Page 287 of Kissing the Villain

I stared at Luca with my heart hammering out of my chest. His eyes were so blue and intense, but dark clouds swam through them. He looked like he wanted to fuck me, then kill me.

Luca stripped away my gown. The fabric gathered around my feet, and I kicked it aside. Even though I couldn’t see their faces, I could feel the Knights admiring me.

Luca turned to face his subjects. “Knights, I present to you, Alexandrea Wellington, your one true Queen. From now on, do you swear an oath to protect your queen, no matter the cost?”

“We swear an oath to you, Alexandrea Wellington, our one true queen,” the Knights said in unison.

Luca turned to me, “And do you, Alexandrea, promise to follow the laws that govern The Devil’s Knights?”

“Yes,” I muttered.

“As our Queen, will you aid The Devil’s Knights in carrying out the laws outlined in the Charter?”

I lowered my head to him. “Yes.”

Luca moved toward a table at the center of the room and lifted a knife. He sliced his finger and let his blood drip into the basin. I moved to his side and grabbed the knife, repeating the process.

I passed the blade to the Knight closest to me. The robe covered his face, but I could tell by his scent that it was Marcello. He always smelled like the sea and fresh linen. Clean, perfect, nothing ever out of place.

The Knights passed around the knife.

“What binds us will destroy us,” Luca said.

The Knights chanted his words.

He looked at me to finish the ritual.

“What binds us will destroy us.”

“And what will destroy us unites us,” Luca said with his eyes on me.

This time, I said the words in unison with the Knights.

105

ALEX

After we boundourselves by blood, my Knights circled me and then dropped to their knees. I stepped forward, and they lowered their hood-covered heads.

Luca moved behind me and gathered my curls in his hands, dipping his head down to kiss my neck. “What do you want, my queen?”

“You,” I whispered.

Luca’s fingers trailed down my hot skin, his sinful touch leaving fire in his wake. I leaned back against his chest, reveling in the pleasure of his lips on my neck, his tongue gliding across my skin. The Knights waited patiently before their King and Queen.

“Do you want to claim your Knights?” Luca asked between kisses, his fingers branding my flesh.

I looked up at my handsome Devil. “Yes.”

Luca clutched my chin and tilted my head until our eyes met. “Choose your Knights.”

I thought about Luca’s uncle, who was cast out of the Knights by Evangeline Franco. My eyes swept over the room, and my heart swelled with joy. I had no intention of letting any of themgo. These men had risked their lives for me. I finally had a family with Luca and the Knights, which I had wanted my entire life.

Luca’s long fingers brushed my right arm, and my skin pebbled with tiny bumps from his delicate touch. He continued his slow perusal of my body, his hands moving to my breasts. I moaned as his thumbs rolled over my nipples.

I let him touch me for a few seconds longer and then shoved Marcello’s hood off his head. He tilted his head back so I could stare into his sad, blue irises. My chest ached as I stood before him. We had spoken little since my kidnapping, mostly because Luca had taken up so much of my time.

With one look, my sexy prince made my heart leap out of my chest. I loved him, just not in the same way as his older brother. Tonight was about bonding with the Knights, but with Marcello and me, this was goodbye.

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