The Medici Queen

by Emily Bex

  Rissa hung up the phone with her dress designer. The wedding gown was complete. She just needed to get Alec's schedule, so the designer could be here at the house where she’d try it on, and make the huge reveal to Alec. She prayed he’d love the dress. Grabbing her schedule book, ready to find a time for such an appointment, she heard him call. What in the hell is it now? She ran the brush through her long blonde hair, and headed to the family room, taking the drink he offered.

  "Ah, I could use a drink!"

  "Sit darling, you've been working all day."

  He took a seat on the large sofa, indicating with a pat of his hand that he wanted her to sit next to him. "I just talked to Shade. I'll be going out there tomorrow evening to wrap up some business, but you mentioned they had stables now. Shade said he’d be happy to find a horse for you. Are you interested? I think it’d be good for you, Rissa. Good exercise, fresh air, and you know you'll be safe there."

  Rissa took a sip from the glass and settled next to him on the couch. She was happy to hear the news about the horses. "I’d love to have a horse, Alec. I used to ride when I was mortal. It was something I used to love to do. There’s such a feeling of freedom when you ride. But if Shade picks out horses like he picks out protectors, I’d prefer to find my own, thank you. My schedule’s so busy right now, and with the wedding, I’d have little time to ride."

  Alec chuckled. She never missed a chance to get in a dig about the protector. "He said he’d email pictures of the horses he has bred in Florence. You can pick one out. He knows horses, my darling, and women, I’d trust his choice."

  He knew this last comment would set her off and he downed the Midnight, getting ready to enjoy the ride.

  Rissa was mid-sip when he uttered the smart remark. She peered at him over the rim of her glass. She felt the heat in her face as her fury rose to the surface, but she settled down. There were more ways than one to get her way. Sitting her glass down on the table in front of them, she crossed her legs.

  "Oh, the warrior most certainly knows women, I have no doubt. He knows them almost as well as you. Trust is another matter, however. And although his choice in women has pleased you well, I’m sure that choice pleased him long before she pleased you."

  Alec smirked at her, a twinkle in his eye. "My darling, I don't know for a fact that Shade was ever with Jacks, but if it’s true, surely you don't think Jacks would be the first woman we’ve shared? That chamber of sexual delights was underneath his castle, after all. I can't tell you how many nights we spent there... but enough about that. Do you, or don’t you, want a horse. I’m going there tomorrow. I can let him know if you’re interested. He said there was plenty of room to board a horse for us, and the estate is large. You could ride without running into your good friend Kate."

  He kept up the verbal jabs as she heard him refer to Kate and she growled. Uncrossing her legs, she stood and walked to the bar, pouring another Midnight. "Of course, I want a horse. Have him send the photos, and I’ll choose one. I can teleport out there, which will save me time. No one will be the wiser.” Turning to face him, she leaned against the bar. “Did he mention anything about rogue activity in the city?”

  He was amused by her anger and her efforts to contain it. "He did give me a report. He said nothing went down in the district while we were in Florence. The mercenaries have all moved on to the next job, and it’s just his warriors on the streets now.”

  Walking back to the couch, Rissa curled up and laid her head on his shoulder. "Alec, we need to talk about her. I know I need a protector, but nothing has happened in so long. Having Jacks following my every move is hampering my schedule. The press has backed off a bit, and to be honest, she intimidates the hell out of them. I think half the reason they’re there is to get photos of her and not me, missing the entire point of my plan. I was speaking with Kate on the phone last night, in my own bedroom, and Jacks knocks on the door, simply because I was raising my voice. I had to interrupt my conversation to dismiss her. It’s way too much, Alec. I’m doing everything I can to appease you, but seriously, will you consider something else for me? I have an idea that may work a bit better."

  Alec thought to himself, well this should be interesting. "Of course, my darling. By all means, let me hear your idea."

