"Yeah, she's Dante's cousin. You didn't know?"
"No. But that puts a few things into perspective." Fed had never been jealous after all. She really had been concerned about me getting close to Dante. Why hadn't she told me they were family? I wondered why she'd introduced me to him in the first place if she knew he was so dangerous. I pushed the question away. She never could have foreseen his attraction to me, or my becoming a magus. It wasn't her fault.
"Shall we walk?" Raf stood and held out his hand.
I stood and slid my hand into his. His warm fingers engulfed mine and the fire inside me crackled happily in response, which gave me pause. Sometimes it felt like it was part of me, and other times it felt like it was a parasite observing my life from the inside and pulling levers.
As we walked toward the sea, Raf lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the backs of my fingers. Then he looked down at me and smiled, tucking my hand into the crook of his elbow.
We strolled together and enjoyed the cool air coming off the water. It licked across my damp brow and lifted my curls. We talked about the differences between the Canadian and Italian school systems, what our families were like, and our ambitions for the future. Neither of us broached the subject of me leaving, or that this relationship was almost certainly temporary. If he didn't bring it up, I wouldn't either. Live in the moment, Saxony. Just enjoy him.
When we arrived at my door, it was nearly midnight. I turned to face him. A street light lit up the canal and cast us both in a soft yellow glow.
"So," I cleared my throat, "Elda and Pietro are leaving for Puglia for a few weeks. I'll have the place to myself. How about a movie night? For some reason, I feel like watching The Godfather. Can't imagine why."
He grinned. "That's one of my favourite movies."
He stepped closer. I tilted my face up to his.
"I would like that," he said quietly.
I closed my eyes as he bent to kiss me, softly at first. When he felt me press closer and twine my arms around his neck, the kiss deepened. The fire roared to life in my belly, licking up my back. Its liquid heat spread up under my ribs, into my lower belly and curled around my spine.
I wrapped my fingers around the back of Raf’s neck and up into his hair, savouring the sweetness of the kiss. He tasted like mint gelato. His tugged gently on my lower lip with his mouth. When the heat travelled up my neck and warmed my cheeks and eyes, my heart fluttered with panic. What if I opened my eyes and they were glowing? He'd freak out.
I kept my eyes shut as my mind raced. Slowly, I brought the kiss to a close and dropped my face down toward our feet. I tucked my head under his chin and lay my cheek against his chest so he couldn’t see my eyes. He smelled like cedar.
He kissed the top of my head and brushed my curls away from my cheek and behind my ear. Thank God he didn't seem to notice anything strange. I took slow, deep breaths to calm my racing heart and temper the flame. My cheeks and eyes cooled and when I was certain that my eyes weren't glowing like a rabid dog's, I stepped back and looked up at him.
"Thank you for a lovely night," I said.
He pressed a warm stubbly cheek against mine and said, "Until our movie night, then."
He waited as I unlocked the door. As soon as I was inside, the door closed, I leaned against the doorframe and chewed my lip. If my eyes glowed whenever I was excited, what would happen when there was more than just a kiss going on? I covered my face with my hands, imagining Raf yelling with terror as a demon-eyed me glared up at him in the middle of a passionate make-out session.
I groaned. What kind of guy would want to be with a girl who looks possessed?
Twenty-Six
The days leading up to the Baseggios departure were full of activity. I did loads of laundry and cleaned the house from top to bottom…and both of the boys were home full-time. Whenever Elda was home we took care of the boys together, but she often worked late as she prepared her business for her absence.
Isaia gained energy like a locomotive going downhill, and Cristiano was so happy to have someone who could keep up with him that the boys were like little whirlwinds wherever they went. I barely had time to chat with Raf at all, and fell into bed exhausted every evening. Dante continued to text, begging to talk. I ignored him. I also promised myself I'd reach out to Fed as soon as the Baseggios left on their vacation.
I didn't see Pietro until the night before the family left. I was helping Isaia get ready for bed when I heard his voice in the kitchen speaking to Elda.
"Looks like your dad made it after all," I said to Isaia. I pulled his sleep shirt down over his head and let him go.
Isaia ran into the kitchen for a hug and kiss from his dad. I followed him, smiling as I watched the two snuggle. I was reminded every time I saw the blond, ebony-eyed boy and the dark-haired, blue-eyed father together that Pietro was not Isaia's biological father. Pietro would never find out if Elda had anything to say about it. I wondered whether it had ever crossed Pietro's mind. Probably not, because Isaia looked more like Elda anyway. It was just the black eyes and the set of the mouth and jaw that didn't seem to fit anywhere between the two parents.
"Buonasera, Saxony," said Pietro from over Isaia's head. His mouth was tight and he had dark smudges under his eyes.
“Sera Pietro, nice to see you." I didn't like the look of the deep lines between his brows.
He kissed Isaia and sent him to bed. Isaia came to me for a hug and a kiss, too.
"I'll be in to read you a story,” I told him. “Get into bed, okay?"
"Okay," he said and scampered down the hall, way too energetic to sleep. I didn't have the heart to tell him to slow down. The kid had been slow his whole life. Let him enjoy running for a change.
I turned to Pietro. "Everything okay?"
"One of my clients had a break-in last night. It’s been a very long day." He handed Elda a plastic lunch container. She put it in the dishwasher. I realized that she looked even more stressed than Pietro did.
"That's awful. Was anything stolen? Are you allowed to say which client?"
He shook his head. "I can't say. And yes, some small items were stolen, but overall it could have been a lot worse."
Pietro and Elda conversed in Italian while I boiled water for tea. It felt like they needed some privacy. When there was a break in the conversation, I said, "I'll say buona notte and arrivederci tonight then. It sounds like you two need to talk."
"Thanks for all your help this week, Saxony. You've been a Godsend," Elda said, kissing my cheeks and giving me a hug goodnight.
"Buona notte, Saxony. We'll miss you in Puglia," said Pietro.
"Text me when you arrive, okay?" I asked.
They nodded, but it was obvious they were both distracted. I left them to their conversation.
I poked my head into Isaia's room. He was on the floor with books spread out in front of him. He looked up and smiled when I came in.
"Did you choose a story?" I scanned the books, noting the fairy tale book with the firebird story. I watched as he deliberated, and finally reached for a story with dinosaurs on the cover. I smiled. "Into bed with you, maestro."
We snuggled together and I read the story to him, feeling him relax and grow sleepy.
I closed the book and said, "I won't see you in the morning, Isaia. You're going to get up really early and you'll be gone before I wake up."
“Can't you come?" he asked, tilting his head back against my shoulder.
"I think it's better if I stay here. But I'll be here when you get back."
"But why?"
I thought for a moment. If anyone could understand my reason, it would be this little boy. "It's really hot in Gallipoli right now, Isaia. As much as I would like to see the south of Italy, I'm afraid it would be uncomfortable for me."
He nodded before I was even finished. "Too hot," he said, his dark eyes serious.
"Yes. So give me a hug and a kiss goodnight and I'll see you in a couple of weeks, okay?"