by Emily Bex
Shade and Angelo both stood watching with caution, as Angelo had the shotgun ready. Shade felt a moment of panic as the wolf raced toward her, and he teleported immediately to her side, ready to tackle the animal by the neck and watched as the wolf licked Kate's face and lay down in front of her. Angelo watched her pet the animal as if it were a house dog. Shaking his head, he couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed. She’d tamed a wolf in an instant, with only the touch of a hand.
“Cazzo, bel! What the hell were you thinking? That wolf could have killed you." As Shade paced, he couldn’t believe what he’d seen. "Aegis? How do you... I need a fucking smoke after this." Lighting up, he crouched a distance from the animal and Kate. "Bel, did this animal talk to you? Did she tell you her name and her purpose here?"
Kate sat on the ground and the wolf crawled into her lap, draping over her as the wolf laid her head on her paws. Kate stroked the thick coarse fur along her back. "She speaks to me, like you... In my head. Her name is Aegis. She says it means shield, and she’s been waiting for me to come home. That’s why she went to the stables every night, looking for me. I’ll let her know to steer clear of the stables and the horses; her presence there only upsets them. See, lover, she’s acknowledging me already, saying she meant no harm to the horses. She says she’ll guard the house, just as your warriors guard the house."
As Shade watched her interaction with the wolf, he could tell she’d just begun to explore the power of this gift. His bel would be something to be reckoned with. "I am impressed, bel, you have taken to your gift well. Now, what the hell is she guarding us from? I feel no threat. Can you explain further, please?"
"She says there’s no threat right now, but she’ll remain close by, along with the others."
"Others? A pack then. I have seen them running in the mountains. Just make sure she stays clear of the horses. I don’t want the others going there either. Ask her to warn them as well, for their own safety. I will advise Antonio, although, he may be a bit shocked, to say the least."
Kate nuzzled her face into Aegis's thick fur. "She says she understands. She’ll stay away from the horses. She has a mate. She says wolves are like us, they mate for life."
"Si, they do." Holding out his hand, he let it lay on the ground. "Aegis, come. I mean you no harm. You seem to be protective of my mate. Come. Take my scent home to your mate. We wish to welcome you to Bel Rosso."
The wolf stood and walked slowly toward Shade, her ears back, her tail down, sniffing at his extended hand. Kate encouraged her, "Go, Aegis. He means you no harm. No one will harm you here." The wolf approached and lay at his feet.
Shade reached out gently, petting the thick coat of the wolf. "I do believe, bel, we need to let Aegis get back to her business. I will inform Antonio there is to be no shooting of anything." Standing, he walked to Kate and reached out his hand to her. "Come, let us check out the camp and let our friend go about her business, si?"
Kate stood and took his hand as they walked together toward the new camp, and Aegis followed along behind them. Kate laughed. "We have company. I'm afraid you’ll have to get used to her."
Shade looked over his shoulder to see Aegis following after them. Shaking his head in wonder, he smiled at bel. "I have no problem with it, but I think we best inform the others of your gift. You amaze me, mi amore. Do you know how rare this gift is?"
Kate giggled as the large wolf followed along behind them, as docile as a family dog, and yet, she knew this creature was wild and capable of killing its prey. "I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do with it, lover...this gift. Both you and Luca have said it’s rare. I guess I’ll just figure it out as I go."
As they walked down the new gravel road that curved away from the house to the new warrior camp, the high stone wall surrounding the camp came into view. The landscapers had already started planting ivy along the wall that would grow fast and soften the imposing structure. They approached the heavy wooden gates, not allowing an outsider a view of the camp that lay inside.
"Bel, look at it, just look at it!"
He pushed them open and led her inside the compound. Standing with his legs spread, taking in the entire grounds, his smile was huge, his heart racing with pride and excitement.
