Page 91 of Kissing the Villain

He rolled his broad shoulders. “Easy to make. It’s just corn syrup, water, and food coloring.”

“Like in the movies.” My eyes widened. “But why would you do all of that?”

“To help you remember.”

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting our conversation.

Marcello grabbed a tray from Roman and set my breakfast on the bed. “Eat up, princess.”

He sat beside me, his dress shoe dangling off the side of the mattress. Mornings like this one were becoming normal for us. And I feared the day when I would lose him. It was inevitable. His job forced him to travel worldwide, often keeping him away from home for months.

Sometimes, I wondered if my life would have been different if he were the oldest Salvatore. Marcello cared about rules and structure. It would have happened if his father had commanded him to marry me. But Luca was a rebel. Even as a boy, his father couldn’t force his hand. He’d rather bleed at his father’s cruel hands than submit to his demands.

I buttered a slice of toast and added a spoonful of raspberry jam. “Why are you so nice to me? You should hate me after what I did to Luca.”

Marcello sighed as our eyes met. “I could never hate my queen.”

Parts of my memory were still fuzzy with The Devil’s Knights. They were the bankers for the criminal underworld, which gave them a tremendous amount of power. Because no one fucked with bankers. But why did I have to join them? Why would dangerous men like the Salvatores care about having a queen?

After I chewed the first slice of toast, I grabbed Marcello’s wrist, forcing him to look at me. “Why am I your queen?”

“Not my queen,” he corrected. “Ourqueen.”

I hated losing years worth of memories and stolen moments. And knowing I forgot shit made it worse. It made me feel like I was losing my mind. Maybe I should have let the doctors commit me until I sorted this shit out.

“Why me?” I bit into another piece of toast. “I’m nobody special.”

He shook his head, a smirk forming. “You’re important to us, Alex.”

“Tell me, Marcello.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “If I knew all this before Aiden’s disappearance, I can’t remember.”

“I shouldn’t be telling you this.” He bit his lip, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. “You need to remember on your own. The doctor said…”

I gave him my best pouty face. “Please. I’m sick of people treating me like a patient. Just tell me the truth.”

He studied my face, then groaned. “You’re the only legitimate female heir from a Founding Family.”

“Oh,” I stammered. “But that’s not possible.”

He didn’t mean the founders of Devil’s Creek. No, he was referring to the ones with absolute power. My ancestors. But was I the only one?

“Sonny has a younger sister,” I pointed out.

“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 I held my tongue. Marcello was growing on me, finally lowering his guard and 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 Founders Society was the secret society that governed The Devil’s Knights and similar organizations in the United States. 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.”

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