The Blood Covenant

by Emily Bex

  “I will not be leaving this room. So, let’s get this clear from the get-go. When you are here, I am here.” Looking over at bel, he could feel her uneasiness. “Mi amore, go change, put on a robe, and when you return, I will be here.”

  Kate followed his instructions and returned in her robe, sitting on the bed next to Shade. “What do you need for me to do, Dr. Cavelli?”

  The doctor explained, “I’ll examine your abdomen, your heart, and given the symptoms you provided, I’ll also conduct a pelvic exam. I can’t use blood and urine test developed for mortals because your DNA has been altered. The pelvic exam will tell me what I need to know.” He turned his back, so Kate could remove her robe. As she climbed on the bed, Shade covered her with the sheet, then sat beside her, holding her hand. He whispered to her, “Relax, it will be easier. Listen to the song.” He willed forth Sixx A.M. singing Smile, as he ran his hand through her hair to relax her.

  As the doctor finished the exam, he dropped the sheet back in place and told her she could sit up and get dressed. She pulled the robe back on as Shade kissed her forehead and she returned to the bathroom to get dressed.

  The doctor put his things away in his bag and began to talk, “Master Medici, I am just a physician to vampires, I don’t work with transition mortals. Still, this is an easy diagnosis. Although it is rare…”

  Shade held up his hand. “Say nothing more until my mate returns, whatever you tell us, we will hear together.” As Kate walked back in, he took her in his arms and he could feel her shaking. “Relax, please. We are ready for the outcome, doctor.”

  Dr. Cavelli began again, “You are quite healthy madam, in excellent physical condition. The symptoms you have been suffering are no disease, you are with child. My guess would be approximately two months along. I don’t handle such situations, as I was saying to Master Medici, pregnancies between mortals and immortals are rare, and have their own special demands. I’d suggest you speak with Mr. Canton again and I’m sure he’ll be able to track down a doctor who has experience in handling these types of pregnancies.”

  Kate seemed relieved. “Thank you, doctor. I guess you confirmed what we already suspected. This is good news, yes? And we need a specialist? Well, I guess we’ll call Rissa again.”

  Shade stepped to the door and called for Gi. "Doctor, Gi will show you to the door, and we thank you."

  The doctor and Shade exchanged glances as he parted through the door, the doctor confirming with his expression that Shade understood the consequences of this outcome. His precious bel was at grave risk.

  55

  Working in his study, Shade heard bel and Luca come home, and she rushed in to tell him she’d been out shopping and found a few things for the nursery. At first, it shocked him. She was shopping already? He hadn’t the heart to tell her this could be a very dangerous pregnancy. She was so happy and her face lit up so much when she even mentioned the baby. As she rushed to head upstairs, he found this the perfect opportunity to call Alec and find out if he could recommend a specialist for her condition. “Luca, I need you to keep bel occupied for a good hour, I must make a business call and I want no interruptions, so keep her out of hearing distance.”

  “Si, master, not a problem, she has me putting together a crib for the baby.”

  Picking up his cell, Shade hit Alec on his speed dial and waited for his answer.

  “Senator Canton.”

  “Alec, Shade here. Need a few moments of your time, are you available?”

  “Of course, Shade, what's going on?”

  Shade ran a hand through his hair as he talked. Cazzo, he hadn’t thought this out very well, how the hell did he tell him about this situation.

  “Alec, I am sure Rissa already told you Kate was sick and she recommended a doctor. The news was not exactly what I expected, and I need your assistance.”

  Alec was distracted by the document he had open on his laptop and listened with half an ear to Shade’s conversation. “Rissa did tell me she sent over her own doctor for Kate. I don't think the two of them have talked, though, since that visit. If they have, Rissa hasn't mentioned it.”

  Shade took a deep breath and dove in feet first. “Alec, Kate is with child. The doctor Rissa graciously sent to us confirmed this, but he does not handle these high-risk pregnancies as he referred to it and he suggested I contact you for further help. So, I am. She is still mortal, and I have no idea what this involves for either of us, but I need to find out as much as I can.”

