by Emily Bex
“I'm not sure my life will accommodate her. I cannot do for her what master does for you. I can't provide the things for her that master provides.”
“Love is not about things, Luca. Can you love her like Shade loves me? Can you show her that kind of love?”
“You know I can. But you make it sound simple. I live here. I am expected to be here. This is my life as a warrior. This is what I was trained for, and we enter that life knowing there may be no room for a mate. That is why we have feeders.”
Kate cringed at the word ‘feeders’, but before she could respond, he turned and walked away, closing the door to his suite behind him. Kate sighed. What was it with these men? They walk away when they are done with the conversation!
17
Teleporting inside Castello, it felt somewhat odd to be here. It was his ancestral home, where he was born, where he grew up. He still had the warrior camp here, his coven throughout Tuscany, his largest vineyards, and yet, home was now on the other side of the world, not this grand castle, but a villa in the foothills of Virginia. Still, he loved these people. He called out in the grand foyer, as his voice echoed through the halls, “Master is home!”
People came scurrying from everywhere, with smiles and happiness to greet him. Many were looking for Kate. He answered all their questions, informing them it would be a short stay with much to do, and his bel was fine. He would be returning with her soon to be turned, which brought many more smiles. Some of the housemaids clapped and giggled, and it made his heart beam that they already loved her.
He spent his first hours meeting with his house staff, going over their needs and getting updated on all the maintenance issues for Castello, since his last visit. He would save the primary reason for his trip for tomorrow, when he was rested.
Strolling through the long halls, he was tired. His death slumber was calling. He must rest, for he didn’t wish to stay here longer than he had to. Making it into his old bedroom, he recalled the last time he stood here, remembering how beautiful, how loving, and sexy she was when they were here, where she fed from him for the first time. She owned him, body, and soul. The sun rose as the electronic blinds started to close, and he sat on the side of the bed.
He daydreamed of little bambinos, scurrying around his feet, calling him padre, and his heart broke again, remembering the little one they lost. He felt the soft touch of a small hand upon his shoulder, Madre, he thought. He knew she would be here, he knew she would come to him. He felt her hand, as she softly caressed his hair. He lay down on the bed and fell into his death slumber, calmed by his madre, but dreaming of bel.
Hours passed and from deep in his slumber, he sensed her, hearing her laughter, he woke immediately. He lay quietly and focused his senses on her, feeling what she felt, letting her happiness consume him, and he felt bereft that he was not the one giving her such joy. He sat up quickly, who the fuck was with her? ”Mi amore, you are so joyous, who is with you?”
Kate was laughing with Shannon as they talked about old times and she heard his voice in her head. She answered him. ”It is my friend, my mortal girlfriend, Shannon. You remember her? I invited her to the house today to help pass the time. I miss you so, lover.”
He sent her his love and drifted back into his slumber, aware of her absence in his arms.
As night hovered on the horizon, Shade woke and went in search of his Second-In-Command. In addition to deciding which warriors should come back to the States with him, he had a small present he promised to deliver. Smiling as he passed several warriors and house staff, he realized he missed being in his own territory, not answering to a damn soul but himself. As he walked across the training field, he stopped one of the warriors and asked where he might find Marco. The warrior told him Marco was doing his usual gym workout. Shade headed out to find the man he considered his true brother. Marco knew he was coming, and they had much to discuss.
Walking into the gym inside the warrior camp, he found Marco working out alone. Marco spied him and a huge grin spreads across his face.
Marco shouted, “You old dog!”
As they both laughed, Shade looked at him and shook his head. “When will you learn, Marco, no matter what you do, you will never be able to keep up with the young pups.”
Marco had picked up his scent long before he heard him. Shade was closer than any blood family had ever been. Most of the time, they needed no words to communicate. They had saved each other’s asses more than once, and had the scars to prove it. As Shade strolled in, Marco detected the changes in him, not physical but emotional. Things in the States had improved for him in many ways, but something was stressing his brother out far more than he would ever say. If he told anyone his woes, it would be Marco.
