by Emily Bex
She creased her brow. “And Shade... does this?”
“Destroying the turned and abandoned rogues? Yes. But that’s not his main target. He is after the rogues who created the problem in the first place. That kind of behavior risks exposing us all to the mortal world, and they must be eliminated.”
“And do rogue vampires attack other vampires?”
“Absolutely. And that’s where the skill of the warrior comes into play. It’s a fight to the death, always.”
She felt her blood run cold, and the color drained from her face. Shade, in a fight to the death? She thought of the mornings he came home covered in blood or injured. He shared nothing. She asked nothing.
Luca watched her expression change and her face went pale. “You understand, Kate, master is the best. He’s the one the other master's seek when they need a strong defense. Master, and the warriors he trains, they have no equal in the vampire world. And that’s why I train you. He is a target. He’ll always be a target, as will every warrior he trains. Right now, you’re mortal, and no threat to any vampire, but once you’re turned, they will assume you have been trained by him, and you’ll also be a threat, or at least perceived as one. And if you can't kill a deer, then how will you kill something that looks mortal to you?”
“But the deer meant me no harm, Luca. The deer was an innocent sacrifice. There is a difference. I mean, I pulled the trigger on Sabine.”
Luca asked, “Did you hit her?”
She shrugged, “I have no idea. The kick of the shotgun knocked me down, and I think I closed my eyes and by the time I looked up, Shade was there... and, well, you saw what the room looked like afterward.”
“My point, Kate, is you must look your opponent in the eye. You must pull the trigger, or swing the blade... you must take that life. That is where you have to go.”
He watched her nod her head yes, but she didn’t speak.
Kate’s mind was in such turmoil with the information he shared. And yet, on some level, didn't she know this already? Her capacity for denial never ceased to amaze her. They were ending their run, completing their loop back to the house. She began her cool-down routine while Luca set up the weight bench, and then put her through her exercises.
“So, what do you have planned for tonight?”
Luca responded, “More work with the bow.”
“No deer?”
“No. I won't push you there. Not until you’re ready.”
She stated defiantly, “I’ll never be ready. That won’t happen again, Luca, not ever. I think I would defend myself. I know I would defend myself, and those I love. But I’ll not take another innocent life. Not again.”
There was something in her tone, in the set of her jaw, that he knew she was speaking her truth. Luca brought out the bow and set up targets for her. Her aim was dead on in every shot. She couldn’t split an arrow yet, but he was more than pleased with her progress. After about an hour with the bow, he interrupted her.
“Let's try something new. The shuriken’s.”
“The what?”
“The shur... the shiny star thingies?” Luca brought out the smaller star-shaped shurikens and set up a pumpkin for her as a target. He handed her a star and asked her to throw it. She threw overhand and watched as it came up short of the target, falling in an arch toward the ground.
Luca frowned. “You throw like a girl.”
“Uh... in case you didn't notice, I am a girl.”
He chuckled at her. “I noticed. But you’re also warrior. Let's work on your throw.”
He stood behind her and directed her how to use her arm as an extension of her arrow, or her blade, how to aim for her target, how to throw sidearm, use her wrist to add speed and spin on the shuriken. Within an hour, she was consistently hitting the target.
As Kate finally got the hang of it, she shouted, “I get it! It's like a Frisbee!”
Luca frowned. “Is that a weapon?”
“No… a toy... you throw at each other. And try to catch it, you know?”
“No, I don't know.” A Frisbee? It was just another mortal thing that made no sense to him. Luca shook his head. Catching a shuriken? Not a good idea. He turned his attention back to her. “Good job, little warrior. I think we’re done here for the night.”
He gathered up the equipment and returned it to the house and she made her way upstairs to wait for master.
“Thanks, Luca!” she shouted back to him as she ran upstairs to change and wait for Shade. The sun would be coming up soon and he would be returning home, and Kate had a surprise for him today.
