The Blood Covenant: Book One of The Medici Warrior Series

by Emily Bex

  “Relax, I bring you only pleasure.”

  His touch, his voice, his words, everything he does is adding fuel to the fire.

  “Please, lover,” she begs.

  He looks into her face, with a deliciously wicked grin and says, “Are you begging me, mi amore?”

  “Yes, yes… I am begging you!”

  He covers her mouth with his and pushes his tongue deep. He slides his hand under her at the waist and lifts her back into an arch as he slides his body completely over hers, pushing her legs wide with his own. She feels his cock at the opening of her sex. She is so wet for him. She can feel her juices on her thighs. He pushes the head of his cock inside her and she gasps into his mouth.

  She can hear his responding chuckle, and then he thrusts hard and deep. There is a savagery to his movements, a forcefulness that takes her by surprise. She throws her head back, breaking the kiss. As she cries out with the pleasure of him, her back arches of its own accord. He moves his hips, thrusting into her, and her hips respond to his rhythm. Her hands are gripping his back, clawing, as she wraps her legs around his hips so she can receive all of him. The dream… this feels like the dream. She can feel his cock throbbing inside her, and she is so undone, so very undone.

  ***

  In one quick motion, he rolls onto his back so she is now straddling him. She sits upright, her hands resting on his shoulders as her hair swings forward. He places his hands on her hips and guides her motions as she rides him. He loves the look of lust on her face, and how she has succumbed to him. His hands explore the curve of her hips, and the slender waist, and back down to the firmness of her thighs. He loves looking at her as she takes pleasure in his body.

  Rarely in his long life has he ever been concerned with the woman’s pleasure, although he knows from their response, he leaves them more than content. Women have been a means to an end, a way to serve the demands of his body, and being skilled in seduction is vital to any vampire’s survival. He would take what he wanted, and move on, or have an arrangement for convenience. Watching her now, his bel rosso, as she sits atop his cock, grinding her hips, her eyes closed, her lips parted, brings him as much pleasure as the physical sensations that rock his body. He can’t take his eyes from her, as the orgasm hits her, and she throws her head back and cries out, before collapsing on his chest.

  Before she can catch her breath, he rolls with her again, so he is back on top of her. “Don’t stop now, bel.”

  ***

  Kate is still gasping for air when he flips her on her back and continues to thrust deep inside her. She wraps her legs around his hips, as he rides her hard, with the same primal thrust she felt in the dream. He toys with her, teasing, slowing down the pace of his strokes, almost withdrawing from her. She grabs at his hips, pulling him toward her, as she tightens the grip with her thighs. Again, she hears his low chuckle.

  He increases the speed and force of his thrust, and she buries her face in his neck, and inhales his scent. It is heady and erotic, as if she needed anything else to make this fire burn hotter.

  “Cum with me, mi amore,” he breathes into her ear, and it is all she needs to hear. She feels herself begin the free-fall into the orgasm to end all orgasms, as spasm after spasm washes over her. She feels like she is spinning out of control… out of body… he owns her body. She sinks her nails into his back, and she moans. She is lost to him. His entire body tenses, as he growls in a rumble that comes from deep in his chest, and she feels the vibrations of it in the room, as he releases into her.

  Fill me, fill me… I want you to fill me up. Oh God, oh God, oh God… that did not just happen. That cannot be real. She is gasping for breath, her heart is racing, and her body is covered in a fine sheen of sweat. She feels his body relax on top of her, as he holds his weight on his elbows, and looks down at her. His own breath ragged, his heart beating hard against hers.

  With one hand, he reaches up and brushes back the fine hair clinging to the sweat on her face, and leans in and kisses her forehead, her nose, and her lips. Such savagery and gentleness, all rolled up in one man. He kisses her lips softly, followed by another.

  “My savage lover,” she whispers.

  “Bel rosso, you have no idea.”

  Oh really? But I want to. I want to have an idea. I want him to show me. I want to see all the darkness inside of him. And he can take me there. I can feel it.

