“It’s the same arrangement Shade has with Luca and the lemon production. You could work directly with the manufacturers, develop the product line, and develop the marketing and business plan. It would be a full-time job, trust me. It allows you to use all the education and skills you developed at the agency and put them to work for yourself. Shade has lawyers, accountants, and a host of people from the coven who’d be at your disposal. What do you think?”
Shannon stopped in her tracks and looked across the acres of purple and yellow. “What about the fields in California?”
Kate took her arm as they continued to walk. “All included. And there’s more property in Tuscany that hasn’t been cultivated. It’s perfect for olive production. Long term, I think we should plant olive groves, and develop our own brand of olive oil, as well as divert some of that production for bath and beauty products as well. Quite frankly, I’ve had the idea for some time now, but didn’t have the time to move on it. Say yes, Shannon. Say yes to the blood covenant and Luca, say yes to moving to Bel Rosso, and say yes to the business. And later, if you and Luca have your own children and you want to live in your own house, you know Shade will build something right here on the property.”
Shannon looked at her best friend. “You make it all sound so easy.”
Kate smiled back at her. “Not easy. Just worth it. You know we work well together, and you practically live at Bel Rosso anyway.”
Shannon stopped and inhaled the soothing scent of lavender. “I’ll have to lie to my family. I’ll have to cut all ties with them. I’ve never been able to tell them about Luca all these years. My mom is always asking when I’m going to meet a nice guy and settle down. I just tell her I’m married to my work.”
Kate looked across the horizon, remembering her life before Shade. “Yeah, that’s hard. You know I told everyone I took a job in London. I’d call my parents from time to time, stretching out the time between calls, so they were less and less frequent. They’d ask when I was coming home to visit, and I’d always say I was too busy. Eventually, they quit asking. It’s a choice, Shannon, and you can’t go back. I don’t regret my decision, if that’s any consolation.”
Shannon stepped up behind her friend, placing her arms around her and resting her chin on her shoulder. “How did we get here, Kate?”
Kate placed her hands over Shannon’s and shook her head. “I don’t know, Shan. Everything about my life now is so improbable, so unimaginable. There’s no way I saw any of this coming. All I can tell you is I need Shade as much as I need the air I breathe. There’s no life without him. His blood is in my veins, our souls are one, and I’d change nothing. My heart tells me you want the same with Luca. You love him now, but you’ll be bound to him in a completely different way once you feed from him and seal the covenant. And when he turns you, when that day comes, you live and breathe as one.”
A tear ran down Shannon’s cheek. Her love for Luca felt almost overwhelming. It was hard to imagine she could love him more. But she knew, without question, she could never walk away. “Yes. Yes, to all of it. I’ll tell him I’m ready.”
Kate turned and embraced her dearest friend. “Welcome, sister.”
57
Max was practically living in exile in Bangkok. He’d shamed his wife, Lein, and her father, Fan Chen. The loss of his Virginia territory to Shade, and the massive loss of life at the Battle of Bel Rosso had been a huge embarrassment to the Chen Dynasty. Fan Chen ignored him, and Max knew if an opportunity presented itself, Fan wouldn’t hesitate to have him killed, and have Lein mated to someone else. Fan had made it clear he didn’t see Max as a capable successor to his coven.
Lein fed from him, because she must, but she came to him to survive, not out of passion and desire. He sought out feeders to avoid her, and her cold reception when he approached her to feed.
Fan’s warriors ignored Max and took their orders directly from Fan. He’d been stripped of any power, and he knew his future here was limited.
He flipped on the TV to an international news network. It was one of the few programs broadcast in English. The large screen TV was projecting an image of Alec and Rissa, smiling for the camera, as they worked the campaign crowds and the newscaster’s voice talked about the handsome couple and Alec’s bid for the White House.
Max felt like someone was rubbing salt in his wounds. This all started with her, his obsession with Rissa. He remembered how she toyed with him and led him on, only to throw his love for her back in his face. He had destroyed everything in the States and came to Thailand to escape her. Why should she get everything? Why was he the only one paying the price? He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off as he stormed out of the room. “I’ll make them pay. I’ll make them all pay!”
He didn’t have a plan, at least not yet. He had no warriors he could call upon, so whatever action he took, he’d have to pull off on his own. But he vowed to bring them all down.
58
Braden had them all checked in to a mid-quality hotel in Florida. He knew Alec had the personal wealth to stay anywhere he liked, but they were spending the campaign funds donated by their supporters, and they needed to appear fiscally responsible, not to mention, it made them appear more approachable to the mainstream voter.
They’d been doing well in the polls, and Braden made a point of checking the local news coverage, as well as local newspapers of every city they visited. He wanted to make sure he had his finger on the pulse of the voter’s reaction, so he could coach Alec accordingly.
Alec wasn’t his problem, though. Alec was doing well with the voters, and not surprisingly, had been especially strong with the women voters. The crowds tended to be about 60% female. His problem was with Rissa. The voters saw her as cold and aloof. He’d spoken to her several times about it, asking her to engage more, but she just rolled her eyes at him.
So far, Alec's charm had outweighed her dismissive attitude, but he was hoping she wouldn’t become a liability in the future. He’d gathered everyone in one of the hotel conference rooms to go over the day’s itinerary. He was passing out a cheat sheet that showed each venue and the key people in attendance that Alec and Rissa would need to schmooze. Getting the support and endorsement of these key VIP's would be important to maintaining their momentum in the campaign.
"Okay, people, here's our schedule for the day. As you can see, it’s jam packed, so we’ll need to keep on time. Rissa, the local newspapers are still describing you as aloof, can you at least try to be a little more engaging?"
Rissa was already miserable in this heat and humidity, and was worried about how it would make her hair look. Now, Braden was handing her their schedule for the day, with another round of sweaty people shaking her hand. All the while, the women were constantly trying to get close to Alec. They pushed and shoved past her, while she was ignored totally.
Sitting in the conference room, she tried to keep her face expressionless. Checking her hair in her compact, she heard Braden’s request for her to be less aloof. Snapping her compact shut, she glared at him. He was such an ass kissing bore. "What the hell do you expect me to do? I feel like I’m wearing clothes from a thrift shop, and my hair is a mess. No one is interested in me, so why should I bother. It takes all my energy to even try to look human in these places."