The Medici Queen

by Emily Bex

  She listened carefully and followed Raven’s direction. She was discovering the fun-loving prankster she saw around the camp, was quite different from the serious and deadly warrior who was at her side when he was on duty.

  Raven nudged her, and held his finger to his lips, a signal for her to be quiet. He pointed to the left, whispering to her, and giving her instructions. ”Vamps in the area. I just pointed out their location in general. Tell me if you can see them."

  Aislynn focused her attention, all her senses tuned to the activity on the ground. One club had a large crowd milling outside. She spotted their own Medici warriors immediately, mingling among the crowd. It took her a few seconds, but then she caught the scent of the intruders. "There are three of them, they were together, but now I can see them splitting up."

  Raven punched her lightly on the arm. "Good eye! Watch their behavior. They seem pretty loud. If they were hunting, they’d not be this obnoxious. They don’t seem to have a plan. It’s usually easy to identify which mortal they’ve singled out as their prey, if they’ve chosen someone to feed from. But the behavior of these three seems pretty random, disorganized."

  Aislynn kept a close eye on them. “They look like they’ve had too much Midnight. They’re too loud, drawing attention to themselves instead of blending in.”

  As they watched, Raven lost track of one of the vamps and telepathically let one of the Medici warriors on the ground know. Then things started to happen quickly. Four more vamps appeared from inside the club, all of them way out of control and causing a scene.

  Raven knew this had to be nipped in the bud before the mortals began to suspect something was wrong. And something was wrong, and he was pretty damn sure Aislynn had hit the nail on the head. They were drunk or on something even more volatile, and this could mean trouble. Thinking on his feet, he instructed the warriors to create a barricade between the vamps and the mortals.

  The warriors on the ground slowly pushed the vamps to the outside perimeter of the crowd, getting them alone, and taking them out one on one. Working a mixed crowd was nearly impossible, but it was a scenario the Medici warriors were trained for, and they were expert at getting their targets isolated.

  Aislynn and Raven watched from the roof as the warriors moved the vamps to the outside of the crowd without being noticed, taking them down. There was no use of weapons, and to any mortal bystander, it looked as if they were throwing their arms around a drunken friend’s shoulders. The Medici warriors would walk them quickly into a dark recess or slip into an alley and snap their necks. But something was wrong. It was never this easy. The vamps were definitely on something.

  Aislynn's eye caught one vamp that’d slipped free and was now following a small group of young mortal females. The Medici’s had no issue with vamps feeding on mortals, as long as the deed was done in such a manner that didn’t draw attention to the vamps or leave evidence of what had occurred. These vamps were reckless and irresponsible, risking exposure.

  She nudged Raven and pointed them out. The females were taking a side street to another club and they were approaching an intersection. The mortals had wandered away from the crowd and if the vamp was going to make a move, this would be the place to do it. Aislynn knew if she was going to prove herself, it was now or never. "Let me take him."

  Raven smiled at her. "Show me what you can do. We’ve got your back.” He telepathically let his warrior know this one was on Aislynn, but stay close in case she had any problems.

  Aislynn teleported into the alley between the vamp and the group of females. Slowly unzipping her top, she exposed a bit more cleavage for the vamp, attracting him closer to her. The rogue caught her scent and growled, signaling his sexual arousal. Aislynn lured him in.

  "Those mortals won’t give you what you need, but this immortal can. Hungry?"

  Raven had tuned into her, so he could hear their conversation. He knew Fee used her feminine ways to lure an enemy in, but he’d never seen her in action. He watched as Aislynn pulled it off with ease. The vamp moved slowly up to Aislynn, his fangs punched through as he nuzzled into her neck.

  The rogue whispered to her, his words slurred, "You want some good stuff to help you feel good first?"

  Aislynn knew something had been off with their actions. Turns out, it wasn’t Midnight but drugs. “Sure. What have you got?"

  The vamp slipped his hand inside his jacket for the drugs when Aislynn stuck the knife straight into his heart. Raven dropped from the rooftop and put his arm around the vamp and dragged him off, the whole thing over in seconds.