Kate followed behind him as the wolf danced and pranced around her feet. She reached down and pet the wolf as they followed Shade through the gates. "It looks beautiful. The architects did as we asked. The barracks look like a large home, not unlike the staff quarters, except there are several levels that are below ground. The building that looks like a detached garage is a weapons bunker, and there’s a tunnel system that connects the barracks to both the bunker and the training center. The training center looks huge. It's a little hard to disguise, but at least the building materials are all the same, giving it the same feel. I'm glad they built the stone wall around the perimeter, though. This would definitely draw the curious."
"Oh, si, it will draw curiosity, but mortals are curious creatures to begin with. Let us go inside, I am anxious to see the layout of the place."
Walking inside, he led her and watched as Aegis sat beside the door, waiting for their return.
"Lover, there are rooms here for sleeping, with separate quarters for your female warriors, and separate shower rooms. They have an area where they can romp freely and other areas for those who need some quiet space. And you have a meeting room, where you can call them all together."
As they strolled on their inspection tour, Shade knew this place was ready to go, there was no more waiting and he was pleased with the outcome. "I wish Padre could see this, mi amore, I think he would be proud."
As they continued their journey, Shade admired the craftsmanship of each detail. Leaving the barracks, he headed for the indoor training center. "Damn, bel, this is amazing! Everything came out even better than I envisioned. What do you think? Happy with the outcome?"
"Very happy! It looks ready to me. I’ll check with the contractors, I'm sure there are small details to be finished up, but nothing that should keep you from moving ahead. Marcello, Raven, Fiamma and the others could all move in here now. I noticed you didn’t bring Olivia back with us to Virginia. Did she not make the cut? Or are you just leaving her to train in Florence?"
“Olivia was not ready for this assignment. She did well, but I asked her to remain back in Florence. She has much to learn yet, and being here was a great opportunity for her, but it showed me she was not yet ready for the streets. She too realized she needed more intense training in some areas. Marco will continue to work with her. She will be a force to reckon with in the future. But there will be others. You understand we will have females who will apply."
Kate looked at the floor of the new training center as he spoke. She knew in her head there’d be more female warriors coming when the design for the new barracks had dedicated space for women, but it was something she’d blocked from her mind. She liked Fiamma, and she trusted her. But did that mean she could extend her trust to every female warrior who walked through those gates? She understood what he was asking of her, what he needed from her. In her head, she understood this was her role now, as Medici Queen, but her heart still felt the cruel taunts from Sabine. She’d had such limited exposure to the female warriors, she wasn’t sure she could extend open arms to all of them. But she owed him the benefit of the doubt. She had to push through and at least give the female warriors the chance to prove themselves to her, to earn her loyalty, as Fiamma had done, without pre-judging them. As he finished speaking to her, she lifted her eyes to him. "I can be what you need me to be."
He kissed the top of her head. "You are all I need, mi amore. Just love me and enjoy our life together."
Kate lay against his chest as his arms encircled her. "I’ll always love you. Have patience. I’ll figure this out. It’s an adjustment. You spend much time with the warriors, and now, with the camp here, you’ll spend even more time with them. It’s hard for me to share you, but I’ll deal with it."
&
nbsp; "What you forget is, I will be home more now as well, do not forget that. Marcello is going to be my Second-In-Command. So, his responsibilities will be many. Speaking of which, I need to get to the Dead House tonight, check in on things there, and see what has been happening in D.C. while we have been absent. Come, let us walk back to the house, then I can get going, and get back to you for a long sleep in our own bed."
Taking her hand, they strolled casually back to the main house, each glancing at the other, soft smiles exchanged and huge hearts beating their never ending love for one another, as Aegis trailed behind them, tail wagging.