Marco had stayed in contact with his Theresa. He knew some of the hell Shade had been through with the rogues. Shade was one crazy-ass vampire, and his temper flared at the drop of a hat, but Theresa told him since he had met this mortal and mated her, he was different in so many ways and changing every day. Marco was glad to see him, he needed to come home more, leave this mortal mate behind and reconnect with his roots and his brothers.
Marco hugged him and slapped his back. “I may not be able to keep up with their young cocks, but I can strike ‘em low like the dogs they are, brother!” Marco looked at him closely. “So, tell me, Alec got your balls in a twist and shoving ‘em up your ass? Or is that new mate of yours running your ass in the ground fucking your brains out? You aren’t young either, Shade.” Throwing back his head, laughing, Marco walked to the rings and looked at him.
“You never mind about my mate. But fuck if I don’t miss her already, and I’m thinking you are missing someone yourself.”
Grinning, Shade liked the growl he got out of him. “So, how long has that been going on? I would have never guessed, fratello.”
Pulling the package out of his coat, he handed it to Marco. “Small gift I promised to hand-deliver from your bella in the States.”
As Marco took the package, he could smell her, he closed his eyes and calmed the beating of his heart, laying the gift inside his gym bag.
“Yeah, brother, you’re fucking getting old, losing your damn senses as well. My connection with Theresa happened long before your ass got tied up by a mortal. Fucking hell, Shade, you walked past us a few times, and once you came barging in my room and she was moving that fine sweet ass under a pile of blankets and you never spotted her.”
Marco bent over laughing as they both reminisced about the old times.
Shade laughed with his old friend, but he had not missed the tone of dislike in Marco’s voice when he spoke of bel. He got serious. “About Kate, she isn’t going anywhere, I love her. She is my mate and that is all there is to it. So, speak your mind. No hard feelings. We are brothers and it stays between us. But you will give her your pledge the next time she is here.”
His face became deadly serious and his tone let Marco know where he stood.
Marco grunted, knowing he meant business, but he had never withheld anything on his mind with Shade, including when he felt a lot of his actions were questionable and could have been handled better. As Shade’s tone became serious, so did his own. They didn’t stand on ceremony.
“She will get my pledge when she is immortal and not before. So, I suggest the next time you bring her here, it should be for the turning. And I am not alone in my thoughts. The others won’t have the balls to tell you, they love you too damn much, but you need to turn her soon. Her mere appearance here the last time stirred up a lot of controversy. I didn’t want to bother you with such. You have enough hell with Alec. But it is something you need to consider seriously. She will be much more accepted here, and your fucking heirs better be pure immortals if they are to be taken seriously.”
Marco watched him and saw his temper flare and held up his hand. “Don’t let that beast loose on me. I have one of my own just itching to beat the living fuck out of something. ”
Marco grinned at him and
watched Shade’s smirk appear. “It is what it is. I’m just telling you, as a brother, the minds of the others. Nothing new, but this is serious, and I know you love her. That is obvious. I have no qualms about your love for her, and Theresa adores her. You’ve been a warrior a long time, and it’s time you settled down, produced heirs to inherit your legacy. Your brothers were just surprised is all, as was the Council, to hear you mated a mortal. The quicker you get her turned, the better.”
His words struck him deep, and Shade wanted to reach out and wrap his hands around Marco’s neck until his life was gone, and not for the first time. But he listened to him talk, and he wasn’t surprised at his words, he knew in his heart Marco was right. Shade had a momentary flash of their lost bambino, and the knowledge that he would have been born a half-breed had he survived, and he knew that son would never have been acknowledged, could never have inherited his legacy to continue to run this camp or the coven.
