The Medici Queen

by Emily Bex

  His needs could be met by the female feeders, and he did what was necessary to survive, but when it came to sexual gratification, he found the females sorely lacking. His new assignment as SIC of the Dead House gave him little time lately to do as he pleased, and that was getting under his skin. It didn’t help he’d met that hot, delicious French pastry Mica, and his appetite was raging for release.

  Dressed to kill in black leathers, his hair down, he knew he’d attract just what he was looking for. Raven added black kohl eyeliner around his already dark eyes. He slapped on a hat, added some bling, and checked himself in the mirror. He had a ring on every finger of both hands, and chains around his neck. He glanced one more time in the full-length mirror and he was ready to roll. He had no intentions of coming home until he got exactly what he wanted, which involved alcohol, dancing, feeding, and a hot body to soothe his inner beast.

  Walking into ZS’s, the club was dark, the only lights creating a strobe effect in sync with the pounding music. The club was crowded and offered a buffet of trouble, just how he liked it. Taking in his surroundings, Raven stood on the edge of the crowd, noting the number of immortals that were mingling with the humans. He walked to the bar and ordered a Midnight. He was still new here, and he was taking stock of his surroundings before he made a move. Growing up on the streets of Florence, poor and abused, taught him many lessons and he was well indoctrinated on the protocol in the clubs. He still couldn’t forget his station, his position as SIC to the master. He was young and boss-man had entrusted him with a lot of responsibility. He’d come far in his short life with Medici and he wasn’t about to throw it all away over a piece of ass with a huge cock.

  He grinned, as he recalled the teasing his brothers were always throwing at him. They knew he was different, but they also knew in a battle he’d always have their backs.

  Deep inside, he craved someone of his own, someone who’d feed from him. The loneliness and hardships of his life on the streets never left him, even though he was now part of a brotherhood that loved him. He wondered if he’d ever find the intimacy or the connection he saw the mated immortals enjoy.

  He took a drink of the thick wine and shook his head. That was enough of those thoughts. That wasn’t what he‘d come here for tonight. His eyes were glued to the one male pole dancer who was giving a show. Raven was pretty damn sure this guy made his living by dancing, and whatever followed after hours. His style was unique, but Raven knew he could make this dude look like an amateur on that pole.

  He felt a warm body slide up behind him, close and tight, a hard cock rubbing against his tight leather pants. "Good to see you again gorgeous. That pole has your name written all over it. Want to give it a try?"

  Raven felt his heart race. Closing his eyes, he took in the scent of the male behind him. It was the dancer who’d approached him the first night he walked into ZS. Raven moved his ass against the male and felt him breathing heavy on his neck. All he wanted was to dance and feel that hard oiled body sliding over him.

  Without saying a word, Raven took his hand and led him to a pole in the center of the dance floor. Raven grabbed a chair and shoved the male dancer into it. Leaning down, he kissed him on the lips, before letting his tongue slide down the sweet pulsing vein in the dancer’s neck, as a moan escaped him. He was going to have this fine piece of ass before he went back to camp tonight. He needed a release!

  Raven shrugged off his jacket, tossing it to the male and then lifted the hat from his head, placing it on the dancer’s head, winking at him. Already they were getting some attention from the crowd.

  Raven strutted to the pole, ripping his shirt off and flinging it at the gathering crowd of males who were curious now about what this immortal could do on a pole. Raven crouched on his haunches, the pole to his back. It seemed as though the world had stopped, and the spotlight was on him, he wasn’t about to disappoint. He slithered his back up the pole into a standing position, undulating his hips, his eyes locked on the man sitting in the chair in front of him.

  The music started and what came next was a floor show like none they’d ever seen, or ever would again. He worked that pole, made love to it, his strength allowing him to make moves that looked almost impossible to the mortals in the room. Raven let himself disappear into the music, let his body translate his aching need, and every eye in the club was on him. He used the pole from top to bottom, climbing, sliding, undulating, and moving his body to the beat of the electronic house mix. When he was done and the music stopped, he glided to the floor, crawling like a snake, slinking to the male in the chair.

