Love In His Eyes

Chapter 25

The next morning, I was secretly relieved to see that Giu was still alive. Though he obviously hadn't learned his lesson because he kept tossing Sebastian and I sly glances. His eyes were full of mirth every time he looked at his older brother. I could see the hint of a smirk on the corners of his lips. If Nico knew what had happened, he didn't say. He pretended to be oblivious to the playful mood of Giu and the irritation of Sebastian. He spoke about politics in Italy while munching on his breakfast, mostly looking at his plate as he did so. Angel was not joining us. Apparently, she also liked to help in the infirmary sometimes and the days she volunteered required her to get up extra early. She'd already had breakfast and was likely hard at work.

"How do you keep up with politics from your home country? Do you watch the news or do you have family that keeps you informed?" I curiosity asked Nico. He seemed to always be on top of everything that happened in Italy.

He stopped in the middle of what he'd been saying and glanced at me before returning his gaze to the slice of toast he was smothering in grape jam. "Both though I do prefer to hear it from family."

"You keep in contact with all your family or select few?" I kept asking. From my observations, Nico seemed to be the one who's most likely answer my questions regarding the Di Maggio family.

Again, he took a brief glance at me. "Most of them. Of course, in every family, there are those few that prefer to keep to themselves. I like to know what's going on back home. It's important to be informed."

I nodded, agreeing. "Of course. How long have you been away from home?"

"Well, I haven't actually lived there for some time, but I visited last winter." He said before taking a bite of his toast.

"They were probably glad to see you. Your family, I mean." I commented, turning to my own breakfast. His response, however, surprised me.

There was a hint of amusement in his tone, though I could also sense a darkness. "Most were." When he felt my stare, he met my eyes and smiled. "There's always drama. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that you'll know of it sooner or later. They live off of arguing and fights. They'll look for something to say to you, so my advice to you is to ignore it. I know it's easier said than done, but you need to. Our family prides on being tough so they're going to find something to say to you to test you. They will want to test your endurance and how strong you are emotionally."

His confession was certainly unexpected. Judging on how kind the few family members that I'd already met, I'd made the assumption that their family was likely the same. I had been mistaken. I wanted to ask questions, but Sebastian had obviously gotten uncomfortable and struck up a different conversation with Nico. It was hard to tell if he was embarrassed or not, but I knew one thing for sure. I wasn't about to let it go.

So after breakfast and training, we were in his office. I had just taken a shower and walked in. He spoke about what he was working on, catching me up so I'd know what to do, but I hardly paid attention. All day I'd been distracted. During training, all I could think about was the Di Maggio family. There were certainly one of the most secretive families in the werewolf community. I had so many questions bubbling up. I found that the more answers I got, the more I needed to know. There was so much more to them than the public suspected.

I took a seat next to Sebastian and pulled my laptop up to me. As it powered on, Sebastian was still speaking. I knew he was most likely saying something important, but I could not focus. "Tell me about your family."

He didn't even flinch or react. His scribbling of notes did not cease and he did not look my way. Though he did stop mid-sentence of what he'd been saying. He had been expecting this. He knew I would have asked sooner or later.