11
Shade prepared to teleport into D.C. He needed to get caught up on everything that had gone down while he was in Florence. He and bel had walked the property and checked out the stables and the new warrior camp, and he had seen, first-hand, his newly turned mate’s gift. It was already exhibiting itself and he couldn’t be prouder. And now, instead of a family dog, they had a wolf that had decided to protect them. Shade almost laughed, but he knew the only way for Kate to learn how to master her gift was to have the animals around her. Animalism was a rare gift for a born vampire, let alone a mortal who was turned. And he had no source of where to find information that might help her. He’d never known of a vampire who’d had this gift. Gifts were meant to be a defense mechanism, they helped with the vampire’s survival, to either help them blend into mortal society, like day-walking, or used as a weapon if necessary, like dream-walking. He wasn’t sure how bel would be able to utilize this gift as a weapon, but it was a gift he wished for no one to be aware of for the moment. This little secret needed to stay under the radar and the knowledge limited to those in the coven here in the States.
Shade made his rounds high above the Georgetown streets, and damn if it didn’t feel good. Scoping out the night life and the activity of the people on the streets, he took a turn over Alec’s residence. He found lights on in the house, but it was obvious neither Alec nor Rissa were home. Things appeared quiet and he rather liked that. He had a lot to accomplish in the coming months with the opening of the new camp and he had no time to be dealing with errant rogues on the rampage. Cuerpo was dead and so were his cronies, and good fucking riddance.
He teleported to the Dead House, landing outside in the courtyard. The place was quiet, and he lit up a smoke before going inside. It felt good to be home and getting back to doing what he loved. Leaning up against the ramshackle old Victorian house, he heard a stir and looked to see Tomas exit the house and light up as well.
Shade nodded at him. “Brother.”
Things had been boring since Max had disappeared, and Tomas was ready to move on. His work here was done. He’d done well for himself, collecting his payoff from Maximus for being his spy on the inside, and also collecting his due from Canton, earning top dollar as Shade’s Second-In-Command. It was time to do a little traveling. Europe was calling his name and after that damn fiasco Maximus had tried to pull off, he was more than ready to move on. Medici had this well in hand, and Tomas knew nothing else was coming from Maximus. He seemed to have completely disappeared off the face of the earth. Tomas had no idea where he was and could care less. He’d left without his little blonde honey hole, and Tomas was damn sure Maximus was hiding someplace with his tail between his legs, pining for the rich, highbrow whore who he’d failed to win. But what did he care? Tomas had played his part and had his money, and it was time to move on.
“Welcome back. Good to see you home. Congratulations on your mating. We need to talk, and now is as good a time as any.”
Shade looked him over. Tomas looked well rested. It was obvious things had been quiet in Shade’s absence. “Grazie, Tomas. Appreciate your work while I was abroad. What’s on your mind, brother?”
Tomas took a long drag of his cigarette and turned his eyes to the Medici. “There’s nothing going down here. No action anywhere. Since the disposal of Angel, we can’t even find a damn vampire in this town that’s not Medici or employed by Canton. I’m done here. I’m moving on. I gave it some time for your return. Owed you that much. But it’s time for me to move on to the next job.”
Shade had been expecting this, so he wasn’t surprised. With no action, vampires like Tomas didn’t stay long. “If anyone understands, it is me, Tomas. The call of the mercenary is one that sings in the blood. Being idle is not exactly something this warrior handles well, either.” They both chuckled lightly. “I have no problems with you taking off. You’ve done well, you leave in good standing, and I’ll be sure to tell Alec the same. Any business you need to finish up with either of us?”
Tomas knew Shade had no idea he’d been the inside man for Maximus, and he’d walk away with no one the wiser. Canton and Medici had no clue of the evil he’d helped pull off, and if Cuerpo had been successful, neither one of them would be alive. But even well laid plans get fucked up, and that fucking red-haired mate of his took out the evilest vamp around. It was time Tomas disappeared before anything came to light, like the fact Cuerpo wasn’t Angel. Tomas doubted Max would ever divulge that bit of info. It was certainly to Max’s advantage no one knew he was Angel, especially since his tactic failed.
“Canton’s paid up. Your boys have things covered. Alec’s original warriors are gone, except for Skelk. Your warriors are out there tonight, grids haven’t changed. I leave with what I came with. I’ll leave it up to you to tell Canton. I have no more business with him.”
