Page 49 of My Solemn Vow (The Mafia Arrangement #1)

VALOR

IT TAKES REAL SKILL TO BURN THE SAME SOUP TWICE

“And literally everyone else in your family?” She throws her hands in the air. “Royal? Ian? Elizabeth? Kerrianne?”

“Yes, we are, but that doesn’t matter, Antonella.”

“What does matter?” she asks while walking the burnt pan to the sink to soak.

She nervously wanders to the fridge and then the cupboards before settling on a water glass and filling it up at the refrigerator.

The scent of burnt food clings to the air, and I want to take the whole pan out to the trash can. It’s not worth trying to salvage, but I can’t leave Antonella while she’s in shock like this.

“Did you mean what you said about keeping our secret?” When I ask that, she stiffens.

“Well, good to know you could understand me.” She sighs and sets the glass down.

We lock eyes, and hers are brimming with tears.

Cautiously, I step closer to her. She doesn’t smell like fear. She doesn’t look away or try to flee. Nothing speaks to the waterworks threatening to unleash.

“Talk to me?” I place my hand over hers on the counter, caging her in and yearning for more. Seeing her while in wolf form awakened something so deep and needy.

I fuckin’ told you she’s our mate. Did you listen? No. Now here we are. You finally see it. My wolf berates me.

And I shove him down deep inside because he can rub it in later, but I can’t comfort her later. It has to be now.

“Please.”

“I’m scared,” she tells me, her voice not wavering.

“No, you’re not.” I contradict her. “You’re in shock and handling it well. But there’s no fear. Outside, sure, little afraid. Not right now.”

I turn her to face me in time to see a tear escape, and I raise my hand quickly, wiping it away. She doesn’t recoil so I pull her into my arms. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“I promise, your secret is safe with me,” she whispers, resting her head against my chest. “You don’t have to do anything to me. I promise, it’s safe with me.”

I squeeze her tight because those words come with a fear scent. I kiss the top of her head, and she molds against my body. My mate is afraid of me. That hurts deep in my soul. She shouldn’t be afraid of me.

“You’re safe with me.”

Antonella lets me hold her for a minute. Then, in an instant, she pushes out of my arms and narrows her gaze at me. “Kerrianne isn’t sick, is she?”

I scrub my hand down my face, trying to keep up with her. “No. She’s having a growth spurt, and her wolf is developing more. Luckily, it’s happening over winter break.”

“And you were letting me make soup and look silly when she wouldn’t be ill tomorrow?” Her stern words make me laugh.

“Kerrianne loves chicken noodle soup. She wouldn’t think you’re silly at all, not after I told her you thought she was sick.” I try to downplay my clear negligence on the subject .

Antonella mutters while going to the cupboard where we keep the frying pans, “This man will be the death of me.”

“I heard that.” I try to draw on some of the ease we’d found over the last week and a half. It hasn’t been perfect, but there’s been a peaceful vibe between us.

“All the better to hear you with, my dear,” she says in a mockingly deep, gruff voice and shrugs her shoulders before retrieving more vegetables.

I grab clean knives and cutting boards and ready myself to help. She lets me, not trying to tell me to stay out of her way but going about our normal every night deal of making food together.

She’s so fucking good for me. The wolf was right. Now to make her fall in love with me too.

My smooth chopping strokes stutter for a moment before I recover.

Love.

Shit. I really do love her.

“Alright. Give me ‘my husband is a wolf shifter 101’ because I’m still not sure if I’m awake, and at least this’ll make an interesting dream,” Antonella demands as she stirs the new sauté items.

I work to cube the dark meat into Kerrianne’s bite-size pieces.

“Well, we don’t get sick. So anytime Kerrianne isn’t her normal, cheerful self.

.. it’s probably a wolf issue. Hearing, smell, eyesight are all above average.

We heal fast. Need red meat regularly. We have pack functions once a month, and you’ll need to be there. ”

And I’ll have to turn you into a wolf sometime in the next year. I can’t make those words come out of my mouth.

Just tell her now. Let’s not make this another round of surprises. My wolf laments with disapproval.

“Okay. So, full moon? Silver bullets? Wolfsbane?” She starts running down the ‘typical’ wolf things .

“We go running on the full moon because there’s brighter light in the sky, makes for better running conditions.

Silver is a metal on the periodic table.

Bullets are bullets, and a good shot to the skull, heart, or lungs can kill.

Wolfsbane is poisonous to everybody, not only wolves.

” I shrug, finishing the chicken, and head to the sink, where I put the knives in the dishwasher and wash my hands.

“Magic cleaning house and magic grocery pantry and fridge?” Antonella’s question comes from left field.

I lean against the counter next to her as she finishes cutting more vegetables to stew. “That’s not a wolf thing?”

“Well, how am I supposed to know? I never have to dust or grocery shop for things. They seem to be done by themselves. I’ve never seen anyone else clean or shop.” Antonella gestures around the kitchen.

“Housekeepers and personal shoppers, Zoe and Winnie. They’re part of the pack and come over to clean twice a week.

They do laundry and take out the dry cleaning too.

” I can’t believe I didn’t mention these things sooner.

But they’re such a normal thing to me that I didn’t think of it.

