by Emily Bex
131
Rissa and Alec returned from their short but restful honeymoon. Both of them quickly fell back into their daily routines. Santos had stacked all the mail for her, including the many cards and gifts that came pouring in, congratulating them on their nuptials.
It took Rissa several days to sort through everything and to get caught up with her schedule, but she was back at it, busy as ever and diving straight into work once again. She felt overjoyed with all the attention, as she was still the shining star of the social elite. She loved finding the paparazzi shots of the wedding, as well as some from their honeymoon still dominated the society pages of all the major newspapers and internet blog sites.
Santos had saved all the newspapers from the past week, and their wedding was given front page coverage on many of them. Not to mention, the photo of her and Alec, she in her gown and he in his tux, had made the cover of People magazine. Their wedding had been covered on the TV news as well as the celebrity news shows like Entertainment Tonight. Rissa couldn’t be more thrilled. The publicity would be great for both of them.
Her voicemail and email were both filled with requests from new clients, and she started the process of returning the inquiries and seeing which she’d accept. Her day was jam-packed. She finally got home close to 7:00 p.m., with Hyde escorting her inside, as always. Alec had yet to return from his office; he’d been just as busy trying to catch up as she was.
As Hyde helped her off with her coat, she ran for the stairs. "Hyde, please wait for me. Give me a half hour to change. I want to go out to Bel Rosso and ride Biondo! I’ve missed her so much!"
Hyde took a deep breath. Rissa wasn’t going anywhere near Bel Rosso and he needed to make sure she understood what was happening there. "Rissa, wait. There’s something we need to discuss."
He saw her stop on the stairs as she swung her head in his direction, staring at him, her face already reflecting her agitation. She sensed he was about to tell her there’d be a change of plans.
She came back down the stairs with her arms crossed over her chest, taking a stand, her hip jutting out. "What could possibly keep me from riding? It’s the safest place for me to be, remember? Is something wrong with Biondo?
"Relax, Biondo is fine. But right now, you can’t go to Bel Rosso."
Rissa was puzzled. She headed for the sitting room as he followed behind her. Walking to the bar she poured them both a Midnight. Handing him a glass, she kicked off her heels and curled up in the chair. "Don’t tell me you don’t want a drink because you’re on duty. Apparently, you’re off duty as of now, so sit down and explain to me what the hell is going on."
He took the drink and sat down across from her, but not getting too comfortable. "Rissa, Bel Rosso is on battle alert. Everything’s on lockdown. So, you need to forget about riding until this is resolved."
Rissa absorbed his message. "Who’s at battle? And why?"
He could hear the trepidation in her voice as he tried to explain. “First of all, you’re safe, so relax. Master Shade and Master Maximus are at odds with one another. He wants Shade off Bel Rosso and of course, Shade isn’t leaving. Everyone’s on alert now, waiting for whatever Maximus plans to do." Hyde shook his head. "Shade was right when he said Maximus had a damn good reason for showing up at your wedding, and it wasn’t about wishing anyone well.”
Rissa tried to calm her breathing. Max! Well at least he wasn’t after her this time. Or was he? Her heart was racing and her fear returned.
"Hyde, you have to protect me! I can’t be left alone. Max is a dangerous master. Tell me you aren’t going back to Bel Rosso. I won’t have it! I need you to protect me!"
She stood and began pacing in her stocking feet. Hyde was startled and confused by her fear.
"Rissa, it’s fine. I’m your protector, I’ll be with you. Nothing has changed. This isn’t about you or Alec. Max wants Bel Rosso as it sits in his territory."
She kept pacing, her mind in a whirl. Damn Max! He could use this battle to kill her for sure. He’d never stop until she was fucking dead. "Does Alec know?"
Hyde watched her pace. He could tell her brain was in overdrive. What the hell did she have to fear from Maximus? "I very much doubt it. Shade’s been busy, and the two of you were out of the country."
Rissa slammed her drink down on the table. "Well, if this isn’t just one fine mess! Here we are supposedly protected by Medici warriors and now Shade has decided he wants to battle with Max and leave both of us unprotected in our own territory.” Throwing up her hands, she looked at Hyde. "I’ll not be happy if you have to leave me to go strap on a sword and cut off heads!"
