by Emily Bex
“You ever heard me sing, mi amore. Because if you did, you would never ask me to sing along, especially after having some Midnight.” He threw back his head laughing. “But I like this idea and who the hell am I to give up a night on the bike with your arms around me, hanging on for dear life. Yeah, that works really well, in my opinion.”
“You know…” she walked up to him from behind and slid her arms around his waist, leaning her upper body against his strong back, “…I've never ridden with you on the bike before. It sounds very sexy. The vibrations of the bike...”
He turned his head to the side to look at her, his hair falling over his face and he growled. “Oh, I got vibrations for you, mi amore, and I don’t need a bike to do it.”
Spinning around, he grabbed her up, threw her over his shoulder and headed for the shower. “Come along, woman, we need to get real dirty and then we need to shower.”
Their shower was pleasure and play as promised, and then he carried her to their bed, where the death slumber pulled him under. She lay with her head on his chest and fell into her own dreamless sleep.
Kate had planned to meet Luca later today to show Marcello the grounds, so she had set her cell phone on vibrate and put it under her pillow. After a few hours of sleep, the alarm went off, waking her, and she slipped from Shade’s side, getting dressed in jeans and boots, so they could walk the property.
She closed the bedroom door softly behind her and walked downstairs to Luca's suite. As she approached, she could hear two voices in his room speaking rapidly in Italian, with sporadic bursts of laughter. She recognized Luca's voice, and she assumed the other was Marcello. Kate almost hated to break up this happy reunion.
She tapped on the door lightly and Luca flung the door open, a huge smile on his face. Marcello stepped up behind him.
Kate asked, “Are you two ready?”
“Ready when you are. Marcello, I think you already met Kate... I mean Shade's mate, my lady.” Fuck! I knew that would happen eventually.
Kate watched as Marcello looked sideways at Luca when he called her Kate, raising his eyebrows, but saying nothing. Kate quickly reached out to shake hands with Marcello to try to cover the moment.
“I've heard a lot about you, Marcello. I'm happy to have you here with us.” She was expecting a handshake, but he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it gently.
“What is this American tradition of shaking a lady’s hand? Not in my country. We shake a man's hand. We kiss a lady’s hand.” Marcello lifted her hand to his lips and watched the surprise in her eyes. “And maybe you should not be too surprised, my lady. I just heard my cousin call you Kate. I have heard a lot about you, but perhaps not enough?” Marcello glanced at his cousin, Luca.
Luca couldn’t believe how forward Marcello was behaving and he elbowed him hard when he made the comment. “We're ready to walk the property, my lady. Pay my cousin no mind and please, lead the way.”
Kate observed the interplay between them. They were close and teased each other like brothers. But Luca's slip didn’t go unnoticed. The less made of it the better.
“Right. So, come with me, please. I'd like to show you the property, where the warriors can roam, and how far, as well as areas that will be off-limits.” She led them outdoors into the bright sunlight and walked past the staff quarters into the vast property behind the house.
“There are about 3,000 acres here, altogether. The property is fenced, as you can see, so all these open fields, all the way to the mountain range, belong to Shade. Feel free to do whatever you want here.”
Marcello walked with her and Luca through the rolling green hills.
“And my lady, we can fight here? Practice with swords?”
“Of course. Our nearest neighbors are miles away. So, get as loud as you want. Well... maybe not as loud as you want, but loud. And all this land on the other side of the road, you can go there as well. The land here has been plowed and may be converted into vineyards, but that hasn’t been decided yet. So, feel free.”
Marcello took in the view of rolling pastures as far as the eye could see, with a mountain range in the background. “Master owns all this?”
She stopped walking to allow him time to survey the landscape. “Shade owns much more than this. Do you want to walk with me? It’s a long walk.”
“Yes, show me everything.” Marcello turned to his cousin Luca. “Do you come out here on the property?” He saw Luca glance quickly at my lady before he answered him. What's up with these two?
Luca answered, “Yes, I run here, practice with guns or bows. Hunt.”
Marcello laughed at his cousin. “You run? You know we can teleport, right cousin? No need for running?”
Luca laughed uncomfortably. “Yes, it is just, uh, exercise.”
They had walked several miles. As they approached the wooded area that sat in the foothills of the mountains, Kate pointed out the perimeters of their property.
“Shade's property extends into the woods, but the mountains are part of the National Park, so you can enter them freely. But you understand, there may be mortals there. You need to be aware of that. You can’t hunt them, or feed from them. You can’t do anything that might draw attention to you… to us.”
Marcello nodded. “Si, mortals... I will make sure the warriors understand.”
Kate motioned for him to follow her as they continued walking. “There is a great mountain stream over here, it’s on our property. I like it here because the water sounds so peaceful, but somehow, I don't think your warriors are interested in peaceful.”
They both watched her as she walked across the stream, stepping carefully from rock to rock to keep her feet dry. Marcello and Luca just looked at each other and then leapt to the other side of the stream, getting there well before her, laughing as they landed.
“Unfair advantage,” she shouted and laughed at them. As they walked through the wooded area, they suddenly came upon two does, and Kate stopped in her tracks. The memory of shooting the buck came back to her.
