Chapter 107: Not Human, But Flea

Blair’s fingers instantly clamped onto his forearm. She clung to him, her mind screaming in absolute terror, No! Please don’t leave me alone with him!

But as she looked from Daemus’s concerned face to the professor’s icy stare, she forced her trembling fingers to uncurl. Hesitantly, she let him go. "Yes," she whispered.

"I’ll try to get some clothes for you, too," Daemus promised.

Blair only nodded.

The second the bedroom door clicked shut behind Daemus, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet to freezing. Blair kept her gaze glued firmly to the carpeted floor. Her heart hammered so loudly against her ribs she was certain the Crow could hear the frantic rhythm. Jack’s stare was so piercing, so intense, it felt literal on her bare shoulders.

The silence stretched on for an eternity before he finally spoke.

"I underestimated you, Ms. Willows," Jack stated, his voice a cold, calculating hum.

Blair hesitantly lifted her head, her brows furrowing in genuine confusion. "What do you mean, sir?" she stuttered out quietly.

Jack let out a dark, humorless chuckle. "In a matter of weeks, you managed to get the Wolf Prince to actually forsake his family and his royal title, all to become your personal guard dog."

Blair’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. She tightly clenched her trembling fists in her lap, vigorously shaking her head. "I didn’t... he—"

"It is a brilliant strategy," Jack cut her off smoothly, slowly closing the distance between them. "I saw through it from the very beginning. The helpless, painfully shy girl act. You perfectly positioned yourself as the ultimate victim, entirely reliant on him, just to trigger his protective instincts. You manipulated his savior complex flawlessly."

The accusation sounded so incredibly plausible, so logically sound, that Blair couldn’t even form a proper sentence to defend herself.

"I didn’t manipulate him!" Blair gasped out, her voice shaking. "I never asked him to leave his family! I told him to stay! I—"

Jack didn’t let her finish. His hand shot out, wrapping firmly around the front of her neck.

He forced her to her feet. The grip wasn’t bruising, but the sheer, terrifying control he exerted over her body silenced her instantly. Blair trembled like a leaf in the wind. Her heart raced as he pulled her forward until they were standing inches apart, their bodies brushing against each other.

"I know what you are, Blair Willows," Jack whispered softly.

Blair stared wide-eyed at him, paralyzed by the crimson rings of his irises.

"You are neither human, nor beast," Jack told her, his voice devoid of any warmth. "You’re a monster. An unassuming little, radioactive flea."

Blair’s breathing quickened into jagged, panicked gasps. Operating purely on survival instinct, she brought her hands up and grabbed tightly onto his wrist.

Jack’s dark brow shot up in genuine surprise at her touch.

"I don’t know what you are talking about," Blair demanded, her voice shaking violently. "I am human. Please let me go."

Jack smirked. "You’re very brave for trying to lie to me."

"I am not lying!" Blair argued desperately, her fingers digging into his sleeve. "I know you heard me in the bathroom with Daemus. Despite how I look, I am human! I don’t remember what kind of experiments those scientists did to me, but I am no different from a human person!"

"How incredibly convenient that you don’t remember," Jack mused, his smirk turning cruel.

Hot tears pooled in the corners of Blair’s eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Jack’s face turned dead serious. The mocking amusement vanished entirely. "I hate humans," he stated coldly. "But I hate people pretending to be someone they are not the most."

Blair dared to argue back, fueled by a sudden, desperate spark of defiance. "No," she spat tearily. "You hate people who don’t go along with whatever conclusions you come up with in your head! It is possible for you to be wrong, Professor."

"I am never wrong," Jack countered instantly, his tone absolute.

Blair looked up at him with teary, pleading eyes. "I just want to live a normal life."

Jack stared down at her for a long moment. Blair searched his flawless features, but she couldn’t read a single emotion hiding behind his mask.

Then, he tilted his head. "Do those tears work on Daemus?"

Jack leaned in closer, bending down until their noses were brushing. The scent of rain and smoke enveloped her.

"I swear to you," Jack whispered against her lips. "I will get you to admit the truth."

With a sudden, forceful shove, Jack pushed her backward. Blair tumbled onto the mattress, bouncing slightly against the springs. Before she could even scramble back to her feet, Jack turned and effortlessly vaulted straight out the broken window, disappearing into the morning air.

Blair sat on the bed, her chest heaving as she massaged the skin of her neck.

"A monster," her trembling lips muttered quietly to the empty room. She squeezed her eyes shut. "No... I’m human."

Hearing the click of the door handle, Blair frantically dragged the back of her hand across her cheeks, drying her tears just as Daemus walked back in carrying a shopping bag.

"They didn’t take the whole window breaking thing very well," Daemus grumbled, walking toward the bed. "I had to pay a ridiculous fee—"

He stopped mid-sentence, his silver eyes zeroing in on her face. He immediately noticed her eyes were wet and rimmed with red.

"Are you okay?" Daemus asked, his brow furrowing in deep concern. He dropped the bag onto the bed. "Was Jack mean to you?"

Blair forced a bright, convincing smile onto her face. "I’m fine."

Daemus let out a long sigh, pushing the bag of clothes toward her. He crossed his arms, looking toward the shattered window.

"I really don’t get why you like that guy," Daemus muttered, shaking his head.

Blair’s cheeks flushed a bright pink. "I don’t," she stuttered out quickly, looking down at her lap.

I hate him, actually, she added in her thoughts.