Chapter 48: If You Look Closer

Daemus turned around toward the tunnel, but stopped. His brows furrowed. Slowly, he turned back to face the stands, his silver eyes scanning the massive crowd one last time.

There she was.

Blair was sitting in the regular seating, her gray hoodie pulled up over her head. She was squished between two loudly chatting beastmen, staring intently at her own shoes as she desperately tried to make herself as small as possible.

The heavy weight sitting on Daemus’s chest lifted instantly.

He walked into the stands. Several beastmen noticed him immediately, reaching out to pat his shoulder or shout questions about the brutal loss, but Daemus ignored them.

A small smirk formed on his lips as he reached her row. He stooped down right in front of her, casting a shadow that finally drew her gaze up from the floor.

A blush dusted Blair’s cheeks the second she met his smiling face.

"Daemus," she breathed out in quiet surprise.

For a fleeting moment, as they looked at each other, the roaring arena faded away. It felt like they were the only two people in the entire stadium.

But the bubble didn’t last long. The curious chatter of the crowd started creeping in. Who is that? Who is he talking to? Daemus’s broad back blocked her from the view of the ice, and the gray hood hid most of her face from the surrounding spectators, but the attention was palpable.

Blair thought back to his erratic, lifeless performance on the ice. She could tell he was in a bad mood and distracted during the game, but she quickly bit her tongue. It’s none of my business, she told herself. I cannot ask him.

Daemus noticed her conflicted expression. "What’s on your mind?"

Blair nervously bit her bottom lip.

Daemus’s gaze dropped instantly, tracking the movement of her teeth against her lip. Before she could figure out how to phrase a question, he cut her off.

"We probably shouldn’t talk here," Daemus said, his voice low.

Blair could feel the weight of hundreds of eyes and ears on them.

Daemus leaned in closer, his breath fanning across her cheek as he whispered, "My mom and sister are here."

"Oh," Blair murmured.

She had to sell this.

Daemus knew he would have to quietly convince her to act like his mate in front of the crowd. But to his surprise, Blair leaned in, closing the gap between them, and softly kissed him on the lips.

Her face was burning red. She reached a hand up, doing her best to keep her fingers from trembling as she gently caressed his dark, damp hair.

"I’m sorry your team lost," Blair whispered against his mouth.

A slight blush actually colored the Wolf Prince’s cheeks.

Without a word, Daemus took her hand in his and led her out of the stands. Blair kept her head ducked low, her gaze firmly on the floor as he pulled her away from the prying eyes and down into the privacy of the player’s tunnel.

Once they were safely in the corridor, Blair gently tugged at his hand. Daemus stopped, looking back at her.

"I have to get back to detention," Blair told him anxiously. "I’ve been gone for a long time on a ’bathroom break’."

Daemus blinked. He had completely forgotten about her detention. "You snuck out of Feron’s detention to see my game?"

Blair averted her gaze, staring at the floor. "Sort of. He had another professor fill in for him. And, well, actually... I didn’t even know you had a game tonight."

Daemus’s eyes widened. His mind raced backward. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He had never actually told her about the match.

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "My bad. I thought I told you."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and began walking with her toward a side exit to avoid the main crowds.

"What about your mom and sister?" Blair asked, hurrying to keep up with his long strides.

"They can meet you another time," Daemus said casually. "I don’t really want to deal with them right now."

Blair frowned. "Shouldn’t you be with your team? As their captain?"

Daemus let out a sigh, the smile slipping from his face. "They’re all pretty pissed at me right now. It’s best I stay away for now."

"But what about—" Blair started.

"I want to walk you back to your detention," Daemus cut her off, looking down at her with a soft expression. "Can I do that, please?"

Blair swallowed the rest of her questions. She could only nod.

Daemus pushed the exit door open, letting the cool night air wash over them. "After you."

They walked along the cobblestone path in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the campus quiet under the starlight.

"I know it’s none of my business," Daemus finally said, his voice tight. "Nothing in our agreement says you can’t be with other beastmen. But why were you with Jackson?"

Blair furrowed her brows in deep confusion. She looked up at him. "I wasn’t. Unless that professor who substituted for Professor Feron is named Jackson. But the professor is a beastwoman, so I don’t think that’s her name."

Daemus stopped walking.

"I’m sorry," he apologized, a sheepish look crossing his face. He rubbed the back of his neck again. "I was a bit upset because I believed you were messing around with Jason after you agreed to be at my games."

Blair stared at him. Jackson and Jason? Huh? Who?

They resumed their walk, the atmosphere between them significantly lighter. As they approached the East Wing, Blair finally gathered the guts to speak what had been on her mind since the arena.

"You looked distracted out there," she commented quietly.

Daemus tilted his head back, looking up into the starry sky. "Yeah. I was."

He stopped and looked down at her, his silver eyes incredibly intense in the moonlight. "I kept looking to see you in the stands. I kept thinking about another beastman touching you."

Blair’s face turned a bright shade of crimson. She took a step forward, somehow forgot how to walk, and stumbled over her own legs.

Daemus easily caught her by the waist before she hit the cobblestones.

But he didn’t let go.

Blair looked up at him, her hands resting against his chest. Her heart was racing a mile a minute.

Daemus leaned in closer, his gaze dropping to her lips once more. "I like—"

Ahem.

Someone cleared their throat very loudly from the shadows of the armory doors.