She spoke to Marcello, but she looked at Luca. “It’s illegal to hunt here without a license, so no hunting please.”
Marcello looked at his cousin. Is she speaking to both of us? Her words seemed to be for him, and yet, she looked at his cousin. Perhaps he was hunting without permission and it was a reprimand? There was something in her voice that sounded like a warning.
“Si, my lady. We have restrictions in our country as well, around hunting. The warriors will understand.”
Kate motioned for them to follow as they continued in the direction of the mountains.
“This footpath leads into the mountains. When the path ends, you are no longer on Shade's property. You are on government land, but it’s open to the people to enjoy. Do you understand? You can go there if you want, but you must be cautious. Mortals may be camping there, or hiking.” Kate led them up the path and into the mountains.
As they climbed, the path got steeper, and eventually, ended. “All of this, everything beyond here, I would say use with caution.”
Marcello nodded. “Si, I understand, my lady. But it looks like the warriors will have plenty of room to burn off steam. We should not have to leave the property.”
“Let's walk back then, and I’ll show you the vineyards. You’ll need to steer clear of the vineyards, or Shade will kill all of us.”
They turned and walked back down the footpath and back across the stream and into the open fields toward the main house. One good thing about all this training with Luca, she could walk for miles without getting winded. As they approached the vineyards, she pointed out the expanse of the fields, and the distinct look of the vines suspended on stakes and twine.
Kate swept her arm out across the expanse of the vineyards. “It takes years to establish these plants for the grapes to mature and reach the quality needed to produce wine, so please, make sure the warriors don’t disturb these fields. Or he'll send you all back to Italy... myself included.”
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“Si, understood.” Marcello stood and looked at the rows of grapes, extending all the way to the mountains. It made him proud to be a Medici warrior. To be a part of this master's coven who had so much power and wealth.
Kate watched him as he took in the view. It was breathtaking, and she got to see it every day. “Do you want to see where the wine is made?”
“Si, my lady. I have seen the vineyards from afar in Italy. The fields are everywhere in Tuscany. But I have never seen them make the wine.”
Kate led them into the winery and the cool dark room that held the large oak barrels for fermenting. “After the grapes are harvested, they are sorted by hand, removing the grapes that are too ripe, and discarding any remaining leaves or twigs. Then they are crushed in these barrels with a large press, and Luciano decides how much yeast to add, and what kind. Then the wine is transferred to the large oak barrels and left to age and ferment into wine. The aging process varies, depending on the type of grape, but could be six months or three years. The workers here will take samples, test it, taste it, and then Luciano will decide when it is ready to be bottled.”
They walked through the fermenting rooms and into the cellars. “While it is fermenting, the wine is stored here in the cellars. Once it is bottled, it is sent to distribution. I’m really a novice, I only understand the basics. Perhaps Shade can give you a more enlightened tour someday. Of course, the Midnight is produced here as well. At all his vineyards, actually, about half the production goes to Midnight, and the other half is wine produced for mortal consumption, so the vineyards don’t draw undue attention. No one is allowed into the areas used to produce Midnight. The migrant workers aren’t allowed inside either. Just Luciano, and a select group of vampire vintners. I haven’t seen it.”
Marcello knew Master owned vineyards in Italy, Greece and France, but he hadn’t visited any of them. To see how large the property was and how vast the vineyards were left him speechless. And Luca had said he owned vineyards in California as well, even larger than the vineyards here. Marcello took pride in knowing he was a part of this, and this was only a small part of what he protected for Master.
“Thank you, my lady, for showing me this.” He bowed his head to her.
“You're welcome, Marcello.” Kate led them from the cellars back into the sunlight and headed back toward the main house. The two of them were walking a few steps behind her. She turned and looked at Marcello, his long, light brown locks streaked by the sun hung to his shoulders. His eyes were a brilliant blue and rimmed by long lashes.
“You don't fool me, you know. You've got trouble written all over you.”
Luca laughed out loud as he heard her words, and he bumped against Marcello and thought to himself, you have no idea how much trouble.
34
The evening was coming quickly, and Shade rolled out of the house early. He decided to head over to the staff quarters to see what this group of warriors was up to, and make sure the group he was sending in was ripping to kick some ass tonight. As he walked in, he could hear a conversation going down. He recognized Marcello’s voice, and all he heard on the other end was grunts. He peered around the corner, shadowing his presence and he should have known... Raven. His name suited him perfectly with his long, raven black hair. He was a hell of a warrior but one damn handful. And why was he not surprised he was hanging with the other wild card in this group?
He tuned into their conversation. He was their master, and with this mob, he needed to be one fucking step ahead of them. He heard Raven say he went to the feeders the night before. He was explaining to Marcello what it was like and Shade tried not to laugh.
Marcello was probing for answers. His long brown hair hung in waves to his shoulders, and his baby blues sparkled. His looks were always a hit with the ladies, mortal or immortal.
“Come on, Raven! What do you mean they aren’t like our feeders? You fed, didn’t you? Come on fratello, give up the details. I need to know what the hell to expect.”
