by Emily Bex
“Relax. They are just vampires, like me. Are you ready?”
She looks up into those blue eyes. “Vampires like you? Hardly like you, lover. But I am ready, nervous but ready.”
As they go through the interviews, four of his warriors have passed through, and he is impressed with Kate. She has made him proud and he loves her elegant and composed demeanor. She has relaxed a bit and he lets her take the lead after the introductions. He has yet to get a feel from her that she has really connected in a positive way with any of the candidates and there was one she clearly did not like at all. He had to hold back his laugh. He has saved Luca, his personal choice for her, for last, to give her time to relax and get a feel of what she would be up against.
Calling in Luca, Shade watches as he casually strolls in and nods his head to his master. Then he goes to bel, kneels at her side, takes her hand, and kisses it lightly. Luca tells her he is most honored to meet her and refers to her with great respect as my lady. Standing like the warrior he is, he waits Shade’s command.
“Luca, my beautiful mate has some questions she wishes to ask of you. As always, I expect you to answer them honestly and with great respect. Please direct your answers directly to her and just pretend I am not here.” Shade smiles at Kate, “You now have the floor, bel rosso.”
***
Kate takes a deep breath. This process has been exhausting. She is not sure what she’s supposed to be looking for. She wonders what she is supposed to see in these men to make her think they are the best choice for serving as her protector. Shade knows these men. He could just choose someone for her. She really doesn’t feel a connection to any of them, if that is what is supposed to be happening. There is only one left, and she will be glad to get through it. She may just tell Shade to choose. The last warrior enters the room and Shade introduces him as Luca.
Kate senses something in him immediately. This warrior is different. She can see that he feels more at ease with Shade. He defers to Shade, as is proper, but holds his own. He comes to her side, kneels, and takes her hand. She is not used to all the formal greetings and thinks this will take some time to get used to. There is something in his eyes. Kate senses warmth in him and a real affection for Shade, but there is something else in his eyes, something that says, ‘Don’t fuck with me.’ This is a warrior who relishes in being a warrior, just like Shade. This is a warrior who never backs away from a fight, and while she knows he has no real sense of loyalty to her yet, she feels the depth of his loyalty to Shade, and she knows he would do anything for Shade, including protect her.
***
Shade watches her expressions and feels a difference in her emotions with Luca. He knew Luca would break through her barrier, he knew Luca would get to her. She likes him, his loyalty, and his dedication. Luca was personally trained by him and no other, his very own to make or break into a Medici warrior. Luca has a warriors’ soul and bel feels that, just like she did in him. He was Shade’s first choice, and he is more than deserving of this honor, but Shade wants her to feel it as well. She needs to trust him, and she is feeling just what Shade hoped she would.
***
“Luca, please, take a seat. You make me quite nervous looming over me.” She smiles as she instructs him to sit, because she thinks he planned on standing at attention the whole time.
He nods at her and takes a seat at the table. "Si, my lady."
Wow, this 'my lady’ stuff is going to be a challenge for me, but I know it is what Shade expects and he is not going to allow them to call me Kate. “Luca, do you live here in Florence? Do you have a family? A wife, or...mate?”
"Si, my lady, I was born just outside Florence in a small town called Empoli, but I have lived in the warrior camp since I was a boy of ten and have been here my entire life, although, as you know, warriors travel extensively. We go where we are ordered. As for family my lady, I have one cousin who is here in the camp, and no, I am not mated."
His voice is soft, and his accent is thick. “I only ask Luca, because as I am sure Shade has explained, we are living in the U.S. currently, in Virginia. So, you would be away from Florence for much of the time. I was concerned you would feel isolated being away from your family.”
"No, my lady, I am quiet used to living where I am assigned. It is a warrior's life."
“I, uh, I hesitate to ask, Luca. But you know I am mortal? I have been led to understand that mortal mates are not seen as appropriate choices for a master. Does that...bother you at all?”
"No, my lady. You are my master's mate. He trained me. I have studied under him since I was ten, all my skills as a warrior, I attribute to him. It would be my honor to serve him, and you, my lady."
“Oh, I had no idea Shade had trained you. Well, that makes a difference, doesn't it?”
"It does to me, my lady. He is my family. I was born to be a warrior, but not all warriors can get into the Medici camp. It was my father’s dream for me, to be a Medici warrior. Shade took me in when my own father died.”
Kate now understands the bond between these two men and knows it will never be broken.
***
As Shade listens to her talk with him, he is impressed with her thought behind the questions. She seems more at ease with him than she did with the others and his heart races. Shade wants Luca to get to her, and when she asked him about being mortal, he held his breath at his answer, knowing not all will accept her mortal status. Reaching under the table, he grasps her hand and squeezes it. “Ti amo, mi amore.” He watches Luca as he loosens up, warming to her and he knows Luca has won her.
“Luca, I will be honest with you, I am new to this world, your world of vampires. Shade is teaching me, but I still have much to learn. Shade has explained you are a day-walker. I try to coordinate my own schedule to Shade's as much as possible, including sleeping during the day when he is at home. We are in the process of furnishing two homes, one in Virginia, and one in California and that takes a lot of coordination. As I understand it, you would be required to go with me whenever I leave the house.”
