Chapter 31
Thirty-One
Enzo
Blair carried her bag as she followed me outside and across the courtyard. The pinks and reds of the setting sun burned into the sky around us.
My jaw hurt from clenching it harder with every step.
I was breaking every rule I’d ever set for myself.
I’d kissed her. I was spending my free time with her. Hell, I was spending all my time thinking about her.
When I first saw Blair, she was alone and unprotected. I viewed that as a weakness.
But now? The thought of anyone else standing beside her created dark thoughts in my head. Because if someone was going to be by her side, it was going to be me.
Even in my first year, when having a Fawn felt like owning a shiny toy, I’d never become attached like this.
Truth was, deep down, I hadn’t even liked those Fawns. They’d been nothing more than a convenience.
Blair was supposed to mean nothing to me, like them. Yet here I was, making sure she slept and taking her out in public with me.
I led her past the greenhouse and toward the edge of the woods.
The farther we walked from campus, the quieter everything got. When the small cemetery came into view, that same lost look was on Blair’s face.
While I’d managed to be a bit more patient with Blair, the girl was still so damn slow. I reached back, caught her hand, and tugged her forward beside me.
When she fell in step next to me, I should’ve dropped her hand, but I kept them interlaced as we walked between tall headstones, their polished surfaces just as meticulously cared for as the tunnels below us. Saint Vale’s greatest contributors were buried there.
Gravel crunched below our feet, and we didn’t stop until we reached the hidden garden. A small gate stood between two narrow stone columns at the entrance.
Saint Vale’s crest was carved into each one with Hortus Electae beneath it.
The Garden of the Chosen One.
I pushed the gate open, and we entered the garden, where a building sat at its center.
Blair’s innocence showed as she slowly turned in a circle, taking in the garden in awe.
I had to admit, the place was nice.
It was secluded from campus, and the most peaceful spot at Saint Vale. Small fountains bubbled between winding stone paths, iron benches, and flowers that stayed colorful all year-round.
We followed the path into the thick of the garden, passing a pair of doe statues standing watch along the walkway before we reached the First Benefactors Building.
According to Saint Vale’s history, the First Benefactors Building was the first structure on campus, where the original four families had once lived.
Now, they claimed it served as a place to preserve the university’s history and was always locked because that was a lie.
Only the Current Sons, Elders, and Fawns had access to this building.
The Elders and Current Sons’ entrance sat on one side. It connected to the underground parking lot. The Fawns’ entrance was on the opposite end, the one facing the gardens.
Blair kept opening her mouth like she wanted to ask me something, but the question never came. Her hand squeezed mine when we neared a door.
I gave it a squeeze back, then let go and reached into my pocket to pull out her access card.
Back when there was no technology, they used skeleton keys, but we’ve progressed beyond that, thank God. Now, everyone had their own access cards.
“Here.” I handed her the card. “This is yours. Don’t lose it.”
The same broken halo symbol etched on mine was stamped on hers.
She nervously took one last glance around the garden before looking at the door. “What is this building?”
“This is where you’ll enter your Fawn Quarters.”
I motioned for her to scan her card and go first when the door opened.
A steel staircase was the first thing you saw when walking in. Blair took a second to pull in a breath before following me down into the Fawn Quarters.
The space was large and had everything they needed, including a movie theater, gym, kitchen, library, and storage area.
“There are no other Fawns?” Blair asked me.
“One,” I told her. “But she never hangs out here. Her Son likes to keep her to himself.”
I didn’t know if Nico had even bothered showing his Fawn her quarters. Most of the time, he fucked her and then sent her on her way.
No other Son had selected a Fawn.
According to the Elders, we were in a Fawn shortage, and they were pissed about it. That was probably why they kept insisting our generation of Sons was out of control.
But I couldn’t blame the other Sons. Sometimes, having a Fawn felt like owning a pet, and not everyone wanted that responsibility.
These days, it was easier to get a blow job or quick fuck from a random girl here at the university. We didn’t have to swear them to secrecy and didn’t have to protect them or answer their questions.
After passing three doors, I stopped us at the one with a broken halo. It was the same room I’d taken her to after her final phase of the Initiation, when we gave her electrolytes and let her sleep.
Also the room where I’d tasted her pussy for the first time.
