The Turning: Book Two in The Medici Warrior Series

by Emily Bex

  “Well, I would think when your warrior comes home he would be greeted without having to beat the damn fucking door down, woman! Now give me a proper welcome home.”

  She saw Luca standing in the hallway as she slipped her arms around Shade’s waist and leaned into him, planting teasing kisses on his neck. “What has you so riled up? Do you need more bathtub therapy?”

  “Do not tempt me. Luca is here, and we would not want him to see such exploitations, mi amore.” He slapped her ass softly. “Now, be good.”

  He led her to the chair by the window and pulled her into his lap and nodded for Luca to take the seat across from him. “I have some things to discuss, and it is important both of you are here, si?”

  Kate was confused by the fact he had asked Luca to join them. Her heartbeat picked up as she felt nervous about whatever news he was about to share. “I'm listening, lover.”

  Shade pushed a still damp strip of crimson behind her ear and smiled. He looked at Luca who nodded. “There have been some changes on the rogue front, not good ones. I have decided to go to Castello, bring some of my warriors here.” Shade saw Luca's eyes light up. “I will be gone maybe two nights, three at the most. This is not a pleasure trip, I have a lot of work to do there, decide who stays to protect Castello and the Tuscan coven, and who I need here. I will make that decision once there. I am not even sure how many I will bring back with me, at least six, perhaps as many as ten. They will need housing. So, this is where a few things come into play for you both. Bel, I need to know you will be okay here alone with Luca for that amount of time. If not, I will take you with me, leave Luca behind to keep watch on things. Also, I need you to prepare for having that many warriors around the house. I wish for them to stay in the staff quarters temporarily, but long term we need to plan accommodations for them. Bel, you can assist Gi in handling all their needs. I need you to be all right with this. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

  Shade directed his attention to Luca, “I need you to get more weapons prepared while I am gone. You know what I will need, what they will need. And I am relying on you, if bel chooses to stay here, you are to be by her side every second. You will sleep outside that door to protect her. Both of you need to give me your thoughts, I need to know very quickly, we need to make this decision together, we are family.”

  Kate was torn by his request, three days without him? Three days he would not sleep by her side? She felt his energy, his need to go, and she knew once they were there, she wouldn’t see him. He would be with his warriors and she would wander through that massive castle with nothing to occupy her nights except thoughts of their lost baby. She would stay here and wait for him.

  “Something in your voice tells me you’ll have much to do once you’re there. And I doubt there will be time for me. I’ll stay here. I feel safe with Luca. And, of course, I’m comfortable with your warriors. Whatever you need, Shade.”

  He hugged her tight and kissed her softly. “Grazie, mi amore.” He looked at Luca and watched his face. “Luca?”

  Luca had been hoping for a different message. He had been hoping Shade would take both of them back to Florence.

  “Of course, master. You know I’ll be at her side every minute. You can rest assured of her safety.”

  Shade saw his disappointment, and could feel that he missed home. But Luca needed to learn, he was warrior and sometimes, home was not an option.

  “Luca, when all of this is done, and things go back to normal, I promise you can go back home for some time. This is not easy for me. I don’t like leaving either of you. It will be hell for me. I can barely make it through one night without aching to be home with bel, but I need you both to be strong, take care of each other, and I am just a call away. Any other concerns?”

  Kate looked at the floor. Concerns? He comes home some nights covered in blood from a place called the Dead House, and now he has to go to Florence to get more warriors and he wants to know if I have concerns? “No, lover, I have no concerns.”

  Shade responded to her by telepathy, ”You lie well, mi amore, but I feel it... I feel it hard.” Shade lifted Kate off his lap and went to Luca. He gave him a hug and slapped his back. “Luca, you can go. I need you to protect the only thing I love more than my own life. I am proud of you, so damn proud of you.”

  Luca said nothing but held his gaze and the hearts of two warriors locked and understood. Shade waited until Luca left the room, then turned to Kate. “Now tell me what you really think, bel.”

