by Emily Bex
Kate looked at Luca's face, and she could see his joy at having his cousin here. She wanted to kiss Shade for bringing him here, knowing how much this would mean to Luca. “Marcello, I’m so happy to meet you. It is my honor to have you in our home.” Kate looked at all the warriors. “To have all of you in our home. We have tried to accommodate these quarters to hold eight warriors, so I hope you’ll find everything you need.”
As they all gave her a nod, and some smiled, Shade told Luca to coordinate the sleeping arrangements and get things settled down for the sunrise that was quickly approaching.
“Luca will direct you to your sleeping quarters, get some rest. Sunrise is upon us. We will meet here at sunset and head out together this night. As for me, I have my own sleeping arrangements.”
Picking Kate up in his arms, he cradled her to his chest. “Come, woman, your warrior is home.”
Heading out the door, he carried her back to the main house, up the stairs into their bedroom and dove for the bed. He rolled on his back, pulling her onto his chest, his nose immediately in her neck and hair as it covered his face. Her scent drove him wild. He wanted to ravage her until the moon rose again.
“Miss me did you, my minx? Cazzo, you feel incredible in my arms.”
“Lover, I have missed you so. I hope to never be away from you for that long again. This bed... this house... feels so empty without you.”
She loved the feel of him. She lay across his chest, his arms around her, his hands exploring. She had missed the feel of him, his touch, his kiss, the sound of his voice.
They lay together, re-exploring all the things they had missed about each other. He slid his calloused hands across her arms and shoulders and felt definition in her muscles. He ran his hands along her sides and could feel her abdomen was harder and her thighs were firmer and he wondered what the hell she had done those nights he had been gone. Rolling her over, he looked down into her dark eyes flecked with amber, and kissed her passionately, long and soft, then harder and more intense. Before he knew what was happening, they lay naked on the bed, still entwined, kissing and teasing, and he was in heaven.
“I need to leave you more often if this is the welcome home I get. Bel, have you been running? Your body is more defined. I can tell you are building muscle. What the hell have you been doing, mi amore?”
She had known he would notice the change. He knew every inch of her body, and she could see the changes herself when she looked in the mirror.
“Running, yes, and I have been working out. I started before you left, actually, when you were going into D.C. every night. It has helped me to not focus so much... to take my mind off of...” There was no getting around it. She had to say the words, “To take my mind off of the baby.”
His heart lurched. He didn’t want this to be a sad reunion for them. He could see she had come a long way, but still, the emotions were right under the surface.
“Bel, please. I know we will never forget, and before I leave tonight, we will visit our sleeping warrior together, si?” He nuzzled into her hair and moaned so loudly. “Mi amore, I need you.”
“And I’m here for you, lover. I think I have waited patiently enough, si?”
She bit at his shoulder and neck, playful nips that teased at him, as she slid her hand along his firm chest. She bit at his ear, and kissed his cheek, and sought out his mouth with hers. How she had missed the taste of him.
“Woman! You will drive me mad with passion and want of you.” Grabbing a fistful of that crimson, he pulled her into his neck and slid his hand between her legs, dipping his fingers into her moist honey, then placing his fingers in his mouth, sucking loudly and moaning, “Christ bel, I can’t take this, please feed, I need to be inside you now!”
She craved his blood as much as she craved his body, and she slid her lips across his neck, pushing his tangled hair aside with her hand, and bit hard into him. The flow of blood hit her tongue and it felt electric, her need for him building with each swallow and she gripped him with her hands, and felt the fire between her legs. She heard his moan, and felt his arms tighten their hold on her as his cock throbbed against her belly. She needed to feel him inside her, and she slid her hips forward, feeling his cock as it slid between her legs.
His hands moved to her hips as he thrust forward, penetrating her in a single stroke that made her cry out in pleasure. Her mouth temporarily left his neck to release the cry, and then returned to the fountain to drink more. She rode the long shaft of his cock, and felt his hands gripping her tightly, pulling her down hard against his hips. Then she felt the sharp sting of his fangs as he bit into her shoulder, drinking from her as she drank from him.
The explosion of sensations that rolled over them, as they drank from each other was explosive. They rocked and drank in a rhythmic dance, together as one. His body hard and heated, and her blood a nourishing rush to his soul. The taste of her was the biggest high, and it belonged to him alone. He thrusts deep and hard, his fingers clung to her hips, and he felt his passion build as he gorged on her bounty. With each draw she took, he was elevated to another level of erotic passion and he could no longer hold back. He withdrew his fangs and felt her sex spasm and tighten around his cock. “Mi amore, cum with me.”
He thrusts hard and the world spun, their bodies rode the waves of their orgasm together. Throwing back his head, he roared into the night, “Ti amo, per sempre!”
Collapsing, he fell to her side and pulled her to his chest, as she struggled to catch her breath.
She laid her head on his chest, and felt his arms surround her. “This is how I sleep, lover.”
She felt his body relax as he slipped into his death slumber, ‘Ti amo’ on his lips in a soft whisper.
