“Talk to me, Shan. I see concern in your eyes.”
She sighed as she lay back against the sofa. “You see everything in my eyes.”
He chuckled. “Well, not everything. If I could see everything, I’d already know what’s troubling you. Talk to me, mia belleza. Whatever it is, we can fix it, yes?”
Shannon stared back into those pale hazel eyes, in sharp contrast to his dark, olive skin. “I talked to Kate today. She told me she’s pregnant again.”
He nodded at her, never breaking eye contact. He knew how much she struggled with Kate’s first pregnancy, and the fact Shade had to come to him for feeding. “Are you not happy for them?”
She closed her eyes tightly. “You know I am. I want only the best for them. Kate is like a sister to me. But Luca…when is it our turn?”
Luca leaned in to her, his lips brushing her cheek, his breath hot against her ear as he whispered, “Tell me what you need, mia belleza. If it is mine to give, I will give it.”
Shannon melted under his spell, and swallowed hard as she answered, “You talk about eternity for us, but you never mention turning me. I need to know what you see for us. I need to know where I fit in.”
He felt her inner turmoil and took her hand, placing it on his chest over his heart. “You fit here, mia belleza. Here, in my heart. I have moved slowly with you. I needed you to see my life, understand my life. It’s rich in many ways, but restricted, and yet there is nothing I would change. I needed you to find your own way here. Understand my role, my obligations and commitment to this coven, to my master. I needed to make sure you could share this space with me. I’d never ask to turn you. It’s too great a sacrifice to ask of any mortal. It’s something you had to desire for yourself. Something you had to accept with no pressure from me to do so, because there’s no turning back. I think of it often. But it has to be your choice, not mine.”
She placed her hands on either side of his face and spoke softly, “How could you ever doubt this isn’t what I’d want?”
He kissed her lightly, his lips barely touching hers. “I never doubted your love. Never. But I have watched you struggle with our lifestyle. I know you accept Shade feeding from me, but I also know it pains you. I feed from you, so I feel your pain, mia belleza. There are still challenges for us. There is this new baby, and Kate has foreseen a third. Shade will come to me to feed with each pregnancy.”
She nodded her head. “I know that. I can deal with that, Luca. Did you think my attitude about that would change?”
He shook his head. “No, but if I were to turn you now, then I couldn’t feed both of you. Shade is a master, and a warrior. His body demands much blood from me. I couldn’t sustain you both. You, too, would need to feed from someone else while Kate was pregnant.”
Shannon stood suddenly from the couch, pacing in front of him. “What? Luca, I wouldn’t want to feed from anyone else. I love you!”
He reached out and touched her hand. “It’s another reason I haven’t approached you. It’s not impossible for us to do. You could rely on the feeders when I’m committed to Shade. The concept isn’t foreign to me, but I know it would feel awkward for you.”
She looked at him with surprise. “Awkward! Awkward doesn’t begin to describe it. It’s not just the feeding, but the whole sex thing.”
He tugged at her hand, pulling her back down on the sofa beside him. “I’ve thought about this a lot, Shannon. We should probably have discussed it sooner. I shouldn’t have left you guessing. But my thoughts were to wait until all three babies were born. Shade will no longer need to come to me, and you wouldn’t need to seek another. For an immortal, this is but a moment in time, but I realize, for you, I’m asking you to wait several more years. Is that too much to ask, mia belleza?”
She turned her head and looked at him. “And in the meantime, Luca?”
“In the meantime, I will talk to Shade. He knows my heart, and yours. He won’t stand as an obstacle in our future. I will ask his permission for you to feed from me. That will seal our blood covenant. And once the last baby is born, I will turn you.”
Her hand brushed his cheek. “The blood covenant. Will it change me?”
He shook his head. “Yes and no. You’ll be bound to me. You’ll feel my emotions, but not as strongly as I feel yours. It will start to prepare your body for the turning, making you stronger. Say yes, Shannon, and I’ll talk to him. Asking Shade’s permission is only a formality now. We’ve been together so long. Say yes, and you can feed from me, be bound to me. Move here, live with me.”
She sat up straight on the sofa. “Wait…move here? I have a job, and you just said it could be years before you could turn me.”
Luca shook his head in frustration. “Shannon, these are just details. You don’t need to work. I can take care of us.”
She stood and started pacing again. “But I like my job. And what would I do?”
His eyes followed her as she walked back and forth in front of him. She was strong-willed. It was one of the characteristics he was drawn to, but he knew she wasn’t a woman who’d sit idle at home and be taken care of. “We’ll find a solution, Shan. If you need to work, we can figure something out. If you need to maintain the charade, then keep your condo in Alexandria. I or one of the other warriors can teleport you back and forth. These are just details. The bigger question here is whether this is what you want, the blood covenant, the turning.”
Shannon stood still and let the memories of the past three years float through her head. Every memory of pleasure and beauty and joy had been a moment with Luca. She couldn’t even envision a future that didn’t include him. “It’s what I want. It’s the only thing I want.”
He stood and pulled her to his chest, kissing the top of her head. “Then you’ll be mine, mia belleza.”
39
Shade walked slowly around the perimeter of the training field, it was well past midnight and there was a lot to get done with the new recruits. He lit up a smoke, keeping an eye on the young ones now in his charge. His mind wasn’t completely on the task at hand. Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he was on the streets fighting, getting bloody and kicking some rogue ass. A part of him missed the action, but he knew he was where he was supposed to be in his life.
Looking up, he sensed something coming in his direction and saw the arrow aimed straight at him. He ducked his head to the side as the arrow whizzed past him. He glanced immediately to the source of the arrow and found a young male warrior, cringing in terror, his eyes bugging out of his head. "Not a good idea to kill your master!” He shouted with aggravation.
Throwing up his hand, he motioned to the warrior he was fine and watched him slink back to his group. Shade shook his shaggy mane. Only a few years ago, he would’ve killed the young bastard.
Luca entered the camp, looking for his master. With the new recruits in training, he knew if he wanted to talk to Shade he’d have to track him down here. He saw him duck the errant arrow that was on a misguided course for his head, and watched as the young recruit went pale. Luca had to laugh to himself. He remembered his own days of training in the camp at Castello, and how long it took them all to become proficient. Luca approached his master with a smile. "I see some things never change, master."