Page 25 of Kissing the Villain

A second set of footsteps entered the room, slowly approaching my bed.

“Give her more,” Pops said in an authoritative tone. “Alexandrea needs her rest.”

“Yes, Dr. Wellington,” a woman said.

She shuffled around in the drawer beside me. Seconds later, a sense of calm washed over me, drowning out the rapid beating of my heart.

Once again, I was falling.

“Go to sleep, my dear,” Pops said, stroking my hand.

A moment later, everything went black.

11

LUCA

I knewAiden Wellington would fail. I designed the tests so he would crawl back to me on his knees, begging for a second chance. Although, I hadn’t foreseen the outcome.

He wasn’t supposed to die.

Standing beside Aiden’s hospital bed, I stared at him with the same hatred he showed me. He had wires connected to his arms, machines beeping with his heart rate and pulse. By some miracle, he survived the fall. Even the doctors couldn’t explain how he managed such a feat.

“You’re in luck.” I sat in the chair beside him and leaned closer. “This is your second chance at life.”

His expression twisted into a mixture of pain and disgust. “What do you want, Salvatore?”

His voice was rough from having tubes shoved down his throat for the past two weeks. Every word he uttered looked painful, and he clutched his side, wincing.

“You can start with thank you,” I snapped.

Aiden rolled his eyes and bit out a laugh. “Not a chance.”

Gripping the side of his hospital bed, I gave him a menacing look. “You should be dead. But since I’m a merciful man, you have a choice to make.”

“Merciful?” Aiden snorted. “That’s not a word in your vocabulary.”

“You know what you must do… if you survive this time.”

His bloodshot blue eyes met mine. “Where’s my sister?”

“Your grandfather had her committed. Don’t worry about Alex. She will be fine.”

Aiden let out a sigh of relief. “When can I see her?”

“I need to hear you say it.”

“I’ll do it,” Aiden choked out. “I have to. For her.”

For his sister.

He would have done anything for his twin. His obsession with The Serpents had nothing to do with joining their group.

“You can see her in nine months,” I told him, rising from the chair. “Maybe a year. How long depends on your participation. I’ll come to collect when you’re back on your feet.”

He nodded, his eyes downcast.

And just like that, Aiden sold his soul to the devil.

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