by Emily Bex
Marcello took in every single word. This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for since he’d arrived. Being SIC at the Dead House would be an easy job to fill since he’d assisted Tomas frequently. “I’m more than ready!” Marcello could feel his blood pumping in his veins.
Shade nodded his head, swinging his legs up on the desk, crossed his ankles and whipped open the top desk drawer to find a pack of cigarettes. Pulling out a smoke, he lit up and flipped the pack across the desk to Marcello. “That’s the answer I expected from a Medici Second-In-Command. But I want you to be my SIC out at the camp at Bel Rosso. You are far more valuable to me there than here. I need you to be in charge of operations, directly under me, recruiting and training new warriors. We have to walk hand in hand through this process, Marcello. You’re the best I have.”
Marcello heard an offer he wasn’t expecting. Second-In-Command of the new warrior camp? Fuck yeah! He stood from the chair and began to pace, his heart hammering in his chest. It was worth it, all the years he’d spent developing his skills on and off the field, and this was finally happening. “Did you just appoint me SIC to the warrior camp, master? Cazzo!”
Shade smiled to himself. Marcello was still young, but he’d prove himself even further and Shade had no intentions of making it easy.
“You going deaf now? Settle the fuck down, Marcello. Relax, you heard right. You have done well here, earned it. But I won’t make this a ride in the fucking park. This is no game, brother. I expect a hell of a lot from you. Prove to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt you can handle it and it will please me.”
Marcello tried to control his excitement but remained standing, lighting up a cigarette. “I got this, master. I can do it without question. I’m the warrior for the job. I won’t let you down. I was expecting, hell, I was expecting to be SIC here, not the camp!”
Shade chuckled. “Sit the hell down, you’re making me itchy. Look, there is no one else I even considered for the camp. But that leaves me with a vacancy here, so I need your opinion. Who can I have step into SIC here at the Dead House? I have more warriors coming in from Florence to handle the streets and some to help at the camp. So, whoever the hell I choose has to know D.C. like the back of his hand, be ready to train and familiarize the Florence warriors in a hurry. Any thoughts?”
Marcello quickly got his head back in the game and sat back down, straddling the chair. His hands were playing across the back of the chair, he couldn’t keep still. He was the fucking SIC of Medici Camp! “Two come to mind. My first choice would be Fee. She knows all the warriors back home, they respect her. It would be an honor as well, making her the first female SIC ever.”
Shade dropped his feet to the floor and shook his head. “Not going to happen. Not that I don’t want her here, but I have plans for her at the camp, brother. I’ll have female recruits coming in, and I’ll need a female to lead them. Only one I trust is Fiamma, and she’ll report directly to you. Who is your second choice?”
Marcello hesitated to tell him his second choice. Shade had had some issues with this particular warrior, and he was far from ordinary. He took a deep breath, looked Shade straight in the eye and said, “Raven.”
Shade threw back his head howling with laughter. “Cazzo! Your first duty as SIC is to give me someone who can command, and you give me Raven? Granted, that little punk is faster than a bullet, but he has a mouth to match. Hell, Marcello, are you serious? Explain to me why you would choose Raven? I cannot wait to hear this.”
Marcello shook his head, he knew Shade would have this reaction and now he had to defend his choice. “He’s changed, and for the better. Granted, he has a flare for the dramatic. Still does, but he wouldn’t be Raven if he didn’t. He’s fast, faster than any of us. He can handle a weapon like a pro, and he can sometimes go places we can’t because of his size. His dedication to Medici is solid. He belongs here. He fits in here much better than he did in Florence. He was a great help in getting Cory set up when he first came to Florence. If it weren’t for him, the brothers wouldn’t have given Cory a fighting chance with his leather skills. Now, they can’t live without Cory. Cory is close with Raven too, and Raven has taken him under his wing. Look, if you have brothers coming in from Florence, this would be a good opportunity for Raven. He trains more now. Has his head in the game. Everyone loves the crazy bastard. He knows this city like the back of his hand. Hell, he can cover it faster than any of us. Give him a chance, make him work for it. If he doesn’t cut it, send him back to Florence. Trust me when I tell you, he’ll do anything not to go back. He won’t disappoint. It’s up to you, of course, but I don’t see anyone else that can come close to accomplishing this job at the Dead House.”