Shade took the last drag off his cigarette and stomped it out under his booted foot. “Then get your ass moving, Tomas, I know you are more than ready to head out of here. You know how to find me if you need anything. I’ll tell Alec, not a problem. Appreciate everything you have done here.”
As Tomas nodded, they fist bumped and pounded each other’s backs. Tomas took off into the night as Shade returned to the Dead House. Damn, he had a few loose ends to finish up before he could jump into the new warrior camp full force, and he needed to get them in line before he called Alec to let him know he was back and Tomas was gone. For one thing, he was going to need a new SIC for the Dead House. It was time to call his warriors off the streets for the night. He let Marcello know he was here and to round them up and get their asses back to the Dead House.
It didn’t take long before Shade could hear them teleporting in on the ground floor and heard the familiar, yet comforting, sound of pounding boots on the metal steps leading up to his command center. As they strolled in, each one took their turn fist bumping their master. There was a lot of back slapping and ribbing, and his warriors felt comfortable and relaxed.
“Take a seat, you bone-heads. Good to be back. Your queen is well and happy. I heard you bunch have been slack, with nothing more to do than piss away the nights in D.C. But for what it is worth, this is good news. Nothing is stirring up the territory. A few things I need to go over with you and then we can call it a night. The rules are not changing. We remain on watch. We keep the grids the same until further notice. Tomas has stepped down as SIC and is already gone, with my blessing.”
Shade looked at Skelk and nodded to him. “Skelk, you’re the only one left not officially one of my boys, but in my opinion, you have proven yourself invaluable to our efforts here. If you are agreeable, then I would welcome you into the Medici, put you permanently on the payroll and offer you accommodations at Bel Rosso. And with it, comes my protection as your master and your allegiance to my coven.”
Skelk nodded his approval. Shade carefully eyed his warriors for their reaction to his announcement and was pleased when they nodded their acceptance.
“Excellent. Gather whatever you need and head out with the rest and Marcello will get you settled in. My mate has informed me our camp is ready for business. This is a dream come true for me, and a great beginning for Medici here in the States. I plan to hold an official meeting with everyone within the next week or so. Attendance is mandatory. Each one of you is here because I want you here, but I will give you options. If this isn’t where y
ou want to be, tell me before the meeting. No judgment is being made. I want warriors who will step up. This will be no walk in the park, so don’t let the luxury your queen has provided you, fool your asses. I will demand one-hundred and ten percent, if not more. Now, get back to Bel Rosso and rest up.”
Shade watched them scatter, their mouths running a mile a minute with plans. He was pleased knowing for each of them, this was a great opportunity to make something more of themselves. “Marcello, have a seat, I need to speak with you alone.”
Marcello hoped this was good news. He’d worked hard while here and knew of all the Medici warriors in the States, his skills and leadership abilities were the most advanced. Marcello walked to the huge desk covered in papers, maps, and grids. He pulled out a chair, spinning it around backwards and sat down, propping his arms on the back of the chair. Shade plopped his large frame down in the worn leather office chair.
“Welcome home, master. Is everything good?”
“Couldn’t be better. Bel’s feeding is under control. My horses are in fine shape and the new camp is ready to roll. Few things need some finishing touches, but we are ready. Which brings me to why I asked you to stay behind, I need your opinion on a few things. You’re my main warrior here, Marcello, you see it all, interact with the other warriors and they come to you with their needs. With Tomas stepping out, we have a vacancy. I need a SIC here in the Dead House. I want to spend as much time as I can at the camp, close to home and concentrate on building our ranks here in the States. I want this camp to be as big, if not bigger, than Florence. This is going to be permanent. I have Marco running Florence, but I will need help here at this new camp as well. I’m counting on you to step it up a lot more. Responsibilities are going to lay heavy on your head. I have no doubts you can handle this. You ready for that?”