Chuckling, Shade threw Luca the pack of smokes and nodded to him to take a squat beside him. "And I was just sitting here thinking about how I missed being on the streets, hell, I think this is worse, they are supposed to be on my side."
Leaning back against the wall, giving Luca a sidelong glance as he lit up, Shade knew something was up. Luca only sought him out in the camp when he needed to talk. "Everything all right at the house?"
Luca nodded as he inhaled deep on the cigarette before letting the smoke escape his lips, tossing the pack back to his master. "Yeah. All good. Lorenzo had to make a last minute inspection of the workers on the indoor pool before Kate put him to bed. You got a minute?"
Shade took a long look at Luca, the most valuable vampire warrior in his life. Luca had something on his mind, but Shade couldn’t get a read on it. "For you, I have all the time in the world. Spit it out."
Now that he was here, Luca wasn’t sure where to start. "It's about Shannon. She’s been with me now for over three years, and I feed only from her. I’ve done all you asked of me, and we’ve moved slowly. We needed to know if she could accept our lifestyle, and I think she’s proven she’s up for the challenge. I’m here to ask your permission to allow her to feed from me, to seal our blood covenant. I’ve discussed this with her, and I think she’s ready for this next step. I wouldn’t ask to turn her until the third child Kate has foreseen is born. That way, Shannon won’t be placed in the position of having to feed from another. It’s time, master, and with your permission, I’d like to seal my bond with her."
Shade listened carefully while keeping his gaze on the warriors training on the field. Luca was right, his relationship with Shannon had been a long one, and Kate's best friend had taken all the obstacles in stride. Shade slid his hands through his curls as he grunted. "You have shown great patience, Luca, I could not have waited that long for bel."
Shade pulled his long legs up to his chest and rested his elbows on his knees. "She understands what this entails? The bonding, the turning? This is not a game and she needs to know what will happen to her. There is great pain for her in the turning, and it is not without risks.”
"She’s aware, master. And I’m sure she will discuss it in detail with Kate when the time comes. But she has assured me this is what she wants. And I think you know it’s what I want. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was the one. It was the same for you, was it not?"
Shade grinned with memories of his bel rosso. "Si, the moment I saw her and that fiery red hair. She grabbed my heart and never let go. If someone had told me I would fall in love with a mortal female, I would have laughed my ass off."
Standing, Shade reached down and grabbed Luca's hand, pulling him upright. "I won’t give you an answer until we talk with Kate. We make all decisions together and I want her to be with us. Let’s go up to the house and have a drink, see if she can join us and talk, si?"
Luca stood beside his master and his oldest friend, as they turned to walk back to the house. He knew Kate would offer no objection to this union. Entering the house together, Emma informed them Kate was in Shade's office, on a conference call with Reynaldo and Mica over plans for the peak tourist season for the inn in Napa.
Nodding to Emma, he and Luca proceeded to the office. "That would be my queen, making money hand over fist."
As they entered the office, Shade strolled in and saw Kate sitting in his large leather chair behind his desk, and he chuckled. She looked like a small girl in that huge chair. Walking to the bar, he poured two large tumblers of Midnight, handing one to Luca. Standing with his ass against the bar, he sipped and listened to her conversation.
Kate looked up as her mate and her protector entered the room and she smiled at them. She quickly wrapped up the conversation with Mica and turned the chair to the two men. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? It’s so rare to have the attention of both of you."
"It’s your lucky night, bel. Are you comfortable?"
She laughed. "I'm quite comfortable. But please, bring me only good news."
Shade stepped closer to the desk and leaned in to Kate, going nose to nose with her. "I think, mi amore, you would be much more comfortable sitting in my lap in that big chair, si?" He kissed her lips gently and gave her a smile and a wink.
She stood as they switched positions, Shade settling in the chair, and Kate curling up in his lap. Luca took a seat in the leather arm chair near the desk.
"What have you come to discuss? What’s important enough to bring you both?"
His hand went immediately into her crimson, letting the silken strands curl softly around his fingers. "Luca has come this night to ask permission for something. I wish not to answer him alone but for us to give our decision together. Do you wish to ask her, Luca?"
Luca leaned forward in his chair. "I asked my master for permission to allow Shannon to feed from me, to seal the blood covenant."
Kate sat up straight and looked quickly at Shade and back at Luca. "Why are we even discussing this? Have you asked Shannon? If this is what you both want...why are we having this conversation?"
"Relax, mi amore. We are discussing this because it is serious business, this blood covenant. Shannon has agreed, of course. And, eventually, she will be turned, as were you. That is a big obligation for them both. Luca is only following orders. He must ask his master first before bonding with another. But I think, perhaps, you do not realize everything Shannon will have to endure."
Kate looked at him with surprise. "I realize better than most what she’ll have to endure. What do you mean?"
Shade's gaze fell on Luca before turning back to Kate. "I feed from Luca when you are pregnant, bel. This has been a struggle for Shannon, as it was for you when you were mortal. Luca can’t feed Shannon and I at the same time. They have made the choice to bond now, but to wait for Shannon to be turned until our last child is born. Shannon can survive on mortal nourishment through that period. This is a big step for them both, and I have one concern."
Peering back at Luca, Shade locked eyes with him. "If you have a blood covenant, you will feel her more intensely, and she will need to be with you more frequently. I think it is time we look at the living arrangements. You will have little time to go back and forth to Shannon. We need you here, Luca, and once Sophia is born, more so."
Luca nodded. "I want her here. I asked her to move in with me if you agreed to the covenant. She knows we’ll not move forward with the turning until the third child is born, and she knows that could be a few years away. The time is of no consequence to me, but Shannon is concerned about her job, and what she’d do if she moved here. I don't have all the answers, but I assured her we could find a solution. I or one of the other warriors could teleport her to her condo if she feels the need to keep a presence in her mortal life."
Kate stood from Shade's lap and walked about the office, deep in thought. "Lover, you once suggested to me I expand my business interest, develop my own brands for the lavender and sunflower oils. I wasn’t interested in taking on more projects, especially with the demands of the children. But Shannon could do this. She’ll be a part of our coven soon, a part of our family. Why not make her a partner in this business? I can think of no one better to expand on what I’ve already created."