by Emily Bex
Jacks made mental notes of the information he shared. The real reason she was here was that the job was for Master Canton. She didn’t usually take on protector jobs, but she’d waited a long time to even the score with Alec and she was well aware of his old-fashioned views.
“Master Canton, yes, I know of his mate, they call her Rissa, the Darling of G-town. I understand he has high ambitions in the mortal arena. I’ve heard they’re about to announce their engagement, so she’ll require high-profile coverage. This is a dangerous place. Master Maximus, Master Canton and now the Medici, that’s a lot of big egos in a small space. This will cost you, Shade, I do nothing cheap and my skills are worth a pretty price. And if you’re not willing to pay, then someone else will.”
Shade laughed. “I have no intention of paying one dime in this deal. This is Alec's gig. Name your price to him. Make him pay, warrior!”
Jacks had a wicked grin on her face, and thought, Don’t worry, he will pay! “Good to know. I might have cut you a deal on the price since I trained with the Medici, but for Master Canton, I may raise my price. I ask only one thing of you—don’t tell him who you’re sending. I’d like for my presence to catch him off-guard. It gives me an edge.” Jacks gave Kate a smile as she asked, “So, may I ask you, my lady, who is your protector?”
Kate had watched the exchange between Shade and Jacks and was surprised that Jacks came off somewhat cold and calculating. She looked up quickly when Jacks addressed her. “My protector? My protector is Luca.”
Jacks’ face reflected her surprise. “Luca. Little Luca?” She glanced at Shade. “Impressive.”
Shade nodded to Jacks. “Yes, it is the same Luca you are thinking of. You would not recognize him. Like you, he has matured into a fierce warrior. There is no one who can top him, only the best for my bel.” Taking Kate’s hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it gently before looking back at Jacks. “So, I make one call, you meet with Alec. Are you in?”
Jacks had the impression Shade treated his mate more as an equal than a subordinate; very unusual for an old-world European master. She wondered if Kate knew that when the rumor of his mating made the rounds, many females around the world wished her dead. He was the catch of the vampire realm. “Make the call.”
Standing, Jacks walked to Shade and kissed him on each cheek, then turning to Kate, she took both of her hands in hers.
“I’m more than honored to have met you. Please give my regards to Luca, although, he may not recall me.” Turning again to Shade, she smiled at him. “It’s good to see you again. I’ll meet with Master Canton and see what his wishes are and if he’s willing to pay my price. I don’t usually accept contracts for protector positions, but this could be interesting, to say the least. She was Master Maximus’ lover before Alec stole her away from him.” Chuckling, she shook her head. “Masters and their ladies, always an interesting adventure.”
Kate heard the reference to someone named Master Maximus. Could that be Max? That guy Rissa chased when they were in college together? She’d have to ask Shade about that.
She spoke to Jacks as she prepared to leave. “Jacqueline, I hope you'll join us here again sometime if you decide to take this job. You’re always welcome here.”
Shade added, “Yes, if you need anything, you know where I am. I’ll call Alec and you can head on over there. Any problems, I’ll let you know.”
Jacks bowed her head. “Thank you both for your gracious hospitality. I’ve enjoyed seeing you again, Shade, and meeting you, my lady. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”
Gi appeared at the door to escort Jacks out and Shade took Kate into his arms. As soon as Kate was sure she was gone, she turned to him. “Who is Maximus?”
He laughed at her. “Oh, so for once you are not going to ask me a million questions about the female? Maximus is the Master of Virginia. And yes, we live in his territory. He is a warrior and owns property all over the world. I took this property over from Alec as part of the deal to come here and help him, with no intention of living here permanently. But then I met you, and now I am not budging. So, long story for another time, but I need to get a territory agreement from Maximus. As for Rissa, that was a long time ago. She had a thing with Max, but I don’t think it was serious. I don’t pay much attention to those things unless a master gets mated, then you look a bit deeper. A mate may bring territory with her, increasing her master’s power. There were some rumors, at the time, that Alec stole her from Max, but I don’t recall the details. I had much better things to do than worry about masters and their women. Not long after, Rissa became Alec's mate. Since she had been mortal that basically meant she was not a threat in the vampire world. She doesn’t bring him more power. Don’t take that in a bad way, I only mean that masters selecting mortals as mates is rare. Mates for a master can extend their territory and increase the size of their coven and their power.”
She looked up at him as he towered over her. “And yet, you selected me?”
“Si, mi amore. I have spent my life gaining power and territory. I assumed my mate would be immortal, the daughter of a master, probably royalty, and bring with them their own dowry of sorts in the form of more power and territory. It was what was expected of me. But until you, I never found anyone who spoke to my heart. I chose my mate for love, not power.”
Kate pondered his words. What did she bring to the table as his mate? She knew her vulnerability was part of his attraction to her, his need to protect her and take care of her. “Okay, so you own this land? But it’s in the middle of another master's territory?”
“Si.”
“And Rissa, clearly, I don't know her as well as I thought, but Rissa was with this Maximus guy before Alec? She dated a guy in college called Max. We never saw him much, but I never imagined he was a vampire. But then again, I never imagined Alec was, either. But now, you work for Alec, and we live in the middle of Max’s territory?”
