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"Not really. Not with how we grew up anyway,” he mumbles.
"You grew up with a father who was the head of the mafia and then faked his own death after trying to overtake a city because he was jilted by the other ruling families who forced him to flee, then you were sold to an ultra-exclusive sex trade organization too? My, my, however did you survive with those ruggedly good looks?" Pressing my lips into a thin line, I focus my gaze on the comforter.
Dante pushes up, leaning against the headboard. "Well, shit. Do you really think I'm ruggedly good looking?"
I burst out laughing, then slap my hand over my mouth. When I look at him, his mouth is parted, not a smirk in sight. If I didn't know any better, I'd say wonder dances in his dark eyes. He reaches out, tugging on my wrist, then tangling our fingers together.
"Wait, Anders Drake was jilted by the families in Synd?"
I shrug as my eyes keep darting to our interlocked fingers. "I guess so. All I know is I lived in Synd until I was like eight, then we moved to Westmont. Father set up a new scheme there, but he was never truly invested. He was focused on his revenge. My brother kept most of it from me—protected me as best he could. Then Father decided to go to Synd. I thought it was a business trip."
"But it wasn't," he murmurs, his thumb drawing circles on my skin.
"No, it wasn't. My boyfriend at the time—"
"The bumbling sixteen-year-old who didn't know how to make you come?"
I cough, wiping the smile from my face. "Don't start making comments about how you could be the one to teach me."
He grins, licking his bottom lip. "I'm a really good teacher."
I roll my eyes, trying to remember what we were originally talking about. If I let him go any further, I'll end up kissing him again. Since I still don't know how to navigate that with everything else going on, I can't risk it.
"So, Chad—"
"Of course his name was Chad," he mutters.
"Are you going to keep interrupting me?" I raise an eyebrow at him and he nods for me to continue. "So, Chadwas my first boyfriend. Seeing as how most of the boys at school ignored me or were afraid of my brother, I was a little too taken with him. I thought he was...different. When my father commanded that he come with him to Synd, I was livid. I didn't even know Chad worked for my father. He was too young, and I didn't even think my father knew who he was. At least not who he was to me."
I sigh, closing my eyes. Images of a night that started with such youthful rebelliousness flash behind my eyes. Ember's twinkling green eyes as she slid over the hood of a car she'd borrowed from someone. Singing along to the radio at the top of my lungs as I drove all those hours to Synd. Laughing as I called Ember to tell her I'd made it. Promising her I wouldn't do anything stupid.
"I didn't realize I was walking into a war zone. The rants Father had been spouting all those years weren't just the ramblings of a disgruntled man. He actually wanted to take down those men. I found Chad, because of course I did." I roll my eyes, trying to lighten the mood.
"Let me guess, he wasn't happy to see you," Dante says, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear.
"Nope. In fact, he screamed at me, then dragged me straight to my father. I thought he was worried about my safety. I mean, there were a lot of guns around. Nope. He tried to use me to manipulate Father into giving him his empire. Said he'd defiled me, so therefore he should be Father's heir. Chad thought Father would kill Roman and name him as his successor. Instead, he got a bullet in his chest."
I tug my fingers from his and scrub them against the comforter. My palms itch, and I swear I can still feel his blood coating my hands after all these years. Dante kneels in front of me, loosely holding my wrists. He rests his forehead on my legs.
"I'm fine," I whisper. "It wasn't fun. Then Father locked me in a storage room in a dingy store. When he came back, he was alone and covered in blood, and he made me stitch him up. Have you ever had to push a needle through flesh?"
He clears his throat, resting his chin on my knees. "Actually, I have."
"Then you know how disgusting it is. We skipped from place to place for a while, then he found the Guild."
He sits back, rubbing his chin. "Why do you think he didn't kill you? After he faked his own death?"
"You'd have to ask him. It's not like he took care of me while we were bouncing around. For a while, I thought he'd let me go. Then he told me my brother died and I just...shut down. I guess I was useful to him in the end," I say bitterly.
"We'll just have to make him regret it, then."
He rolls off the bed, walking to another door. I can't see where it leads to, but I don't even care right now. Maybe later I'll explore. Or I'll just freeze up again. I shimmy down, curling on my side with my back to the rest of the room. Emotionally, I'm spent. It's been a long time since I've thought about my past.
I don't know how I feel about Dante walking away. I expected more questions, more comments, something other than him just leaving the room. Having to relive it more and dissecting my father's motives might be too much, though. Right now, I just feel empty. Unfortunately, that's not much different from every other day.
Fifteen
Dante
