The Turning: Book Two in The Medici Warrior Series

by Emily Bex

  As he left the house, Kate ran back upstairs and put on jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers and headed back downstairs. She had asked Luca to train her to fight, to give her an outlet for her anger over the loss of the baby. She knew he had reservations about agreeing to help her. She walked to the door of Luca's suite and was about to knock when he opened the door. Her closed fist was suspended in the air, ready to knock. He raised his own hand and covered hers.

  He asked, “Are you ready?” She nodded her head once, and he liked the determination he saw in her eyes. “Then follow me.”

  He took her to the bunker where all the weapons were stored. He needed to figure out what she already knew and what skills she possessed that may be helpful in her training. Determination would not be enough. Determination would get her killed. He unlocked the door to the bunker. He better do this right, or Shade would have his balls on a platter. He pushed the door open and stepped aside for her to enter.

  The walls were lined with weapons, and Kate knew there were even more stored behind these walls. There were enough weapons here to supply an army.

  Luca watched her face, as she scanned the walls and he already doubted his decision to help her. They were starting at zero... maybe, if he was lucky, they were starting at zero.

  “Sit down, Kate. First, I need to figure out what skills you already have.” He pulled out a chair for her, then sat down next to her at the conference table.

  Kate thought to herself, Skills? Well, this will be a short conversation.

  Luca took out a piece of paper and a pen and looked at her. “What weapons have you used in the past, what have you been exposed to or taught?”

  Kate thought a minute, then responded, “Uh... you know about the shotgun, right?”

  “Yes, the night you fired the shotgun at Sabine. I know about that. And it knocked you on your ass.”

  Kate shrugged. “Yeah, well... that's about all I know about weapons.”

  Luca rubbed his hand across his face, and wrote on the paper, ‘Weapons Skills: None.’ Really, Luca, you have stepped in it big time. “Okay, what other skills. Growing up, did you play sports? Soccer? Run track? Anything like that?”

  She tilted her head and looked at him. “Do I look like a girl who plays soccer?”

  He shook his head. “No, I was hoping.” He ran both hands over his face and then wrote, ‘Athletic Skills: None.’ What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

  She looked at the frustration on his face, but she wasn’t willing to give up. She didn’t know if it mattered, but she decided to share the things she did know how to do.

  “I was a cheerleader. And dance, I studied dance, and a little gymnastics. Does that help? I can ride a horse. I took horseback riding. Do vampires ride horses? I never heard of a vampire on a horse.”

  Luca lowered his hands from his face, as he looked at her again when a light bulb went off in his head. Gymnast? Fuck yeah. Gymnastics will work just fine.

  “I don't think we need dancing or cheerleading, but we can definitely work with gymnast, and let's leave the horses in the barn, shall we? Now let's figure out what you're comfortable with. Come with me. We're going to look at the weapons.”

  He slid the useless piece of paper away, sensing it would be a very short skills assessment list, and stood up, taking her hand, and leading her around the room, so she could look at everything.

  Kate took in the display of weapons on the walls and inside the cabinets, looking at everything. She didn’t even know what some of this stuff did. She didn’t like the guns. She walked past all of the firearms displayed on the wall. She looked at the swords, and she ran her hand down the long blade. At least she knew what it was, and how it was used. Would she be strong enough? She couldn’t imagine herself fighting with a sword. There were bows, she knew about bows. Could she shoot a bow? Who walked around with a bow and arrow, besides that Oliver guy on that TV show The Arrow? Then there was another weapon, something like a bow... but not. She ran her hand over it. It intrigued her. “What is this, Luca? What is this called?”

  “That's a crossbow. It's an ancient weapon, but it has been modernized and is still used today.”

  She turned and looked at him. “This is the one. This is the one I want.” He started to pull a crossbow down from the wall and she stopped him.

  “No, not that one... this one. I want this one, this black metal one with the scope thing on top.”

  Luca took the crossbow down from the wall and handed it to Kate. It was heavier than she expected, and she looked up to see a slight smirk on his face. He knew this was more weapon than she could handle.

