by Emily Bex
She felt his arms around her as he pulled her to his chest and deepened the kiss. She responded to his lips and felt the sharp sting of his slap on her ass.
"And you are distracting me too much, mi amore."
She laughed out loud. "Me? Distracting you?"
He laughed as he slipped from their bed and she looked at the strong muscles in his back and legs as he dragged on fresh leathers, and ran his hand over his face and through his hair.
He looked up as he spoke, "Things are getting quieter at the Dead House, mi amore. Perhaps, one night soon, I will take some time off... stay home with my bel."
She smiled up at him as she wrapped the sheets around her. "I’d love that. I feel like I have so little time with you. And don't forget we have a double-date with Luca and Shannon this week-end."
He smiled and shook his head. "Oh, I haven’t forgotten."
He leaned over and kissed her good-bye. She entwined her fingers in his, and held his hand, stretching out her arm as he walked away from the bed, letting go at the last minute. She listened to him as he went down the stairs and headed to the bunker, and heard the warriors trample through the house, followed by the sudden silence as they all exited.
She left their bed and headed for the shower to wash away the remnants of last night’s lovemaking, dressed in her jeans, and headed out to meet Luca.
Luca heard her as she approached his door, and he got up to meet her. It was time to move her to her final objective, the crossbow. He opened the door to greet her and they headed outside.
They walked outside together, and the night air was not as chilled as they were moving into spring. She finished her warm-up and they started their nightly run. She had come to love this run. She loved the fresh air, the way the exercise made her body feel, and his company. It was hard to imagine life before Luca. He was such a permanent fixture in her everyday routine. She wondered about his life and how he lived before he joined them.
"So, can I ask, how long have you known Shade? How did you meet?"
"I feel like I have known him all my life. My father really wanted me to go to Shade's warrior camp. My father and Shade were old friends. When I was ten years old, my father took me to the camp to try out. Not all applicants to the camp are accepted. But I passed all the admissions requirements and I think it was my father's proudest day. My father was also a warrior, and he held Shade in the highest regard. So, to be accepted there was a great honor for my family. Of course, I had to leave my family and move to the camp, to live there permanently. And then, when I was about fourteen, my father was killed in a battle. He was fighting alongside Shade. Shade got to him, but it was too late. Shade tried to have my father feed from him, but he’d already lost too much blood. My father asked him to look after me, take care of me and to raise me to be a man he would be proud of. So, Shade took me under his wing after that. I mean, as a student, I was always being taught by him. But after my father died, well, Shade became my mentor. Maybe that helps you to understand our bond. He’s my master in that he is my teacher, and I’m a part of his coven, but he has also been my family and my brother-in-arms. And now, to be selected to be the protector of his mate. I think you understand that for a warrior, there is no higher honor. We are connected on so many levels. I never want to do anything that will disappoint him or let him down."
Kate looked over at him as he talked. "That explains so much. I'm so sorry... about your father. And I can't imagine Shade would ever be disappointed in you. He beams with pride when he speaks of you." She watched as the smile spread across his face. "But living in the camp, was that hard?"
Luca shrugged. “I'm not sure what you mean by hard. It was hard work. We trained every day, sometimes on the field and sometimes in the classroom. We lived in barracks with other warriors in training. We were kept in barracks by age groups, so we grew up with other vampires who were going through the same thing. To be there was an honor, and every student wanted to work hard to win the respect of their teachers, but especially Shade's respect. I can remember how all the students worked so hard just to win his approval. A simple nod from him, or his hand on your head was all it took. The simplest acknowledgment that he was pleased was enough to make you push harder, work harder."
Kate smiled. It was interesting to hear this perspective of Shade through someone else's eyes, to view him in a different light.