  Raven quickly gave orders to transport the bodies, getting them back to the Dead House to be disposed of in the enclosed courtyard to wait for the morning light.

  "Aislynn, get back to the Dead House, now."

  Aislynn didn’t blink, but quickly teleported with Raven back to the Dead House. She felt nervous but invigorated and wasn’t sure if she was going to get interrogated or praised.

  As they entered the Dead House, Raven quickly gave orders for Theo to go out and help the crew get the dead vamps off the streets. He motioned for Aislynn to take a seat, as he sat in front of the computer and recorded the kills and the location, while it was fresh in his mind. He could feel her nervousness. Turning to her, he lit up a smoke and sat there looking at her.

  Aislynn shrugged. "Speak, I can tell you have a lot to say. Just tell it like it is, just because I’m female don’t go easy on me."

  Raven laughed. "Oh, I had no intention of making anything easy, but you sure made that kill look easy."

  Aislynn chose her words carefully. "Look, Raven, you told me to use all my skills. Using my femininity is one of them. It distracted him, he was high on drugs. It wasn’t hard to do. Lure him in, take him down."

  Raven listened. "What drugs was he on? Because I’ve seen vamps on drugs and they act the complete opposite of what I was seeing tonight.”

  Aislynn said she wasn’t sure, but maybe they could get the bag off the vamp and have it analyzed. “It made them slow. That makes no sense to me, because clearly, it just makes them easier to take out.”

  Raven nodded at her. “You did great tonight. I’ll talk to boss-man about it, fill him in and let him know how it went down. Those vamps were not warriors, for sure. No warrior would be that stupid. Easy targets."

  Aislynn went off to clean her weapons and left Raven to his thoughts. She wanted to be recognized as a Medici warrior, to be the best, and to belong here. These males could teach her so much and she’d learned one thing tonight. They’d give her a chance, but she’d better make the best of it. She had her first kill. She just hoped it was good enough.

  88

  Shade woke to the sound of the blinds rolling up for the coming night. There were several messages on his cell, all from Raven. He showered, and watched as Kate took on her projects for the night before he settled into his study. He called for Raven to meet him in his office.

  Shade grunted as Raven teleported inside the study, kid never uses the damn door. He nodded to the chair opposite his desk as Raven gave him a shit eating grin.

  "You called, master?"

  "Sometimes, I truly wonder what in the hell I ever saw in you."

  Raven flopped down in the chair like he owned the place and grinned. "You saw style, character and speed, boss-man. Good eye, I might add."

  Shade shook his head in wonder. "Well, how about your stylish ass gives me a rundown of what happened in D.C. last night. That might be a good place to start." Shade leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers, his elbows propped on the arms of the chair.

  Raven knew he meant business, so he settled in and went over the details, knowing the questions would follow, once he was done going over the play-by-play of events. Shade nodded and ran his fingers through his hair.

  "So, you let Aislynn take the kill. That’s good. You had enough backup if there was a problem. And you thought it was necessary to take out the other seven?”

  Raven crossed one l
eg over the other and fiddled aimlessly with the shoelace on his boot. "They were causing a scene. You can’t take out one and let the others live to tell the tale. Besides, they were drawing attention to themselves. They were all loaded up on street drugs. The dead were taken to the courtyard, laid out for the sun. No one will ever find them."

  Shade sat forward in his chair. He knew there was more drug use among the rogues in the larger cities. Every metro area attracted rogue vampires because of the easy feeding grounds the cities provided, plus the access to drugs.

  "We’ve seen the drugs before, but the only thing that concerns me is how many were together. Any ideas on that?"

  Raven shrugged. "Friday night in D.C. and you have to ask me that? Maybe you need to roll with us a few nights. You’ve forgotten what the big city is like. I can work you in on the schedule."

