8

The following days passed similarly, with the exception that Lucas and Darla accompanied Gaia to the pack house, while Dante took Angelica to her house after school and opting to stay with her until late.

Gaia turned on her dance playlist and made a simple pasta meal for herself the first night. Then she spent the evening taking stock of the pantry and quickly coming to the realization she had everything she could possibly need to make a few of her favorite snacks. She quickly made a list of what she wanted to make, and planned out the days.

A storm settled in overnight Thursday, and it didn't appear to be moving on come morning. Only elite warriors were expected to train outside in inclement weather. Most werewolves had some area in their home dedicated to some aspect of training, and Dante was no exception. His house boasted a full gym in the basement.

Gaia assumed she would be working out in her room. At home with her mother she had used the living room, but this room was plenty big enough for what she had living with her mother, so she wasn't expecting Dante to knock at her door, inviting her to work out with him.

"The gym is this way."

"Uhm, okay." She followed him through a door located in the staircase that led to his quarters. Through the door was a set of stairs leading below. As she descended she realized there was quite a bit more to this house than she could possibly have imagined. "Wow."

Most of this lower level was a home entertainment center and game room, but one third of the space was walled off behind glass and drywall. The walled space had an entry, a glass door, labeled 'gym'.

She opened the glass door through which she could see exercise equipment and stepped inside a room that instantly brightened with lights flicking on. She saw the various machines and weights, the section of mats, and the various other equipment. She opted to stick with routine and headed for a treadmill. She set it for the duration she was used to and began to run.

Dante took the other treadmill, set his parameters and let the run loosen his muscles. When her run ended, he watched her move to the mats to stretch. As his run ended, she had already moved to practice the basic defensive styles her group learned.

As he watched her, he realized her skills were on par with her age group, she was just trying to perform actions that didn't tailor easily to her stature. Her wolf would likely be the stronger fighter, but skilled medics on a battlefield were always a boon to any pack.

Gaia watched him from the corner of her eye while they were running together. Easy to do with the two walls of mirrors. She could see he was watching her. She did her best to ignore him, but couldn't help but feel warmth when he grunted in approval after she delivered a round of punches and kicks to the heavy bag suspended from the ceiling.

"Open your stance," Dante said, "just a touch more. Yeah, sink into that."

Gaia did as directed, inching her feet apart, realigning hips and spine as she did so, and immediately felt a difference. "Whoa." She breathed, willing her muscles to memorize this stance, and threw a couple of punches. The heavy bag moved. She smiled, her eyes seeking his, "Thank you."

"Don't be afraid to aim lower than everyone else, use your height to your advantage." He watched as she threw a few more hits at the bag. "Okay little warrior. My turn with the bag. Take yours to the dummy." Dante gestured to the chunk of human molded silicon, waiting until she was safely out of the way before he threw his first punch.

Gaia walked toward the punching dummy fully intending to practice the stance he'd shown her, but she saw his reflection in the mirror. Witnessing his workout, the way he formed his first punch stirred something new within her belly. She admired the way he moved, smooth and sinuous, as though he were dancing. She couldn't take her eyes off him. She distractedly wiped at moisture oozing past her lips and realized she was drooling. She felt heat rise to her cheeks and fled to her room.

Dante kept Gaia in his own line of sight as he was hitting and kicking the bag. He was confused when she stopped and stared into the mirror, but noticed when she wiped her mouth. Then the blush bloomed in her cheeks and she bolted. He chuckled for a solid minute after the door closed behind her before leaving the gym to head to his own room. His ego was soaring!

When Gaia arrived in her room and checked her phone, she saw she had more extra time than she'd anticipated. She went through the motions of her shower routine, and got dressed with still plenty of time to get this morning's breakfast into the oven.

She'd made cookies and raspberry bars the previous night, and the night before she'd decided she wanted bread and got out the yeast. After second proofing, she divided the dough in half, rolling one sweet with sugars and cinnamon and the other savory with garlic and herbs. She sliced and panned each separately and set them in the refrigerator.

While waiting the two proofing periods, she made a decision to also put together oatmeal muffins and a quiche. Punching and kneading bread was always cathartic. Rolling pie dough was too. She could bake the muffins and crust and make the filling tonight, then pour the filling in the shell in the morning while the oven was heating for the sweet rolls, and thirty minutes later she could be sinking her fork into a delicious slice of heaven, with a side of cinnamon-y euphoria.

Now this morning she had plenty of time to bounce down the stairs, looking forward to turning the oven on.

She was disappointed to see Dante already in the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door.

"Huh? What the... what is this?" She approached him, watching him reach into the depths of the appliance.

"What is what?"

Dante turned to look at Gaia, and lifted a clear glass pitcher filled with viscous yellow liquid out of the fridge, "What is this?"

Gaia brightened, relieved to know what he was holding. "That is filling."

"Filling?" He cast a suspicion filled glance at her before sniffing at the rim of the pitcher.

"There are two pie crusts on the shelf below, tell you what. You set the pitcher on the counter and turn the oven on to three hundred fifty, and let me deal with that."

Dante's brow rose, but he set the pitcher down as she'd asked and turned on the oven. Then he sat at the island to watch.

He saw her retrieve a pan that smelled like it was filled with cinnamon that she set on the counter, a bag of cheese she'd obviously shredded, a bag of chopped veg, and two pie dishes. She measured the cheeses and veg into the pie shells, and then she reached for the pitcher of liquid.

