by Emily Bex
“Mi amore, I have been dreaming; seeing visions. I do that sometimes. They are usually a puzzle, something I must solve, but I can’t figure this one out. I dreamt of our daughter, Sophia. You told me you had dreamt of her as well. I wonder if what I’m seeing is somehow coming from you because I dream-walk with you every night. Tell me what you have seen.”
She looked at his face, lit by the moon and the reflections of the water. “I have dreamt of her. She has fair skin and red hair, and a temper, heaven help us. But she has your eyes… your ice blue eyes. She is small, delicate, but not timid. She’s a handful.”
He smiled down at her, her hair pushed back from her face, her pale skin reflecting in the moonlight. “Like her madre. Just like her madre. What does it mean, mi amore, that we dream of our child? Is she coming soon?”
She answered him, “I don't know what it means, lover, except she already lives in my heart. She’s in our future, somewhere, waiting for us. But she’ll be there when we’re ready. I feel her impatience. She says, ‘Don't wait too long!’"
Kate laughed at the vision that appeared in her head of their redheaded daughter with her brow furrowed, her lips pouting, her red curls swaying. “She stomped her foot when she said that. As I said, she is a handful.”
He chuckled at the image she described. “She is so like you, bel. I feel that. Do you think she will be first?”
“Lover, as impatient as Sophia is, I don’t think she comes first. I know our lost baby was a boy, he told me when I carried him, and he told me he’d be back. But he doesn’t speak to me now. He hasn’t come to me in my dreams. But I do feel him. Has he come to you?”
“No, mi amore, he has not. Perhaps he won’t. I do not control the visions, I cannot call them forth. They randomly come to me. Now let us speak of other things, the night belongs to us. Hold on.”
Teleporting them up out of the water, he landed them on the ledge high above the lagoon. “Hang on tight, let’s take a dive. Trust me?”
He felt her shiver from head to toe and knew he would need to get her back home to the warmth of their bed soon.
“I'm ready, lover.”
Holding her close, he felt her legs tighten around his waist and her arms grip his neck. He took a running leap off the ledge and into the lagoon. The moonlight streamed through the surrounding trees, making it a paradise for two lovers to enjoy. They hit the water with a splash, gliding deep beneath the surface until he felt his feet hit the cavernous bottom and he pushed them back up. As they broke the surface, he kissed her as she should be kissed, long and soft and deep.
He held her close to him as they floated on the surface, drifting gently in the current and churn of the waterfall.
“Shade, we never talk of this, but I know you have thoughts about it, about when you think you’ll turn me. Do you know when that will be?”
He leaned his forehead against hers, the water trickled between them. “I wish it were done, mi amore. Your body is toned and strong now, from all the running and exercising you have been doing. It will help you immensely. I want all this business in D.C. under control first, so I can take you back to Florence. Since you are mortal, the Council will not recognize you as my mate until you are turned, and you are accepted by the vampire community as my mate and become my queen. You become mine for all eternity, no turning back. Are you ready?”
“Lover, I’m ready. I don't know what’s involved. You’ve only alluded to it. You’d mentioned some kind of ceremony that would take place there. But whatever is involved, I’m ready. You seem concerned still. Do you have questions about my desire to be with you? Do you think I’ll regret my choice? Because I promise you, this is what I want.”
He cupped her face in his hands and moaned softly. “Oh Kate, I have no doubts about your love, or your willingness to become mine for all eternity. I worry mostly about the pain and the fight you will need, to overcome it.” Lifting her in his arms, he climbed out of the water and walked with her under a small alcove of overhanging rock. “Let me make us a fire, si? I will tell you about it.”
She saw the concern in his eyes. It was there every time they spoke of this, and he usually changed the subject. “Please, I want to know everything.”
She sat down, pulling her shirt around her shoulders as he gathered fallen sticks and branches, stacking them and building a blazing fire. The crackling and popping of the damp wood was a sound he loved in the night under the stars. They sat together cuddled before the fire.
