The Devil I Crave (Devil's Knights 2)

Luca.

He continued kissing my neck, eventually making his way to my earlobe. His breath ghosted my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. “Let them worship their queen.”

I turned my head and looked up at my handsome Devil. “Is that what you want?”

His hand traveled up my arm, searing every inch of my skin. I stared into his cold, blue irises that were so terrifying yet beautiful I couldn’t pull away from him.

He cupped my chin with his strong hand. “I want whatever makes my queen happy. And the Knights, they want you. They’ve waited a long time for their queen. We must complete Legare before it’s too late.”

“But you said…” I licked my chapped lips. “I thought I have to marry you first.”

He shook his head. “I only need the promise of marriage.”

His hand snaked down my stomach, and I shivered from his touch. My nipples hardened. It was freezing in the Knights’ Temple with the chill rolling through the stone walls. We were so far underground I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten here, but I knew we were somewhere in Devil’s Creek.

My eyes swept over the room, lit by dozens of candles. The walls had symbols carved into them, two throne-like chairs set atop a dais at the room's front. There was an altar with a long black rug rolled in front of it. A gold symbol on the fabric looked like a shield with two knights’ helmets on each side with swords crisscrossed beneath the shield. From this vantage point, it was hard to make out the details.

“You have to want this.” Luca held my chin and whispered in my ear, “So what do you want, Drea? Will you join us? Will you become our queen?”

Before I could answer, my eyes snapped open. My eyelids were heavy and hurt like someone had glued them shut and then pried them open. I rolled over onto a soft surface, and curled my arms around a pillow, stretched my legs across a bed.

For a moment, I’d forgotten about everything.

My missing brother.

My forced captivity.

The attack at the Salvatore Estate.

The sound of the monitors.

Marcello’s heart stopped beating.

Tears coated my bottom lids, and as I hugged the pillow, my chest heaved from crying so hard.

“She’s awake,” a male voice boomed.

Someone appeared at my bedside. Without opening my eyes, I could sense his presence before he ran his fingers down my arm.

“I’m here, baby,” Luca whispered.

I opened my eyes, forced to blink away the hazy image of my Devil. My head pounded so hard I winced. After I blinked a few more times, Luca came into focus. He blew out a relieved breath.

Luca hovered over me, blood staining his suit jacket, his dark hair a mess from tugging at the ends. I hadn’t seen him look this bad in a long time. He was usually so perfect and manicured, nothing out of place in his carefully constructed world.

“He’s dead,” I whispered. “Isn’t he?”

Luca took my hand, his fingers soft and warm against mine. “No, baby. He pulled through. Your grandfather saved Marcello.”

I released a deep breath and rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. My heart raced, and I had the sudden desire to climb out of bed. But when I tried, Luca held me down.

“You need to rest.”

“No.” I shoved his hand away. “I want to see Marcello.”

“He’s out cold, Drea.” His knuckles brushed my cheek. “Just lay back and let me take care of you.”

“I’m fine.” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up. “Let me see him.”

Luca stepped to the side, and Marcello’s bed came into focus. He was in the hospital bed beside mine with his eyes closed. I could see his chest rise and fall, and I let out a sigh.

He survived.

I slid my legs off the side of the bed and staggered to the right, which forced Luca to grab my bicep to hold me up.

“Drea, you’ve been out cold for close to twenty-four hours,” Luca said with a warning in his tone. “The drugs are still in your system. You need your rest.”

I clutched his shoulder, fighting the dizziness sweeping over me. “What the hell did you give me? I feel like shit.”

He shrugged. “A cocktail your doctor gave me.”

I pushed my hand to his chest, and my head lowered as I attempted to regain my balance. “Dr. Porter gave it to you?”

“Yeah, baby.” He hooked his arm around me, pinning me to his chest. “So you need to take it easy until the drugs wear off. It was a heavy dose.”

My mouth hung open in shock. “Why would you drug me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to see what was happening to Marcello.”

“He’s alive,” I breathed, saying the words to comfort myself.

“Yes.” He stroked my arm with his fingers. “And he’ll stay that way if you let him sleep.”