Cosimo didn't move. Didn't dare breathe. "I can't do that."
"Why not?" she demanded, frustrated again.
"Because I'm not fully in control right now. If I go into your room with you, I will have to break our agreement," he said as calmly as he could. "If we are alone behind a closed door tonight, I am going to strip you out of that robe and give you the fucking you deserve. I won't be able to stop until you're screaming my name, and then I will do it all over again until every awful shadow from tonight is gone from your eyes forever."
Marcella's heart was pounding. Cosimo could hear it as loud as his own slamming behind her ribs. He could smell the sweet wetness pooling between her thighs and groaned.
He was fucking this up. This was not how he planned on seducing her. There was going to be gentleness and courtship involved. Easing her into the idea that he and his dragon were now so fixated on her that he could barely think of anything else.
Marcella let out a shaky breath and nodded. Then she gently tugged on his hand again. "Come with me."
Cosimo couldn't believe his ears, but he didn't fight her and let himself be led into her room. The door closed behind them, and the dragon inside of him roared in victory.
23
Marcella walked Cosimo to her bathroom without another word. The air around him was charged with danger, like she was standing next to a bomb ready to go off.
She might not fully understand what Cosimo was going through with his dragon side at that moment, but she knew she couldn't leave him alone, and she didn't want to.
"Let's get that jacket off," she said, helping him slide the wet fabric from his shoulders. He was wearing a leather holster underneath it that held five sheathed daggers. It was so sexy, Marcella bit back a groan. He was watching her carefully, his eyes all dragon. Blood stained his shirt and hands.
"Are you sure none of this is yours?" she asked, undoing his cuff links one at a time and placing them on the counter. Cosimo shook his head. "And you didn't kill Carlo? Because this is a lot of blood."
"I didn't say I didn't maim him," he replied, voice steady. "But I also didn't go looking for the fight. I found Carlo under your window, trying to put a compulsion spell on you to lure you out. I acted accordingly."
Marcella raised a brow. "And that means what exactly? Carlo's compulsion spells have never worked on me before, and I don't think anything could get through the wards that your children put up."
"That is not the point. Carlo wasn't going to respect your wishes. Now he knows that leaving you alone is in his best interests," Cosimo said in that same deadly calm.
"Carlo has never been known to give up an idea once he has it in his head. I'm not sure why he is insisting we get back together after all this time. They could have tried before and haven't."
Cosimo's voice was all snarl as he said, "They didn't realize how much you have grown into your power without them around to crush you. I know you hide it, but anyone with a whiff of magic would know that you are powerful. They will imprison you and do to you what they are doing to the girl downstairs."
Marcella swallowed hard. "That doesn't surprise me, but how do you know for sure?"
"Bas read Renata's mind."
"Bitch. God, I hate that woman so much. When I get back to Florence, I'll put a restraining order..." Marcella began and then stopped talking as Cosimo placed a finger on the counter, a ring still on it.
His voice dropped to a soft growl. "Consider this a courting present."
Marcella didn't need to ask who it belonged to. She should be repulsed or frightened as she stared at the finger, but all she felt wasrelief. The divorce had legally gone through, even if Carlo had never signed the documents, but a part of it hadn't felt finalized until that moment. She knew in her bones that if Carlo tried anything again, Cosimo would kill him and wouldn't feel a drop of remorse. There was a glorious and wonderful finality about it.
Horrible laughter bubbled up in Marcella's throat, and she quickly swallowed it back. "I love it," she replied. "It's what I always wanted."
"He's lucky it wasn't his dick," Cosimo replied, which made her giggle more.
"I shouldn't be laughing. This whole situation is a bit insane, but thank you." She turned on the hot water tap and wet a clean face washer. "Give me your hands and tell me what happened. I want details."
Cosimo obeyed, letting her gently wash away the blood as he spoke about the encounter with Carlo outside. The only damage he had was two split knuckles.
"I'm surprised he didn't try to stab you. Carlo's always carried a knife and used to love waving it about when he was angry," she said, drying off his hands.
"He might have carried a knife, but he was shit at using it," Cosimo said. Marcella looked at the ones in the holster he was wearing. "I'm good with them. With a family full of fae warriors, you get trained with everyone else."
"Let's hope Carlo takes your warning to heart, and we don't have to deal with them anymore," Marcella replied. She reached for the leather holsters and slowly slid them off his shoulders before hanging them up on the towel rack.
Cosimo stayed perfectly still, letting her do as she liked. Her fingers were shaking as she untucked his shirt and began to unbutton it.