Shade sat down, pulling her down next to him. “Mi amore, come, we need to talk.”
“Lover, I know there’s much I don't understand about your world, but if you don't mind me saying so, it sounds like we’re in the middle of a hornets’ nest here.”
Not wanting to scare her more, he had to tell her how it was, no more secrets. She needed to know his world.
“Bel, I don’t like telling you these things. You’ve just had a bad experience. I don’t want to frighten you more, but I made a promise to keep you safe and protected and that means I need to explain more to you about what is going on around you. I have every intention of keeping this property. I will try to negotiate with Max and reach some sort of agreement, as Alec did. But if the negotiations fail, I will fight. That is why I need this warrior camp up quickly. Maximus is also a warrior, and a good one. If I have to fight him for this, it will be master against master, and I will win. I always win. I want this for our sons and daughters. This is for us, bel, not just me. I do this for us, our bambinos, for Medici. Trust me when I tell you I win what I want.”
She looked at him. “If you don't fight him... then this, all of this, our home, the vineyards, the farm, it’s all at risk, isn't it?”
“Si, very much so. The rules here in the States are different from Europe. In Europe, we don’t give up territory in deals. We fought too hard to get it, and we don’t give it away. But here, the masters seem to deal out bits and pieces to gain something they want. I used that as a bargaining chip with Alec so I had a place to base the warriors, a place for me to stay, and the vineyards. But I never saw you coming, mi amore, and when I did, it changed everything.”
She had always known that accepting a life with him meant accepting the warriors and his lifestyle. One that involved more violence than she wanted to acknowledge. Her own life had been threatened twice, and he came home covered in blood more nights than she could count. It was the price she paid to have him in her life.
“Then just promise me, lover, that you position yourself to win every battle. You know I’
ll stand beside you.”
Shade leaned his forehead against hers. “I always position myself to win. I haven’t made my legacy of creating warriors that rival any in the world by not knowing such. But if you don’t stand beside me, I have no reason to fight, for I do this for you, for the bambinos that will grow inside you, to give them wealth and stability in my world. So, I suggest we make those plans to travel to Florence. I have made up my mind. I will turn you within the month. Once I get things organized here, delve out responsibilities, we will go. We’ll stay for a short while. As my queen, you need to meet my people and see where you reign. I will also be taking Theresa, Gi, and Luca with us. We will arrange a temporary Lady in Waiting there at Castello for you. I want Theresa to have some time for her and Marco.”
His plans to turn her both excited and scared her, but it was the path she must follow to stay with him. “I'm ready whenever you are, and I’ll find a way to bring value to your coven.”
He kissed her deeply, letting his tongue play with hers, sucking her lip and letting his hands play along her back, and in the crimson fire he adored. “Then I suggest you get your sweet ass cracking on those details. I need to call Alec and check on the repair work in the stables. I want that to be done before we head to Florence. You will inform Theresa for me? I think she will like hearing it from you.”
Kate smiled at him. “Theresa will be glad to go to Florence and see Marco and to have her own room back once the warrior camp is built, so that’s news I’ll be happy to deliver.”
Shade buried his nose in her hair. “Do you have any idea,” he said, letting his hand slide along her cheek, “any idea at all how much I love you, mi amore?”
She angled his chin so she could look into those ice-blue eyes rimmed with long black lashes and ran her hand through his dark locks. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Do you, mi amore? I swear to you now, I will love you this much every second of my life. I promise you a beautiful life. We will rise as Medici, live happily, and see our own children bring forth their own into this world, then guide them with love and respect. You claimed me hard and swift. It knocked this warrior off his feet but made him rise to conquer all that he could for you... and it is as it shall be.”
78
Luca paced in his room as he called Shannon to let her know he was okay and to see if he was still welcome after his sudden exit. She was full of questions, and he asked if he could explain everything to her in person. She responded, “Of course,” and in moments, he teleported to her condo in Alexandria. Still holding her phone, she was startled by his sudden appearance, but then she laughed.
“I’m sorry, mia belleza for our interrupted date, but it’s as I told you… my time is not my own.”
Shannon looked at him. “What happened? Can you tell me what happened?”
“It’s complicated and has to do with the job Shade has taken with a master in the D.C. area.”
“There is a master vampire in D.C.? Seriously? Who is it?”
Realizing he’d already said more than he should, he needed to get her off this topic. Master Alec demanded anonymity. “No one you would know, and vampires prefer to remain anonymous to the mortal community, so please, don’t ask me questions I can't answer.”
“No, I understand that. But what happened at home that you were called away? Can you talk about that?”
“I’m sure Kate will tell you everything, so yes, I can talk about that. There was an ambush on the house. Five rogue vampires attacked to draw Shade outside to fight, leaving Kate alone in the house. That’s when Shade called to me to return. That’s my job, as I explained to you. Protecting her. Once I was with Kate, another fifteen rogues teleported in and had Shade surrounded. I made the choice to leave Kate's side and join Shade in the fight. It was a judgment call on my behalf because my orders from Shade were not to leave her side. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the ambush was all a ruse to draw us out so Kate would be isolated. She was the target all along. A lone assassin climbed the outside wall to their bedroom and climbed over the balcony, entering through the bedroom window. Fortunately for all of us, Kate was ready and waiting for him and killed him with a single shot to the heart with a crossbow.”
