"And if we find them, you get them?" Cosimo guessed.
Marcella's smile was so sweet, it was almost savage. "Caterina's is mine. No questions. The Medici one? I am willing to let you look at it. I might even be convinced to let you read it."
Cosimo laughed. He couldn't help it. He was being made to choose between decades of research and his sister. It wasn't a hard choice, but it still stung.
"You weren't kidding when you said your price would be high, but considering what I am asking of you…" Cosimo sighed."Deal. But I want to be able to study the Medici Grimoire properly."
"Just like that? You don't want to think it over?" Marcella asked, brows rising.
"I don't need to. If it means finding my sister, I'll let you pick through all my research willingly, and you never know, maybe if we work together for once, we won't be trying to outbid each other all the time," Cosimo replied and held out a hand. "Deal?"
"Deal." Marcella took his hand, and power burned between their palms. "What is that?"
"My magic likes you." Cosimo brushed his thumb over her knuckles. "I don't know why."
"One other thing." Marcella cleared her throat, the blush creeping over her ears once more. "You should know, I don't sleep with people I work with."
It was Cosimo's turn to raise a brow. "I don't recall asking you to."
"Please don't be offended, but every man I work with always tries to get me into bed. It's better to be upfront about these things," she said, removing her hand from his.
"I agree, so let me put you at ease," he said and folded his arms. "My mate died, and what's left of that part of me has been ashes ever since. You aren't in any danger of me falling in love with you, despite your many charms, because I'm not sure I'm even capable of it anymore."
"That's good to hear, because I'm not capable of it either since my divorce, and men just complicate my life too much," Marcella replied, her dark eyes filled with a loneliness he felt to his core. She turned back to her research. "Besides, chasing grimoires is a much better pastime than chasing lovers in my opinion."
"Agreed," Cosimo said, ignoring the strange pang of disappointment he suddenly felt. It wasn't the first time he hadto tell a lovely woman he wasn't interested, but he had never felt this kind of unease afterward. He pushed the feeling away.
No, it was a good thing to know where they each stood and have it out in the open. Now that he knew Marcella was entirely off limits, he could squash any hint of desire he may have started to feel and focus on the job at hand. She wasn't interested, and he would never go anywhere he wasn't wanted.
Excellent plan, he told himself.
The dragon in him disagreed, but for the first time in weeks, it didn't fight him. It turned its back on him in disgust, leaving him cold and more confused than ever.
10
There were very few times in Marcella's life that she wished she had kept her mouth shut. She blamed having Cosimo in her apartment and looking at her research for her complete lack of tact. She had gotten so flustered by his energy in her space, she had blurted out about not sleeping with him before thinking it through, and now, she looked like a complete madwoman.
What the hell is the matter with you?She usually had far better timing with such things.
Cosimo had taken her outburst in stride with a gentle kind of rejection that had left her feeling even more awkward. She couldn't actually remember the last time a man had rejected her. It was always the other way around.
They had fallen back into talking through her research, and some of the tenseness had eased once more.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to share some of this with Bridget," Cosimo said, looking at her wall. He hadn't made any comment about it looking like a crazy person's house either, and she was strangely grateful for that.
"I suppose, but can I ask why?"
Cosimo grinned. "She's good at researching. All my children are, but Bridget has also seen my research for the Medici Grimoire. She can catch up on your half while we look for Maria, and knowing my daughter, she will start putting it together. If she gets stuck, she will reach out to Layla, Charlotte's sister, who is also a research wiz."
Marcella's chest squeezed in a moment of panic. She had been working on this on her own for so long that sharing it with others felt wrong.
Cosimo seemed to notice her inner struggle without her having to say a word.
"You want us to find it, and we can't do both right now. Maria's dragon is waking up, and I can't wait," he said softly. "I know how hard it is to let people in to help sometimes, but they will never break your trust by sharing it with others. This is still within the family, Marcella. Let them help."
Marcella blew out a breath, and the tension eased in her chest. "Okay, send her photos. I can forward her my electronic files too. I am a bit of an organization freak when it comes to my research filing."
"Bridget will love that," Cosimo chuckled. He started taking pictures of her walls and sending them off. He gave her Bridget's email, and Marcella only hesitated a second before sending through her life's work. She was stuck and needed help. Would more eyes on it really be the answer?