37
Outside the Dead House, the warriors were on the streets, the night was cold but crystal clear, a full moon beamed down and it was way too fucking quiet. The rogues weren’t out as much as before, and their activity progressively tended to dwindle every night, making Shade nervous. The attacks had decelerated too quickly. If there was an objective, and there was always an objective, then why pull back your forces? A smart master would never do such, and this one was slick, whoever the fuck he was. Shade decided he should head in the vicinity of Alec's and make his nightly check. He walked back in the Dead House and strapped his sword to his back. Ready to teleport out, Marcello sent him something interesting and his mind was peaked.
“Master, I got three live ones. They’re walking northeast in quad six heading into seven. They’re street level, and they’re in one bad ass hurry to get there. I’m keeping my eye on them, tailing them from the rooftops.”
Shade answered him, “Good job Marcello, who is with you? I’m heading in to quad seven, street level, shadowed.”
Marcello looked across the rooftop and stared at the sorry fucking excuse of a warrior he had been assigned as his partner tonight. What the fuck was his name? Will? Bill? One of Alec’s clowns. ”I think it’s Will or Bill, that one with the scar on his face. Not much help to me, master, get over here. I feel something, and it’s not good. My instincts tell me they’re up to something.”
Shade laughed out loud. “His name is Richard, but they call him Dick. I’m heading in, Marcello.”
”Sounds about right to me, master. He is one walking, talking dick, if I do say so myself.”
He heard master laugh and looked across the rooftop and the dick was gone, but what he saw wasn’t pretty, and it was show time! ”Master... fuck!”
The rogue swooped down before he could think. Marcello drew his sword, the sword flashed, swinging through the night air and catching the light of the moon, reflecting it back into the night sky. Marcello leapt from rooftop to rooftop, he could hear the scuffle on the street below. It was a fucking setup, and they knew he was alone.
Shade had been laughing at his comment when he heard the change in the tone of Marcello’s voice and knew he was in trouble. Swooping in on the rooftop, Shade had no difficulty finding them, the flashing of swords and the clanging of steel against steel was like music to his ears, and he could see it going down. Marcello had his hands full, and before Shade could tell him to keep it to the rooftops, Marcello dropped to the street and right into the middle of the shit pile waiting for him. Fucking bastards! ”Raven! Quad seven! Get your ass to seven now!”
Marcello had been backed to the rooftop edge. This rogue knew his sword and even Marcello’s skills were taking a beating, as he dropped to street level to bring his attacker down with him and landed right into the hell of hells. Six of them surrounded him and he held them at bay. One at a time, they tried to take him, but they couldn’t get close.
One approached, tried to penetrate Marcello’s defense, but Marcello swung his sword and nailed him straight through the head, retracting the sword as the rogue dropped. Before he could turn, another rogue attacked him from the back and Marcello spun fast and jabbed hard, staking him through the heart. Fucking die! Dirty bastard!
Pulling back his sword for the next kill, he felt the pain scream through his wrist as a booted foot slammed into it and his sword hurdled, in slow motion, through th
e air, flipping end over end, endlessly into the night. Keeping all his senses honed, he pulled the knife sheathed at his waist and reached for the rogue nearest him as they both fell to the ground wrestling and Marcello struck him across the throat and rolled away from the body, as he could sense another rogue ready to strike him down.
Shade saw Marcello’s sword hurdle into the air, and knew he had lost his weapon. It was time to slice and dice these low life motherfuckers. No one fucks with my boys!
Shade watched as Marcello quickly made three kills, but the others had him surrounded. Shade felt Raven as he teleported in, landing next to him. Looking up, Shade nodded to him. ”Take the two at his feet, Raven, I got the other one.” Both Raven and Shade dropped street level and the rogues never knew what hit them.
Shade kept his eyes to the knife at Marcello’s throat. ”Marcello, don’t move!”
Shade landed behind the rogue, slammed his sword into the rogue’s back deep and hard as he heaved the rogue up in the air, skewered on the sword, and Marcello rolled away unharmed. Shade looked into the eyes of the dying rogue. Shade’s eyes were ablaze and his fangs hung low as he snarled at him. “Fucking do not mess with Medici. You die by my sword, fucking scum!”