Raven walked in long strides around the room, his build more slender than the typical warrior, his black hair hanging straight to his waist and his dark brown eyes always looking like he was two seconds from bedlam. He shook his head and his long hair swayed.
“Bro, it is not like at home. Feeders here are more aggressive, like all the fuck over you the second you walk in. They loved my long hair. Bitch almost took out handfuls!”
Shade was holding his sides, trying not to roar with laughter. Oh yeah boys, welcome to America. They like Italian boys with long hair and hard bodies.
Marcello followed Raven with his eyes, as his nervous energy kept him on the move. “Sounds like you had a good time. You don’t look worse for wear, so I assume you let them know Medici can take it hard?” Marcello punched Raven in the arm as he walked past him.
Raven stopped his pacing and faced Marcello. “Bro, at home, the feeders are trained to be subservient. They are so meek, quiet. They don’t speak unless spoken to, they take commands, do as they are told, like a female is supposed to. But here, no way in fucking hell does that shit happen. They are aggressive and they take control from the start. Feeders at home know their place, know their duty, it’s just different. I chose one I liked. They have their own places, like little bungalow houses at the compound. You go to their private living quarters. You know my preference is for men, but these feeders are hot. They talk to you, want to know about you and ask a lot of questions. I don’t go to talk, I want to feed, fuck, and get the hell out. It’s different!”
Marcello was rubbing his chin. “Sounds to me like this might be a good time. So, are you keeping the one you fed from?”
Raven shook his head. “Too soon to tell. And not all of them do that either. I asked her, and she told me some of the girls will do just one on one, but most just get assigned when you come in. So, I guess the next time I go, I can choose another just to experiment. And if master chose this place, it has to be okay. We can’t hunt here, so we don’t have a choice.”
Marcello leaned forward. “Well, what do they taste like? Was it the same or different? I’m going tonight, so I need to know, Raven.”
“Bro, the blood isn’t the same. It has its own appeal, it definitely sets you on fire, but it is different from the European feeders. And ass? Hell, rocked my fucking saber just fine.”
Shade had heard enough, it was time to bust up this little party. The warriors were learning, American feeders didn’t take your shit. Unshadowing, he stepped around the corner and nodded. “Let’s rock D.C. tonight, get your asses in gear. Round-up time, now!”
As he kept moving through the staff quarters, rounding up the other warriors, he chuckled, Yeah, welcome to Virginia, boys!
35
Max watched her every day. He had seen her with Alec at the restaurant they frequented, her daily trips to the gym, even her run in the Virginia countryside. He knew where she was even when Alec didn’t. Alec had threatened her with a protector, so perhaps his plan to pull back the activity with his warriors would benefit her as well. Not to mention they were getting slaughtered out there. Alec was away, as usual, leaving Rissa unattended. Max would never leave her unattended. That was not a mistake he would make a second time.
He knew she remembered them together, she would come to him. He dialed her cell phone. It had been weeks since their last meeting, and he read her thoughts. He overheard their conversations. He knew she thought of him.
“Benneteau Beautiful, Larissa speaking.”
“Beautiful, indeed, my angel. Am I in your thoughts today as much as you’re in mine?”
She gasped and quickly looked about to see if anyone was near and could hear her. Max? Damn, how did he get this number? Her heart rushed and her mind was reeling. “What are you doing calling me?”
His voice was deep and seductive in her ear. “Aren't you glad to hear from me? I expected a warmer welcome than that, my angel. I call because I miss you, miss the sound of your voice soft against my ear, the feel o
f your skin against mine, the taste of your lips, do I need to go on? Don't tell me you don't remember us together.”
His voice melted her, made her weep for his soft touch, how he always knew when to hold her, comfort her, his kisses deep and long. No Rissa, no! “I remember. We need to talk.”
“Oh, my sweet angel, we need to do much more than talk. But I guess we have to start somewhere. Come to me. I think I have been patient long enough, don't you?”
Come to him? Don’t even go there, Rissa. Alec will know, and if he senses Max, he will kill you dead! “Max, I can’t meet you. I can’t get anywhere near you. The last time Alec picked up your scent, so the phone will have to do.” Biting her lip, she wished there was a way she could meet him.
“My angel, do you think I wasn’t aware of what happened the last time we met? I thought I had protected you, and I’m sorry to say my efforts were not enough. That’s why I’ve kept my distance from you for so long. But I know what I have to do now for us to meet in a way that won’t put you at risk, and you know I would never knowingly put you at risk. You must trust me. Do you remember what it’s like to lie beneath me? Feel my weight on you? Your legs wrapped around me as you cried out in ecstasy? I remember it, in searing detail, and it eats away at me.”
“Max, please don’t.” Her heart beat so fast, she went weak. She had forgotten, she had made herself forget and she thought it was all behind her, but that night at the gala, and now his words, how they rolled through her. She felt herself wanting him. “He’ll kill me, Max, he’ll kill me. I can’t!”
“Oh, my angel, do you think I would let that happen? He’ll never harm you, not as long as I breathe. And I promise you, he’ll not detect my scent on you this time. My body craves you. Please don’t torture me further. Come to me.”
Taking a shaking breath, she made a quick decision before she could change her mind. “Where?”
