by Emily Bex
“Lift your head to the water, wash away her stench. Let her very existence run down the drains to hell. She will never touch you again, you belong to me. You are mine!”
As the water ran red, it rinsed away all the pain and confusion between them as well, and he leaned down into her neck and licked her vein, the sound of her blood pumping and encouraging him. Shade could no longer rein in the beast, and he didn’t want to, this was who he was, and he trusted her, loved her, and knew she’d never turn from him now. Sliding his tongue into her ear, his breath hot, he whispered, “I need you.”
His cock ached to have her, his body screamed for her blood, he was weak from the fight, and all he wanted was bel. “Feed me.”
She tilted her head back and freely exposed her neck to him.
“Drink...And feel my love flow through your veins.”
Before the words left her mouth, he struck the vein and took her blood, feeling it fill him. His heart began to beat normally, his body relaxed, and he drew deeper, swallowing her love and how much she gave to him unconditionally. Shade felt the beast was tamed, and knew for now, he needed no more. He was satisfied and wouldn’t push her beyond her already shattered state this night. Taking one last draw of her blood, he licked the wound clean and held her close in his arms. He was loved, his beast was loved, and the fear was gone from him.
As the beast retreated, Shade picked her up and carried her downstairs to the living room and willed a blazing fire. Snuggling her to his chest, he pulled the heavy throw from the sofa and lay them down on the rug in front of the fireplace, and then pulled the throw over them. He laid his head on top of hers. He had no words.
Kate was exhausted from the fear, from that nightmare that appeared in their bedroom, from the arguments that had kept them both on edge and unable to connect, from the worry about whether she’d lost him. She sighed with relief and nuzzled her face into his chest.
“One thing, lover...Life with you will never be boring.”
Shade felt her relax into him. “Kate, before I can even begin to say all the things I want to say, I need to know if you are hurt.”
“I’m fine, really. I fell hard on my ass when I pulled the trigger on that shotgun, but other than that, I’m fine. She never touched me, thanks to you.”
He shook his head, “Speaking of that shotgun, where in the hell did you learn to shoot a shotgun? I thought you knew nothing of weapons. Granted, you did not kill her, but it bought you time. Cazzo, bel rosso, a shotgun?” He chuckled as he rubbed her back.
“When I was living in the condo, everyone said I should have a gun in the house for protection since I lived alone. I didn't know how to shoot a gun. I’d never shot a gun before. But I figured my aim wouldn't have to be that great with a shotgun, so that’s what I bought. I just stuck it in the closet when I moved here and forgot about it, until tonight. I had no idea it would knock me on my ass!”
“Bel, a shotgun is much too big for you. We need to find something a bit smaller with less recoil. I will help you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I am sorry. I am sorry for my words, leaving you alone, letting you suffer through what you have. You did not deserve this treatment, I hope you know this. Tell me what I can do to make this up to you. There is nothing in this world I won’t do for you Kate, name it and it is yours.”
“Lover...you’re here, that’s all I need. You were here when I needed you most. We were locked in a struggle, you and I, and neither of us could get through to each other. We’re both stubborn, so we should probably prepare ourselves for the fact this won’t be the last time we butt heads. But please, don't leave me in anger again. I was certain I’d lost you, and that is a pain I cannot bear.”
“The beast came out, you saw him, faced him. He loves you, my fears were for nothing. You were right all along, and I will never doubt you again. How did you know? I saw the way you looked at him, you charmed him immediately. He will return again, mi amore. I cannot put him away. His lives inside me and you tempt him beyond anything I ever felt. But I no longer fear when he comes out, and I will let him come. I think now I can control him much better because I know in my soul, you love him as you do me.”
He willed music for her, for them, and Eva Cassidy sang “Songbird”.
