautiful woman with an even more enchanting soul. She was good for her Adam. The way her son looked at his mate often reminded Abilene of the way Jonas had always looked at her. He saw her as a precious gift, one he would battle a thousand men to protect, one he would not be able to breathe without.
    Jonas had often referred to Abilene as his breath and sometimes the music to his soul. How long had it been since he had said such sweet words to her? She knew she was not imagining this distance between them. It was growing into a great yawning void neither of them could seem to reach across.
    Abilene felt chilled. Pulling her quilt up to her shoulders, she stared into the empty bedroom filled with silver puddles of moonlight and black fingers of shadows. The silence was choking her. She shut her eyes and fought her tears. She would not break. Whatever her husband was going through, she would stand by his side and be there for him when he was ready to accept her help. He was her one and only true love. She was his helpmate. She had given him sixty years of love, honor, trust, and obedience without a single moment of hesitating. He was a remarkable male. He loved her with every cell of his being. She had never doubted his devotion to her or his children, so why was she suddenly questioning it now?
    An idle mind is the devil’s playground, she thought, ashamed of where her thoughts had taken her. It was this godforsaken silence! She thought about going to wake Gracie to get her mind off this morose path of thinking. Gracie was always a wonderful distraction with her naturally charming optimism, so different from her older daughter, Larissa.
    Larissa was a woman of duty. When the elders approached Jonas on behalf of Silus Hostetler’s request to wed Larissa, they had been surprised. While Jonas and Abilene had married rather than wait for God’s call, it was not a common occurrence among their kind. And rarely did a marriage take place when both male and female did not seek it. Silus had never even courted Larissa. After Ezekiel told them of the young man’s request, Jonas had to point out Silus to their daughter at service that week. Larissa had watched the man, but made no expression to give away her emotions.
    Her stoic daughter never voiced any objections. She had been raised to respect her elders and live obediently among The Order and had always done so without complaint. Their home had been a place of love and acceptance. If Larissa had objected to the union, Jonas would have demanded the elders rethink their edict. He had requested as much even without his daughter’s objections.
    Jonas had told Abilene that Silus had used nepotism to gain the council’s permission to wed Larissa. While she and Jonas’s father both held positions on the elders’ bench, Silus had three family members on the bench. Majority had ruled in his favor, seven to two, and the union had taken place shortly after. Silus had become her son-in-law over a year ago, yet Abilene knew nothing of the man’s character. He was an