Smiling down at her beautiful face, he couldn’t help but love her. "Spoken like a true romantic." He stood up facing Raven and Mica. "You have our approval. Congratulations. We wish you all that eternity can give you. I can’t add anything more than what bel has already said.”
Mica stood, and Shade hugged him, slapping his back. "Take care of my boy. He needs you."
Mica returned the hug. "Thank you, Master Shade, for your blessing and approval. I promise you; I’ll take great care."
Shade made eye contact with Raven. Time seemed to stand still, and Shade knew this was the point of letting him go. Raven knew it as well. He could feel the emotion rolling through Raven. They hugged, and it lasted for a while, neither of them letting go.
"It’s okay, Raven, it can be scary, but great to move forward. Don’t let the past get in the way of your future. Let it go, you choose well in Mica, trust him, and let him show you love and all it can be. I remain your master and will always be here for you. That will never change no matter what happens."
Kate stood to offer her congratulations when Lorenzo came blasting into the room at full speed and wrapped both hands around her knees, his hands covered in a rainbow of paints. Kate grabbed at his hands, but it was already too late as her skirt was covered in a myriad of paint colors.
“Lorenzo! Where... what are you doing?"
“I was painting a mural Mommy, like at Castello."
Kate creased her brow, "A mural? Oh god, a mural? On the wall? You were painting on the wall?"
Lorenzo nodded his head yes as he held up his chubby, paint covered hands. "It looks bootiful. It's a pirate."
Kate picked him up, trying to keep his paint-filled hands from touching anything else as she called for Theresa to get the bath ready. Kate shook her head as she looked at Shade, "Your son... the artist."
Shade threw back his head and laughed. Leave it to Lorenzo to break the ice and change the whole mood. Raven was holding his sides trying not to laugh out loud and Mica was amused as well.
Shade pointed at Lorenzo, "Do you see how when he is in trouble, he is my son and not hers? So, tell me, my little Picasso, where is this mural you have painted of a pirate and I do hope there is a ship, because no pirate is without his ship for all his treasures!"
Lorenzo shook his hands, trying to get free of his mother's grip. "We got to build a ship, Daddy! A real one!"
Kate looked at Shade and laughed, "Yes, Daddy, build a real one."
Shade took Lorenzo into his arms, his whole body squirming. "A real ship, si! Maybe a pirate ship playhouse in the back. We have a sword; we may need a pirate hat to go with it. Now, I think you need to be polite and say hello to someone. You know Raven, but this is Mica, he is part of our coven, and I do not think you two have officially met. You need to welcome him to Bel Rosso."
Lorenzo extended his paint-filled hand to Mica, offering a handshake. "Nice to meet you. My name is Lorenzo. I'm a prince."
Mica looked at his hand as Kate was shaking her head no, but Mica took the child's small hand in his. "It’s very nice to meet you, Prince Lorenzo. My name is Mica. And let me know when you get that ship built. I'm sure I can find you some sails for it."
Lorenzo was all grins as Theresa rushed in with a wet cloth for Mica, and scooped Lorenzo up, carrying him upstairs for another bath.
Shade nodded to Mica and watched as Theresa hauled Lorenzo out. He took Kate into his arms. "If you two need replacements so you can take a break with each other, we can arrange that without a problem. Sometimes it is good to be away from everything, and be together, especially on this occasion. Be on your way, take care of each other."
He watched as Raven grinned and then kissed Mica on the lips. Shade felt Raven's happiness as they both walked out of the office heading back to California. Looking down at Kate and her paint covered skirt, he asked, "Where the hell did Lorenzo get paints? We can’t leave him alone for five minutes!"
Kate took his hand as they headed up the stairs together. "Your son is quite resourceful. Let's go see whose room now has a mural."
8
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Rissa had decided to go to Bel Rosso and ride. She needed a break from her intense work schedule. Since the wedding several years ago, her business had boomed. It had become more than she could handle alone, and she’d hired several assistants to help her deal with the overwhelming workload.
Alec’s focus remained on the Presidency, and they attended every event that would keep them in the public eye, but the time they spent alone together was increasingly rare. If they were together outside the house, they were soft campaigning in regal style. It was all in the plan. There were still obstacles to be removed, so Alec hadn’t announced his intentions as a candidate as of yet.
It was rare for her to have some time that she could be alone and ride, so when the opportunity presented itself, she took it. Hyde, as always, was by her side when she left the house. They’d become even closer over the years. She considered him her best friend, as well as her protector and she wondered what she’d ever done without him. She never went anywhere without him unless Alec was accompanying her. Even then, Hyde would make himself disappear in the crowd, keeping a watchful eye. Over the years, she’d come to recognize most of the Medici warriors, and realized just how many of them were actually nearby at all times. Even when she couldn’t see them, she could feel them. They surrounded her in a protective cage and there were times she was grateful.
The press was hounding their every move. If Alec made a television appearance, which he was doing more frequently, their lives got even more intense. The press would sit outside, day and night, waiting for one of them to exit. It had become routine for her to always be followed by the press.
She’d been riding for hours, working with Biondo, riding through the fields as well as the mountain trails. The polo season was getting ready to go into full swing and she’d been asked to ride with a group of women, all of them from the socially elite pony set. It was a charity group and they coordinated polo matches to raise funds. It kept her on the society pages of the newspaper and put them both in a great light as she got a lot of press coverage.
Rissa rode back to the stables after she and Biondo had a great workout. The land had changed over the years. There were now fields of flowers and she had to change her riding paths accordingly. Apparently, Kate was obsessed with this landscaping endeavor. What else did a bored queen with a runny nosed brat do?
She’d seen the child more than she cared to. He seemed to always be dirty, playing in mud, or hanging out with that beast they called a dog. Their life here was definitely country. She’d never be able to tolerate all the animals, noise, and dirt.
The main house was beautiful, but she never understood why they’d want to live here. They had huge homes everywhere and still they stayed in this isolated country estate. It was no place for a queen, but then, Kate was a middle class nothing, so what the hell did she know about style. She had all the money in the world and still dressed like a Bohemian.
Dismounting, she brushed off the dust from her expensive designer riding gear. Her custom-made boots alone cost over a thousand dollars, and even though no mortals saw her here, she always dressed the part. The estate was clearly designed so the vineyards and the fields of flowers that drew the tourists were separated from the main house, the camp and the stables. There was a separate drive to the vineyards, and clear signage marked the entrance. The security along the fork in the drive leading to the main house looked subtle, with a small chain across the road and a sign that said ‘Private’, but Rissa knew there were cameras and motion detectors that would alert them to any trespassers. A warrior would be immediately dispatched to the driveway to politely request any tourist to please turn around. So far, she’d been lucky in that none of the paparazzi had figured out this was her secret retreat.