“I love the beast, Shade, because the beast is you. I saw the darkness the first time I saw you and I was drawn to it. I saw the pain, and the loneliness, it was like looking into a bottomless black hole filled with pain and hurt. Instead of being afraid of you, I was drawn to you. My heart called out to you, and I knew to love you meant I’d have to look into that bottomless black pit, and face whatever was there. I was intimidated by you in the beginning, not your darkness, lover...never the darkness, but by your worldliness, your experience. I felt out of my league with you, and sometimes still do. I worry if I’ll be enough. Because I want nothing more than to please you, so be patient with me. Show me, teach me, and lead me.”
“My sweet bel, you fill that loneliness, you make me whole. No one has ever been able to do that. You need never worry mi amore, you feed my appetites in all areas, you constantly distract me, I will never stop wanting and needing you. I will love you for eternity, you are my addiction.”
Pulling her up to his lips, he kissed her softly at first, and then deepened his kiss. Breaking the kiss, he threw his head back. “Ah, you see, addiction!”
He felt her hand slide up his chest and along his neck, and he trembled from the mere touch of her. “Mi more, take my vein, take my strength, my love, my power. Let me love you as only I can.”
“Addiction, good word, for I’m also addicted to you. Will this fire ever burn out, or will it just consume us both on some night of wild passion. I'm hoping for option two.”
He closed his eyes and cringed. She was closer to the truth than she knew.
She pushed his hair aside and ran her finger along the vein. She could feel his body respond to her touch, and he invited her to take his vein. She leaned into him, her hair falling across his face, and ran her tongue along the length of the vein. She kissed his neck and gently sucked his skin into her mouth before she bit down hard. She was balanced over him with her hands on the floor on either side of his head, her mouth locked to him. As soon as his blood hit her, she felt the heat building between her legs, that delicious rush that only came when she fed from him. She pushed her hips into him and felt the rigid hardness of his cock pushing back as she felt his arms encircle her and pull her closer. She continued to draw his blood into her mouth, and she could hear his moans over her own.
She dropped her weight to her elbows, so her hands were free to grab his hair, and she gripped his head in her hands as she sucked harder and felt him arch his neck to her. What started as foreplay for her ̶ the biting and feeding ̶ had now become a need. She needed his blood inside her almost as much as he needed hers. She made herself pull away from him because the taste of him filled her with a pleasure this mortal girl had never known. She looked at him, his eyes half-closed and lost in his own world of pleasure, and lowered her mouth onto his lips, sharing the blood in her mouth with him.
Lying on top of him, she positioned her hips to slide onto his cock, aching to have him buried deep inside her.
With his eyes locked on hers, he gripped her hair in both hands, and her body began that sweet rhythm. She felt him arch his hips up, penetrating deeper and his moans joined with hers in their own lullaby to each other. She sat upright and straddled him, leaned back, stretching her arms out behind her, and grabbing his thighs. He rose up on his elbows and watched as his cock slid in and out of her. It was so beautiful to see their bodies joined in passion. This was what she wanted. Him, she wanted him, to feel him inside of her. She was staring into his eyes and could feel his love for her, his burning desire for her. She moved her hips in unison with his. She loved riding him like this, on top, where she could move freely and control him. She grinded her hips on him even harder, and could feel his cock throbbing inside of her and knew he was
close.
“Lover!” she screamed out as she felt him cum, gripping his legs with her nails digging deep, and felt her own release. Their mutual pleasure came in wave after wave, spasm after spasm, until they were both gasping for air. He reached for her, and pulled her upright, and she fell forward in his arms and onto his chest, where both their hearts were pounding furiously against each other. Covered in their own sweat, they laid in silence as their breathing and hearts resumed a normal pace.
“Addiction,” Kate whispered, “sweet addiction.”
“Si, mi amore,” he answered, “dolce dipendenza.”
