by Emily Bex
“Please come back, bel. Fight for us. Fight through the pain, the agony. I promise it will be worth it. Just keep fighting. I’m right here... waiting.”
He finally got up and walked the chamber, round and around in circles. Every few turns, he stopped and kissed her dead lips, ran his fingers through her hair in case, somehow, she could feel him, but he knew she couldn’t. This was a journey she must take on her own.
Kate hung suspended, trying to focus on something other than the pain. That wolf thing, inside me? Is it inside me? That makes no sense, but then, what about this experience does? She shook her head, like it would clear her thoughts and she became aware that the burning pain was subsiding. It crept back the way it came, slowly leaving her gut, slowly easing back down her arms, back down her legs, until once again, it was concentrated in just her hands and feet, until gradually, it disappeared. The pain was gone. She released her body from the ball, stretched out her arms and legs, and released a silent sigh of relief. She rolled her body over in this darkness, straining her eyes again to see anything, hear anything. There was still nothing, but she was thankful for an end to that searing pain.
The relief was short-lived. She had barely gotten over the searing pain that felt like liquid fire in her veins when she started to feel a tingling sensation again in her fingers and toes. She felt cold, like she’d been standing outside on a winter’s night too long, and like the fire, it quickly escalated. A freezing cold that brought pain as it began that slow crawl up her legs and up her arms, and she realized it was just starting, and she’d go through this process of pain all over again. She opened her mouth and screamed, “Nooooooo!” But heard nothing. She knew he didn’t hear her. He didn’t feel her. Whatever connection they had, was broken. She was alone here. The cold crept in and she curled into a ball again, trying to shield herself from the cold, from the pain. But its crawl was relentless, and it took her, all of her, into its icy grip.
Picking up the faded and aged book, Shade took it across the room to the small writing table and the quill pen. His eyes roamed to her and he closed them, praying to anything that could hear him, that she fought the pain that encompassed her body. Picking up the quill pen, he opened the pages of ancestral history for the Medici and read through the entries slowly and found his own name scrawled across the pages by his padre to record his birth. He went to the next page open for entry and his hand shook. Dipping the pen into the inkwell, he carefully wrote each letter with precision... Katherine Reese Medici, Queen of Medici. Alongside it, he inscribed his own name... Shade Medici, King and High Master of Medici. He then wrote the date, and his eyes looked to the edge of the page where there were distinct columns to indicate the event as a mating, a birthing or a death. His eyes flashed back to her as she lay on the altar and he laid the pen down gently, leaving the column blank. Would it be their mating? Or would it be their death? He knew if she didn’t return to him, the chamber would become their tomb. If she paid with her life, then he wouldn’t go on. ”Come back, Kate. Come back. Fight!” Suddenly, he felt a presence in the chamber, and he knew it was his padre.
Slowly lifting his eyes, he saw a reflection of himself in Christofano. He had forgotten how much he looked like him. He had his madre’s eyes, but all his other features, his body type, his hair, his skin tone, his bone structure, he inherited from his padre. His father’s eyes locked with his and Shade still felt intimidated by his presence, even though Shade was the master now, and his father resided in the spirit realm, He had come to her turning, and Shade was sure, once again, he had failed to live up to his father’s expectations. Although he no longer needed to strive for anyone's approval, his father would always remain someone who goaded him to rise above and beyond others.
“Padre.”
Christofano had kept himself hidden from Shade’s presence and watched as he brought the mortal into the chamber, his intentions clear. She was a mere mortal, a disgrace to their kind, and yet this was who he’d choose to mate. His heart was in turmoil with the absurdity of his son’s actions, although Shade had always been hard to train, hard to break and clearly, had a mind of his own. If Portia hadn’t been so soft-handed with him, perhaps he would’ve accepted the arranged marriage and would’ve mated with a royal-born immortal to keep the royal bloodlines pure, as Christofano would’ve insisted upon. Shade had accomplished much, but not always in the manner Christofano would’ve chosen. And now there was the girl... the mortal. Christofano looked at her closely.
