45

Rodrigo returned from the Alizzi, happy with the progress on the house, but concerned over her continued reluctance to respond to him. He’d hoped Dona would have been more demonstrative in showing her appreciation. Soren walked into the room and stretched his long arms. He was at least dressed, a sign to Rodrigo that he’d been outside the palazzo, playing his usual games.

Soren draped himself across the velvet couch. "Have you mated the bitch yet? I am tired of this game, brother."

Rodrigo sat down across from him. He was an old vampire, comfortable in his power. "Soren, my brother, it is one of your most unattractive attributes, you have no patience. She needs to be reeled in slowly, but she is coming around. The gardens are completed, and now the house is remodeled. It pleases me to have a house we will use to spy on the Medici as a place of comfort. Give it some more time."

Soren grumbled and stared at his elder brother. "You have never played games with any whore this long. I know it is important to our coven, but I am becoming extremely bored with it all. Why not just force her and be done with it? She means nothing to you, take what you want, and demand her compliance. Once you mate her, she will understand, soon enough, her role is to obey, provide fucking and feeding, all any of them are truly good for."

Rodrigo stood and poured himself a drink. He could feed on anyone, fuck any female, but he needed this one specifically. "She is not yet willing, and to push my advances on her may only spark more interference from the Medici. He has already placed his warriors back along the border. Let him sit on his haunches, the lot of them, and wonder. The situation calls for patience." He slung back his drink. "I have to play them both. I don’t want Shade coming to her rescue. That bastard is making her second guess me."

Soren threw back his head and laughed. "I find it amusing as hell that you let Shade Medici bother you so very much. He doesn’t want her, but you do, so take what is there for the taking, fuck if she likes it or not. The Medici has to know we are aware of their warriors on the border. The show of force is not for Dona. It is for us."

Rodrigo sat back down facing his brother. "Of course, it is for us, but they don’t know our intentions, and I prefer to keep it that way."

Soren gave him a smile filled with wicked intent. "I think it is time I join in the fun. Let me do what I do best and get inside his head. Do a little dream-walking with our oldest enemy. My skills are unsurpassed. I don’t need to travel to him to invade his sleep. Let me have some fun, brother!"

Rodrigo thought about that for a few minutes. It was what they had planned to do, but he wasn’t ready to go there yet. "It would be interesting to see what he is up to, and what he thinks we are up to, but it is too soon. He too is a dream-walker, and he will know immediately you are in his head."

Soren smirked. "You bore me so. He rarely uses his gift, and when he does, it is often for good. He has never perfected his gift for evil. It is like any skill. It must be practiced. I use mine often, and only for evil, and I have more power in my dream-walking than he can ever imagine. Let me walk and find out." Soren felt his heart race. He was tired of always being second in line to greatness.

Rodrigo sensed the rise in Soren’s energy. He knew there was probably not a more powerful dream-walker than his brother, but that didn’t change the fact that Shade would know immediately that Soren was controlling his dreams. Once Soren was inside his head, the game was up. The Medici would know exactly what their goal was at that point. But maybe it was time to turn up the heat.

"Walk with him, find out what he knows, what his plans are. But behave, Soren, leave the true power until it is needed. We want them to sit up and notice, but nothing more. He will not strike first. He is much too cautious. He knows we are equally matched in battle. Do not get yourself riled up. You will have ample opportunities to torture him, so move slowly, brother."