43
Waking from his death slumber, Shade took a moment to orient himself. His sweet bel lay curled up next to him, her arm across his chest. He remembered picking her up and carrying her to one of the guest bedrooms after they made love in front of the fire. Their own bedroom had been destroyed by the battle between his beast and Sabine. He closed his eyes as the memories flooded through his brain. He could have lost her. He realized in his desire to protect her from his world he left her more vulnerable. He knew what he had to do, and he’s hoping she’s ready for the adjustment to her lifestyle, again. He looked at Kate with her head on his shoulder, her red hair falling across her face, her soft breath on his chest. He reached down and brushed back her hair, and gently caressed her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered before they opened, and she looked up at him and smiled.
“Mi amore, we must talk.”
She ran her hand over his chest. “About last night?”
“Si, last night. I was foolish to think I could protect you from my world by keeping you here in this house. Because you are not vampire I thought I could keep the darkness that makes up much of my world from entering the house. But I misjudged. I will not make that mistake again.”
Kate rose up on her elbow. “You’re not sending me away!”
“No, bel. My love for you, my bond with you, I am afraid your loss would be more than I could bear, although you would be safer without me in your world. We are going back to Florence. You will pick from my warriors a protector.”
Kate furrowed her eyebrows. “A protector? I don’t understand. You’re my protector.”
“Si, when I am with you, bel rosso. But look at how often I am away. I will always feel you, hear you, as you are bonded to me. And while I am able to teleport to you, the further I am away, the longer it takes. I cannot take the risk. Most masters who are warriors will have protectors for their mates. It is a high honor for a warrior to be selected to protect what is most precious to his master.”
Kate sat upright in the bed, pulling the sheet around her shoulders to ward off the chill. “But, what does he do, this protector?”
“He will live here, in this house. If I am away, his job is to be with you. It does not limit you. He can be as visible or invisible as you want. If you need to go somewhere, he goes along. After last night...well, I cannot leave you unguarded again. I am not asking you, I am telling you, this is something I must do, and I need you to accept this.”
Kate shrugged. “So, he’s like a bodyguard then.”
“Si. In your mortal world, you would call him a bodyguard. I think you will find he is more. That is why you must choose. We will go to Castello. I will select from my best warriors, and you will choose among them. A protector will stay with you for life. He will be an extension of our familia. Understand?”
Kate remembered the ice-cold fear in her veins as she turned on the light and saw Sabine standing in their bedroom. Their estate was isolated, and the idea of a protector didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“I understand.”
“Good, then let’s get this done. Get dressed, and get something to eat, and then we will leave for Florence. I will call Alec and let him know I have to go back for a few days and tell Tomas to manage things at the Dead House while I’m gone.”
Kate slid from the bed in the guest bedroom and walked back into their bedroom and stopped abruptly. The furniture was destroyed, the window shattered where the beast tossed Sabine to burn in the sun, the carpet and walls were splattered in blood. She stepped over the wreckage and headed to the walk-in closet. The shotgun was still lying on the floor. She pulled the nightgown over her head and dressed in jeans, a sweater, and knee-high boots as a shiver ran up her spine. She left the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She’d deal with this mess later. Heading down the stairs to the kitchen, she heard Shade in his office, making calls.
Kate grabbed a pear as she waited for the coffee to brew, the aroma from the freshly ground beans wafting through the room. She was pouring the hot brew into a mug when Shade walked in. “Will we be gone long?”
“No, two, three days, maybe. You will select a protector, and since we have the staff quarters completed, I can also bring back staff to help run the house.”
She sipped at the hot coffee. “Do you think we need staff?”
“Si, I will bring Gi with me, my man-servant. You recall meeting him, si? And Reynaldo, he is the chef at Castello. When I lived at Castello we would entertain, we invited mortals there, and Reynaldo prepares all the food. And a housemaid, I think. Theresa has been with our family the longest. It would be a promotion for her to go from being one of many to being in charge of Bel Rosso.”
Kate was silent as he shared this new information. “Lover, I thought I was in charge of Bel Rosso?”
“Oh si! You are in charge. The staff works for you. What is wrong, bel? I can read your face that you are not pleased?”
