Chapter 94: Who Would Want a Cursed Girlfriend?

Blair could no longer sleep.

She lay still on the makeshift floor bed, staring blankly up into the darkness of the room. A few feet away, the rhythmic, even sound of Clarice’s breathing filled the silence. The older beastwoman had finally cried herself to sleep.

Blair needed some fresh air. The guilt pressing down on her chest was making the small room feel too cramped.

Carefully, she pushed the blankets aside. She climbed to her feet, her bare toes curling against the cold floorboards. She had no idea what time it was, but the rustic timber lodge was dead quiet. Every single step she took seemed to echo. The wooden floorboards creaked in protest beneath her weight, forcing her to wince and pause, trying to stay as quiet as possible as she slipped out the door.

She tiptoed through the dimly lit lobby. Through the large glass doors, she spotted an outdoor patio. She pushed the door open and stepped out into the freezing mountain air.

Blair walked over to a wooden bench and sat down. A shiver wracked her frame. She quickly rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms, realizing too late that she had forgotten to grab her sweater.

But she didn’t go back inside. Blair just sat there, staring out at the untouched, snow-covered ground... thinking.

How could she possibly make things right? She wasn’t oblivious to Daemus’s growing attachment to her. He had looked her dead in the eyes and said he liked her. A beastman... no, a royal beastman liked her.

Blair’s cheeks flushed a warm, brilliant pink in the freezing air. With a sigh, she lifted her hands and rubbed her face.

No, she firmly told herself. We can’t be together.

Why not? a small, rebellious voice in her mind argued back. To Hell with the humans of this world. Just be happy for once.

Blair squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t afford to be selfish. Growing up at the church, the sisters had drilled a singular purpose into her head. They had told her time and time again that she was the only one who could help the humans. They praised her for being smart and empathetic, assuring her that she would make a great politician one day. They promised that her crippling shyness and introverted nature would naturally disappear as she aged, preparing her to lead.

Of course, considering the daily, life-threatening perils of the academy, Blair was now seriously considering other career paths. But still, the core question remained. Were the humans of the world worth throwing away her own chance at happiness?

She had never had any thoughts of a romantic relationship before Daemus. She had always kept to herself, convinced that she wouldn’t ever want to bring a child into this cruel, dangerous world just to suffer alongside her.

Blair hugged her knees to her chest, incredibly conflicted. It felt like she was being forced to choose between her own personal happiness and the survival of the human world.

Just then, a sudden warmth spread over her shivering shoulders.

Blair jumped a bit, her eyes widening in surprise as she quickly looked behind her. A thick, soft fur blanket had just been draped over her back.

She immediately relaxed, though her cheeks warmed significantly when she saw Daemus standing there. He was wearing his sweatpants and a dark shirt, his messy blue hair catching the faint light of the lodge.

He walked around the bench and took a seat beside her. "You could get sick out here," Daemus murmured, his deep voice keeping to a quiet volume. "Couldn’t sleep?"

Blair only shook her head. She pulled the fur blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Your mother was crying."

She frowned, turning her gaze back to the snow-covered ground. "It’s my fault."

Daemus opened his mouth, prepared to argue, but Blair cut him off before he could.

"You can’t convince me otherwise, Daemus," Blair told him firmly, her voice trembling slightly.

Daemus closed his mouth. He leaned back against the wooden bench, stretching his long legs out in front of him. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence between them, save for the howling of the mountain wind.

Then, Daemus let out a breath. "Okay. It’s all your fault."

Blair’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her head snapped to the side, staring at him in shock. She had expected him to coddle her and deny it.

"What are you going to do about it?" Daemus asked, turning his head to meet her wide-eyed gaze. "How are you going to fix this? Walk me through it."

Blair’s lips parted. No sound came out. She closed her mouth, her brain scrambling to come up with a response to his sudden challenge. She looked away from him, staring hard at the railing of the patio.

"I’m going to convince you to get back together with Kyana," Blair announced, lifting her chin stubbornly.

Daemus raised a brow in amusement. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

Blair clenched her hands into tight fists, steeling her nerves. She was absolutely going to do it. She had to. She just... didn’t exactly know how yet.

"That’s a secret," she responded defensively.

