Chapter 17: Stupid Prankster Prince!

Daemus didn’t hesitate.

He tilted his head, his nose brushing against the sensitive skin just beneath her jawline. Blair squeezed her eyes shut, her hands balling into fists at her sides, bracing herself for the agony of being bitten.

When his teeth finally sank into her flesh, she gasped, but it wasn’t from pain.

There was a sharp, stinging pinch, but it was immediately swallowed by an intense, dizzying rush of heat. His mouth clamped down, his lips sealing over the puncture marks as he sucked hard against her pulse point.

It felt like a jolt of pure electricity shooting straight down her spine, pooling hot and heavy in her lower stomach.

His large hands, which had been gripping her hips, began to move. Daemus caressed her hips slowly and gently, his thumbs tracing soothing, rhythmic circles against her sides through the jersey.

A quiet, breathy moan slipped involuntarily from Blair’s lips.

Her knees instantly turned to jelly. If Daemus hadn’t been holding her flush against his solid frame, she would have collapsed onto the carpet right then and there. The sound of her own moan echoed in her ears, sending a fresh wave of mortification crashing through her, but she was too weak to pull away.

He pulled back slowly, then his warm tongue dragged over the fresh mark, soothing the stinging skin.

The sensation sent a violent shiver through Blair’s entire body. Her breath hitched in a pathetic squeak.

And then, a horrifying realization hit her with the force of a freight train.

She was soaking wet.

And worse...infinitely worse...she was wearing nothing underneath the hockey jersey.

He’s a wolf, her brain screamed in panicked, neon letters. He has the nose of a bloodhound! He knows!

Blair wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole for what seemed like the 100th time in 24 hours. She couldn’t look at him. Her face burned so hot she was sure she was radiating steam. She kept her gaze firmly glued to the center of his chest, mortified beyond belief.

Daemus let out a low chuckle. He gently patted the top of her head like she was a flustered, skittish pet.

"Don’t be embarrassed," Daemus said, his voice laced with an infuriating amount of smugness. "It’s just biology, Bunny. A completely normal reaction to being marked by an alpha."

"I’m not a wolf," Blair argued quietly to his pectoral muscle, refusing to meet his eyes. "I’m a human. You keep forgetting that."

Daemus paused. He dropped his hand from her head, his dark eyes studying the bright red flush of her cheeks and the stubborn set of her jaw.

"A pretty human," Daemus muttered under his breath, almost to himself.

"What?" Blair asked, finally risking a glance up at his face.

"Nothing," Daemus deflected smoothly, the teasing smirk returning to his lips. He took a step back, breaking the tension in the room. "Alright. Your turn."

Blair blinked. "My turn for what?"

"To mark me," Daemus stated, gesturing to his own neck. "If we’re going to sell this to my ex-girlfriend and the rest of the academy, the scent and the marks have to go both ways. You can bite me anywhere you want."

Blair’s eyes widened in horror. Bite him?

She looked at his arms. They were corded with thick, bulging muscles that looked harder than steel cables. She was pretty sure if she tried to bite his bicep, she would shatter her jaw, and he wouldn’t even notice. He could probably walk through a brick wall without flinching.

"O-Okay," Blair stuttered, stepping forward.

Daemus casually sat down on the edge of the mattress, offering her his neck.

Blair awkwardly leaned in. She opened her mouth, hovering over the thick, corded column of his throat. She closed her eyes and bit down as hard as she could.

It was like trying to chew on a marble countertop.

"Ow!" Blair mumbled against his skin, her teeth aching instantly.

She gnawed awkwardly at his neck, trying to find an angle, any angle, that would leave even a slight indentation. Daemus didn’t even flinch. He just sat there, his hands resting on his knees, staring casually at the blank wall across the room with a look of supreme amusement.

He let her struggle for a painfully long, humiliating time.

Finally, Daemus couldn’t hold it in anymore. His chest started to shake, and he burst into deep, booming laughter.

Blair pulled back, rubbing her sore jaw, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"You can stop," Daemus laughed, wiping a tear of mirth from the corner of his eye. "I was joking. Humans don’t have the jaw strength to leave a mating mark on a beastman."

Blair stared at him. The embarrassment morphed instantly into a blinding, fiery rage.

"I officially hate you," Blair declared, crossing her arms over her chest. "I hate you, and I hate this entire school."

"You’re very cute when you’re angry," Daemus chuckled, finally standing up from the bed.

His playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a sudden seriousness that reminded Blair exactly who he was. He walked over to his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a paper and a silver pen.

"I’m sure my ex has already told my parents about my "affair", and an envoy is on their way now as we speak," Daemus said, turning back to her. "For this to work, we need to get our story straight right now."

He walked back over, handing her the pen and paper.

Blair cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders. If she had to play a dangerous game with a beastman royal to survive, she was going to do it by the book.

"We have to set the terms and conditions of our mating contract," Daemus stated, his dark eyes locking onto hers.

"Fake mating contract," Blair corrected sharply.

She took a textbook off his nightstand. She pressed the paper against it and wrote FAKE MATING CONTRACT in huge, bold letters across the top of the page.