Chapter 10
Ten
Enzo
“You wanted to see me?” I asked, walking straight into Headmaster Arisono’s office without bothering to knock.
The room smelled faintly like old coins, layered with whatever cheap perfume she was wearing. It was a scent you’d expect from a hooker.
From her polished wood desk, Arisono glanced away from her computer and nudged the ergonomic mouse away from her. Releasing a breath, she gestured for me to shut the door and sit in one of the black leather chairs.
I stepped back and slammed the door hard enough that the framed degrees on the wall shook.
The only reason I’d followed that instruction was because I never risked witnesses.
What I didn’t do was sit.
Instead, I crossed the room and kicked the chair she’d indicated out of my way. It skidded across the floor as I stopped in front of her desk.
She stared up at me, cautious but steady as I towered over her.
I was impressed at how she kept her composure.
Arisono had plenty of practice in dealing with men in powerful positions. Her history at Saint Vale went back to the First Benefactors. She was also a former Fawn. She’d survived hell and remained resilient. I supposed she deserved a little credit for that.
But it didn’t mean I liked her.
The truth was, I wasn’t fond of anyone in authority. Except my father.
She folded her arms on the desk and cleared her throat. “Blair Dupont.”
“What about her?” I picked up the statuette of the school crest from the desk. I pretended not to give a shit about this conversation as I tossed it from one hand to the other, debating whether it was worth keeping intact.
“I suggest you leave her alone.”
I stilled the piece in my grip.
I held it there for a moment, giving her time to think about her words.
To play them back in her head and realize what a mistake they had been.
At my lack of response, she nodded slowly. Her shoulders slouched as regret slipped through the cracks in her composure.
Suggestions were only useful when the person listening actually gave a fuck. I didn’t.
I had a long-standing policy against anyone questioning me. It explained most of my issues with authority figures.
Her suggestion—and those of others—was as important to me as learning how bad it hurt to run my cock through a cheese grater.
Just as fast as her shoulders sagged, they straightened.
I let the statuette fall from my hand. A subdued smirk spread across my lips when it hit the floor and shattered. Metal fragments scattered across the floor.
“Wow,” I drawled, nudging a piece with the toe of my boot.
“That looked old.” I peered from the broken pieces back up to her.
“Family heirloom? Passed down through generations, maybe?” I spread my arms, motioning around the office.
“You should think about getting a rug in here. Wouldn’t want anything valuable breaking. ”
Arisono remained indifferent, clearing her throat and tapping her knuckle to her lips like she wanted to restart this entire conversation.
When she spoke again, she chose her words carefully. “What I mean is, Blair has a history. I don’t trust her. Please leave her alone. Pretend she doesn’t exist.”
“I don’t trust you. Especially if you allowed Blair into this university, knowing she was a liability,” I stated. “That goes against Saint Vale’s policy.” I tsked.
Her hand rose to the Chanel clip holding her hair in place, twisting it once between her fingers. “Blair’s stepfather used his position as leverage.”
“And what position would that be?”
Her attention slid briefly to the door before returning to me. “He was a Son. First Benefactor blood.”
Something sharp tore through me.
That’s not what Nico told me.
That’s not what I found when I did my deep dive on her.
According to our research, her parents were losers who’d hit the lottery and made friends with someone who had plenty of pull here, allowing Blair admittance.
I’d be smashing Nico’s fucking iPad for that bad information, along with whatever other tech bullshit he stashed in his dorm.
My gaze hardened as my thoughts shifted back to Blair.
Who is her stepfather, then?
I needed to know everything.
For all I knew, I’d met her stepfather, if he was an Elder Night Son.
I could’ve shaken his hand, shared a drink, plotted a murder with him.
Some Elder Night Sons kept their identities secret. Graduation freed you from showing your face. You only had to unmask while you were a Current Son.
After that, you could wear the mask whenever you wanted. Some Elder Sons never took theirs off.
Here, we were Sons.
Cruel men with no reason to pretend otherwise.
Later, they’d leave the tunnels and crawl back into their respectable lives aboveground. Well, they pretended to be respectable. None of us were.
Elder or Current Son.
Arisono watched me warily, concern tightening the lines around her mouth. She knew more. I could see it in the way she held herself too still. She knew who Blair’s stepfather was but refused to tell me.
Her protecting him made sense. She knew the rules to stay in her place.