"Yes, my lady. I assure you, my presence will be as visible or as invisible as you require it as you go through your day. There are times when my physical presence can act as a deterrent in itself, and other times when I know you will want your privacy. I will be close at hand, and aware of everything taking place around you, but you will not see me unless I am called upon."
“Luca, this is a very serious question.”
"Yes, my lady?"
“Can you drive a stick shift?”
"Excuse me, my lady?"
“Well, it seems Shade has bestowed upon me a Jaguar I can't drive, so I was wondering, can you drive a stick shift?”
Luca bites his lip to suppress a laugh. "Yes, my lady, I assure you, I can drive a stick shift. I will be happy to take you wherever you need to go, we can teleport, or I can teach you how to drive a stick shift if you prefer."
Kate places both hands palm down on the table. “Well good, that's one problem solved.”
***
As Kate tells Luca she has a very serious question to ask, her face is stoic and Shade’s heart jumps wondering what in the hell she is going to ask him. Then she asks about the stick shift and a deep chuckle boils and rolls out. Luca answers and Shade knows he is trying hard not to laugh and that makes Shade laugh louder as he shakes his head.
“Bel bosso, you continue to surprise me, and I love you for all the beauty and laughs that you give me.” Leaning in, kissing her softly on the cheek, he watches as she blushes.
***
Luca is startled by his master's sudden outburst of laughter. He has never heard his master laugh before, and he watches the exchange between his master and his mate, and the love they hold for each other in their eyes, his kiss, and her blush. He has been aware that his master is holding her hand beneath the table. This is a side of his master he has never seen before; the display of affection, his sense of ease around her, his laughter. He senses his master's protect
iveness over her and understands even more how important this role of protector will be to his master.
”My last question Luca, since I understand you will be living inside our home, do you like music?”
"Yes, my lady, I love music."
“But Luca, do you like music twenty-four hours a day? Because we play music all the time, sometimes it even plays when we sleep.”
"That should not be a problem for me, my lady."
“But Luca, it is not always soft and soothing music, it turns into the head-bangers ball in that house.”
Luca has heard Shade’s playlist before. "You mean like Shinedown, Foo Fighters, Skillet, and classic AC/DC, my lady?"
For the first time, he dares to smile during the interview. She smiles back at him and turns to Shade. “I think I have asked all the questions I need to ask.”
***
Smiling from the inside out, Shade is impressed with the two sitting in his company. They both have done well. Standing, he reaches his hand out to Luca.
“Thank you, Luca. We shall make a decision and I will let you know as soon as I have had time to share my bel rosso's thoughts. Anything you wish to ask or add?”
Luca shakes his hand and turns to Kate, “My lady, I am honored to be asked to have this opportunity to serve you. I wish to thank you, even if I am not chosen. And my best wishes to you and master for a loving eternity together.”
As Luca bows and retreats, Shade pulls out bel’s chair and pulls her into his arms, hugging her tight, snuggling into her neck. “You were wonderful, you pleased me, honored me with such beauty and grace. Ti amo.”
“I am glad that is behind us. I was quite nervous. I have never interviewed warriors before. So, what are your thoughts?”
“Kate, my thoughts are not of importance at this moment. I chose five warriors, my best for you, I did my part. This is an important decision for you. It is your choice to make. If you do choose one of them, and they do not work out, it will look bad upon them. I can wiggle them out of it, but the sting and failure will remain with them for the rest of their lives, so do not take this lightly. If you do not like any of them, we will begin with another round until you feel a connection. Si?”
“Oh, well, your thoughts do matter to me. But if you are asking me which warrior I was most impressed with, and the warrior I feel will fit into our life and best serve us, then I will have to say that is clearly Luca. His loyalty to you is evident. I saw it as soon as he entered the room.”
Cocking his head, he looks at her seriously. “Bel, Luca is close to me. He was trained by me personally and only me, he has seen the hand of no other. If I had my choice, he would be it. His loyalty to me and this family is like none other. But I needed you to see that, I needed you to make this choice, the two of you must get along, must trust each other.”
He paces back and forth, “Bel, Luca is very special. He has earned this honor, and if you do not choose him, you will not hurt me, so please do not pick him because he is so close to me. I will find something for him suitable here in Florence. His padre served my own. And when his padre was killed, I promised him before his death I would look after Luca. He has worked hard and steadfast to be a good warrior and he is damn good, he will serve you well, he is loyal, and I have no doubts he will give his life for either of us.”
“Lover, I already trust him. He has such a deep respect for you, he looks up to you, it shows in his face. It is clear he has already extended that umbrella of loyalty to those you love.”
“Speak the words, mi amore. Is Luca your choice?”
“Yes, Luca is my choice.”
Picking her up, he hugs her and spins her around. “Ti amo! Grazie!” Kissing her face all over, he is overjoyed.
***
Kate is surprised by his sudden move and being lifted off her feet. “I had no idea this meant so much to you. But I am pleased you are happy with this outcome. Now give me a proper kiss.”