  Kate cast her eyes downward. He hated when she told him to be careful, she didn’t want to give voice to her concerns and make him angry before he left her for a few days. “If I ask you to be careful, you get angry. I can’t help that I worry for you always. You think my worrying is somehow about me doubting your strength as a warrior. It isn’t. I’ll always worry. I love you and I’ll always worry when you’re away from me. You shield me and I let you because there are elements of your world I know I’m still not ready to accept, and those things scare me. I fear what I don't understand, lover. So, when you tell me there are changes on the rogue front, and I don't really know what that means, and you need more warriors, yes, I have concerns. But I have faith in you. I believe in you. So, if you are asking me if I’m okay with you going to Florence, the answer is yes. But when you ask me if I have concerns... the answer is always, Shade, always.”

  Walking to her, Shade took her hands and pulled her up from the chair, sliding the robe from her shoulders. It fell with a soft whisper to the floor and she stood before him, naked and clean from her shower, smelling like heaven, her hair still damp, and her eyes so soulful, showing concern for him. He slid his hands softly up and down her arms, up her neck, and into her hair, tilting her face up so their eyes met. She was so damn small, and he towered over her, it made him feel like he must always protect her from all the evil and corruption in the world.

  “Mi amore, there is so much in this world I never wish for you to see. And yes, I do shield you from much. I keep you here, isolated from everything because I am selfish in that I want you to remain as you are, my soft bel rosso. I escape here to you. I escape all that is evil when I come home to you. So, that is why I do not share my life away from you. But the rogues are doing things that are making a mess in the vampire world. They are bringing in the mortal world as they do, and it could easily get out of control, forcing us all to leave in order to not be exposed. I am not ready to give up all I have fought for. I will fight to keep what I have here. This is our home now and I won’t let that go without a fight. I love you, I love this house. I need my warriors here to help, to wrap this up and then we can move forward with our lives. We deserve that, si?”

  He pulled her into his arms. “I will miss you. I know you will be okay with Luca, but it doesn’t mean either of us has to like it. You will be surrounded by warriors now. They will flow in and out of this house for a time, for weapons, for talks. If you can, I need for you to accept them like you have the rest of my family, welcome them, and make them feel at home here. I have no doubt you can do that, I just worry it is too much for you at this time. Tell me you are okay with this. That I can bring them here. That you will welcome them in your heart as I do.”

  Her skin tingled at his touch, and her heart calmed at the sound of his voice. She could deny him nothing. “Of course, they are welcome here. And I’ll be fine. Now, put this away, if this is my last night with you for a while, I don't want to talk any more about rogues and warriors.”

  He lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bed.

  15

  As Shade woke from his death slumber, Kate had to fight back her disappointment, knowing when he left her, tonight, she wouldn’t see him for a few days. She was torn with her decision to go or stay, but she sensed his relief when she decided to stay here. She knew he would be preoccupied in Florence. Not having to worry about her would be one less thing for him to deal with. Since she had moved here with him, he had always come home to he
r to sleep, and she had always lain beside him. This would be the longest time they had been apart, and her heart already ached for him.

  She clung to him as they said their goodbyes, and he kissed her with such deep passion and longing. She fought back her tears, as she didn’t want him to see her cry.

  Shade never anticipated leaving this home in Virginia would be so difficult. But this was home now and leaving was like nothing he had ever felt. He always thought the first time he left Castello was one of his most difficult moments, but this was far more heart-wrenching because he was leaving her behind. He trusted his staff implicitly to look after her, and they understood his duty, as their master extended far beyond these four walls. She sheds no tears, brave little minx that she was, but he saw her struggle and tried not to make their goodbye a drawn-out affair that would leave them both emotionally drained.