Hyde sighed heavily, getting frustrated with her dramatics. He grabbed her arms to stop her pacing. "Rissa, you need to calm down. Medici has not stopped protecting Washington. My assignment hasn’t changed. I’m here to protect you. The warriors assigned to the Dead House who cover D.C. carry on as normal. This battle, if there is a battle, will be managed by his other warriors and it has nothing to do with you or Alec. So, calm down. I’m not going anywhere."
She laid her head on his chest. He felt like ripped steel beneath that suit. He didn’t wrap his arms around her, but she felt safe having him this near. "Thank you, Hyde. I just worry. Max isn’t anyone to play with. Will you stay in the house until Alec comes home?"
She laid her hands on his chest and lifted her face to him, rolling her big blue eyes up to his. "Please?"
He looked down at her as she tried to use her beauty to manipulate him, but he knew her wicked game. "Yes, I’ll stay until your master returns, so get on upstairs and take care of your business, I’ll be right here."
Biting her lip, she smiled coyly. "Thank you, Hyde."
She walked out of the room, swaying her hips in an invitation she knew he’d never accept, but she’d love for him to try.
Hyde watched her walk out and shook his head. That one would never learn.
***
Alec arrived home later than usual. He felt like he’d spent the entire day returning calls. As soon as he entered the house, Santos was at the door, taking his coat, but Alec sensed Hyde's presence. That was odd. Hyde usually left as soon as he’d safely delivered Rissa home. Alec headed for the study and found Hyde seated near the fireplace. Alec gave him a questioning look as he poured himself a Midnight.
"Can I pour you a drink, Hyde? What's going on? You're usually long gone by now."
Hyde stood. "No thank you, Master Canton. Rissa requested I stay until you returned. I hope I didn’t impose."
Alec looked at him, confused. “What’s going on?"
"Bel Rosso is on red battle alert. There’s no threat to you or Rissa. Master Maximus has decided he wants Shade out of his territory and Shade has refused.”
Alec raised an eyebrow. "Max? Well, that explains his unexpected presence at the wedding. Thanks for staying, Hyde. You can go now."
Hyde took his leave as Alec dropped his briefcase and laptop on the desk, fishing his cellphone from his pocket. Downing the Midnight, he hit dial and settled in the chair behind the desk.
***
Shade was up and playing with Lorenzo on the bed. They’d just awakened from a long day of sleep following their journey back from Paris. He needed to get moving. He had to get some things done. He knew Marco had taken the reins while he was gone, but he needed to take back control and get to the camp. His cell phone buzzed on the nightstand. "Medici!"
"Shade, what's going on? Hyde just left here. He said you were on red battle alert."
"He told you right. Long story short, Max wants Bel Rosso, made me a money offer, and I refused. We went to Council and pleaded our case, where he lost. Max sabotaged me, my mate, and my future with a few virginal feeders from Thailand. I took off to Paris to get my head straight, and Kate delivered the heads of the feeders to Max in a box and now...I am waiting to see what the bastard does next. It won’t be long."
Alec almost spit the Midnight across the room. What did he just say? He had
to fight back his laughter. "Kate beheaded the feeders? Just because you fucked them? Oh, my friend, you're on a tighter leash than I thought." Alec shook his head. "And you think my life is fucked up. Seriously, do you honestly think Max is going to make a move on Bel Rosso?"
Shade growled, closing his eyes. "Yes, I do. And big news flash for you, brother, I will win, and when I do, I own Virginia.”
Alec ran his finger across the top of the desk. "I need you to emerge the victor here. And you owning the Virginia territory would be a good thing for me. But be careful, Shade. He has his own warriors, plus the armies of Fan Shen. This is no small matter, and it won’t be a small battle. Anything I can do to help?"
