The Blood Covenant: Book One of The Medici Warrior Series

by Emily Bex

  “I’m having a few more events coming up. I would love it if you could join Alec and me. I love having different classes of people to mix and mingle, keeps things interesting. It’s so good for Alec to be seen as a man of the people.”

  Kate does not miss the ‘different classes of people’ dig. She was never quite high-brow enough for Rissa.

  “Oh! Of course! I would love that. Just give me a little notice. I travel in my job sometimes, but if I'm in town, I would love to come. And listen... uh... I was wondering if you might have a phone number for someone, one of your guests.”

  ***

  Rissa scrunches up her nose. It is not as if she wants Kate hooked up with anyone remotely close to their social circle.

  “Well, I can try, depends who it is. I mean a lot of my guests are Congressmen, Senators, you know the type. I can’t give out their private numbers and besides Kate, the way you ran out of there, I would have guessed you didn’t have a very enjoyable evening. So exactly whose number did you want? Is this a potential client for Brunswick Agency, perhaps?”

  “I... uh... yes, he could be a client. His name was Medici? Shade Medici?”

  Rissa actually laughs out loud.

  “Oh Kate, sorry, but I don’t think that would be a wise decision. Shade Medici is European aristocracy, and when I tell you he is a player, I do mean player. The man has women at his feet, he picks and chooses who he will play with. Kate, have you not learned your lesson from your last player? Shade has them lined up, three a night. And seriously, to be honest, I think he is a bit much for you to handle.”

  “Oh... I didn't realize.”

  ***

  Shannon can overhear the conversation and she is yanking on Kate’s arm and mouthing, 'Get the fucking number!’ Kate feels torn between the information Rissa is sharing and Shannon tugging at her arm.

  “But... it is not personal... I, uh, thought our agency could benefit him. It's purely business. So, if you don't mind sharing his number.”

  ***

  “Kate, when it comes to Shade Medici, where there is business, there is fucking. I don’t mean love, I mean fucking, and he is not exactly into safe vanilla stuff. But if you want to step off the ledge and fall flat on your face, who am I to tell you different. Oh, and don’t forget, keep your date book open for our annual Halloween Party. I have so much planned for it!”

  Rissa flips through her phone contacts, sees his number from last night and repeats it to her.

  “Just don’t get caught up in his bullshit, I’m serious here, Kate. He is charming. Don’t let his big blue eyes and charming accent fool you. I am going to email you the next party invite I’m having. Check your mail.”

  Hanging up, Rissa begins to laugh. What in hell is wrong with Shade? And that simpering fool is falling for him. He probably just wants a quick fuck and he’ll be on his way.

  ***

  Rissa gives her the number, and enough bad news about Shade Medici to make her want to run for the hills. She writes the number down as she repeats it back to her, and then she signs off.

  ***

  Shannon grabs the paper and her phone, and programs the number in right away, then hands it back to her and says, "Call!"

  Kate looks at her incredulously. "Did you hear what she said about him? Shannon, seriously, I am setting myself up for a big fall here.”

  “Look, Kate. Every guy you date doesn't have to be husband material. Sometimes you can actually just date someone for fun. Get it? You just have to know what you are getting into. This man likes you. He has money. Who cares if it goes anywhere? Go out with him. Have fun, and when it's over, it's over. Now call!”

  “Yeah, okay. I'll call.” She slips her phone back into her purse.

  “No! Call now! If you don't call while I'm standing here, you will talk yourself out of it. I know you.” Shannon picks up her phone and hands it to her. “Call!”

  Kate takes the phone from her hand and hits dial, listening to it ring several times before it goes to voicemail. She ends the call without saying anything.

  “You didn't leave a message? Oh my God, you didn't leave a message? Kate, you are hopeless.”

  “I didn’t know what to say. What kind of message would I leave? ‘Hey…I’m that girl who ran away from you at the party. The girl you bought dinner and wine for who couldn’t even talk?’ I'll call again later.”

  “No you won't,” Shannon sighs. “Kate, don't let him get away. Do something!”

