The Blood Covenant: Book One of The Medici Warrior Series

by Emily Bex

  "What is it you want, mi amore?"

  She reaches her hand into his hair, gripping her fingers in his curls, as his tongue teases between her legs. Her voice is husky with desire as she responds to him.

  "What I always want. What you always make me want, to feel you inside of me."

  "Ah, impatient as always. Perhaps I shall make you wait a bit, you are much too anxious to have your savage lover devour you, si?"

  Letting out a chuckle, he nips the silk panties with one bite and they fall away from her shapely hips. He buries his face into her patch of tight crimson curls, dampened by her desire, her scent calling him. Running his tongue through those curls, he teases her more, sucking on them, pulling at them, mixing a sweet pain with the pleasure. He feels her body shiver with need, but he refuses to give her release just yet, and although it is pleasurable torture, he feels the agonizing need in himself. This woman makes him want to devour her every moment he is with her.

  ***

  She has one hand tangled in his hair and tugs hard as he teases. She shifts her hips under him, wanting to feel his weight on her, that delicious feeling of lying beneath him.

  "Come to me, lover."

  She runs her free hand up her body, and over her breast, her nipples standing pink and erect, where she wants to feel his mouth, his hands.

  He slides up the length of her body, dragging his cock along her soft skin. It is enough to entice the wildest beast alive and his needs no tempting. Fisting his hands in her hair, he devours her mouth, letting his tongue tangle with hers, covering her mouth and taking her breath with it. As she moans, he releases her from his kiss, and slides his hands down her arms, grasping her wrists, pulling them above her head.

  His dark, raven curls frame his face as he leans over her, his mouth is close to hers, but not touching when he drives his cock deep inside her and feels her sex mold around him, pulsing and pulling him deeper inside her.

  "Don’t move. Just feel me inside you, mi amore. Feel how you make me hard as steel. Feel my heart throbbing through my cock. Only you Kate, only you."

  ***

  She slides her hands down his back, and grips his ass, always aware of his raw strength, of the power he holds back from her still. He always fears he will hurt her, and yet, her body screams for him. Kate lifts her legs around his hips, wrapping them tight around him, pulling him deeper. He fills her, stretches her, and yet, she wants more. He always creates this insatiable need in her, to have all of him. She fights every impulse to move beneath him, and lies still, nails digging into his ass, and she nips lightly at his shoulder, biting at his skin, knowing that she pushes him.

  ***

  As her teeth nip at his shoulder, he throws his head back and growls loud enough to rattle the rafters. Cazzo! I want to feel her taking of me, taking my cock and my blood. Without another thought, he thrusts into her, two small swift strokes and stops. Looking deep into her eyes, he feels her sex dripping wet for him, sucking him so deep. He can feel the walls of her sex tighten, gripping him harder and making him grow thick and rigid inside her. He pulls out and glides his wet, glistening cock across her sweet hard clit and then plunges to her depths in one stroke and begins that glorious dance of two becoming one.

  Nuzzling his face to her neck, he licks the length of her vein as her nails dig deep into the hard muscles of his ass and he moans with anticipation of sinking his fangs deep, sucking that bright red nectar and feeling it caress his tongue and give him life; her life, her soul, everything about her becomes his.

  "Mi amore, I am starving for you."

  ***

  She lifts her hips to meet his thrust, but he teases still, pulling out, before entering her again, when finally, they establish their rhythm as he rides her, and she receives him, meeting each thrust of his pounding hips. His mouth on her neck, she feels his tongue and his hot breath, and she wants that electric jolt that comes when he feeds from her. She turns her head to the side, exposing her neck to him, inviting him to feed.

