The sun was setting over the mountain range as they approached the main house, and Kate could see Luca climbing down from the tree house, Lorenzo still perched high in the tree. As they got closer to the house, she saw Shade exit the door onto the patio, and the two men were laughing and talking together. It made Kate smile to see them. She knew the plan was to take Shannon to Florence with them when the baby was born, and Luca would have her feed from him there, completing their blood covenant.
Kate reached out and took her hand. "We'll be going to Florence soon. Are you ready?"
Shannon looked at her best friend and smiled. "Yeah, I am. Will I feel different?"
Kate nodded. “It's gradual but yes. His blood will make you stronger, to prepare you for the turning, whenever you two get ready for that. And the sex is more intense."
Shannon's laugh could be heard by the two men as they looked up to see the women approaching. "Heaven help us!"
Shade heard the familiar laugh and his head snapped up to see his bel and Shannon approaching. Kate moved a bit slower, holding her well-rounded tummy. She looked amazing in the light of the sunset, her red hair glowing, like a fiery Goddess sent from a foreign land. "Never have I seen two more beautiful females in my life, Luca. And they are both ours. How in the hell did we pull that off?"
Before Luca could answer, they heard the sound of cracking wood and Shade looked up to see a branch giving way and falling to the ground. Shade called out to Lorenzo as he ran beneath the tree to catch his son. "Teleport, little warrior, go up, up!"
He heard Kate scream, but Lorenzo gained control of his fall and gently slowed his descent. The boy’s laughter echoed across the fields, and Shade sighed in relief. "Come to me, Lorenzo." Shade held his arms out to his son.
Laughing as he landing on his feet, Lorenzo ran straight into his father's arms.
"You, my little warrior, are going to be the best warrior Medici ever saw."
Kate rushed up behind Shade. “Lorenzo! Are you all right?”
Lorenzo had a huge grin on his face as he turned to his mother. "Mommy! Did you see me?"
Kate pinched his cheek. "Lorenzo, you're going to send me into early labor if you keep falling out of trees. Please be careful."
Lorenzo nodded his head. "I am careful, Mommy. Did you see me fly?”
Kate caught Shade's eye as she answered her son. "I did see that. You landed much better than I did on my first try.”
Shannon stepped into Luca's arms. He pulled her to his chest and buried his nose in her hair. She smelled like the sun. "I love you, mia belleza."
Shannon looked up at him. "Love you more."
Shade gave his son a kiss before putting him down. "Now, little warrior, you need to go inside and find Theresa, it is your bath and bed time."
Lorenzo skipped into the house as if on a mission, the dog trailing behind him. Shade took bel’s hand. "Come, all of you, let’s sit down on the patio and talk. We have some things to discuss. I have already asked Gi to bring us some refreshment. Now is as good a time as any since we are all gathered."
They gathered in the seating near the pool, as they felt the temperature dropping. Shade stretched out on a chaise lounge and pulled bel into the space next to him and helped her get comfortable. Placing his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head and placed his hand on her rounded tummy. "She comes soon, si?"
Kate placed her hand on top of his. "Dr. Bonutti said by the end of September. So, we’ll need to go to Florence in about two weeks, I’d think. It took Lorenzo another two weeks to arrive when we went to Florence for his birth, but I think this one is much more eager to get here. I’ve already met with the feeders, and I selected Gita. She is Nita's sister and they have a very similar temperament. You can meet her when we go back to Castello."
"Si." Shade rubbed gently and felt a strong kick under his hand. "She is strong, mi amore. I am sure Gita will do fine. Lorenzo adores Nita and I am sure Sophia will be the same with Gita."
Shade looked up at Luca, who was seated in a patio chair, with Shannon seated between his splayed legs. “Madison will be joining Cory on this trip to Florence. We need to assign a warrior for them. Not letting those two roam around Italy. Neither of them has ever been there before. Any thoughts on that, Luca?"
Luca sat forward in the deck chair. "Yeah, actually, I think Hyde could use a special assignment. He's getting used to being just another warrior in the Dead House. Being assigned to your son would be a promotion. Not only that, it will give me some free time to take Shannon to Empoli for a few days."
Shade nodded. "I have kept an eye on Hyde, and Mateo also gave me a heads up, so I think you might be right. It would do him good to be back in Florence a while as well. He needs a distraction."
He looked at Shannon. "Are you ready for the covenant? Ready for the changes you will feel and to take this relationship to the next level?"
Shannon nodded at him. "I'm ready. Besides, Kate says the sex is better." She turned her head and bit at Luca's thigh. "And, you know, Luca needs all the help he can get."
Shade laughed hard and loud. "And now, you challenge his beast? Be careful what you wish for, mortal.”
Luca gave Shannon a look that said the beast was more than willing to take her up on her challenge and she giggled.
Shade laid his head back on the chaise, breathing in the night air. “Everything is underway in Florence. The Council knows to expect us. We have the plane and the house staff on alert, as Castello is made ready for the celebrations. Security is well in hand, so Marco informs me, and we must make sure Theresa has some time to spend with Marco."
Kate laid her head back against his chest. "Lorenzo has so many people taking care of him at Castello, I'm sure Theresa could take off for a few days and Lorenzo would hardly notice. Castello will be a nice break for everyone, I think, and I’ll be glad to deliver this baby."
"You are not the only one. I am anxious to hold my princess in my arms. All our lives are about to change in one fashion or another. Our coven and family grows. I only hope my madre and padre know all they desired for me has come to fruition a hundred fold."
Kissing Kate on the top of her head, he sighed heavily. "We must go inside, get our son to bed and then, I must get to the camp." Helping her up, he smiled down at her. "Soon, mi amore, we become five instead of four."
82
It took a while to get everyone on the plane and settled, the luggage loaded and then they were off to Florence. Shade spent some of the flight with Lorenzo, but his death slumber pulled at him and he moved to the back of the cabin and the enclosed bedroom where he slept the rest of the flight.
Once they arrived on Italian soil, they were all escorted into two limousines and transported to Castello.
Madison had tried to sleep on the flight over, and managed to doze on and off, but this was her first trip to Italy, and her first flight on a private jet. She was trying to keep her excitement under wraps, as everyone else on board was responding as if this was no big deal.
There were cars waiting for them on their arrival at the airport in Florence. They never entered the airport terminal but were taken straight from the plane to the waiting cars. Cory made sure she sat by the window, so she could look out at the countryside as they drove. It didn’t take long before she saw the red-tiled rooftops of old Florence, dominated by the Ufizzi tower and the Duomo. She squealed out loud and squeezed Cory's hand, as they drove through the city and along the banks of the Arno, on the streets where Da Vinci and Michelangelo once walked. They continued past the city and the Boboli Gardens, as the road meandered back into the hillside where the massive estate sat on a small rise right next to the river Arno.