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.
Alex
After we bound ourselves by blood, my Knights circled me, 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 them go. The men before me had risked their lives for me. With Luca and the Knights, I finally had a family, something 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 before I shoved Marcello’s hood off his head. He tilted his head back so that 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.
Marcello’s eyes raked over every inch of my naked body. I held out my hands, and he slipped his fingers between mine. His skin was warm and rough, and I knew I would never forget what I had with him. Marcello was special to me, the one Knight who had carved a place in my heart.
“I choose you, Marcello Salvatore. Do you swear to protect your queen, now and forever?”
Marcello nodded. “I do.”
I moved his big hand to my inner thigh, and he looked up at me for instructions. It was such a strange ritual. Alpha men like Marcello and the Knights didn’t take orders from anyone, and yet in this temple, they listened to me.
A thrill rushed down my arms as I guided his hand up my thigh. Marcello licked his lips, staring at me with desire in his eyes. Luca dug his fingers into my hips and pressed his chest to my back. He resumed his gentle kisses along my neck and jaw, his hand sliding down my stomach.
Marcello knew what I wanted and took charge, gripping my thighs with both hands as he licked my clit. A flush of heat rushed through my body. My eyes snapped shut, and I moaned as Marcello’s tongue slipped between my folds.
“Before we get carried away,” Luca said against the shell of my ear, “you need to choose the next Knight.”
“I choose all of them,” I choked out.
“Then make it official, my queen.”
I shoved my hands through Marcello’s messy black hair and screamed his name as I hit the peak of my climax. After I came down from my high, I released my hold on his hair. He sat back on the stone floor and peeked up at me with a satisfied smile.
I bent down, unsure if this would break the rules, and pressed my lips to his. If I was going to claim the Knights, I wanted to make this one night none of us would ever forget. Marcello pulled me onto his lap, his tongue sweeping into my mouth with fury. He cradled the back of my head, deepening the kiss.
“Choose the next Knight,” Luca said with authority, annoyed by how much time I’d devoted to Marcello.
I pulled my lips from Marcello’s, out of breath as our eyes met. He helped me up from the floor, and Luca grabbed me, holding me against his chest. He had no reason to be possessive of me, not after I’d accepted his engagement and was one week from our wedding.
“I choose you, Shane Cormac,” I said as I stepped in front of Sonny, pushing the hood from his head. “Do you swear to protect your queen, now and forever?”