24
Kate slid back beneath the sheets as he left the room, pulling the sheets to her face and inhaling his scent. She was so happy to have him back. She would wait here until she heard them leave, as he asked her to. It wasn’t long before she heard Shade and all his warriors tramping through the house on the way to the bunker, and it sounded like a herd of elephants. She realized these were warriors used to living in barracks and on the battlefield or clambering up the walls of an urban jungle, not living in a house of fine antiques. She giggled to herself at the image she had of them walking through the house, dressed to conquer, carrying weapons, and trying not to knock over a lamp on the way. She made a mental note to check with Theresa and help her out with the laundry. The washer and dryer in the staff quarters would be running non-stop with linens and towels for all these men. As the house finally got quiet, she felt him leave. She could always feel Shade’s absence from the house.
She jumped out of bed and put on her jeans and running shoes. It was her warrior uniform. She headed downstairs where Reynaldo had breakfast laid out.
"Good evening, my lady. You look very happy this evening."
She beamed at him, “Because I am very happy. Shade is home and that always makes me happy.”
“Yes, my lady, we’re all glad to have him back under our roof."
She finished up breakfast and headed for Luca's suite, tapping at his door.
He answered and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind him. She was jumping up and down with glee. “Luca, your cousin Marcello. Aren't you excited? I was so happy Shade brought him back, you must be so happy to see him!”
He had to laugh at her enthusiasm. “Yes, I’m very happy to see my cousin. He’s my only blood relative. I didn't know when I would ever see him again. Now, let's see if I can't work off some of that energy for you.”
They headed into the yard and began her warm-up before they started their run. He could tell she ran with ease now, and she picked up all the visible and audible clues as to what moved around them. He would have to stay alert to the warriors’ schedule, and keep track of when they came and went. Luca couldn’t afford for one of the warriors to see him training her. They completed their ten-mile run and she cooled down as he set up the weight bench.
Push-ups, sit-ups with the weight ball, and now, free weights. She was working through the reps with relative ease now.
He thought it was time to mix it up a bit. “Remember when you said you trained in gymnastics?”
“Gymnastics? Yes, of course. But that was in high school and college, so it has been a few years.”
He teased her, “So, are you too old to do a back handspring?”
She put both hands on her hips and looked back at him, answering with indignation, “Too old?”
He smiled. He knew that would spark a reaction. Mortals were so concerned with their age.
“Just asking...cause I'm gonna need to see one.”
Good Lord. I really haven't done gymnastics in years. And a back handspring... Wow. Does he have to start with one of the hardest moves? She stretched out first, warming up her back. She hadn’t pulled off one of those in a long time. If this didn’t work out, she would have a lot of explaining to do to Shade. She did some forward flips first, just to loosen her back muscles, and some handstands to re-check her balance before she stood up and decided she was ready. Okay then, here goes nothing! She ran through the steps in her head and then took the leap of faith.
He watched her warming up and could tell she was nervous. But then she threw herself into the backflip, and repeated four in a row, and landed on her feet. He was standing with his arms across his chest as she landed, and smiled at her.
“Good job. You won't win any gold medals, but it will serve the purpose.”
He was mocking her again, and she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Oh, like you could do better?”
Luca laughed at her taunt. “Well, yeah, actually, I can.”
Kate watched as he effortlessly executed the back handspring, repeating ten reps, and realizing he could probably go on forever. As he walked back toward her, she just stuck her tongue out at him. “Show off! Is there some point to this lesson? Or were you just looking for a chance to strut your stuff?”
“Oh, there is a point, little warrior. There is always a point. Tonight, we are going to work on skills of stealth, how to move among your enemy without being detected. You’re getting good at moving through your run with almost no noise, but you’ll need to learn to not be seen or heard. And when you are detected, you need to be able to escape your enemy. Here, put this on.”
He handed her the black pants and robe of a ninja. She held them up against her body. “Seriously, you want me to wear this?”
“For now,” he answered, “you’ll have your own leathers eventually, and they will shield your presence in the dark. For now, we’ll work with these.”
She stepped back inside the house and shed her jeans and t-shirt, and pulled on the loose black pants, and put on the robe, cinching the belt tightly. When she stepped back outside, he lifted the hood of the robe to cover her hair and placed a black veil across the lower part of her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.
Stepping back to admire her, he was struck by how small she was. The loose robe and pants covered her feminine curves, and the hood and veil covered her long red hair and her face, but then that was what he was looking for. He wanted a way for her to move about without being seen, or to avoid being recognized if she was seen.
“Now, run the wall and catapult yourself into your back handspring.”
She creased her brow. “Run the wall? What do you mean, run the wall?”
He nodded toward the house. “Run toward the side of the house, start running up the wall, and then push off into your back handspring. You only need to get up a few feet. You can do this.”
Run toward the side of the house? Run up the wall? Every road-runner cartoon she has ever seen flashed through her head, and all she saw was the imprint of a flattened Wile E. Coyote smashed against the side of the building, before he slowly slid to the ground. She shook her head and stepped back several steps to get a running start. She gauged her distance then stepped back a little more.