  ***

  Their bodies align, they become one in her world, but not within his, not yet. She turns her head to the side, her sweet invitation for him to take her vein and he does not think twice, his beast riding his back for his due. Shade sinks his fangs deep and draws a long, sweet drink, and feels his body jolt with her blood. The thick sweet nectar is like heroin to his body, never enough to satisfy him, and she is the only female in the world he can never get enough of. He uses all of his control to not let the beast loose and have his wicked dark way with her and at the same time, he controls his own hunger not to drain and kill her. She is a lure like no other to his heart and soul and brings out the darkest and sweetest of him in the same moment. He feels her body orgasm and it will be the first one of many this night. Her moans become deep, sexually enticing and he takes more of her blood before unlatching with reluctance from her neck, as he claims her, "Mine!”

  ***

  Kate feels the sweet pain that comes with his bite as his lips cover the wound and she feels him sucking at her vein, her blood entering his mouth and the rush of heat that hits her between her legs, driving her release. Her hips drive into him as her orgasm crests, and he rides her hard, pushing her ever deeper into that chasm of pleasure that rolls over her in waves. She arches her back as her hands claw at him, clinging to him, and her legs tighten around him as she feels his mouth leave her neck, and the air feels cool against her skin where his hot, wet mouth was attached to her, and she listens to his familiar claiming cry.

  His cock still throbbing inside her, his body aches for release, needing her, and aching to shoot his seed into her womb. But he needs to pace himself for what is to come. She will feed from him tonight, and she must understand the unbreakable bond her feeding will create. Rolling onto his back, he takes her with him, his cock still buried inside her and he looks up at her atop his chest, her flaming hair askew and she is so beautiful, sated with his love.

  "Bel, there is so much more I wish from you. I cannot force this but can only ask and make sure it is what you wish for, that you know what this will mean to me, feeding from me. Do you still crave to taste me?"

  Straddling him, she sits up, her hands on his chest. "Lover, I crave all of you. Tell me what to do."

  ***

  Smiling up at her, she doesn’t fear it and he knows, once again, that Kate Reese is and always has been the mate, the eternal being, he searched for.

  "You must understand, once you take my blood, you will be bound to me eternally. You belong to me, forever, as I will belong to you. Other vampires will know instantly you are mated to a master vampire. Medici blood will run in your veins. It will connect us deeper than anything you have ever felt. I will always feel you. I know your thoughts, unless you block them. Your strength will become greater, you will be able to feel what I feel as well, the more you take of me in time. There is nothing to fear, you can’t hurt me. Are you sure this is what you want?"

  ***

  She can feel the pull, even as he speaks, to be bonded to him, truly mated to him. He has called her his mate, but she understands that was his selection, and only this mutual feeding will make the mating a reality. Feeding from him will complete the circle and will take them both to a new level. She will feel him more deeply and there is nothing she wants more.

  "I am sure."

  She lays her body down on his chest, his cock still deep inside her, as she nuzzles into his neck, and licks at his pulsing vein, sucking his skin into her mouth, wondering if she can break through his skin. She hears the low moan that rumbles through his chest, and his hands slide to her hips, gripping her tightly. She kisses his strong jaw and his lips, before returning her attention to his neck, kissing the length of his neck as he arches his head back, exposing his neck to her.

  She lets her lips explore, feels the vein against her tongue as she bites hard into his flesh, and feels the hot rush of his blood in her mouth. It hits her like a sledgehammer, and she grips his hair with both hands,
as she sucks his blood into her mouth. She is not expecting the rush, the heat, the intense wave of desire that floods through her, so much more powerful than what she feels when he drinks from her. The intensity is so strong she almost breaks away, but his hands hold her in a vice grip, her hips grind into him, moving of their own accord, pulling him in. She will have all of him, his cock, his cum, his blood. She will consume him, make him a part of her as she feels the power of him surging through her veins.

