Kissed by Fire (Book 5 of Wolves of Milano)

1. The mansion

Standing in the foyer of the mansion he was admiring as a kid, he realised it was real. It will be his. It will be a lot of work. It looks like a money pit, but he can afford it. At a reasonable price, of course. The roof is in a bad shape, it has a million windows, and the paint is peeling off in layers. The structure is good though. It’s worth saving. He’s got no experience in real estate, but how different could it be from any other negotiation?

He negotiated his pay in the gaming industry. He negotiates prices for the designs he makes. He can try to negotiate here as well. Everything is negotiable. He knows that well. He can afford the full price, but why should he? He made big numbers in investments, but that doesn’t mean he has to spend everything. He likes to play on the stock market, so he needs a nice cushion in case he messes up. Not that he plans to, but he doesn’t believe in luck, only research. He became a millionaire at twenty. Now he’s thirty and he only adds to the number.

“What do you think?” The realtor inquires. The man has Euro signs in his eyes. The commission for this sale must be huge, since the mansion is priced at 3.5 million.

“I think it’s a lot of work.” He sighs. He really wants it, but he will make it tough for the guy to sell it. “The roof is bad, there are a million windows… It’s gonna cost a quarter of a million just to get that fixed in period correct look.”

“Well, it’s a 17th century mansion. They don’t come on the market often.” The realtor answers. Does the guy think he’s stupid? This mansion has been sitting here empty since he could remember. He came here every time the world seemed too much to handle. He sat on the stairs, imagining how it looked in the glory days.

“Compensate the cost of the roof and I’ll think about it.” He smiles at the realtor.

“I can do that.” The man nods. He scribbles something in his notebook and looks over at him: “Let’s say 3,3 and it’s yours?”

“Deal.” He laughs. He extends his hand to the realtor. “Make the contract to MT design. Here’s the card. I’ll come by your office tomorrow and sign the papers.”

“Thank you, Signore Totzzi. You won’t regret this purchase.” The realtor smiles widely. “I can recommend a few contractors, if you wish?”

“Make a folder.” He nods. He walks away from the guy and deeper into the mansion. The ground floor is all dirty, dusty, and empty, but the ceilings tell a story of past times.

‘Well? We made it. It’s ours.’ He tells his wolf.

‘I always wanted to see how it looks inside. I must say, I’m disappointed. I expected more.’ The wolf scoffs.

‘It will be grand when we restore it.’ He answers. The wolf has no imagination, but he can see how it will look. The servant’s quarters just off of the kitchen will be torn down and added to the kitchen space. He wants it big and open. A grand island for prepping and a dining table right there. The huge room that once upon a time used to be the dining room will be perfect for an entertainment room. The living room can be period correct, only with a better sofa and armchairs.

‘Making plans without Lyana? When are you going to tell her about this?’ The wolf inquires.

‘How do I tell her? She doesn’t know about anything. She’ll kill me.’ He shakes his head.

He knows he dug his own grave with his mate. Yes, he is aware that they are mates, but he can’t commit to her unless she knows the truth. All of it. But, if she knows the truth, she might leave him. It’s ugly. It’s gross. He can’t let her know what he did. He has too many secrets. He should have told her a few things years ago. Now it all feels like he’s too late. In every scenario he creates, he comes out as the loser. He knows Lyana well, but she has no idea who she lives with. He is lucky that she is so trusting towards him. He loves her, so he doesn’t want to lose her. But he has no idea how to get out of the mess he created. He decided to keep quiet about his many jobs, because he wasn’t sure how to tell her. Now, he’s just in too deep. A single wrong word could end their relationship.

‘You know that sounds like the start of a really good book?’ His wolf chuckles. The sarcastic beast is having fun with his misery.

‘You know that we are both on the line here? If she leaves, we are screwed.’ He shakes his head. He doesn’t want to think about it, but he has to do something to make her stay.

‘Tell her. She is a reasonable girl. She needs to know.’ The wolf answers.

‘So, now you’re an optimist?’ He wonders. The beast changes his mind faster than the wind. He is totally unreliable.

‘It’s all up to you. I don’t talk, remember?’ The wolf scoffs. He circles around himself and places his head on his paws. The time for a chat is over. The wolf is taking a nap.

He takes the stairs down to the cellar. The space is huge. It has four big rooms and a few smaller niches for wine. He just has to clean the racks and they are good to go. But the other spaces give him an idea. He could convert that into a safe room. He could let the wolf out there. Controlled environment and no way for the wolf to open the door on his own. They could both be happy down here. He can install the sensors and program the locks. Deck out the rooms with his wolf’s favourite things. Maybe bring a rabbit for the beast to play with? The possibilities are endless. Just like his imagination.

