The Blood Covenant: Book One of The Medici Warrior Series

by Emily Bex

  "So... you would still go to them... the others?”

  ***

  He can read most of her thoughts, she is confused, concerned.

  "Bel, I can answer all those questions you are asking yourself inside your head. You won’t share me with anyone, not if you wish for me to feed from you. I feed when I feel my body slowing, when I need energy, just as you need food, I need blood. I do not feed three times a day, but perhaps every other day, depending on the stress I put on my body. If you are not here when I need to feed, I wait for you. I am more mature in my years. I can go longer periods of time without feeding. And if I have my way, you would be my blood source for the rest of my life. You will not experience any symptoms of the blood loss, none. You may experience a bit of dizziness right afterwards but nothing troubling. The more I feed from you, the easier it becomes for you. And for your last question, I would not go to any other but you, if you would grace me with the gift of your blood.”

  ***

  Is this what Rissa meant when she said he was a player? Maybe that's what she was trying to warn me about. He will take from me until...until what? My blood no longer satisfies? Or maybe there is a limit. A limit to how much he can take, and he will need more? More than I can give him?

  She leans her head against the window. There are a million questions in her head, all pushing to get out, but there is one thing she knows for sure. She can live in his altered world, she can follow this man, but the one thing she will not do is share. Infidelity is her deal breaker, always has been. So let's just get that out on the table right now.

  "I don't share, lover. Not ever."

  She turns from the window and faces him, and locks eyes with those piercing blues, she does not look away, and she does not blink. In a stern voice, she repeats, "Not ever."

  ***

  He hears the struggle in her head and something happens inside her; he is not sure what, but once she speaks, he knows it is all female and staking her claim. She looks at him, locks eyes with him and does not back down. She is not his shy, reticent bel, she is not playing games, but a woman who means what she says and in one instant, love slams into him so hard she could knock him over with a feather. Where in the hell have you been hiding, Kate Reese? You are the mate I have searched the world over for.

  ***

  She stares back into his eyes to see the vampire he has become, one of his word, one of honesty, integrity, one of faithfulness, one that has the deepest respect who absolutely seeks what stands before him.

  "Your choice is clear, as is mine. As vampire, I have one that I seek, and will move heaven and earth for. And once she is found, I seek no other, I love no other. She owns my heart and soul and it belongs to her my entire life. She is the light in my darkness. I give my life for her. I drink only from her. She is my sole source of my entire world. She is mine. And I share her with no one, mortal or immortal. I claim her as my own. And if you choose to give me the greatest gift you can bestow upon me, mi amore, the source of my life, your blood, then this is what you get in return. I protect my own. I give her no reason to want for anything. She is all to me. All! That choice belongs solely to you.”

  Her head is still ringing warning bells, but she has already given her heart. She walks to him as he stands with his arms open and walks right into them as he envelopes her. She lays her head against his chest. She is his. She already knows she has not chosen an easy path. She knows there is much she doesn't understand. She knows they will stumble over the differences in their two worlds, but she also knows that whatever lies ahead, she wants to face with him.

  ***

  She comes willingly to him, soft and sweet, straight into his arms. He holds her and then snuggles into her neck. He feels her arms encircle the back of his head and tangle into his hair and this is where she belongs, safe in his arms, always protected, nothing will ever harm her again.

  “I take that as a yes?"

  “Yes, lover. My heart says yes.”

  Closing his eyes, he has won her heart and soul, without taking her blood. His heart explodes with love for this woman who now holds his world in her hands.

  "Grazie, Kate. Ti amo."

  “And I love you, Shade Medici.”

  Picking her up in his arms, he cradles her to his chest. She is light as a feather. Carrying her to the bedroom, he lays her down softly on the bed and they begin the night as he hopes they will begin all the nights to come, together, in each other’s arms.

  18

  For the third night in a row, Shade has spent almost the entire night with these mercenaries Alec called warriors.

  He has taken over control of Alec’s warriors and is establishing a command post and central meeting point for the battalion. This abandoned property belongs to Alec, and it has not been occupied in years. Alec had boarded up the windows of the old house and let it go. Now it serves as the perfect place for Shade to operate. It is on the outskirts of Georgetown, but perfect for them to cover all of D.C. The name Dead House had evolved over the years, as most mortals looked on vampires as the walking dead, and any rogues they took down after an unfortunate encounter with them were definitely fucking dead.

  The house looks like an old Victorian on the outside, badly in need of major renovation, with boards and bars over all points of entry. Inside, Shade converts the space below ground for use as a temporary barracks for warriors who need their death slumber or are injured. He also designates space for dungeon holding cells and torture chambers for captured rogues, and an armory for weapons storage. Upstairs, he sets up space for a central command center and meeting room. He wants his warriors to be heavily armed, and most have a specialty weapon of choice, Shade’s is swords. He has this place stocked with every variety of weaponry as is possible.

  He still needs to install a high-tech security system in the command center, but currently it is furnished with the old rotting furniture left inside this hell hole. He isn’t looking for comfort. The Dead House needs to be a place for the warriors to let off steam, and let the beast loose. This is no fucking Hilton Resort, but it is the best location for them to gather, grid out the city, monitor activity, and issue assignments to the warriors for the night. Alec had hired a bunch of stragglers, and by Medici standards, most of them were barely acceptable, useless in Shade’s eyes.

