The Blood Covenant

by Emily Bex

  The death slumber pulled him, trying to take him down, as he quickly teleported back to the penthouse. He walked to the window before the sun started reflecting off the buildings and frying his heart to dust. He could see her preparing for work, dressing, and scurrying around, gathering her papers and laptop. It convinced him, even more, she needed to be the hell away from here and someplace where he could hold her, touch her, love her, and have the comfort of knowing she was safe. He pulled the blackout drapes across the window, and barred the door, then walked to the bed and flopped down, his mind made up. He’d take her to the Virginia house, and it was going to be damn soon.

  20

  It was early Saturday evening, the sun was sinking on the horizon, and the moon was on the edge of taking her turn in the sky as they moved into shorter days, and longer, colder nights. He decided it was time to take Kate out to the Virginia property. Shade wanted to call her and make it an official date. Hitting speed dial on the phone, he was hoping she had nothing planned for her evening.

  Kate had still not shared any news with Shannon about Shade. She’d not told her she’d slept with him, or that he was a vampire, and he fed from her. She and Shade had not discussed it, this small issue of what he was, but she instinctively knew this was a secret she’d be expected to keep, for his own safety. His secret was already isolating her from other mortals.

  She laughed out loud. She’d just referred to herself and others like her as "mortals", his word for her world. Besides, who’d believed her? They’d drag her off in a straitjacket if she started talking about being teleported off to Paris by a vampire who showed up in the night to drink her blood and have hot sex with her. Her cell phone rang and she checked the ID, it was him, and her heart soared.

  "So, where are you taking me tonight? Somewhere I can enjoy a little longer than Paris, I hope."

  "Well now, I do have plans for this evening, if you are willing to take a drive with me. I thought, perhaps, we would go the old-fashioned way if that pleases you?”

  “Shade, I threw the rule book out the window after the first night. I'm along for the ride by whatever means you choose. What time would you like me to be ready?”

  “How soon can you be ready, mi amore? And I will give you a heads up, this is not a very elegant date, so dressing casual is appropriate, jeans and walking shoes may be a good choice as well, a sweater, and a light jacket. Can you handle that?”

  Kate looked down at her jeans and sneakers, and the oversized sweater that fell from one shoulder she was already wearing. "Yeah, I think I got that covered." She ran to the bathroom mirror to touch up her make-up while she talked and spritzed on the rose fragrance he loved.

  "Good. I will see you in thirty."

  He hung up the phone, jamming it into his jeans pocket, and teleported down to the garage. He sat and had a smoke for about ten minutes, stalling for time so she wouldn’t be aware of how close he lived. It took him another twenty minutes to drive through Arlington traffic around the block and park inside her garage.

  Once parked, took the elevator to the 7th floor and rang her doorbell.

  The doorbell? She giggled, he's ringing the doorbell? That was a first. She headed to the door to greet him, wondering what adventure he had in store for her. She opened the door to find him in tight jeans and a hooded jacket. His hair was tousled, and his eyes always dropped her to her knees. "The doorbell? How conventional of you."

  He grabbed her up in his arms and kissed her hard and passionately. When he broke the kiss, he smiled at her. "Are you inviting me in? I must warn you, if we step inside, you will not be wearing that sweater much longer."

  “Mr. Medici, if that’s supposed to be a threat, I must warn you, it’s not a very effective one. If removing my clothes is on your agenda for the evening, then by all means, be my guest.”

  "Be careful what you wish for. Are you ready? We have a bit of a drive."

  “You lead, I follow, lover. Where are you taking me? Or is that a secret?”

  Grabbing her hand, he led her to the elevator. "Well, it is not a secret. Are you familiar with White Hall?"

  As the elevator door opened, he led her in and hit the garage floor button as the doors slid closed. He backed her up against the wall as his hands went straight to her ass and he nuzzled her neck. "I missed you, bel."

  She felt his breath on her neck and heard Aerosmith singing “Love in an Elevator”, and it made her laugh. Did he do that?

  "I missed you, Shade,” she answered between kisses. The doors opened as they reached the garage level, and the couple getting on the elevator gave them a cold stare as Kate and Shade uncoupled and exited into the garage.

  "Prudes," he muttered. He led her to the Hummer, pointing it out to her. "This is me right here."

  Walking her to the passenger side, he took her hand and helped her into the monster vehicle, his hand on her backside to give her a boost. "Seatbelt, mi amore!"

  Slamming the door, he walked around and jumped inside and fired it up. "There are about fifty CDs here in the hatch, choose whatever you want. If you don’t find anything you like, tell me what you prefer, and it is yours, si?"

  She laughed as she rifled through the collection of CDs. “You know you can stream this stuff now, right?”

  She pulled out Nickelback, remembering he was listening to heavy rock music over the phone and slid the disc into the player. It seemed like an appropriate CD for a ride in a Hummer. "Where did you say we were going? White Hall? Just outside of Charlottesville, right?"

  He wove through the traffic, making his way to Route 29. "White Hall, si, it is in wine country. It is where my Virginia home is located.”