Dante suddenly realized she meant to pour the liquid, when he saw the pitcher waver in her grip. He shot up out of his seat and grabbed the bottom of the vessel to help her steady it.

"I thought you don't cook."

"I usually don't cook. And this isn't cooking. This is baking." Together they poured precisely half the egg concoction in the first shell and shifted the position of the pitcher over the other quiche shell.

"You did all this while I was gone last night?"

"Yes." Gaia felt his eyes on her, studying her. "This isn't much."

The oven signaled the desired temperature had been reached. Dante opened the oven and quickly slid the three dishes in.

"No, this is great! This is amazing. How long does it need to be in the oven?" He closed the oven, then hovered his finger over the control panel, ready to punch in the time.

"Thirty minutes. And then five minutes to settle. Uhm, would you mind cooking some bacon?" She smiled, slowly extending a package toward him. Her raised brows and scrunched up shoulders enhanced the childishness her stature evoked.

Dante smirked, "Sure. Set out some plates and forks for us. And get us something to drink. Coffee is nearly finished brewing. I take it black." He took the package of of bacon from her and reached for a sheet pan. He quickly arranged eight slices of bacon on the sheet pan, and slid it into the oven.

"You drink coffee?" She saw him put the bacon into the fridge, but didn't see the pan on the stove, and pouted, "Bacon?"

Dante chuckled, "Its in the oven."

Her eyes widened. "You bake bacon?"

"It's the best way."

She considered the idea of it. "That's really smart."

The corners of Dante's mouth twitched in pleasure. He noticed she had poured two cups of coffee. She took milk in hers.

"Thank you for pointing out I need to widen my stance. I could feel the difference in my balance immediately."

"You're welcome. I noticed you had more power behind your punches, too. You have good form." He watched as Gaia hid a smile behind the rim of her mug.

"Seriously, though." He gestured toward the oven. "You did all that last night?"

"Yeah," Gaia said.

"And you put together all that," he gestured to the oven, "to go in the oven this morning?"

She nodded over the rim of her cup, "I also made muffins, and cookies."

"And you made muffins?" He glanced around the kitchen, "Where are they?"

Gaia pulled out the container she'd stored them in. He took the container and opened the lid, setting the container on the counter to pick one large muffin up for closer examination.

"Oh, wow, is that oatmeal and blueberry?" Dante took a large bite of the muffin in his hand, "mm, hints of nutmeg...and lemon. This is really good, I love the texture."

Gaia watched in amazement as Dante grabbed the container of muffins out of her hand one moment and in the next had devoured three of them. A thrill rushed through her hearing him express enjoyment. She had a vague memory of the bakery side of her grandmother's restaurant being popular, particularly the children had a fondness for cookies.

She put the lid back on the muffin container, snapping it shut. "Hmm, well, will you help me pull everything out of the oven?"

"If you tell me why you can bake, but you don't cook."

"I can cook." Gaia reached for the potholders, setting three by the oven for Dante to use.

"I figured."

"I haven't cooked since my grandmother passed away."

"She taught you everything?"

Gaia nodded, "Yep. And I-I've wanted to cook again, but I'm not in my own home for any decent length of time, and I don't like to intrude on anyone else's kitchen, but everyone likes baked goods."

Dante grinned. He turned off the oven and the timer just as it reached zeros and opened the oven door.

Gaia reached for the dish of bubbling with the scent of cinnamon and sugar first, leaving him to situate the quiches and the bacon. She set a platter over the dish and carefully flipped it over.

Dante set the quiche dishes on the top of the stove, and grabbed a spatula to transfer the bacon directly to the plates. Then he took the pan to the sink to quickly wash it.

Once Gaia had the dish flipped and settled, she waited a few minutes before slowly lifting the dish, allowing the caramelized sugar from the bottom of the pan continue to drizzle over the rolled bread.

"Is that caramel rolls?" He hadn't had those since he was a youth.

"Mmhmm. I added chopped apple."

"Did you," He selected a knife and sliced one of the quiche's, then wrapped the other in foil and set it aside.

He plated three slices of quiche for himself, and two for her, then wrapped the rest in foil and put both in the refrigerator. He turned to see Gaia, eyes closed, mouth sucking a finger she had obviously swiped along the caramel rolls dish.

He chuckled. "Do you need some help with that?"

Gaia's eyes popped open wide, seeing him smirk at her. She held the dish toward him, "Wanna...?"

Dante shook his head, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, then he took the dish from her and swiped a finger through the goo, putting it in his mouth. He closed his eyes with a delighted hum. It was just as he remembered his favorite sweet rolls from childhood.

He looked at the rolls, then looked at the girl getting ready to wash the baking dish she'd retrieved from him.

"What did your grandmother die of?" He took the platter of rolls to the island and looked back at Gaia, still standing at the sink, swiping the dish with a soapy cloth. He sensed sadness radiating from her.

He stepped beside her, his hand hovering near her shoulder, "Gaia, you don't have to-"

"My grandma owned a restaurant, at the border near human lands. It was popular, among humans and shifters. Grandma didn't discriminate. A few months before she... a war broke out between two human packs. She was gunned down in the parking lot of the restaurant she owned."

"Your grandmother was Mama Bianchi," Dante stated. He remembered very well the shock that death had on the entire region. "Gaia, I'm sorry. Wow. That had to have been hard on you. Come on. Come eat. I'll get the dishes later."

They ate quickly and put everything away before rushing out the door to pick up Angelica.