  “I will. I said I'd call later. Now get back in your cubicle before we get in trouble.”

  ***

  Kate returns to her desk and starts working, but he stays in her head. And last night, she is pretty sure she dreamed about him again, but it is too fuzzy to recall. They get through the work day and she sticks around until about 6:30, trying to get caught up, before catching the Metro back home. It is dusk out and she scurries through the few blocks to her condo, getting upstairs and changing clothes. The evening feels cool, so she starts a fire in the gas fireplace and curls up with a book. She thinks of him, but Shannon is right, she doesn’t have the nerve to call him again.

  ***

  Waking from his death slumber, Shade rises and throws his legs over the side of the bed, sitting there waiting for the cobwebs to clear from his head. He checks the clock and knows it is safe for him to venture outside and he decides to shower and get ready to teleport over to Miss Kate Reese's humble abode and give her some protection, unawares of course.

  He decided to take a luxury penthouse suite in a complex just across the street, where he can see clearly into the large windows of her bedroom and living room. He has a direct line of sight, and with his exceptional immortal vision, he can see everything. He can be close but not on top of her, watching over her until she falls into her slumber.

  He stands up and grabs his phone and sees he has a few missed calls. He checks them quickly, and recognizes them all except for one that came early in the morning hours, shortly after he fell into his death slumber. It is a northern Virginia exchange. Walking to the window, he sees some low lighting in her living room. She sits in front of a fire reading a book. Could it be? Only one way to find out. Hitting redial, he watches as he sees her go for her cell phone... Cazzo, it was her!

  ***

  Her phone rings and she assumes it is Shannon calling to harass her. She picks it up and answers without even checking the number.

  "Hello."

  “Buonasera, mi amore. You called?”

  His voice hits her like a tidal wave, takes her breath away, and sends her heart into overdrive. "I, yes, I did call. I hope that's okay."

  “It is more than okay, Kate. I hope there wasn’t a problem with your meal or the wine. That would surely break my heart.”

  He stands at the window and watches her. She looks relaxed and cozy, curled up on the sectional sofa. She wears a very large sweater that hangs off one shoulder. Her legs are bare and curled under her. Her bulky white socks are only a few shades lighter than her lily-white skin. He almost laughs watching her twirl those crimson curls around her finger in nervousness. Even dressed like this, in an oversized sweater, she is beautiful and sexy. Cazzo, what in the hell is the tiny sexy female doing to me?

  ***

  She takes a deep breath and makes herself calm down.

  “No. The meal was wonderful, thanks to you, and the wine. That was quite generous. I wanted to thank you. I should have thanked you last night, I apologize. But…” She runs her hand through her hair, and the memory of that dream comes back to her, his hand in her hair, and it sends shivers down her spine. “I don't know, Mr. Medici, there is something about you that leaves me... undone. I'm not sure I'm in your league.”

  All of Rissa's warnings about this man flash through her head.

  ***

  Shade picks up on the thoughts in her head. Rissa! That bitch is already trying to ruin her for him. He should have known she would run her mouth.

  “Ah, please Kate, will you call
me Shade? Mr. Medici is much too formal, and I do not think we need such formality now that we have met several times, si? Please do not let my wealth, or being at the Canton party, give you false impressions of me. I am a simple man. I oversee my family business of producing wine. I am quite harmless. Might I have the pleasure of knowing your occupation? It would interest me greatly.”

  ***

  “Oh, nothing as exotic as owning a vineyard in Italy, I assure you. I work for the Brunswick Agency. It is an ad agency. We handle big accounts, luxury cars like Bugatti, some big jewelry houses like Harry Winston. Oh, and Jimmy Choo! Love that one, we get a discount. We create advertising campaigns, arrange for photo shoots, magazine spreads, and do commercials. That type of thing. I was lucky to get on there. I did an unpaid internship with them when I was in college at Georgetown, and it paid off in the long run. How about you, Shade? What brings you to the States?”

  She twists her hair through her fingers, as she tries to imagine him; wonders where he is. It is much easier to talk to him when she is not staring into those piercing blue eyes.