  But this is what he has to work with, what he is getting paid for. Figure out who he can bring up to speed, who to get rid of, and find some solid replacements. For now, he tries to pair them off, placing a fairly efficient warrior with another who is less so. At least Alec’s warriors know the city, but after two nights of being out there, Shade can tell already any one of his Medici warriors could do a far better job than six of Alec’s warriors.

  There are only two from Alec’s crew that appear to have any real skills. One of them is a mercenary named Skelk. He smells bad, and looks even worse. Shade had seen some street trash that looked in better condition than this one. Skelk is a loner. He prefers to work alone, but the warrior has skills, and he is efficient. He is deadly with a crossbow, has zero social skills, but he does know how to take orders. Skelk likes to work up high on the rooftops. His aim is dead fucking on and convinces Shade he is worth his time.

  The top vamp in this group is Tomas. He is another renegade mercenary who had put in his time as a warrior, taking assignments worldwide. He knows how to handle a city this densely populated, and he is expert on just about any weapon. He is also sly as a damn fox. He doesn’t take shit from anyone, but he knows who pays his bills. Shade can already see this one being his Second-in-Command here when he needs a night off.

  For the past few nights, Shade assigned Tomas to take half the group and Shade took the other half. They showed them where the key lookout points were, where they had logged rogue activity, and where the hot spots for kills would be. They had logged many hours watching key areas of D.C., especially Georgetown near Alec’s home, the night clubs, and anywhere mortals congregate. Crowds of inebriated mortals make prim
e killing grounds for any rogue who decides they want mortal flesh and blood, and D.C. rocked twenty-four hours a day. It was an immortal’s playground.

  Tonight, they stay within the confines of the Dead House. He has each warrior show his weapons skills, hand-to-hand fighting skills, and anything else he thinks may be useful in fighting a rogue enemy. As he suspected, compared to his world of elite warriors, this crew is strictly amateur. He takes a break and lets Tomas give them a workout on shurikens, or throwing stars. That is another one of Shade’s preferred weapons, and until tonight, he had never known a warrior who couldn’t handle one.

  He needs some cold night air to clear his head. He never cared to be caged up inside any building for too long, and his ass is dragging after three long nights with this fucking lot of losers. He has not seen Kate, and as promised, he has not fed, and that too has him in knots. His body is screaming for his woman, those soft red lips, flaming crimson silk and a body that could ride him all night long. Cazzo, she probably thinks he left the damn country since he last saw her. He has only spoken to her on his cell a few minutes every night. He will have to make this up to her and make it up in spades, and he is just the vampire to do it.

  In addition to establishing the Dead House, he had been trying to manage the new property in Virginia. He has thrown a mattress on the floor in the largest bedroom in the house there, but the house still needs a lot of work, and staying at the penthouse keeps him closer to Kate. Juggling their schedules is a challenge. She works when he sleeps, he works when she sleeps.

  This damn Dead House is busting his ass as he tries to bring some order to this group of apes Alec called warriors. He steps out into the enclosed courtyard behind the Dead House to take a short break, breathing in the crisp night air. He lights up a smoke as he dials her up. Maybe, tonight, he can have a little longer conversation with her. Cazzo, he misses her!

  ***

  Kate had gotten ready for bed, climbing between the sheets with a book, instead of him. She knows he will call when he gets a break. He always calls her. The thought is barely out of her head when she hears the cell phone ring and she makes a grab for it.

  “Shade. I have missed you. Talk to me, I want to hear your voice.”

  “I am so sorry, bel. I am so busy lately. I have a lot to do and I am trying to wrap up, so I can spend a few evenings with you. Forgive me?”

  “Forgiven. But what keeps you so busy? Your vineyards?”

  “Some. But I have been working for Alec. It is vital I am here, setting up what is necessary and once that is done, I won’t spend so much time away from you. But this is what I do, and it requires me to be available. Cazzo, I miss you. How was your day?”

  “My day was fine, the usual. You work for Alec? In politics? I don't understand.”

  ***

  He hears her keep the questions coming. She has a right to know what he does, but he is reluctant to actually tell her he is a warrior, he kills for a living.

  “Bel, I am not into politics. I am setting up the tight security and protection Alec needs and will need in his future. I work a lot of nights, training his people on how to protect him out in public.”

  ***

  This is news. She thought he just ran vineyards. “Oh, I wasn't aware. I thought the vineyards were how you made a living. So, like a home security system? That kind of thing?”

  Shade sighs, his woman is not going to make this easy on him.

  “No, nothing like that. This is more in the line of armed bodyguards. Ever see, what do they call those goons? Ah, Secret Service? They are usually around the President. That is more in the line of what I do, train them on skills to take down the bad guys. I keep high profile people safe.”

  She pauses as she takes in this information. Armed bodyguard? He works as a bodyguard. She already worries for him. Does he put himself in harm’s way?

  "That sounds... dangerous. I had no idea. I mean, I can understand why Alec would need protection in his job, I get that. But I had no idea that you... that's what you do. You carry a weapon then?”