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I’m wondering what I’ll do? I mean, if we have staff, what’s left for me to do?”
“Bel, there is much to do. You have the renovations to complete, the gardens in the spring, the staff is here to help you. It is how I grew up. They are discreet. They will live in the staff quarters, they are not underfoot. Did you see them when you were at Castello? No. And yet there are about fifty people working at Castello. Please, do not worry.” He pulled her into his arms. “It will be fine. And you will not be alone here. You will come to love them as I love them, si?”
“And what if I don’t…love them.”
“Bel, will you give this some time? Will you give them one year? If you are not happy with things in a year, then I will keep Gi and your protector here, and send the others back to Florence. Vampires are safer living within their coven. The numbers will be small compared to my coven in Florence, but as the estate grows, and the vineyards expand, we will need the help and protection of a coven. Will you give me that, mi amore?”
“That’s fair.”
“Good, now come. Hold onto me. There is much to do.”
He held her close as she laid her head on his chest and they teleported inside Castello. He sat her down inside his bedroom. “You remember my room?”
“I’ll never forget this room, lover. It is where I first fed from you.”
“I need to arrange a few things for the interview process with the warriors, check in with my staff, and let them know we have arrived. Will you be fine here?”
“Yes, I’ll be okay. I'll just stretch out on the bed and rest while you're gone...jet lag...or teleport lag. It makes me a little dizzy.”
She sat on the bed and looked around this room, and noticed the large oil painting of Adriana had been removed.
He chuckled as he kissed the top of her head. “You will get used to it, I promise. Don’t wander, please. I don’t want you to get lost. Now listen to me. There is a walk-in closet over there. It has been filled with clothes, shoes, jewelry, everything in your size. You can use my bathroom. The top drawer on the left is filled with your favorite things...perfumes, bath salts, and make-up. You are now lady to the master, and you will need to present yourself as such. My warriors will definitely be checking you out.”
Kate walked to the closet which looked like he emptied every designer shop in Italy. “How should I dress? What should I wear to meet your staff, and for the interview?”
“N
ot formal. Not casual. Something in between, perhaps.” He kissed her softly. “I must go. There are things to arrange. I will be back shortly. Just call, I will come if you need me.”
Kate was looking through the closet at the seemingly unlimited options, “Take your time, lover. This dress selection may take a while.”
“One other thing, bel, the staff here, the warriors, they will all address you as ‘my lady.’ That is your correct and respectful title. If anyone refers to you as Kate, they will lose their head, for that is disrespectful to you and me.”
“My lady? Seriously?”
He chuckled at her response. “You will get used to it. Now I must go. Enjoy your new luxuries.”
He kissed each cheek before turning and walking out of the room and downstairs to find Gi and Marco to get this show on the road.
After setting up the meetings, Shade had met with Marco, his Second-In-Command inside the warrior camp to help select the five warriors who were candidates for the role of protector. He had reviewed their performance history with Marco, as well as their skill levels, and selected only his best warriors. All of them were raised in the Medici camp and were loyal to Medici. He had given the five warriors their instructions, and he knew Gi had the conference room prepared. All was ready to go, he just hoped bel was up to this and could choose from the five he’d selected for her protector. Before he headed back to Castello to begin the interviews, he had one more piece of business to attend to.
“Marco, tell me about Cory. He is fitting in, si?”
Marco beamed at him. “Shade, I have to admit, I had my doubts about this one. You have sent me some straggly pups over the years, and this one was one sad specimen when he arrived. Never seen such a scrawny vampire before. But he took to the feeders, and Reynaldo made sure he was eating human food as well, and he looks like a healthy mortal now. He has been working hard. The warriors were skeptical at first, but I expected that. He made custom leathers for Luca and Marcello, which made all the others get in line. And Raven? Not sure giving Raven the option for custom leathers is a good idea, fratello. He looks like a fucking magician instead of a warrior.” Marco shook his head.