Chapter 89: It’s Not a Crush!

The Ghoul Fish, the article read, noting that the lethal predators could come in all sorts of beautiful colors, including pink

Daemus frowned, tapping his chin. He remembered the very first time they had met. He had saved Blair from drowning in the swimming pool by his dorm house. If she were a fish, she would definitely know how to swim.

Another day, another dead end.

Daemus locked his phone and tossed it onto the nightstand. Maybe I should just give up, he thought, letting out a sigh.

Did it really matter what she was? Human or beast, it didn’t change the fact that she had thrown herself in front of a venomous snake to save his life. It didn’t change the way his heart raced whenever she smiled at him. His feelings for her wouldn’t change.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it, and she actually is a human, Daemus reasoned, running a hand through his messy blue hair. She smells human. She feels human. She sounds human. Hell, maybe she even tastes human. She just... doesn’t look human.

"Let it go, Daemus," he muttered to himself.

He picked his phone back up, his home screen flooded with notifications. He had over a hundred unread messages from his furious hockey coach, demanding to know where he was, and a few frantic texts from his teammates.

Tomorrow, Daemus told himself, swiping the notifications away. He would deal with the fallout tomorrow.

Right at the bottom of his screen, the single message he had actually been waiting for finally came through.

Fine, you can stay with me.

Daemus read the text, a wide, victorious grin spreading across his handsome face.

A quiet click echoed across the bedroom. Blair stepped out of the bathroom, dressed only in a fluffy white towel. Her dark hair was damp, water droplets trailing down her pale neck.

She looked over at the silver tray on the mattress. There was still a little bit of steam rising from the food. She let out a small sigh of relief. She had been desperately hoping to shower quickly before the breakfast got cold.

"I borrowed one of the toothbrushes that was still in the box in the cabinet," Blair told him.

Daemus was laying comfortably back against the pillows, his arms crossed behind his head as he unabashedly watched her every move. "Okay," he hummed softly.

Blair moved over to the dresser, picking up the folded clothes he had laid out for her. It was a cozy sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants he had stolen from his sister. Blair quickly dropped the towel and pulled them on.

The clothes fit a bit small, hugging her figure tighter than she was used to. She crossed her arms over her chest, acutely missing the secure feeling of wearing her underwear. It certainly didn’t help that Daemus was staring so intently at her.

Daemus narrowed his eyes slightly, tilting his head. "There are other colors in your hair."

Blair froze. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

"It’s just the lights," Blair said quickly, immediately sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching for the fork. "The food looks really tasty!"

Eager to change the topic, Blair took a large bite of the French toast. Her eyes fluttered shut. It was absolutely delicious, the perfect mix of sweet and savory.

"When are we going back to school?" Blair asked, chewing happily.

Daemus watched her eat, a fond expression on his face. "The plan was to go back whenever you were fully healed. But you look fine."

"I heal quickly," Blair said quietly, keeping her eyes glued to her plate as she quickly formulated her next lie. "It’s because I was baptized as a baby."

It was a religious practice that was virtually unheard of nowadays, leaving very little room for anyone to challenge her on the specifics.

Daemus hummed, nodding his head slowly as he accepted the bizarre explanation. She has an answer for everything, he thought to himself.

"We have a bunch of assignments to catch up on," Daemus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And we’re going to have to do all the exams we missed in one week."

Blair perked up instantly. She looked ready—excited, even—to get back to studying. It was a bright, eager emotion Daemus rarely saw on her face.

Daemus, on the other hand, was dreading the entire academic ordeal. "It didn’t really matter to me before," he admitted, letting out a heavy breath. "But now I need to maintain good grades so I can apply for a sports scholarship."

He looked at her, his expression turning slightly hopeful. "Are you still going to tutor me?"

Blair offered him a warm, genuine smile. "Yes, of course."

The tension from the previous night completely faded away as they fell into an easy, casual conversation over breakfast. Blair found herself relaxing, even letting out a light chuckle at a few of his terrible jokes.

"But you know," Daemus said suddenly, his tone dropping casually as he picked at a loose thread on the duvet. "I had no idea you had a crush on Professor Feron."

Blair choked.

She slapped a hand over her mouth, coughing violently as the bite of French toast went straight down the wrong pipe. She scrambled for her glass of orange juice, taking a desperate gulp to clear her airway.

Her face was already burning a brilliant shade of red.

"W-What are you talking about?" Blair sputtered, her voice pitching up an octave in panic.

Daemus leaned back against the pillows, a wicked smirk spreading across his face. He dropped a hand to rest right between his thighs and dramatically tilted his head back.

"Oh, Professor," Daemus mimicked, pitching his deep voice into a high, breathy, desperate moan. "Oh yeah... harder. Harder."

Blair felt her soul detach from her body.

So, all that wasn’t in my head?! she realized in horror. She wanted to die right on the spot. She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. How could she have been so careless?!!! And STUPID?!!!

Daemus dropped the impression. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his silver eyes locking onto her mortified face.

"So, what’s the deal?" Daemus asked.

"I don’t have a crush on him!" Blair blurted out frantically, shaking her head so fast she felt dizzy.

Daemus raised an eyebrow, silently urging her to go on.

Blair opened her mouth, but her brain had flatlined. She was at a loss for words, gesturing vaguely with her hands as she desperately tried to string together a coherent defense.

Daemus watched her struggle for a moment, the amused glint shining bright in his eyes.

"Just sex fantasies, then?" he asked.