In exchange, she had become the headmaster. Saint Vale only allowed headmasters from First Benefactor bloodlines.
She was also the first woman to hold that title. Saint Vale didn’t thrive in progressive ideals. Traditions here leaned heavily toward old-fashioned bullshit.
Personally, I didn’t care if someone had a pussy, a cock, or a fucking Lego between their legs. I treated everyone the same. I was equal-opportunity cruel.
“You let her in, you’re responsible for her,” I said, my icy stare locking on to hers. “If she falls out of line, you know who pays for it.”
Arisono lifted her chin. “Which is why I’ve decided to expel her.”
Keeping my composure in check, I slowly straightened and turned my head, glancing at her framed accolades lining the wall.
So many credentials, yet no common sense.
My father always said education didn’t equal intelligence.
“And go against a former Son?” I asked, tapping my chin. “Depending on his influence, you wouldn’t only lose that vote, but you’d lose your position.”
She went quiet, and silence grew as she looked past my shoulder at nothing.
When she finally spoke, her voice was steady but strained. “I’ll risk it to get rid of her.”
I moved before she could start whatever carefully worded bullshit she’d try to feed me. Leaning forward, I planted my palms flat on her desk, right over her meticulously stacked paperwork. The paper edges ripped under the force.
“You’re not expelling her,” I said, my tone harsh as I curled my upper lip.
Her chair rolled back as she pushed herself away to widen the distance between us.
Nice try.
I stepped away from the desk and circled it in two long strides.
Her breath hitched when I shoved her chair from it until I had enough room to stand in front of her. I set my hands over hers on the armrests, pinning them there, and dipped my head to put my face level with hers.
I kept my voice low and calm, but it carried enough venom to poison anything it touched. “If you do, losing your position will be the least of your worries.”
She held my stare, her features tightening with more spite and less fear.
Arisono didn’t just resent me. She resented all of us.
“She’ll be the demise of this university,” she said.
I lifted my hands from the chair, one at a time, and adjusted my collar.
Her gaze followed me as I moved back around the desk. I stopped, bending just enough to pick up a shard of broken metal.
“You should worry about yourself, Arisono.” I flicked the shard at her.
It skidded across the desk. Her body jerked to the side to dodge it even though it clearly wouldn’t hit her. Dramatics.
If I’d wanted to hit her, I would’ve. I never missed.
I stepped back, never breaking eye contact. “I’ll make sure Blair stays in line.” My lips formed a derisive smile. “I’ll be her demise.”
Nico’s dorm was the second room I barged into that day.
Unlike Arisono, he hadn’t requested my presence. But I gave no fucks.
Who doesn’t enjoy an unexpected visit from yours truly?
They should pay just to breathe the same air as me.
Crux Hall was buried in the west wing, in the back, and secured behind a gate.
I had a key to the gate and his door. I had a key to all gates and rooms in Saint Vale. One of the many perks of running the place.
That was how sneaking into Blair’s dorm last night to borrow some of her belongings had been so easy.
But even without keys, I always found a way in. Lock picking was a skill I’d learned early. And if finesse failed, there was always the universal solution to kick the door down. I tried to avoid that, though. Didn’t like drawing attention to myself if I could help it.
With Blair’s MacBook tucked under my arm, I stalked farther into Nico’s room and stopped.
Nico sat on the edge of his bed with his pants shoved down around his ankles. Between his knees, a shirtless blond knelt on the floor, her mouth wrapped around his cock.
She moaned against it while he gripped her hair, guiding her movement.
“Hey, asshole,” I called out.
Nico’s head snapped up. “Man, what the hell?”
I sighed, bored as if I were watching a PBS special on melting ice caps. “Relax. I’ve seen worse effort.”
He loosened his hold on the girl’s hair. She pulled back, out of breath. I caught the flash of irritation on Nico’s face. The girl leaned back on her heels and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. When her eyes lifted and landed on me, they widened.
Then she smiled.
“Did you come to join us?” she asked.
“Negative,” I replied flatly. “I’d rather rip my fucking tongue out.”
Her lips jutted into a pout. “Nico said I needed to practice. Apparently, my performance is subpar.”
Nico patted her cheek. “We’re working on that.”
I shifted my attention to him. “Smart move, picking someone inexperienced. Less chance she’ll be disappointed at how small your cock is.”