Shade caught his son and hugged him tight, his heart overflowing with love. He knew how quickly the time would pass, and this child would be a full-grown warrior. "Tell me you are not out here by yourself."
Lorenzo planted a wet kiss on his father's cheek. "Nope. Uncle Luca and Aunt Shannon were supervising me. I was in the tree house. I climbed out on the roof and all the way to the top of the tree."
Kate looked at Shade and rolled her eyes. Lorenzo was unconsciously discovering his own strength and there was no stopping him now. She cringed when Shade took him to the camp, but she knew it was an environment he must get used to, and Skelk continued to work with him on his skills with fire. Kate gave the boy a kiss. "I hope you behaved for them."
Lorenzo nodded, as his black curls bobbed. "I was good, Mommy. You can ask Uncle Luca. Does that mean I get another card?"
Cory stepped up behind him, as Lorenzo clung to his father, and tickled his sides. Lorenzo collapsed into giggles, as he turned and fell into Cory's arms. Cory lifted him onto his shoulders. "Where to, little brother?"
Lorenzo wrapped his hands around Cory's chin. "The stables, please. If I get another card, I have enough for a pony. Do I get another card, Daddy?"
Shade smiled at him. "Well, since you have been such a good warrior today for Uncle Luca, I think perhaps that is manageable." Shade looked at Kate and grinned. "So what does Mommy think about this?"
Kate laughed. "I can’t keep up with him now. I don't think the pony will make much difference."
Shade threw back his head and laughed, as he pulled her close. "Go inside, woman, and get out of those heels and that dress, you look stunningly beautiful, but I can feel your misery. Have Emma draw you a nice hot bath. We’re going to head down to the stables. I want to check on Biondo. Rissa had spent little time riding since the campaign, and now, Alec will need to decide what to do with her."
Kissing her softly, he looked into her eyes. "It will not be long before we have another one to chase after. Our life is changing again, mi amore."
Kate returned his kiss before heading for the house. She kicked off the heels the moment she was inside. Emma greeted her and picked up the shoes, following her upstairs.
"I'm going to take a hot bath, Emma, and then lay down for a while. Lorenzo won't stay occupied in the stables for very long and I need to take advantage of it."
Cory walked toward the stables with Lorenzo on his shoulders. He’d gone to the funeral because his father had requested him to, saying it was the proper show of respect to another master, but Cory didn’t really know much about Alec, and he was glad to be back home. Shade walked along beside him, as Lorenzo talked non-stop and Aegis fell in step behind them.
Cory looked over at his father. "I've been thinking about going out to California to see my mom. I know you want me to be at Castello when Kate has the new baby, so I was thinking this would be a good time to go. What do you think, Dad?"
"You want to go see your mother? You are still calling her regularly, I hope?"
"Oh yeah, I call her about once a week to check in and see how she's doing. She asks me, every week, when I'm coming to see her. I told her about Madison, and she was really happy for me. I was thinking maybe I could take Madison with me, to, you know, meet my other mom."
Shade smiled as they approached the stables and Cory lifted Lorenzo off his shoulders. The child scampered away ahead of them to find Angelo. "Do you think Madison is ready for all of this? We haven’t spoken lately about the two of you. How are things going?"
Cory stepped up on the gate to the stall that held Meile. Kate let him ride the Arabian horse whenever he wanted to. He stroked the white horse’s nose and fed her an apple. "We're good. Really good. She's the one. You said the beast would know, and she's the one. I'd like to take her back to Castello with us when we go. What do you think?”
"Let’s tackle one thing at a time, son. First of all, right now, there is too much going on around here, especially with the bambino on the way. It’s too much for me to be worrying about you. I don’t know what Alec is planning on doing, so I need to let that situation settle down as well." Shade could hear Impavido snorting and kicking at the stall. "Settle down, Pavi, I will be there shortly."
Shade shook his head. "Damn horse is like one of my bambinos. Cory, it will be a lot for Madison to take in going to Castello, but in the long run, if she’s the one, then the exposure will be good for her. It will help her integrate into our family. Let's see how that goes and once we get back after the baby is born, then you can head out to see Rachael."
Shade reached out to Meile, as she snuffed into his hand. "Have you fed from her yet?"
Cory blushed. "Not yet, but we’ve, you know, made love. Luca told me to go slowly and sort of let her lead. He said she’d let me know when she was ready for the next step. So, that's what I've been doing."
Shade headed toward the stall that held Biondo as Cory followed. Shade stroked the mare’s mane, easing the animal. "Good advice. Let’s take her to Castello, you two will have time to sightsee, with a protector, of course. I can assign Hyde, and don’t give me argument, my orders. And I assume she will share your room at Castello?" Shade looked at him and winked.
Cory laughed and punched his dad in the arm. "Come on, Dad. I'm not a kid anymore. I'll tell her about going to Florence. I mentioned it once before, but we didn't have a date. She'll be excited. She wants to see the art gallery there. She doesn't know yet there is more art inside Castello than there is hanging in the Ufizzi. It will blow her mind! I'll tell Mom we'll come to California after the baby is born, so at least she knows I'm planning something."
"Sounds good. Once Sophia is born it will be a great relief. It is always a stressful time for a coven until the bambinos are born."
Angelo approached with Lorenzo on his heels. Shade nodded toward Lorenzo. "And that one will receive his usual grand welcome at Castello. They haven’t seen their prince in a while."
Lorenzo sauntered up to the two of them. "So, do I get my pony or what?"
Shade crouched down with a stern face and stared into Lorenzo's eyes. "For someone getting a very big and expensive present, you do not appear too gracious. Want to try that again, little warrior?"
Lorenzo looked back at Angelo who was biting his lip, trying not to laugh. Lorenzo tucked his head and looked up at his father, as he knelt in front of him.
"Sorry, Daddy. I earned enough cards, just like you asked me to. May I have a pony, now, please? I promise to help Angelo take care of him."
"Much better, son. A warrior must always show respect, even when that warrior is in charge. Be mindful of your words." Picking up Lorenzo, he hugged him tightly. "When it is near time for Sophia to be born, we will return to our homeland, in Florence. We shall go to the breeding stables, and we will choose a pony just for my little warrior. We will also have a saddle fitted and made for you. Then your pony will be shipped here over the water. It will be here before we return, since we must let Mommy and Sophia rest a bit before coming home. So, now, you must choose a name for your first warhorse."
Lorenzo nodded. "I'll think about it. It has to be a good name."