Chapter 122: Drink. The. Water.

Daemus groaned, pushing himself up from the floor. He blinked, shaking his head to clear the lingering dizziness.

Surprisingly, he felt fine. The small sip of the weird strawberry-cherry soda he had taken had already run its course. His rapid metabolism, had easily flushed the drug right out of his system.

Blair, however, was a completely different story.

"It’s so hot," a soft, breathy giggle echoed.

Daemus looked up. Blair was in Jack’s arms. Her eyes were blown wide and glassy, sparkling with energy. A feverish flush painted her cheeks.

She squirmed in the professor’s hold.

"I’m burning up," Blair complained, her hands flying to the hem of her shirt. Without any hesitation, she yanked the fabric upward, exposing her stomach and the edge of her bra.

Jack immediately clamped his hands over her wrists, forcing the shirt back down. "Stop that."

Blair just laughed, twisting out of his grip with surprising slipperiness. She stumbled forward, her bare feet tripping over the carpet, and crashed squarely into Daemus’s chest as he stood up.

Daemus caught her instinctively, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Blair didn’t try to pull away. Instead, she melted against him. She reached her hands up, tangling her fingers into his messy blue hair and dragging her palms down the sharp line of his jaw.

"You are so handsome," Blair purred, her voice dripping with adoration. She went up on her tiptoes, pressing her breasts flush against his chest. "I want you."

Daemus choked on his own breath. His entire face turned a bright shade of crimson. The sheer, overwhelming heat radiating off her body was intoxicating, and having her look at him with such unmasked, feral desire made his heart hammer wildly against his ribs.

But before Daemus could even formulate a response, Blair turned her head.

Her glassy pink eyes landed on Jack. A playful smile stretched across her lips. She reached one hand out, her fingers curling in a beckoning motion toward the professor.

"You too," Blair decided with a breathless giggle. She looked back and forth between the two towering beastmen, her smile widening. "I want both of you."

Daemus’s jaw hit the floor. "What?!"

Jack’s expression remained a flawless, stoic mask, but a muscle ticked visibly in his jaw. "She is completely out of her mind. We need to flush the drug out of her system."

"Come on, Bunny, let’s get you to the bed," Daemus coaxed, wrapping an arm around her waist to help her walk.

Instead of stepping forward, Blair tangled her legs together and practically melted against his side. "Oops," she giggled, her hands shooting up to grip his shoulders to steady herself.

Her fingers didn’t stop there. She boldly dragged her palms down the front of his shirt, tracing the hard lines of his chest before giving his bicep a firm, shameless squeeze.

"So big," she purred, batting her eyelashes up at him.

Daemus’s face turned bright red. He groaned, his grip faltering slightly as he tried to pry her wandering hands away. "Stop moving so much."

Jack let out a quiet sigh and stepped forward, grabbing her other arm to help guide her. "Walk straight," Jack instructed coldly.

But the second Jack was within reach, Blair abandoned Daemus. Her fingers hooked onto the buckle of Jack’s belt, giving it a playful tug.

Jack caught her wrist, smoothly swatting her hand away. "Keep your hands to yourself," Jack warned.

Blair just pouted, as she immediately tried to dive for his zipper again.

"She’s impossible," Daemus grunted. Giving up on walking entirely, he scooped her squirming body off the floor and carried her over to the bed, dropping her onto the blankets.

Jack calmly picked up a glass from his nightstand and filled it with cold water from a nearby carafe. He handed it to Daemus. "Make her drink."

Daemus brought the rim of the glass to Blair’s lips. "Here, you need to drink this."

Blair turned her head away, a defiant, teasing pout forming on her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest. "No."

"Blair, come on," Daemus pleaded softly. "Just a little bit of water."

"Only if you kiss me," Blair bargained, her pink eyes flashing with mischief. She leaned forward, tapping her bottom lip with her index finger. "Give me the water through a kiss."

Daemus froze. His gaze dropped to her soft, parted lips. The temptation was intense. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to give in to her demands and let her do whatever she wanted to do. He leaned in just a fraction, his control slipping right through his fingers.

A firm hand clamped down on Daemus’s shoulder, yanking him back.

"Control yourself," Jack snapped, his red eyes narrowing in sharp warning. "She is drugged. Do not take advantage of her state."

Daemus blinked, snapping out of the trance. He let out a ragged exhale, rubbing his hand over his face. Jack was right. As much as he wanted her, doing anything with her while she was like this was incredibly wrong.

"She won’t sit still," Daemus complained.

"Then we tie her down until it passes," Jack stated coldly.

He moved swiftly, opening a dresser drawer and pulling out two long, dark silk ties. Daemus grabbed Blair by the waist, holding her squirming body flat against the bed while Jack expertly secured her wrists to the wooden posts of the headboard.

Blair didn’t even seem to mind the restraints. She just arched her back against the pillows, laughing breathlessly as she pulled playfully against the silk ties.

Daemus stepped back, running both hands through his hair as he paced the length of the room.

"I don’t understand," Daemus muttered, bewildered. He looked over at Jack. "Who the hell drugs a soda? It doesn’t even make any sense! The can was sealed when I found it outside!"

Jack stood near the window, his arms crossed over his chest. He said nothing.

On the bed, Blair thrashed her legs playfully. Her foot caught the edge of the nightstand, knocking the water right onto the floor. The glass shattered, sending a puddle of cold water splashing across the rug.

"Oops," Blair giggled, unbothered by the mess.

Daemus let out a frustrated sigh, looking down at the broken glass. "I’ll go get some more."

Jack was now alone with Blair. He slowly turned his head, his eyes locking onto the girl tied to his bed. She was panting softly, her skin flushed and her eyes hazy with desire.

A thought crossed Jack’s mind. The drug had stripped away her walls. Her inhibitions were gone, her defenses were nonexistent.... he could take advantage of that.

Jack sat down beside her.

"I’m going to ask you something and I need you to tell me the truth," Jack started. "Are you human?"

Blair looked up at him. She looked to be deep in thought.

"Kiss me," Blair purred, "and I’ll tell you."