  He watched as she juggled the weight of the crossbow. “It’s a long race, Kate, and you don't start at the finish line. A warrior trains a lifetime to master these skills. Your body is soft. You have led a life of leisure, yes? Before you learn to master any weapon, we must first build up your strength. We will start every day with a run to build your stamina and endurance. And then we will work with swords. I wouldn’t suggest you fight with swords, as a sword battle is a close encounter battle, and you will never hold your own in that fight.”

  Luca watched as a look of annoyance flashed across her face. Good. She will need some of that spitfire temper to motivate her, if she is going to tackle this task.

  “Working with swords will help build your upper body strength, give you the power and control you need if you want to use that crossbow. But let me make one thing clear, Kate.” He needed her to hear him, hear his message loud and clear, so he grasped her chin in his hand and locked eyes with her. “This is not a game. These are not toys. I’m going against master's direct orders to train you, and the first day you don’t follow my direction, the first day I feel you’re not taking this seriously, will be the last day we train... Are we clear?”

  She was startled when he took her chin and his eyes bored into her. He was deadly serious, and she nodded her head yes. She wanted to do this, and she would play by his rules. She understood she had placed him at odds with Shade by her very request.

  He took the crossbow from her hands and hung it back up on the wall. “You won't need this for a while, that is a lesson for another day. Right now, we run. Five miles.”

  He took her hand and led her outside, where he had her stretch before they started a run. He would push her five miles today, and perhaps, by tomorrow, she would already tire of this game.

  Kate thought, Five miles? I haven't run five miles since... ever! Maybe we should start with one mile. I don't dare say that, even as a joke, he made it clear this was no game. So, run.

  They ran together, he matched his pace to hers. Kate knew he could finish five miles in a blink of an eye, but he ran alongside her. He coached her on her posture, her breathing. Seriously? Who knew there were rules on how to run? Her lungs were burning, and she was gasping for breath. Her feet felt heavy when she turned to him and asked. "How far... have we... run?" She had to pace her words to her gasping breath.

  He shook his head and smiled, and she was crushed by his answer. "About a mile, just four more to go."

  He was testing her. He wanted to see if she was serious, if she was up for the task or would she cave.

  Okay, Luca. Bring it. I will not back away. She went inside her head, got focused. She concentrated on one step at a time, just focusing on the next. She tried to modulate her breathing, kept her eyes on the horizon, and got into the zone. She blocked out everything, except the next step... and the next step... and the next.

  He thought she was going to throw in the towel, but then he saw her make a turning point, resolving to push past the discomfort. Good. That ability to go inside her head and ignore the pain in her body will be necessary at every part of training. He pushed her until they completed the full five-mile loop, and they were back at the house. She stopped, bent over, breathing hard, hands on her knees, red hair wet from sweat and falling forward around her face.

  Luca directed her, "Keep moving. Walk it off. Don't stop suddenly.
Let your body cool-down."

  He made her drink water, and lots of it. She would feel this tomorrow, and they were just getting started with what he needed her to accomplish today.

  "Take a break. Catch your breath, and we will start again in thirty minutes."

  She was already thinking about how great it would feel to stand under the steaming hot water of a shower when he said something about starting again. Wait! What?

  She opened her mouth to speak and had to bite her tongue to keep the words ‘you're kidding, right’ from being uttered. One look at his eyes told her he wasn’t kidding, and the first time she complained, this little adventure would come to an end. She finished off the bottled water and continued to pace the yard, as he entered the house and returned with two swords. Holy Mother of God... what have I gotten myself into?

  He returned with the swords. Learning to hold and swing the sword, to defend herself against an opposing sword, would teach her speed, improve her reflexes, build the strength in her arms and shoulders, so she would be able to handle a crossbow. Make ‘em or break ‘em. Is that not master's mantra? Find out fast who will stand and fight, and who will fold.

