Kissed by Fire (Book 5 of Wolves of Milano)

22.Sunday lunch

It’s good to be the boss. Lyana is lounging in bed on Sunday morning. She switched the shifts and she has a day off today. So does Nina. This family meet and greet won’t be squeezed in with their work day. They have the whole day to just relax and talk. Too bad the garden is all dull. Her little gazebo in the shade would be perfect to do nothing in. It’s just a bit cold outside for Nina. House cats like it warm, but what about cat shifters? Are they partial to warmth as well? Wolves don’t mind the cold, but she has no idea about cats. They can just bring up the heating a notch if anyone feels cold. She can learn a few things today and keep them in mind for some other time. She plans on doing this more often.

The smell of pancakes rouses her from napping and planning. Mateo is spoiling her today. Maybe he will even tell her something more about him. One more secret to sweeten the day? She can only hope. She wonders what Elio knows and she doesn’t. She’s not mad that he talks with the guy, she does too. And she hasn’t told him about it. Maybe she can use that as her opening chip? In the end they might use Elio as their mediator after all. The guy does give good advice. Now she wonders what Mateo is going to do with it.

Well… Apparently, he’s going to surprise her with breakfast in bed. He just showed up with a tray in the bedroom door. The grin on his face is priceless. Someone woke up on the good side of his nightmares today.

“Good morning, love.” Mateo winks at her.

“Good morning.” She smiles back at him. “To what do I owe this treatment?”

“Can’t I do something nice for a change?” He asks back.

“You do something nice for me every day when you cook.” Lyana answers. “I love this, though.”

She takes a bite of the buttery, creamy pancake with jam. The moan that escapes her is close to embarrassing. But, the jam is so good. And it’s warm! She looks at him in shock, but he just smiles at her.

“I made it fresh. No preservatives, just fruit and sugar.” Mateo explains to her.

“You are nuts. When did you get up today?” She chuckles. She is flattered by the attention, but he should sleep, not slave away in the kitchen.

“An hour ago. It doesn’t take much time to make it. I just made one jar of it. It will last for today.” He smiles. “I think.”

“You spoil me too much.” She leans over at him to kiss him. With the tray in between she has to be careful, so she doesn’t spill her coffee all over the bed.

“Not enough, sometimes. But I’m working on it.” He kisses her back. The mischievous smile is back on his face: “Get dressed. I have work to do in the kitchen. You can help or watch. Your call.”

Lyana decided to help. Watching him cook is great, but he made so many plans for today, it looks like he’s cooking for fifty people, not five. Tvo appetisers, a soup, four kinds of main dishes and three sides. Including a salad that looks nice and colourful. Even without any green ingredients. It’s fun to be his assistant. She never knows what comes next, because he just makes things up as he goes. She sets the table with her grandmother’s better set. It’s never used, because it’s not dishwasher suitable. Today is a day for exceptions, so why not?

Mateo has the main dishes on a timer. He set it for half an hour after their guests should arrive just to be on the safe side. It’s not a problem for the people to wait, but his food is temperature sensitive. He put so much effort in it, it would be a shame to eat it cold and tasteless. His own words, not hers. He can be a diva when he cooks. She thinks he could have been a great Chef if he just wanted to. There was always so much potential in him. He could have done great things, but he’s also so very lazy. Does it take a push in the right direction? Maybe? Who knows?

“I’ve been talking to Elio. I think he’s a great friend to have.” Lyana remarks.

“I see. Nabbing my friends, are you?” He winks at her.

“Can’t you share friends? Do they have to be strictly yours of mine?” She bats her lashes at him.

“Hm? I don’t know…” He murmurs. “We will see how it goes with Nina and Davide. If you can share your friends, I can share mine. Keep in mind, he was mine first.”

“Sounds fair.” She laughs. She loves this easy banter between them. It lifts the mood and makes her happy. “They should be here soon.”

Nina surprises her with a bottle of Pinot Grigio and a box of chocolates. She wasn’t expecting anything, just some good time with her friend. But, apparently, humans traditionally bring gifts when they visit for the first time. She looks over at Davide expectantly to only get a shrug. He didn’t know about it either.

“Thanks for inviting us.” He smiles at her. His dark hair and slightly tanned complexion are in great contrast with his green eyes. A cat trait maybe? Their son, Lan, has green eyes too. She can see some Arabic features in Davide, but she expected more African, darker, different. Is it rude to ask about someone's ancestry?

“Come on in.” She gestures. “Feel like at home.”

“Do I have to? Dad’s gonna make me read a book?” Lan whines. The boy is lanky and tall for his age. And he smells like a shifter already.

“You don’t have to read. Unless you want to borrow my comics collection.” Lyana winks at him. Then she leans to Nina: “The answer is yes.”

“Oh, hell. You just confirmed it.” Nina whispers back. “Why am I even bothering whispering? You can all hear me just fine.”

“I’m gonna be a shifter?” Lan whirls around.

“Yes.” Mateo chuckles. “Sooner than later, I think. I can feel your cat. I’m Mateo, by the way.”

“Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce you.” Lyana exclaims.