  Alec pushed the laptop aside and sat up straight. “What the fuck, Shade. First, you chose to mate with a mortal and now you get her pregnant? You two sound like a bunch of fucking teenagers. I expected better than this from you!”

  As his attitude slammed into him, Shade gripped the phone so damn hard he felt it would melt in his hand. “Things happen, Alec. I love her, she is my mate. And yes, I admit, it was careless. I am asking for another referral, give me some help. I need to know what the hell we are facing here.”

  “You know exactly what you’re facing, old friend. You know damn well. There’s nothing good that will come from this. Chances are good this baby won't survive, and the possibility exists that you could lose her too. And if, by some stroke of bad luck, the baby does survive, you’ll have a half-breed on your hands. What a fucking mess, Shade. There are doctors who deal with this, specialize in pregnancies between vamps and mortals. I’ll have to do some research. I don't have a name off the top of my head. You know you have an opportunity here, to get rid of both of them and start fresh. Let me help you find a more appropriate mate, someone more befitting your station in life. Just say the word and I will take care of it, brother.”

  The pain rolled through him at the thought of losing his bel or the baby and made him want to scream in agony. Cory flashed through his mind. He was a surviving half-breed. He was born weak, not accepted in either world, his life its own special hell. But he and bel could protect their child. Shade’s beast rolled out of him like he was shot out of a cannon and he stood up and started pacing, growling so loud the house rattled.

  “Get rid of them Alec? If she dies, so do I. It is that simple! And I need no help in finding a damn mate, I already found her. I know what I have on my hands, what I have done, and nothing you can say can make me feel any worse about my actions than the hell I am putting myself through. So, I will await your call, senator.”

  Hanging up the phone, he threw it across the room and watched it smash into a million pieces as he headed outside for a smoke. He wanted that fucking master dead right now!

  56

  Luca and Kate both felt the house rumble and they stopped the assembly of the crib and looked at each other. Kate started to get up to go downstairs, but Luca grabbed her arm. "My lady, I need to request you remain here. I’ll go down to master and see what the problem is."

  Kate started to protest, but she was reading something in Luca's eyes, so she deferred to him. “Okay, but I want answers. You’ll tell me when you return?”

  "Of course, my lady, I’ll let you know."

  Luca left the room and walked down to the office to find the shattered phone, and the door out onto the patio standing open. He walked outside to see Shade standing with his back to him, smoking a cigarette.

  He felt Luca as he walked out onto the patio.

  "I take it your business call did not go well, master?"

  Shade’s mind was in turmoil. He’d put her and the baby in danger. What the hell had he done? Alec's words kept ringing in his ears, but he only knew he didn’t want to go on without her. “Is she okay, Luca?”

  “Si, master, she is fine, I asked her to wait. Tell me what’s going on, don’t leave me in the dark. I can’t protect her if I don’t know what’s going on, and right now, I can feel the heat rolling from you, you’re angry.”

  He shook his head. “I messed up, bad. I could lose Kate, and I could also lose this bambino. I am sick with myself. There is little chance this bambino will survive, if it does, we
both know the outcome. She is mortal, and the child will be less in all eyes. It will be weak by vampire standards. It will never be accepted by my people. A half-breed will not be able to inherit my dynasty or rule the coven. I don’t give a fuck about that. Fuck them all, and their ways! But I need her to never know these things Luca. Ever.”

  Shade spun around to face him. “Pledge right here, right now, you will breathe none of this to her.”

  “Si, master, I will protect her from all things. She deserves to be happy, but, at some point, don’t you think you should warn her?”

  “No. She is so...happy. It breaks me in half. I can’t take that away from her, not yet. Alec is going to find a specialist who deals with mortal/immortal pregnancy. Once I know more, I will decide what to tell her.”