  The swords were heavy. He stood before her with a sword held upright in each hand. Without speaking, without warning, he tossed one of the swords to her. Would she grab it, or jump back from it? He watched the startled look on her face, but her eyes never left the sword and she reached out and grabbed the handle. Good instincts. Good eye to hand coordination. He nodded his approval.

  “Now get ready to fight, warrior."

  He moved slowly around her, holding the sword with both hands, his arms raised at shoulder level. She tried to mimic his pose. Fuck, this sword is heavy. He took mock swings at her, and she moved her sword to block him. Her shoulders ached already. He kept moving in a circle around her, forcing her to constantly turn so she was always facing him as they parry, back and forth, blade to blade, in a slow dance that was measured out in the clanking of their two blades meeting.

  She had to focus so hard on his movements—where he would go next, how he would swing his blade toward her—which didn’t give her time to focus on the pain in her shoulders, her neck, and down her back. He spoke to her in a soft, low voice.

  "Watch my eyes and my blade, warrior. My eyes will tell you my intent before I ever move the blade. Focus. Focus."

  They continued this dance for what felt like hours until her muscles were screaming and she wanted to cry out, ‘enough!’ But she knew he was looking for her breaking point, and she wouldn’t give in.

  She stood her ground as he circled her, turning to meet him head on, and never once taking a step back. Master would be proud of her. Luca kept pushing, forcing her to bear the weight of the sword, watching her hold the blade high, knowing her muscles must be screaming for relief, crying out to drop her arms, to drop her guard. Not once did her eyes leave his. Not once did her face betray the pain he knew she felt.

  He finally stopped circling her and lowered his sword, planting the point into the soil. She remained poised, blade held high for several beats as she considered his movements. Luca had to smile. She had a warrior's instincts, trust no one, and expect anything. She waited to see if his move was a ruse.

  "At ease, warrior. You're done for the day. We'll start again tomorrow with a run, seven miles this time. And more swords, bigger and heavier. Assuming you can even move tomorrow."

  She slowly lowered the sword and felt the cramping in her shoulders. She ached from head to toe. She handed him the sword and turned to walk toward the house, every muscle screaming in pain and she couldn’t wait to get under the hot water of the shower. Her head was screaming 'Forget it!’ But she looked at him over her shoulder, as she walked away and issued the challenge, "Bring it!"

  7

  Teleporting into the Dead House, Shade climbed the stairs to what was now their command center, and settled down for one long ass night. Bel was much better, and he felt ready and anxious to get out there and kick some fucking rogue ass. Checking out the grids, he marked each new site where they had spotted rogue activity, and still, there was no rhyme or reason to their pattern. He sent out his teams every night and he was maxed out with warriors. They were getting tired, and soon, he may have to bring some of his own into this nightmare. Son of a bitch, why can’t I figure this out?

  Flopping down in the chair, he picked up the local newspaper, going over it, looking for any report of activity that could be related to the rogues, making sure nothing had been left to be discovered by the mortals, when the front page headlines caught his full attention.

  ‘Senator Winston Dies in Mysterious Car Accident.’ What the fuck? He quickly skimmed over the article and flipped the page to see a photograph of a very twisted looking vehicle, so destroyed the reader couldn’t identify the make or model of the car. Shade focused on a few details no mortal would see, and knew this was no accident, this was a vampire strike, a revengeful kill. Cazzo, Alec is going to blow a fucking fang on this. I don’t need this shit right now!

  His gut began to churn, and his brain was clicking with the possibilities. Something wasn’t right. He read the article again, checking the time of the accident, and thought he saw Alec’s hand in this. He decided he should find out. Picking up his cell, he called Alec.

  Alec pulled his cell from his jacket pocket and saw Shade on caller ID. “Glad you called, Shade... got something on my mind...”

