The Turning: Book Two in The Medici Warrior Series

by Emily Bex

  He could feel her fear of him. She clung to him, her fangs bared as she rolled his ass to the floor, sinking nails and fangs all at once. Fuck me! He was taken off guard at her speed and agility, the sheer magnitude of what she’d become and then, his whole body lit up with desire. Her fangs went deep, not a clean bite but ripping at his flesh, attacking the vein that was now her only lifeline. The sensation of her fangs in his flesh pushed him over the edge. This was the first time his immortal mate had fed from him, and his body and beast responded. His beast was having a damn field day, clawing for release, wanting her with all he had. Struggling to maintain his beast and his own need, he had to let her feed and still gain some control over her.

  He allowed her to take her fill, then gripped her neck and no longer did it gently. He felt her nails sink deeper into his skin. He could feel his blood running down his back from the wound her sharp fangs created in his skin. His own fangs punched through, long and sharp, and they ached with a desire unlike anything he’d ever felt. Cazzo! I want her! I want all of her!

  He pulled her head back from his neck and felt his flesh tear further, but even the pain felt pleasurable. Gripping her hair like he was taming a wild beast, he pulled her face to his and growled, his fangs in need, dripping with saliva.

  “Cazzo, woman! Look at me!” He saw her eyes, glowing a bright red, looking back at him and he kept a tight hold on her, not letting her have her way.

  Her body began to recognize his, the feel of him beneath her hands, his intoxicating scent, the sound of his voice, and the taste of his blood. All familiar, and yet, enhanced. The muscles in his back strained against her, his arms encircled her, grabbing at her hair, yanking her head back from his neck. His eyes glowed red and his fangs were exposed. His grip was firm and unyielding, holding her face inches from his. She heard his voice, commanding her, and she locked eyes with him, issuing a very low growl as he has pulled her away from the thing she wanted the most right now... His blood.

  Shade was well aware her thirst was out of control. He grabbed her arms and held them firmly at her side. She was strong, but he was much stronger. Her growl was threatening, and it tantalized his beast. He wanted a taste of her in the worst way.

  Sitting her down on the stone altar, he watched her move like a lithe jaguar, and he ripped away what remained of her gown. Her body glowed in the soft light from the fire. Holding her down with one hand, he got in her face, fangs bared. “Come to your master! Rein in, mate!”

  He sank his fangs deep into her upper thigh and he heard her scream and felt her arch her hips. As her blood hit his system, he instantly came, feeling the hot sticky wetness slide down his leg, and her blood electrified him like never before. Every dream he’d ever had of her blasted through him.

  Kate felt him holding her in place as he sank his fangs into her thigh. She felt the sharp and delicious sting of his teeth as she arched her back. She felt his cock release against her, his hot cum spilling forth. She was still on her back when she sat up on her elbows, locking eyes with him. The veins in his neck pulsated and drew her attention once more. He held her stare as she hissed out the word, 'master', and ran her tongue slowly and seductively over her fangs. She reached up quickly and grabbed him, pulling him forward on top of her, wrapping her legs around his hips and gripping him like a vice. She saw his beast and knew his beast saw her, and she invited him out to play. She traced the path of his vein with her tongue, starting at the base of his shoulder and running up to his ear. She ran her tongue over his ear and whispered once more, 'master', before she sank her teeth deep into his neck again and felt his cock like hardened steel between her legs.

  Her beast aroused him like nothing before and his beast was at full roar when she wrapped those legs around him. She tantalized, and he was instantly hard again, needing to bury himself inside her. Her fangs sank deep and he moaned. He moved his hips back and slipped into her hard, fully engorged and taking it to the hilt. He felt her grip him tight, her muscles stronger now, and it was like a vice grip stroking his cock and he let one hand tangle in that gorgeous screaming red crimson and held her head tight to his neck.

  “Feed, mi amore. Feed.”