  Sitting up, her fingers wandered slowly up and down his thigh. "Since Shade has all of his warriors on our streets now, I think it may be a good idea if we have just one of them as my protector, instead of her living here. I feel safe in the house. It may help to get to know his warriors better, and I’d assume we’ll need them for the wedding and the campaign. I think a male would stand out less, draw less attention from the press as well. It would look more normal, Alec. It would put the press coverage back on us. I don’t think you have any idea how much interest she has stirred. Even some of my clients are a bit edgy with her around.”

  Alec laid his head back on the sofa. The truth was, he had tired of the constant riff between Jacks and Rissa and the tension it brought to this house. What made him think having two women under the same roof would be a good idea, especially with his diva and an alpha warrior with an axe to grind? He’d never intended to have a live-in protector in the first place, and now that things were quiet, there really seemed no reason to keep someone here twenty-four seven. Rissa would be tamer if he gave her what she wanted, a male warrior who only showed up when she left the house. The contract with Jacks flashed through his head. She got the same payout regardless of how long she was here. He almost had to laugh. Quickest million she’d ever made.

  "My darling, if it pleases you, then I’ll dismiss her. But not before talking with Shade tomorrow and having him assign someone the specific detail of escorting you when you’re out. I know he has someone on this grid, just not sure who. He used to cover it personally when we had all the turmoil."

  Rissa did a silent celebration in her head. Battle won and Zena the warrior bitch is out of here! The smile on her face spread quickly. He was giving her a gift in trusting her instincts, and she could handle a male warrior. Leaning into him, she hugged him tight and then retreated, knowing he hated affectionate outburst.

  "Thank you so much, Alec. I’ll be good, and I’ll listen to the warrior. I have no problems with that. I know the rogue attack made me very unlike myself. But I understand, now, how dangerous it is, and I need to listen and learn from my master. I’ll be pleased with whomever you and Shade appoint.” Flopping back on the couch, she couldn’t erase the smile from her face.

  "I’m happy to see you’ve regained your confidence, my darling. I’ll work out the details with Shade tomorrow. If I hear of any problems with you trying to outwit the warriors and slip away, then we go back to a twenty-four hour live-in protector, understood? I think we’re out of danger, but I also don’t want to be lulled into a false sense of security just because everything is quiet. We'll get you a horse, you can teleport out there, with an escort, of course, but once on his property, you'll be perfectly safe. The riding will be good for you. Good exercise, something different than the gym to change up your routine, fresh air. Consider it done."

  Standing to leave, she turned to him, "I’ll comply and thank you again, Alec. I won’t disappoint." Walking to the door of the family room, she stopped and turned back to him. "The dress is done. I’ll have Jenny send me your schedule for this month. I’ll need you to be here when the designer comes to make alterations. Then you can see the dress and give your blessing. If you don’t like something, we still have time to make changes. Anything else you wish to speak to me about?"

  "Just have Jenny put it on my calendar, darling, and I’ll make sure I'm here. I think we've covered enough ground for one night." He stood and poured himself another Midnight, and knew Jacks got one over on him good this time.

  "Then I’ll see you when you come to bed, Alec. I have work to do and I’m sure you do as well. I love you, Alec."

  Rissa walked from the room, but once out of his sight, she ran up the stairs to the bedroom a
nd acted like a small child dancing around with happiness. The bitch is out of here for good!

  17

  Alec wrapped up at work and had his driver take him home, so he could change out of his suit and into jeans. He had told Shade he’d teleport in tonight to bring him the deed. He picked up the document that had been transferred over to Kate's name and folded it, sliding it inside his jeans pocket, then teleported out.

  He could see the vineyards as he came in over the estate, lush and green, and the warrior camp was visible from the air. To a casual observer, the buildings looked like another large house and possibly a large but elaborate barn, nothing that would raise too many questions with the mortals. The stables were placed on rolling hills, and the grazing pastures were all fenced in, and the fucker still had room to expand.

  Alec landed in the front yard of the main house and was getting ready to walk to the front door when he was surrounded by two wolves, both snarling, lips curled back, and their teeth bared. "What the fuck?"