  ***

  He has no time to think, to contemplate her thoughts when she nuzzles directly to the vein, his hands go to her hips and then she plays with him, unaware of how much her actions torture him. But he knows she must become familiar with the process, how she feels, and the smell of him, the sensation of her teeth breaking his skin, and tasting him. Then it hits him, her dull mortal teeth clamp hard and he feels his blood flow into her mouth. No one has ever feed from him and he had not anticipated the power of his body’s response. Losing his mind to the passion that erupts inside of him, his head spins, he feels her blood pumping in her heart. Her soul surrounds him, embraces his entire being and dances with his own blackened soul. His body stiffens in glorious waves of love and passion, he closes his eyes and his mouth hangs open in a silent scream, never wanting it to ever stop. He grips her hair and holds her there. His cock screams for release and he feels her body ride him in response to his blood in her veins.

  Driving his cock deep, he explodes much too quickly, but screams with pleasure. ‘She is mine!’ His beast is so close to the edge, clawing to be free and have his way with her, and Shade can barely breathe, let alone hold him back. She takes another deep, intense draw of his blood, and his love for her explodes inside his heart, his soul screaming a song he never thought he would hear.

  Moving his head to her throat again, careful not to dislodge her from her own grip on his neck, he sinks his fangs into that soft white skin. They drink in union, and he feels her body shake with her release and he cums again, and they are one. She is now all that is his world, there is nothing more. The circle is complete. He has sealed his own fate, as well as hers, as she lies sated and exhausted on his chest. He feels a momentary pang of guilt, for he has not told her everything, but he shakes the thought from his head. He knows more about their future than he will ever reveal, and he fears telling her would have scared her away. He unlatches carefully and licks the wound clean, watching as it heals slowly. All that remains now is to turn her, but her body will need time to adjust, and he prays she will not regret her choice.

  "Mine. Ti amo, bel."

  ***

  She collapses on top of him as they both lie with hearts pounding. She sees the wound her teeth made in his neck healing before her eyes. His lips are red with her blood as she lowers her mouth to his, kissing him deep, their blood mingling in their mouths, as their tongues probe at each other. She moans into his mouth. Complete. They are complete. And she is his.

  ***

  The taste of them together collides on his tongue like a cocktail of glorious love, erotic and intense.

  "I love you, bel. No one has ever fed from me. It was... Cazzo... you are amazing, woman. How do you feel, are you all right? Talk to me." He kisses the top of her head and wraps his arms around her. No one is ever fucking with her ever again.

  She feels electric, and yet sated. On fire, and yet tamed. She feels things this mortal body never felt before. She feels things she has no words for.

  "I feel...claimed. I feel you inside of me. I feel your energy inside of me. Please tell me you feel the same. I never asked what you felt when you drank from me. Do you feel my blood inside you? Do you feel me inside you? I feel like... I feel like... like we are one and the same. I don't just hear your words, I feel your words, I feel what you feel."

  The power of her emotions overwhelms her, and she lays her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

  ***

  Caressing her back gently, he talks to her and lets her know he feels the same thing.

  "Si, mi amore, we are now one. Nothing can come between us. I have felt you since I fed from you the first time. It is the same for me, but stronger, because I have fed from you longer. The urges will come more frequently to feed from me. You will feel lost, sluggish, and need me. Something like when you are hungry for mortal food perhaps, but I would think it would be much stronger and harder to control. You will feel my heart always. You will feel my love and protection of you, si?"

  Kate issues a deep sigh of contentment as she lies on his chest. His voice is deep and soft, like a lullaby in her ears. He runs his hands through her hair as he speaks to her. His warmth, his strength, they calm her. She feels him with a new intensity, a new awareness, as she answers him, "Si."

  ***

  "I never want this moment to end. This is what I have dreamt of for so long. I never thought I would find you, have you, be able to keep you. I love you so damn much, like nothing ever before in my life."

  He lies quiet, knowing there is another step for them. The issue of her mortality. As a mortal, she can easily be killed, taken from him, and there will always be those who will use that against him, but she is nowhere near ready to be turned. He cannot risk that yet. She must be much stronger before he can take her that final step.

  "Bel, sit up for me please, and turn your back to me."

  ***

  She sits up and slides off of him onto the bed and turns with her back to him. She feels his hand as it slides up her spine, his touch electric.