Smiling, kissing her deeply and passionately, her feet are dangling above the floor in her Italian heels. “Let us go change and then we shall go tell Luca the good news, si?”
“Change? What do you want me to wear now? I left all my clothes strewn on the floor.”
“Well, where we will find Luca, you will not make it far in those heels. They are on the training field, a place inside the warrior camp that is specifically designed for the warriors to train. They will be at sword practice at the moment. They have their barracks there, and most live there if they do not have mates, as they serve me and mine. So, I do believe you may want to change, perhaps into some jeans?”
“Jeans! That I can manage, I will only need to try on one pair. And some flat shoes, yes? Can you help me find our bedroom? If you send me back unescorted, I have no idea where I will end up.”
“Oh si! I will take you there. And I think I should change into some leathers and boots.” Picking her up, he teleports them right into the bedroom.
***
Shade had Gi bring a small snack for Kate to eat while they were changing, and he convinced her to wear some boots instead of flats, before they headed out for the training field. He is conscious that she has not seen much of the place, and he leads her through some of the formal gardens as they walk along outside. He watches as her eyes grow huge at the size of the place, and just how much land it covers. The Medici Castello is well known in Florence. Holding her hand, he feels very happy here, something he has not felt in a very long time.
“So, what do you think, mi amore? Do you like it here in Florence? I know it is not Paris, but I hope you can think of this as your home now as well.”
“Shade, this...this...palace. I had no idea it was so large! It is beautiful, and you know I love Italian architecture. I have visited Italy before, and I loved it. Florence is my favorite city in Italy. I had seen this castle from a distance on the Arno before. I could never have imagined that, someday, it would be my home. But my home is wherever you are, Shade.”
He squeezes her hand. “And my heart is wherever you are, bel. You shall have whatever you wish here. The house, the gardens, they are all yours.”
As they get closer to the field, the clanging of swords becomes louder, and it sounds like music to his ears. The cheers and cursing are also loud and cut through the sound of the sword play. Looking over at her, he smiles and stops.
“Bel, my warriors are that, warriors, and you will find them a bit gruff but respectful, so I ask that you excuse whatever you hear before we get there since they do not know we are coming.”
She laughs softly. “I’m sure I’ve heard it all before. I think I will be fine.”
Taking her hand, he leads her around the blockade of towers that house some of his warriors and onto a huge field. They stand at its edges, viewing the activities. There are about fifty warriors fighting with swords, sparing, and working out, some doing acrobatics in the air as vampires do when fighting. Shade stands with his arms crossed and says nothing, letting her take it all in, some of the warriors in full leathers, others in lighter fighting gear. One by one, they realize his presence and lay down their swords and stand at attention.
***
Kate was expecting to see warriors in sword play, but not like this. She watches them as they become aware of his presence and stop and stand at attention before him. She forgets his station, he is her lover, this complicated man she sleeps beside during the day, and she forgets he holds power over so many. His world is still a mystery to her.
“You have trained all these warriors?”
“Si, I trained them, along with my Second-In-Command, Marco, since I am all over the world. But in my younger days, I spent my days and nights as they do now, living as a warrior in training. Now come, we have a task at hand, and a very important one.”
***
Taking her hand, he leads her onto the field. Moving her in front of him, he stands behind her, his hands upon her shoulders, his pride bursting.
“My brothers in arms, at ease! You are
looking well this night. Your master is pleased with your progress. I wish to present to you my mate, Katherine. You will show her the respect that is her due. You will show her what Medici warriors are made of, not only strength and honor, but integrity.”
As each warrior goes down on one knee, and bows their head before her, his heart roars with pride, for these are his legion, this is his destiny and they accept her as their own.
“Kate, my warriors are honoring you with this gesture. You may ask them to rise and they will, and then I will call forth those we saw today, si? Speak loud and clear. This is what you should say... Sorgere guerrieri di Medici!”
***
Seriously... he wants me to speak in Italian! She does her best to imitate the words he just spoke, and calls out to the warriors, “Sorgere guerrieri di Medici!” She has no idea what she just said… Charge the barracks, for all she knows.
He smiles at her thoughts. “You just said, ‘Arise warriors of Medici!’” He watches as they each stand, legs spread and hands behind their backs, and he looks at each one of them, sees they accept her as his mate and it pleases him. He has done what he was taught to do, bring forth the Medici warriors into the new century. He kisses her softly on the cheek, “You did well, mi amore, very well indeed, but we do need to work on your Italian.”
She laughs at his comment, “We have to work on more than my Italian, lover. There is so much protocol and ritual, so much I don't understand. I would have just said, ‘Dudes... stand up!’"
***
He throws back his head laughing and hugs her tight, seeing some of his warriors are chuckling as well, or trying like hell not to.
“You are such a minx, you have them laughing already.” She is winning over every single heart. “Now, watch.”
***
Cory has heard the commotion on the training field and steps to his doorway to watch. He sees his new master with his mate, the female he met in California. Cory is not sure what all the excitement is about, but clearly something is about to go down, so he leans into the doorjamb to observe.