She was an exquisite beauty, and her devotion and faithfulness to Shade was without question. She lay cold and lifeless on the altar stone, and he feared she’d never make it through. This journey for a mortal wasn’t an easy one, and this was his reason for coming to Shade now. He wouldn’t let his son follow her to his death. An American mortal! He snorted in disgust. He understood love, and he understood the call of one’s mate, but Shade deserved to have a blue-blooded immortal female whose loins were made for bearing him sons. Their entire lineage and future hung on this one small creature and if she failed her mission, he knew Shade was already planning to follow her into death. Christofano wouldn’t let his son make that sacrifice. Letting his presence be known to Shade, they locked eyes. Portia lay inside his son, he was the best of both of them, and their love had made Shade strong. He was a master that few could rival, his body was toned and sculpted, and his sword wielded death like the true Medici he was, and yet, he carried Portia’s tenderness of heart. He was king of all he surveyed, a true son of his immortal mating. The pain of Shade’s deed this night wracked through his bones and Christofano felt him suffer like no other.
“Shade.”
Shade looked up at his father. “Never figlio, always Shade... even now, Padre?” Shade’s eyes glanced at bel and back at him. “I have turned her. She is mine now. She will always be mine.”
Christofano walked to the altar and the still body of the one Shade had claimed as his mate. “Si. In death or in life, she will always be yours now. But your hand hesitates to mark her standing as a Medici within the family history. Mated? Or death? Even you doubt whether the mortal is capable of coming back to you. If you love her as you say, mark it now.”
Shade felt his beast arise, but he reined him in. His father wouldn’t physically challenge him, even over her, and he knew he was king here now. Christofano stood over Kate and spread his hands across the stone altar and glared at him. “Mark it now, Shade. Mating or death!”
Shade’s body shook with anger and he’d never again let his father dictate his actions. Calming himself, he walked to her and sat on the stone dais, his hand stroking her face lightly and raised his eyes to his father, his hands unconsciously playing with the crimson that draped over the side of the altar.
“Whatever your intentions for this night, Padre, they go without notice. I am master now, king to the coven. Kate will remain as my queen, whether she returns, or she does not. I need neither book nor marking to know such. Madre taught me to mate for love, to seek and find the singular one destined for me, to bring back to Medici the female that would reign eternally beside me, and Kate is the one. I will not reign like you, Padre. I live in a world far different than the one you inhabited. I am a man now. I no longer live in a small boy's shell. Open your eyes and see what I see. I will not choose a mate who reigns by standing behind me, or who walks ahead of me, but the one who reigns beside me, fights for my coven, and for me. Madre never would have challenged your commands or questioned your words, but Kate does. She makes me see things in a different light, and I respect her for bringing that to me, for it makes me a better man. She is all that I love, and if this night I lose her, then I will lose all that you and I have fought to build, and I will not care.” Shade leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. “She is my Portia, Padre. Why can’t you see that?”
Christofano frowned. Shade’s words told him so many things. His heart and soul were already long gone to her. He already saw her as his eternal mate, mortal or immortal, he
didn’t differentiate. His last words rang to his soul... She was his Portia. Christofano knew the love he held for Portia had not wavered, and had grown stronger, even in their death. There was nothing he wouldn’t endure for her. He wanted nothing more than to see Shade have that kind of love in his life, to reign in the glory of love and family. Christofano walked slowly to the dais and the memory of the time he had stepped upon these stones at the birth of his only son crashed through his heart. Placing one hand upon Kate’s forehead and the other upon Shade’s, the words of his heart rang forth and he called upon the spirits of their ancestors who graced this chamber to bring her back to him.
"Let the Medici blood run strong through your veins, my daughter, and bring you back to us. Let your love lead you home to my son. Return to fulfill your destiny on the throne of eternity, Queen of the Medici."
Feeling the spirits of their ancestors surround her, Christofano knew she now entered the dance with the devil, and all the powers of Medici lay at her feet to use as a weapon. He kissed Shade's cheeks, one at a time as he took his face into his hands. “She will return to you, mio figlio.” He faded as quickly as he appeared, into the fog, and back to the arms of Portia.