  He heard a commotion behind him and looked over his shoulder to see a mountain lion, crouched and ready to pounce. His instincts told him to stand dead still, when he heard a loud screech and looked skyward to see a large falcon swoop down within inches of his head. Alec didn’t carry weapons, and he wasn’t sure what he’d use against this lot anyway. He was sizing up the wolves and his options when the front door opened, and Kate emerged.

  He was about to warn her off when she clapped her hands and called out "Aegis." He watched with his mouth open, as both of the wolves turned away from him and trotted over in her direction, the mountain lion retreated into the woods, and the falcon settled in a nearby tree.

  Kate called out to him. "Sorry about that. I seem to have inherited my own army of warriors. I didn't even think about how they’d respond to someone visiting our property. You're fine now, come on in. Shade is in the bunker, I think."

  Alec creased his brow. "What do you mean you inherited an army?"

  "Uh... well, apparently my gift is animalism. No one seems to know much about it, so we’re just winging it here. This grey wolf is Aegis, her mate is Night Stalker, and the mountain lion is Riparo. They seem to be permanent additions to our household."

  Alec looked skyward. "And the falcon?"

  Kate looked at the huge bird perched high in the tree. "I never saw him before.” The large grey wolf nuzzled against her leg and she reached down to pet her head. “Oh, Aegis says it's a she and her name is Danica."

  Alec raised his eyebrows. "They talk to you?"

  "Yes, telepathically, just like Shade. And I can talk to them. I thought it was just the three of them, but now the falcon shows up. Guess I need to keep an open mind about how many of them there will be. Come on in, I'll find Shade."

  Alec looked around to see the wolves standing peacefully, panting, tails wagging, and he shook his head. He vaguely remembered hearing about the gift of animalism, but he’d never seen a vampire with that gift. He followed her into the house, as she called out to Shade.

  Shade quickly pulled out an Italian dress shirt from the armoire, light blue and from one of his favorite designers. He had teleported from the bunker to change before Alec arrived. Buttoning up the front, he rolled the sleeves three-quarters up his arms and tucked the shirt into his jeans. He heard Kate call out that Alec was here. “I could hear your army outside ready to attack, mi amore. On my way.”

  Going down the stairs, he entered the living room and found bel and Alec. Shade went to Kate and kissed her on the cheek before shaking hands with Alec.

  "Good to see you, brother. Good flight?" Shade smiled as Gi walked in with Midnight-filled glasses for all.

  Alec gratefully accepted the Midnight, and took a big swallow. "That was quite the welcoming party you had waiting for me, brother."

  Shade held up his hand in protest. "I have nothing to do with that. It seems my queen has her own army. Hell, they tried to keep me from her last evening. Interesting gift, si? So, let us all sit down, there is no pomp and circumstance needed for this."

  Turning, he took Kate’s hand and led her to the large couch, snuggling her to his side.

  Kate took the glass of Midnight, the color a dark burgundy, like wine, only thicker. She sniffed at the mixture and it smelled like a heady wine, with a hint of copper. She tipped the glass to her lips and took a small sip, savoring the taste. The taste of the wine hit first, but the blood soothed, dulling the ever present hunger. Jeez... no wonder they gulp down this stuff! She sat down next to Shade, sipped again at the glass before setting it on the table.

  Alec downed the wine and held the empty glass up for Gi who brought him another. Before sitting, he pulled the folded document from his jeans pocket. Sitting down, he unfolded the deed, laying it on the table in front of him and smoothing out the creases.

  "As stipulated in our Master's Agreement, Cuerpo's killer gets to name their reward. So, for you, Kate, here’s the deed to my property in Paris. It’s a large building, on the Champs Elysees. It has three floors. Could be converted into three separate apartments if you wanted it as income property, but there’s no elevator. That’s not a drawback for this location, though. Or if you want the whole thing, it can be one very large house. I’ve owned it for years. I lived in Paris for a short period of time. But once I stopped using it, I rented it out. Rissa always thought she’d do something with it, but she never got around to it. If you want to live there, it would probably need a little work, some modernization, nothing major. But it’s yours now." He slid the document across the table to Kate.

