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Selene presses her lips together as if she’s making sure her lip color is still even. “How much do you know about the oath?”
I frown. “Stupidly little considering I’m the person it affects the most.”
Her lips twitch. “Fair enough. Allow me to enlighten you.” She moves her hair over her shoulder, fixing her gaze on me. “Your ancestor, whoever it was—”
“My great-great-grandfather,” I cut in.
She blinks at me, then continues as if I didn’t speak. “He was trying to make a name for himself, to provide for his family. The man was convinced to make an investment in a company on Wall Street. Of course, he wasn’t in a place financially to do this, but after being convinced it was so low risk and his return would essentially set his family up for life, he was prepared to use every dollar he had.”
My heart is in my throat, and I haven’t taken a proper breath since she started talking. Since I learned of the blood oath, I’ve been equal parts dreading and desperate to find out what really happened. Now it seems I’m about to, and I’m gripped with panic.
“What he didn’t know was that the investment he was going to make would only benefit a few people—it was what’s now known as a Ponzi scheme.
“Before the money went through, he was tipped off that it was a scam and the company he was investing in was tied to a lot of shady men.”
“Dante?” I ask, chewing the inside of my cheek.
She shakes her head. “Dante worked for them. When your great-great-grandfather backed out of the deal, Dante was sent after him to shut him up permanently. They couldn’t risk being exposed as a sham. The night Dante went after him, one of your guys—the tattooed one, I think—stumbled upon them. As far as I know, it was by accident. A complete coincidence.”
“Wait. Lex is the one who saved him?”
She inclines her head slightly. “Dante has always been an arrogant prick. A popular opinion clearly, because Lex decided to interrupt and mess with him. Lucky for your ancestor, Lex wouldn’t let Dante kill him.”
“But why?”
She shrugs. “You’d have to ask him.”
“Wh-what happened after that?”
“Dante took off, and the man thanked Lex profusely. When he offered Lex anything in return for saving his life—”
I suck in a sharp breath. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“You know Lex better than I do,” she offers with a light shrug. “He asked if the man had a daughter.”
My jaw clenches, and I grab the glass in front of me, only to find it empty. I set it down a little too hard.
“He was confused and told Lex he had a son.”
“Let me guess, then Lex said he wanted the firstborn daughter?”
“That part of the story you know.”
My eyes burn, and I blink quickly to keep the tears at bay. I wasn’t expecting to get so emotional hearing how everything went down. “So what? He just agreed to it?”
Selene purses her lips. “Not at first. He was confused and angry and utterly refused. Until Lex shared his little secret.” She flashes her fangs. “When he told him the men he screwed over by going back on his investment were powerful and would continue sending people like Dante after him if he wasn’t under the protection of people stronger than them, he didn’t have much of a choice. Terrified for his family’s safety, he reluctantly agreed and went with Lex to meet the others. And the rest is history.”
I swallow hard, pushing my plate away. “Right.” Shaking my head, I exhale a slow breath, trying to make my head stop spinning. “And what about Atlas’s involvement with the Ellis family? Do you know about that?”
A small smile plays at her crimson lips. “What doyouknow?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Literally nothing. That’s why I’m asking.”
“I’m not sure what Atlas is up to with them. Perhaps it’s a matter of self-preservation.”
My brows pinch together, and I can already sense the beginning of a headache forming in my temples. “I don’t understand.”
“Being a vampire and keeping the company of vampire hunters is generally not a smart idea, but I’m assuming there’s more to it. Atlas isn’t so arrogant he would risk his existence without good reason.”
