4. Birthday surprises
2244 Words
Vannessa slowly comes back to the real world and she is all wet. Her hair is wet and wrapped in a soft towel and her body is encased in two sheets and a blanket that are soaking up all the water from her skin. She frowns and tries to move, but she still can’t do much but groan.
“Welcome back.” Vittorio tells her. She tries to turn, but can’t. He is in the kitchen working on something. She can hear the rustling of tissue paper from her position on the sofa and it makes her curious what it is that he’s doing.
“You don’t have to say anything, but I think it’s fair that I point out something.” He comes back to her and perches on the end of the sofa. “You were delirious with fever. And all the questions you had in your head? You asked them out loud. I didn't make much sense of them, but I can say for sure that I’m not expecting any s****l favours from you. Although the compliments you gave me make me believe that you might like me, I would prefer to hear them when you’re not delirious and when they come free, not forced, because you think you have to.”
“Oh my god!” She exclaims. “I said all that out loud? Please don’t hate me. I have no idea where those thoughts even came from.”
“I don’t hate you. I kind of like you.” He admits to her. “And this is not a pity talk. If you would ask my crew, or even Allegra, they would all tell you that I’m a tough guy who takes no nonsense. I’m not known for babying anyone.”
“Did you cool me down in the shower?” She asks, a bit shy. There is nowhere for her to hide from the answer and he knows it.
“I had to. You were burning up.” He nods. “So I guess, we are going to skip dinner, since I didn't make it, and go straight for dessert.”
“I’m sorry.” She whispers. “Can you please, free my hands?”
“Sure.” He smirks and unwraps her like a present. He gently pulls her arms out of the cocoon he made for her and wraps her back up. “Better now?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She smiles at him.
He goes to the kitchen, only to return with a small cake and a fork. There are two candles lit on top. A two and a zero. How on Earth did he know? And there is a box wrapped in tissue paper with a red bow. Damn, he got her a present, too? Now she feels like crying. A total stranger, who has known her for less than a day, got her a cake and a present. And people that have known her all her life didn’t even bother to ask how she is.
“Don’t cry, please.” He tells her. “I just had to get you a little something for your birthday. Anjelica let me know about it.”
“Thank you.” She sniffs back the tears. “Whatever you got me, I will love it.”
“Blow out the candles and I’ll unwrap it for you.” He smiles.
She just has to smile at that. He is so thoughtful. And he is careful not to burn her when he brings the cake closer to her. She blows on the candles and he helps her. Somehow he knew she wouldn't be able to blow them out. He sets the cake down and unwraps her present.
“Chocolates! And the good kind.” She exclaims happily. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” He laughs and hands her the remote. “Now we’ll sacrifice the cake and watch a movie.You can even pick it out of my list.”
“The best birthday ever.” She laughs, too.
-/-/-
But he thinks that this is really sad. If her best birthday consists of being sick, eating a tiny cake and watching a movie on his old TV set. Damn, he thinks. Did nobody ever celebrate a single birthday with her? He needs to make this special, then.
As with all plans lately, even this one goes down the drain when the doorbell rings. He didn’t expect anyone today and he contemplates not opening the door, but the ringing of his phone makes him look.
“Open the door, Vittorio!” Allegra shouts and he can hear her on the phone and in front of his door.
“Go figure, you would find an excuse to come by.” He tells her and opens the door for her.
“I brought pastries from Kara.” She winks at him and dances towards the sofa. “Get a few plates.”
“Hi, Allegra.” Vannessa whispers. “Sorry, I’m not a good company.”
“Oh! Is the fever still up? You sure you don’t want to see a doctor?” Allegra asks and he can hear concern in her voice.
“Yes. I can’t go to the doctor.” Vannessa tells her.
“We have plates and glasses and juice. Vine is not good for you if you have a fever.” Vittorio announces as he returns to the sofa. “And we have a small cake to share.”
“Thank you for this. It makes me feel better.” Vannessa tells him.
“Can you lift your arm to eat on your own?” Vittorio asks her.
“I can try.” Vannessa smiles at him.
“Vittorio, come to the kitchen with me for a minute. I don’t want to rummage around on my own,” Allegra nudges him.
“Something special on your mind?” He asks but follows her the few steps to the kitchen area.
“Yeah.” Allegra says out loud but starts to whisper in shifter talk once they are in the kitchen. “Does she know she’s not human? I could smell her yesterday, but I thought that was just residue from the fire. Alessio smells like that when he comes from a house fire so I didn’t give it much thought. But now, she’s sitting there freshly showered and she smells like wood smoke and metal.”
“I know. I smell it too. I just don’t know how to break it to her. Along with the fact that she’s my mate.” Vittorio tells her and makes some noise in a drawer. He continues in a normal voice. “Here’s the cake spatula.”
