My jaw drops, his body is stiff. He looks up at me with fire in his eyes. “That is why I’m telling you to stay away from them. I have to remain impartial as the leader and treat Jace the same as any other initiate. But I can’t stand the idea of anything happening to you at their hands.”
I nod. “Okay, I’ll be careful.”
I’m the heir to a thieves’ guild.
And somehow, the man on the other end of the desk—the one who brought me safety, who gave me this second chance—is the most dangerous of them all.
“Do you want to attend? This is still your choice. If you don’t want to go, to have any part of this, then you can choose a different path.”
I take a deep breath.
“What happens if I choose to not go?”
“Then our family legacy ends here with me. But don’t let that sway your decision. I love you, and I will always will, regardless of what you decide.”
I sit with his words for a moment. This legacy, this Guild. Savvy and her stories of Blackmoore pass through my mind.
My dad, he’s giving me an option to not carry on our family’s legacy if I don’t want it.
But something in me does.
“I want to go.” I raise my chin and let him see the confidence in my eyes. “I want to carry on the Ashthorne legacy. I want to be more. I want to be like Grandma Grace.”
Lucian smiles, pride beaming in his eyes. “You already are so much like her, Gracie. I’m proud of you.”
He walks back around, wrapping me in a hug.
“You’re stronger than you know.”
10 BLACKMOORE ACADEMY
The city turns into winding roads through dense forest past iron gates, stone bridges, and long-forgotten statues tangled in ivy. The world feels quieter here.
The car slows, the trees part, and I see it.
Blackmoore Academy rises like something out of a forgotten fairytale. Gothic spires pierce the sky. Black stone walls stretch wide and tall, covered in climbing ivy. The building is sharp-edged, sprawling, ancient.
It looks like it was built to keep things out—or keep them in.
I gulp.
The car pulls up to the front circle drive. A massive stone fountain gurgles at its center, water spilling over a statue of some winged creature with blank eyes. The flagstones gleam under the overcast sky.
My heart pounds as the driver opens the door.
Lucian steps out first. He’s dressed sharply, as always. His hand lingers on the doorframe. For a second I wonder if he’s second guessing my decision to come here.
Then he turns, opens my door, and offers me his hand. I take it.
The wind hits me first—cool and tinged with the scent of pine and rain. The air tastes different here. Thinner.
Blackmoore looms in front of us, all shadowed arches and hard lines.
Dakota moves around the car and joins us.
“Isn’t it amazing?”
I nod, smiling despite the nerves tightening in my chest. “It doesn’t feel real.”