  "Shade, you haven’t fed in a while, how will you deal with this now? You need to keep your strength, especially now with those rogues, there could be more. What are you going to do? Bring in a feeder?”

  As his words hit him, Shade realized he hadn’t seriously given this much thought. He hadn’t fed in several days because she was ill. But he’d rob the child of nourishment if he fed from her.

  “Cazzo! I am okay for now, but I know how Kate feels about feeders, she does not understand our world, and it will break her. No way can I touch a feeder. I have made a mess of this Luca. I need to think, to let my beast loose, or I will end up doing even more damage. I want you to stay with her, keep close tabs on her. Just do as I ask, si?”

  "Si, master, I understand. But think on this, you can always feed from me. I will go to her now.”

  Watching as Luca walked back in the house, Shade headed for the weapons bunker to load up. He needed to find some rogue scum in D.C. to release this beast.

  Luca left to go back upstairs and face Kate, and he was torn with emotions. He paused at the foot of the stairs, as he came to grips with his master's pain. What the fucking hell am I supposed to tell my lady? And how am I supposed to help her keep putting this nursery together for a baby that everyone seems to know will never be.

  He shook off the emotion and started up the stairs. As he entered the nursery, Kate was unpacking small baby clothes, folding them, and putting them in a dresser. She turned expectantly toward Luca as he entered, her face registering her questions. Luca walked into the room, shook his head, and gave her a half smile.

  “That mate of yours has quite a temper."

  She laughed and said, “Tell me about it. What has him riled up this time?”

  “He was on the phone with a business partner and clearly, they didn’t share the same point of view. There is one very smashed phone in the office."

  She looked at him with a frown. “I thought he was calling Alec?”

  "Oh yeah, he made that call first, Alec said the specialist would be taken care of. He’ll get back to master on that. Then master made the second, not so productive, call. Anyway, he took off for a while, to cool off."

  “Wait...he took off? You mean he left the house?”

  "My lady, you know him, he just needs some air, and some time to cool off, and he’ll be back shortly."

  She sighed, she hated when he left like that, but she knew he had his own demons to get under control. She and Luca returned to the crib assembly project.

  57

  Luca and Kate finished the crib and started putting other things together in the nursery, but she kept thinking this should be Shade. He should be here doing this. She kept checking her watch and it had been hours. She felt exhausted. Between the shopping this evening, and working in the nursery, and the fact she was already tired from this pregnancy, she wanted to wait for him, but she couldn’t stay awake. Luca had been watching her carefully all night with a look of concern in his eyes. She knew she looked tired and even more pale than usual, but she wasn’t sure that was the reason he had watched her so closely.

  "My lady, I think we’ve done all we can do here tonight, and I think you’ve been up far too long."

  “I know you're right. I was just hoping...”

  "My lady, master is fine, if he were in danger, he’d call me. I think you need to go to bed. You know he’ll return by morning, at the latest."

  She smiled at him. “Is this part of your job as protector? Making sure I get enough sleep?”

  He looked at her for a long pause, as if pondering that question, and then responded, "You know, my lady, this is my job, but you and master...you’re my family now. This house is my home. My concern for you is genuine. It’s not a line in a job description. So yes, my concern goes beyond providing protection against any physical assaults on you or this house."

  She returned his look. She remembered thinking when she first met him in Florence that he had coldness in his eyes, but when she looked at him now, she only saw his warmth.

  “Well, your loyalty and love for this family are evident. So, if you were going for big scary vampire, you failed miserably.”

  He chuckled. "So, does that mean you're not going to give me a hard time about getting some sleep?"

  “Help me off of this floor, and I’ll head to bed right now.”

  He grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. As she walked toward the master bedroom, he followed her. When she got to the door, he stood to one side.

  “What are you doing, Luca?”

  "With master gone, my lady, I’ll stand guard here tonight."

  “Oh Luca, that’s really not necessary. Please go to your own room and be comfortable.”

