45

Shade teleported out to the mountain with the duffle bag slung across his back, and Lorenzo held tightly in his arms. Lorenzo held his small package of teddy bear, pillow and blanket cradled tightly against his chest. Shade landed softly on a mossy green clearing with trees surrounding them. Sitting Lorenzo down, the darkness was all encompassing. The only light provided for them was from the moon and stars. Lorenzo was excited but also a little intimated. Shade felt his son’s emotions.

"Don’t wander off, Lorenzo, it is dark out here, use your senses to help you. Listen for sounds and movement. There are many animals out here tonight. Can you hear or see Aegis or Night-Stalker?"

Lorenzo stood stock still, and that alone was a miracle. As he began to unpack, Shade quickly retrieved the flashlight.

Lorenzo picked up the scent of both Aegis and Night-Stalker and looked deep into the darkness and could see the glint of moonlight reflecting in their eyes. He pointed them out to his father. "Yep. They're here all right."

He watched as his father removed the camping gear from the pack and Lorenzo laid his blanket on the ground and unrolled it, retrieving his bear. Tucking the bear tightly under one arm, he slipped a thumb in his mouth, a habit he hadn't indulged in since he was one.

Shade didn’t miss the gestures Lorenzo employed to soothe himself. Kneeling down beside him, he turned on the flashlight and handed it to him. "Lorenzo, are you scared of the dark?”

Lorenzo shook his head no as he removed his thumb, and a little drool ran down his chin. "I'm not scared, Daddy, but I think Ted is."

Shade smiled at his son. "Then hold him tightly, keep him safe. Aegis and Night-Stalker will let us know if anything is out there. They protect us both, so no worries. Let’s set up the tent, and then we can put our things out to sleep. Always get your shelter set up first, that’s vital. Then you can go about doing other things once that is done."

Standing, Shade unpacked the tent, laid it out, then lined up the metal poles to where they belonged. All the while, Lorenzo was watching him. "Okay, we have all the parts for the tent, so let’s put the poles together and slide them in the proper slots and the tent will go up. Can you help me, little warrior?"

Lorenzo reluctantly laid the bear down, so he could help his father with the tent. He steadied the tent poles as directed, while his father pulled and secured the canvas. Shade unrolled the two sleeping bags inside the tent and Lorenzo gathered his own blanket and pillow and placed them on his sleeping bag. He laid the bear on the sleeping bag, gently tucking the blanket around him, just like his mommy did to him. He kissed the bear and said, "Good night, little warrior.”

“You have good warrior skills. I am so proud of you, Lorenzo. It is not easy to be a warrior, you have to be brave and take care of others and tonight, you have done both already. I think we should take a walk. You can bring your flashlight. We need to collect some branches and wood for a campfire. It will give us light and also keep us warm."

Lorenzo looked unsure about leaving Ted behind when Aegis walked into the camp and nuzzled his hand before curling up in front of the tent. Lorenzo pet the wolf and told her, "You watch out for Ted while I'm gone."

He took his father's hand as they walked together through the low brush, looking for small branches and sticks on the ground.

As they wandered along, Shade tried not to laugh out loud at the bobbing light of Lorenzo's flashlight. His arms were full of branches from the trees that had taken a beating during the winter months. "I do believe, little warrior, we have a good amount of firewood to start this campfire. Let’s head back, do you remember the way back?"

Lorenzo carried a small bundle of sticks under one arm as he held the flashlight in his other hand. "Yep. I paid attention like you told me. And I can follow Aegis' scent. Want me to show you the way?"

Shade grinned at him. "That would be a big help, because I think I might be lost. Lead the way, little warrior."

Lorenzo turned in the direction of their camp and honed in on the scent of the wolf. He made his way through the brush, trying to illuminate the path ahead of him. "Stay close to me, Daddy!"

He was pushing his way forward when he stumbled and dropped the flashlight. The light went out as it bounced on the ground and Lorenzo froze in panic. He stood still but could hear his father behind him. He calmed himself, taking a deep breath, and let his eyes adjust to the dark. His vision intensified, and he realized he could see in the dark just as well as he could in the day. He found the flashlight on the ground and picked it up but didn’t turn it back on. He continued forward, letting his nose lead him to the wolf. As they reached the clearing, Aegis lifted her head and issued a soft chuffing sound. "See, Daddy. I told you I could find it."

