Cosimo had hugged her in the gardens until she felt steady enough to go inside, but now she was shaking all over again. A part of her was hollowed out and bleeding, like a gaping wound had been torn inside of her. She had never used that much magic before. She could command the dead after all, just as her mother had claimed, and it scared the hell out of her.
"Too much," she whispered. Too much power and too many emotions were tearing into her.
Marcella pulled the last of her magic in, locking it down tightly. It hurt, the hot feeling of her power pressing against her skin and searing her bones. She didn't want to put the bracelet back on and close off again. She just needed to master the feelings that were drowning her.
I can do this. I can do this, she chanted and slowly came back to herself.
When Marcella felt like she could breathe again, she went back out into the main hall. Her overnight bag had been left by the front door, and she hesitated. If she grabbed it, she could slip away before anyone saw.
Cosimo would be busy with Maria, and she wanted to be alone. She would message him later. She had taken hold of a leather strap when she spotted Valentine by a bookshelf.
"Running away?" he asked, dark brows raised.
"Not running." Marcella pointed to where the rest of the Greatdrakes were in the kitchen, still making lots of noise. "You have a lost family member to catch up with, and I…"
She didn't know what to say. Cosimo had held her so tenderly in the garden, but he had more to deal with than her messy emotions. He had other priorities than patting her head and telling her that she would be all right.
"You need peace and quiet to process? Dad will understand that," Valentine replied and took her bag from her. "Let me see you home at least. Dad will want to know that you got there safely. You're about to have a big magic drop, and the last thing we need is something happening to you."
"I have looked after myself for a long time, Valentine," Marcella said, following him out the front door.
Valentine opened a portal for them and escorted her through it. "I know you are capable of taking care of yourself, but that was before my father was in love with you."
Marcella stumbled, but his arm held her up. "You think he loves me?"
"I know he does. On top of that, a group of dragons has accepted you. We are all overprotective, so you are just going to have to deal with it if you are going to be a part of this family."
"And you assume I am going to be? I don't even know if Cosimo and I are officially dating yet," Marcella said awkwardly.She fished the keys to her building out of her purse, but her hands were shaking so hard that Valentine took them from her.
"You are doing more than dating, but I will let him have that argument with you," he said, opening her door. He carried her bag upstairs and made sure she was inside her apartment before giving her back the keys. "Make sure you hydrate and try to eat something. It will help with the shaking."
"I will. I promise," she said.
Valentine was the last one of the Greatdrakes that she expected to be worried about her. She swallowed back the sudden emotion that was clogging her throat.
Valentine let go of her arm. "Also, if your magic starts to feel erratic, call Dad. Don't try to be tough about it. He's not going to like you being alone as it is."
"He's not the boss of me," she said with a smile and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for bringing me home."
"I know what it's like to need quiet time after big magic, and unfortunately, you won't get it at the villa, or I would never have let you leave. Make sure you check in tomorrow. Don't torture him," Valentine said before heading back down the stairs.
Marcella shut the door behind him and stumbled to her kitchen. She poured some wine and sipped it, trying to calm her scattered nerves. Her ears were ringing from the silence enveloping her, and she breathed it in. She still didn't want to put on her muffling bracelet, but she felt raw, and if her magic didn't settle soon, she would be forced to do it.
Marcella went to her altar and lit some candles and incense. The simple ritual calmed her enough to get a clean robe and go to her bathroom. It had been a long day, and moving through portals made her feel even more disoriented. She had walked through a forest and an ancient temple, surrounded by too much magic, and then used her necromancy in a way she never thought she would.
Marcella poured salts into her tub, filled it, and then lit more candles. It wasn't until she was settled in the hot water that her energy quietened and began to reset.
Her heart rate slowed, and she began to reflect on the last few days. She finally had the courage to stand up to Carlo and Renata, and she would never be bothered by them or theircongregaagain.
The painful abscess in her soul had finally been cut out. She had thought she was over that part of her life, but she was wrong. The poison was still there. Now that it was gone, she was unbalanced. At the same time, it was so good to finally be free of them. To shed that old life and version of herself and be something new.
She finally had a chance to understand her magic and to stop fearing it. Shame prickled at her for being scared of her own power for so long. Cosimo had helped her, just by being in her corner. It was all she had needed.
Marcella swiped fresh tears off her cheeks and finally started to unpack her feelings for Cosimo himself. They had grown so fast that she hadn't had a moment to stop and catch up with them. There was no question that she wanted him. Her body sang every time he looked at her. She had never fallen in love so quickly before, and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it.
His family's care was evident in all their teasing and bickering. Even Valentine wasn't half as serious as he pretended. He had made sure she got home safely. It was strange to go from having no one to having a family who worried about her.
Marcella's heart ached because she wanted that to be permanent, not just while they worked together to find the grimoires. She hadn't dared to wish for it, had thought she had moved past the desire to be surrounded by family again, and now, it was there waiting for her to be bold enough to take it.
