She flinched at the answer.
When I sat down, she shoved herself as far away as the couch allowed. Unlike last night, I didn’t stop her.
“If you’re my Fawn, you’re protected from the outside world and everyone here,” I said. “Students. Professors. No one touches what’s mine.”
“Am I protectedfrom you?”
I ignored her question. “That protection comes at a cost. As my Fawn, you’re a reflection of me.Every move you make becomes mine. Your choices and mistakes are mine. It may sound scary, but trust me when I say, refusing will be worse for you.”
I didn’t waste my breath telling her how esteemed a Fawn’s position was. Some families would go to great lengths to have a Son select their daughter.
Being a Fawn opened up more doors than any degree or title could.
Her voice dropped low. “Why me, Enzo?”
I shrugged. “You caught my interest.”
She fiddled with her shirt button, looking everywhere but at me.
“You can refuse,” I stated, since it was required.
But I was lying to her.
I’d never let her refuse me. I’d break the Ask rule if I had to.
Her body curled forward as she grumbled, “You didn’t sound big on letting me refuse while attempting to drown me last night.”
I paused, debating whether to apologize to her before deciding against it.
Apologies didn’t exist to me. I couldn’t remember the last time the wordsI’m sorryhad left my lips. Probably never.
“You can refuse,” I repeated. “But refusal doesn’t mean that nothing will happen. Refusal means nothing protects you. Saint Vale—this world—can be a very dark place, Blair.”
“Thechoiceyou’re offering is no choice at all.”
If Blair tried to bow out now, I’d ruin her life.
I’d spread rumors about her, and then I’d make Arisono expel her. And the people she cared about? Well, accidents happened.
“And if I say yes, you won’t kill me?” she asked slowly.
I studied her for a long moment. “If you behave, I won’t kill you.” I twisted the ring around my finger. “We have rules. A Fawn cannot be killed without cause. And even then, not without process. Like I said, a claimed Fawn is protected.”
That was the truth, though I never listed the full costs of becoming a Fawn during Asks.
Fawns didn’t exist because we were lonely or desperate. They existed because a Son with nothing to lose became dangerous. Our Fawns and rank were always at stake, and losing either was worse than death.
Fawns were leashes crafted with care. Even if that care came wrapped in cruelty. We needed something visible, fragile, to remind us we didn’t have to be monsters every second of the day.
They were there to tame us. To slow the violence inside us.
A Son who spilled blood recklessly was easy to notice. A Son who knew restraint was far deadlier. That was what we needed.
And while Blair had said she didn’t want to be afucktoy, I’d be fucking her. Being a Fawn wasn’t sexual at its core. It was more strategic than anything.
I cracked my knuckles, locking my eyes on her, waiting until she finally looked at me. “And if anyone ever tries to hurt you, they’ll have to go through me first. Which means they won’t.” I stood, walked over to my nightstand, opened a drawer, and withdrew a necklace.
Her gaze softened as it tracked my every step back to her. My dick stirred again when I realized her body wasn’t as wound tight. Her pulse no longer fluttered beneath her skin.