The pain of the cold crept into every cell. There was no escape. Kate curled up tighter, seeking warmth where there was none. She pulled her knees tight to her chest as ice cut through her veins. ”How much longer, lover? How much?” She strained to hear him. He said she’d hear him, and yet, she heard nothing… and then a whisper.
“Come with me, daughter.”
”Shade?” Her silent lips cried out. ”Is that you?”
The disembodied voice replied, his voice a cold hiss. “Come with me, daughter, and I will take away the pain.”
Kate felt his hands on her, caressing gentle hands. ”Lover, yes. Take away the pain.” He came to her, surrounded her, and she felt his arms embrace her. ”You took so long!”
The demon replied, “Yes, my daughter. Way too long. Your lover has abandoned you here. He waited and you did not return. He grieves not for you. His cock already seeks solace with another."
No! Not my lover! She pushed his arms away, and the pain pushed back, every motion of her body brought more pain.
The demon circled her like smoke, “Come with me, daughter. Let me put an end to this torture. I can hold you now. I can comfort you now. Let me end this pain. It will be so easy, my daughter... so easy. Just give yourself up to me.”
Stop! ”Shade, make him stop!” She struggled in the darkness, against his unseen arms that grabbed at her, pulled her to his chest, and she could feel the heat of his breath against her face. Heat... warmth... and the coldness started to fade. It was so tempting, so easy to let go.
The hours passed and Shade paced. The time of his death slumber came and went, and he fought through it. He’d never leave her side, even in his death slumber, to fight this battle alone. He felt the new night arrive, and yet, still, she didn’t move. He told her twelve hours, and that time had long gone. It had been close to twenty-four. His heart beating rapidly, his pain and agony a living entity within this chamber of stone. Every hour, he caressed her body as it lay cold and lifeless on the altar. He spoke to her, touched her, kissed her lips, trying to pull her to him, making sure whenever she could hear him or feel him again that she did. He was left here alone to wonder when that time would come... if ever. He didn’t feel her inside him, she was dead, her soul lay cold and protected inside him, his beast nestling it with his life. She should have returned to him by now!
His screams of agony became louder and he knocked over anything within the chamber not permanently attached. The candles had burned out one by one, leaving only pools of wax. He built a fire to keep out the chill of the chamber, but nothing could penetrate the chill of his heart, knowing she might have lost the battle to fight the devil and come back to him. He felt the moon rise higher in the sky and still nothing. “Cazzo! It has been too long!”
Walking to her, he lifted her in his arms, cradled her and continuously talked to her, speaking to her louder and louder, anything to break through to her, and yet, still nothing. “Fight, mi amore. Fight! Come back to me. Do not leave me here. I can’t do this without you! Please come back to me, bel rosso. Why is this taking so long? Damn it, bel, listen to me, listen to my call... feel my blood... Medici!”
The demon had her in his grip. “Let me take the cold away, my daughter. Let me take away the pain.”
As the demon pulled her to him, the pain subsided, and she wanted that relief. Her body cried out for a release from the pain. Not Shade. Not Shade. I have to fight him! She pushed hard against him, kicking him away, and felt him let go, and she was falling once again, falling into the darkness, falling further away from Shade. ”Lover... how will I ever get back?”
The demon followed her in the darkness. "Never. Never. You will never get back."
She heard his voice whispering. She hit the bottom hard and grunted with the sudden and unexpected impact. She felt around in the darkness. Hard smooth floor, four walls, close, very close, like a prison cell. And then she heard them, a thousand voices, all whispering.
"Never get back. He has abandoned you here. Never. Take his hand. Never get back. Alone here. Abandoned. Take his hand. Your salvation. He will save you. Take his hand.”
Kate curled up in a ball, covering her ears with her hands. She yelled her silent command, ‘Stop! Stop!’ ”Shade, make them stop!”
