Page 41 of Fixation of the Mind

No matter how wrong or manipulative all of this was, the facts remained. She was here, by our side, and we were never letting her go.

Right now, she had the illusion of choice, but in the end, that was all it was. Our relationship had never been a choice. There was just a timeline of how long it would take for her to accept us. The second she stepped inside of this home, her future was written into the universe, forever chaining her to us.

Being the one that watched her, I had thought I knew everything about her, but I was finding that there was a whole world of Rin behind closed doors that I didn't know about. She was surprisingly studious and a quick learner, always pushing herself to understand something completely before moving on to the next thing. I could show her how to do something only once, and she was able to completely pick it up or understand the concept. She also had small quirks that gave me more insight into her mind than she realized.

Like when she was frustrated, she would flip the pages like it was its fault, mumbling curses to herself as if the world couldn't hear her. If she was in deep concentration, she would tuck her hair behind her ear. Her left foot would bounce when she found the information exciting. The list went on and on because she had so many of these small nuances that it was hard for me to pay attention to anything else.

It took all my effort to try to make it seem like I wasn't watching her, so when she’d complained about me not being affected by her, I almost threw everything in the air in frustration. On the bright side, I was a man who always took advantage of an opportunity.

Licking my lips, I took a moment to savor the memory of her on the bathroom counter, back bent, her head balanced on the mirror. Those gasps for air as she lost herself in pleasure and screamed her unhinged release. Me watching the screen like the world didn't exist, one hand on the vibrator’s remote while the other jerked myself until I came in her panties. I’d timed it perfectly, so we fell over that cliff together.

I was already getting hard just from thinking about it. What would she be like when she had all of our attention at once? Would she tremble in my arms? Would she be so pleasure ridden that she couldn't think, couldn't speak, only making carnal noises at our touch?

Also, that scar on her back… I didn't want to ask her at the moment, but I wanted to know who had hurt my perfect woman. Who had dared to touch her like that? My blood burned when my eyes saw the length, not because she was any less with the scar, but due to my deep-seated need to harm its creator. Since she always chose to hide it, it must be a sore subject for her even though it only made me think she was so much stronger than she appeared. Until the moment was right, I wouldn’t mention it.

The ringing of my phone interrupted my fantasies. I snatched it up, gripping the phone so hard it groaned, wishing to eviscerate whoever had interrupted my thoughts of her. When my uncle's number flashed across the screen, all happiness fled, leaving behind only my clenching stomach.

When Roux told Ravi and me about his visit at the gym, I almost hit the wall. I had wanted to take my anger out on my brother, but I knew it wasn't really his fault. He had done the right thing, because if he didn’t do it, my uncle would’ve stepped in and done much, much worse. That was the main reason I kept Rin in the house while we trained.

Knowing he was probably going to complain about just that, I took a deep breath and answered. “Uncle.”

“How is the Rose bitch’s progress? Since you kept her in a little hole this time, I wasn't able to make sure she was really grasping what was needed.” His bored tone was a mask, one he used to lull people into a false sense of ease while he waited for the right time to strike.

“She is progressing quickly. Her natural instincts are exactly what Foedus likes to see.” I kept my voice monotone and emotionless, not giving him too much information, but just enough.

“Good. The council will like that.” His tone changed from bored to amused, and that made my blood ice over. “They have been talking about the girl nonstop. We all agree that she would be very young for the role of head of the family, and we will need to take our time coaching her on how to fulfill that role. I told them why bother when it was only one woman.”

A cruel laugh spilled from his lips. “That's why I suggested that no matter the test results, she needed to be a breeding vessel for the Rose family. She should be kept just conscious enough to produce heirs.” I blinked, and my vision turned red. My limbs shook and muscles strained as images of tearing my uncle apart with my bare hands took over.

He clucked his tongue like he could see me even though I knew he couldn't. “But alas, I was outvoted.” Like a switch had been flipped, he yelled into the phone, “Fucking Maria! I swear, if that damn self-righteous cunt wasn't so closely guarded by that whole fucking horde of breeders, I would’ve taken care of her long ago!”

“Fucking bitch,” he spat, and I closed my eyes, wishing that this conversation would end quickly. Not only was my uncle an aristocratic elitist, but behind closed doors, his unintelligence ran as high as his vocabulary was lacking. His attitude was despicable, but correcting him only caused more problems than it was worth. Let him be the ignorant fool he was.

“You would think the three of you, with your filthy commoner blood, would figure out a dirty way to get rid of the Riccis, but it seems your minds have been preoccupied with that pretty, little, fuckable Rose girl.”

It was bait, I could see it from a mile away, but the darkness inside of me, the obsessive monster, roared. I bit the side of my cheek so hard a coppery taste filled my mouth, but I replied back to him as if nothing were wrong.

“No. When they offered that challenge, using the girl, we took out many of their operatives, cracked their code, and wreaked havoc and destruction on their main safe house. I would say that we struck a significant blow to their stronghold.” Grabbing a napkin, I wiped the side of my mouth. A deep red stained the paper, and I knew I was going to need another one.

“True. True. You boys have always proven to be useful in one way or another.” His voice turned back into that bored narrative. “So, tell me about the final stage of training. What are you preparing?”

So that's what he really wants to talk about.

“Ravi is coming up with his own version of a test, but since this is the part most tailored to the individual, it's hard to predict what she’ll be facing.”

I was the one that had taken the test for the three of us, and the last portion of my assessment was mental torture. I’d had to show my ability to withstand all the people I loved being killed in front of me. Initially, I fought it, trying not to have my brothers show up in my mind, but eventually they did. Even Rin had shown up, the last person to appear before me, and I almost broke down, almost fell apart when I saw her death. I was tempted to take my own life, but when I chose to avenge my lost loved ones instead, the world around me disappeared. My eyes opened, and I realized I was still hooked up to the machine.

Maria was the first one I saw after the test, telling me that I had passed. I waited for hours, days, months for her to bring up the matter of my brothers, but neither she, nor any of the rest of them, ever said anything. That was when I realized that the council didn’t see what the test-taker saw, and that was our saving grace.

I later learned how the whole thing was done. The test-taker was put to sleep before being hooked up to an AI machine. The technology worked with the test-taker’s subconscious to immerse them in a specific scenario that was connected to their real lives. The test-taker could think they were in a place they had been to in their past or present, speaking to people they knew. The council would set some kind of objective for the test-taker, coding what they wanted to be tested at the three stages, and the program determined the personal scenario to test the objective. If you pass an objective you go to the next one, until you pass all three. If you fail any of them along the way, the test stops immediately, and the council meets to decide your fate and how you will serve Foedus in the future.

My uncle’s pleasantly voice brought me back to the conversation. “Yes. Yes. Yes. I know, but… I want to ensure that you boys aren’t being too soft on the girl. Just because she has a pussy you can fuck doesn’t mean she gets to escape proper instruction.” He paused and I knew whatever came next was not going to be good. “Do you remember how I trained you three?”

My whole body lurched forward, my insides curling up on themselves as I worked to unclench my jaw to answer. “Yes.”

“Well, tell Ravi her training will need to be something like that, and it must be done in a place where I'm able to make sure the job gets done properly. If it's not done how I like, then I will be cutting something off that pretty little thing to get my point across.”

The voice in my head roared at me, my heart thrashing against my chest. Everything in my being was telling me to threaten him, hurt him, kill him. He was never to be left alone with Rin, let alone be close enough to harm her. At that moment, I was thankful that we were only on the phone and not in person. I didn’t think I could’ve hid these raging emotions so well in person.

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