Page 76 of Vicious Queen (Princes of Devil's Creek 2)

The world stopped at the sound of his voice. Chairs scraped across the tiled floor, and the Knights stepped forward in unison. They stood in a straight line several feet from Marcello’s bed. That was how we moved, how we operated. We were a team, a unit, and nothing could break our bond.

When I was younger, I didn’t want to be friends with them. Even when my mother had insisted, I wasn’t fond of the idea of friendship. I didn’t like needing people. My father had instilled the importance of trusting myself, relying on myself. And so I’d distanced myself from everyone but my family.

After my initiation into The Devil’s Knights, I realized I needed them as much as they needed me. The shit we had endured together bonded us in ways that surpassed the bonds of friendship. We were closer than blood, like brothers in every way. Sure, we still had our disagreements, but we would kill for each other, die for each other.

And we all agreed on one thing.

We had to protect our queen at all costs.

My father blew past them and stood beside Marcello’s bed with his hands shoved into his pockets. His usual vacant stare scrolled across his tired face, though I could tell he was pleased. My father rarely showed emotion. By observing him, I’d learned how to conceal my own. So did my brothers.

Carl Wellington snapped his fingers to gain the nurse’s attention and then moved toward the side of the bed with the monitors.

“Alex,” Marcello whispered, his eyes still closed. His voice was raw and even scratchier when he repeated her name.

After the nurses checked his vitals, Carl waved Alex forward. She leaned over the side of Marcello’s bed and held his hand on top of the mattress. My brother stared up at her like she ruled his world—because she did. She was the center of our universe, the cure for our family’s curse.

“I thought I lost you.” Alex rubbed her thumb over his cheek, a big smile on her beautiful face. “You scared me to death.” She blew out a deep breath. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got shot.”

He attempted a smile, but he looked like he was in a shit ton of pain. Marcello winced, then turned his head away from Alex. My brother didn’t want us to see him as weak. Alex thought of him as indestructible, her hero.

She sat on the bed beside him and smiled, leaning over to whisper something in his ear. My brother attempted to smile and grimaced in pain.

My dad moved to my side, his jacket sleeve brushing my arm. “What’s going on with Marcello and Alexandrea?”

“Nothing,” I lied.

He shook his head in disapproval. “You’re losing your grip on her. Need I remind you of the importance of this union?”

“No. She’s mine.”

“She has feelings for Marcello,” my dad insisted.

It was a statement, not a question.

Anyone could see how much she cared about him. Marcello had always admired his queen and would have treated her better than me, shown her real love. I’d shielded him from the brunt of my father’s rage, and because of that, he wasn’t as cold and cruel. His heart wasn’t black and tainted like mine.

“Alex won’t choose Marcello over me,” I said to assure him, though my voice lacked confidence.

Would she?

“She can only marry one of you. So you better get your head back in the game.”

“Alex is marrying me,” I fired back.

I would kill Marcello before I let him walk down the aisle with my girl. Maybe I didn’t deserve her. I’d fucked up more times than I could count, but no one would ever take care of her like me. No one could fulfill her desires or satisfy the darkness in her soul the way I did. She would always come back to me, no matter what.

I was sure of it.

My dad shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes on Alex as she kissed Marcello’s forehead. “I don’t care which one of you she marries as long as she produces an heir. If we don’t fulfill the terms of The Founders Society deal, we’re in trouble.”

“Dad,” I groaned. “I got this. Trust me.”

“You could have locked down this arrangement years ago.” Disappointment scrolled across his face as he lowered his voice. “Marcello would have married her already. We are in an impossible situation because of your inability to put the past behind you.”

“I will ask her again.” I lowered my voice and leaned into his side. “We had a rocky start. It took Alex a while to readjust to Devil’s Creek.”

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