  ***

  Shade reaches to the side table and picks up the blood vial necklace he had prepared for her and lets his hands travel gently up the soft, white skin of her back. His fingers barely brush against her skin, but she feels so soft against his roughened long fingers. Staring, his mind gets lost in the contrast of their skin tones. Her skin is so white and flawless, against the dark olive tone of his heritage. He brushes aside her crimson locks, kissing her neck softly, giving each side their due. He slides the necklace around her neck and closes the clasp, laying his head on her shoulder. Her skin smells sweet, of roses and passion.

  "This is a special gift I give to you until you are turned. It is a vial of my blood. I have made it into a necklace for you to wear. I ask that when I am not around, you wear it. If there should come a time when we are separated, and you become weak and cannot feed from me, you need to break this vial and drink it empty. It will ease your body and give you strength. You will always carry it next to your heart. It lays cradled between your breasts. I will feel it there, my blood always warmed by your heart."

  The vial dangles on a gold chain that hangs between her breasts. She feels the beat of her own heart as his blood lies close, and she reaches up and touches the vial, warm to the touch.

  "I will wear it always, but I hope you are never far from me."

  Kissing her shoulder blade, his arm surrounds her small frame. Mine, forever mine. He gently turns her to face him, kissing her sweetly, letting his love pour through her.

  "Mi amore, nothing can take me from you, not even death, and I will fight to my last breath to be with you. I will know if you are in danger, I will always come. If you need me, you call to me, and I will be there before my name leaves your lips.”

  He tips her chin up slightly with his finger tip, her dark, beautiful eyes roll up to gaze into his blue ones. "Nothing will touch you. Nothing will hurt you ever again. It is my job to love and protect you with my life. You have all of me. I love you, Kate."

  He makes a pledge to her he hopes he can keep. The history of the Medici has been instilled in him since birth and kept him from mating for over five hundred years, despite his obligation to continue the bloodline. But from the moment he saw her, he knew there was no turning back.

  Pulling her to his chest, they lay back on his bed and he feels her breathing slow its rhythm as she lies there. Her beautiful lashes lay across her delicate cheeks and once again he is overcome with so much love for this mortal fem
ale who has stolen his heart and soul so swiftly. Together, they will rule Medici. They will rise and forge a new Medici legacy on American soil. He will find a way to overcome the history that has plagued his family. With this female, he finally feels whole, and without her, he is nothing.

  26

  He holds her in a tight embrace through his death slumber as she sleeps her mortal sleep, her first night and day in Castello. He wakes to the sound of the soft whir of the blinds that seal the windows from the killing rays of the sun as dusk settles in. They are mated now. After five hundred years of waiting, five hundred years of looking, he had almost given up hope. He thought he had found his mate in Adriana, but something always held him back from committing to her, resisting her pleas to allow her to feed from him in this very room. And yet, she held a place in his heart, and he carried the guilt of her still.

  Sabine took him on a different path, a dark path that exploited the most savage parts of him. She called it love, and he almost let himself believe it was love. But if he is honest with himself, he knows it was depravity, and it tortured his soul, even though he found it hard to walk away. He knows Sabine resents him still. In between, there were countless others, who served his need for food and sex, until it became hollow and meaningless, but a release his body demanded.

  Then there was Kate. So unexpected, but he knew the moment he saw her. A mortal, the last person he ever expected to fall in love with was a mortal. But he had no doubts, no reservations. He could no more have turned away from her than he could stop breathing.

  He doesn’t kid himself. He knows he has chosen a difficult path, for both of them. He shielded her from much, and in many ways, did not want to change that. Her innocence and purity were a big part of what drew him to her. He felt such a strong need to protect her, especially from the baser elements of his vampire community. He knew there would be those who would reject her as his legitimate mate, even after she was turned, because he was master and royal blood, and they would see his choice as a rejection of their kind. But none of that matters to him. His choice is made, and the bond is sealed. She is his.