He knew he needed to give her more information about the turning. He had put it off far too long.
“Mi amore, try to curb your questions and listen to what I have to say. I have not told you much. I did not want to scare you, make you change your mind. I wanted to make sure you could handle it, and you truly wanted to be with me forever. I procrastinated in giving you much information, do you forgive me?”
“There is nothing to forgive. You said you’d not turn me until you thought I was ready. I knew you were waiting for something. And whatever it is, I won't change my mind. I know you’ll be with me and you’ll get me through it.”
“I’ll do everything I can, bel, but much of it falls on you.” Facing the fire, he laid his head atop hers. “Let me see if I can explain this to you. We will be inside a royal chamber, which sits underground at Medici Castello. I’ll be with you, mi amore, through the entire thing. You will never be alone. I’ll drain you of your blood, to the last moment of death. That part is not painful, but very erotic. You must remember to not fight it. Don’t let the feelings of your own body weakening make you fight me or be scared.”
She was processing the information. A chamber? Underneath Castello? “I understand that part. It will be like when you feed from me, only you don't stop.”
“Si. You will not feed from me during this first step, this draining. You will feel the urge to feed, but you must fight it, and if you attempt to feed from me, I will forcefully stop you. The more I drain you, the weaker you will become. I am draining your life from you into me, understand, si?”
“I understand.”
“When you are at the moment of death, I will know, mi amore, trust me. I’ll score my wrist, and only then will you drink. You must take from me then and not before. It will not be a lot, and you will not need a great deal. Your mortal body will start to die, and my blood will slowly flow through your veins. With it will come pain and transformation, and it will feel like fire and ice. It is painful, and you will wish to die. Believe me, you will have to fight like nothing before in your life. The darkness will want you, the darkness will call to you, but you must not let it win. You will need to fight to come back to me. Concentrate not on the pain and the call of the demons, but on my voice, my body. You must feel me, hear me, and it will take all you have. Your body will be in great pain to try and distract you from me. It is hard to explain, but my blood will transform you to vampire, and we merge as it is my life inside you. I take your soul when I drain your blood from you, and when I give it back, our souls have been combined, we are bonded, blood, body, and soul, for all time.
“I won’t leave you, but you won’t always be aware of me. You will be gone from me then. In this stage, you choose to fight to be with me, or the darkness takes you, and you die with your mortal body. I cannot help you here, mi amore. It will be up to you to come back to me. Your love for me must be strong enough for you to fight your way back. Can you do that?”
“Lover, I’ll have no trouble coming back to you. I promise you.”
“Our love is like no other I have ever felt, but it takes more than wanting to get through it and I have much faith in you. This process will take hours. This is where your beast grows and crawls inside you, where your fangs emerge and grow, where you receive your gift. Your outward appearance does not change much, just all the internal changes of being immortal, your telepathy, fangs, and your special skills. If you do not wake within twelve hours, I will begin to call to you, out loud and within your mind, calling you home
to your maker, your master. I will know then if you made it through, for if you do not come to me, I have lost you.”
“You won’t lose me. There’s nothing that can keep me from you. And you’ll pull me back. I’m not afraid.”
Kissing her neck softly, he said, “I know you are not afraid. This is why I have waited for my blood to transform you. You will recognize the call of my body to yours, hear my voice calling to you. I needed you strong and your heart and soul already making connections to mine. Once you awaken, you will be mine for all eternity. You cannot go back, ever. Then you will feed from me, and you’ll be starved for blood. A wild bloodlust, newborns, as we call them, are always hungry. That is the part I cannot wait for, “he said with a chuckle. “That is the part I crave to feel, your fangs in me. It is the ultimate pleasure, two immortals, feeding from each other, and your immortality is complete. After we feed, I will give you some time to adjust to your new senses. Everything will seem much more vivid to you, your sight, your sense of hearing, your sense of smell. Then you must be presented to the coven. My warriors will dress in full regalia. We will be seated in the Throne Room, and they will all kneel before you separately and pledge their loyalty to their new Queen of Medici. They will pledge their life to you, their protection and honor.”
