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“I don’t think I can handle five o’clock wake-up calls every morning.”
“Spend enough time around me, and you’ll get used to a little discipline.” A sly smile touched his lips as he winked. “You could use some.”
“Is that so? You think you know what’s best for me?”
He nodded, then led me out of my bedroom. We hurried down the back stairwell, moving through the house until we ended up in the kitchen. Marcello stopped at the refrigerator and fisted two bottles of Smart Water, handing one to me.
He tipped his head toward the back of the house. “Let’s go. We have to make it to the other side before the sun rises.”
“The sun doesn’t rise for another hour or two.”
Ignoring my comment, he turned his back on me and walked out of the kitchen. I followed him through the patio doors and onto the veranda that had an incredible view of the bay.
“I’m going to show you something only the Salvatores know about,” he said as he veered toward the center of the property.
“So it’s a secret?”
Finally.
“Yes. And don’t think about trying this on your own. It’s dangerous.”
Marcello steered me past the helipad and the Olympic size pool, yanking my hand as we passed the staff living quarters. Their backyard—if you could call it that—was half the size of a city block. Men with guns lined the permitter, making it clear I would never leave here on my own. I was a prisoner in this castle for the foreseeable future.
We stopped in front of what looked like a shed. My eyebrows knitted together as he lifted a panel on the wall, revealing a digital scanner.
“So you guys really are like The Sopranos,” I joked. “Are you hiding your illegal money in the backyard like Tony?”
Shaking his head, he held his right palm against the scanner that flashed green as it confirmed his identity. Marcello opened the door for me, sealing it behind us. Inside, it didn’t look like much: steel walls, most likely bulletproof, and a bunch of screens on the walls. A long desk occupied one side of the room and had at least a dozen more monitors. I moved toward them, staring in disbelief at the live video footage.
“What is this place?” I asked, bewildered.
“It’s where I work when I’m home.”
I swallowed hard. “Do you watch me from here?”
He shrugged, unaffected by my question.
There was footage of all the founders’ mansions, including Wellington Manor. My mouth lowered in shock at the sight of at least twenty feeds, some of which were of my house back in Haven. A chill rolled down my spine like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on my head.
I blew out a deep breath and looked up at Marcello. “How long have you been watching me?”
“A long time,” he confessed.
“Why?”
I was afraid of the answer.
“Because we have a lot of enemies,” he admitted. “Some of them you have met over the years without even realizing it. You don’t want to know how many times we’ve come close to losing you.”
My hands trembled as fear tore through my limbs, shaking through me. “Why would anyone want to hurt me?”
“Because the future Queen of The Devil’s Knights holds a lot of power in our world. Men who are not used to taking orders from women will answer to you. They will fight for you, die for you, be whatever you need. We are all at your beck and call. It is our duty to serve you.”
Drake’s words from the party raced through my mind. He seemed so devoted to me when I knew very little about him. I didn’t understand how I had earned such loyalty or why he gave a damn about me.
“Before I lost my memories, had I accepted my fate as your queen?”
He nodded. “We need you back, Alex. Our lives are in danger. There are certain rules, a code every Knight must follow. Even in times of war, we can’t break the rules, which is why we need you to marry Luca. Every king needs a queen. He can’t become the Grand Master without you. It’s our most sacred law.”
“Who holds that position now?”
“My dad.”
“Why does it matter if Luca becomes the Grand Master?”
“There’s so much you don’t remember,” he said with a sigh. “Some things I can’t tell you. Not until you become one of us.”
“All of this…” My voice trailed off as I glanced around the room at the secrets they were hiding from me. “It’s a lot to take in right now.”
“You have time,” he assured me. “And we need to get moving before the sun rises.”
Marcello moved to the center of the room and dropped to his knees in front of a steel door built into the cement. He turned the wheel on top of the door, spinning it with a groan.