  His other hand slid to her hip and squeezed her tight as he stroked her fast and hard, her sex hot and dripping wet for him. He let the music play loudly inside the chamber as they listened to Imagine Dragons’ Demons echo off the walls. He sank his fangs deep into her neck and he was transported. Her body fucked and bucked him, and he kept thrusting, taking them higher as they fed and nourished from each other. He was so lost to her, lost to her for all eternity. She had him... He was complete.

  Kate was mad with wanting his blood in her mouth, flowing through her veins. Wanting his cock buried deep inside her. Every sensation enhanced, every need amplified. She drank from him with a need like nothing before, his blood igniting a path of fire in her veins that was pure pleasure. Her new fangs ached with pleasure, sunk deep into his neck. Her mouth latched tight against him, not wanting to lose one drop of his precious blood. She felt his hips pounding into her, her body trapped between him and the unyielding stone altar beneath her. His beast was loose, and she welcomed him. His deep growl vibrated through them both, and she responded with a growl of her own, careful to never break away from his neck and that erotic liquid that filled her. Her hips rose to match the rhythm of his deep thrusts, as her legs gripped him tighter, pulling him deeper. She felt like she couldn’t get enough of him, pulling, clawing, grabbing him, deeper, drinking more until her whole body screamed with the pleasure he brought. She finally unlatched from his neck as he took them both over the edge, her head thrown back and fangs bared as she heard the roar of her own beast in the chamber. He slid both hands beneath her hips as he drove deeper, and she felt his cock throbbing and pulsing as he released his cum, filling her, spilling from her. The power of the orgasm shook her to her core as her nails clawed the full length of his back, and she grabbed his ass, nails sunk in tight to pull him deeper. He is mine... He is mine. For all eternity, he is mine. I feel him in my veins, I feel him in my heartbeat, my soul wrapped around his. I am him, and he is me. We are one. The orgasm rocked her, wave after wave, until she finally, reluctantly, felt it fade and her body relaxed, yet she held him still. She loosened her grip, but her legs remained wrapped around his hips, her arms at his waist, her face buried in his neck. She turned her head to look up at him. That face, those eyes, his dark tangled curls hanging forward, his bronzed skin glowing in the light from the fire. Her love for him exploded inside her heart.

  “Lover. For all eternity... I am yours.”

  “Si, mi amore, all mine... eternity.”

  Pushing her hair from her face, he kissed her softly, her fangs now retracted, as were his. Her thirst was quenched, for the moment. He had no idea how long it would take her to get it under control, but he’d stay here with her as long as it took.

  “Are you all right, bel? Tell me you like this new skin you wear. You made it back to me, you came back to me!” Hugging her tight to his body, he held nothing back. “I love you so fucking much, Kate.”

  Kate’s tears came suddenly, unexpectedly, as the emotion overwhelmed her. She had loved him from the beginning, and her love for him grew with each passing day. She couldn’t imagine a life without him, and now, an eternity didn’t feel like enough time to share it all, or to express to him how deeply she loved him. She’d die for him. She’d kill for him. There was nothing she’d ever let come between them, nothing she’d not do for him. He crushed her to his chest, and she reveled in the feel of him, the scent of him. “Nothing can keep me from you, lover. Nothing.”

  Lying down on the altar, he pulled her to his chest, letting his hands run through her hair and smiled. “Some things will never change, mi amore, we will always sleep like this. I need you to rest. The sun rises soon, and my slumber comes. I won’t leave you and you cannot get out. If you need to feed, I’ll feel it, mi amore, so relax.”

  He felt her snuggl
e against him, ready to feed again when the bloodlust hit her. “We have all of eternity now. Patience is needed, mi amore, something you may have difficulty adjusting too!” He felt her body as it relaxed, and he drifted slowly into sleep, but he knew it wouldn’t be for long.