Shannon stood looking at him while the story sank in. “Okay, Luca, that will go in my diary as the most original excuse ever for why a guy ended a date suddenly. Now what really happened?”
Luca shook his head as he looked at the floor, understanding how preposterous this must sound to her, and yet, how common it was in his world. He raised his head and looked at her.
“That’s what happened. We talked the first night we were together. I told you what I could in a short period of time, but Shannon, we live in very different worlds. This is why Kate has a protector. She’s mated to a master, and a master will always be a target, their children will be targets. The masters battle each other for power, for territory. Shade is both master and warrior. So, I’ll ask you again, can you live with this? I told you the first night we were together, I would commit my heart to you, but my loyalty to Shade is unbreakable. What he commands of me, I’ll always deliver. I told you my time wasn’t my own. And now you’ve seen that firsthand. So, tell me now, I beg you. Are you in? Or are you out? If this isn’t something you can live with, then please tell me now, because I’m in love with you, and I fall more in love with you every day. If this lifestyle is not something you can accommodate, then let’s end this now before my love for you grows even greater, and the thought of losing you crushes me.”
Shannon’s head was spinning with the realization that his story was true. Kate had given her some information, and he’d told her more, but it was a lot to take in. “First of all, and most importantly, I'm in. But be patient with me, okay, because I feel like I just stepped into an episode of Game of Thrones. So, this will take some adjusting.”
Luca smiled at her. “Patience is something I have plenty of, mia belleza. But game of thrones? I’m not familiar with this game.”
Shannon laughed. “It’s not a game, Luca, it's a TV show.”
“Ah, like Buffy.”
“What?”
“Never mind, the important thing is, we both want to continue in this relationship, and I believe we were about to begin our second date when I was called away, yes?”
“As a matter of fact, we were about to begin our second date before you were so rudely called away.” She began to unbutton her blouse.
His eyes followed her hands as she slowly unbuttoned her top, teasing him. She opened one button, pulled at her blouse, exposing the top of her breast, and then opened another, and another. He felt his palms grow moist as his mouth went dry. “Was there, uh, someplace you had in mind that you wanted to go?”
Shannon maintained eye contact with him, although his eyes flicked from her eyes to following the actions of her hands. She unbuttoned the last button and slipped the blouse from her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor.
“Oh, I had someplace in mind, all right, and given that Shade might zap you out of here at any moment, let's just skip over all that 'dinner and a movie part' and get right to what we both want in the first place.” She turned her back to him and walked to her bedroom.
Luca stood mesmerized as he watched the sway of her hips as she walked away from him and listened to her clear invitation to follow. “I like the way you think, Shannon O'Connor.”
She tossed her hair and looked over her shoulder at him as he followed her to the bed. “I knew you would, Luca... I knew you would.”
79
Before leaving for the meeting with Alec, Jacks changed clothes, choosing a fitted dress instead of pants and a leather jacket. It had been a long time since she and Alec had seen each other. He was the only reason she was here. Your head will turn this time, Master Alec, and you will sit up and beg. Jacks is back in your life, and you need me this time.
Driving to his home, she saw it was a very classic Federal style house, in an upscale neighborhood, nestled a
mong the mortals. Alec always hated certain aspects of his immortality, so she wasn’t surprised to find him here. But she knew his sexual appetites were far from anything his mortal neighbors would call vanilla.
Alec heard the knock at the door and heard Santos as he answered and escorted her to his study, informing her she was expected. Jacks chuckled to herself knowing he’d be expecting a male warrior.
She walked in gracefully and waited to see the expression on Alec’s face.
Alec stood up to greet the warrior. Fuck! He sent a woman? Wait, I know her. It's been a few years, but I... Fuck! It's Jacks! Well, this could get interesting real fast.
He took her in, head to toe and back again, locking eyes with her and giving her a slow smile. He walked toward her, extending his hand. “Jacks... Have to say, you were the last person I was expecting tonight, but not an unpleasant surprise. Please, sit down. Can I pour you a drink?”
Taking his outstretched hand, Jacks shook it firmly. “Good to see you, Master Canton, you’ve come a long way since last we met. Unfortunately, unpleasant circumstances have brought us back together, it seems.” Sitting down, she crossed her legs slowly, letting her long elegant legs and strong smooth calves take his attention for a moment. She declined his offer of a drink. “Nothing for me. My body is my temple, but thank you for the offer.”
Alec chuckled. “Your body is your temple, yes, as I recall, it was quite a temple, and appears to be even more so.” He poured himself a glass of Midnight and sat down across from her. He took a cigarette from the box and lit it, inhaled deeply then dropped his head back to exhale before locking eyes with her again. “So, I guess that means no to an offer of a cigarette. Anything else? Any other vices you’re swearing off I need to know about?”
