by Emily Bex
Kate pulled her hair back from her neck and moved close to his lips. “Take from me."
Kate clung to him as she felt the sweet sting of his fangs into her flesh. She fought the tears. He’d not want to see her cry. She wrapped both arms around him as he fed.
He savored the taste of her and felt his beast rise, ready to take on this battle. He felt the transformation of his body as he prepared for war. He felt powerful, and ready. He licked her wound, watching it heal and heard the sounds from outside as his army gathered, ready to carry out their birthright as warriors and use all the skills they’d been so expertly trained on.
He kissed her hard, her blood still on his lips. Moving her from his lap, he sat her back down on the chair and strapped the huge swords on his back. He stood before her, tall and proud, his muscles outlined in the leather, his breathing steady. His eyes blazed red.
"Put your leathers on, my queen. It is time to defend our kingdom, our throne, and our coven. Per sempre Medici."
Luca stepped inside the room, looking much the same, dressed for battle. They stared at each other, no words needed. Luca had checked the house and had everyone in the bunker. "Everything is secured, master."
Shade walked toward him, they bumped fists and Shade headed for the door. He turned slowly on his heels and looked back at Kate. She mouthed the words, ‘I love you’. He winked at her and smiled before walking out the door, seeing Cory, dressed in leathers, his Glock in the waistband. He paused to look at his son before pulling him to his chest and kissing his forehead. “You know what to do.”
Cory nodded and Shade continued on his way. He didn’t need to say anything. This was his family and they knew what was about to happen, each of them had much at stake. His stride was strong as he headed down the stairs and out the door. He heard the loud roar of his warriors as he appeared in front of them.
"Per sempre Medici!"
He barked his orders and all warriors scattered to defend. They were split into three battalions, awaiting the arrival of the throng of Max's warriors. Marcello held Impavido’s reins as Shade mounted the horse. Marcello took off, running to his designated post.
Shade kept watch as his warriors moved into position, as he constantly turned Impavido in a slow circle while keeping his senses open and alert. Impavido snorted and pawed. They were a team, and the horse was ready, just like his master.
Kate had watched him leave, her voice caught in her throat. She knew if she spoke her voice would crack with emotion.
Luca turned to her. "Where’s your crossbow?"
She pointed to the closet.
Luca took charge, directing her. “Put on your leathers, Kate, and get the crossbow. We'll move to the third floor. Cory's rooms will give us the best visual advantage."
Kate ran to the closet and pulled down the leathers. It was only the second time she’d put them on. She dragged the crossbow from behind the door and stood quietly for a second. She took a deep breath before she stepped out of the closet. “Ready."
The three of them climbed the stairs to Cory's third floor suite. Luca armed with a number of weapons, Cory with the 50 cal rifle as well as the handgun, and Kate with the crossbow. Luca opened the windows slightly, despite the cold, so they could respond with weapons fire, if it came to that.
Kate saw Danica in the tree outside the window. She sent a message to Aegis to watch over them. She saw the she-wolf and her mate emerge from the tree line and approach the house, prancing around the perimeter. Riparo stalked on padded feet, as she also moved in closer to the house. Kate knew nothing was getting inside without getting past the animal guard.
***
Max had gathered his warriors from the Virginia coven. They only numbered fifty and were no match for the skills of the Medici, but he also had four hundred warriors from Fan Shen, and their skills would stand up well against Shade's army. They, too, were trained in the ancient art of warfare. Max had scoped out the lay of Shade's property and had decided to surround him on three sides, as his land backed up against the mountain range. Besides, the mountains belonged to the mortals, and Shade wouldn’t want to take his warriors to that high ground. Max was mounted on a war horse and rode in front of his troops who marched on foot, moving into position. Max had heard the howling of wolves all evening as he had moved his warriors into position, stirred up no doubt by all the activity. He knew when he hit Shade's property line, whoever he had on patrol would see them, but he still had the element of surprise.
***
Shade felt the air stir, and Max's scent rolled through the fields. Impavido raised his head in the air, swinging his mane back and forth, and Shade patted him hard on the neck. "Good boy, let’s get this bastard."
