Chapter Five

The deliverymen moved in and out of his home as Azarel stood in the dining area, dumbfounded. They were heaving several heavy boxes inside and although the length of his dining table was full, they were still bringing more boxes in and leaving for more.

"Dawn," Azarel said. She was standing by the door, arms folded and a proud half-smile on her face. "What did you buy?"

"Well, you'll see soon enough."

"I thought I said not to spend too much," he said.

"Yeah, you did, didn't you?" Dawn said through a bright smile.

"Then what are all these? Who are they for?"

"They're for me, of course. But you're also welcome to use them, if you feel like it."

Azarel tore the seals from one box and pried the covers open. The objects stared at him and he shook his head before reaching out for the next box. Tearing it open, he emptied the contents onto the floor. More of it tumbled down and the deliverymen shot humorous glances at each other.

They were vibrators, dildos, condoms, furry handcuffs and sex toys of every kind.

He tore open the box that stood almost as tall as Dawn herself and a sex doll fell to the ground. He dropped his head towards the ground and covered his eyes, a heavy sigh ripping from him.

"That's all," one deliveryman said.

"Thanks, you hunks!" Dawn told him and closed the door.

"Exactly what do you need all these sex toys for, Dawn?" Azarel asked her honestly.

She erupted into laughter. "What? I've been all hot and bothered lately," she said.

His jaw clenched as he stared at her squarely. He did not want to do this but he needed to, if he was going to figure out how to handle her. He visualised a light surrounding her head and she returned his gaze evenly, not moving from where she stood. The light entered her skull, latching onto it and he was in.

Her memories were rife with dissatisfaction. She never fit in. So she did the only thing that made sense. She rebelled. Her life was full of setbacks after setbacks, and she had internalised the negative events as failures on her part. She was tough on the outside, but inside, she was as fragile as an eggshell. He searched for any hint of sexual abuse, but there was none. If anything, she absolutely abhorred being touched.

She was obviously doing this to mess with him, make his life harder.

"Look - " Azarel started just as the doorbell rang. He stepped forward to open the door.

It swung open to Dawn's therapist, here to pay a home visit.

❃❃❃

The therapist walked into the home and her head immediately snapped at the chaos everywhere. She stared between the sex doll and all the sex toys, her mouth wide open in shock.

"Oh," she said. "Wow."

"I'm sorry for the mess," Azarel said to her. "Please, come to the living area. We can sit on the couch."

"Sure," the therapist said, and soon all three of them were in the living area. She sat across from Dawn, who slumped down onto the couch with a defiant frown. Azarel pulled a chair adjacent to them and sat down on it. "I'm just here to observe Dawn's situation at home. Please, talk about anything."

"She's managing well," Azarel said. "I believe."

"That's good to hear," the therapist said.

"C'mon, don't just believe everything he says," Dawn said.

The therapist smiled warmly. "What do you mean by that?"

"I've been having a really hard time."

Azarel perked his ears. "Tell us more about that."

"Well, Azarel here, is my legal guardian, as you know."

The therapist nodded.

Dawn put on a sad face. "He's been asking me for so many difficult things lately. Things like how to make him happy, how to serve him, those kind of things. I can hardly stand anymore."

Azarel sighed loudly.

"You seem to walk just fine earlier," her therapist said.

Dawn paused for a while to wrack her brain. "Today is one of the better days. I've been having nightmares too. Nightmares of being turned into a sex slave. I despair of life," she said with dramatic hand gestures.

"Do you feel discontent about your current living condition?"

Dawn gawked at her. "You have a license? What the fuck do you think?"

"Are you telling me that your legal guardian is sexually harassing you, Dawn?"

"Yes!" Dawn said.

"That is a complete, utter lie," Azarel started. "She - "

"I'm scarred for life!" Dawn said loudly.

"What you're saying is very serious, Dawn," her therapist said and stood up. "Azarel, may I have a word with you outside?"

Azarel stared at the therapist in horror.

"Outside, now," she said.