“If you’re ever in trouble, you come down here. It’s the safest place you could ever go,” I said.
The tunnels served as a form of protection against enemies. They were also so deep into the earth that they had served as bunkers during the Cold War.
We walked into her room, but since she’d already been in there, there was no need for a tour here.
“Why does everything look so virginal?” she asked, making a show of doing a twirl to emphasize the point that everything here was white.
White bedding, white walls, white furniture.
I shrugged. “It’s been that way for as long as I’ve been here. In the library are old journals donated by past Fawns during their time down here. Feel free to browse through them. Maybe you’ll learn some stuff.”
Most of the time, when other Fawns were down here, we expected them to talk to the newer Fawns. But Blair didn’t have anyone to learn from other than the limited information Daphne had.
Good thing I hadn’t let Brooks strangle her all the times he wanted to.
Blair was quiet as I gave her the rest of the tour, and as I started to turn toward the stairs to leave, I stopped.
To get where I wanted to take Blair, we’d have to walk back through the graveyard, woods, and greenhouse. That sounded like a pain in the ass.
So I decided to break the rules because I might as well make it a damn habit.
“Come on.” I led her to that secret door no Fawn was supposed to know about.
I scanned my card, and we walked into the tunnels.
“Pick up the pace,” I called over my shoulder as we entered the restricted corridor and cut a right. “I feel like I’m saying that more than necessary.”
She nearly tripped over herself as she walked faster. “Sorry, I don’t have daddy long legs,” she grumbled.
“Watch it,” I warned with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes, and I considered taking her against this wall to punish her for her little attitude.
Our next stop was the Devil’s Lair.
Blair needed to have some fun, release some of that tension, and I needed to speak with the guys while also keeping an eye on her.
An Evanescence song blared through the space, and I noticed a group of girls were in the corner.
Emeri and Brooks were seated at the bar, drinking.
I pushed Blair in the direction of the girls. “Go have fun.”
“Yay!” Daphne called out as Blair walked over to them. “My girl is here!”
Brooks swiveled around in his stool to face me. “Dude, what the fuck?”
I snatched his drink and smelled what was inside, twitching my nose at the strong scent of vodka. “I told you to lay off the liquor.”
He reached forward, attempting to grab it back, but I held it back out of his grasp. When he tried again, I gulped down the last sip and slid the glass across the bar.
Emeri only shook his head, taking a slow drink.
“You can’t bring her through the main tunnels.” Brooks propped one elbow on the bar and massaged his temples, as if my breaking the rules was his biggest stressor.
I glared at him. “You’re the last person who should be questioning me right now. It was easier going that way than through the Fawn Quarters. If someone has a problem with it, they can take it up with me. She won’t remember anyway.” I took the stool beside him.
Brooks snorted. “You’re getting stupid. Making stupid moves.”
“I’m making stupid moves? Keep talking shit, and I’ll make you take care of your own bodies when you’re being fucking stupid.”
“Both of you, chill out,” Emeri said before settling his stare on Brooks. “We’ve all done stupid shit. Let’s just enjoy the night because I’m sure we’ll be dealing with another problem soon.”
Nico strolled in, hands in the air, and interrupted our talk.
“Hey, bitches!” he yelled. “Party is fucking here!”
“See.” Emeri shook his head. “We have to deal with the fucking toddler Sons who’ve yet to mature.”
His patience for the younger generation was slim.
His patience for everything was slim.
“Sorry, Zo,” Brooks said. “It’s been a day.”
Brooks stood, scrubbing a hand over his face, and stretched across the bar to grab a seltzer water.
“The fuck is going on with you, man?” I asked him.
“I don’t know.” He popped the cap open. “My father’s reelection bid has been a fucking mess. He’s acting like a nightmare. The pressure is on me because if he loses this election, then my chance of becoming president is gone.”
I didn’t know why anyone would want to be president. I’d rather slit my wrists and jump into a shark tank.
But that was Brooks’s dream, and as his friend, I had to support that. Had to help make it happen.
“Don’t worry.” I patted his back a few times. “You’ll get the gig, even if I have to kill someone to make it happen.”
“Tonight, we’re playing beer pong,” Nico announced to the room, waving the girls over. “Havens, Daphne, and Fawn who isn’t supposed to be here, bring your pretty little asses over here!”