  She felt him slip into his slumber, and she waited for it to take her as well. She felt tired from the turning and slowly slipped into a restful sleep. She slept a few hours and awoke to the dark room. The fire long gone and only embers glowed in the dark. Her eyes adjusted quickly, and she found she could see about the chamber almost as well as if it were daylight. The chamber blocked any natural light, so she had no idea of the time, only that Shade remained in his slumber, and she was awake... And hungry. Was this normal? Was it normal for her to awaken in the daylight? Maybe it’s because she was new, and they were sealed away from both the sun and the moon. Or maybe it’s because her body needed to feed. He’d told her she might need to feed. She wanted to wait until he awoke, but her need for his blood screamed through her, and she inched her lips forward, brushing his neck and inhaled him. It was too much.

  It was too hard to resist him, and she felt her fangs punch through, and the low growl rumbled forth from her chest. She sank her fangs into him and heard his low moan, felt his arm grip more tightly around her, and yet, he slept. She drank from him again, large gulps, her lips covering the wounds in his neck, careful not to lose any of his blood. She felt his blood singing in her veins again. Felt his energy and his strength infuse her, she took and took, unable to stop herself when she felt him stir, arousing from his slumber, growling slightly as he pulled her away from him. Her hands grabbed at him, trying to pull him closer to her mouth, but he gripped her wrists with a power she hadn’t felt him use on her before.

  “Enough, mi amore, enough. You must learn restraint. Patience. Si?”

  He held her tight against his chest, her arms pinned to her side as he kissed the top of her head, and she felt him slip back into his death slumber, but his grip on her remained tight. She lay with her head against his chest, wide awake, fighting the desire to feed, fighting the desire to find a way out of the chamber and hunt. She lost the battle and tried to sit up from the stone altar, but he held her firmly in place, feeling her struggle, and she heard him.

  “Shh. You must fight the impulse, mi amore.”

  ”I am fighting, lover. I feel like I’ve been fighting for a very long time. The pain, the fire and the ice, the demon in the darkness who tried to lure me away from you, and now the hunger. The hunger consumes me. It consumes me. How much longer?”

  "Several days, bel rosso, I will keep you here for several days, until your hunger is under control. It will pass, mi amore, like the fire and ice, it will pass. You will feed from me and learn control. I will not leave you, bel. We are safe here. The chamber is sealed, you cannot escape, so do not struggle against me. Sleep, your body needs the sleep."

  He gripped her tightly to his chest, making it clear she wouldn’t get up, and she’d not feed from him again right now. She felt him slip back into his slumber, and she lay with her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. She was counting the beats and waiting... waiting... until he’d let her feed again.

  90

  Her hunger wasn’t yet under control, and Kate woke him in his slumber to feed. Her hunger was a controlling factor for her now, but he let her feed a little at a time, making her learn control. It was a fight, and a hard one for a newborn. Shade knew she’d conquer it. Holding her down tight against him, restraining her, she hadn’t discovered yet she could bite him any damn where and get his blood. Drifting back into his slumber, he tried to catch as much rest as possible. He awoke at some point later and heard an intense growling and opened his eyes to find her snarling at him and struggling against his hold on her, her eyes blazing red and her fangs protruding. “So, this is how you awaken your lover?”

  He tried to calm her with his words, but Kate had waited impatiently for him to wake. He’d held her in a tight grip for the remainder of his death slumber, and she’d waited, awake and hungry.

  “Please don’t deny me. You asked me to be patient and I’ve been patient.” She struggled against his grip, straining to get closer to his neck.

  Her hunger had pushed her to the edge, and this was the time to break her a bit more. “You are a wild little vixen when you’re hungry, si? If I let go of you, will you lay back for me? Come on, bel, I will give you what you want, but I refuse to just hand it over, mi amore. You need to control this. I know you are tired of fighting, but this is the process, and you can’t get out of this chamber until you learn control. Let that be your goal, si? Now, lay back. You attack, and I will not let you feed.”

  He released his grip on her as she lay beside him. “Lover! I’ve waited already! Will it always feel like this? Will my hunger always consume me?”

