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Bishop Eleazar King watched the sun rise above the distant horizon, his muscles clenching with the need to withdraw into the shadows, but his firm will forbid he cower. As the greatest authority of the order, he would not forsake dignity for instinct. They were not unaccountable animals. But how long would that remain true for him?
How long could he refuse to acknowledge the symptoms plaguing his mind? Deny the ache poisoning his appetite?
A heavy knock pounded on the door to his private quarters. “Enter.”
The door clicked behind him. Fast breathing and sharp agitation obliterated the peaceful silence. Authority always came with a cost.
Unable to ignore the wave of masculine distress, Eleazar turned in his chair to face his visitor. “Silus. What brings you by?”
“I am sorry to bother you, Bishop, but there’s been an emergency. My wife is missing.”
Eleazar veiled any reaction with a blank stare. “Your wife?”
“Yes. Larissa.”
“Of course. The Hartzler girl.”
“She’s been a Hostetler for some time, Eleazar,” Silus reminded with a pinch of distain. “You married us over a year ago.”
As if God would ever allow him to forget. “I recall.” His eyes narrowed, daring the male to call his words into question again.
Silus lowered his gaze, hat clenched in his hands. “May I come in?”
Eleazar clamped his jaw. “Of course.”
He needed to get his emotions in order. Exhausted by last night’s ordeal with the Hartzler twins, his head had entered a negative place. His principle beliefs had been called into question, drawing doubts where they weren’t welcome and leading to possibilities he wasn’t prepared to consider. And now the girl was missing?
“When was the last time you saw ... your wife?”
“Last night, after the wedding. I brought her home and instructed her not to leave the bedroom. She broke down the door.”
“Why would she break the door? Why not simply open it?”
He wrung his hands. “My wife is a sometimes willful female. She requires ... firm boundaries.”
“I see.” He could also see directly into his mind, through the thin veil of lies. Yes, the female had a willful side. And yes, her husband Silus had the authority to discipline her as he saw fit, but Eleazar did not agree with his methods.
He breathed through his own frustrations. His personal situation came second to the troubles of his flock. He removed himself from the equation.
“Is there a place she might run to? Perhaps her parents?”
“I’ve been to Jonas’s. She’s not there. I was hoping for a word with her brother, Cain.”
He frowned. “Why would you want to speak to Cain?”
“She’s close to him. He visited the house recently, and I think he might have some insight. Also, she gave him her blood yesterday. He could track her.”
Eleazar immediately regretted releasing the male. Had he known...
The Hartzler twins were full of surprises. The older one with his empathy skills and the younger one with his newly discovered influences on the climate. They hardly realized how unique their gifts were. And last night’s events proved how little they still knew about their abilities. How little they all knew.
“I’m afraid Cain’s been released.”
“I don’t understand. He...”
“We cannot detain someone who hasn’t broken any laws.”
Silus’s face darkened. “Bishop King, he violated our greatest law—”
“Events have occurred that prove otherwise.”
“What events? The Council hasn’t released the records of a trial or—”
“And I will remind you, Silus, that while you are a Hostetler, you are not an Elder. Your knowledge of Council business has its limits. That’s the last time you’ll call my judgment into question, do we understand each other?”
His mealy lips formed a thin line across his red face. “I only want to find my wife, sir.”
“I doubt she’s gone far.”
“I’ve knocked on every door. No one has seen her since yesterday. If she left the farm... She’s a simple minded female, sir. She’s vulnerable and needs a strong male to look over her.”
And Silus Hostetler was that male? Eleazar breathed through more frustration. “Perhaps, if you hadn’t tried to cage her, she wouldn’t have fled.” Fury, that this man couldn’t watch over the one female trusted to his care gnawed at Eleazar’s insides. “You’ve made a mess of things.”
“Larissa has more comforts than she deserves. As I said, she’s easily confused—”
The bishop narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, folding his arms on the desk. “You forget yourself, Silus. I can investigate your mind as easily as I can look out a window. You and I both know why she left.”
He met Eleazar’s glare with his own. “And you forget yourself. She’s not a female I fancy. She’s my wife, my property. It’s not only my right but also my duty to teach her obedience—by any means I see fit. And no other male, including my Bishop, has the authority to interfere in how I choose to govern my marriage.”
He breathed slowly, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the stench of the coward before him and swallowed back his own argument. Silus was right. As her husband, he had total authority over her—until fate intervened.
Fate had intervened, but Eleazar had been a stubborn fool, biding his time, and now she was off God knows where, doing God knows what. He wanted to snap Silus’s spine.
“So be it,” he said, sitting back on his chair. “But as your Elder—and your Bishop—I forbid you to leave the farm at this time.”
Silus bolted to his feet. “I came here out of respect—”
“And I respectfully listened to your request. I’ve seen into your mind, I know your intentions, and I’ve chosen to deny your request. I think it’s best for you to wait here for your wife’s return.”
A storm of fury flashed in his eyes. “I’ll appeal to the Council!”
“You’ll lose.” This conversation was over. Eleazar stood, dominating the other man in height and stature. “The Council granted your request to wed the girl. But their generosity has limits, as does my patience. Get out of my office.”
“Sir, I beg you. If she’s among the English—”
“I leave this evening on private Council business. I’ll be sure to search for her in my travels.” Something told him it wouldn’t take long to find her—a little country mouse lost in a jungle. “But you will remain here.” He ushered the other man to the door, opening it in an invitation for him to leave.
“I was not aware you were leaving.”
“Confidential Council business. I know I can trust you not to speak of it to others.”
“Of course.”
More lies. Eleazar gave him a pointed look. “Good day, Silus.”
“Right. Good day, sir. I’ll await your return.”
He locked his jaw. The male might be waiting longer than expected. What on God’s green earth would he do with a willful female who didn’t seem to possess a submissive bone in her body? He continued to question God’s judgment, pairing him with such a young female. Compared to him, she was a baby. They would have nothing in common and he dreaded his fate since the moment it announced itself in a dream.
Though the calling had come after her wedding to Silus, he assumed the male might prove some good in molding her into a more ... mature female. He’d obviously failed and Eleazar could no longer ignore his responsibilities, any more than he could ignore the urge to throttle Silus.
Now, he had no choice but to go off on a merry chase, following her to God could only imagine where. Enough playing around. She was not a child, and her actions were humiliating to all. It was time for her to grow up. If he had to accept his fate, then so help him God, he’d see that she also accepted hers.