  ***

  He listens to her chatter and watches her from his window, seeing her relax. He wants to teleport over there, ring the bell, walk in and cuddle her on his lap while having this conversation.

  “Well, Italy is not exotic, and wine is just grapes. But it is a living that has given me much. It sounds as though you work at a very prestigious agency. I am quite impressed. Own a few Bugatti's myself.” He chuckles deep in his throat. “I think this is the longest conversation we have had without you bolting from me. So, tell me Kate Reese, have you ever been to Italy?”

  She laughs softly, “Like I said... you made me... nervous, or something. I'm not usually like that, I promise. But yes, I have been to Italy. Shannon and I, the girl who was with me last night? We went to Italy right after graduation. We went to Rome, of course, and Venice. But Florence was my favorite. I fell in love with Florence. We even rented a little cottage in a vineyard in Tuscany for a few days. Who knows, Mr. Medici...Shade...? I could have been staying at one of your vineyards. Now wouldn't that be a coincidence.”

  Smiling to himself, he can see her face as she laughs, and it melts his heart. The sound of her voice does something inside him. It is not sexual, it is something much deeper, deeper than any female has ever touched him and somehow, he wonders if she could be the one? Shaking his head, Get your shit together, Shade!

  “That is quite possible, quite possible indeed. I am from Florence and I do love it there, my family home is there.”

  Grabbing the schedule from Rissa out of his jeans pocket, he scans through it and sees there is another event this weekend.

  “Perhaps, someday, you will return to Florence? But while I’m here, perhaps we could arrange to have a coffee sometime? Meet at a local shop, si?”

  “I... yes, I would love that. And I promise not to run away this time.”

  “I will hold you to such a promise, mi amore. I will not let you run away the next time.”

  He stands there, bare chested, jeans slung low on his hips, in the dark of his condo, all alpha male, watching her and his heart aches to touch her. He knows the sooner she gets to sleep, the sooner he can enter her dreams and be there with her.

  “I shall see you soon then, Kate. I will let you go for this evening, I am sure you are quite tired from your work.”

  “Shade...” She loves the sound of his name on her lips already. “Thank you for calling. It was really nice talking to you, and I look forward to seeing you again. Soon, I hope. Good night.”

  “It is my pleasure, very much my pleasure. Buonasera.”

  Hanging up the phone, he stands there motionless and closes his eyes. The sound of her voice flows through his head and he has to hold himself back from just going the fuck over there and ravishing her. Turning from the window, he goes to take one fucking cold ass shower, and then he has a little shopping to do.

  ***

  Kate lays her head back against the sofa. His pleasure, he said it was his pleasure. But she realizes he didn't actually make another date. A ‘perhaps we could meet for coffee sometime’ is not asking for a date. She tries to read her book, but all she can see in her head is him.

  She turns off the gas fireplace, and heads to her bedroom. The half empty bottle of wine still on her bedside table. She climbs into her bed and wonders if she’ll really ever see him again, or if he was just indulging some foolish girl.

  6

  Finishing up his shower, Shade dresses quickly, before teleporting to Italy, going directly to some of the high-end designer shops that know him well. He knows exactly what he is going after, and it won’t take him long to find the right pair. Browsing, he asks the assistant for her help in choosing and she brings out some brand-new designs that have not hit the American market yet. He knows the exact pair when he sees it.

  “Those will do quite nicely.”

  There is nothing like a pair of Jimmy Choo’s to woo a woman to your side. He knows, just from looking at Kate, the shoe size she requires. He has been with enough women in his life he can accurately guess shoe size, dress size, or the size of any other garment she may be wearing. Five hundred years of exploring every aspect of the female anatomy will do that.

  He asks the assistant to wrap the shoes up for him and she does so with a special gleam in her eye, letting Shade know she’s more than available if he’s looking for more than a pair of shoes. He thanks her graciously, leaving a huge tip, then teleports his ass back to his penthouse. Setting the beautifully wrapped package down, he looks out the window and finds his bel rosso asleep. Taking out a small card, he hand writes a note for the package.

