I ignore the urge to reach out and grab him by the front of his shirt and tell him I’ll kill him right fucking now if he wants.
“Yours?” I ask him. “Your first kill.”
“One of the guards we had back when I was a teenager was secretly a spy,” Dante explains. “I caught him rifling through my father’s desk. When he saw me, I shot him. I’d been learning how to use a gun for a few years, had never shot anyone though. The blood was fucking insane. I was five feet away and I’m pretty sure it still splattered on me.” He laughs and shakes his head.
“Pop’s wasn’t happy about that one. You killed the guy before asking any questions about why he was here, who sent him,” Butch recalls.
Dante clicks his tongue. “Yeah, he really laid into me after that one,” he says. “Tell him about your first Butch. It’s a funny one.”
My eyes shift to Butch who looks way too excited to be talking about the first time he killed someone. “I was shooting at some chickens we had back in the day,” he starts, “I thought someone was breaking into the estate and decided to take it into my own hands. Shot the damn shadow about five times, turns out it was one of our cousins sneaking in after a night out! Sure as fuck glad I wasn’t that close to him—Reggie was his name, I think.”
My stomach drops but I keep control of my face.
“Reggie yeah,” Dante agrees. “His father wasn’t too happy about it, but he shouldn’t have been sneaking around. He could’ve been killed by anyone.”
“So, your first kill was your family…that’s ironic,” I mutter.
“Yours was practically family,” Dante reminds me. “Don’t be jealous.”
I scoff softly, but hold back what I really want to say. As if I could ever be jealous of them.
“You, Matthew?” I ask him.
Matthew rings his hands and looks to the side for a moment. People are starting to gather more in the living room like they’re preparing for something.
“Rung a friend’s neck…” he tells me, his voice low. “I was twelve. He messed with my sister so I had to show him who was boss. Went a little too far. Couldn’t take it back.” He downs the rest of his drink. There’s a dark, empty look in his eyes, but then he smiles at me. “Wasn’t the last time.”
I feel a shiver run up my spine. I wasn’t planning on taking Matthew out, but maybe he’s just as bad as the Bianchis. Maybe…I am just as bad as them. The thought runs around my head.
Am I not just as excited to kill them as they seem to be about their first kills? About ending the Dresvanni?
What is the difference between them and me? Are my reasons for wanting them dead any different than their reasons for wanting the Dresvanni gone? Is revenge still cruel and pointless?
I set my half empty drink on the coffee table and stand up from the couch. I need some air…
“Where you going?” Dante says, “They’re about to bring out the surprise.”
I stop where I’m standing as the second entrance to the living room opens and a flash of bare skin appears in my vision.
It’s a woman. A naked woman. She’s fighting with the guards that are dragging her across the living room and to the cage. I fight the urge to jump into action immediately.
“What’s this?” I ask Dante.
He motions to his father who steps over in front of the cage just as the woman is tossed in and lands on her hands and knees.
“Up, get up,” Stephan orders the woman. His voice is harsh and careless.
She slowly stands up on her feet with her hands grasping the metal bars.
“Please, why are you doing this?” she asks, tears streaming down her face.
Stephan smacks the cage with one of his hands as if to punish her and then looks out at all the party guests with a smile.
“For my son Dante’s birthday! A beautiful treat for all to enjoy,” he says happily. “A virgin… but she won’t be after tonight, will she?” he laughs. “Dante, you get first dibs of course.”
I feel Dante looking at me, and when I glance at him, he’s grinning.
“And if I want to give that to someone else?” he asks Stephan.
