As they make their way towards us, Rafe lightly grabs my shoulder and talks softly to me, “Luna, you don’t need to hear this, but I need to say it. You’ve got this. As much as I don’t want any of this for you, you were made for this. Don’t doubt yourself and don’t let anyone get under your skin. If they so much as catch a glimpse of a weakness they’ll be all over it.”
He pulls me into a tight hug, which feels odd as we don’t usually show affection, but I squeeze him back all the same.
“Classes begin on the twenty-fifth, so you’ve got a few days to find your feet. If you need me for anything at all you know I’m only a phone call away. I know I’m not your favorite person right now but that doesn’t change anything between us, but you will always be my number one priority. I tried to grab as much as possible from your room including your ‘Moon’ bag, but if I missed anything let me know and I’ll get it sent over. I’m proud of you Luna and I love you no matter what.”
I hold him tighter for a moment longer, than step away as the new arrivals stop in front of us.
“Hello, you must be Miss Steele, my name is Barbette Dietrichson and I’m the Head of Featherstone Academy. This is Maverick Miller, our tutor for combat training. If you’d like to follow me, we have much to attend to. Leave your belongings, they will be taken to your room.”
She pulls her gaze from mine looking straight to my mother.
“Veronica, a pleasure as always,” she says with a smile, turning for me to trail behind her.
The guys are all back in the SUV ready to go again. While Maverick clasps hands with Rafe and they share some kind of man hug, pat, chest bounce thing. No words are spoken between them, but they clearly know each other. I give Rafe a backwards glance as I follow behind Barbette unaware of where this may lead me, but my instincts tell me nothing will be the same after this.
CHAPTER FIVE
I’m led to a large stone building, to say it was grand would be an understatement. The height alone is powerful, add to that the arch ways, columns and balconies it feels like it wants to be a castle. There are intricate carvings around the windows and in the alcoves. Ivy grows up the building, and flower beds decorate the bottom of the stone steps up to the entry.
I wonder what stories they could tell, of what lies beyond these walls and the people that have passed through them. Everything is immaculate, nothing at all like what I expected a criminal underworld academy to look like.
Following behind them up the stairs, I hear the SUV pull away. My heart wants to drown in all of this, yet again being dropped somewhere and left behind. I refuse to be beaten by my circumstances, I’ve lived through far worse. Feeling out of my depth and a little lost isn’t going to be the end of me.
With that in mind, I take a deep breath finding my center, relax my shoulders and raise my head. I’m walking in here whether I like it or not so I’m going to do so on my terms. Carrying myself with all the confidence I’ve got I make sure my poker face is in place and my defensive walls are up.
Stepping inside, it’s just as grand as outside. All dark wood and golden framed memorabilia, in all shapes and sizes. Before I can take any of it in fully I’m being led to the left and straight through a door leading to Dietrichson’s office.
Her office doesn’t match the rest of the building. White walls and modern glass furnishings. Although is that a fucking tiger rug?
“Please take a seat Miss Steele, I don’t have much time for this.”
I want to yell that I don’t want to fucking be here so let’s not waste your time, but I don’t know who I’m dealing with and it’s clear I’m out numbered as a party of one, so I bite my tongue and take a seat.
“Usually this is all done through the administration office but seeing as it’s a Saturday that’s not possible now is it?” she asks, as she steeples her fingers on the desk in front of her.
I don’t respond, that was just a mouthful of snark.
“Here is your I.D. box, inside you will find the key to your room, a copy of your timetable, a map of the grounds, access to financial funds from your bloodlines, a list of requirements and access key cards to the vaults you have access to.”
She holds a plain wooden box with a piece of paper stuck to the top. Not as fancy as I was expecting for this place. She glances at the top of the I.D box and frowns, I look at what’s caught her eye and I can see the names of the three bloodlines I’m here for: Steele, Gibbs and Hindman.
“Do you want to tell me why you’ve been given access to the Gibbs bloodlines as well?” The venom in her voice is clear as day.
“Is there a problem?” I ask as I lean back in my chair.
I don’t know what she wants me to say, I haven’t made any of these decisions.
“A problem? You are only given access to your bloodlines, it’s impossible to be assigned a third, there must be an error!”
She’s flustered by this, but someone must have authorized it, otherwise it wouldn’t be happening.
Maverick, chimes in, seemingly bored with all of this already, “Barb, this was approved late last night
