Chapter 90: A Bad Luck Charm

Blair felt like her entire body had been tossed into a volcano.

The word embarrassed didn’t even begin to cover the sheer, mortifying horror currently consuming her soul. Her face was burning so hot she was convinced it was glowing in the dim bedroom light.

"D-Do you never," Blair stuttered, desperately trying to deflect the attention away from her own disastrous imagination, "fantasize about any of your professors?"

Daemus offered a casual shrug. "No. They’re all too loud and aggressive for my taste." He leaned his head against the headboard, his silver eyes locking onto her flushed face. "I like shy, cute bunnies... like you."

An eruption of butterflies took flight in Blair’s stomach.

Unable to hold his intense gaze for another second, she quickly averted her eyes. She stared hard at her plate, nervously picking at the edges of her French toast with her fork.

"Why are you so okay with it?" Blair mumbled quietly to her breakfast. "My... fantasy."

Daemus smirked. He leaned forward just a fraction, offering her a playful wink. "Because I was in it too. Though, I had no idea you thought of me that way."

Blair squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to melt into a puddle and seep through the floorboards. "Can we please talk about anything else?" she begged, her voice squeaking slightly. "Literally anything."

Daemus let out a chuckle. "Fine."

Blair went back to chewing her food, but the fire in her cheeks refused to die down. Daemus began talking, his deep voice filling the quiet bedroom, but the words completely washed over her. She was trapped inside her own spiraling mind.

Oh, Professor, her brain cruelly replayed his breathy imitation.

Blair shrank into her shoulders. Did she really sound like that?! It was so embarrassing. She stared blankly at the syrup pooling on her plate. She’s smart enough. Surely, if she applied herself, she could figure out the physics required to build a working time machine. She could travel back, far back to the very beginning, and ensure she was never made in the first place.

"...you’re okay with that, right?"

Blair blinked, snapping out of her daydream.

She looked up at Daemus. He was watching her expectantly. Panic flared in her chest. She hadn’t heard a single word of whatever he had just proposed, but asking him to repeat himself felt incredibly rude, especially since it was her fault for zoning out while he was speaking.

"Ummm," Blair stalled, her brain scrambling.

She weighed her options. Whatever it was, how bad could it really be? After the rollercoaster of embarrassment she had experienced last night, she was fairly certain nothing Daemus wanted could possibly phase her anymore.

"Okay," Blair agreed hesitantly, internally praying to the heavens she hadn’t just agreed to anything weird.

Daemus let out a breath of relief, his tense shoulders dropping. Blair noticed that he relaxed a bit, but she didn’t read too much into it.

A knock suddenly rapped against the bedroom door.

"Are you both decent?" Clarice’s muffled voice called from the hallway.

"Yeah, Mom," Daemus answered, sitting up slightly.

The door swung open. Clarice stepped into the room, but the moment her silver eyes landed on the mess of clothes, gym bags, and hockey gear still littering the floor, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Daemus Krelin!" Clarice scolded, her hands planting firmly on her hips. "You aren’t packed yet?!"

Daemus winced slightly. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "I was busy making breakfast."

Blair froze, her fork hovering halfway to her mouth. She slowly lowered it, looking down at the eggs and golden French toast. He made this? A sudden, soft warmth bloomed in her chest.

Clarice let out a long, exhausted sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Blair, dear," she started, her tone softening instantly as she looked at the human on the bed. "Could you please help him pack?"

Blair nodded quickly. "Of course."

Clarice offered her a brief, tired smile of thanks before turning on her heel and closing the door behind her.

As soon as door closed, Blair set her fork down. She looked over at Daemus with concern.

"So, you’re really renouncing everything?" Blair asked quietly. She had been desperately hoping that his grand declaration at the dinner table was just words spoken in the heat of anger.

Daemus could see the deep guilt pooling in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking—that she was the wedge tearing his family apart.

"My father is a fucking asshole," Daemus told her bluntly, wanting to shift the blame to where it rightfully belonged. "He even kicked my mom out for protecting me."

Daemus thought the revelation would make her feel better, but it had the exact opposite effect.

Blair’s stomach plummeted into her shoes. Her appetite vanished. She stared at the silver tray, the delicious food suddenly looking like ash. She remembered how fondly and lovingly Clarice had spoken of her fated mate, how her eyes had sparkled with nostalgic warmth when she described the unbreakable bond. And now, Clarice was kicked out of her own home, separated from her husband.

It was all her fault.

A dark shadow fell over her thoughts. Nothing had changed. It didn’t matter where she went or who she got close to; bad luck was bound to follow her. She was a walking disaster. Problems followed her like a shadow, lives were ruined in her wake, and relationships fell apart just because she existed.

She pushed the tray away.

"I’ll go back to school," Blair announced, her voice flat and resolute. "I have responsibilities there."

Daemus frowned, opening his mouth to argue, but Blair didn’t let him.

"It’s been a long time," she continued, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist as she stared at the far wall. "But I still need to find Heather. Even if it’s only... even if I only find her body to deliver to her parents."

Daemus’s eyebrows shot up.

He blinked, remembering the favor he had cashed in for her.

"Heather is alive," Daemus told her.