I let out a derisive snort. “You can just say ‘rich’. Or ‘utterly obscene levels of wealth’ if you’re really concerned about accuracy.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s a club of rich men, originally created by other rich men,” he said. “And rich people, as you’ve probably noticed, tend to marry within their own circles. It’s not just about the money. It’s about social class, pedigree, and image.”
I nodded warily. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“Well, centuries ago, the Dionysus Club founders realized that kind of approach created a problem. Wealthy upper-class families are a rarity, and marrying within their ranks over and over again could make things… complicated.”
“Incestuous,” I said bluntly.
He inclined his head. “Exactly. So they decided to bring in new bloodby creatingthe Selection,” he said. “Every Reaper is offered the chance to participate in their senior year of college. They each choose a woman they believe could be an ideal partner, regardless of her background, and she’s—”
“Hold on.” I lifted a hand. “Sorry to cut you off, but what the hell is a Reaper?”
Roman went still. “I shouldn’t have said that,” he muttered after a beat. “You’re not supposed to know that term yet. Selected girls are only told after the Eleusinian ritual, when the Club is sure they can be trusted.”
“Well, if you wantmeto trustyouright now,you need to give me a reason,” I said, arching a brow. “That means telling me everything.”
He let out another sigh. “Fair enough,” he said. “Like I already said, the Club is made up of very wealthy men. They want to protect their own interests, for obvious reasons, but there are often people who get in the way of that. Or at leasttryto get in the way.”
“Erm… what do you mean by that?”
Roman shifted his weight, the wooden stool creaking beneath him. “The Club's members aren’t just rich businessmen.They’re extremely powerful people. Senators, CEOs, judges, diplomats. They control massive amounts of wealth and influence,” he said. “But with that kind of power comes enemies. People who want to take them down, expose their secrets, ruin their businesses, or blackmail them. Sometimes they even try to kill them.”
I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
“That's where Reapers come in,” he went on. “In our first year of college, we undergo heavy training. After that, we're the Club's enforcers. Protectors. Problem solvers.”
“Problem solvers,” I repeated, my voice flat. “You mean… assassins.”
Roman didn't flinch. “Sometimes. Not always. But yes, when necessary, that's what we do. We eliminate threats to Club members and their interests.”
My stomach churned. “You kill people.”
“We remove dangerous people who threaten the lives and livelihoods of our brothers,” Roman corrected. “Blackmailers, criminals, corrupt officials who've turned on us, traitors within our own ranks. The kinds of people who wouldn't hesitate to destroy everything we've built. Or to kill us first.”
“That's a convenient way to justify murder,” I said.
“Maybe. But it's the truth. And that’s what you asked for, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” I murmured.
Roman held my gaze. "Every Club member serves as a Reaper for three years during college. It's our... second initiation, I guess you could call it. Our way of proving loyalty to the Club and learning what it really means to protect the brotherhood.”
“Three years of killing for the Club,” I said, still trying to wrap my mind around it. “And then what?”
“Then you graduate. Move on to your career. Law, business, politics, whatever. But you remain a member for life, protected by the current generation of Reapers. It's a cycle. Everyone serves their time and pays their dues, and they benefit from that service later.”
I thought about Julian once again. About the way he'd moved through the forest with such deadly efficiency. About Kane disappearing without a trace after Julian caught him hurting me.
My stomach turned, but a traitorous part of me was already whispering:He killed Kane for you.
I went quiet, letting it all sink in. Then I looked up again. “This Selection thing. Every Reaper does it?”
“They have the choice to do it, and it’s highly encouraged.”
“As a way of bringing in new blood.”
“Through the women,” he replied, nodding. “Once the process is over, the Reaper marries his Selection, and they later have children. Any boys become future Club members.”