  “I bet you do. Have you seen the fucking papers today?”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen it. That particular Senator got in my way, a little too friendly with Rissa, so don't get distracted by that. But what I’m worried about is when Rissa got home from the gala last night, my beast picked up the scent of vampire, and she had no clue. So, one or more of them were stalking her. Got close enough to leave their scent and she wasn't even aware. I talked to her today, tried to make her aware of the danger. She says she understands, but she’s never seen a battle between covens. She has no idea the scope of the danger. I've never used a protector with her, and she doesn't want one, but what do you think? ”

  Shade laughed out loud, “Cazzo, if you do give her a protector, he will have to be one smart, slick bastard to outwit her. She won’t go down without a fight. If she were mine, her ass would be covered whether she liked it or not. She had no clue she was being stalked? Something is not adding up here. You don’t need anyone fucking up right now, especially Rissa. This is your life at stake and one fuck up could be your demise. This damn rogue coven is not fucking around, and they are getting more brazen every single night. I got everyone I have out there, and they have shaped up pretty well. There are no slackers in our crew and we can’t tag ‘em, brother. The rogues are all over the damn grid.”

  “You're right about a protector. I think I’ll keep an eye on it. See if I pick up the scent again. If I put someone on her now, I'm afraid she’ll spend more energy trying to dump the protector than she will trying to look out for herself. Get them both killed. Look, if you need to add more warriors, then do it. If you need more money, let me know. I want this thing brought to an end. I’ll try to keep a rein on Rissa, as much as possible.”

  “Well, you and I think differently, but in the end, our goals are the same, what is ours remains ours. I am going to figure this out if it kills me. No fucking coven is going to outsmart me. And if I need my own warriors, I will bring them in. One thing I want to know, where on the grid was this gala event located last night?”

  “Rissa was at The Kennedy Center for that fashion fundraiser.” He checked his copy of the grid map to find The Kennedy Center. “Section 5, I think. Locale Point 11.”

  “Got it. Fuck, Alec, that’s moving inside your personal perimeter. Too damn close.”

  “They’re not in the outskirts anymore, brother. They’re in our backyard. You understand that is just blocks from Georgetown? Too close for comfort. We need Intel, the kind of Intel we're only going to get from a hostage. What's it going to take to bring bac
k a live one?”

  “You want one, I will have to be the one that brings the slime in. Half of our warriors are disposing of bodies and the other half fighting off the random outbreaks. I can do this if that is what you want. I’m the only master in this group and my skills far outweigh what any of them can accomplish.”

  “If that's what it takes, Shade, then do it. I knew I could count on my brother-in-arms.”

  Shade held back the phone and stared at it. You fucking bastard. I am only your brother when things get bad. God fucking forbid you get your hands dirty. “I will call you at the end of the night, before sunrise to let you know the details.”

  Hanging up, he decided it was time to get his ass on the streets. He had an area to check out and a live body to bring in. Letting the music blare, he loaded up with weapons and slid on his gloves. Checking his boots, he pulled on his knit cap, tucking his hair up inside. He turned up the music, as the sounds of Disturbed singing Animal played loudly in the Dead House, while he prepared to hit the streets.

  The night was crisp and clear and Shade breathed it in, he felt alive inside. His bel was with him in his heart, and he could conquer the world. She kept all his senses more alert and focused. Hovering above the Kennedy Center he saw nothing unusual, people milling about as they left a performance. Checking the time, it was close to midnight and this was about the time this rogue coven began its most active killing spree.

  They lay in wait for the mortals to separate and spread out, and then struck without provocation. They killed their prey, drained them, and left them to be found. Shade skipped over a few blocks, keeping his eyes peeled to the ground as he ventured out a little further. There were questions running through his mind. Rissa had detected no scent, had no awareness of these vamps on her heels. Alec didn’t pick up a scent either, but he said his beast did. Could this be how the rogues were getting through their defenses? No scent? How the hell was that possible? If that was the case, a rogue could be right beside them and they would have no clue. If these rogues were able to mask their scent, then this was a brilliant tactic. It would make finding them nearly impossible, and Shade focused even harder. He took some comfort in knowing the deepest, truest part of the vampire, the beast, was still able to detect the rogue’s scent. At least nothing got past that black bastard.