  "I wasn't asking permission, my lady. And this isn’t a subject I’m going to debate with you."

  “Well, now you sound like Shade, and I know better than to argue with him when he hits that wall. Good night, Luca.”

  "Good night, my lady.”

  She entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her, slipping into her gown and climbing between the cold sheets. Shade's absence in their bed screamed at her. Where is he? What upset him so much? He shielded her from so much, and a part of her sought to live in denial, and he knew that. She pulled his pillow to her chest, buried her face into the soft fabric and inhaled his scent.

  “Do you hear me, lover? I wait for you in our bed. I wait here to wrap my arms around you, lay my head on your chest. Come home to me.” He didn’t respond, so she let that message play like a loop in her head as she drifted off to sleep, alone, holding his pillow close.

  ***

  Teleporting into the house, directly into the weapons bunker, Shade unloaded the weapons. The sun was coming up fast. He’d gone on a rampage, killing every rogue, whether they presented a threat or not. He’d blocked her from his thoughts, and even managed to block Luca, most of the time. But now, it was done and all he felt was empty.

  He didn’t seek comfort. He wanted no questions, no discussion. He’d come home as late as possible, hoping she’d already be asleep, so he could shower and slip in bed beside her and she’d never know a damn thing. Not wanting to wake her, he teleported into the master bath and dropped his leathers, the material slick with blood. His hair was matted with sweat and blood. His boots caked in the path of his killing. Turning on the water, watching the blood of his victims run down the drain, he wanted the pain he felt to wash away with it.

  Closing his eyes, the events of the night were a blur, and the pain and anger overwhelmed him for the position he’d put Kate in. Scrubbing his body clean, letting the hot water sooth sore muscles, a moan escaped his lips as the hunger over took him. He couldn’t go to her to feed, and his carelessness kicked his ass.

  Finishing up, he walked to the bedroom, slid under the sheets, and laid there. He prayed the death slumber took him quickly when the exotic scent of roses wafted across his nose, and the very nearness of her caused his mouth to water. Closing his eyes, he let it all go.

  ***

  Kate had slept lightly, waking often as she waited for him, and worried about him. She heard the shower running. Had he walked past their bed? She thought for sure she would have heard him. She li
stened to the water, and he was in the shower for a very long time. When he emerged, she lay quietly. He didn’t come to her. He didn’t kiss her. He slid into the bed as quietly as possible, making every effort not to disturb her. She lay beside him, waiting. Would he speak? Would he reach out to hold her?

  He did none of those things as she felt him slip into his death slumber. Her heart was breaking because she didn’t know the source of his pain and he’d blocked her. The bed felt as empty now as it had before he climbed into it. “Shade, I need you to come back to me.”

  She knew he was already asleep, she only hoped her words got through to him, even though he never answered. She laid there for a good hour before rising and walking into the bathroom, only to find his leathers tossed on the floor and covered in blood, bloody boot prints on the tile floor, his boots caked in blood. The blood was so prevalent the stench of it hung in the air.

  “Oh my god, lover...what have you done?”

  She knew she needed to let him sleep. He’d been gone a long time, and he hadn’t fed from her in over a week. Just one more worry in her head.

  Kate slipped on her robe and went in search of Luca. He’d stood at her door all night until Shade returned, she hated to disturb him. She walked downstairs to his private quarters to find the door closed. She tapped lightly. She tried to allow him his own space without interference from the rest of the household when he was off duty. He opened the door to her. She could see his hair was slightly damp and he wore only a t-shirt with his jeans, and she felt even guiltier for the intrusion, knowing he’d just showered.

  "My lady, is everything all right?"

  As soon as she saw him, she wanted to cry but fought back the tears. That's the last thing he needed, some blubbering female at his door after he’d stood guard all night. He opened the door wider for her and indicated with his hand for her to enter. She walked into his space and took a seat on the sofa as he sat across from her.