Elena's POV
"How long," I repeated, watching him carefully. "How long has your family known about the hunters?"
Damian was quiet for a long moment, his jaw working, and when he finally answered, his voice carried a weight I hadn't heard from him before, old and tired in a way that made him seem suddenly much older than his years. "Generations. Longer than anyone still living can properly account for. It's not something that ever goes away entirely. It just goes quiet sometimes, and we let ourselves forget how loud it can get again."
"Has it ever gotten this loud in your lifetime?"
"No." The single word carried more weight than any longer answer could have. "Not like this. Not with someone inside my own family funding them."
The car slowed, and I glanced out the window to find unfamili