The voices stopped as quickly as they started and she fell over on her side, crying silent tears. There was no end... no end. ”Lover, please don't abandon me here. Can I come back now? Do you hear me?” As she lay on the floor, she felt a hand reach out and brush her face. She started to reach for that hand when she felt another, and another, many hands reaching out, touching, grabbing, pulling her, and then the voices returned.
“Take his hand. So easy. Your salvation. Alone now. Take it. Take it. He will save you. So easy, my daughter. I can make it so easy.”
Kate curled back into the ball and shouted, “No! Leave me!” She heard her own words echo in the room. Her voice. She could hear her own voice, no longer silent.
The hands and the voices disappeared, and the demon returned. His voice was soft and seductive, and he leaned in close.
The demon stroked her face, his fingers tangled in her hair, “Why have you been so foolish, my daughter? What has you so blinded you cannot see the truth? He is vampire. You think a vampire lives for eternity on your mortal blood? Just your blood? That is foolishness, my daughter. He lives for eternity because he steals your soul, and you gave it to him freely. It was all a trick, my daughter. He does not love you, it was your soul he needed. Why would a vampire of royal blood choose a mortal for a mate? How easily he played you. How easily he seduced you. And now he lives on, my daughter, with the strength gained from your blood and your mortal soul and you are trapped here. Let me free you. It will be so easy, so very easy, my daughter. Let me breathe into you. I am your salvation now.”
His words hurt her, pierced her, and wounded her. ”Not true. Not true. Please, lover... tell him!” The demon lifted her up like a rag doll and held her close to his face and she could feel him breathe into her, felt his hot breath filling her lungs, feeling the warmth return to her body. And he was right, it was so easy.
”Stop him. Stop!” She turned her head, pushed at him, his words... not true. But it was so easy, so easy to let go, so hard to fight.
“No! No! He waits for me. I know he waits for me.” Kate pushed hard against him. “Not yours. His! Not yours! Get behind me, Satan!” He dropped her hard back onto the floor, and she felt his hand around her neck, squeezing.
The demon hissed at her, spitting out his words, "Take me, daughter, or I will end it here. Take me for all eternity or spend all eternity here in this darkness. They are your only options now. You have no other.”
”Lover!” Kate went deep inside herself, closing her eyes and ears to the demon’s seductive word
s. ”Shade, please.” Memories of them flooded through her head. The first time she saw him. The first time she saw those ice blue eyes across a crowded room, those piercing blue eyes. The first time he touched her. She felt his kiss and remembered the taste of him. She recalled the feel of him as he lay next to her in their bed. She heard the sound of his laughter. His love. His love. His love filled her. Must find him. Must get back. Get back. ”Lover, show me the way.” She stood in the small space and felt around the walls. An outlet, there must be an outlet, but she felt nothing but solid walls surrounding her.
The demon watched her struggle. “Take my hand, daughter, I am your salvation."
Kate screamed at him, “Leave me, demon! Leave me now! I’m not yours, I’m his. I’ll always be his!” She dropped to her knees and coughed violently, exhaling out the darkness he breathed into her, releasing it all, rejecting it all, and watched as the cloud of dark poisonous vapor poured out of her mouth and drifted above her like smoke. She coughed and choked, spitting out the last of his vile soul. Shade waits for me. He waits! Kate felt the wolf inside her rise up, pacing, restless.
The demon roared in anger and the walls around her shook and crumbled. He towered over her and roared, “You cannot escape me, daughter. I will hold you here. You have no soul now. You gave it freely to a vampire. You have only what I will give you.”
As the demon stepped forward, she saw him for the first time. He was death, and hate, and evil. He was cruelty and wickedness, corruption and depravity, he was everything foul and malevolent. He was villainy and obscenity. He was an abomination against nature. He was everything she rejected. His grotesque face was ghostly white with cold, dead black eyes, and massive horns that curved above his head like a ram. She cowered in the corner, pulling back from him. No, no, don’t show your fear. You are Medici now! Fight him. Like a Medici. Fight him, like a warrior!