Shade liked the argument Marcello made. And Raven helping Cory? That sent a good feeling through him. Marcello made some good points. Shade knew he had to decide soon so they could step in and free his time for the camp. This meant he needed to sit down with Raven and talk things through. The kid needed to know what would be expected of him.
“So, Raven it is then. I’m putting my trust in you on this one, Marcello. I’ll talk with Raven, get a feel for him, see how he responds to the proposition. In the meantime, until we have the camp meeting, I want no one to know what we’ve discussed. Keep the SIC position to yourself. I’ll announce it at the meeting, along with whoever is chosen for SIC here at the Dead House. Otherwise, things go on as they have been.”
Shade fist bumped Marcello and gave him a fatherly hug. “Get your ass home. Congratulations. You earned it, brother. I’ll be back at Bel Rosso in a while. I have a few calls to make. Move!”
Marcello had one big ass grin on his face as he sauntered out of the room, his head held high.
12
Kate returned to their bedroom to find Theresa already unpacking their clothes and sorting things for the laundry. When Kate began to help, Theresa dismissed her, "I've got this, my lady, I'm almost finished here."
Kate headed downstairs to find Gi bustling around the house, opening windows to air it out, letting in the early summer breeze. Luca's door was open, and she could see him unpacking and sorting through his clothes as well. Everyone had something to do, except her. Kate laughed to herself, what exactly do queen's do, anyway?
She’d give Shannon a call, but she was sure, at this late hour, Shannon was asleep by now, her luggage left on the floor until tomorrow. Kate plopped on the sofa in the living room, watching as the drapes blew gently in the night breeze, the air fresh and clean. She picked up the scent of Aegis, and knew the wolf was close by. She smiled to herself, wondering what the heck she was supposed to do with a pet wolf. She scrolled through her cell phone, looking at contacts, deleting the names of the mortals, a symbolic motion as she deleted them from her life. She saw Rissa's name and paused. Kate was still confused by the cold-shoulder she received in Florence. Kate had gone out of her way to make sure she and Alec had been made to feel welcome there. She had hand-picked the room for them to stay in. Assigned a private butler and maid, made sure she had fresh flowers daily. Not because she felt particularly close to Rissa, they had never been close, but maintaining this relationship was important to Shade. She hesitated briefly, then hit dial.
When her cell phone buzzed, Rissa picked it up on the second ring without looking at the caller, her head buried in plans for the wedding. "Larissa."
"Rissa, hi, this is Kate. I was just checking on you. Making sure you both got home okay, and everything went well in Florence. I know I didn't have a lot of time to spend with anyone, but when I saw you at the reception, you seemed...distracted. Is everything okay?"
Rissa heard the bitch’s voice and she growled under her breath. Okay? Is she fucking serious? Like Kate cares what the hell I think! "Kate, or should I say, your majesty? I’m fine, lovely event, we’re both fine. Actually, I’m not fine, but why would you care? You can’t possibly be pining for a thing. Or are you calling me to rub it in?"
Kate felt blindsided. "Excuse me? Rub what in? Of co
urse, I care. And no, I don't pine for anything, but neither do you. I don't understand. What exactly do I have to 'rub in'?"
Rissa stood tall, her hand on her hip. "Don’t you dare play the naive fool. You chased that warrior so you could own all of fucking Florence, and when that wasn’t enough, you stole my Paris house. It was mine! But you had to be some badass hero and ask for my house on the Champs Elysees. It’s worth a fortune! So, don’t you dare act the innocent." Rissa was seething as she paced her office floor, wearing the rich carpet thin.
