Chapter 32
Thirty-Two
Blair
Whenever Enzo dragged me somewhere, I felt like I was entering a new world.
Saint Vale existed in its own orbit.
I’d never seen anything like it.
And this was coming from a girl who had grown up in a religious sect that alienated its members from the real world. There were so many new things I experienced after my freedom.
None of them made me feel as alive as this university.
None of them gave me friends.
None of them gave me a sense of belonging.
Even if it was batshit crazy.
But I had been born and raised among madness. It was only fitting that it was where I fit in the best.
I supposed that was the hype around the place.
Why the rich and elite shipped their spawn here.
I stood beside Daphne, the blaring music making it hard for me to think as I took in everything that I could inside the Devil’s Lair. What I’d established now was that this was the hangout for Saint Vale’s most powerful.
While the real world had its divisions, so did the university.
And this right here? This was where only the select lucky few could come. And somehow, I’d found myself in the midst of it all.
Neither of my first two experiences down here had been pleasant. One of them was when Enzo shoved a knife between my fingers repeatedly, and the other when he held a gun to my head.
Fingers crossed tonight, there were no weapons near me.
When my gaze landed on Enzo, it stopped. He, Brooks, and another guy were speaking at the bar. Things looked heated between Enzo and Brooks, and I wished I could inch closer and listen to their conversation.
After a few minutes, Brooks stormed out, leaving the same way Enzo and I had come through.
That seemed to be a pattern with Brooks.
No wonder Daphne hated him.
My attention slid from Enzo to the guy who’d referred to me as Fawn who isn’t supposed to be here. He and another guy carried a long table from a closet and began setting it up.
“Who are they?” I asked Daphne.
“Emeri is with Enzo at the bar,” she said before pointing toward the guys setting up the table. “That’s Nico and Cassian. They’re Enzo’s nephews. Both are also Night Sons.”
I recognized Emeri as the guy who’d sat at the table, playing with the Zippo lighter, the last time I was here.
I’d seen Cassian on campus once before. He was taller than the other guys, which had made him stand out when I noticed him walking down the stairs near the vestibule. His thick brown hair was messy, pushed up into different directions.
Nico reminded me of a younger version of Enzo. Also a geekier version. His hair was lighter, longer, and he wore thick, black-rimmed glasses.
“Do they have Fawns yet?” I thought back to how Enzo had said one of them did.
“I think Nico does, but he’s all hush-hush about it, and I’m pretty sure he keeps her chained in a closet somewhere.”
She laughed at the horrified expression I gave her.
“Kidding. Nico is probably the most chill out of the Night Sons right now.” She gestured to them. “As you can clearly see. Other than that, I don’t know of any other Fawns, but I’m not exactly in on the intel.” She smiled. “I just know enough to be dangerous.”
I kept my eyes on Nico and Cassian as they dragged out a case of beer and dropped it onto the table. “What are they doing?”
“Girl, it’s beer pong,” she replied.
“Is beer pong a normal thing for them?”
In my head, I pictured them as always being creepy masked men who didn’t do normal things.
“It’s usually when the younger Sons come in, like Nico. The older ones act all disgruntled and pissed off at the world half the time. Letting loose a little is good for them.”
“Pissed off at the world … sounds like Enzo.”
At the mention of him, my gaze returned to the bar.
He was now staring at me, his back resting against the bar and his arms spread along each side of it. As his eyes burned into mine, I swallowed hard, hurriedly looking away.
“All right, ladies, get your asses over here,” Nico said again, popping open cans of beers.
Cassian arranged the cups as if they were pool balls going in a rack.
Nico turned on his heel to point at Emeri and Enzo. “You two fuckers.” He moonwalked while beckoning them over with his hand.
Emeri pushed away from the bar. “I’m passing this time, Nic.”
“Your loss,” Nico replied with a half shrug before pouring beer into the cups.
Half of the liquid splashed onto the table instead of its destination.
Cassian moved to the opposite end of the table while Nico popped open another beer can. Beer fizzed onto the floor as he filled more cups.
When he was finished with his side, Nico walked behind the bar, grabbed a bottle of champagne, and popped the cork before heading to the empty cups.
“Because you ladies always bitch about beer”—he poured the champagne into the cups—“I have something else for you.”
“Good boy.” Adelina tossed her phone to the side and stood. “At least one of you knows how to treat us well down here.”
Nico fake bowed and winked at her.
“All right, everyone needs to release some stress tonight,” Nico said as if he were an announcer speaking through a microphone.
He came over, handing a ball to Daphne, and looked at me. “You ever played?”
I shook my head.
He plunged two fingers in his mouth, whistling loud to get the guys’ attention at the bar. “Enzo, get your ass over here and show this girl how to play. You brought her, which means you’re responsible for her.”
Enzo shook his head as he dragged himself away from the bar. His arms swung in the air as he walked our way. For some reason, the way he walked reminded me of all the dirty things I’d allowed him to do to me lately.
He scratched the back of his head, behind his ear, looking at me with that intense stare. “You’ve never played a simple game of beer pong, my Fawn?”
“I’ve heard of it,” I said, suddenly feeling like an outcast. “Just never played.”
