“It’s… It’s a thieves’ guild.”
I blink.
“I’m sorry, what?” I breathe. I couldn’t have heard him right.
“It’s not what it sounds like,” he says. “At least not entirely. The Guild is older than Blackmoore. Older than most countries. We deal in secrets. In power. In leverage. And we keep the balance between the other guilds and the elite who rule behind the scenes.”
My heart pounds in my ears. “And you’re in charge of it.”
“I am,” he confirms. “And one day, you’ll be expected to take my place.”
I stare at him. “You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.”
A strange chill passes through me. “Why me?”
“Because you’re my daughter. And because you survived. You adapted. You’ve seen what it means to have nothing — and still hold your head up. That’s what the Guild needs in a leader. And what I need in an heir.”
“That’s insane.” A strangled laugh escapes me. “What about Dakota?”
“She’s not my blood; she could never take my place. But she’ll be an initiate, just like you.”
I feel like my brain has checked out for the day. The workers in there decided they were done and just left. I can’t fully process the words, they haven’t fully sunken in yet.
I swallow hard. “So, what now? I train to be a thief?” I let out a shaky breath. “I mean I’ve stolen to get by but this sounds like diamond heists and stuff that people see in movies.”
Lucian chuckles. “Yes, sometimes it is like that. But to be a leader, you’ll need to not only be a thief, but a strategist, negotiator, and ghost.”
I stand and start pacing the room. “Is this why my mom ran? She found out about this?”
Lucian shakes his head. “No, your mom always knew about the Guild. When I knew I wanted to spend my life with her, I let her know. Everything it would mean if she tied her life to mine. Gave her an out. But she told me she didn’t care. That she wanted to stay.”
I huff out a breath, running my fingers into my hair. “This is insane. How is this real?”
Lucian stands and moves to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I didn’t want you going to school and being blindsided by this. You’ve been training with Savvy all summer, but you’ll have additional classes at school that are for the Guild.”
“You didn’t think to tell me before?”
“You wanted to train, I wanted to give you time to settle in,” Lucian says.
“So Savvy, Max, Preston, and Derek are part of it too? That’s why they know how to fight.”
Lucian nods. Letting everything sink in.
“Everyone who goes to Blackmoore, are they a part of it?”
“No, it’s a secret society. The Guild has a lot of power over Blackmoore,which is how we’re able to hide our movements, and teenagers like you are able to start your training early.”
I nod as my brain processes his words.
“There’s a competing family. The Ravencourts have always tried to take the power away from the Ashthorne family. You’ll want to stay away from his son, Jace, and anyone he associates with.”
“Ravencourt,” I repeat. “Is he in the Guild?”
“His father, yes. Jace will be an initiate like you, but he’s had far more training than you. As will most of the others.”
He moves back to his desk. “I’ve long suspected their family had something to do with the death of my parents. The man who hit my parents, I uncovered that his family received a large sum of money after his death. I just couldn’t trace it back to them.”