  Shade gave him a look. "One of these days, that smart-ass mouth of yours is going to get you in so deep your stylish bullshit will not work. I am just making a point that if we start seeing a huge influx beyond what is normal, we may have something more than a few gypsy rogues looking for a meal. I know it’s fairly normal here, and we have seen all kinds wandering through. Let’s make sure they keep on wandering. I approve of what you did, how you handled it. Just keep your wits about you and keep this as low profile as possible. I do not want to inform Alec we have another group moving in on his territory."

  Raven shook out his long hair. "Look, boss-man, this was no pack, they belonged to no coven. I don’t go around picking off vamps for no reason. We see enough of the scene to recognize a rogue. I’m telling you, these drugged-up vamps were drawing attention and heading for a conflict with the mortals. They needed to go down. I just did what you taught me to do. And besides, Master Alec likes me. He thinks I’m one of a kind!"

  Shade threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, you are one of a kind, all right." Shade stood and poured himself a Midnight.

  "Raven, I need you to do something for me. I hate to lose you for several nights at the Dead House, but I can’t let Marcello go right now. The California house is being converted into an inn. Reynaldo and Luciano are running it for me, along with your queen. Mica was just hired as the manager out there. But we have no warriors or protection. This place is going to take off fast. It will be inhabited with mortals staying the night, like a hotel. They will tour the vineyards, buy the damn wine, eat and be merry. So, I need you to figure out how many warriors we need to keep the property under control, who we should send out there and if we have space for their accommodations, or if I need to provide another building. You will need to work with Mica closely and I can see that won’t be a problem, I’m sure. You undressed him with your eyes when he was standing here."

  Raven jumped out of his chair and began pacing the floor, his body coming alive at the mention of this opportunity. He couldn’t believe it! He could spend time with Mica. And he’d be going where he’d always wanted to go, Cali-fucking-fornia! "Are you serious, or yanking my chain, boss-man?"

  Shade sighed. "Do I look like I’m yanking any damn thing? This is serious and I need you on it like yesterday!"

  Raven was ready to go this minute, fuck yeah, he was more than ready. "Then when can I leave?"

  Shade shoved the file across the desk at him. "Details are in there. Arrange the schedule for the coming week at the Dead House, put someone in charge. And I do mean someone who knows what is going down. And then get your ass out there."

  Raven picked up the file. "No problem, boss. I got this! Theo can handle the Dead House."

  Shade nodded his approval. "Theo is a good choice. Now get your ass out of here and send Aislynn over to see me."

  Raven was halfway out the door when he stopped and spun on his booted heels. "You aren’t taking her down for this, are you? She took that bastard out without a thought."

  Shade grinned. "Just do what I ask you, and we will be fine. You are doing a good job, so far. I’m adding a bit to your schedule, seeing what you can handle. And you let me worry about why I want to speak to Aislynn. Move!"

  As Raven teleported out, Shade hoped to hell he was doing the right thing by letting Raven loose in California. He gulped down his Midnight and refilled his glass.

  89

  Shade could feel Aislynn the moment she teleported inside the house. He turned to see her standing uncertainly in the doorway to the study. "Aislynn, please come in, have a seat."

  Aislynn felt her heart slamming inside her chest. If the master wished to see her, she knew she’d done something very wrong or very right. He rarely called the new warriors into his home. Sitting down, she tried to keep her nerves at bay. "I’m sorry I didn’t come immediately, Raven was trying to explain where to land inside the house. I’ve never been inside before."

  Shade smiled. "I am sure you have not. Please relax."

  Suddenly, Shade felt bel, and her anxiety level shot up about ten notches. He recognized his mate was aware there was a female in the house and she was alone with her mate. He’d not really given a second thought about having Aislynn come here, besides, Kate needed to understand this was business and nothing more.

  ***

  Kate was working upstairs with Theresa. They were modifying one of the guest bedrooms to permanently accommodate Theresa who’d move into the main house once the baby was born. Emma had already been selected to replace Theresa's old job as housekeeper once Theresa was promoted to the position of nanny, and Emma would be moving into Theresa's old room in the staff quarters.