“Marco, I have every damn intention of making her immortal, but things have happened, she had a setback in her strength. I can’t turn her until she gains that back and once she does, and I settle this fucking bullshit in the States, she will be turned. The main reason I am here is to get this hell over with in a hurry. Grab your fucking gear. We need to have one long ass talk about who is coming back with me and who stays. Let’s walk, brother, I need to hear and see my warriors, and I need you to give me the details on their training and who has made improvements.”
As Marco grabbed his gym bag, he threw his arm over Shade’s shoulder. Shade knew deep in his heart, he had to leave Marco behind here in Florence. Shade trusted no one else with his warriors, his land and his home, but his brother, Marco.
18
Kate headed upstairs to get a few hours’ sleep before nightfall. She slipped into a gown and climbed beneath the covers. She pulled Shade's pillow to her chest and buried her face in the soft down and inhaled his scent. She slid into the space he usually occupied. This bed felt so empty and cold without him. This whole house felt empty without him. Her body was tired, but her mind wouldn’t shut off with thoughts of him. She tossed and turned in the bed, trying to find a comfortable spot, but her comfortable spot was lying with her head on his chest and his arms surrounding her. ”Lover...can you hear me? Can you feel me?”
She waited to hear his voice in her head, and then he came to her. ”Si, mi amore. I feel you always. I love you always. Sleep now, bel rosso, I will be home soon.” His voice soothed her, calmed her and she fell asleep.
She had set her cell phone alarm to go off after nightfall, and she awoke in the darkened room to the sound of its beeping. She dressed and opened her door to head downstairs, only to find Luca just outside her door. He had been there the entire time she slept, and she realized that Shade probably instructed him as such. She asked him to join her for breakfast and he followed her to the kitchen, where Reynaldo had breakfast waiting. Luca sat with her while she ate.
“So, when do you sleep, Luca?”
“I'm a day-walker. I don't require the same sleep. We can go for days without sleep, if necessary. But if Master is here with you, I will use some of that time to sleep.”
Kate stopped eating and looked over at him. “Some of that time? I would think you would use all of that time to sleep.”
“My body does not require it. That is my free time. I may paint... or I may leave the house to feed.”
Feeders. There it was again. This was a concept she was finding difficult to accept. “May I ask... Sorry, if this is too personal just say so, but do you see the same person?”
Luca leaned his elbows on the counter, “In Florence, I saw the same person, I was with the same person for years. But here, not yet.”
Kate knew she was prying, but she wanted to understand the feeder relationship. “Do you love her? The feeder? The one in Florence?”
“Love? No, I wouldn’t call it love. Affection, yes. There is a bond you establish with your feeder when you remain together.”
“Do you miss her?”
“Yes... I do. But I'm sure I will find someone I connect with in time.”
Kate nudged. “But if you had a girlfriend...”
Luca flashed her a look that said ‘don't go there.’
Kate paused a second before continuing. “Why are you resisting this idea, Luca? I'm mortal, not blind! Do you think I didn't see the sparks fly between you and Shannon yesterday?”
“You don't understand. A relationship with a mortal brings a lot of complications.”
“Uh... Hello! Mortal here! If there is a complication to be found, trust me, I will find it. But I would not change anything. I wouldn't. Everything that Shade and I have been through, and everything we have yet to go through, whatever it is, it’s worth it. Don't you understand?”
“Oh, I understand plenty. I was born a warrior. It’s my station in life and it requires certain sacrifices.”
Kate grabbed his arm, “Love? It requires you sacrifice love? That makes no sense to me. Shade is a warrior.”
Luca shook his head, “Shade is a master.”
Kate sounded exasperated, “What difference does that make? Love is love, I’m sure he would never expect you to go through life without love. Luca, I will talk to him...”
“No! Kate... You understand so little of our world. I work for Shade, I am a part of his coven and I have a sworn loyalty to him. I have been chosen as your protector, and there is no greater honor as a warrior. He entrusts me with your life... Me! You are his most precious gift, and he entrusts me! Do you understand that?”
