Mica closed his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks. "But will your master approve? You should check with him first, don't you think? I mean, you were raised in his coven, and I now work for him. I know he’s aware of our relationship. But mating, that doesn’t always go over so well in our world. Your master is progressive in many things, but he’s still old school too, adhering to traditions. Before we move forward, I think we need his approval."
Raven nodded. "Boss-man might bust a fang on this one. My lady won’t be a problem. Yeah, we’ll have to ask permission, but I want you with me. We should do this together. Boss-man loves me, he’ll see I’m serious, and I’ll have to convince him if he has reservations. It won’t change my role as his warrior."
He slipped off one of the many gold filigree rings he’d had made in Florence. They were each unique in their design, no two the same. Taking Mica's left hand in his, he slid it over his ring finger.
"In the meantime, until we get approval, you belong to me, and I belong to you for eternity. I know what it means. I’ve been waiting for what seems an eternity to find someone who understands me, loves me and wants to be with me."
Mica looked at the unique ring on his finger and smiled. It’s nothing he would ever have chosen to wear for himself, but he’d wear it proudly as it screamed of Raven. He lifted his hand to his mouth and kissed the ring.
"I’ll never take it off. And I’ll gladly accompany you to talk with Master Shade. If you think my lady can pave the way, maybe you should tell her first. She seems to be able to talk him into most anything."
Laying his head on Mica's chest, his hand slid up Mica’s arm and into his hair, letting his fingers play. "I’ll talk to her, I promise. I’ll visit there today when master is sleeping, talk to her first. Then we can make an appointment to see boss-man together."
Mica had to tap down his excitement. There was nothing he wanted more than for Raven to feed from him, for the two of them to be able to make their relationship exclusive. But they were owned by their masters, and subject to their approval. Mica wouldn’t approach Alec. He hadn’t seen or heard from him in years. He doubted Alec even knew who he was. His master was more interested in his mortal pursuits than to concern himself with his coven. Many had left Canton’s coven on their own, seeking other covens. Mica felt more like a Medici now than he ever felt bonded to Canton’s coven. Everything would hinge on Shade’s approval, and until then, Mica could only keep his fingers crossed.
"Then don't delay, babe. The sooner we have an answer, the better. The waiting will surely kill me."
Raven took his face in his hands and kissed him. Moaning, he could barely move fast enough to get back to Bel Rosso. "I’m taking a shower and teleporting straight out. Let me handle my family. I know them best. I won’t be too long, I promise. I’ll talk with my lady, and make sure we have an appointment with master. I love you, Mica. Don’t ever let me go, even if he doesn’t approve, please don’t let me go."
Mica held him close. "Others won’t dictate my choice, young warrior, with or without their approval. I'm not going anywhere."
6
Raven teleported into Bel Rosso, landing at the main house. The place was looking great, and there were times he missed it. He missed all the activity and joking around with his fellow warriors. He was greeted quickly by Aegis, and he ruffled her ears as she curled around his legs. "Missed you too, Wolfie."
Raven was nervous about talking to Kate, but not nearly as nervous as he’d be telling boss-man. He wasn’t sure how his master would respond. He’d changed so much since they had come to the States. Everything about his master was changing, and he knew most of that had to do with the queen.
Raven noted Gi’s surprise when he opened the door and he asked for Lady Kate. Kate had always welcomed them, and he’d never forget the way she took care of them when they first came here. Gi escorted him to the living room before leaving to find Kate. Raven laughed when he saw Lorenzo’s play sword lying on the couch. He picked it up and twirled it around in his hand.
Gi found Kate on the floor inside the teepee that had been erected in Lorenzo's bedroom. She was reading books to Lorenzo, who was quickly picking up the words and reading along with her.
"My lady, Raven is here to see you."
Kate looked up, surprised. She wasn’t expecting a visit. She crawled out of the tent and told Lorenzo to play with his toys and she’d be back soon. Kate went downstairs to the living room to find Raven balancing Lorenzo's sword in the palm of his hand. She laughed. “If you get bored with that, there's a train set upstairs."
Raven turned quickly as he heard Kate enter and he spun the sword in the air with a flourish, caught it and bowed. "I believe I’m much better with swords, even small ones. How is the Prince? I hope you don’t mind the unplanned visit, but I needed to speak with you on a personal matter, Lady Kate. If I’ve come at a bad time...if you were catching a train or something, I can come back." His smile was broad and wide.
Kate motioned for him to sit. "Have a seat, Raven. I needed to get out of Lorenzo's teepee anyway. I was losing circulation in my legs. What brings you to Bel Rosso?"
Shaking his shaggy mane, he got serious. "Well, I’ve come to ask you something, get your advice on how the boss-man will react. It involves Mica."
He sat down on the couch after she took her seat and fiddled with one of the rings on his fingers, not really looking at her. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure of what to say. But then he thought about Mica, and knew this was what he wanted, and he’d stand up and fight for them both.
Kate curled up on the sofa next to him, drawing her legs under her. "Of course! You aren't having any problems, I hope."
His head snapped up. "Oh no, it’s nothing like that. I’m in love, for the first time in my life. I love Mica and he returns that love, more than I could ever have thought possible. The coven doesn’t disregard us in any way, but it’s rare when two of the same sex mates, forming a permanent bond. Our kind doesn’t recognize a same sex mating. There’s no stigma on the sex, but mating is reserved for well, mating to produce offspring. I want to ask boss-man for his approval of Mica and I mating. I want to be with Mica, stay with him for eternity. I don’t know how Master Shade will take it. Five years ago, I’d never have thought about bringing this up to him. His thinking on the matter would have been old school, traditional. But I know he’s different now. Mica and I have discussed it and we both agreed we should ask him, get his approval before we move forward."
Kate leaned her head back on the sofa and tried to anticipate Shade's response. "Raven, first of all, coming to him before you made the decision was very wise, and will go a long way. Shade is very old school in some things, and very progressive in others. But he holds tight with the tradition of the coven coming to him first before they make life altering changes. So, I know he’ll respect you greatly for that. And when I search my heart, I can't imagine he’d deny you this. He has accepted, even encouraged, Marco and Theresa, as well as Luca and Shannon, and she’s a mortal. I have to admit, I never thought of your circumstances before, and I should have. I never considered the idea of you and Mica sealing your bond with one another. But I think you should, if that’s what you want. I can't promise you what his answer will be, but I promise if he asks for my opinion, you’ll have my full support."