  As Kate and Theresa worked out the details of the move, Kate picked up on the presence of a female vamp inside the house. She stopped what she was doing and stood still, honing her senses to the presence. She could feel Shade and the young female warrior, but no one else.

  Theresa looked up at her. "Is everything all right, my lady."

  Kate shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to clear the image from her mind. She was trying to pick up on who the female was. She knew it wasn’t Fiamma, but other than that, she couldn’t get a read. The female was nervous, and Kate felt her energy.

  "It's fine, Theresa... there's someone... Excuse me a moment."

  She headed for the door. Despite her best intentions, she couldn’t wipe the image of the female from her mind. She knew Shade's devotion to her. But as she neared the term of this pregnancy, she felt as big as a house, and it only exacerbated her insecurities.

  He spent every night in the camp with the new warriors, including the females, young, strong, slender, and toned. They were all tall and beautiful and looked like they’d been poured into those leathers Cory crafted for them. It made Kate even more conscious of the changes in her own body.

  Theresa sensed her tension and worry. "My lady, you know you have nothing to be concerned about. He worships you."

  "I know he does, and he shows me every day. I wish I didn't feel this insecurity. It’s my problem. I bring it on myself. He does nothing to deserve it. But I have to go downstairs."

  Theresa shook her head as Kate left the room and walked down the stairs, heading toward the study. She could hear their voices, as she approached the door and hoped he wouldn’t be mad at her intrusion. She stood in the doorway, seeing Aislynn, the tall brunette who wore her hair in the single braid down her back, seated across from Shade.

  "Lover? May I join you?"

  Aislynn's head snapped around when she heard her queen and she stood quickly, bowing to her. "Good evening, my lady."

  Shade smiled, he felt Kate’s insecurities, no matter how hard she tried. He feared nothing would ever get her past that fucking feeder incident Rissa had let loose on him. "Mi amore, please come in, you may always join me, you know this." Shade stood from behind the desk and moved to the sofa, making way for Kate to sit next to him. As Kate joined him, he nodded to Aislyn. "Please sit down.”

  Aislynn quickly sat down, her hands folded in her lap to keep them from shaking.

  "Bel, I asked to see Aislynn because, last night, she had her f
irst kill as a Medici. She was in D.C. with Raven, and I wanted to make sure she’s okay. See how she was affected out there in a real situation."

  Kate looked up at Aislynn with surprise. "Oh! Your first kill? I had no idea. Are you okay? I guess I assumed you’d killed many."

  Aislynn bowed her head slightly. "Yes, my lady, I’m fine. I’ve killed before, but I’m assuming master is asking because it’s my first kill as a Medici. It was nothing at all, really. I was well protected and had the backup of my brother warriors around me. Raven was teaching me some skills, working the rooftops. I learned some great tips. I’m hoping I’ll be a part of the warriors selected to protect D.C. for Master Alec’s wedding. I want to prove my worth here. I’m asking for no favors, no leniency."

  Kate was surprised by her nonchalance in her admission she’d killed before and that it came easy. She couldn’t imagine killing could ever come easy. She remembered being almost immobilized in her fear after killing Cuerpo. But she’d been mortal then. Would she feel different now? She hoped she’d never have to find out. But Aislynn's offhand comment reminded Kate that despite their domestic bliss, their home near the mountains, the stables filled with horses, and the rolling hills that produced the beautiful vineyards, Shade lived in a world of violence, as would her son, and she felt a shiver run through her. She turned to Shade, her hand lightly grazing his cheek. She felt shame over her insecurities. "You need to talk to Aislynn. Do you need privacy?"

  Shade felt her concern, and it bothered him. "Not necessary, mi amore."

  Moving his attention to Aislynn, he said, "I’ve spoken with Raven, you did well, Aislynn, I am pleased with the outcome. I have a few other questions I wish to speak to you about, but we can speak later at camp. I wish to have Fiamma in on that conversation as well, but I need nothing further tonight. Checking on your wellbeing is part of my job, understand that. I am responsible for all of my warriors and their actions, at all times. Go back to camp. I will be over after I’ve dealt with other business."