The story idea was not too bad. He is mapping out the frame and characters on his way back to Lyana’s. Maybe he can test the theory of it? See what the book sparks with his readers. He is always impressed by the responses he gets. A few times he took the story in a completely different direction than he intended and it came out great. He can’t sleep anyway. Lyana works the night shift this week and it takes a toll on him. When she’s there, he can get about three hours of sleep at night. She calms his wolf, but she doesn’t even know it. But the real question is, how long can he cover it up? She probably suspects something and he’s got no answers for her. What excuse would even be plausible?

He stops at the little corner shop at the last crossing before he reaches home. Her small house is a sanctuary for him. His wolf likes it because everything smells like her. He’s more manageable that way. Getting a few things to cook is his little trick. If she never caught up to the fact that things were duplicated in the fridge, he can sign that to her fatigue. Her job at the hospital is tough. The emergency room is the last place on Earth he would want to be, and she’s there every day. He admires her for her dedication. Most of her colleagues have switched to other parts of the hospital, but not her. She is still there even after eight years.

He makes a quick dinner before he gets to writing. His editor will be thrilled to get a new book. The idea has matured over the last few hours. He’s got the story all in his head. Typing at shifter speed is a piece of cake. He’ll have the book ready for editing in a week. No sleep is a bonus when it comes to his other jobs. He perfected the art of napping to the point where he can trick his wolf into thinking that he’s asleep. Blessed peace in his mind for a few hours. The silent beeping of the notification sound on his phone brings his eyes to the device to see what is going on. He can take a break from typing for a minute or two. There is a new development on the stock market. He smiles brightly and checks his trading account.

Picking up his phone, he makes a call to one of his brokers. The guy had better get him more pharma stocks. He’ll hold on to those and sell them in a month. Easily a few thousand Euro profit, maybe more. But they need to sell the shares in the newspaper business. The whole thing is migrating more and more to the internet. Hardly anyone still buys the paper in printed form. At least in Rome. He can hold onto the Corriera della Sera stocks for a while longer. That still brings good numbers every month. The automotive industry is stable for now. No rise, but more importantly, no fall in the stocks. That is his main income and it pays well.

He sets the phone back down. The break is over. He reads the last chapter to get back on track of the story. It reads like a crime novel, not a romance. Can’t he get a romance novel on track? Is the influence of his blood-thirsty wolf really so great? He is trying out a second chance romance novel. He shrugs and pours his thoughts out. It’s going to be another crime novel. It brings good money, so he won’t fret about it. He can think up another idea out of this mess he created. Maybe he can give her the mansion for her birthday?

He uploads the first few chapters and designs a cover. The first responses will come in a few days. He’s got quite a following. He created an alias for himself a few years back. His readers think he’s from London. His stories take place there as well. The truth is much more complicated. He’s never been to London. The furthest from home was one semester of study time in Rome. His editor is the only one who knows a small part of the truth. Mateo chuckles and continues to write. He can try for a nap later. The wolf got bored fast and is snoring lightly in the den he created. A small shifter benefits; when the animal sleeps, the human can stay awake but still feel rested. It works for a few days. When the migraine rears its head, he’ll ask Lyana to knock him out and force the rest.

Is lying to her bad? Yes. But he needs it. He can’t tell her the real reason for his migraines. He can’t tell her that he can’t sleep. Then he would have to tell her the truth and he might lose her. He doesn’t want that. She is his sanity, his grounding stone, his mate. She is the reason he’s not insane and locked away somewhere. He knows she is the one to keep him alive. Without her, he would be long dead by now. So he will try harder not to piss her off. He can’t go crash on Vittorio’s sofa anymore. His brother has a mate now. That’s the perfect excuse to kick Mateo out. He is fully dependent on her good graces. She probably knows that.

‘Tell her about one job and give her some money. You have to contribute to the family budget.’ His wolf tells him. He thought the beast was asleep.

‘The gaming one? That doesn’t bring much, but it’s a job.’ Mateo inquires.

‘Compared to other things, it doesn’t bring much. But we both know you make more on the games than she does working at the hospital.’ The wolf scoffs.

‘Right. Does she need to know that?’ He wonders. His silence did some serious damage. She will be furious when she finds out. Not telling her is the same as lying.