“Queen? You have always said royalty. When you called me your queen, I thought it was a term of endearment.”
“Si. I am a king and master of the Medici coven. I am the sole heir. When I turn you as my mate, make you immortal, you take the title of queen. They will address you as such.”
She laughed at the title, “So I guess I'm stuck with that ‘My Lady’ title for sure now.” She nuzzled into his neck and kissed him. “When will you turn me?”
He smiled down at her joyous response. She wasn’t afraid. “You are ready, mi amore. I am wrapping up details with Alec. Once I’m sure nothing else big is going down, then we go.” Kissing her neck and then her lips, he broke the kiss. With lips still touching, he growled softly, saying, “And then we will have bambinos, it will be safe.”
She laughed. “Maybe Sophia will stop stomping her foot then.” She kissed his lips, little kisses, soft, tender, again and again.
“There is something you must know, mi amore, about the bambinos. And it will be important.”
“What is it?”
“You remember immortals don’t carry their children for nine months, more like six. They will need to be born in Florence. There will be no mistaking their birthright. They will be crowned there, immediately, as Prince or Princess Medici and their birth witnessed by the Council, recorded for history. No one can ever dispute their birthright. These are important steps to secure their legacy, understand?”
“Yes, of course, the babies will be born in Florence.”
“You will know their sex before I do. They will talk to you, in their own way, as they grow inside your body.”
“Lover, they speak to me already. At least, Sophia speaks to me, and she is going to be a nonstop talker, I fear. Will I have to stay in Florence for the whole pregnancy? Or can we teleport as we near the time of the birth?”
“We will go to Florence when you are close to your time. My coven will crowd into the town. The bells will toll at the bambino’s birth, and there will be celebrations like none you have ever seen! I will take the bambino, and we will walk out onto the parapet to face the coven and hold our prince or princess high to them. It is my gift to our coven, mi amore, my heir, my covenant fulfilled. It assures that our bloodline goes on, that they are protected and cared for through the next generation. It is sacred to me, important to me that we continue this tradition. Theresa will be with you as you give birth. She is a midwife, and she too bears witness that our Queen gives birth to the next Medici Prince or Princess.”
She listened intently as he described the events of her turning, and the birth of their children. “Shade, I’ve never asked you. We’ve spent so much time creating our home here, I think I just assumed, but is this where you want to live? Your home is in Florence. It’s where you were born and grew up, and it’s where the memories of your parents reside. I never asked if you preferred to live there.”
He sighed and smiled at her. “There are memories there, but my people are used to me not being there. I make appearances to them, to assure them I am healthy, strong and still their master. But I want to live here. We will come to a point when our son must be trained as a warrior, and he must follow in my footsteps and when that time comes, well, let us not jump too far ahead. I want to be here, mi amore, build an empire for our bambinos, an empire to rival all masters, to ensure the Medici legacy will not topple again.”
She shivered in his arms despite the fire and the warmth of his body. The night air chilled her.
“Mi amore, put your clothes back on and I will take us home.”
He stood and started to dress as she gathered her remaining things, her head racing with everything he had shared about the turning, the ceremony, their babies, and an empire. She pinched herself to see if it was real and she heard him chuckle as he wrapped his arm around her and teleported them back to their home.
"It is real, mi amore, it is very real."
66
Getting ready to head out to the Dead House, Shade quickly showered. From the bathroom doorway, he watched Kate scurrying about the bedroom, trying to get dressed and eat at the same time, grabbing a few bites of food from a tray on the bed each time she walked passed. Chuckling, he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her softly.
