"You magicians really make academics look orderly," she said, staring about her, too afraid to touch anything in case it broke.
Cosimo chuckled. "My sister was passionate about ancient magic to a fault and was the exceptional talent of my generation."
"Don't sell yourself short," she said, because from what she had heard, Cosimo Greatdrakes was an absolute powerhouse.
He stared around the clutter of the room with a smile. "Believe me, I'm not. No one could keep up with Maria. Maybe Valentine and Yelena will give her a run for her money when we find her."
Marcella noticed it was always 'when' they found her, and not an 'if.' There would be no giving up, and no other outcome would be acceptable. She wondered what it would be like to bethe focus of that kind of devotion and then realized she couldn't even imagine it.
"This is the map we found, and why we think it's in this area between Florence and Ravenna where she went exploring," Cosimo said, gesturing to the desk. He showed her the symbols and the marble statue of Minerva. "Be careful, it bites."
"Literally?" she asked, staring at the figure
"In a way. Valentine got a shock from it, but feel free to try and get a reading off it. I only wanted to warn you."
"Consider me warned,amico mio," Marcella said, needing to remind herself that he was her friend, andonlyher friend.
There was something about him,manythings if she gave herself the time to think about it, that made her want to curl up in the circle of his warmth and languish in the feeling of protection.
She had been affronted, and then amused, by his insistence that he would protect her, but she hadn't seen it in action until she mentioned Renata's meddling with her boundaries, and he had simply...taken care of it.
It made something in her melt that she didn't have to ask for his help. She would have been too proud to do so anyway and would have had to deal with another sleepless night. Now she didn't have to.
Marcella focused back on the statue of Minerva, studying it from every angle. "It's beautifully preserved. I wonder where it was found."
"I don't know, but it was weighing down all of the maps. Val said he could feel that Maria handled it often," Cosimo replied, watching her carefully.
Before she could second-guess herself, Marcella closed her eyes. "Lady Minerva, goddess of wisdom, show me your secrets," she prayed aloud and then picked up the statue.
Light and heat shot up her arms and into her body. Images swamped over her: a dark-haired woman handling the statue, forests, a river, wildflowers, a small but beautiful temple, and the same temple in ruins centuries later. Ancient power of the goddess hummed through the votive statue. It had sat on an altar. Prayers, petitions, hymns, and flowers had adorned her. It knew where it had come from and where it wanted to return to.
"Marcella!" Cosimo's voice broke through the cascade of visions that gripped her. Large, warm hands cradled her face. "Marcella, it's okay. I'm here. Come back to me,tesoro."
She opened her eyes to find herself on the floor, Cosimo holding onto her tightly. His long fingers stroked her cheeks tenderly, and her heart raced.
"Oh, thank the gods," he breathed when he saw her awake.
"Goddess," she corrected him in a shaky whisper. "Thank the goddess."
Cosimo didn't let her go, just held her to his chest that felt deliciously sculpted under his clothes. He smelled so warm and spicy, she wanted to bury her nose into his neck.
"You touched the statue and started singing something that sounded like a hymn, and then you went down," he said, not looking away from her eyes.
"I'm okay. Just a little weak," she said but didn't admit that the real weakness was wanting to stay where she was a little longer. "I saw the statue in its original home. It was a temple. I didn't recognize the forest, but the wildflowers are definitely like the ones around Forli in the spring."
Cosimo hummed thoughtfully, and the vibration of it echoed in his chest. She needed to move, needed to shove him off, but couldn't find the will to do it.
"You tried to warn me about touching it. I've never felt anything like that. I think we need to take it with us back to Italy," Marcella suggested.
"Or we should drop it in the nearest river to keep it from hurting you," he grumbled.
Marcella touched his jaw. "Don't be like that. It didn't hurt me. It just had a lot to say. Your sister probably saw the same things I did and used them to track down a location. Maybe we can too."
"And have you collapse in a heap every time? I think not."
"Why? Are you not going to be there to catch me if I fall?" she teased.
Cosimo's answering look made every female part of her go alert. Lust ran through her like hot honey. She needed to get away from him before she did something stupid.