  Placing his hand on her thigh, he hit the highway and kicked it into gear in the fast lane. She best learn right from the start, any vehicle he drove, he drove hard and fast, the faster the better.

  “I’ve been to Charlottesville before, but not White Hall. So I know where Charlottesville is. Right near the mountains. It's beautiful there. When I was at Georgetown University, Shan and I would drive down there. We went to a few football games at UVA, some great tailgate parties, hung out at some of the fraternities on Rugby Road. I'm very familiar. So, White Hall is where your property is?”

  “Si. I hope you don’t mind, but I would really like to show it to you. I need some advice on the place. I want to share with you as much as I can. Are you up for that tonight?”

  “I’d love to see it. Shan and I always said we were going to go visit some of the vineyards, but then we never had the time. You have a vineyard there, right?”

  He chuckled, “If that is what you want to call it. At present, it needs a lot of attention, but I am told by my vintner Luciano, this can be accomplished with some time and money. I have a house there, some of my cars, a lot of land, mostly just forest land and fields. But some of those fields will be converted into vineyards with what already exists. The property needs some work, so don’t expect anything too great. Does that disappoint you?”

  “No, it sounds exciting. I can’t wait to see it.”

  He smiled and turned to look at her. "I have a vision for the vineyards. The house, well, I haven’t put much thought into it. It is small. But it has a great feel. It reminds me of Tuscany, and I think that is what draws me to it. The land is workable, so there is much that can be added to increase the property value.”

  “Is that where you're living? You haven’t told me where you live, not that you have to. I understand you need to protect yourself. But I want you to know, we haven't talked about this, but I’ve told no one. I wouldn’t tell anyone. I’d never put you in jeopardy.”

  He looked over at her. “I know you won’t tell anyone, mi amore. I trust you. It is a good idea to keep what you know of me to yourself, for both of us, at least until I can protect you. But to answer your question, I have been staying here and in D.C., but I would prefer to make this Virginia property my permanent residence.”

  “You’d live in central Virginia and commu
te, oh, never mind. I forgot for a moment, you can avoid that whole commute thing. But, you think I need protection?”

  “You are safe when you are with me, Kate, but during my death slumber, I cannot protect you. The more I feed from you, the more I can tune into you, feel you, hear your thoughts, detect your locale. It becomes very strong and if you would ever need me, call for me, I would awaken from my death slumber. If I could not come to you, I could send someone to your aid.”

  She stared at him as he maneuvered the Hummer around the traffic on Rt. 29, driving through Charlottesville to exit onto Rt. 250. He was already able to pick up on some of her thoughts, but this new revelation comforted her. “Can you hear me now, lover? Do you know how much I love you?”

  Shade smiled as she talked to him telepathically. “Si, I can hear you, mi amore. I know how much you love me.”

  Turning his head, he grinned wickedly at her and winked. He took the Hummer off Rt. 250 onto rural Rt. 240, leading her further out into the countryside.

  She leaned over and kissed him, restrained by the seat belt, and smiled knowing he could read her thoughts, but then realized the implications. He can read my thoughts, all of my thoughts! "Will I ever be able to read your thoughts?"

  “Someday, you will be able to do that, but only after you feed from me. You will also learn how to block your thoughts, and your emotions, so others cannot pick up on them.”

  He took the Hummer down Rt. 810, a narrow two-lane road barely wide enough for the massive vehicle. “I think the road that leads to the house is just ahead. I am sorry it is dark, but I think you can still see the layout easily enough. Does any of this seem familiar to you?”

  He slowed the Hummer down as he looked for the private entrance off the main road. She looked about at the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside, the mountains in the background, silhouetted against the night sky. What did he say? That she would feed from him? But she’s not vampire. Do mortals feed? This was too much to take in right now. She’d stick with what she knew, looking at the landscape.

  "No...I have never been out here."

  "Well, I hope you like it, it’s very quiet, the property edges a park, so there is not much human activity out here, something I rather prefer. Here we are, this is the lane, it’s off the main road a ways."

  The private drive was probably a good two miles long and had a fork, one road leading to the vineyards and the other to the house. He rounded a curve as the house came into view. The lights were on inside, and the exterior lighting was lit as well. She sat forward in her seat. It was an old house, built in the style of a Tuscan villa with aged stucco walls and a red-tiled roof. There were large arched windows and wrought iron banisters encircling small patios off the second-floor windows. Old ivy grew up an exterior wall and lush plantings surrounded the base of the house. She felt like she was back in Italy. It was a large house, a winding twisting house, not built like the modern open floor plan structures today. And yes, it needed some work, but oh how beautiful.

  "Shade...this is your home?"

  “Si, this is it. I told you it wasn’t much, small."

  Throwing the Hummer in park, he turned off the engine and got out and opened her door, taking her hand to help her out of the vehicle. "Would you like to get a tour inside, I am afraid it is empty but that is the main reason I wanted to bring you here tonight."

  Small? Did he say small? If this is his idea of a small house, then what does large look like? She’d already fallen in love with it. She loved its uniqueness, and she couldn’t wait to see inside. "I’d love a tour!" She stood on the running board as he lifted her down to the ground.

