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The gate at the front of the picket fence squeaked as he stepped into the yard. His long strides covered the path in four quick steps and he bounded up the porch stairs.
Removing his hat, he entered his family home.
“It’s about time,” his younger sister, Grace, scolded by way of greeting. “You know, some of us are hungry.”
Some, not all. His finicky appetite was shriveling. While blood was full of important vitamins and minerals, without fats his system wouldn’t absorb all its benefits. Their diet required a consistent balance of unrefined iron only found in blood and animal protein to remain at top strength. But food also nourished their bodies, providing minerals not found in blood.
He brushed a kiss on Grace’s head. “I apologize. You should’ve started without me.”
“I told you he’d be late,” Cain said, reaching for a steaming dinner roll. “I don’t know why you insisted on waiting.”
Their mother slapped the roll out of his hand. “Patience, Cain. Give Adam a chance to sit. And we must wait for your father.”
Abilene Hartzler, mother of four and tireless matriarch of their home, had never been a soft touch when it came to maintaining order. Their father was the head of the house, but she was the heart—she beat good and strong when needed, but she also loved unconditionally.
A gentle and obedient wife, she’d always been a beloved member of their community and devoted mother. Despite her efforts to raise a large family, she’d only managed three successful pregnancies, two with daughters and one with twin sons.
Some whispered her misfortunes were a result of marrying for love rather than having the patience to wait for God’s calling. Their parents were not bonded, therefore they did not receive the same respect as other couples in the order. But they weren’t alone.
Marriages were often conducted out of convenience, for the simple purpose of procreating future generations. Practices were traditionally Amish, leaving the selection to the male and the final decision to the Elders. Seen as a contract upheld until death—something their kind rarely faced—marriages were never entered into lightly. However, there was another way to dissolve a marriage within their species, something his parents prayed never to face. Just like him, even a married immortal would never possess the strength to ignore a calling. Only that or death could dissolve a marriage among their kind and he hoped his parents never faced either.
He settled into the seat beside Grace. “Did you get outside today, Mother?”
Dark circles marked her eyes, but he thought he noticed an improvement in her color. Despite their rapid healing, some wounds—emotional wounds—could not be rushed to heal.
“I swept the porch and sat in the sun for a while, catching up on my needle work.”
Sleep and feeding were crucial to heal. The last time she’d lost a babe it had taken a little over a year for her to regain her vigor and usual beauty. Heartache had diminished her appetite, but she never failed to sit with them for a meal. His mother valued their family above all else. She loved and protected each one fiercely—exactly why Adam wanted to protect her now while she was weak.
“Perhaps Larissa will bring you a grandbaby to love this year,” Grace offered with a smile and Cain flinched.
His brother was closest to Larissa. Her marriage was not a love match or a calling, simply a matter of convenience and one Adam never expected. It surprised him she was not yet with child, but he’d never comment on such a private matter.
“That would be a lovely gift,” their mother agreed, but her smile failed to reach her toffee eyes.
Most females enjoyed centuries of childbearing years, yet his parents ceased to create new life after Grace had been born twenty-one years ago. Their kind rarely faced health issues. However, there were rare cases like his mother, who had been pregnant twelve times, yet only experienced three successful births.
Adam closed his hand over his mother’s and squeezed lovingly. This would be a difficult and familiar journey.
“It was a beautiful afternoon,” Grace commented, meeting their mother’s stare with an affectionate one of her own.
“Should I ring the bell for father again?” Cain asked, his impatience palpable.
“No need.” Jonas entered the room and a wave of shame drifted from their mother knocking the wind out of Adam’s chest.
Jonas settled into his seat at the head of the table and they bowed their heads in a silent prayer.
The sacred bond of marriage was privately navigated between man and wife. Children and outsiders were not permitted to comment on such business. And although Adam suffered his mother’s pain greater than the rest, he had to suffer in silence. His empathy acted as a magnet, drawing him close to others only to abruptly push him away with the subtlest shift of emotion. He was grateful the others couldn’t feel her suffering the way he could.
