Shade watched her pace back and forth. He knew that expression of determination. He glanced at Luca and winked, steepling his fingers together. "I have always thought you would enjoy expanding what you so carefully created, mi amore. And since Shannon worked with you at the ad agency, I think she would be an excellent partner. If she accepts, she would be a welcome addition to this house, not only for Luca's comfort but yours as well. I know you miss her, and so does Lorenzo."
Shifting his gaze to Luca, he inquired, "Can your suite accommodate Shannon? And what is your take on this idea bel has come up with? Do you think Shannon will agree to this? I know it will be a big change for her, but I would prefer she reside here with us. There are benefits to all of us if she did."
Luca sighed with a sense of relief. He knew his master wouldn’t throw up any barriers, but it was still a weight off his shoulders to have his approval. "We never discussed any other alternative to her working, but I know how much she loves Kate. I know they’d work well together. We can certainly present this idea to her. As for my suite, it’s more than large enough for the two of us, and provides us with privacy, especially if she has free rein over the rest of the house."
Kate beamed at him. "Of course! This would be her home as well, just as it is yours."
Shade smiled at Kate’s happiness and knew deep inside, she missed her best friend. He beckoned her onto his lap. She snuggled against his chest and kissed his neck softly.
"So, shall we say yes or no to Luca and Shannon sealing the blood covenant, or do you wish to see, first, how Shannon will respond to our offer?"
"Yes, to the blood covenant, regardless of whether she decides she wants to be a part of our businesses. It’s time for her to seal her covenant with Luca."
Shade grinned at her and kissed her. Looking at Luca, he nodded his head and smiled. "Luca, you officially have our permission to seal the blood covenant with Shannon. I thank you for being patient. Our lives have interfered with yours greatly. Don’t tarry on getting this done. The time is coming soon when I will need to feed from you. But, I will say one thing. Do this when the time is right, in the right place, wherever that is. This will be a great night for you when it happens. If you need some time off, to be alone, just let me know. We can arrange things here in your absence. I am proud of you and your choice. She is a beautiful and intelligent female."
Luca felt like his life was just beginning, knowing Shannon would now hold a permanent place in it. He couldn’t wait to tell her, and to bring her here to Bel Rosso to live.
Shade pulled Kate from his lap and stood, going to Luca, and gave him a hug. "Go, find your female, tell her the good news, and what we have offered. Get back to us when you know something."
Luca seemed lost for words as Shade watched him head out the door of his office.
"It never ceases to amaze me how you seem to make everything perfect in my warriors’ lives." Kissing her with passion, he grabbed her hand. "Come along, mi amore, I wish to check on our son."
40
Shade teleported over Washington, D.C. It had been a while since he’d made the rounds over the political city, teeming with people on the move. He hovered over Georgetown, his old territory when he first took over protection for Alec. He was pretty sure he knew the reason Alec has requested this meeting, since the dream-walking sessions had been completed for some time now.
He landed, unseen, outside the home of the Cantons. As he raised his hand to ring the bell, Santos opened the door and nodded. "Master Shade, you will find Master Canton in his study. He is waiting for you."
Shade smiled at the ancient butler. The old bastard had been with Alec for eons, he had to be older than Gi. He strolled to Alec's study and found the door open. Rissa was just leaving as she paused, arms crossed over her chest, a smirk on her lips.
Shade nodded. "Mrs. Canton."
He watched as she unfolded her arms, cocked her hip to one side and blurted out in a sarcastic tone, "Shade, big bad ass warrior. You kept Alec waiting, very rude."
Shade grinned and leaned into her ear. "The King is worth waiting for."
Rissa slapped his arm and tried to move from Shade, but he blocked her path. "By the way, nice work. I am assuming since Alec called me here, you fucked his way into the campaign."
Rissa growled and raised her hand to slap him when Shade shook his head. "I wouldn’t if I were you, I can take Hyde away any time I like, and I think you might need him."
Winking, he turned his back to her and headed into the study. He could hear her stomping out of sight.
Alec overheard the ongoing quarrel between Rissa and Shade and shook his head as he poured Shade a drink. There was certainly no love lost between those two. "Come in, brother. Have a seat." Handing Shade the glass, he nodded toward a chair. "We have some business to discuss."
Shade took the drink and swirled the dark sweet elixir around in the glass. Settling himself in a chair, he grinned. "So, what the hell is going on, brother? I am assuming this is about the campaign." Shade took a deep drink and then locked eyes with Alec. "Are you really going to go through with this?"
Alec sat across from him, lighting up a cigarette. "I had my little meeting with Ashton, showed him the feed from the cameras we had planted. That was all it took. I told him I could destroy the footage, or destroy his career. His choice. The old man broke down and cried, begged me not to expose him. It was all pretty easy after that. He has a special press conference scheduled to announce he won't run for a second term due to some health issues. As soon as it's official, I’ll announce my intentions, and then we’ll start with the campaign. That's where you come in."
Shade sat forward in the chair, leaning his elbows on his knees, his drink still in his hands. “Well, D.C. is covered, brother, no matter what. Rest easy with that one. Fill me in, what do you need? And be specific.”
Alec took a deep drag on the cigarette, exhaling the smoke. "Once I announce, I’ll need to get on the campaign trail. I won't be the only one vying for this position, so I want to get out there quickly. I'll need to take Rissa with me. Having a wife with you on the campaign is important. People want to see that. So, we're going to need to have Hyde available to travel with us. I'll use Alto as my driver, even when we're in one of those god-awful campaign buses. He’s always acted as my bodyguard in key situations, and he's good, but he's not warrior bred. I think I’ll need more security than he’s trained to handle. Plus, I’ll be leaving the safety of my own territory. The mortals won't see anything, but I’ll have to operate inside the territories of other masters to campaign. So, I need another warrior to watch my back. He'll have to be clean cut, like Hyde. Someone who’s skilled yet polished and who can blend in with the crowd. You got anyone that fits the bill?"
Shade stood and paced back and forth, getting himself another drink before answering. "Well, I trust you know what the hell you’re doing going into other master's turf. Bro, you need to make sure they know you are coming and why. That could get really ugly. Hyde is no problem. He is in." Shade ran through his roster of warriors in his head, weighing each of them as a potential candidate to serve as a protector for Alec.