I’d attended a few frat parties, but they grossed me out. Too many sweaty, bare-chested dudes, chest-bumping and bonging beers. It wasn’t my scene. At the few I had attended, I’d always end up leaving early.
“Then you know the rules?” he asked.
“Throw the ball and hope to make it in a cup?” I formed a giant, cheesy grin on my face.
“Make it into a cup on the opposite end of the table.”
“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes in fake annoyance.
“Don’t worry.” Daphne slid over to us. “I’ll be Blair’s partner.”
“I think the fuck not, blondie,” Nico said. “Enzo is her partner.”
“Nah.” Enzo snatched the ball from Nico, threw it in the air, and caught it. “Let the girls play. I’ll be the coach on the sidelines.” He tossed the ball across the table, and it landed in one of the beer cups.
“Jackass,” Nico said. “And you call yourself an uncle.” He snatched the cup and chugged down the beer.
I shuddered when Enzo stepped in closer to lower his mouth to my ear.
“Just gave you an advantage,” he said, his voice almost a low growl. “See the things I do for you?”
“Yes,” I said as if I were a breathless damsel. “Such a gentleman you are.”
His chuckle that rumbled through my ear made me squeeze my thighs together.
Daphne intertwined her fingers and popped them. “Come on, Blair. Stretch it out. We can’t let them beat us.”
Cassian stood at the end of the table, closing one eye, and lined his ball up with a cup. It landed in the cup in front of me.
Daphne immediately grabbed the cup and downed the champagne in one swig.
“All right, new Fawn, let’s see you prove yourself again,” Nico said.
“Prove yourself again.”
He saw my Initiation.
Asshole.
For that, I didn’t only want to hit his cup. I had another plan in mind.
I grabbed my ball, stood back as if I needed a special stance, and threw the ball. It didn’t hit the table.
It headed straight for Nico’s face.
I frowned when he caught it before it made contact.
“Nice try,” he said with no animosity in his tone.
If I’d tried that with, say, Enzo or Emeri, their reactions would’ve been different.
Nico stared me down before looking at Enzo. “Bro, teach your girl how to aim.”
I loved the amusement creeping onto Enzo’s face, even though he tried to hide it.
He lowered his tone, his eyes on Nico when he said, “Next time, aim lower, Blair.”
I couldn’t stop my lips from forming a wide grin.
Nico took his turn.
His ball landed in the cup in front of me. I grabbed the cup and gagged while drinking the champagne.
I just wasn’t an alcohol girlie.
Give me hot chocolate or lemonade any day.
Daphne took her next turn and sank the ball straight into a beer cup. Cassian winked before drinking.
When it was my turn, Enzo came up behind me.
Nico cupped his hand around his mouth. “Look at Coach Enzo, stepping into the game.”
I loved the way my back felt against his warm chest.
“Now,” he said, almost sounding flirtatious, “I can’t have my Fawn making me look bad, can I?”
Tingles swept up my spine when he ran his fingers down my arm before lifting my hand with the ball.
“You want a good stance like this.” He used his foot to spread mine farther apart and positioned me into a perfect stance.
But I wasn’t pulling away from him.
I liked his touch too much.
I forgot what I was even doing as I inhaled the smell of him.
“Pay attention, Blair,” he rasped. His face went into my neck. “Aim for the middle cup. You make that, and I’ll reward you with my tongue later. Win this entire game, and I’ll do it all night.”
I felt his lips smirk against my skin before he inched away to draw my hand back. His hand stayed on my wrist as I threw the ball. It flew through the air and landed straight in the cup Enzo had instructed me.
He laid a gentle kiss on my neck and smacked my ass. “Good girl.”
“Fucking cheaters.” Cassian grabbed the cup and drank the beer.
“Damn.” Adelina fanned herself from the side. “Am I watching a beer pong game or soft-core porn?”
Enzo gave my ass another playful slap before retreating to his sidelines. I frowned, wanting to beg him to come back and coach me again.
In fact, with how hot my blood was running, I’d be okay with him dragging me into one of those private rooms.
I didn’t know what this man did to me.
But one touch, and my body was ready to be claimed by him again.
I had to drink another champagne when Nico made a shot.
Each time it was my turn, Enzo hyped me up.
I loved seeing this side of him. Liked seeing him act so human. So normal.
We played two rounds.
Each of us won a game.
Daphne, thankfully, drank most of the cups. She claimed she was a champagne queen and had no issue getting drunk tonight.
Enzo’s phone ringing drew my attention away from the game. He pulled it out of his pocket, checked the screen, and put his hand to his ear while walking away to answer it.
I noticed the way his back went straight and the way his nostrils flared as he listened.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he roared.
His hand holding the phone started shaking.
“I’ll be right there,” he snapped into the speaker. “You’d better keep me updated.” He ended the call, looked up at the ceiling, and shouted, “Fuck!” before storming past us.
Without thinking, I took off after him.
“Anyone going to stop her?” Cassian said behind my back.
“She’s his Fawn,” Nico replied. “That’s what she’s there for.”
Enzo left through the same way that we had come in, and I struggled to chase him.
I had no idea where he was going.
Might’ve been straight to hell.
But I was his Fawn, and I could tell he needed me.