They return to the sofa and Vannessa looks at them like they have lost their minds. He has to agree just from her point of view, it looks weird and unconnected. But the spatula was an excuse for a quick private chat.
“You do know that the whole cake fits on that thing?” Vannessa asks them.
“Yeah. This is just for fun.” Allegra laughs. “I know it’s your birthday and you can say no, but I want to call my boss and her boyfriend over. I think I remember that Ty has a medical degree, but he doesn’t work as a doctor.”
“No. This will pass. I feel better and I can move a bit on my own.” Vannessa shakes her head to emphasise that she doesn’t want a doctor.
“We can’t force you. It’s up to you to decide.” Vittorio nods and cuts the tiny cake up in three pieces. He adds a few pastries from the box Allegra brought and he winks at Vannessa. “The pastries were a better idea. Our cousin Kara is the best pastry chef in Milano, so I won’t be offended if you don’t eat the cake after you taste those.”
She ate the cake first and then moved on to the delicate pastries Allegra brought. Vittorio had to laugh at her as she moaned in ecstasy with every bite. ‘Good going. We need to feed her. She is too skinny.’ His wolf tells him. ‘I guess I’ll have to call Kara for a box of these again.’ Vittorio answers his wolf.
He is doing the dishes and laughs at the jokes Allegra is telling to cheer Vannessa up. He thinks that the sweets have done her good, she even has some color to her face. And then all he hears is Allegra’s cry and hiss.
“Vannessa! s**t!” Allegra exclaims.
“What happened?” Vittorio drops everything and runs over to them.
“She fainted and she’s burning up. I’m calling Vesna and Ty, no matter what she wants. This is not good.” Allegra tells him and grabs her phone.
“Do that. I’ll try to cool her down.” He says and picks Vannessa up. He carries her to the bathroom and just steps with her in the shower. The water is cold and he shivers from it, but there is no change in Vannessa this time.
“Where is she?” He can hear the question and he recognizes Vesna. How much time has passed that she’s here already?
“In the bathroom. Vittorio is trying to cool her down.” Allegra tells and he can hear her coming his way.
“Hey, Vittorio!” Allegra calls out and he turns the water off. “You might remember Vesna, but I know you haven’t met Ty before.”
He steps out of the shower dripping wet and looks at the newcomers. Yes, he does remember Vesna and it clicks in his mind. She is a goddess, that is why she could come so fast. The guy with her is a mystery to him as much as Vannessa is. He can smell that he’s not human, but he can’t determine what he is.
“Allegra told me you’re a doctor?” He asks Ty.
“Yes. I haven’t practised in a long time, but the knowledge is still there.” Ty answers calmly and Vittorio thinks the guy must be made of stone, since his face didn’t even twitch. A neutral expression if he ever saw one. “Let me look at her.”
Vittorio sets the unconscious Vannessa back on the sofa and the sheets are still there from before, they will soak up the water. He knows he made a trail of wetness all the way, but he just can’t care about it. Not even the fact that he’s dripping wet and standing in a puddle can deter him from worrying about Vannessa. Ty crouches down at her side and lays a hand on her forehead. He tilts his head and concentrates a bit. There is a frown on the guy’s face and Vittorio thinks that is not good.
“Hm. Nothing I can do about it.” He says and stands up.
“What do you mean? Should I take her to the hospital?” Vittorio asks and now he’s even more worried that he didn't take her there yesterday. Did he jeopardize her life by not forcing the issue?
“Definitely not. If you ever want to see her again.” Ty shakes his head. “She is a shifter. And this looks like the start of a change.”
“Ty? What does she smell like to you?” Vesna asks quietly.
“Mmm. Birch logs crackling away in a fireplace with a warm metal grate in front. There is just a faint scent of warm metal.” He answers.
“Thought so. We need a magic expert.” She says. “Vittorio, get some dry clothes on. We need to bring her to my brother.”
Vittorio rushes with a change of clothes and is back in the living room in a minute. Thank god for shifter speed, it comes useful even outside of work. His wolf is not happy that he listened to and obeyed a stranger, but he shuts him down fast. Right now Vannessa is the important one. They need to help her first and worry about hierarchy later.
“But she’s twenty! Shouldn’t the change happen at sixteen?” Vittorio inquires.
“Not by all shifters. She is a mythical shifter. For them, it happens at twenty. They have special powers that require a more mature mind set.” Vesna explains. “We need to move her fast. You don’t want a house fire.”
“What is she?” Allegra asks her boss.
“What her bracelet says: ‘Zlata ptica’. “ Vesna answers. “She is a Firebird.”
- Writer