  He led her to the main entrance of the house while trying to explain some of the area they could see.

  "This is the main entrance. There are several entrances and patios off of the first floor rooms. From the main drive, you cannot see the other building that sits around the back. That is where the staff quarters are located. Right now, I only have one staff member residing here and he comes and goes, he is my vintner, Luciano. He oversees all of my vineyards and helps manage that business. He will be here for a while getting the vineyards in shape, hiring workers on the premises. I will give you a small tour outside once we walk through the inside. Please remember, don’t expect much. This place needs extensive renovations."

  Opening the heavy wooden door, he held out his hand for her to enter and waited for her reaction, praying it was a positive one.

  She stepped into a foyer with the original terra cotta tiled floors, the walls were all Venetian plaster. The plaster had chipped away in some places, exposing old handmade bricks beneath. No one built houses like this anymore. He led her through the large foyer and to the left into a large living room with a beautiful European style fireplace, and French doors that led out to the rear of the property. There were dark wood plantation shutters that could be closed over the large arched windows to block out the heat of the mid-day sun, not that he’d ever see that. There were exposed beams on the ceiling, and an old chandelier that had seen better days, easy fix. She was in love with this room.

  He could read her thoughts and felt a touch of her excitement. "So, I can tell you like this interior already. Care to keep observing the rooms?"

  “Shade! This is...I love this room. I can already see...” She stopped talking suddenly, realizing she was decorating in her head, and this wasn’t hers to decorate. She moved forward through an arched doorway and into a connecting corridor that lead past a powder room. She stuck her head in. It needed new everything, but had good bones. She headed through the arched entry into what she assumed was a dining room. She was making mental notes—plaster repair, new lighting—before walking into the kitchen. The kitchen was old, outdated. Like the bathroom, it would need a complete overhaul, but then, why did a vampire need a kitchen.

  There was a sunroom attached to the back of the house, with double doors leading out to a patio. She retraced her steps back to the main foyer, Shade on her heels, smiling at her as she ran from room to room, and headed to the other side of the house.

  There was an alcove with stairs leading up, and down. She’d explore that later. There was a large room off to her right. A family room perhaps? There were a lot of built-in bookshelves, a library maybe? The room had heavy dark beams on the ceiling, and even unfurnished felt masculine. She stepped back into the hallway and headed to a closed door at the end of the hall. It opened to a small suite of rooms, like a downstairs master suite. Bedroom, sitting room, and a very large bath with a walk-in shower stall.

  "Lover, this is amazing. I can't imagine this house was left empty."

  Shade followed her as she went from room to room, her mind racing. He loved watching her, seeing her mind working overtime, decorating already, making mental notes. He hoped this was a good sign, and it wouldn’t take much to convince her to live here and take over the renovations. He loved this woman more with every second he spent with her.

  "This property used to belong to Alec. Who in the hell knows what he planned to do with it, if anything. I can’t imagine him here. But I know he received this property through a previous business deal. So I am sure he was just hanging onto it for its land value."

  Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs to the second-floor rooms. “Come along, there is still more to see, including my bedroom, or at least where I sleep; nothing fancy, I just need a bed."

  Leading her down a hall, he opened the door to his room. "Like I said, not much."

  She peered inside to see a sparsely decorated room. Actually, that was being generous. She tried to stifle her laugh but wasn’t successful. There was a mattress on the floor. He had leathers hanging from a few hooks on the wall, and boots lined up along the wall underneath.

  "Shade, this looks like a prison cell. Please tell me this is not to your taste."

  Hanging his head, he leaned against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest. "I have not been here a great deal, just sleeping mostly. It suffices for
that purpose, but there is something I want to ask you."

  He took her in his arms and looked at her seriously. "Bel, I have no time to renovate this place, or make it a home, and without you, I don’t need a home. I have deep concerns about your safety living in Arlington. Would you consider doing the renovations, moving in here with me? Living with me? I want to take care of you, protect you, and know in my heart you are safe. There are no limitations on expenses. Anything you want, you can have. You need not work. I want you with me as much as possible. I love you and I cannot take this torture of worrying about you when we are apart. It is a lot to ask of you, but I want you in my life. I am asking you to consider it, think about it, no need to answer immediately. I will set you up with contacts I have here in the States who will do the work you require, help you with whatever you want. Can you make this our home? Make it feel like Italy for me, for us? The house, the landscaping, I leave it all up to you. I plan to bring in house staff from my home in Florence, anything you need. Anything you want. I want us together Kate, si?”

  She was taken aback by his offer. Move in? Live here? She’d have to quit her job. Could she sell her condo? She's known him, what, a month and a half? She stepped back from him, she had to think. She walked from this bedroom and back into a hallway that led to more bedrooms. Could she see a life with him? Actually, she couldn’t imagine life without him. He already felt like he was a part of her. But he was vampire and she was mortal. How did that work? Did he plan to make her a vampire too?

  He watched her back away from him and it felt like an ax was being driven into his heart. Cazzo, it was too soon to push this on her. He tuned into her and could sense her running options through her head..