“They’re in your phone. If you text one of them something you want or need, it’ll turn up the next time they’re here.

If it’s urgent, say so. You can also send them pictures of things that can’t be washed or need certain treatment. They’re ridiculously thorough.”

“You sound like Gregorio talking about Leticia and Sarena.” She straightens with the realization of what she said. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I nod, hearing her criticism.

“If it matters, or helps me not sound like a douchey sleazeball with too much money to spend... I’m their only job, and I pay their college tuition as well as a salary that they can more than live on.

” I grimace. “Yeah, okay, now that I say that out loud, it’s not exactly helping the ‘way too much money to spend’ thing. ”

“No, it doesn’t but yes. It does matter.” Antonella purses her lips and looks at me. “Does Kerrianne like egg noodles from the bag or should I make some fresh for her?”

“Bagged egg noodles are fine.” I try to reassure her, but there’s a stern cock to her head, and she glares at me.

Mate is angry. You stepped in it. My wolf warns, backing up.

“Of course they’re fine, but would she like something else?” Antonella snaps and then draws a slow breath, softening a bit. “Oh God, I sound like my mother.”

I snort, trying to hold back the laugh and failing. “Would it make you feel better to make her pasta?”

Antonella sighs, and her shoulders slump. “I feel terrible for saying it, but I’m exhausted and really don’t want to make fresh pasta.”

“Nearly passing out will do that to you.” I leave the radius I’d been hovering around her in to fetch the packaged egg noodles.

When I come back, she’s still cooking. Chicken in the pan with her vegetables, Antonella doesn’t stop moving.

Weirdest case of shock that I know. None of her behavior is expected. I thought yelling, screaming, crying... fighting back and the obviously wrong choice of trying to run. Not... making my child soup.

“To be clear, you’re not currently planning on killing me in my sleep, right?” I set the bag on the counter, knowing they won’t go in until much later in the process.

Antonella slowly shakes her head. “No, I won’t kill you in your sleep. Where’s the fun in that?”

“That’s fair enough.”

I look around. She’s every bit as controlled and relaxed as any other night. The bones are on and boiling, the burnt pan is soaking, and she’s searing the chicken. There isn’t anything for me to do but watch her.

“This has to boil for a bit for those nutrients. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to sit and process.” Antonella covers the pan of seared chicken and turns off the heat .

“Yeah, I’ll be in my office?” I offer, despite the strong urge to stay by her side. But I’m willing to trust her.

Antonella moves to the sink and washes her hands, addressing me while drying them off. “You don’t have to go hide away. I’m not mad at you. I can’t figure some things out, and my brain is moving a hundred miles an hour toward a waterfall, and I’m pretty sure there are sharp rocks at the bottom.”

“Wine, cheese, and conversation? Or I can order us wings from our first date?” The way I’d move heaven and hell for her right now if she asked.

“Wine, cheese, and conversation would be good.” Antonella backs up toward the ‘drink fridge’ I keep in the kitchen.

I walk past her to the cupboard and grab crackers.

Ten minutes later, we’ve got an adult snack tray, sippy cups, and an awkward second date in my living room.

“How the fuck did we not know you’re wolves? Our families have been fighting forever. Fuck, I’ve lived here for practically two weeks, and I just noticed something weird last night.” She draws a big sip of her wine.

I pull my phone out and then use the app to turn on the fireplace. It’s not cold in here, but it gives that ambiance that says ‘safe’ and ‘warm’ that maybe she needs right about now.

“We’ve been hiding who and what we are for centuries. It gets harder every year with modern surveillance, but that’s why packs buy big pieces of land, hell, entire towns. It gives us space to exist.” I pick up one of the slices of cheese and salami, forgoing the cracker.

“So when I said we didn’t use protection and you wouldn’t say you were sterile...” Her eyes are distant, and I’m watching all the things come into alignment.

“We can’t get pregnant unless you become a wolf. And to do that you’d practically need to die.” It clarifies a question she’s asked before. One that must be important to her.

Antonella sips more of her wine .

She didn’t ask to be one of us. My wolf cocks his head. Does she not want our pups?

Whoa. Who said I wanted more pups? I argue with him. Have you not seen the holy terror of the pup we have?

My wolf doesn’t see it that way. He pictures the great afternoon, running with her and all the learning she’s doing.

The asshole isn’t wrong. She’s a pretty perfect kid overall, but it doesn’t change my feeling that one is enough.

Unless... No, the wolf is right. She didn’t ask.

If Antonella wanted kids, she’d have asked.

I don’t push, and we end up in a comfortable silence, absentmindedly eating cheese and crackers. When her wine is gone, she pours another glass, and it’s halfway to her lips when she springs up off the couch.

“Soup!” she shouts, running, glass in hand, to the kitchen. “God, it would take real skill to burn the same soup twice.”

I follow, knowing by smell that nothing is burning, but it’s not worth reminding her. “In your defense, the first time was my fault?”

Antonella rolls her eyes with a headshake. “I should know better than to walk away, leaving a burner on. Burn the house down is exactly what this family needs.”

“For sure, we don’t have an arsonist. Explosive tech, but he’s not great at the slow-burn type thing.” When she looks at me to check if I’m serious, I shrug and smile.

“Slow burn.” Antonella nods. “Yeah, something like that.”