"Well, yes, there is something. I don’t think it is safe for Rissa to ride until this is over. I have already moved some of the horses out. I did that to protect them. I left Impavido here, of course, and some other horses that are battle tested. I may need them. Hyde’s assignment has not changed but if you feel it is necessary, I can assign him to be with Rissa 24/7 as a live-in. That is up to you. But whatever you decide, I would not leave Rissa alone. Max is a hot head and apparently, she and Lein had a few words at the reception. Let me know what you want to do with Hyde. We are still covering D.C., nothing has changed there. I pulled Raven back with me, but I have Theo taking on the role of SIC at the Dead House."
Alec ran his hand over his face. Is Rissa at risk? “I don't think Hyde needs to live here. Just keep the current arrangement where she’s covered if she leaves the house. I'll call Alto in and keep him in the house 24/7. If you go to battle, Rissa's ass is grounded. I can't be sure Max's warriors will stay in his territory, especially when we’re so close."
Shade nodded. “I will keep you informed, brother." Hanging up, he tossed his cell on the bed and picked up Lorenzo. "Little warrior, Padre needs to go to work—big things ahead of us!"
132
Heading into his study, Shade knew there’d be a lot to catch up on following his absence. His actions had left them all vulnerable and he needed to take control now. Marco had done a great job, but he needed Marco back in Florence. He felt restless. If they were going to battle, then he was ready to get on with it. A battle was something he knew he could handle. It was the waiting that wore on him.
Flopping down in his leather chair, there were papers strewn across the desk. A large envelope was tucked under a stack of papers on the corner of the desk. His brow scrunched up with curiosity as he picked it up, reaching inside, not prepared for what he held in his hand. They were the photos from Max, and he had to fight back the bile that was rising in his throat, as several of the pictures fluttered to the floor. He flipped through the photos, the images of his beast reveling in obscene pleasure, and the longer he looked, the more he wanted to kill Max.
The images were seared into his brain and his betrayal of Kate was lived out once again. He laid his head back with a soft thud against the high back leather chair and closed his eyes. His beast had feasted on sex and blood, taking both feeders, lying sprawled and spent in a tangled heap, his fangs dripping with blood and saliva.
He wanted to leap through the fucking glass window, teleport to Max’s mansion and slice off the bastard's head, tear his cock off and shove it up his ass. He wanted Max’s heart in his hands where he could squeeze it to fucking dust. But he knew that would be an even bigger mistake than the one that ended with these photos. His beast had done this. He’d left his body in a dream-state to avoid the hellish things he felt, but here it was, forever burned into photos for Max’s amusement. And she’d seen them...all of them. It made him sick to think his beast could betray her so easily. How in the hell Kate could ever look at him again was beyond comprehension. There was evil and darkness deep inside him, and even she could never completely take that out of him, he hated his beast for doing this to them both.
***
Kate tucked Lorenzo into his crib. He’d fed from Nita and then Theresa helped her bathe him then slide his chubby little body into a fresh onesie. Kate giggled at his plumpness as she leaned down and softly kissed Lorenzo's round cheeks. "Sleep, my precious."
She turned to leave the nursery when she felt Shade’s turmoil roll through her. Kate paused for a second, sorting out the emotion. They were all on high alert, waiting for some response from Max, but Kate didn’t feel danger, just pain and anger. She hurried from the room and down the stairs, letting her senses draw her to his location in the study. She stepped through the open door to find him at the desk, the photos scattered before him, some on the floor at his feet.
"No!" Kate ran to him and started grabbing up the photos, tearing them into small pieces. "Don't look at them! Don't let him hurt us more than he has. They’re nothing! They mean nothing! This isn’t you."
He felt the hell roll through her, just like it did him and he was once again fucking helpless to stop the pain they both felt. "Kate, I can never apologize enough, and no, it was not me. Max betrayed us both. But I guarantee you one thing, that bastard will pay. I needed to see these. It fires my blood to lop that son of a bitch’s head off and bring it to you on a silver platter!"
"Shade, I have no doubt you’ll destroy Max. But there’s only one thing I wanted Max to know. He can't break us. He can't separate us. We’ll always be stronger together than we’ll ever be apart. He can mate for power. He thinks he’s invincible now with her father's armies, but his mating will never match the power of our love. They all doubt us still. They doubt me because I was mortal. They still don't understand."