  Shade picked up the deed and handed it to Kate. "Rewards are a nice thing to have, bel. Job well done, my queen." Kissing her softly, he watched as she eyed the deed and he didn’t miss the smile working its way across her mouth.

  "Thanks, brother, appreciate the time you have taken to come out and present it. It means a great deal to me."

  Kate looked up, still a little dumb-founded by the fact she now owned property in Paris. "Thank you. I promise you, I didn't kill Cuerpo for any reward. I was just trying to save my own life. But thank you and we’ll make sure the Paris property gets used. I’m truly sorry if this has caused a problem with Rissa. That was never my intention. I hope you know that."

  Alec held up his hand. "Rissa can have all the houses she wants, don't worry about this one."

  Shade chuckled and hugged Kate tight. "Now, Alec and I have some business to discuss, so go put the deed in my office. I will see to its safety, and before I leave for the night, I will come find you. And please, make sure your warriors are under wraps as Alec and I will be outside."

  Shade turned to Alec. "Let’s take a walk outside. And don’t worry. Kate’s army will be no threat. I want to show you the stables, so you can get a feel for them, then relay that to Rissa."

  Alec downed the glass of Midnight then stood to follow Shade outside. "I did talk to Rissa last night, and she does want to move forward with getting a horse. Make sure you find her one that’s already broke in. Rissa knows how to ride, but I want her to have a horse that’s used to being ridden."

  Making their way outside, Shade walked side by side with Alec. "Not a problem, brother, at least I know she can ride. But if she wishes for some refresher courses, Antonio is the stable master here, he will gladly teach her. He is in charge of all the horses. She is welcome to come at any time day or night. Antonio is day-walker as well. He will be instructed to accommodate her schedule. I already have one horse in mind for her, but I will send her the pictures of about ten to choose from."

  As they approached the stables, Shade could see Aegis remained close at hand, but she was steering clear of the stables to avoid spooking the horses. As they got closer, Antonio appeared.

  "Antonio, buonasera. This is Master Canton. He will be purchasing a horse for his mate. She will be boarding the horse here and riding at her leisure. Please accommodate her accordingly. We are going to have one brought in from Florence specifically for her."

  Turn
ing to Alec, he introduced Antonio. "Alec, this is Antonio, my stable master."

  Alec shook his hand, giving him a strong grip, ever the politician. "Good to meet you, Antonio. My mate is a bit of a diva. Don't let her scare you off. Take control when you need to."

  Alec took in the size of the stables, and the horses Shade had already brought over. He kept a wary eye on the wolf. “So, what's up with the animalism, brother? I mean, what the fuck do you even do with that?"

  "Well, protection, for one. They had you immobilized, didn’t they? That would give me, or one of my warriors, time to assess the situation. It’s all new to me too. Not much research on it, either. And I prefer not letting this news get out. The fewer people that know about my mate’s gift, the better. At least until both of us can figure out how to control it."

  Walking to one of the stalls, Impavido pawed the hay and snorted. "You remember this big guy, si?"

  Alec nodded. "I can keep quiet about it. Not like I run in the immortal circles, anyway. I remember this horse, Impavido, right? He was one mean mofo as I recall."

  "Si! But he went to Kate like a damn kitten. Could not believe it. Down there is Bravado, that is Kate's horse, and in the back is Meile, she is from my madre's line of Arabians. As you can see, I have plenty of stalls, and I was bringing several more over anyway. It will be good to have more horses, they keep each other company. I’ll cut you a deal. Every one of the horses I’m offering is worth at least ninety to a hundred grand. But whichever one she chooses, I sell to you for fifty grand. You interested in riding as well, spend some time with her?"