  The male dancer’s eyes were glazed over, focused on Raven and that’s right where Raven wanted him. Raven took his hand and led him away from the now cheering and over-stimulated crowd. They walked to the back of the club and slid into a secluded booth where Raven’s beast was rewarded and he took until his sexual appetite was sated and his hunger gone. Raven fed like a starved animal, but he was careful to make sure he didn’t drain him.

  The man’s eyes were already drooping with soppy intentions, hoping to stake a claim on Raven. "What is your name?"

  As the male asked, Raven took his face in his hands. "Welcome to Raven's world."

  The male had yet to realize he’d remember nothing of this night, except the hot, long haired beauty that made love to a pole like it was human. "When will I see you again?"

  Raven laid his hand on his forehead, erasing the memories of the intense sexual gratification they’d both shared. "When you see me."

  Teleporting out, Raven had finally satisfied the need he’d waited five months for, since being in the States, the need to escape the warrior world and be who he was.

  86

  Marcello walked down Rugby Road in Charlottesville. It was early fall and the fraternities were going at it full speed. The University of Virginia was starting a new school year, and as Marcello walked along the cracked sidewalks, there were females in every size, shape, and color he could ever imagine. He stood outside one of the stately old houses, watching the activity as the young students came and went, enjoying their first taste of freedom from parental controls. Most of them had been drinking, and that would only make his job easier. Fuck, he loved the states. The females here were friendly, open, and generally trusting. They were drawn to him like flies on honey.

  Marcello had rock star good looks. His brown hair streaked with blonde hung to his shoulders, his skin tan, his eyes a brilliant blue surrounded by lashes any girl would die for. He stood tall, and buff, but not overly muscular like some of his brothers. He dressed in jeans, torn at the knees, and a t-shirt featuring a local band. His attire would allow him to blend in with the throng of other male students, but his intensely good looks would always make him stand out in a crowd.

  He enjoyed having the feeder compound close to the barracks, it was convenient and pleasurable, but nothing replaced the thrill of the hunt. He loved being SIC of the Warrior Camp but there came a time, when a warrior needed to bust loose, walk away from all his responsibilities and see what was on the outside. He’d spent a lot of time in D.C. checking out the area when he was assigned to the Dead House. There was a big club scene in the District, and the Georgetown campus was close, but he found he preferred this small town setting with its dense concentration of students. He chuckled to himself at the unfair advantage he had, like shooting fish in a barrel.

  Marcello pushed his way through the throng of people crowded around the doorway of the frat house, into a room of young people dancing to the loud pounding music. He immediately picked up the scent of other vampires in the place and he was on full alert. His eyes scanned the crowd and it didn’t take long to single them out. He pushed through the crowd, using his elbows as he made his way to a spot where he could easily see all the action. He stood quietly and observed, as the two vamp warriors were talking up some females across the room. He kept his eyes on them and knew they were definitely aware of his presence as well.

  Marcello never lo
st sight of the fact they sat in the middle of another master’s territory, but he’d never encountered warriors from Max’s coven before. He sure as hell didn’t want an altercation right in the middle of campus, and so close to Bel Rosso. Shade would kill him if he did anything that exposed their coven or put them at risk. Marcello knew there’d been no problem between the two masters. But he also knew warriors were extremely territorial and protected their own at any cost. He leaned against a makeshift bar, where the young people were making a sport of emptying a keg of beer, and wished he had a Midnight about now. He slid his hand into his pocket and withdrew a pack of cigarettes. He noticed no one else was smoking, as he lit up and made eye contact with one of the vamps from the rival coven. The two rivals exchanged words and casually made their way in Marcello’s direction. His weapons were well hidden but easily accessed, but this was the last place he wanted to fight. Cazzo, all he’d wanted was a night to relax and feed!

