"The pleasure is mine." Marcella laughed in an effort to hide the blush creeping up her neck. "He's been making me pull my hair out and interfering with my research too. Do you know what happened at an auction in Paris recently that resulted in multiple books disappearing? Your father was curiously silent about the matter, though Henry tells me that the Greatdrakes are the men to ask."
Valentine's expression was so innocent, she knew he was guilty of something. "I might have heard something about that. Rather impressive bit of magic," he said.
Marcella didn't have a chance to question him further when a blond man pushed Valentine out of the way. He pulled up short and looked her over.
"You. Are. Stunning," he declared, putting his hands on his hips.
"Ah,grazie?"
"Sorry. I'm Apollo. Wow. You're a knockout. No wonder Dad has been so grumpy for days." Apollo took her hand and gallantly kissed it. He stared at her nails. "Even your manicure is to die for."
"Thank you. I do them myself," Marcella replied, getting more overwhelmed by the second.
Apollo brightened. "Would you consider doing mine sometime?"
"Of course... I mean, if your father is okay with it," Marcella replied.
"Why wouldn't he be okay with it?" Apollo asked, his head cocking to one side.
"Because a lot of fathers wouldn't like their sons wearing nail polish."
"Huh, sounds dumb," he replied, before turning and shouting, "Dad! Would you care if Marcella did my nails?"
Cosimo came through a door, and Marcella's heart did a traitorous skip. He really was a gorgeous man, and he moved with a grace and confidence that immediately drew the eye.
"Why would I care about that?" Cosimo asked, his eyes full of affection as they looked at his son.
"I don't know. Apparently, it's a thing with fathers? Maybe it's just Italian fathers?" Apollo said, scratching his head.
Cosimo shrugged. "Sounds dumb."
"That's what I said!"
Cosimo moved Apollo aside. "Come on, children, move out of the way and let our guest in. Thank you for coming,SignorinaSforza."
"I think you can call me Marcella," she said with the start of a smile. "But only for tonight."
Cosimo laughed, and heat filled her belly. "Fair enough. Wine?"
"Yes. All the wine," she said quickly.
Cosimo gestured. "Please, after you. Come and meet the rest of the family."
"How many are you?" she asked, slightly dazzled by the three she had already met. All had a powerful hum of magic around them, and Marcella had never felt anything like it.
"There are my four boys and their mates," Cosimo explained and cleared his throat. "Ah, their partners, I mean."
"Quite the crowd," she said, trying to steady herself.
"My son, Basset, loves to cook, so I hope you are hungry." Cosimo held a door open for her to a large kitchen. The smell ofhis aftershave filled her senses as he whispered conspiratorially in her ear, "Don't let them intimidate you. They can smell fear."
"Thank you for the warning." Marcella was quickly introduced to Lachlan, his cousin Charlotte, Reeve, Bas, and Bridget, who were loitering about, snacking on charcuterie, drinking wine, and gossiping. With the exception of Lachlan, they all had magic.
Marcella accepted the glass of local Chianti offered to her and tried not to down it all in one go.
"This might be too forward, but you all are magicians, and I want to know what you specialize in," she said, sitting down in the chair that Cosimo pulled out for her at a large dining table.
Reeve shot a glance in Cosimo's direction. "How much are we allowed to tell her? Or should we wait until she agrees to help us find Auntie Maria?"