Shade kicked Impavido slightly in the sides and pulled the reins and faced him straight in Max's direction. He whipped out a sword strapped on his back and held it high in the air, signaling his warriors the enemy approached and to hold their position. All the warriors drew their weapons and stood their ground. Shade moved Impavido to the head of the line, his sword held high, the steel blade reflecting the light of the moon.
Max was confident as he led his warriors over the crest of the hill, but stopped short when he saw Shade, on horseback, with his army standing behind him. He held up his hand and stopped the forward motion. He’d been certain he had the element of surprise and expected to get well onto Bel Rosso property while the Medici scrambled to respond. Somehow, they were prepared and ready for him. Perhaps they’d had a scout. Max circled on his war horse, eyeing Shade across the field.
He spoke to him telepathically. “So, it has come to this, old friend? A fight to the death?”
Shade heard the words ring loud and clear inside his head and answered him. “You cannot win. You challenge the Medici. Prepare to die.”
Sitting straight in his saddle, Impavido reared up on his hind legs, his front legs pawing the air high above the warriors’ heads, signaling to the troops it was time to meet the challenge. His warriors crouched in a ready position, swords held high.
Max signaled to his troops as they stormed across the field, running head long into the Medici. Their swords were drawn, and they issued a loud war cry, prepared to win or die this night. The two armies encountered each other, and the night was filled with the sound of metal against metal as they fought with drawn swords. Max had lost the element of surprise, but he still had the advantage of numbers. His army was five times larger, and he knew even the Medici couldn’t stand against those odds.
Shade watched as Max gave the signal and the enemy barreled toward them. He telepathically called to Kate. “Ti amo, mi amore.”
He lowered his sword and the Medici war cry rang loud, echoing off the mountains as his warriors swarmed around him and headed straight at Max and his army, much larger than his. He backed Impavido up slowly, as the warriors kept moving forward. He kept as close to the house as he could, watching the deployment of his warriors, led by his Lieutenants and SIC's.
He’d remain in contact with Marco, who’d release more troops from Florence in waves as needed. He kept his guard up. He needed to command, but he was also their target. If he went down, the battle was over. He rode around the perimeter, signally to Marco for the next wave of warriors who teleported in, landing on the field with the other Medici warriors, and immediately throwing themselves into battle. The sounds of battle were tremendous and deafening, but all he heard in his head was the sound of her voice telling him she loved him. It was the most powerful motivation he’d ever felt.
Kate watched them all from the third floor window. Shade was easy to single out as he sat astride the massive black stallion in the white snow, the moonlight flashing off his sword. Her heart was pounding in her chest when she heard his message of love for her. “Fight for me, lover.”
Raven led a platoon of warriors to the east, his troops made up of both experienced warriors from Florence as well as some of the new recruits. He was singled out by one of Max's Virginia warriors, who m
ust be twice Raven's size. Raven laughed as he flipped quickly over the enemy’s head, landing behind him and sliding the sword deep into his back. As his enemy dropped to his knees, Raven swung the sword and watched the head roll, blood spilling out on the white snow. He heard the footsteps behind him and spun around, swinging the sword in a large arc, and cutting his enemy in two. As usual, his enemies mistook his size as a weakness when his speed more than made up for it.
Fiamma waited for the signal to attack the enemy approaching from the south when she saw Shade blaze past her on Impavido, lowering his sword. She led her battalion into battle as she teleported over the first wave of Max’s warriors and attacked them from the rear. The death toll was great on the Medici end as they’d been outnumbered, but she didn’t let that distract her. She was born to be a warrior. She swooped down, flinging shurikens at Max's troops as they threatened Medici. She watched her warriors pairing off, one on one, as she pulled out the bow, providing backup to her battalion, shooting the enemy, and taking them down with her deadly accurate arrows. Medici warriors demonstrated their skill, picking off the enemy one at a time.