Twisting the sword as it protruded from the rogue’s chest, Shade flung him off of it hard, hearing his body, as it slammed into the brick wall and crumbled lifelessly to the ground. Shade spun around to see Raven standing there casually, leaning on his sword.
Raven acted bored. “Took you long enough. Can we go home now, master?”
Shade looked at the two dead rogues at his feet, and then at that damn smirk on Raven’s face and he burst out laughing. He couldn’t get mad at his warriors. It had been a great night of kills.
“You smart ass little punk, get your ass back home, clean up your weapons and we’ll be right behind you. Move it!”
Shade watched him teleport out, laughing his ass off as he twirled his blade over his head like a true Medici warrior.
Shade called in some of Alec's warriors and directed them to come clean up this mess and be quick about it. Sunrise was only an hour away. He looked for Marcello and couldn’t find him. What the fucking hell? Shade turned and saw him strolling back toward him, Marcello had retrieved his sword. “How’s the wrist? That had to hurt, warrior.”
Marcello swirled his sword in his hand and winced as the pain streaked up his arm. “Fine, nothing I can’t handle, not the first time and won’t be the last with these backstabbing bastards. I am Medici.”
Shade chuckled to himself. Yeah, that fucking injury hurts all the way to the shoulder, warrior. He slapped him on the back.
“Come on, time to fucking head home. Theresa will have some medicinal magic to take that ache away, just like back in Florence. By tomorrow night, you will be right as rain, but I still don’t want you to come out. You missed your feeding, so go feed tomorrow and relax. Not a punishment Marcello, a reward. I want that sword arm ready to slice and dice next time we hit the streets.”
As Marcello nodded, they teleported home and Shade’s pride was bursting. Marco was doing a fucking slam up job with his warriors.
Teleporting back to the house, Shade grabbed Marcello before he could make his way to the staff quarters. “No way warrior, you need to come inside with me. You need some of Theresa’s salve to rub that arm down. Come on.”
Marcello nodded at him but looked like he wasn’t so sure. They both looked the worse for wear.
Shade chuckled and walked into Luca’s suite, “Bel rosso! Your warrior is home. Come, mi amore!” He sent Theresa a message that he needed her salve, and to please bring it to Luca’s suite.
Kate heard him call her from the bedroom to come join him. She had tried to stay upstairs when the warriors were coming and going, as he had requested. But she headed down the stairs to find both he and Marcello in leathers, dirt and blood. Marcello looked injured, and everything Luca talked about came rushing back to her about fighting to the death.
“Lover, are you okay? Is Marcello okay?”
Shade smiled at her. “Your warrior is fine. No worries, mi amore.”
Walking to her, he leaned in and kissed her softly. “I won’t touch you, I am a bit of a mess, but I need your help. Marcello has a minor injury.”
Theresa appeared, after rummaging through her assortment of jars, bottles and tubes, to find the salve in the dark brown jar. Looking at Marcello as he rubbed his wrist, she handed the salve to her master. “Should I stay?”
“We have it from here, thank you.” Theresa nodded as she left the room, and he turned his attention to Marcello, directing him to Luca's shower, telling him to clean up. Shade heard Luca and Marcello talking and laughing and he knew Marcello would be fine. He would be sore and achy until the salve worked its magic. Medici warriors healed quickly. Shade shrugged off his own leather duster, kicked off his boots, and poured a huge glass of Midnight, gulped it down and poured one for Marcello for when he got out of the shower.
He turned back to bel, who was watching wide-eyed. Holding out his arms for her, he caught her as she glided into them, a perfect fit. Leaning down, he squeezed her tight.
“See, I am fine, mi amore. I will make sure Marcello gets the salve. This is nothing he can’t manage, just a muscle strain. It is his sword arm, and I want it healed.”
