I shot up from the ground, my blood pumping so fast my head spun, the room whipping around me. I lost my footing and fell sideways, cursed at these assholes. Someone grabbed me from behind to steady me. I glanced at the five hooded men. There was a gold shield with two knight’s helmets on each side and two swords beneath the shield over the left breast.
That’s when it hit me. I was with The Devil’s Knights. This was their Billionaire Bat Cave.
But why would they bring me here?
I shoved my palms into Luca’s chest, and he stood there, allowing me to pound my fists. But not for long. He wrapped his long fingers around my wrists and squeezed.
“What do you want from me?”
The room was so quiet I could hear myself breathing.
“Why am I here?” I said with venom in my tone.
No answer.
He turned on his heels, and the men parted for him. Luca sat on his throne, the hood still in place. I moved toward the dais. The Knights moved forward as if they were going to stop me. But when Luca waved his hand, they let me approach.
“What the fuck is your deal?” I yelled at Luca.
More silence.
Fueled by my rage, I shouted, “Explain to me why you brought me here in the middle of the night.” I smacked his chest. “Say something, you sick motherfucker. Do you want to play games? Bring it, bitch. Because I’m so fucking ready to play.”
Luca leaned forward, his elbows rested on his thighs, the hood still covering his face. “You know why you’re here.”
“No, I don’t.”
I scanned the room, wondering what they did with the altar. These sick assholes probably performed satanic rituals and made offerings to their gilded gods. Luca glared at me, studying me with curiosity. Though, he should have been more concerned that I would claw his eyeballs out with my fingers and feed them to him. I was sick of him and his stupid mindfuckery.
“Look, Luca, I’m tired. And I’m not in the mood to play beer pong with your frat bros. So we can keep doing this dance, or you can let me go.”
One man snickered. Maybe he wanted to play beer pong with me. I almost laughed at the ridiculous thought.
What the hell did they do down here?
Jerk each other off.
Fuck women.
Worship the Devil.
Who knew?
I wasn’t sticking around to find out.
Luca’s jaw ticked. Disrespecting him in front of his friends made him angry, but I didn’t care.
“You want answers we can’t give you,” Luca said after a long pause. “Not without swearing an oath. I tried to tell you this before, but you never listen.”
I moved in front of him and shoved the hood off his head. “What are you talking about?”
Luca’s intense blue irises met mine, and a shiver rolled down my spine. My dark prince was terrifying on a typical day, but tonight, he looked possessed.
“It’s time you accept your place with The Devil’s Knights.”
“I never agreed to join your secret society, Luca.”
A haunting smirk stretched the corner of his mouth. “You never had a choice, baby girl.”
“Because you never gave me one.”
He pointed his finger at the back of the room. “Go! If you want to leave, none of us will stop you. But you will never get the answers you seek. You will always be an outsider.”
Without a second glance, I spun around and hopped off the dais. Marcello blocked me, his chest inches from my face. His head was down, eyes on me beneath the black hood, but I knew his scent. Why did they even bother with this arcane bullshit? It was fucking stupid.
I stepped around Marcello, and this time, he didn’t stop me. Before I left the room, I stopped in front of the door and glanced over my shoulder. All eyes were on me, but only Luca’s face was visible. By process of elimination, I assumed Bastian, Damian, Sonny, Drake, and Cole were the other hooded men.
I took one last look. Luca was so damn beautiful my heart ached when our eyes met. His upper lip twitched as if he were about to explode at any second. The rage was always present, brewing at the surface. He did his best to contain it, but I knew him well.
Without a second thought, I took off, running from the room so fast my bare feet hurt as they scraped against the rough stone. At the end of the dark hallway, I stopped in front of the wall, feeling as if they were closing in on me. Hand over my heart, I blew out a deep breath and tried to control my rapid pulse.
Why would they bring me down here?
What the fuck were they thinking?
I had to get out of there.
Away from these psychos.
Taking one turn after another, I walked in circles, my head spinning with each turn. Where was the exit? They opened the secret door by removing a brick from the wall. But which one? They all looked the same. I spun in circles, trying to retrace my steps. Panic bubbled up inside my chest, the dark walls suffocating me.