“When I was pregnant…” She paused a second and realized she could say those words without the searing emotional pain she once felt. “When I was pregnant, and we both felt sure it was a boy, Shade said he would be sent to the camp when he was ten, and I have to admit, I was a little horrified. Ten seems so young… still a baby in my eyes and sending him away was unthinkable. I wasn't sure that was something I wanted for my child. But hearing you speak of it... I don't know, I have a different opinion now.”
“You’re still looking at it through the eyes of a mortal, Kate. You know we age differently, and our world is filled with violence, much more than you’re aware of or have been exposed to. Even after you’re turned, my gut tells me Shade will continue to protect you from much of that side of our life.”
“So, do all vampires fight?”
“Well, no. All vampires must be able to defend themselves, if they are attacked. There are mortals who would do us harm, as well as immortals. But not all vampires are warriors, so their fighting skills are limited. That’s the role of the warrior. The warrior protects everyone in the coven, and also fights for the master in acquiring new territory or defending existing territory against rival masters.”
“So, what’s a rogue then? You explained once before, but I’m still not sure I understand. I’ve heard Shade refer to rogues in D.C.”
“Rogues are vampires that don't appear to belong to a specific coven. They may be acting independently, or they may temporarily join forces with a master's coven just for the money. I think, in your culture, you would call them mercenaries, soldiers for hire. But rogues may also be mortals who were turned and abandoned, left to fend for themselves. All of Shade's warriors belong to Shade. They were recruited by him, trained by him, their loyalty is to him. Those that come from his own coven will stay with him, while others who were recruited from other covens will go back to their master or may choose to work for another master who is an ally of Shade's. It sounds like all of Alec's warriors were recruited from rogues, which means some of them are self-trained, or they were released by their previous master, or they just struck out on their own. They’re usually not as skilled, and never as disciplined. There are no warriors in the vampire world that compare to a Medici warrior.”
Kate tried to make a comparison in her head. “So, you're like Seal Team Six.”
Luca looked confused. “Is this another Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”
She laughed. “Well, no… Buffy isn't real, but Seal Team Six is very real. Among mortal soldiers, they are considered the best, the elite fighting force. When everything else fails, or when you have a mission that has impossible odds, you call in Seal Team Six.”
“Then, yes, a Medici Warrior is like Seal Team Six.”
Strange, Kate learned more about Shade from Luca than she learned from Shade, and it only reinforced how little time she had with him. But she could feel Luca's pride as he talked about being a Medici Warrior, and she felt so much pride in Shade that he had created this legacy of warriors. She also thought about everything Luca had taught her in these past few months, and realized he’d trained for years, and just how much knowledge he had stored away in that brain, and that he’d shared only a very small amount of it with her. They returned to the house as they finished up their ten-mile loop, and she cooled down while Luca stepped inside the house.
Luca brought out the crossbow. She had the strength now to manage it, and her aim with the bow and the gun, would help her master this weapon as well. He would not give her the weapon she took from the wall when they started this journey. That one was too sophisticated to start with. They would begin with a bas
ic crossbow. He grabbed up the quiver of crossbow arrows and returned outside.
She saw him return with the quiver in one hand and a bow in the other. As he stepped out the door, she could see his silhouette against the light that spilled from inside, and she saw the shape of the crossbow. He approached and wordlessly handed her the weapon. She looked up at him. “Am I ready?”
He nodded yes. “You’re ready, little warrior.”
She held the bow in her hands, turning it over, looking at its design. “This is not the same one I picked, though.”
“No, it isn't. You’ll have to work up to that one. Let's start with the basics. It’s similar to the longbow you have been training on, the string must still be retracted, but you hold it and aim more like the rifle you trained on last night.”
He stepped behind her and positioned the weapon correctly in her hands. “It’s heavier than a standard bow, that’s why I trained you on swords, to build the strength in your arms, plus any warrior worth his salt knows how to handle a blade.”
He reached around her, placing her hands on the crossbow as she lifted it to shoulder height. She could feel its heftiness. It was much thicker and heavier than the standard longbow she had been using. She must hold the weapon differently than the standard bow and it felt awkward in her hands.