Pulling her onto his lap, he leaned his forehead against hers, their red and raven hair falling together around their faces. "I love you so much. You are my ultimate strength in all that lies before me. They will always question your power because they do not understand and think you weak. But they are wrong, and that is our advantage. But fucking help me, you can’t go out on that battlefield for any reason. I cannot lose you. You need to let me handle this. You need to trust me more than you ever have before. Because this is what I do, and I do this for you and Lorenzo. I can get through anything if I know you are waiting safely for me. Please, I am begging, mi amore, you must promise me you will stay inside with Luca during the battle."
Kate listened to his plea. "I’ll stay here. I must stay for Lorenzo. I know Luca will guard us, but I’ll guard Lorenzo as well. But you must understand one thing. There’s nothing that we can't rebuild. Don’t sacrifice your life for this land. Promise me. Promise me you’ll come back to me."
Clutching her tight, he moved his hands up her back, fisting her hair. "No son of a bitch is taking you from me! I will fight and kill for you. I will win for you, mi amore." His voice sounded guttural and dark. His beast was speaking his oath to her. He could feel his fangs elongate. "What is mine remains mine." His growl was deep. Sinking his fangs into her neck, he drew deep, her blood easing his edginess, erasing the pain. He’d fought many battles for land, but this one, he fought for her.
His bite was sharp and unexpected as he held her in a tight grip and drank from her. She knew his beast was claiming her, letting her know that despite his betrayal, he still owned her and would destroy those who’d harm her. Kate gave herself up to him, letting him draw strength from her, knowing he’d need this and more to face what was ahead for both of them.
When his beast was done, his fangs retracted and he let go of the pain his actions had caused. He licked her wound gently, a lover who was sorrowful of his deeds. He stroked her hair and let his hands slide down her back. His lips were still at her neck, the taste of her still on his mouth.
"I am sorry, Kate, I did not mean to be so abrupt, you are so precious to me. Forgive your lover."
She ran her hands through his hair. She was immortal now, but she’d never know the depths of his darkness. She’d only seen what he’d allowed her to see, and she knew it was a deep cavern that she had only just seen around the edges.
"Shade, I know your beast. He takes what he wants. But I also know your beast will die
for me. That is the beast I fear the most. I don’t want you to die for me. I want you to live for me."
Kate covered his face with soft kisses, her lips brushing his closed eyes, his nose, his cheeks, before lingering on his lips. "There is nothing to forgive, lover. I know your heart."
"Si, you do, it belongs solely to you for all eternity." He kissed her with gentle passion. He was her savage lover, and she his walking sin.
133
Marco said his goodbyes to the warriors before leaving the camp and walking up to Bel Rosso. Since Shade had returned, they’d gone over everything, and it was time for him to return to Florence. Before he left, he wanted to see Terri one last time.
He hated to leave her, especially since this was most likely where the battle would be waged. He knew she’d be well protected, he just wished he was the one protecting her. He walked through the foyer and straight up the stairs. There wasn’t much here that was off limits to him, not since Shade had lost his fucking mind and took off for Paris, leaving him in charge.
He knew exactly where he’d find her and headed for the nursery. Marco stood outside the baby’s door, in the room where Terri often slept, and watched her and the queen fawning over Lorenzo. Cazzo, the prince would be turned to jelly and mush with all their damn pampering. He was warrior born, and Shade better be stepping in shortly or this baby would never be out from under any female's skirts.
Clearing his throat, he watched as they both turned their heads toward him. "Ladies, I’m taking my leave for Florence. Will you oblige me, my queen, and allow me to have a few moments alone with Terri?"
Kate smiled at his gruff voice. "Of course." Kate took Lorenzo from Theresa and nodded to her. "Go to him. Take your time. I'm fine here."
Theresa stood and joined him at the door, slipping her hand inside his, as she led him to her private bedroom in the house. Once inside, she closed the door behind them. “The time went by so quickly. I can't believe it’s time for you to leave already."