  “Be careful what you wish for, mi amore. I can make you feel things no mortal man can.”

  She is silently processing his words, as they feel hauntingly familiar. Didn’t he say that in my dream? And that mind reading thing. How do you turn that off?

  She looks up at those blue eyes, “Do you make wishes come true, Shade?”

  “Si, I can make your wishes come true.”

  She smiles up at him as he rolls off of her. She already misses the feel of his weight on her. She already feels empty. She wants him again, and again. Oh he is so going to break my heart. She knows his nature. He is a player and she better get used to it.

  “No, a promise is a promise, remember? I will not break your heart. Now the sun is coming up, so I must leave you. But I will come back to you if you want me. Think before you answer, because you promised you would not break my heart as well.”

  “I think I love you, Shade Medici. I don’t know how, or when, or why, but I think I love you. So please, come back.”

  “Si, it will be as you wish.”

  And with that he was gone, as in gone. He has disappeared right in front of her eyes. What the fuck? She looks around the room. Oh please tell me this was not a hallucination. Please tell me this was not one too many jello shots.

  She slides from the bed, grabs her robe and slips it on. His clothes lay scattered on the floor. Walking back into the living room, the fire is still burning in the fireplace and there are two wine glasses on the table, one with the remnants of her wine, and the empty one tipped on its side. He was here. He was real.

  She picks up her laptop and goes to Google and keys ‘mi amore’ into the Italian to English translator, ‘my love’. He has been calling her ‘his love’ all this time? She keys in bel rosso; beautiful red. Her heart melts. She does not think she loves him. She knows she loves him.

  17

  Shade twirls the cell phone in his hand, smiling to himself. He had left her last night, sated and knowing deep in his heart she was his. She had let down all the barriers and let him in. He still had a lot to prove to her, but he saw no problem in doing that. He wanted to court her for a while, win her heart and soul. He didn’t want her to remain thinking it was only about the sex, it was not. She was the one. The one he had spent his entire life looking for... his mate. Now he had to convince her beyond a shadow of a doubt, because he was already convinced. Hitting speed dial, he waits for that sexy voice to answer.

  ***

  Kate dreamt about him after he left. How could she not? And all day, she had thought about him, found it hard to concentrate on her work. She did not tell Shannon she had slept with him. She wasn't ready to share that information yet. It felt too personal, too private. It felt too 'theirs'.

  She was still wrestling with the idea of what he was, even with his fangs, even with his self-admission. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around it. And that disappearing act. What was that? She thought of calling him but didn't want to be one of 'those girls’. She was home now, with no distractions, and beginning to wonder if she had just imagined the whole thing when her cell phone rings and it is him. She stares at his name on her caller ID, and then curls up in the arm chair before she answers.

  "Hello, lover."

  ***

  He chuckles softly when he hears her pet name for him, and he rather likes the sound of it rolling off her tongue.

  “Good evening, bel. Miss me yet?"

  She leans her head back against the chair, letting his voice wash over her. “I missed you the second you were gone. About that…your leaving. What was that about? I've
had men in a hurry to get away from me before, but I believe you set a new record.”

  He feels a bit uncomfortable, shifts his position, with his feet propped up on the dining room table. Just the sound of her voice makes him hard, and he thinks about the sensual noises she made last night.

  “I apologize, bel. But it is what I do, there is more to me than what you see, I can only hope you wish to learn more about me, my life and how I can enhance yours. So tell me, did you enjoy the party last night?"

  She creases her brow, “The party? I don't think it was the party I enjoyed, Mr. Medici, as much as it was you. And I hope to learn a lot more about you. You are being mysterious already. What do you mean, it's what you do? What exactly did you do? Your disappearing?”

  “I know you have many questions, Kate. Would you allow me to come over, sit with you, and I will gladly answer all of your questions. I am sure this seems quite out of the ordinary, to say the least. But I feel it is important for both of us, that we are together when you ask and I answer. You can see my face, feel me, and I can hold you in my arms, si?”

