Page 10 of His To Claim

Without speaking, the six of us move to stand in a row in front of the desk, none of us daring to take a seat in the chairs lined up for us.

“Welcome to Servite Academy. I hope your journey here went well.”

I hear a laugh from the corner of the room and turn to find Agent Wesley Servite standing in the corner leaning against a bookshelf, a devious smirk across his face. He looks more refined than he did all those years ago, but that shrewd look in his eyes remains.

Staring into his eyes I get a flashback of the first time I saw himand remember the words he whispered in my ear that have haunted my nightmares all these years.We will find them and if we don’t, I’ll make sure the two of you pay for their crimes. Mark my words, sweetheart.

I’m startled out of my thoughts when the woman speaks. “I’m Headmistress Kathleen LeBlanc, and I am honored to welcome you six to our academy. I must say we are fortunate for your arrival,” she says, obvious distaste marking her expression.Why do I get the feeling the only ones happy we are here are the two Servite men?

“Servite Academy is a prestigious co-ed school, meaning both the finest boys and girls of our country attend the academy together. However, although classes and events are co-ed, the dormitories are strictly separate. Anyone found in the opposing dormitories will be suspended. Three strikes and no matter your standing, you will be expelled. Servite Academy is an elite academy, and we have a zero-tolerance policy. Unfortunately, for you that means being placed in a new home. As we mentioned, your foster home is now for children under the age of sixteen.” Headmistress LeBlanc turns to Headmaster Servite who stands, his stare attentively on us as he speaks.

“Any questions you may have, feel free to ask. Without further ado, our Head Boy and Head Girl will be escorting you to your corresponding dormitories. They will give you your class schedules and inform you of further policies that must be followed. I hope you kids enjoy your stay. As I mentioned, this is a wonderful opportunity. You are dismissed.” At his dismissal, the two metal doors to the office are opened leading us out.

“Miss Steele, Miss Wolfe, if you’d please stay back a minute,” Agent Servite calls out as we move to follow the guys out of the room. Jade turns to me frightened, and the guys all look back over their shoulders in confusion.

Drake grabs my wrist. “It’s fine,” I mouth to him, urging him to release me. He nods reluctantly, turning his glare of Servite before following the rest of the group out of the room.

The doors close loudly behind them and Jade and I flinch, reluctantly turning around and find Agent Servite now leaning against the front of Headmaster Servite’s desk. His smirk widens as we sit in two of the chairs in front of the desk.

“Don’t be afraid, sweetheart, I just want to catch up,” he says.

“We haven’t heard from them,” Jade blurts out nervously, looking down at her lap.

Headmaster Servite lets out a sharp laugh. “Oh, I know, your dear mother and father have fallen off the face of the earth, or they’re dead. Both of which will not do.”

At his remark Jade lifts her head, her eyes wide and glossy as tears she’s held in for so long threaten to appear. We’ve thought about it, sure, not having heard from Chaz and Lilith for three years must mean something happened to them. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard from Roman, Jade’s brother either, I know that is what’s really been hurting her most. Roman’s over eighteen now and old enough to take custody of her, but he’s nowhere to be found.

Turning away from Jade before my own tears make an unwanted appearance, I glare at Agent Servite whose gaze hadn’t left mine. “Then what do you want?”

He leans forward, his hands resting on the edge of his knees. “That’s a loaded question, Miss Steele. I’m not quite sure yet. I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Headmaster Servite clears his throat. “What Agent Servite means is that now with you both here in Hillcrest Hills, your parents might want to reach out. We will keep a close eye on you in case they do. Chandler and Lilith are fugitives and anyone who knows of their whereabouts or aids in their escape will be found just as guilty. You two keep that in mind.”

I sit up straighter in my seat meeting Headmaster Servite’s stare with one equally intimidating. “Like Jade said, we haven’t heard from them, and if you think they’ll reach out to us, you don’tknow them as well as you make it seem. The last thing Lilith wants is to find me.”

Agent Servite leans in even closer to us. “Yes, but Chandler might want to reach out to his daughter, or son.”

Jade stands angrily stepping toward him, almost meeting him face to face. “Thanks to you, I haven’t heard from my brother in years.”

“Then we have nothing to worry about. Agent Foxx will see you ladies out,” Headmaster Servite says, motioning to the man I hadn’t seen standing by the door. He opens them for us as Jade steps out and I follow, the doors closing behind us but not before Agent Servite steps out behind us. I turn suddenly at the sound of the doors slamming and find him staring closely at me.

He licks his lips leaning forward until his mouth is to my ear. “You look so much like her,” he whispers, sending a chill down my spine. “Wonder if you taste just as sweet. My bet is you taste even better, sweetheart, we’ll see,” he mutters, turning around and heading back into the office.

I feel disgusted and violated in so many ways. I feel like barging in and telling the headmaster what he said but I’m sure it’s no use. He is his brother, not to mention an ex-police officer. Wesley Servite is untouchable. For my sake, I hope I am too.

“What did he say to you?” Jade asks, and I get a sense of Déjà vu. Just like that time in the mobile home, I evade her questions, answering with yet another lie.

“Nothing, just that he thinks we’re lying.”

We reach the end of the hallway and find Ruby, Drake, Jax, and Kai standing with two others. The boy with light blond hair is wearing black dress pants, a matching blazer, a white-collared shirt, and a red and black plaid tie, while the girl with light brown curls wears a red and black plaid skirt with white knee-high socks, a similar white collared shirt and black blazer, and a red headband adorning her hair. As we approach them, I can see a matching crest embroidered in red on the right side of their jackets.

“These must be the missing two. As I was saying, I’m Leighton Astor, and this is Preston Lincoln. We are the Head Girl and Boy of the Senior Class here at Servite Academy. Every year a head girl and boy in each class are chosen to act as a class president so to speak. The three of you, Damon, Malachi, and Jaxon, will go with Preston, while Scarlett, Jade, and Ruby are coming with me,” she says as we exit through the same large metal doors we walked in through.

As the doors open, we’re met with unwelcome glares from four boys who stand at the bottom of the steps, arms crossed and intense scowls on their faces. And I say boys, but these four are no average boys. They all stand well over six feet tall, broad shoulders, smoldering gazes, and captivating eyes that regard us shrewdly. Despite the authoritative stances, intimidating glares, and dominating auras, physically, they’re drop dead gorgeous. Each one better looking than the next, but none more than the ringleader who clearly stands front and center. They’re all casually dressed in dark jeans, black t-shirts, and expensive looking sneakers, tattoos clearly visible on all four. But there is nothing casual about them. These men reek of wealth, power, and authority, and the way their stares darken at my less than subtle staring, they aren’t particularly happy to see us.

“You three follow me,” Preston says as he walks toward the left side.

My eyes are so fixated on the leader of the four, I don’t realize Drake’s hand squeezing my arm. I turn to him as he glares toward the guys.

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