Marcella was dressed in black boots, jeans, and a turtleneck. Her hair was pinned up out of the way, and she was still distractingly beautiful.
My mate,his dragon growled happily. It hadn't forgotten that as soon as they found the grimoires, Cosimo had promised to tell Marcella exactly what she meant to him. It wanted to claim her and to tie her to them forever.
"Are you ready,amore mio?" Cosimo asked her.
Marcella's eyes were determined, but he could smell the nerves in her scent. "I need to know either way. It will eliminate one more place we need to look."
"Exactly. Something off the list," Bridget said with a firm nod. She shared a look with Cosimo behind Marcella's back. They both knew that she was trying her best not to get her hopes up.
"The guards are about to change shift, so get ready," Valentine interrupted.
Cosimo turned to Marcella and wrapped a glamor over her the way Valentine had taught him. It was the same one he had been using to jump scare Cosimo and his brothers in the mansion. Bas put the same glamor on Bridget. Invisible to everyone except each other, they followed Valentine and Yelena to where two guards stood in front of iron gates leading into a small green space at the back of the church.
Yelena smiled at them and asked if they had a lighter. They obliged her, distracted by her pretty face and laughter, while Valentine's magic spun black and scarlet threads around them.
"This isn't going to hurt them, is it?" Marcella whispered to Cosimo.
"No. Valentine is just going to implant some memories and take a few away. It's easier to do with only two people, which is why we are invisible," he replied, trying to explain the magic as quietly as he could.
The guard's eyes had gone dazed as they opened the back door for them. They followed Valentine and Yelena before the guards closed it behind them.
When they were inside, Cosimo touched the small bud in his ear. "Okay, Layla, we are in. Switch the CCTV feeds."
"Onto it, Cosimo," came the reply. Layla had been more than happy to act as their tech support, but only after they promised Arne it was only for the night. "You should be good in three, two….one. Watch for the interior guards. There are three patrolling the Cloister of the Frogs. Such a cool name by the way."
"Thanks, Layla. We will check back in before we go into the tunnels," Cosimo replied and tapped the earpiece.
Bridget turned on the small camera attached to her backpack's strap and gave it a thumbs-up to Layla on the other side.
Marcella's hand tightened in Cosimo's as they moved silently out into the small cloister. It was a pretty little garden with a fountain in the middle that had four bronze frogs, giving the cloister its name.
The guards were on the opposite side of them, chatting to each other about the recent football game. The pillars and greenery weren't enough to keep them hidden, so Cosimo was once again grateful that Valentine had taken such a liking to glamor magic.
"Marcella, you're up," Valentine whispered.
Marcella nodded. "Follow me. The door that leads into the sacristy is this way."
Going slow so their footsteps wouldn't be heard, they edged their way along the walls. It would have been quicker to cross straight through, but the rustling of the gravel path would have given them away.
Marcella stopped in front of a sturdy wooden door and tried the handle. One of the guards looked up at the rattle of the lock, and they all froze. The guard turned back to his companions a moment later.
"Allow me," Cosimo whispered, moving Marcella aside and taking the thin metal picks from his pocket.
"Man of many talents, aren't you? Did you use to be a thief or something?" she teased.
"What do you mean by 'used to'?" Cosimo slid the picks in the lock. "I stole your heart, haven't I?"
"Oh my god, Dad, can you flirt later?" Bas hissed.
Marcella's lips pressed together in an effort not to laugh.
The lock gave, and Cosimo gestured at Valentine. He made a small gesture, and car alarms started to go off on the Via Carodosso. Grumbling, the guards went to see what the fuss was about.
Cosimo opened the door for Marcella, "Ladies first."
The sacristy was long and rectangular with a semi-circle apse down the far end. The roof above them was a vivid starry sky, with paintings of the Madonna and other figures on the walls. The room was lined on either side with two-tiered wooden cabinets that had been created by Vincenzo Spanzotti for Ludovico Sforza.
Marcella pointed at the pictures of Ludovico il Moro and his son Massimiliano on the interior faces of the apse pillars. "The Moor himself."