  ‘Such a beautiful woman should own the newest pair of Choo’s.

  Shade.’

  Attaching the card to the package, he walks back downstairs and asks the concierge to please have the package delivered to Miss Kate Reese at the Brunswick Ad Agency in the morning.

  “Nine o’clock would be an excellent time.”

  He tips him a fifty and heads straight out the door, walking to a dark corner on the street and teleporting inside her condo, wrapping himself in shadows to begin the journey.

  He watches her sleep for some time, as he sits on the bed, gazing at her. He can’t help himself, just looking at her like this brings out his vampire, and he feels a need to protect her. Even his beast seems a bit at ease just watching her sleep. As exciting and entrancing as she is, he is surprised the beast does not roar up and take over. But the beast stands on the edges of his darkness, waiting his turn.

  Shade finally stands, and carefully slides his hand along her cheek, letting his thumb glide over her ruby red lips. He lays his hand in those crimson locks and walks into her dreams as if it was normal.

  ***

  As he manipulates her dream, she watches him slowly walk toward her and he can feel that she likes this. She is able to look him in the eye and is not intimidated. He can tell she feels as though she can trust him to protect her. Now he wants her to feel this way when she is awake, not just in her dreams.

  He holds her in his arms, pulls her close and holds her head to his broad chest. He holds her there for some time, feeling her heart beat against his, feeling her blood rush through her veins. He snuggles his head down along her neck, nuzzling and inhaling her scent, the thick, sweet scent of roses calling him. He pulls out a red rose from behind his back and slides it along her cheek, her beautiful, big brown eyes rise to greet his blue ones. He kisses her gently on the lips, letting the rose fall from his hand, its petals escaping their tightened bud and he watches as she backs away, holding up her hand, palm out as to stop him. ‘Please mi amore, I mean you no harm. Let me kiss you again... come closer.’ He smiles and holds out his hand to her, but she backs away slowly, moving further from him. Her subconscious is telling him she is not ready to give her heart, something is holding her back, something she fears, but it is not him.

  He quickly walks from the dream
and finds her moaning softly in the bed. He stays seated on the bed by her side until the sun is approaching and leaves her to awaken and go to her employment, where once again, he will remind her he is here, and he very much wants her to be his and his only.

  ***

  The sound of the alarm wakes her, and she reaches from beneath the warm blankets to smack at the clock. She sits up in the bed, the room still dark, and rubs her eyes, pushing the hair back from her face. She sits quietly, remembering. She had the oddest dream, him again. She tries to pull the dream into focus. It is so fuzzy around the edges, but it was definitely him.

  He was holding her in his arms, kissing her, and drawing a single rose across her cheek before... Before what? She backed away, and the rose petals fell around her… What does that even mean? She shakes her head and reaches over to turn on the lamp, sliding her feet over the side of the bed. A hot shower will clear her head.

  As she stands and looks back at the crumpled white sheets, she finds several bright red rose petals scattered in the bed. Her heart speeds up as her hand automatically goes to her throat and she takes a few steps back. Not possible. Not possible.

  ***

  Shade watches from his window, but he must also watch the time, the sun will approach very quickly, and he will feel the burn on his skin. He watches her closely as she sits up and stretches. She shakes her head several times and he automatically finds his hand over his heart, watching that damn hair and wishing it was being tousled around him. Then he sees the shocked look on her face, and her hand goes to her throat. What in the hell is wrong? His eyes go to the bed and he sees rose petals strewn across the white sheets. She could be severely freaked out by this or maybe... Nope, she is freaked. He realizes he has just lost ground. “Cazzo, stupido bastardo!”

  ***

  She stares at the rose petals in disbelief. She steps forward, reaches out her hand, extends her finger and touches one petal before withdrawing her hand quickly, like it was burned on a hot stove. It's real! How can that be? She reaches again and picks up a petal, feels it between her fingers, and then turns her head quickly from side to side, looking around the room. No one is there.