Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 148612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 743(@200wpm)___ 594(@250wpm)___ 495(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 743(@200wpm)___ 594(@250wpm)___ 495(@300wpm)
There were portals in the shadows. A very few people were born with the ability to be drawn into those portals and move from place to place. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation; in fact it felt as if one’s entire body was being pulled apart, skin, bones, every cell, as one was taken at high speed from one area to another. Those riders had to be trained physically from an early age and have a tremendous amount of stamina to be able to withstand the pressure of the shadow tubes.
“Stefano’s been in charge of our family and our riders since I was born. He was the one taking care of me, not my parents,” Emme said. “My mother wasn’t in the least bit maternal. Stefano got up with me in the middle of the night. He was the one who set all the rules. Once, I remember, when I was about four, she was really angry with me and slapped me. He came roaring out of nowhere, and she backed right out of the room when he scooped me up. She actually left the house, he was so angry. I realized then the balance of power had shifted from her to him.”
“How interesting. Stefano had to have been so young when he started taking care of all of you.”
Emme inclined her head. She’d often wondered if her oldest sibling had ever had a childhood at all. Sometimes it made her sad to think of all the responsibilities Stefano had taken on at such a young age. Still, he had met Francesca, the love of his life and the heart of the Ferraro family. All of them loved her. Who could not? Well, maybe not Eloisa, Emmanuelle’s mother. But then, Emmanuelle wasn’t certain if Eloisa was capable of loving anyone. Now Stefano had Francesca, who doted on him, adored him and had provided him with Crispino, a beautiful son.
“What about Ricco?” Elie asked. “How does he keep your mother from showing up without an invitation? I can’t imagine Eloisa not respecting Mariko. She’s a shadow rider and a darn good one. I’ve seen your mother with her. She’s curt, but at least respectful.”
Emme had a mouthful of pizza, so she nodded while she chewed to indicate Elie was on the right track. Ricco was her second-to-the-oldest sibling, and he was a powerful, fast shadow rider married to a very respected rider who looked like a delicate, beautiful woman when in fact she was a warrior who could cut out the heart of a monster. When Emme managed to swallow the pizza, she flashed Elie a wide smile.
“Shibari. My brother practices the art of Shibari and loves to tie his beautiful wife up without a stitch on. It’s a very erotic practice when they do it together, and apparently after warning Eloisa several times to stop dropping in on them, he didn’t put any of the safety precautions in the shadows to stop her and she walked in on them. As you can imagine, it was embarrassing for her. Ricco was in the zone and acted as if he didn’t even notice her there. She was livid and left, but she never went back.” She took another bite of pizza and watched his face as she chewed.
“Sex seems to be a recurring theme here.”
“You have no idea. Stop putting all the extra olives on your slice. I’m watching you.”
“There are plenty of olives. Giovanni and Sasha? She’s a sweet little country girl.”
Emmanuelle nearly dropped her wineglass. “Really, Elie? You’ve been around our family for how long now? There is no way one of my brothers is going to be madly in love with a woman who doesn’t have the kind of wicked sex drive he does. And if she doesn’t start out that way, he’s going to teach her.”
Elie’s expression shifted. It was subtle, but Emmanuelle had been trained from the time she was a child to notice every detail of anyone around her, and she had come to love Elie Archambault almost as much as she loved her brothers. She hurt for him because, like her, she knew he was heartbroken and he believed whatever had happened couldn’t be fixed. Elie had aligned himself with her almost from the time he had come to Chicago seeking to be trained by her cousin Enzo as a bodyguard. Why one of the best shadow riders in the world would want to be a bodyguard instead of a rider was a mystery, but eventually, when Stefano realized who he was, being Stefano, he had managed to get Elie to take rotations as a rider, pulling him back into their world.
Emmanuelle was grateful Stefano had done so. Elie had improved their speed and technique. He was amazing to train with, but more importantly, Stefano had brought him into the family. He’d needed them as much as she had needed Elie. Shadow riders had to provide children. It was as simple as that. There weren’t enough of them left, and Emmanuelle was getting too close to the age where she would have to accept an arranged marriage.