  Hopefully, this trip would be over quickly, and they would have their homecoming. He still wasn’t sure Kate could handle warriors stomping about all over the place, and keeping them shacked up in the staff quarters might be difficult on his warriors. They would all need to make the best of it.

  Looking for Luca, he gave him the last-minute instructions, and knew in his heart Luca would carry them through without fail. With his hand on the doorknob to leave the side entrance, he heard a familiar voice, quiet and timid, and he turned to find Theresa.

  Theresa had followed in her master’s footsteps this evening, waiting for a moment when he wasn’t preoccupied with preparing for this trip. She wished to speak to him alone, without prying eyes, before he ventured back home to Florence. She was hoping he would understand and not feel her request was an inconvenience. Finally, she saw him wrapping up with Luca and getting ready to go when she spoke softly. “Master Shade, please, may I have a few moments before you leave us?”

  Letting go of the doorknob, he smiled at her. Theresa had been with his family through generations, and she was so sweet and obliging. He could feel her nervous tension. He laid his hand softly along her cheek. “You may have as much time as you need. What is bothering you? Speak your mind.”

  Reaching into her apron pocket, she pulled out a small package, wrapped in fabric and tied with a ribbon from her hair. She held it out to him. “Since you are going home, might I beg for a favor? Would you please make sure Marco gets this?”

  Shade raised his eyebrows. Marco? Hmm, wonder how long that has been going on and how the hell did I not notice it? He took the package, tucking it in his leather coat pocket and smiled down at her. “Marco, huh? Keeping secrets from the master, are we?” He watched her blush and he chuckled. “Do not worry, Theresa, I will deliver it into his hands. You must miss him, si?”

  “Si, Master Shade, but it is his life, and this... just a small token to remind him he is missed. Thank you, master.” She bowed her head to him and quickly returned to her duties.

  Shade watched as she scurried away. He was totally befuddled he had never noticed any attraction between Marco and Theresa. Cazzo, where the hell have I been? In a fog, warrior, in a fucking fog! Teleporting out, he was eager to see Castello again, but his heart and soul remained at Bel Rosso with Kate.

  Kate’s tears fell as she dressed to meet Luca. She wiped them away and walked downstairs. She stopped in the kitchen for another breakfast from Reynaldo. As she sat and ate, she contemplated the people in this house. They were part of Shade's coven, they were loyal to him. Yet, all of them watched after her as she hid away for days in the nursery, after the loss of the baby, and not one of them betrayed her secret. They helped her drag everything from the nursery, destroy it and kept silent. And now, as she trained with Luca, once again, they protected her. She knew if Shade were to ask outright, they would not deceive him. But she had such respect for them, and her love for them grew every day.

  They served through loyalty and honor, and she felt humbled by them. It was a comfort to have them here. As she finished eating, she walked to the closed door of Luca's suite and tapped lightly.

  Luca was wondering if she would come tonight. How she would respond to master's absence? Would she continue to fight through her pain? Or would she retreat back into it? Shade had stopped in earlier to give Luca his orders before leaving. Telling him what weapons he needed to procure in anticipation of the arrival of the new warriors, and her... ‘Don't let her out of your sight, not even for a minute.’ Luca could see the concern in Shade’s eyes for her. He didn’t like leaving her. Luca assured him she would be safe with him, he would remain at her side until he returned. As he prepared to go upstairs to take his station outside her bedroom he heard her tap at the door. He had to smile at her resolve. He opened the door and silently stepped out, and she followed him outside once more. She started warming up without prompting.

  She looked over at him. “How many miles will we run tonight?”

  “You will run only ten miles, little warrior, the same as last night. I’ll be adding some new exercises to your routine. Are you ready? Just like yesterday, I want you to look, listen, smell, and feel. You’ll pick up more every night. Let's go, we have much to accomplish tonight.”