  ***

  Throwing his head back, he looks up in the night sky and closes his eyes. Weapon? Oh, mi amore, I carry so many damn weapons. How in the hell do I explain this to a mortal female without scaring her out of her mind?

  “I do carry weapons. I have extensive training in weaponry, martial arts, and have perfected the art of training others. I know it’s very late, but I am asking you, begging you, please, I need to be with you this night. I miss you, bel. May I come to you?”

  “Shade, you can always come to me. My bed feels empty without you.”

  “Si, grazie. Let me wrap up and I will be there.”

  Hanging up, he heads back in and tells Tomas he is heading out because he needs to feed and do some hunting. Tomas slaps him on the back with a big grin. He understands, there is no explanation necessary.

  Shade has decided he won’t let anyone know he has a mortal female he is priming for mating. That would stir up way too much shit! Feeding from a mortal is one thing but choosing a mortal as a mate will bring all kinds of problems he is not ready to tackle.

  He unloads all his weapons quickly, leaving them in the Dead House. He has not fought tonight, and knows he has no blood on him, since they focused only on weapons training. Immediately teleporting into her condo, he walks into her bedroom where she is sitting in bed and he leans against the doorjamb and smiles. He knows he must look a sight to her; leathers, boots and a black tee. He looks at her in the soft light of the lamp by her bed, her red hair glowing as the sheets are draped across her legs.

  "You are a beautiful sight for these sore, tired eyes."

  ***

  She looks up from where she is curled up on her bed with a book, startled as always by his sudden appearance. This teleporting is going to take some getting used to. He stands in her bedroom door, leaning against the doorjamb, dressed in those freakin’ leather pants. The soft leather conforms to him. He wears heavy black boots that lace up over his ankles, and a fitted black tee. His hair hangs tangled around his face, and those eyes, always those eyes. He has a slight smirk on his face, but he does look tired, sexy as hell, but tired.

  "Come here, lover. Let me make you feel better." She flips the covers back on the bed, inviting him into the space beside her.

  ***

  His beast sits up and he has to slam him back down. Not yet big guy, she is nowhere ready to tackle your ass, she is mortal, remember? And you can be one hideous fucked up animal when let out.

  Shade has never experienced his beast so vibrant and aggressive as he has with Kate. She brings his dark ass right to the surface just looking at her, and he aches to be released. She invites him into her bed and his eyes go straight to that pulsing vein in her neck, beckoning him, calling to him to take what he wants. His defenses are low. He has not fed once since promising her she is his and his only. He will not feed from another ever again, but he waited, giving her time to change her mind. Now his body is showing the signs of the lack of nourishment, the life blood it needs to survive and remain strong. He aches with his body’s need to taste her. Sliding the shirt over his head, he throws it to the floor and unzips his leathers, as he walks to the side of her bed.

  ***

  She watches him pull the shirt over his head, exposing his bare muscular chest as he starts to unzip the leathers. She pats the mattress and he sits on the side of the bed. She slips to the floor, kneeling between his legs, and slides her hands up the smooth leather that conforms to the muscles in his thighs. His eyes are deadly. How does anyone refuse this man? She unties the laces on one of his boots and tugs until she can pull it free, then unlaces and removes the other boot. She puts her hands on each thigh and slides them up to his hips, leaning into him, her lips just inches from his as she whispers, "Tell me what you need, lover."

  ***

  He looks down at her, so soft, caring, and giving. That crimson is like a siren calling to his heart. He cannot resist and lets
his hands slowly slide though the soft, silky tresses and moans. She is the sexiest creature he has ever seen. Those large brown eyes devour him and he returns that look with the same passion. The scent of roses swirls around them like a sensual blanket that binds them to one another.

  He licks her lips, letting his tongue circle them. "I need you, mi amore."

  He hears the sound of his own voice, a deep growling tone, his hunger screaming, and his hands go to the edge of the bed to steady himself, keeping his beast under control. But the hunger is clawing inside him, and the beast wants out to ravish and take the beauty that is before him and he trembles, holding back taking her. He needs her to want the feeding, that first experience of him feeding from her is so vital.

  ***

  She sees him gripping the edge of the bed, restraining himself, holding back. It has been several days since he was here and they had the conversation about feeding. He said he usually fed every other day, and yet, he has not fed from her. Is that what he fights? Her heart rate picks up, she has no idea what to expect. Will this hurt? There is a savagery in his love making, but he never hurts her. Perhaps the feeding is different, and he fears her reaction. Without the feeding, he is not hers. If she does not let him feed, she knows he will be forced to go to another, and she does not want to share him.

  "Lover, do you need to feed from me?"

  He lifts his hand and tips her chin up and kisses her deeply and passionately, letting his tongue explore, have a small taste of her.

  "Bel, please, I need to feed. It is hard to be around you and not want that from you. I made you a promise and I intend to keep it, but my feeding is necessary. This must be your choice, you must want this. It will only sting for a moment, and I have ways to help you not feel pain, only pleasure, do you trust me?”

  She feels the depth of his need. "Of course I trust you, Shade.”

  ***