He watched as she adjusted to the weight of the bow, then he pulled an arrow from the quiver and showed her how to load it. He gently lifted her arms higher, so they were positioned correctly, and instructed her on how to use the sight to aim at her target.
“The string on the crossbow is shorter and takes more strength to retract, once you pull it back; however, you need to catch it behind this notch on the stock. You will not release the arrow by releasing the string as you did on the longbow; but rather, you will use this trigger release like you did on the rifle.”
She listened carefully to his instructions, and she now understood why he insisted on her using the rifle last night. Holding the crossbow felt more like holding a rifle than a bow. She followed his instructions and released the first arrow and missed the target completely. She dropped her arms and sighed. She felt like she was back to square one.
He saw her disappointment when she missed the target. “Don't despair, little warrior. This weapon is completely different. It combines elements of what you learned on the longbow and the rifle, and yet, it is different from both. Concentrate. Focus on what you learned from each, and take your time.”
She loaded another arrow in the bow and took aim. She took more time, shifting the weight of the crossbow and trying to lift it higher to compensate for the downward direction her last arrow took. She controlled her breathing, just as he had taught her. She felt her heartbeat. She secured her aim then held her breath and pulled the trigger. The arrow hit the target, but not in the center.
Luca cheered her on, “Good, very good. Now, do it again. Watch the trajectory of the arrow, feel the direction of the wind, compensate, correct. It will come, little warrior, it will come.”
He let her practice for several hours, until he could tell she was having difficulty holding the weight of the bow, and then called it a night. She was consistently hitting the target, but she had yet to hit a bull's eye. He was more than pleased with her progress.
Luca praised her results, but she couldn’t help but feel a little defeated, like starting all over. The crossbow felt awkward and heavy in her hands. She knew it would take time to master. She rolled her shoulders when he took the weapon from her hands, and turned her neck from side to side, her muscles tight from holding the weight of the bow.
“So, we're done for the night?”
“All done,” he told her. “I suggest you take a really hot shower, your neck and shoulders will thank you.”
She followed his advice and headed back to the bedroom and into the shower where she turned the hot water on as hot as she could tolerate, and let it soothe the tired muscles in her shoulders and back. She stood under the water, her mind quiet, and wished she could tell Shade. She hated she was hiding this from him. She wanted his approval. She wanted to share what she’d done, and have him be proud of her. He wanted to train her, but look at how much time this had taken. She had spent every night with Luca, working for eight to ten hours for months now. She would have never had that kind of time with Shade. They were lucky to have a few uninterrupted days. Still, she knew he’d feel disappointment and now she didn’t know how to tell him. And she’d only placed Luca in the middle, again. How do we always manage to make things so complicated?
She finished up in the shower, stepped out, grabbed a towel to wrap around her hair, and another to rub down her body. The water was so hot her skin was pink all over. She dried her hair and slipped into a gown, then climbed into their bed to read and wait for him.
Shade had spent the night, once again, sitting on his ass, looking at grids, and recording the damn few kills that came in. He felt he was fucking useless here lately. The rogue activity on the streets had damn near stopped, and he still had no fucking clue who this ass wipe, Angel was. Hearing the heavy booted walk of a warrior approaching, he swung his legs down from the desk and looked up to see Tomas come in, a little later than usual. “Tomas, my brother, taking in a little fun before heading to work?”
Shade grinned as Tomas slid into the chair opposite him. He could tell Tomas was equally bored. He and Skelk were the only ones in this fucked up gang of Alec’s crew that were actual warriors, and showed both skill and discipline.
Tomas answered, “Business is business, brother. I just show up and do my job. Looks like your ass could use some time off. I can handle this if you need some time with the mate.” He gave Shade a wink. “I know if my woman was home all night waiting for me, the last place I’d want to be is stuck in this shit hole.”