“Mi amore, I’ll be gone for about an hour. I’m just touching base with the warriors and checking in with Tomas, then coming right back home.” Slapping her ass, he smiled. “So, don’t get into anything that occupies your time, your warrior will return shortly.”
“You're coming right back home? That's great! The stables are finished, and the horses are here from Florence. I can't wait to see them. I was going to head down to the stables, so why don't you join me there as soon as you can.”
“Si. Stay away from the big black stallion, mi amore! I mean what I tell you. I am heading out now. The sooner I go, the quicker I can get back to you.”
“Okay, I have a lot to check on in the stables. Gi has staff that he brought in from Florence to manage the stables and the horses. I need to meet them, so I’ll be busy until you get back. We can look at the horses together.”
Kissing her once more, he rushed out the door, wanting desperately to get the hell back here.
She pulled on jeans and riding boots and grabbed the last bit of fruit from the breakfast tray and walked down to the new stables. It looked fabulous, even at night, and she couldn’t wait for Shade to see it. She had walked down earlier in the daylight when it was almost done, but the horses had not arrived yet. Gi said they were all here now and survived the transport beautifully.
Kate missed her nightly runs with Luca, so she walked briskly down the road that led to the stables. The stables were all stone and timber, which would age beautifully, and the design of the building complemented the other buildings on the property. The new fencing for the grazing fields was in place and painted white. The spring night still had a bit of chill in the air, and there was a low mist that hung near the ground. The full moon illuminated the landscape. She loved this place, their home, this land, and these people. She loved their life here. But mostly, she loved him.
As she entered the stables, she was hit with the smell of fresh hay and horses. The stalls were being prepped to receive the horses, which were still in horse trailers. There were stalls for twenty horses. She had no idea how many horses Shade owned, or how many he had planned to bring here from Florence.
Gi ran to greet her, looking completely out of place in his waistcoat, white shirt, and bow tie and she had to bite her lip not to giggle.
“My lady, the horses are all here and we have brought in staff from Florence who will manage them. You should meet the stable master. He will oversee everything when it com
es to the horses, their feeding, grooming, and training. Anything you need, you work through Angelo. Angelo worked with Shade to train all of these horses, so the animals know him, will respond to him, si?”
Gi led her through the stables to meet Angelo, already covered in sweat and smelling of the fresh hay he had loaded into the stalls. He stopped what he was doing to acknowledge her, "My lady."
All Kate could think of was she hadn’t prepared a room for him. Where will he live? As if reading her thoughts, Gi spoke up and said, "All of the stable hands have rooms over the stables. I included them in the plans, my lady."
Shade wrapped up quickly at the Dead House, handing out assignments before heading back home, teleporting himself outside the stables. They looked good but were smaller than the stables in Tuscany. Stepping inside, he could hear Gi and Angelo and he knew bel was here with them, he could detect her rose scent. “Mi amore!”
Kate heard him call and looked up as he entered. “Shade! Don't you love it? Come, welcome Angelo to his new home. And show me the horses!”
He grinned at bel. “Si, it is beautiful. Come, give your warrior a welcome home kiss.”
Kate ran and jumped, legs locked around his waist as she kissed his lips and face, smothering him in kisses. “I’m so glad you’re home early.”
“As am I, mi amore.”
Setting her back down, he walked to Angelo and they hugged like brothers. “Welcome, Angelo!”
They talked a bit about how he wanted to approach bringing in the horses, speaking in Italian so bel didn’t understand all the things he had in store for her. As Angelo went to carry out his orders, Shade turned and took her hand as they watched several of the horses being brought in, one by one. Angelo led each horse by their reins to their stalls, speaking gently to them. Each horse raised its head and sniffed the air as they passed and whinnied their greeting, pawing at the floor of their new home.
“Bel, these are just a few of the horses I have in Florence. I intend to purchase new horses here as well, strengthen the bloodlines. Luca also rides. So, if you wish to ride in the daylight, he can accompany you. What do you think so far?”