  ***

  Tyler and Haden were chatting up the new freshmen who’d been doing shots and drinking beer, taking advantage of their new found freedom. Early fall on the UVA campus was easy pickings for them, but their instructions from Max were clear. They could hunt, feed, and fuck, but be sure to wipe their memories, and this was a strict no-kill zone. Avoid conflict at all cost. The two of them had been hunting here for years, and never left hungry, but tonight they detected the presence of a new vamp and they were on high alert. They were aware of the Medici's estate in the middle of Max's territory, but Shade Medici had kept a tight rein on his warriors and neither Tyler nor Haden had ever encountered any of them in town before.

  Tyler smiled at the drunken girls. "Excuse us a minute, ladies, I think we see an old friend. Don't go anywhere." The girls giggled and assured him they'd be waiting.

  Tyler turned to Haden. "Over near the bar, where those guys are playing beer pong, must be one of Medici's. Stay cool brother, but watch my back. We don't want any trouble."

  The two walked through the crowd, making their way to where Marcello stood. Tyler never took his eyes off Marcello, and Marcello had him locked in a stare as they sized each other up. Tyler approached with caution, raising his hand to fist bump the new vampire.

  "Brother? I'm Tyler. This is Haden. Are you new around here?"

  Marcello returned the fist-bump. "Medici. Is this your usual hunting ground?" He could feel their curiosity. They already knew where he hailed from. His accent was a dead giveaway. He also knew they were on full alert, just as he was.

  Tyler looked him up and down, they were about equal in size, but he wanted no fight, and certainly not in the middle of the campus. Max would have their heads. "I’d say this is one of our more lucrative hunting grounds. Easy pickings. And enough to go around if you’re planning on hunting here. No reason to battle. It's a large campus and a lot of fraternities. In addition to the female students, you have the townies, trying to crash the frat parties. The townies tend to be on the young side and you’ll learn to spot them. Max wants us to keep it clean. Not draw any negative attention. Don't go after any girls who aren't showing interest. Wipe their memories. Don't let them feed from us, and absolutely no-kill. You got a problem with those rules?"

  Marcello shook his head. "It sounds like we have the same rules, so I don’t see a problem. Name is Marcello, by the way.”

  Haden spoke up, "We know about the Medici's. You're just the first one we've seen. We have no quarrel with you being here. Like Tyler said, there’s more than enough to go around, but Max doesn't want us to do anything that will draw negative attention from the mortals. Hence the rules. You follow the rules and we got no problem.”

  Marcello took a drag from his cigarette, acknowledging their comments. “And what the hell are townies?”

  Tyler boldly claimed his territory by removing the pack of cigarettes from Marcello’s pocket and lighting up, handing the pack back to Marcello. “Townies? They’re the local girls who are still in high school, sneaking into the party. They're usually underage and easy pickings, but Max says hands off."

  Marcello leaned against the bar facing the throng, unphased by Tyler’s brashness. "Our master also insists we not prey on mortals who are under age, or who don’t show an interest. Sounds like Medici has the same rules of etiquette as you."

  His eyes caught a beautiful dark haired beauty who’d been dancing alone, clearly trying to draw his attention. She winked at him, and he knew she could easily be his entertainment for the evening. "Someone is calling my name. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll mingle. Nice meeting you."

  Fist bumping them, he turned his back on the rivals and walked away. He knew for sure their eyes would be following his every move all night long.

  87

  Sitting at the command center in the Dead House, Raven reworked the roster for the upcoming week, as he pulled in a few of the new recruits to work with his experienced warriors. The recruits needed some street time before the wedding. He’d worked with boss-man to determine which of the new recruits were ready for the challenge to begin rotating through D.C., and who’d be staying at Bel Rosso to provide protection. They needed every warrior, old or new, and it was Raven's responsibility to get them ready. Tonight, he’d brought Aislynn with him. She was his first pick of the new recruits and she seemed eager to learn, but Raven had no intentions of making this easy for her.