Kate stood up from the sofa. "What are you talking about? I don't own a house in Paris. And owning Florence? You know I don't really own anything in Florence, any more than you own D.C. The coven in Florence is under Shade, and you know, without him, I’m nothing. I felt the same disdain from the masters as you did, they’ll never have the same respect for me as a turned mortal. I don't understand where this is coming from, Rissa. Are you angry that I fell in love with a vampire? If not for you, I doubt I would have met him."
"What am I talking about?" Rissa was livid and kicked the chair across the room. Oh, you are not going to play the high and mighty bitch with me, sister! "Oh please, Kate, you are Queen of Medici now. Alec is a master, not royalty. Use that pea brain in your head! Do you think, for one second, they care you were mortal once? Who in their right mind is going to say one cross word to that big-ass warrior? Seriously, grow up! Alec gave you my house is Paris. You killed some damn vampire assassin and as a prize, you get my house in Paris! I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you. And for the record, I told you to stay the hell away from him."
By this point, Rissa was screaming in the phone and she no longer cared. Alec wasn’t around, and a good thing too because she was letting it all loose on this bitch, and it was about time she knew the score.
Kate was fuming. She couldn’t believe Rissa was jealous about her relationship with Shade. She remembered all too well that Rissa told her to stay away. And all this time, she thought it was Rissa's concern about her. She should have known it was all about Rissa!
Kate took a deep breath. Shade still worked for Alec, and she needed to get a grip on her emotions. "Rissa, I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. If there’s a house in Paris...something that was given to me..."
She had a flash of memory, a conversation with Shade, something about a reward for killing Cuerpo. Was that it? "Rissa... Oh my god, is this that thing over Cuerpo? Shade said there would be some reward, but I’ve been given nothing. If the reward is your house, I’ll talk to him. I’ll speak to Shade."
Rissa scoffed. "Speak to him? It’s a master’s deal.”
Jacks heard the commotion and stepped out into the hall and heard a ruckus coming from Rissa’s office. She didn’t sense any danger, but something had blondie out of sorts. Knocking on the door, she waited for Rissa to answer. "Rissa, is everything okay?"
Rissa heard the knock on her door. It was the protector bitch from hell. Damn, she couldn’t even talk on her phone without her nosey ass interrupting her. "Hang on a moment. We’re not done, by any means!”
Walking to the door, Rissa opened it slightly to inform Jacks she was okay. If she didn’t make nice with Jacks, she’d pay hell with Alec later. "Fine, I’m fine. Get out! I’m on the phone."
Slamming the door shut, she paced back across the floor, the cell phone clenched in her fist.
Kate could hear the side conversation. "You have company? I'm sorry, I thought you were alone. We can continue this conversation another time, but Rissa, I'm not dropping this. I’ll talk to Shade when he gets home."
"Oh no you don’t! That was the protector bitch from hell your warrior so graciously sent to fuck my vampire to hell and back as soon as she walked in the door. Thank you so much for that little present as well. Shade couldn’t send a male? No, he sends one of the female whores from his harem to fuck my vampire right in the next room. In my own house! I owe you more than you could possibly know. Fuck! Everything is a damn mess in my life. I damn near lose my head from some rogue, then this bitch comes strolling in and decides she is taking over every second of my life and you come along taking my Paris house, become a damn queen and you wonder why the hell I’m emotional? No Kate, I’m not fine!"
Kate sat down hard on the sofa, letting Rissa's words sink in. Was she kidding? Was she goading her? All of Kate's fears and insecurities washed over her. She remembered meeting Jacks, the tall, dark-haired exotic beauty they interviewed for Rissa’s protector. Kate welcomed her to their home. Shade assured her the women warriors were just like any warrior, and he saw them no differently. And now Rissa was saying Jack's had sex with Alec? Only a few hours ago, Shade was telling her there would be female warriors here, and more of them when the new recruits arrived, and it was something she’d need to get used to. What exactly was she supposed to get used to? "Rissa, is that true? About Jacks?"