Shade had a moment of panic himself as he watched Lorenzo drop the flashlight and it went out. He could feel Lorenzo's heart rate increase dramatically, but he watched with amazement as Lorenzo gained control of his fear and used his vampire sight. "Yes, you did, son! I am very happy you have such great skills. You are a fast learner. Okay, let’s stack this wood into something that will light quickly and burn, shall we?"

As Lorenzo nodded, Shade showed him how to place the branches, starting with the smaller branches and kindling. Lorenzo helped stack and prop and then Shade spotted a large log only about five feet away.

"Lorenzo, there is a large log over there, let’s roll it over here, and we can use that to sit on while we enjoy the campfire, si?"

Lorenzo rushed to the log and tried to lift it on his own, but it was too heavy for him. His father grabbed it up with one hand and Lorenzo hung on to the back as they dragged the log into their camp.

"Want me to start the fire, Daddy? I can do it!"

Shade knew deep in his heart this was exactly what Lorenzo needed to build his confidence with his gift. "It would be a good use of your gift, son. Do you need any help from me?"

Lorenzo knelt in front of the sticks and branches, and shook his head no. "I just need to concentrate."

He stared at the palm of his hand, his forehead furrowed as he focused his attention. A wisp of smoke appeared to hover just above his open palm and suddenly ignited into a small ball of flames that hovered in the air. Lorenzo made a fist, as if capturing the flame and threw it in the direction of the kindling, watching as the small sticks caught fire, hissing and snapping as the fire grew. Lorenzo looked up at his father, his face lit from the flames of the fire he created. "Pretty good, huh?"

Shade found himself entranced by this small boy of his own flesh and blood. He watched in amazement as he created fire, contained it and then, to his ultimate pride, aimed and threw the flame into the wood pile. He stared at Lorenzo and knew the child in front of him would rule the vampire world. "That is far beyond pretty good, son."

He gave Lorenzo a hug. "Lorenzo, I can’t tell you how proud I am of you, how extraordinary you are. You fill my heart with pride and love. You are brave, smart, and your skills as a warrior are growing so fast." He held him for a long moment and then leaned back to look into his eyes. "Tell me something, can you see in the dark as you do in the day?"

Lorenzo looked around the camp and nodded his head. "It looks different than day, but I can see everything clearly, like it was day, only... it's dark. I know I have to be careful with the fire, Daddy. Skelk tells me every day. He reminds me the other vampires will die in the fire, and I must always control it when I use it. I don't have accidents anymore, like the stables, so you don't have to worry about me."

Shade sat down beside him on the huge log. "Well, Lorenzo, I will always worry about you, it’s my job. Loving your family means you worry about them sometimes. And I know Skelk reminds you every day, it is part of the learning process. But also, you need to play and have fun. Mommy wants you to be happy. I want you to be happy as well. Is there anything you want to talk to me about? Any questions you have about anything.”

Lorenzo scuffed the toe of his shoe in the dirt as he looked at the ground. "Skelk says I will train some here, but when I'm ten you will send me to the camp at Castello, to train with the other boys my age. Is that true?"

Shade read his body language, and knew he’d probably heard way too much in the camp and around the warriors. He hadn’t planned on discussing this with Lorenzo so soon, but Lorenzo needed to be prepared for his destiny.

"I grew up at Castello, it was my home when I was your age. All the warriors were trained there when I was boy. My daddy was the king then, and I was the prince. It was not so hard for me because I lived there, inside the castle. My camp was right there. Our camp here in Bel Rosso does not train children; we are not equipped to do so. When I was ten years old, I went to camp like all the other young warriors. I often lived in the barracks. It helped me to learn my skills to be the best warrior I could be. It is my wish that you go to Castello to train. But don’t worry about it now. We will see what things are like once you turn ten. Until that time, you will be here at Bel Rosso and in this camp. Do you understand Castello is yours now? It will be yours when you grow up?"

Lorenzo looked up at him, the light from the fire reflecting in the brilliant blue of his eyes. "Will you and Mommy live there with me?"

Shade felt his heart crack a little. He couldn’t lie to his son. "No, son, Mommy and I will always live here at Bel Rosso where we will be throughout eternity. This is ours, what we built and where we will raise you and your sisters when they arrive. Our heart is here, Lorenzo. Do you understand? Castello is our gift to you. It is the legacy of Medici. You are my legacy now."

"But who will take care of me, Daddy?"

