Page 10 of Ruthless Legacy

“It gives him status in the guardian families. It’s that or nothing. There’s no way he picks nothing.”

A gentleman I’ve only recently begun seeing around town, says, “If it were me, I’d pick nothing. No offense to the families who do the job, but I wouldn’t want my family on that side of the fence, so to speak.”

We all look toward the head of the table when Thomas Thibault, one of the high council members, asks, “Why not?”

“There’s no power there. They only take orders. It won’t matter how high up someone is in the Defense Department or military or Andor Reese. There will always be someone telling them what to do and their lives are on the line. If it were me. My choice would be no.”

Eloise purses her lips, and says, “The council knows how these things work better than us. I trust their judgment.”

Her father smiles at her. “I think the high council has chosen wisely. I’ve heard how volatile this girl is. She’s a danger to everyone. She needs the training, thedisciplineMISTIC can provide.” He looks around the table. “I’m sure we can all agree she never should’ve been in Vale Tower. Interacting with our children.”

“You’re so right, daddy.” Eloise beams at him. “I, for one, will feel so much safer when she’s gone.”

“You were so brave to bring that information to us, Eloise. The council never would have known.”

She nods, and with wide innocent eyes, has the gall to say, “As Finn’s future wife, I know I have a responsibility to him, the school, and The League. That girl was so good at hiding her true nature around The Trium, but I knew something was off from the moment we met.” She looks around the table, meeting everyone’s gaze. “And to think she may have orchestrated her initiation prank to paint us all in a bad light. She got too comfortable with her interim legacy status and slipped up, but I stayed vigilant.”

I wasn’t paying attention in the beginning, but the moment Eloise’s father mentioned Vale Tower, it became obvious what family everyone was discussing. They’re talking about sending Thea to MISTIC? The military school on the other side of campus?

Two pairs of eyes lock onto me. Finn and Holden can out me here and now. This would be the perfect time and place to offer a different narrative to the one Eloise is giving. But they stay quiet. At least for now, they’re projecting the image that we’re still in sync.

My father says, “Finley is a lucky man. He’s made a good match. One I’m sure we all hope to have for our kids.Soon.”

All eyes are on Finn. He sits on Holden’s left, his Prince Charming smile on full display. “A supportive partner is very important, and Eloise’s involvement in this situation hasn’t gone unnoticed.” He winks at her. “In fact, Holden and I have been brainstorming ideas on how to reward her for efforts.”

The table titters and laughs, a few commenting that they know what kind of reward Finn will give her.

Holden’s staring at his father, who gives him a reassuring smile. I scan the table, taking in the look on my own father’s face, as well as the high council members in attendance. Parker must’ve suspected this topic would come up, hence the warning to Holden not to react.

Thea’s family is being offered the opportunity to transition to a guardian bloodline. The soldiers of our world. Literally. Their purpose is to protect the legacy family they’re assigned to. To jump in front of a bullet, putting their charges first. That’s just the guardians who operate in the light. Those who hide in the dark have a very special skill set that they started honing with the campus wide challenges.

When you look at the legacy families, we seem like typical blue bloods earning our money the old-fashioned way, and most of us are. But sometimes, there are things money can’t buy, but greed knows no bounds. We get what we want. We take what we want.

League vaults all across the world are full of documents, jewels, gold bricks, art, anything considered high value to the holder, that used to belong to someone else. Their procurement history varies. It doesn’t matter what aspect of the guardian program you belong to. Be it bodyguard, field asset, military strategist, General. Ultimately, you’re a soldier for The League of the Daggered Ravens, and you do whatever they demand.

When we went through Wren Orientation, we were told the reallocation of lower legacy families to the guardian program began about three years ago, and it was on a volunteer basis. The families supposedly had a choice. Based on what I’m hearing now, it seems that’s not the case.

The guy who said he’d reject the offer, asks the questions that’s on the tip of my tongue. “How do we know this girl has the potential to succeed in training? It would be a waste of money to move her to MISTIC if she rings the bell within the first few weeks.”

My father arches a brow and asks, “You doubt the council's judgment, Vernon?”

That’s it. His name is Vernon Critten, and he’s a mid-level council member from Tennessee. I think he’s in the music industry. He has his hands in tons of artist contracts under various production and mixing companies, and nobody has any idea it all goes to him.

“Not at all. But I heard all about the skirmish between this girl and the Zeta Nus. That doesn’t mean she’s guardian material. I want to increase our numbers over there as much as the next person. But we need longevity. A little girl leaving scratches won’t cut it.”

It’s Eloise who says, “Oh, the street urchin is a perfect fit. She’s got tons of practice fighting men in an illegal underground fighting club.”

I choke on my water. Did she say underground fight club? Why didn’t Holden find any information about this? I know the answer just as soon as I think it. Because it’s underground and illegal and those people don’t have a habit of taking and posting pictures and videos of their fights. That means for Eloise to know about it, somebody had to have been there and seen it happening. The number of people involved in Thea’s attack now makes so much more sense.

Finn’s still playing the role of charming rogue. “Is that the only criteria for becoming a guardian line? Because if so, then shouldn’t a lot of us change over?” He chuckles. “It’s no secret here that I’ve been getting into scrapes my whole life.”

My grandfather answers, “No, it’s not that simple. As you’re a Trium family line, there are other heirs and security measures to consider as we replace your line. The Laurents have no line of succession in place, and since their line was inactive. It’s an easier switch.”

Finn pretends to give that some thought. But I know him. He’s already worked out the next five questions he’s going to ask. “I see. CouldIchoose to transition to the guardian program, without it affecting the Rhodes’ bloodline?”

My grandfather arches a brow. “Yes. You could choose for yourself. You’d lose some privileges as you go through training, and your companion’s parents would have to end your arrangement, because there’s no fraternizing between guardian and legacy lines.”

Finn drops his gaze to the table, lips drawn down into a frown. “I see.”

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