Shade unleashed Marcello and his wave of warriors from the north side. Shade watched as the snow becomes a slushy bath of red. Heads and limbs rolled under Impavido's hooves, and the night was filled with the screams of battle. Medici was taking a hellish hit but giving as good as they got.
He telepathically called for a second wave from Florence to reinforce his troops, and immediately divided them up to go in all three directions as Max drove closer to the house. The smell of death hung heavy in the air as he watched his young new recruits as they first struggled, then were felled, no match for the experienced warriors of Fan Shen.
Shade’s beast was on his back, wanting loose like never before. He rode like the flames of hell straight into the throngs of battle, his sword swinging mightily from his arm. He rode like the devil himself, beheading anything in his path. His body was splattered in blood and he kept riding, having sent Marco the request for the final wave from Florence. They were badly outnumbered and must rely on their skill and experience to survive.
Bodies of fallen warriors, both Medici and enemy, were strewn over miles of Bel Rosso. The blood ran like a river through the white snow. Shade dismounted Impavido and smacked his haunches, the horse taking off for the mountains and out of sight. Shade drew his other sword from his back, and with a sword in each hand, went hand to hand with the enemy.
***
Kate watched the slaughter of both Medici and enemy warriors. Her hand was over her mouth, covering her silent scream. She followed the battle and could see Raven, his hair unbound, flew free. Fiamma was also easy to spot in red leathers and red hair. Marcello fought near Shade, and Kate gasped out loud when Shade dismounted and began to fight hand to hand with the enemy. She could see Skelk as he climbed a tree, using his skills with the crossbow to rapidly take down enemy after enemy. Her senses remained on high alert, and she felt Aegis and the others close by.
Although the number of bodies on the ground seemed equal between Medici and enemy, the Medici were still outnumbered and they were getting pushed back, closer to the house. Kate's heart was pounding out of her chest. She looked over her shoulder to see Cory with the rifle, standing guard at the window on the other side of the room. Luca was standing right behind her, watching the scene unfold as he looked over her shoulder. Kate looked at his face, emotionless, his face shows nothing.
"Is this...normal?"
Luca didn’t answer her, but stared straight ahead at the massacre taking place below.
Shade battled on. His mind focused only on what was coming at him and come at him they did. He was their target, and he’d thrown down the gauntlet when he dismounted Impavido. His feet slipped and slid under him in the mush of snow and blood, but he kept going, taking on two, sometimes three, at a time. He focused on one thing, kill or be killed.
This was no ordinary army he faced, but rivals of equal ability and endurance. His arms ached, his body tired. It felt like they’d been at it for hours. He dared not look at the moon to see where she lay in the sky; he couldn’t afford even that brief moment of inattention. He felt a shuriken breeze past his cheek and turned in that direction to face whatever was coming. Two of Max's warriors approached him. They were small and deadly, their speed amazing, he grounded his feet to face these opponents when two more dropped in behind him, and he was surrounded.
As he moved to spin and backflip over their heads, his feet slid in the mixture of blood and snow, slowing his motions only a second, but it was one second too many and he felt the blade strike him from behind. The blade struck deep and made him lurch forward as it wedged into his rib cage. His scream was a roar as he dropped to his knees in agonizing pain. He felt his blood gush out, running between his fingers as he clutched at the wound in his chest, feeling the heat of the blood running down his back and legs from the entry wound in his back. He gasped for air, his body shaking with the shocking blow of the deadly blade. He mustered his focus and strength to defend himself against the attempted fatal blow to his head, taking out that enemy by severing his arm with a swing of his sword. Shade felt like he could barely move, his body sluggish from the blood loss, making him dizzy, but he fought to keep his eyes and energy focused.
Marcello was close enough to hear Shade’s roar and moved backward toward him to help as much as he could. Master was down! He took out the two remaining enemy, beheading them in a fast spin. He felt something whiz past his face and all he saw was black hair and realized it was Raven, also responding to his master.
Marcello felt the shurikens whizzing past him, as the enemy sensed their vulnerable position and moved to swarm them. He could barely see anything through the blood, as the mass of bodies piled up under his feet when he felt a shuriken lodge into his leg. Reaching down, he ripped it free, and used it to throw back at the enemy. He fought like never before, his only thought being to protect Shade.
