Chapter 51: Looking Through Mudded Glass

Blair’s lips parted, but no words came out. She closed her mouth, her gaze darting away from his piercing red eyes to stare fixedly at the collar of his crisp button-down shirt.

A brilliant, burning flush crept up her neck and settled high on her cheeks.

"S-Sexual relations between teachers and students are forbidden," Blair finally stuttered out, her voice a breathless whisper. "It’s in the rulebook."

Jack let out a low, dark chuckle. The sound vibrated in his chest, sending a fresh wave of panic straight to Blair’s core.

"And why," Jack asked smoothly, tilting his head slightly, "do you assume I would want your body for sex?"

Blair’s eyes snapped up to his face.

"There is a lot more the human body can offer," Jack murmured, his red eyes dropping to trace the line of her throat for a fleeting second, "than a pleasurable hole."

Blair’s face turned from a flush to a violent crimson at his crude wording. But beneath the profound embarrassment, a terrifying chill gripped her stomach. If he didn’t want sex, what did he want? The absolute certainty in his voice made her infinitely more concerned about his true intentions.

"Furthermore," Jack added, a devilish smirk playing on his lips, "if I truly desired to bed you, Miss Willows, do you honestly believe a trivial university rule would stop me?"

Blair swallowed the dry lump in her throat. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

It made her wonder. Had he been with students before? It wasn’t a secret that more than half the senior beastwomen in his upper-level electives had massive crushes on him. She had always found Professor Feron incredibly strict, arrogant, and terrifying. But right now, standing inches away from him, trapped by the sheer gravitational pull of his presence, he was mostly none of those things.

He was just...

His sharp jawline, the dark intelligence in his eyes, the scent of espresso and smoke—he was truly, objectively attractive. The realization made her heart race faster. It wasn’t that she had a crush on him. Absolutely not. She was just stating a fact. It was an observation.

Jack narrowed his eyes. The smirk vanished from his face, replaced by a look of sharp, calculated scrutiny.

"What are you thinking," Jack asked quietly, his gaze burning into hers, "when you look at me like that?"

Blair jumped slightly, her back pressing harder against the doors. "Like... like what?"

Jack only stared at her for a long, tense moment. He analyzed her wide eyes and her flushed cheeks, searching for the answer she refused to give.

"I find all humans to be entirely transparent," Jack said, his voice dropping an octave. "Their fears, their desires, their pathetic ambitions... they are easy to read. But you..."

He stepped back, breaking the suffocating proximity.

"You are like mudded glass," Jack finished, crossing his arms over his chest.

Blair let out a shaky exhale as he gave her room to breathe.

"I do not have all night," Jack stated coldly. "Here is the toll for my services. I will escort you back to your dormitory tonight, and every other night you require safe passage through the dark."

He raised a single finger.

"Option one," Jack offered. "I will be your escort if you honestly answer one question of mine."

Blair gulped. She nervously brought her hand up, biting at the edge of her thumbnail.

One question. It sounded so simple. But how could answering one single question give her so much? What would he ask her? Did he find out something about her?

The thought of being found out made a cold sweat break out across the back of her neck. She had hidden herself so well. But if he asked a direct question... how would he know she was lying? Did he have some sort of supernatural talent for detecting falsehoods? Crows were known for their intellect; maybe he could just tell. And what would happen if she lied to him and he caught her?

"Option two," Jack continued, his tone devoid of emotion. "Each night you wish for me to play your escort, you will offer me your body for one hour."

Blair’s stomach plummeted to her shoes.

An hour. That was a long time. It seemed like an incredibly high price to pay, especially since it was entirely risk-based. She had no idea what he actually planned to do to her. He had explicitly ruled out sex, which left very few pleasant alternatives.

Her mind raced, flashing back to something he had said before. Crows enjoy tormenting their prey. Blair looked at his stoic, unreadable face. He absolutely looked like the type to enjoy torturing people for amusement. An hour of physical agony...

She dropped her hand from her mouth. Both options were terrible. Should she just reject the deal entirely and take her chances with the eyeless monsters in the woods?

Jack turned away from her, walking toward the center of the armory.

"The offer is expiring, Miss Willows," Jack warned over his shoulder.

Blair’s heart hammered in her throat. She looked out the small window of the door into the pitch-black, foggy night. The memory of the monsters gorging themselves in the shadows flashed through her mind. She couldn’t go out there alone. She needed a bodyguard.

She weighed the options. Physical pain versus the risk of exposure. She was fairly certain her disguise was solid, but she definitely could not risk him asking a question about her appearance. There was no way to know if he had a lie-detection talent. And even worse, he never seemed to trust a single word she said anyway. The "truth" of her answer would be entirely dependent on whether or not he believed it. She could tell him the truth, and he could still dismiss it as a lie and punish her for it.

The torture sounded horrific, but the risk of the question was also simply too high.

She couldn’t exactly make up her mind, but she had to.