Daemus let out a chuckle. "My girlfriend wants to get me back together with my ex. That’s funny." The amusement slowly faded from his face, replaced by a much more intense, serious expression. "What’s so bad about dating me that you’d go so far?"

Blair’s heart gave a little flutter. "If you do what your family wants, your mother would be happy," she explained softly.

"I don’t live for my mother," Daemus replied bluntly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "She could’ve stood aside, but she drugged my father. I never forced her to intervene. I was doing just fine."

"She is your mother," Blair quietly argued, shaking her head. "She wouldn’t just stand by and watch you get hurt. You are her flesh and blood."

Growing up as an orphan, Blair possessed an incredibly beautiful, idealized vision of what a family was supposed to be. She was taught by the church that there was absolutely nothing more important than family in this world—not even a lover. She believed with all her heart that you must always help your family, no matter what the cost.

Daemus reached out, gently grabbing her arm and pulling her a fraction closer to him on the bench.

"Don’t be so naive, Bunny," Daemus told her smoothly. "What my mother did wasn’t out of love. Both my parents want the exact same thing for me. They will go through any lengths to get their way." He let out a dry scoff. "I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if my mother was just pretending to cry so you would feel guilty and help her get me back together with Kyana."

Blair didn’t think so. She stubbornly shook her head. "I could see the pain and heartbreak in Clarice’s eyes when we left the lobby."

Daemus rolled his eyes. He shifted his weight, sliding across the wooden bench until he brought his face close to hers.

"What about the pain and heartbreak in my eyes because you are rejecting me?" Daemus asked, his voice dropping into a low, husky timber.

Blair met his gaze, her breath catching in her throat. Her heart immediately began hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

High above them, the moon slowly slipped from behind a series of passing clouds. The pale, silver moonlight flooded the patio, illuminating their bodies in the dark. Bathed in the glow, Daemus looked ethereal. His silver eyes reflected the light, shining bright like diamonds.

Blair was lost in his gaze. She couldn’t look away even if she wanted to.

Daemus leaned in even closer. Their lips brushed—a soft, tantalizing friction that sent a jolt of electricity straight down Blair’s spine.

"I don’t want Kyana," he told her, his warm breath fanning across her mouth.

Daemus leaned down, planting soft, lingering kisses up the side of her neck. He trailed his lips all the way up to her ear, where he whispered, "I want you."

He pulled back just enough to look at her flushed face.

"It’s okay for us to be selfish sometimes, don’t you think?" Daemus questioned softly.

He reached down, taking her small hand in his, and brought it up to his lips to press a tender kiss to her knuckles. Daemus was telling her the exact opposite of everything she had learned in the church.

He moved her hand, pressing her palm flat against his solid chest. "My heart only races like this for you."

Beneath the fabric of his shirt, Blair could feel the erratic thud of his heart. Her own heart was racing just as fast. Daemus could hear it perfectly.

Blair bit her bottom lip. "I am afraid," she confessed quietly. She looked down at their connected hands. "Bad things happen to people who get too close to me."

Daemus smirked, a playful glint flashing in his silver eyes. "Nice. A cursed girlfriend. Sounds like fun."

Blair frowned, her brows knitting together in frustration. "I am serious, Daemus."

"So am I," Daemus nodded, his expression turning resolute. "At least our relationship won’t be boring."

Blair let out a long, defeated sigh. At the very least, being by his side would make things much easier for her at school. No one would dare bully her if she was attached to the Wolf Prince. She decided in her head that, eventually, he would grow tired of her bad luck and hate her. She would just selfishly cherish his affection until that day inevitably came.

"Do you want to head back inside now?" Daemus asked, noticing her shivering even beneath the fur blanket.

Blair nodded quickly.

They stood up from the bench together and walked back into the warm, quiet lobby of the lodge. Blair immediately turned right, taking a step toward the corridor that led to the room she was sharing with Clarice and Kael.

But Daemus didn’t let go of her hand. He pulled on her arm, stopping her in her tracks and pulling her right back to his side.

"You’re staying with me tonight," Daemus told her.

Blair’s face instantly reddened to the shade of a ripe tomato. Her eyes darted nervously down the hall. "Your mother will be upset!"

"So what?" Daemus countered effortlessly, completely unbothered. "I don’t care. Let’s go."

Without waiting for another argument, Blair allowed Daemus to pull her along down the opposite corridor, leading her toward his room.