***
Kate saw him the instant Shade was struck with the blade. She felt the stabbing pain in her chest and she too dropped to her knees as she let out a scream. "Shade!"
She jumped up and started to run from the room when Luca grabbed her. She kicked and clawed at him, fighting to get free.
"You can't go out there, Kate. Let the warriors help him!"
Kate struggled to get free, but his words rang in her head. Let the warriors help him! Why hadn't she thought of this before? She screamed at the top of her lungs. "Aegis! Help him! Bring them all!"
She broke free from Luca and was running back to the window when she heard Cory mutter, “Holy fuck!” Kate stopped and looked in his direction. "What's wrong?"
He looked over his shoulder. "They're everywhere!"
"Max’s warriors?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No. Animals. The animals."
Kate rushed to the window to see a wave of wolves and mountain lions coming over the crest of the hill, approaching Max's warriors from the rear. She saw others streaming around both sides of the house as they poured down from the mountain tops. The wolves and mountain lions tore into Max's army, ripping with teeth and claws, shaking and slinging the limp bodies in their massive jaws. The light of the moon was temporarily blocked out as the sky was filled with falcons and owls, who dive-bombed the warriors, the large birds of prey using their talons to rip at them. The sound of the large flock of raucous ravens was almost deafening as they flew into the faces of the enemy, using their long beaks to peck at their eyes, never letting up. As the enemy struggled to fight off the hoard of beasts, the Medici took control, and systematically slaughtered their opponents, beheading one after the other as fast as they could swing their swords.
***
Shade felt the rumble of the earth under his knees and had no fucking idea what was coming for them next. He heard the loud caw of the ravens and looked up to see the sky blacken with their swarm. He knew Marcello and Raven both responded to him and kept him fr
om going down. But he was still bent over, trying to gather his focus before standing up. He heard the growls and ripping of flesh and lifted his head and couldn’t believe what he saw. The animals had been summoned! His bel has called them!
Marcello stooped near him as Raven stood guard. "Stay still. We have this under control now. Feed from me. You need to heal before you try to stand. You took a good hit and lost a lot of blood. Cazzo, like some damn third world war with these animals. Just fucking glad I’m Medici tonight!"
Shade let out a grunt as Marcello shoved his wrist in front of his mouth and Shade felt his fangs punch through. His beast fed like he was starved, and he could feel his body begin to heal. His dizziness left him, but he didn’t want to feed too heavily on Marcello. He, too, was drained and tired, as were all the warriors. Marcello helped him to stand and what he saw before him was unbelievable. The carnage on the field was unlike anything he’d seen, and almost nothing was left of Max’s army, the animals had destroyed them.
***
Max felt the earth move under his feet and stared in disbelief as they were surrounded by wild beasts. The wolves and mountain lions were ripping his army apart, but they did not attack the Medici. What the fuck is this? He swung his sword, striking at a mountain lion that was prepared to leap on him. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see a scrawny leather clad warrior with long black hair. Max almost laughed to himself. Did this runt realize he’d cornered the master? As Raven raised his sword, Max responded with a defensive move, blocking the blow. He spun and struck Raven's blade hard, knocking the scrawny warrior off balance. Max was about to behead him when Poe swooped down and pecked at his eyes. Max dropped one arm and threw it across his face. As he did, Raven kicked Max's legs out from under him and he hit the ground with a thud. Max went into a fast roll and jumped to his feet as Poe continued to torment him, striking endlessly at his face and eyes, blinding him to what was around him. He saw enough to know his army was falling by the hundreds. He called his war horse, who found him on the field of battle. Max leapt on the back of the horse and called for his army to retreat. Of the four hundred and fifty warriors he’d started with, he had maybe fifty remaining, and they all had injuries. He rode like all of Hell was behind him and away from the battlefield, as his warriors teleported out. Poe returned to Raven and landed on his shoulder. He issued a loud caw, only inches from Raven's ear. Raven knew he owed his life to the bird.