  As Aislynn sat beside him, he went over the grids, explaining how they were being covered and who he’d assigned in each sector. He pointed out key hot spots for immortal activity, highlighting the clubs. "Any questions?"

  She looked closely at all the screens, memorizing them instantly and smiled at Raven. "No problem, I’m familiar with the D.C. area, remember I’m from the States. So, I’m hoping I can learn faster than some of the others."

  Raven lit up a smoke and sat on the edge of the huge table that held all the monitors and security equipment. "Big hopes and dreams. That’s a positive, but don’t become too relaxed out there because you think you know the area. It can become disorienting when you’re working the rooftops, teleporting from one building to another. This is no game, sister. And you need to use every skill you have. Keep your wits about you, use your gifts, and hone them. This wedding will be huge, and if anything goes wrong, I’m losing my job and my ass along with it. I’m not going back to Florence. I intend to make sure every warrior out here, under my command, knows their shit!"

  Theo walked in as Raven was lecturing the new female warrior. He stood casually in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, listening. He eyed her up, she was small and young, but he’d heard enough good things about her. Her hair was pulled back in a long braid down her back, a red leather strap braided intricately throughout her black hair. Theo was more than glad she wasn’t one of the females that had dyed their hair red to look like their queen. Every female he’d seen lately was wearing her hair red, in honor of the queen, but there wasn’t a damn one of them could match the unique color of the queen’s crimson locks. Aislynn’s body was fit. Her slender, yet muscular frame, looked poured into those black leathers she was wearing, clearly more of Cory’s work. She was pretty to look at, but he knew the rules when it came to a sister in arms. She was off limits, but if he could, he’d surely go there.

  She was making a good name for herself. She could handle a crossbow like a true warrior, and he’d heard she was equally good with other weapons. Master had his eye on her too. He knew if master chose to personally move your ass up the line, and give you pointers, you’d better take it and run with it. Few ever caught his eye in the hundreds of Medici warriors that served him.

  Raven finally shut his trap and looked over at Theo, flipping him the bird. Theo returned the favor with a laugh. "So, what’s the plan for the night, bro?"

  Raven could read Theo's thoughts plain enough. "The plan is for you to keep your beast in your pants, off limits, brother. This is Aislynn, new recruit right out of camp. I’m working with her tonight and leaving you at the command
center. I want her to get a feel for what goes down on the club scene, Grid 7. Let her see the number of immortals that hang out there, who hunts there."

  Fist bumping Theo, he looked over at Aislynn. "This is Theo, he’s from Florence. Harmless basically, I’m still trying to break him of thinking with his dick instead of his brain, but we’re still in the early stages!"

  Aislynn stood up and watched, as the two men laughed at their own jokes. She was used to their antics now. It was constant at the camp. "I’m looking forward to getting out there."

  Theo shook his shaggy shoulder-length mane. "Oh, I’m sure you are, sister, but you haven’t seen the creatures that roll out of this place at night. But you will soon enough.”

  Raven issued her instructions. ”Grab some weapons. Load up on shurikens, sword, no crossbow tonight. I’m going to take that away from you. You need to learn to defend without the safety of your favorite weapon. Best way to learn how to use the other weapons. Let’s roll, sister!"

  They headed out, Theo staying behind in the command center, recording any kills, and remaining in communication with every warrior on the street.

  It was close to midnight and Raven and Aislynn had been keeping a close eye on Grid 7. The clubs and bars were thick in this grid, and the party people were out in droves this Friday night, seeking sex, alcohol, and drugs.

  Raven took Aislynn to the rooftops and let his other warriors stay ground level. They’d checked a lot of the surrounding grids, all by teleporting on the rooftops. Raven pointed out to her how to keep track of her surroundings. He was impressed with her skills, and how quickly she learned. He was beginning to see what Shade saw in this one. She had the basic skills and aptitude, now she just needed the experience and training to become a Medici warrior. As they kept watch over their grid, Aislynn loved the experience of being on the rooftops. She realized from this vantage point she could do a lot of damage with most any weapon.