  “No, bel, it won’t, the hunger eases with time, but your body is going through a change and the bloodlust consumes you. It never leaves completely, and you will need to control it. I cannot let you out of here if you attack every living creature you see. Once you can control your need, then we can leave. Your hunger will still be strong, but I will feed you on a regular basis. Your body will adjust, and your hunger will become more controlled. You’ll be fine. When you feed from me, it will satisfy, but your body will always crave me, need my strength, my energy, and power. You will adjust, mi amore. But for now, woman, lay the hell back!”

  She sighed in resignation, as her body wanted his blood, but she submitted to his command and lay back on the stone altar.

  “Ah, you see, it was not that hard of a fight...” He bit into his wrist, letting the blood slide down his hand and felt her body jump. “You move, you do not feed! Fight it, bel!”

  He watched as she laid back, her body shaking in need. “Easy, my vixen. Go slow.” He held his fingers over her mouth and let the blood drip slowly onto her tongue. “Don’t gulp, savor it, taste it. Learn to control and appreciate what I give you. Slide it around in your mouth, feel the power, the energy, the love.” Letting his blood drip into her mouth, he saw her slowly gain some control.

  Kate’s eyes were transfixed as he held his fingers over her lips and let his blood drop slowly into her mouth. She wanted mouthfuls. She wanted a bucketful that she could lift and tip to her mouth and drink her fill. But he trained her with drops. Each drop hit her tongue and the taste of it exploded in her mouth. She savored the taste, and the sensations it brought, the power, the energy, the erotic feelings. She gripped the side of the altar until she heard the stone crack beneath her hands as she resisted the urge to reach up to him, pull him down to her, and sink her fangs deep into his neck. Her want was so intense she needed to cry, but she dared not, as he may take his hand away, and she’d lose even those precious drops. If she behaved, he might let her feed, really feed, and not subsist on the appetizer.

  Shade watched her closely and it was working, she understood if she didn’t follow his commands, she wouldn’t get more. He hated doing this to her, but if he didn’t, they would fucking be in this damn place for a month!

  “That’s it, mi amore. You understand. I know it’s hard.”

  Pulling his hand away from her, she growled, and he locked eyes with her, growling back, warning her she wasn’t to move. “Bel, I don’t like doing this any more than you do. Trust me, this hurts me immensely, but you have to learn control. I need you to come back to me as my bel, not a beast. Not your fault, but you must fight and learn, si? You look beautiful. Now tell me what you see, concentrate on something else. Tell me, are you cold?”

  “I am cold, lover. The fire has burned down to embers and I feel warmth only when I’m wrapped in your arms. And I feel my heartbeat. I feel your blood in my veins, the path it takes. I can hear your heartbeat, even from where you stand, it calls to me. What else do you want to know? That I can hear the water as it runs in droplets down the walls of the chamber? That I hear the drops as they strike the cavern floo
r? The feet of the insects as they crawl across the stone? Do you want to see me crush the stone altar in my hands?” She releases her grip on the side of the altar and held out her hand with the pulverized stone. “Tell me what you want, lover.”

  He smiled down at her, “Tell me three words I crave to hear.”

  Kate closed her eyes and breathed in, inhaling him, his scent was male, all male, and hers. When she opened her eyes, she looked deep into his, those ice blue eyes that were such a contrast to his dark hair and dark skin. She felt their souls connect as they held each other in their gaze.

  “I love you. I love you through all eternity. I loved you in past lives and I will love you in future lives. You, my savage lover... you are my everything. And I’ll never fail you.”

  He was lost in her words, the all-encompassing love she passed to him now that she was immortal. He was so in love with her, lost inside her now, forever and all eternity. He suddenly felt the room blaze with heat and light and looked up to see Padre standing at the fireplace, looking over his shoulder. He had built a fire for his bel.

  Christofano spoke to him, “Let her feed, mio figlio. She needs the nourishment and she has been patient enough.”

  Shade’s eyes returned to her, sliding his hand under her head, he lifted her to his neck and cradled her body, and act so intimate and something he shared with her and her alone. His heart was bursting with so much love, and the overpowering need to protect her took hold of him, to never let another have her, or harm her.