“I do understand that! But what does that have to do with you and Shannon?”
Luca ran his hands through his hair, “I have nothing to offer Shannon. I have no home to take her to. My first loyalty must always be to Shade and to you.”
“Oh my god, if it is just a home... I mean, Luca, if you needed a separate house on the property or something. All these problems are just logistics. They can all be solved.”
She watched as he closed his eyes, lowered his head and answered her in a soft voice, “Kate, do you understand if this house were under siege, if the lives of every person in this house were at stake, my duty is to you. To protect you. And if I had a mate, my obligation is still to protect you first, she would be second. And that is why warriors frequently choose not to be mated. They cannot choose between duty and love. There can be no conflict.”
She watched as he slipped off the bar stool and walked from the room, as the impact of his words hit her in the chest like a sledgehammer. Must he endure a life of loneliness out of some code of loyalty? And she was the reason? Kate looked up to see Reynaldo looking at her as little puzzle pieces fell into place. They lived in a hierarchy. Their stations were defined at birth, master, warrior, worker bees. She saw Reynaldo nod his head, as he read that recognition in her face.
Kate left the kitchen and headed for Luca’s suite. The door was closed. Is he angry with me? Her heart was breaking for him, and she didn’t want to leave things this way. She tapped on the door and he opened it to her.
“Are we training tonight?”
Luca replied, his face showing nothing, “Of course, my lady, why would you think differently.”
My lady... we are back to that. “Please don't call me that, Luca. If I upset you, I’m sorry. It is never my intention. I care deeply for you. You must know that.”
He didn’t give an inch, “I think it might be easier if I remember my station, my lady. You did nothing wrong. The problem is mine. It was wrong of me to even lay it at your feet.”
She stood and looked at him. How did she get past centuries of tradition? “Am I more than a job to you?”
He looked up at her, startled by her question. “How can you ask that? Of course, you are more than a job to me. I love Shade like a father... like a brother. And I have come to love you. I watch the two of you together, and I see what joy you have brought into his life.”
“Then please, dispense with the �
�my lady’ crap, and call me Kate. Please!”
He nodded his head and led her outside to begin their training. They ran the ten miles and she found the run that was once so challenging, came easier now. She remembered her lessons from previous runs and focused on picking up the sounds. She was still not great on scents, but Luca told her it would come. As they returned to the house, he had her go through the routine of push-ups and sit-ups, adding more repetitions. She was beginning to notice a physical change in her body, more definition. She wondered if Shade would notice it, and then immediately heard herself respond, ‘Of course, he will notice it!’ She needed to make sure she made some comment to him soon about working out.
As they wrapped up the core exercises, Luca had been quieter than usual tonight. She turned to him and asked, "What next? Blind man's bluff again?”
He shook his head. “Rock climbing. Have you ever used a rock climbing wall?”
Kate put her hands on her hips as she glared at him, “Okay, is this a punishment? Because I said I was really, really sorry.”
For the first time tonight, she saw the slightest smile on his face.
Despite his mood, he couldn’t help but smile at her. “Not a punishment. We’ll start with a rock climbing wall in a gym, but before we are done, you will climb real walls. Now, come with me. I’ll teleport us to the gym.”
Kate had only teleported with Luca a few times. It still felt strange to her, as she stepped in and he held her close. He didn’t take them into D.C., heeding Shade's warning to steer clear, but took them to Charlottesville instead. They landed in the parking lot of a gym. It was dark and there were not a lot of cars about. He led her inside where he paid for time on the rock climbing wall. He helped her into the harness, but didn’t strap one on himself, he didn’t need one. They climbed side by side at first, with him instructing her where to put her hands, how to grip with the tips of her fingers, and where to move her feet. He dropped down to the floor and then instructed her from there. He made her climb up the wall over and over, from different angles. And finally, he made her remove the harness. They worked for hours before he called it quits and they teleported back home.
