Page 126 of Kissing the Villain

I waved to no one in particular and said hello to the group. Some men spoke, while others tipped their heads in greeting. Sonny fired off one of his boyish smiles.

“Over here, princess.” Pops flagged me down, a big smile on his face. “Come sit beside me.”

I wheeled Marcello next to Sonny’s couch.

Sonny shook his head, laughing. “Look at Cello milking our queen’s precious time for all it’s worth.”

“Shut up,” Marcello growled. “I’m only in this chair because Alex insisted.”

Finn Cormac, the second oldest of the Cormac boys, chuckled.

Marcello attempted to get out of his chair.

I stood over him. “Sit down. You don’t have to prove anything to them. You barely survived.”

“She’s right,” Sonny said. “I’m just fucking with you. For real, we need you up and running soon. So get better.”

Sonny tapped his best friend on the shoulder, and Marcello smiled, a real one for once.

“With Alex as my nurse,” Marcello said to rub it in, “I never want to heal.”

“Ooh,” Sonny said with his eyes on me. “You giving out sponge baths? Because I’d get injured to have your fine ass soap me up.”

“Sonny,” my grandfather warned.

Sonny cleared his throat. “Sorry, Mr. Wellington.”

I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt, then dipped down to whisper in Marcello’s ear. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe if you’re a good boy…”

I rushed over to Pops, throwing myself into his arms.

He patted my knee with a reassuring smile. “How are you holding up, princess?”

I released a sigh. “Okay, I guess. I’ve done everything you said for Marcello. His wound is looking better.”

“That’s good.”

My eyes swept over the room. “What’s going on?”

“You know about The Devil’s Knights,” Pops said. “But I haven’t told you much about them since your breakdown.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s a secret society.”

“It’s more than a secret society,” he said. “The Knights are a brotherhood. There’s a hierarchy in our world. We start as Knights before we can ascend to The Founders Society. You will become the Queen of the Devil’s Knights.”

“What if I don’t want that?”

He bit the inside of his cheek. “Alex, we’re not like other people. We have legacies to maintain. Each of us carries the responsibilities of our families.” He tucked a loose curl behind my ear and grinned. “And you, my beautiful girl, will carry on my legacy.”

My stomach twisted into knots. Was he giving up on Aiden? He would have carried on the family name, not me.

“Which means you need to marry a Salvatore.”

“I don’t want to get married,” I said, resolute about my decision.

“Alex, please.” Pops’s tone hardened. “This isn’t about you and Luca. The Knights need a queen. They haven’t had one since Eva’s death almost twenty years ago.”

I thought of Evangeline Franco, my idol, and my insides set on fire.

---