  He wants to come now? “I, of course, I would love for you to come over.”

  He hears her hesitation, “Did I detect a moment of doubt there?”

  She shakes her head no, “No doubt, just surprised, I think. Unexpected.”

  “I will be there in no time, or do you wish to set a time specifically for me to call on you?”

  “No, now is good. I just want to change out of my work clothes and throw on some jeans, so come on over.”

  "Si, mi amore. See you soon."

  Shutting off the phone, he lays it on the table, throws down his feet and teleports right in front of her, and watches her startled face, the phone still in her hand. She hasn’t even hung up yet.

  "Buonasera."

  ***

  Kate is listening to him on the phone as he says he will be there soon when he appears in front of her. Gone are the Italian suits, or the leathers he wore last night. He is dressed casually in jeans, his hair tousled, still sporting the perfect stubble on his chin and jawline, and those eyes, those piercing eyes. She drops the phone as she stares at him open mouthed.

  "What... what is that, Shade? How do you do that?”

  ***

  Leaning in over the chair where she is seated, he kisses her softly on the lips. He lifts her to her feet and snuggles into her neck, inhaling the erotic scent of roses that is hers and hers alone.

  “Are you complaining, bel?"

  “No, not complaining. Just confused. How did you get here? Do you fly?”

  He throws back his head, laughing hard, and he has missed that deep laugh that rolls out from him. Kate does this to him, she makes him happy, catches him off guard with her innocence and teasing.

  "Something like that. It is called teleporting. We can teleport to any location we wish. I wish to be here with you, so I think about where it is I want to be and I am there. I can go extremely fast, faster than any mortal can see, or I can slow things down a few notches, check out the area around me. It is very useful.”

  ***

  She thinks about what he has just shared, how quickly he got here, inside her walls without coming through the door.

  "So, I guess that whole thing about having to invite a vampire in before he enters your house is a myth. But then, I thought vampires were a myth.”

  He walks to her couch, sits down and pats the space next to him. "Come, mi amore. Get comfortable. I believe this may be a long night."

  She smiles and snuggles next to him, laying her head against his chest as he slips his arms around her.

  "Most of the things you know about my kind are myths, we invented those myths as self-preservation, to keep mortals afraid, and from prying too deeply. Immortals are no myth. I am here to confirm that. Does that scare you?"

  “Not anymore. I think I feel more curiosity than fear. So, the night I was in trouble, when the guy was following me. Is that what you did? Is that how you got to me so fast?”

  “Si. I got there even quicker than you knew. I held back as long as possible. I had to get to you Kate, you were in danger, and no one is messing with my woman.”

  His reference to ‘his woman’ did not go un-noticed. “But this morning, when you left me, why did you leave so suddenly?”

  Kissing her gently on the neck, he whispers, "Because the sun was rising. I cannot be in direct sunlight. It will kill me, and yes that is one myth that is a truth for some immortals."

  She looks up at him, "So, you go to a crypt? Sleep in a coffin?" Kate feels awkward even asking, but it is all she knows, and she is wondering how she will have a relationship with a man who sleeps in a coffin. Does Rissa sleep in a coffin? Wait! She has seen Rissa out during the day, so Rissa lied. She and Alec are not vampires after all. “Shade, what about Rissa? She said she was a vampire, but I have seen her in the day.”

  ***

  Did she just say crypt? This woman makes him laugh and it pleases him the way she can make him laugh instantly. Squeezing her hips, he chuckles.

  "Kate, slow down. You are asking a lot of questions. And I will answer them all. First of all, I go into what we call a death slumber. It comes to me when the sun arises, I can fight it off some, but it is never a good idea to fight through the slumber. That is when I rejuvenate my system and heal. It is similar to a mortal sleep only deeper, I do not actually die. My heart still beats and as you can see, I do not have the clammy cold skin as you have been led to believe. I awaken once the night approaches. As for Rissa, whom I would love to grab around the throat and throttle about now, she is what we refer to as a day-walker. She can choose when she sleeps, be out in the sun and moon. Alec is a day-walker as well. As for a crypt, I do not own a coffin or a crypt. I sleep in a bed, just like a mortal man, but in a room shielded from daylight.”

