Page 158 of Lourdes & the Mafia
They will kill to protect who and what they love. They heal, torture, and murder in equal measure.
And I love them.
I wouldn’t change them for the world.
“No,” I answer honestly. “I’m not mad. I mean, you’re the kings of the Underworld. I expect heads to roll often in the future.”
Lorenzo cackles.
Ramiel chuckles.
Kane presses his hand against my naked hip. “And you are our queen,” he whispers reverently.
The words warm me. “I am.” I smile. “And I have to go thank my subjects.”
I emerge from smoke and shadows in a dress of white and a crown made of jewels. Lorenzo appears from the thicket at my side, fixing the cuff links at his wrists while he smiles maliciously at the gathered demons. Kane is on my other side, his hands deep in his pants pockets, glaring as he tends to do. Behind me stands Ramiel, his true form on display, his wings spanning out across the hellfire of the Underworld air.
If there’s one thing we know how to do, it’s make a motherfucking entrance.
The demons stare at me with wide-eyed shock over their funny little features. There’s a long stretch of silence that only breaks when Ramiel’s wings give a furious flap behind him.
“Your queen,” he announces, loud enough for it to echo across the entire Underworld, “lives.”
Cheers and echoes erupt to a deafening roar. The demons jump up, those with wings flying through the air. They celebrate, and I’m touched at the loyalty I’ve gained from them in such a short time. Through the melee of celebrating bodies, a demon pushes forward, stalking like a great panther until she’s in front of me.
“Ralgoron,” I greet, tilting my head.
“I thought you had died,” she snarls.
“I did.” Technically. But neither she nor the other demons need to know the details. That’s between my men and me.
“I thought you haddied!” Ralgoron flashes her teeth, her wings snapping in an agitated gesture.
But she doesn’t frighten me anymore. In fact, I see right through her ruse. She frightened me at first, but I can’t help but feel like she’s showing me she cares in the only way the demon knows how. I smile and yank her forward by the shoulders and wrap her in a hug.
“Thanks for caring, Ralgoron,” I whisper in her ear.
She pulls back and if her skin wasn’t such a dark gray, I’m sure she’d be blushing. Instead, she just huffs and flies away, leaving a gust of ashy wind behind her.
I smirk, leaning back into Ramiel’s chest. He wraps his arms around me, pressing a kiss to my temple.
“That went well, didn’t it?” I ask.
“Very well,” he agrees. “Though she is still going to be punished for helping you escape through the portal.”
I tap his hand. “Be nice.”
He growls low, grinding his hips into my backside so I feel the hard press of his cock through his pants. “Now, whatever in the world gave you the illusion that I’m nice, vidente?”
Desire pools low in my belly, and I can’t help the groan that escapes.
“What do you think about leaving the demons to celebrate for a while?” he whispers along the shell of my ear. “The four of us can go up to my tower.”
“Excellent idea,” Lorenzo chimes in. “I ordered cherry-scented lube just for the occasion.”
“And my shadows are dying to punish our queen’s ass for what she put us through.” Kane’s shadows reach out, sending goosebumps along my skin.
I swallow the sudden rising nerves and anticipation.
