“Rhiannon is his half-sister. Sonny’s dad had an affair with one of his business partners’ wives.”
“But…” My words trailed off as I considered what this meant.
“It’s just you, Alex. Without you, my family’s legacy dies. We will lose a lot of our power. So will the Knights.”
I wanted to say that wasn’t my problem but held my tongue. Marcello was growing on me, and he was finally lowering his guard, telling me his secrets.
I dropped the half-eaten toast on the plate. “What does your family’s legacy have to do with mine?”
“After your mom backed out of the engagement to my father, The Founders Society approved my parents’ marriage.”
The secret society that governed the organizations in the United States. Even Luca and his Knights answered to someone. My grandfather was a top-ranking member, though I knew little about his role in the group.
“It wasn’t my dad’s fault your mom reneged on the deal,” Marcello continued. “She fucked with all of his plans. To maintain our standing, my parents promised they would have a son who would produce an heir from a Founding Family. They thought they could keep that promise until my dad discovered there were no female heirs who would be of marrying age by the time Luca was an adult.”
“That has nothing to do with me,” I shot back.
“It has everything to do with you. As punishment for marrying your dad, your grandfather cut your mom off. Took away her trust fund and banished her from Devil’s Creek.”
“I already know this.”
“Just listen.” He put a soothing hand on my knee. “When your mom came crawling back to my father, he offered her money, a way for her to maintain her lifestyle. She had to promise her first-born daughter would marry a Salvatore. And if she had a son, he would become a Knight. And she had both.”
My eyes widened at his confession. “Aiden hated Luca because he didn’t want to be a Knight. Why didn’t he tell me?”
“We don’t allow women into our inner circle. Just the queen. Until you take the oath, I can’t tell you much more.”
“It could have easily been you,” I commented. “Instead of Luca.”
“Yeah.” His eyes were downcast as he picked at the loose string hanging from the top sheet. “But it wasn’t. So Luca gets you.”
“What would have happened if my mom didn’t have kids?”
“She didn’t have a choice.”
“What if she couldn’t get pregnant?”
He shrugged. “Thankfully, that didn’t happen. If a Salvatore doesn’t have children with someone from a Founding Family…”
“Luca needs to have a son with me,” I muttered.
He nodded. “If Luca had died last year, our families would have forced you to marry me.”
“I don’t want this… I never wanted this life.” I shook my head, fighting the tears ready to spill from my eyes. “I’m not ready to be the Queen of The Devil’s Knights.”
“Alex,” he groaned, his grip tightening on my knee. “You don’t have a choice. We need you. Forget about your issues with Luca. The Knights need a queen.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes. Water crashed from a distance, carrying through the open French doors. My heart never raced when Marcello was at my side. I felt normal like he didn’t judge me. He didn’t make me feel like the crazy girl. Just let me work out my shit.
I tried to digest the information, my brain overloaded. This felt like the tip of the iceberg. What would I learn after I swore the oath? Would I even want to become one of them? I was lucky if I made it through the day without something triggering a flashback. In my condition, I could not be a queen.
“You were a dick when I first got here. What’s changed?”
His fingers slipped through my untamed curls. “When I saw you were crying in your sleep, I realized we were to blame. Luca pushed you to that point. We couldn’t put it all on you.”
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but a noise penetrated the air. It sounded like an engine backfiring. Marcello shot off the bed, grabbing both of his guns from the nightstand, and shoved them into the holster strapped to his chest.
I crawled to the edge of the bed. “What’s going on, Marcello?”
His cell phone rang as another noise boomed from a distance.
“Was that a gunshot?”
He raised the phone to his ear, muttering a few words in Italian. Then he hung up, his focus shifting to me. “Stay here.”
As he crossed the room, I slid off the bed and followed him.
“What’s going on?”
Marcello grabbed my shoulder, and shadows danced across his dark blue irises. “Stay in this room, Alex. You’re not to answer the door or leave for any reason.”
“What the hell was that noise?”
“We’re under attack,” he said in a calm but deep voice. “Listen to me. Please. This is for your safety. Stay here until I get back.”