  He started their run, pushing the pace a little harder, watching as she monitored her breath. “Listen to the sound of your feet as you run. Listen to how far that sound carries in the night. You will have new skills when you are turned, but you need to think, now, about how to move without detection. Because just as you are listening to the sounds around you, your enemy is also listening for you. Move with more ease and more lightness.”

  Kate took in the instructions. Breathe, posture, look, listen, smell, feel, and now run with lightness? Who knew running had so many instructions. She tried to change how her feet hit the ground. How do you run with lightness? In her head, she saw a flash of the Native Americans, and how they were moving with quiet stealth through the forest. She saw it, and she tried to mimic that motion and spirit, tried to find that space in her head.

  Luca noticed the improvement. “Good... much better. It will improve with time and practice, Kate. Now, focus.” They completed the run and returned to the house. She was able to identify four of the eight animals that were in their path this night. She seemed disappointed in herself, that she didn’t pick up on all of them. Her impatience matched that of Shade.

  “Kate, last night you only got two out of ten. Tonight, you picked half. Don't be so hard on yourself. That's my job. Speaking of which, we’re adding some things to your routine, just regular exercises to build your core strength. The running helps with your endurance and builds strength in your legs. The swords are building strength in your arms and shoulders. Now, we add core. Nothing fancy here, just push-ups and sit-ups. So, drop down and give me twenty, and I want your body to be as straight as a board. And no, you can't do girl push-ups on your knees... full plank. Move it.”

  Kate hated sit-ups, and the only thing she hated more than sit-ups were push-ups. She sighed and dropped to the ground and got in position.

  He was immediately correcting her, “Arms straight, under your shoulders, flatten your back, get your butt out of the air, straight line, straight line, weight on your toes,” as he counted off the twenty repetitions. She dropped flat on the ground at the end of the twenty count, only to hear him say, “Good... now give me twenty more.”

  After putting her through the forty push-ups, Luca had her do sit-ups with a weighted ball, forty of them. And then he had her walk it off and hydrate. “Are you ready for swords?”

  Still breathing heavily, she looked at him, “You want me to cut your face again?”

  Ha! Master is right. She is a smart-ass. He had to suppress his smile. “That was a lucky break.”

  She shot back, “Not so lucky for you. I should be more careful, though. Wouldn't want to scar that face and scare the girls away.”

  “Yeah, well, don't you worry about me and the girls. Let's focus on you, right now.” He walked to her and tied a scarf around her eyes.

  She put her hands out in
front of her. “Hide and seek?”

  He backed away from her, leaving her standing isolated. “You wish! Tonight, you will fight me blindfolded. You respond with your sword based solely on what you hear, smell, feel.”

  “Are you kidding? How is that even possible? Are you blindfolded?”

  Luca was fighting hard not to laugh, she was standing with her hands on her hips and he could feel her agitation. “Oh, it is more than possible. And no, I’m not blindfolded.” He placed a sword in each of her hands and stepped back from her, picking up his own swords. “Now listen... feel... block out everything else. You’ll be surprised at what you pick up.”

  She felt him place the swords in her hands, and she heard him step back from her. She heard him pick up his own swords from the ground. She was already amazed she could tell what his actions were, even with the blindfold in place. She listened as he moved around her, and she turned her body accordingly. She could hear the soft whisper in the air, as he swung his sword. She could tell if it is coming from the right or the left, and was able to respond. He was moving slowly, letting her get the feel of it, and gradually picked up the pace. She was not able to strike him, to go on the offense, but she was able to block most of his strikes.

  Once he stepped away from her, she got quiet, and Luca saw her level of concentration. She responded quickly to the sounds, she had good instincts. She wasn’t able to attack, and wisely, didn’t even try. Her posture was one of pure defense, listening, feeling, and responding to block the strikes. They parried for a good hour before he stopped the exercise. “Drop your swords, warrior. I'm going to remove your blindfold now.”

  She dropped her arms to her side, as he stepped in and removed the scarf from her eyes. “Good job, I’m pleased with your progress, warrior.”