Still holding the jar, he led bel to the living room while Marcello was in the shower. He got the fire going in the fireplace just as Marcello walked in wearing a pair of Luca's lounging pants. His hair was still wet but at least he looked better. “Come in Marcello, sit down.” Shade handed him the glass of Midnight. “Drink it, all of it. And if you need more, help yourself.”
Marcello downed the wine, and then reached for the jar of salve that Shade held out to him, but he struggled with the jar top. Twisting the top clearly caused him pain.
Kate noticed his struggle. “Marcello, let me help you.”
She moved to him and opened the jar, dipping her fingers into the foul-smelling salve. She could feel a tingling sensation in her hand already from the exposure to the salve. She took his arm and started to massage the thick substance into the muscles, starting from wrist to shoulder.
Shade smiled at bel as her mothering instincts kicked in. He fucking loved this woman. Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head. “Easy, mi amore, he has much pain, and the hard head won’t tell you such. I am going to shower and change, I will return shortly.”
Marcello gave Shade a disgruntled and shocked look.
“Yeah that’s right, warrior, I am leaving you alone with my mate.”
Taking the second glass of Midnight, Marcello drained it in one gulp. He had used too much energy and not fed, but the Midnight took the edge off and eased the pain. Flexing his arm, he could feel it stiffen and tighten. Fuck! He hated looking like a damn weakling in front of my lady.
“My lady, I can do this on my own, or the other warriors can attend to this. Please, I am most honored, but this is not your place.”
Kate sensed his discomfort as he tried to dissuade her from helping him. “Marcello, it is exactly my place. You’re Shade's warrior, and you’re living in our home. We’re all family here. Tell me what you need. Where is the pain? Am I applying too much pressure? Or not enough? You’re like Shade, I have to drag every word out of you.”
Marcello tried not to laugh, but she was correct. He could only imagine her trying to persuade the master to give her details on anything. “My lady, you’re not hurting me. I got kicked in the wrist, but I can manage from here.”
Kate massaged more deeply into the tissue of his biceps. “I can manage from here as well, Marcello.”
Returning downstairs, Shade could hear Marcello talking to bel and felt how ill at ease he was. Shade’s jeans hung low on his hips. He wore a loose V-neck sweater over his chest and his feet were bare. He felt better after a quick shower and a change of clothes. It was a great damn night of kills, and he loved when he could get out there and see some
action. He watched for a moment more, as bel tended to Marcello. He wasn’t used to women attending to him, at least not anyone of her status. Feeders and house staff usually attended to the warriors at home, but most times, they tended to each other.
“Relax Marcello, bel likes taking care of me, and she likes taking care of those I love, so that includes you. I am not going to lop your head off. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have left you here alone with her. I can smell that salve working. I forgot how bad it smelled. Get your ass to your slumber, take a bottle of Midnight with you and tomorrow... you feed. Go!”
Watching him thank Kate, he grabbed the salve and the Midnight, and headed out the door.
“Damn bel, now you smell like hell!”
Kate held her hands out away from her body, “Oh my god... what’s in this stuff? It smells like something died! Let me go wash my hands first, and then I have a surprise for you. Quick before the sun is up.”
He laughed at the look on her face, as she described the smell of the salve. “Best you don’t know what’s in it, mi amore.”
She ran to the powder room and washed her hands with soap several times before she could remove the salve and the smell, then returned to him. She eyed him from head to toe, standing there in those jeans, hanging low on his hips, and his bare feet. She was tempted to forgo the surprise and take him straight to the bedroom. “Ready for the surprise?”
Shade watched her as she took him in, reading her thoughts and winking at her. “A surprise? Does this include rooms of furniture? Because seriously, mi amore, I don’t intend to spend what time I have left with you tonight looking at rooms of furniture unless they are filled with beds.”
Grabbing his hands and laughing as she led him outside. “No rooms. Outside, please. I have been watching the warriors, how restless they are, cramped in the bunk rooms inside the staff quarters. And I remembered, in Florence, how big that training field was. I took Marcello out yesterday to show him the property, where the warriors could roam, but I told you I had some other ideas as well.”