  “So can you become a day-walker?”

  Shaking his head, he tries to be careful in his description, so she understands but is not frightened by what he is telling her and, of course, some details he will leave completely out for now. He wants to be honest with her, but they are just beginning this journey and he has never had to explain a damn thing about his life to any mortal, and definitely not one this important to him.

  "No, I can never become a day-walker. You are born with your gift. Each immortal is given a gift, a talent, a weapon in some cases. They can use it to their advantage or for wicked purposes. Rissa and Alec's gifts are day-walking."

  Kate looks confused, “Born? You mean when you are changed, or converted?”

  Kissing the top of her head, he finds her so fascinating, so intriguing, how she wants to know so many things, and she is not backing down, not intimidated by his answers.

  "Most of us are born immortal. That means two immortals have mated and birthed a child from their union. As for Rissa, she was once mortal like you. Alec chose her as his mate, which required he turn her into an immortal. Does that help you to understand?”

  “Born? Vampires have babies? I thought... I thought you had to be bitten or something. So you were born? You were a little boy with parents? I thought you stayed the same. I mean, whatever age you were when you got, what did you call it, turned?”

  He kisses the side of her long beautiful neck. "I do believe we are getting in deep here, mi amore. I have never truly had to explain my existence to a mortal. But yes, I had a madre and padre, grew up knowing nothing but immortality as my life. I was given limited exposure to the mortal world as a young boy. That time was spent teaching me skills to survive in the mortal world, as well as how to protect myself in the immortal world. Once we begin to mature into adulthood, the aging process slows greatly. Immortality, it is also a word we have adapted to our culture. We can live for thousands of years, but we do eventually age and die.”

  ***

  Kate sits silently next to him while she absorbs this information. "So that drinking blood thing, that is myth as well?"

  “No, that is very real.�
��

  “So you... bite? Wait, I need to process this. Do you only bite other vampires?”

  ***

  Spinning Kate around so she is facing him, he wants to see her face, know that she understands and is not frightened.

  "Kate," slowly tucking a stray crimson lock behind her ear, looking into her eyes, "I bite to feed. It is the only nourishment I take into my system. Blood is food for me. I feed from mortal and immortal alike.”

  She reluctantly asks, “Is that why... is that your interest in me?”

  “No, mi amore. I do not come here just to feed from you. I am a man of my word. Honesty, respect and integrity are things I live by, so I must confess to you, your blood calls to me. I do wish to feed from you. But there is much more to just feeding. I can feed from anyone, male or female, mortal or immortal, and I do because I must survive. But I would prefer to feed from only one, someone I care deeply for, someone I love. You are so beautiful, your heart and soul are gentle and pure. I love the innocence of you, how you look at me. I want to hold you, protect you, and be with you. It is not about the feeding.”

  This conversation is making her uncomfortable, but she has to understand this. “Is there someone else? Someone you go to now?”

  “No one person I go to every time. I hate to use this word, but we call it hunting. It may seem a haunting word and horrible images appear in your mind when I say it. We seek out someone to feed from. I may go on the streets, or a club. I do not harm them, I do not hurt them. I lure them softly, take my fill without killing them or hurting them, and then I erase their memory of the feeding. They remember the encounter, but not the feeding. They only recall the pleasure that comes with feeding. It is how we survive among mortals, without notice.”

  She stands up from the sofa and walks a few feet away to the window. Would I always be sharing him? How often does he feed? What if I’m not there when he needs to feed? How long could I be his food source? Wouldn't I experience problems with the loss of my own blood? The fact that she is even considering these questions in her head makes her question her sanity.