Shade laughed. “You know lately, she’s been saying the same thing. I promised her I’d be home more, once things settled. It wouldn’t take me long to get here if we had a problem. And let’s face it, this little gang war we got going on is not happening at the moment. I know you can handle it, brother. I have been toying with the idea of sending a few of my boys back to Florence, letting them have some downtime, and bringing in a few replacements. I’ve been discussing it with my Second-in-Command in Florence. Give me your thoughts.”
That’s it, warrior, eat from the palm of my hand. Plant the seed, and it grows inside that warrior’s head. “I have no problems handling any of this. Simple to handle. But I do want it made clear to your warriors. They need to understand, when you aren’t here, I am Second in your absence. I need to know they won’t argue with my orders. As for replacements, now is a good time. Everything is slow. New warriors would have time to get settled. No problem to get you here if things begin to speed up again. And shit, let’s hope that doesn’t happen soon.”
Shade nodded. Tomas was a skilled mercenary, he commanded a hefty fee, and Shade understood that life. If he didn’t give him some responsibilities, he would just move on to someone who would. Right now, Shade needed him here. He had been a reliable Second-In-Command.
“Let me put a few things into place and see where I stand. I have no problems with you as Second, and whatever I say goes with Alec. This is my show, brother, and if I say you are in charge, it’s the fucking law.” As Shade stood, they clasped hands.
Tomas gripped his hand firmly. “Done, brother. I’m going into the southeast grid tonight, check on some of the activity and check in with the warriors out there. Let me know what you decide and when you’re ready. You know where to find me, Shade.”
Shade nodded as Tomas turned to leave. Tomas already knew how this would end and the smile spread across his face as he teleported out. Now he had two masters making plans, and one was for a battle that would land on the other’s doorstep, taking out that mortal ass he loved so much. That ‘eternity’ would end shortly, and so would Shade. This had been a good night, definitely one good fucking night!
44
On
ce again, it was time to head into the damn Dead House, organize and wait for... nothing. Every night, it was getting harder and harder to leave her, to see her try not to show her disappointment and her desire for him to stay. Every night, he walked away from her and that ate at him, the hole becoming a cavern inside his heart. He had promised to spend more time with her, and he needed to make that happen.
As he stood, the softest arms surrounded him, arms he longed for every second of his life. Her hair lay along his back as she cuddled him from behind, and his heart screamed in agony, because he had to go. It was his duty. Shade slid his hands along her arms.
“They love that fire pit, mi amore. It’s good for them. Gives them a place to meet outside, to talk, share stories of home.”
He pulled her in front of him and together, they looked out the window as the flames from the fire pit reached for the skies. They knew what the other felt and thought, what they both missed, what they both wanted. He didn’t miss the irony of a man who lived for eternity wishing for time, time to spend with her. Nipping the side of her neck, he whispered in her ear, “Ti amo, mi amore, but I must go, the warriors wait. But you know I shall return to you.”
She turned in his arms and kissed him good-bye. He grabbed his leather coat on the way out the door, looking over his shoulder at her and in sign language, told her he loved her.
Kate made a heart with her hands and held it up for him. No words were spoken between them, and yet, everything that was important had been said.
He reluctantly left her and got his warriors into D.C. Once everyone was out on the streets, it was time to give Alec a call and let him know things were winding down. Tomas was ready to take on Second-in-Command, and Shade was thinking of spending a few nights away from this damn place. Alec didn’t take the news well, but Shade really didn’t give a fuck.
Laughing to himself, Shade knew Alec was fucked without him and he damn well knew it. Shade rather liked it that way. He sat there making some notes of a few things he needed to get done in the short term. First of all, he wanted to switch out a few of his own warriors, give some of the other young pups from Florence some street experience while things were slow, and send a few of this crew back home for a break. He had already talked to Marco, who thought it was a good idea. Surprisingly enough, he seemed too damn happy about it, for some odd reason. Marco would send him a few replacements to stay a while and the others would return. He was hoping this chaos would not last much longer.