Rissa took a deep breath. "I’m sorry, Kate, I lost my temper. Too many things have been happening lately. I’ve had such a busy season planned, and then there’s the wedding. Alec is demanding it be perfect. But yes, it’s true. Why would I make something like that up? She lives in my house, in the next room. It’s like being in a cage. I can’t leave the house without her, and she’s on top of me every moment, even at home. And when Alec comes home, he doesn’t come to me, he goes straight to her room."
Kate buried her face in her hand, her emotions a combination of pain, anger, and jealousy. "Rissa, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I know we’ve had our differences, but right now, I’m speaking to you woman to woman. Get that bitch out of your house! I know it’ll be a fight, and trust me, I’ve had a few, but don't back down on this. Get her out. If you need a protector, insist on a male protector."
Rissa held the phone from her ear and stared at it. Kate was giving her advice? How precious. "Listen, Kate, I’m working on it, I’m hoping this damn rogue ordeal is over and if nothing more comes of it, I can convince Alec to get her the hell out and get me a male. God, he must be spending a fortune on that bitch. Damn whore! I want her out of my house and my life, out of Alec's life. Where the hell does Shade find these women? Do they all look like this? My god, does he fuck them all as well?"
Kate felt her fangs punch through as she stood again and started pacing, a low growl building from deep inside her. She tried to control the beast, but she’d never emerged in anger before. Rissa's taunt went to the very core of Kate’s insecurities. Kate wanted to scream at her, knowing it would only add fuel to the fire, but her anger was beyond being tamed.
"Rissa, Shade is not Alec... and I’m not you. I'm sorry the situation turned out as it did, and I can only give you the best advice I know. But I think it best we end this conversation before one of us says something we’ll regret."
Kate ended the call without waiting for a response, as she felt her beast emerge. She threw the phone against the fireplace as it smashed into pieces and her roar could be heard throughout the house. Luca was there immediately as Kate bursts through the French doors and out onto the back lawn. Aegis responded, circling her feet, growling, when the lone wolf was joined by her mate, an even larger black wolf. And then the mountain lion showed up.
Luca followed her outside, but stood dead still as the animals circled around her, snarling, teeth bared, all of them protecting her. Cazzo!
"Kate, tell me what's going on? I feel no danger here." Other than these three beasts that want to rip my throat out.
Kate glared back at him, her eyes glowed red in the night, her fangs bared. What the fuck set her off? There’s no one here. Luca felt his own beast emerge as his instincts to protect her took over. He growled back at the three animals that circled her feet, and watched as they all flattened their ears, snarling and growling, and lowered their bodies to the ground, ready to pounce. “Master!”
***
Shade sat in the Dead House, all the warriors gone for the night and it was quiet. He made a few notes, knowing he needed to call Alec a
nd let him know he was back in town and Tomas had moved on to greener pastures. He also needed to let him know he owed the deed for the Paris property to his mate and he would deliver it. Suddenly, he was slammed hard with her intense anger and his beast immediately surfaced. "Bel!"
As he teleported out, Shade heard Luca’s call. He landed a few feet from bel and he couldn’t believe what he saw, two wolves and a mountain lion. His beast went ballistic and he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. All three animals were ready to attack, and Luca was crouched ready to take them on. Shade stood opposite her, fangs bared and eyes glowing, with the animals in between. “Luca, go! I need to talk her down. Get out of here. Now!”
As Luca disappeared, the animals crouched lower to the ground, and bel glared at him like she wanted to rip his ass apart. His voice was soft and low, and he was ready if the creatures attacked, but he realized they were protecting her. They were only agitated more by his beast. He tapped him down and it wasn’t easy facing his mate who was in full out beast mode. Shade felt his fangs retract and his eyes return to normal, he stood still, not moving a muscle.
"Bel, relax. Tell me what happened. I cannot get close to you. The creatures are protecting you, even from me. Look at me, mi amore. There is no danger."
Kate’s anger was out of control and she didn’t know how to reel it back. She was aware Aegis and her mate were circling at her feet and she saw the mountain lion join them. She knew they were there for her, to protect her. She took a few deep breaths, willing her heart to slow, pushing down her anger. As she did so, she felt her fangs retract and her eyes returned to normal.