Luca was watching her hesitancy. He picked up the image in her head of a coyote flattened against the wall. It had no meaning to him, but it made him smile, nonetheless. He watched her as she continued to back up. “You keep backing up, you will be in China soon. Just run, Kate. Now! Run!”
She took a deep breath and said a silent prayer, Heaven help me, as she ran toward the wall. As she approached, she ran up the wall several steps then used it to push off and do a back flip. Her first attempt landed her hard on the ground, flat on her back and Luca stepped over, reached his hand down and pulled her to her feet.
"Again," he said, as she got upright, rubbing her back before running at the wall again, this time landing on her feet. "Again," he repeated... and over and over until it became one seamless motion.
Once she had mastered the skill, he tossed her a sword. It had been a few weeks since she held one, as they had practiced other skills. It was important she not forget her first lessons.
“Now fight me, warrior, and use the skills you have learned to climb, to run the wall, to evade me. Use your senses to hear, to feel, and anticipate. Put it all together now.”
He tossed her a single sword and they fought. She knew he still moved slower for her, and yet, he pushed her mortal limits. If she dropped her guard, he would tap her with the sword and call out ‘strike’ just to remind her that if this were a real battle, she would be dead by now. Their mock fighting led them into the wooded area, where he used trees to hide, jump, disappear from her, and then spring out again, catching her unaware. She realized how unprepared she was. Focus Kate, focus. Use what he has taught you!
She started to use the trees as he did. Running the tree was no different from running the wall. Using the darkness of the night and her dark clothing to hide from him, she was finally able to maneuver herself behind him. She watched without moving, knowing his sense of hearing would give her away. He was standing with his back to her, looking forward. She had managed to get behind him without him knowing it. She knew she couldn’t charge him without being heard, but this was as close as she would ever get to an ambush. She squatted down in the brush and called to him, “Strike!”
Luca was startled to hear her behind him, and turned to see her crouched, the hood fallen from her head and her red hair glowing in the moonlight. He smiled at her progress. “Good job, warrior.”
She stood up and walked toward him, and they headed back to the house. “Don't you mean, little warrior?”
He looked sideways at her as they walked back. “Not tonight.”
In D.C., Shade was getting everyone familiar with one another, warrior to warrior, and things were going better than expected. Alec's boys sure as fuck sat up and took notice when they saw Shade’s warriors, and he could not have been prouder. This was what a warrior looked like, and all hell was about to be unleashed on these rogue mother-fuckers.
Shade created teams of four, three from Alec’s old crew with one of his warriors. He assigned every team to a different grid and sent them out, then sat down to track the activity and record the kills as they rolled in. Once settled, he picked up the phone. He knew he needed to let Alec know that Medici were on his streets. Shade hit speed dial.
Alec was working later than he cared to, but trying to get this bill passed had been more of a problem than he anticipated. Still shy the votes he needed, he was spending every last minute before the vote lobbying and bargaining. He heard his cell phone buzz and saw Shade on the caller ID. Good, I hope this means he's back. “Shade, please tell me you’re back from Florence, brother.”
Shade had his feet propped on the desk when Alec answered his call. “That’s right, brother. Sitting in the Dead House, ready to take the kill count as they come in, and they will come in. Medici is on your streets, bro. Get ready to rock this fucking town.”
Alec chuckled, “That's what I want to hear. How many did you bring back with you?”
“I got eight of my top boys out there showing your lot what the hell to do with a rogue.”
Alec shrugged. “Eight? I would have thought you would bring more. But hey, this is your area of expertise, not mine. You call the shots here. What about Angel? Did you hear anything about that in Florence? Anybody know anything?”
“I got more contacts there than here, and no one has heard a damn thing about this Angel bastard. I got Council working on it, brother, and when they work on something, you can bet your ass it will get investigated, you know how they roll. Don’t be alarmed if Council contacts you. Don’t be giving them shit, they are on our side so far. If I need more warriors, I will bring them in. I don’t plan on this taking long, but I will switch them in and out as I feel the need to keep the troops fresh.”
“I like what I hear, sounds like it's under control. If I pick up any more info on this Angel, you'll be the first call. That's the part that really bugs the shit out of me. How can there be a master we don't know? And the reality is, there can't be. So, this is some kind of code name, for somebody we do know. So, think on that, his M.O., if this type of attack, turning humans, leaving their dead... if that fits anybody we know. It's in my head every day, brother, and all I can say is, when we find him...”
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it, Alec. Try explaining to your warriors you have no damn clue who their enemy is. I feel you. You need to let me know, right now, what you want done to him when we find him because my warriors are hungry for a kill. If you want him alive, I need to know.”
“If you catch him, kill him. We can't risk having him escape. I would like to do it myself, and if the opportunity presents, I will take it. Whoever delivers the blow... he will know where it came from. He knows he's being hunted as we speak.”
Shade felt the smile spread across his face. Yeah, now that was what he wanted to hear.
“Works for me, brother. I’m out, I want to take in a few grids myself tonight and see how things are rolling. We got four kills already since we’ve been on duty tonight, so we got this. Nobody fucking messes with Medici warriors!”
