Chapter 106: All Names Come From Barbie Movies

"I’ve been lying to you," Blair started quietly.

Daemus instantly stopped massaging her scalp. His soapy fingers went still against the crown of her head, though he didn’t say a word to interrupt her.

She’s a beastman. I knew it, Daemus said in his own thoughts, a tiny, victorious smirk touching the corners of his lips. He waited patiently for her to admit her royal lineage, or whatever endangered species faction she belonged to.

"My name isn’t Blair Willows," Blair whispered, her voice barely carrying over the soft swish of the bathwater. "Actually... I don’t know what my real name is."

Daemus’s smirk vanished. That was definitely not what he had been expecting to hear.

Blair kept her gaze glued downward, focused on the white suds and the pink rose petals floating across the surface of the water. "When I was little, there was a movie playing on the television. Barbie Princess Charm School. I really liked the name of the girl in it. So... Blair Willows became my name."

She took a shaky breath, her fingers gripping her knees beneath the water. "I don’t remember much. But I know I was experimented on as a child. I don’t remember how I even got to the church. I was just there one day."

A single tear slipped from her eye, splashing into the warm bath.

"The sisters at the church told me I just showed up one morning," Blair continued, her voice trembling. "I was battered and bruised all over. I was running, being chased by a group of humans in white coats. The sisters hid me. They dyed my hair brown and put those colored contacts in my eyes so the people looking for me couldn’t find me."

She finally looked up at him, her pink eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "A lot of people in the hotel lobby saw me tonight. They saw what I really look like. I’m so afraid, Daemus. Those men in the white coats... what if they come find me again?"

Blair deliberately kept her mouth shut about Jasper. She omitted what the Ghoul Fish had told her regarding Caleb and the forced evolution. This much of the truth was all Daemus needed to know right now.

Tears flowed freely down her pale cheeks as the exhaustion of her confession washed over her.

Daemus didn’t hesitate for a second. He leaned over the edge of the tub and wrapped his arms securely around her wet shoulders, pulling her into a tight, comforting embrace.

"Thank you," Daemus murmured against her damp hair. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me the truth."

He pulled back just enough to wipe the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. His silver eyes were fiercely protective. "You do not have to worry about anyone finding you. I will protect you. No one is ever going to hurt you again."

He pulled her back into another hug. Blair wrapped her wet arms around his neck, hugging him back tightly. Over his broad shoulder, she stared blankly at the tiled bathroom wall, a small, relieved smile touching her lips. She was incredibly grateful Daemus had just accepted her story without drilling her with a million follow-up questions.

Daemus quickly finished rinsing the shampoo from her hair. He reached down, placing his hands firmly on her waist, and lifted her out of the bathwater.

He set her down gently on the bath mat, immediately grabbing a large, fluffy white towel from the rack. He wrapped it securely around her body, tucking the ends in over her chest, before effortlessly lifting her up into his arms again.

A bright, genuine smile stretched across his face as he carried her out of the warm bathroom and into the cooler air of the bedroom.

"Your eyes and your hair are really pretty," Daemus told her smoothly, looking down at her as he walked. "You shouldn’t have to hide them. I don’t want you to hide them anymore."

Blair bit her bottom lip, nervously twisting the edge of the white towel between her fingers. "People will ask questions, Daemus."

"Yes."

The single word echoed through the bedroom. It wasn’t Daemus who spoke. It was a smooth, cold voice Blair hadn’t heard in quite a while.

"I have a lot of questions."

Both Daemus and Blair whipped their heads toward the sound. Their eyes widened as the voice led them to a shadowed corner of the room.

Jack Feron was seated in an armchair, dressed in a dark tailored suit. One long leg was crossed elegantly over the other.

"How the fuck did you get in here?!" Daemus questioned.

Blair’s face burned a brilliant shade of red. She shrank against Daemus’s chest, her mind spiraling into a total panic. How long has he been sitting there? she wondered wildly. How much did he hear?

Jack’s red eyes were locked entirely onto Blair as he casually lifted a finger, pointing toward the far wall.

"Through the window," Jack responded dryly.

Daemus blinked, turning his head to look at the massive, gaping hole in the glass. He had completely forgotten about it. Still, Daemus hadn’t heard a thing when the professor climbed inside. Creepy, Daemus concluded silently.

Jack uncrossed his legs and stood up from the armchair. "Your mother sent me here to pick you up. She didn’t know where you and Ms. Willows had run off to, so she left the premises."

Even as he spoke to the Wolf Prince, Jack’s crimson gaze never wavered from the girl in his arms. Blair felt completely exposed. It felt exactly like he was staring straight into her very soul, brutally tearing apart the fragile mask she wore to scrutinize the ugly thing hiding within.

"Daemus," Jack spoke again, checking a silver watch on his wrist. "I need to get back to the academy by noon. You need to go downstairs and check out."

Daemus walked over to the bed and set Blair down gently. "Will you be okay on your own for a minute?" he asked her softly.