Medici the Magnificent meets Hogwarts. Maria Fiore, adopted friend and sister of the Medicis, must overcome her draw to the enigmatic Francesco Pazzi. Or give in.
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He pulled me into the stairwell with him before I finished my surprised exhale.
I was sure he was about to kiss me again and tell me how much he missed me, but instead he pounded the wall with a fist beside my head. I jolted, my eyes going wide, and gawked at him.
"Please," he growled. "Please tell me you're not involved in this illicit club business."
After stammering for a moment, I forced out weakly, "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Maria," he snapped. "Umbridge is furious about this. She isn't someone you want to cross. You should know better. She can do much worse than that." With his eyes, he motioned to my scarred hand.
I self consciously covered my hand by tucking it behind my back. "It's not like she left us any choice," I whined. "We're all scared about what's going on and just want to be prepared—"
His fist smacked against the wall again. "You don't understand anything! There is so much more going on that you don't know." His tone darkened, sending shivers down my arms.
While his actions frightened me, my body's reaction was to grow equally angry. My voice rose in pitch as I got in his face to ask, "Is it because I'm a mudblood? I couldn't possibly understand Ministry business, right?"
He blinked as his anger abated. "Of— Of course not."
"It at least bothers you, doesn't it?"
The more bewildered and calm he became, the higher my temper spiked.
His teeth ground together as he eyed me. Footsteps sounded in the hall. We were sure to lose our privacy any second.
"I have to go—" I started to mutter, but he grabbed my wrist in a vise grip, then pulled me behind him as he raced up the steps.
Francesco didn't slow down or explain until we reached the top of the tower. Without warning, he pushed me into a little alcove behind a statue. He pinned my wrists to the wall, then brought his lips crashing down on top of mine.
My eyes remained wide, but only for the first second.
In the next second, as he parted my lips with his, my eyes fluttered closed.
My last question was clearly answered by his scorching kiss. Blood status didn't matter at all to him.
I struggled against his restraining hands, not to push him away, but so that I could wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back. His hands dipped down to snake around my waist and hold my neck while I buried my fingers in the curls of his hair.
The minutes that ensued became a tiny eternity I wished to remember as clearly as possible. I tried to memorize the taste of him, the feel of his gentle but pressing lips, the heat of his hands through my jumper. Unfortunately, it took all my willpower just to remember my own name as he kissed me with such fervor I thought I might dissolve into a puddle the moment he let go of me.
He pulled away slightly, our foreheads still together and his loose curls tickling my nose. "Does that—" he panted, "—answer your question?"
I was completely breathless, so I could only whisper hoarsely in response, "Yes."
His hands gripped a little tighter as he continued to hold me close. "Blood status never mattered when it came to you," he said in a gravelly voice that made my stomach flutter. "You're the cleverest witch I've ever known. You proved that to me last year in the Tournament."
I pursed my lips, feeling a little uncomfortable with his praises. "That was all luck or fate last year. I'm not that clever. You let me win it in the end, remember?"
"I disagree," he rumbled with words like soothing thunder. "I know you're brilliant, so I know you'll do the smart thing and heed my warning about Umbridge."
I couldn't meet his eyes. I didn't know how to tell him I couldn't stop the DA or that I didn't want it to stop. However, I knew that if I looked up into his golden-brown eyes that I would lose all resolve and agree to anything he said. Another kiss from him would have wiped away any fear, uncertainty, or willpower I had left.
Before I got the chance to make any promises I couldn't keep, a scuffle from the stairwell caught our attention.
"I have to go," he intoned. Much too soon, his warm hands dropped away from my waist. An uncomfortable chill settled in his wake.
Francesco left me to catch my breath in the tower and didn't say another word as he glided down the stairs. His sudden departure was infuriating.
I wandered back to my common room since the DA meeting would long be over with. I would warn everyone first thing in the morning. For now, though, I intended to lie down until my head stopped spinning and my heart stopped fluttering after such an unexpectedly heated kiss.
