The pieces slam into place.
Jace’s hatred. His constant need to challenge me. The way all four of them look at me like I’m stealing something that was promised to them.
“So that’s why he hates me.”
Lucian’s jaw clenches. “Among other things. But yes.”
I stare past him at the old stone walls. At the flickering torches. At the truth.
“He was supposed to have it all.”
Lucian nods once. “Until I found you. Until you walked into this Guild.”
“The Blackmoore Four isn’t new.” Lucian continues, “It’s always evolved depending on which family with the highest ranking has their child in school. For me, you know Max, Preston, and Derek. You were supposed to choose your Blackmoore Four. But since you were missing for high school years, the next family were the Ravencourts. Thus, Jace chose his four.”
Silence stretches.
“But you have power now. You’ve survived and they can’t even begin to fathom that. You are to inherit the Guild, the Ashthorne legacy,” Lucian says.
“But if I fail,” I whisper, “he gets what he wants.”
“If you give up, yes,” Lucian confirms. “But I know you, Gracie. You don’t bend easily—and you sure as hell don’t break.”
My throat tightens. I look down at my ring. The stone glinting in the light. The intricate vines on the band.
Jace Ravencourt thinks this was his birthright. Let him keep thinking that. Let him watch me take it from him.
“Then I guess it’s time I make him regret ever thinking it was his.”
Lucian nods his approval. “I want to tell you the reason I couldn’t ever let him take control.”
I’m sure this is going to be good.
“Gideon doesn’t just want power. It’s not about legacy or pride. He wants to reshape the Guild.”
He pauses, and for the first time since I met him, there’s something like fear in his voice.
“He believes the Guild is outdated. That we should evolve. Start taking on high-value contracts the old codes forbid. Including assassinations. Murder. Covert killings for the highest bidder.”
My blood runs cold.
“He wants to turn us into killers for hire. Remove the rule about no bloodshed. And if I hadn’t found you, if I hadn’t named you as heir, he would’ve had full authority to do just that.”
The air feels too thick. Like the walls themselves are pressing in.
“We only take lives when it’s necessary. That’s how we’ve been able to fly under the radar for as long as we have. Taking lives carelessly is how you get attention drawn to you. And when you’re trying to move through the shadows, the spotlight is not what you want.”
I think of everything I’ve endured to get here. Every bruise. Every fight. Every cruel word. I thought they hated me because I was the outsider. Because I’m his daughter.
But it’s bigger than that.
“He doesn’t just hate me because I exist,” I whisper. “He hates me because I’m standing in the way of a Guild soaked in blood.”
Lucian steps closer, voice firm. “Exactly. You’re not just a threat to Jace’s inheritance. You’re a threat to their entire vision. They’ll keep testing you. Pushing you. Trying to break you so you’ll walk away and they can go back to the plan. But if you stay…”
He places a hand on my shoulder. “You don’t just protect your place. You protect the Guild’s soul.”
“And if I fail?—”