“That’s fine. We all know who is who. Nina has been talking about you two all week.” Davide chuckles. “I’m more interested in how you managed to get a house in this part? Not a single rental has come up for years.”

“This house used to belong to my grandmother. I inherited it.” Lyana tells him. “We couldn’t afford it otherwise. A rental here would be too costly.”

“We could. Tell Nina if you hear anything. I would love to be in this part with all the green areas.” Davide shows his enthusiasm.

“We have a garden and even two trees of our own.” Lyana shows him the view from the living room. “But, it’s a bit too cold out there for Nina.”

“Cats don’t like cold either. I’m glad to be inside in winter. I love my office job in a nice heated office.” Davide winks. He’s playful, like house cats.

“We can bring the heating up if you wish? We don’t mind the cold, so we don’t bother with the heating much. It’s more for my plants than for us.” Nina explains.

“Lan? Do you have any questions?” Mateo inquires during lunch. The chatter has been reduced to comments about food.

“Yeah.” The boy nods. “How did you get this meat so tender? Mom uses a pressure cooker and it never gets so soft.”

“Lan!” Nina smacks her son lightly.

“What? He didn’t say what kind of question.” Lan shrugs and makes everyone laugh.

“The trick is to grill the meat lightly on high temperature to get the crust. Then you put it in the oven for an hour at a low temperature to let it cook to perfection.” Mateo explains. The kid knows to ask the right questions. For a little while he even looked better. Lyana is watching him and so are the others. They are waiting for the juvenile cat to make an appearance. It might not be today, but they are ready if it happens.

Davide is a great guy. She can see why Nina adores her husband so much. He fits right in to their company. It’s like they have been friends for years. It’s nice to have someone you just met click with you on such a deep level. They are trying to keep Nina included in the conversation and even explain things to her.

“Nudity is not an issue for us. It’s part of life.” Lyana explains. “You might want to get a few oversized t-shirts and sweats for Lan. The first times can be a bit stressful on the clothes. They don’t shift with us. I remember my grandmother exasperating over my ruined jeans.”

“Dad never let me see the shift. Does it hurt?” Lan inquires.

“I’m not going to lie to you. The first time hurts, then it gets easy, like changing clothes. It becomes a habit.” Davide answers.

“Can I see?” Lan asks quietly.

“Sure. Don’t be scared. It really doesn’t hurt.” Lyana winks at him. She knows her wolf will look weird in her oversized t-shirt, but she’s not stripping in front of a teenager. She only kicks off her jeans and panties. Covertly, so he doesn’t see her do it. Her t-shirt is long enough to be a dress.

She winks at Lan before she lets her wolf out. It’s in equal measure for Nina. She needs to see what to expect. She might have seen David in cat form, but he never showed her what the shift looks like. Her dark grey wolf stands proudly in the kitchen. Lan gapes at her like she’s a miracle, but Nina’s reaction is much more interesting. Her friend slipped from the chair and is slowly inching towards her. Lyana’s wolf twitches an ear. She is a bit sceptical about this petting attempt. She likes Nina, but does she like her enough to let her pet her?

“I’m not going to pet you. I just want to touch the fur. I want to make sure you’re real.” Nina whispers.

“Just stretch out your hand. If she leans into it, then it’s fine. Keep in mind she is a wild animal. She understands you, but the wolf doesn’t think like Lyana.”

“She’s so cool.” Lan smiles. The wolf tilts her head to look at the boy. She can see the cat lurking just under his skin. The shift is close. She brushes along Nina’s hand but leans her head on the boy’s leg. The electric current that runs over her is the confirmation she needed.

She huffs at the boy and pushes him from the chair. They tumble down and the first bones break. Lan whimpers softly, but she distracts him by running her tongue over his face. He tries to push her off, but his hands turn to paws. A few mewling sounds later, she is playing with a small leopard. He is lean, a full head shorter than her. Somewhat unsteady on his paws, but he catches his bearings fast. He’s chasing her around the living room in no time. She remembers her grandma did the same thing for her when her shift was close. Distracting her away from the pain. So she did it for Lan. The kid is fun to play with, but the first time can be exhausting. The leopard leaves the chase and curls up on the sofa. He’s back to being a boy in a second. Passed out from the adrenaline.

Lyana shifts back in her bedroom. She pulls on a pair of jeans and another shirt. She is happy she could do this one small thing for the boy. She is met with three sets of astonished eyes when she returns to the table.

“How did you know to do that?” Davide wonders.

“My grandmother did it for me.” She explains. “I don’t know how my wolf knew the exact moment, but she felt it. She wanted to help him.”

“Thank you. I was so scared. I didn’t want him to be in pain. I was thinking how to stop it from happening.” Nina hugs her with tears in her eyes.

“You can’t stop it. It happens sooner or later.” She responds. “But he didn’t suffer. He’ll forget about the pain and discomfort in no time.”

“Stopping it might have caused more damage.” Mateo says. “We just don’t know. It’s not advised to try and stop it. I haven’t heard about a case where it was done.”

“Me neither.” David concurs. “Just let him sleep it off. We’re not in a hurry today.”