He looked deep into his son’s eyes. "Marco will take care of you. Nita will follow you there. When you grow up, you will become the strongest and most powerful vampire warrior. You are a prince. You will learn to take care of yourself, the coven, and your family, just like me. You will find your own mate and have your own children. But always remember everyone in our coven is your family, we take care of each other. That is what love and family is about. Mommy and Daddy will always be here for you. That will never ever change."

He nodded his head but found it hard to imagine himself as an adult, living in Castello, without his parents, without Theresa, without Gi or Uncle Luca. The thought of it made him feel lonely and he moved closer to his father. He knew Uncle Marco was at Castello, but Marco wasn’t like his daddy. He wondered if he’d make new friends with the young warriors who trained there. He felt a lump in his throat, but he didn’t want to cry. "That's where you trained to be a warrior, right?"

Shade could feel his thoughts cascading like water over a falls. Pulling him onto his lap, he wrapped his arms around him to keep him warm and calmed his feelings of abandonment.

"Yes, I did all my training at Castello. So did Luca, Marcello, Raven and so many warriors you know at Bel Rosso. Gi, Theresa and Emma were there since they were young as well. So, you see, a lot of people grew up at Castello. Lorenzo, the next time we go to Castello, your sister will be born there. I think it would be a great idea if we went to the camp together, so you can see what it is like there. There will be lots of warriors there your age. Marco and I were best friends growing up. We were warriors together and learned together. You will make great friends too." Shade kissed the top of his head. "Anything else you want to ask me?"

"I'll be a great warrior too. I'll train hard, and you and Mommy can come see me, okay?"

"Of course, we will, Lorenzo, we will be visiting a lot. Mommy will miss you so much, and so will I. You know, sometimes, I am afraid too, it is okay to be afraid. But the best thing to cure that is to have the skills to combat the fear. You will get those skills at Castello."

As the fire died down, he could feel Lorenzo relaxing heavily in his arms. It was very late for him to be up. Standing, Shade carried him inside the tent. “Let’s get some sleep. We will have to get home to Mommy before the sun rises."

Lorenzo curled into his father's broad chest and allowed himself to be carried into the tent. His father laid him down and Lorenzo lifted the blanket and pulled the teddy close. "Tuck me in like Mommy does."

Shade smiled at his son as he tucked the blanket around his small frame and kissed his forehead. "I love you, my beautiful boy. You are my little warrior. And you did such a good job I am giving you cards for your work at camp with Skelk today and for your skills at starting the camp fire. Now, sleep, your dreams will be of slaying dragons."

Lorenzo's eyes were heavy, but he wanted to make sure his father stayed near. "You sleep right next to me, Daddy, and Aegis will guard the tent."

Shade stretched out on his sleeping bag and smiled. "I am right here, warrior, I have your back and Aegis has mine. If you feel cold or want to be with me, you can always get in the sleeping bag with me and we will sleep together, protecting each other."

Lorenzo pondered the option of moving to his father's sleeping bag and it was tempting, but he wanted to make his father proud. "I'm good."

He lifted his small fist toward his father, and Shade gave him a fist bump. Shade watched as his son pulled the bear close to his chest and nestled back under the covers.

Shade didn’t sleep during the night hours. His slumber would come in the morning with the rising sun. He lay awake and listened to his son's soft breath. He reached over and laid his hand gently on his head and walked into his dreams, giving him visions of great dragons he slayed with ease, and running home to Bel Rosso to tell his mommy and daddy of his great victory. This was his life now. He’d dreamed of a son who ruled Medici stronger than he ever could. Shade closed his eyes and his thoughts went to bel, the only woman who’d ever held his heart and they were suddenly connected, her voice ringing like a beautiful angel in his head.

***

Kate found the house much too quiet with both her warriors gone. She knew Lorenzo would be fine, but she still worried about him. She’d sent Aegis to follow them both. ”Lover, I know I worry too much, but I miss him already. How will I ever let him go?”

He answered her, “He will grow up, mi amore and want to leave. I know you can’t conceive of that right now, but our son will be a powerful warrior in his own right. Do you not miss me even a little?”

She smiled at his response and sent him an image of the two of them, wrapped around each other inside his sleeping bag. ”Does that answer your question?”

The pleasure washed over him in waves, her heat and scent. “Damn woman, you are a wicked vixen. I miss you, and you already know how much I need you.”

He visualized his tongue sliding slowly up her inner thighs, and heard her gasps in response, as he smiled wickedly in the dark.