Page 41 of Fighting My Demons

Xavier and Blaine move around me, and my eyes dart at them.

“What did you just say?” Blaine asks.

“Get the fuck away from me,” I tell them, jumping off the bed, but I am cornered as they block the door.

“Let us explain, Bella,” Xavier says, but I make a run for it.

I am not letting him have me again. I won’t let him have my soul; I won't let him come back. They won’t give me to him.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Latham

Her blood is sweet on my tongue. Her very essence is sweet and addictive as I run my tongue across her head. Blaine and Xavier distract me, and I don’t see her fall. But maybe this was a blessing that she was hurt and I had access to her blood. We need answers, and she isn’t willing to give them; I never would have done this to her because it was a severe invasion of privacy. It would dredge up every secret, from every inch of her mind, including suppressed memories. Blood sifting is illegal outside the courts; it isn’t allowed without severe repercussions. No one has a right to see every inch of someone's mind, and I am now breaking the law I helped create.

Voluntarily is different. Yet forced is illegal by supernatural law. She is unconscious, yet I wait for her memories to flash before me so I can sift through what makes this woman tick. Still, I get nothing besides the memories she’s shared with us, her thoughts when around us. She’s truly kept her distance from us because of brother. She wants all of us as much as we want her, yet she is scared of what that means, what people would think of her and her brother hurting us. But that is it.

Where are her memories, and why can’t I access the deepest darkest parts of her?

Then I feel the tingling sensation of a blockage. One thick and built of magic I was familiar with.

Demon magic taints her mind, keeps her memories encased and safe from me. I curse under my breath as I try to force my way through the veil.

What the fuck is going on? Why can’t I pass through her mind? Why is she tainted with dark magic?

The only way past it is for the demon that trapped her memories to lift it unless she willingly shows me. Yet I feel it is just me unable to sift through. Blocks on the mind are a safety mechanism. Unless Bella gives me clear passage, I have no way in. Yet the magic itself feels familiar somehow.

I have tasted it before, but I can’t put a name to the magic. Almost like they knew I was the one that would check, and they were specifically keeping me out. There is only one way to see if that is true, and that is for Xavier or Blaine to try blood sifting through her memories.

Is it only me that was blocked from her mind or everyone in general?

I can hear yelling and frantic cries around me, and I force myself out of her memories. Bella is no longer lying in front of me on our bed, but her back is against the wall as she tries to keep distance between herself, Blaine, and Xavier. They are trying to calm her down.

When did she wake up? I gave her my blood, but she should have remained unconscious a little longer. I was only out for a few seconds.

“Calm down, Bella. We won’t hurt you,” Xavier tries to tell her as she brandishes the lamp as a weapon.

I feel Blaine’s magic rush out like an eruption. The tendrils wrapping around her make her jolt, and she blinks rapidly as she subconsciously tries to fight off his power. His magic is like a balm, soothing and calm, and her grip loosens on the lamp. It falls from her fingers, and Xavier reaches out to her, trying to grab her while she is tightly enveloped in his magic. Blaine has a cut across his eyebrow, and she must have hit him as blood trickles down his eyelid and face.

Her entire body is trembling. I watch her blink as Xavier takes her shaking hand, his fingers grabbing hers, and she lets out a breath. She is still stuck in the confines of Blaine’s power. One of the things I like about Blaine and Xavier. My power is dark, strong, cruel, and sadistic for the most part. While Blaine and Xavier’s is different; they have complete control of theirs, while mine can, at times, be uncontrollable. They keep me level, and they know that.

Blood sifting is illegal without permission, but when I first met them, they could sense my power and were drawn to it. I first thought it was just natural, power seeking power, but they sensed I needed help.

They sensed me under the power and gave me their blood willingly so I knew I could trust them, and in turn, I gave them mine, and our bond formed. Though I love them, and they love me, I’ve always kept my distance or tried to. We have always been drawn back to each other. I am dangerous to them, though they’ve always managed to placate me; they can’t see the true danger they are in with me, and I am an addict to them. A soul reaper demon always wants more until they take everything, including the soul. I have come close a few times, and a few times, they nearly died because of me, but I somehow pulled back from the brink of killing them.

But watching Blaine now with Bella, I understand why I am addicted to them, why I love them. Not all demons are monsters. Blaine and Xavier have retained their humanity, letting me feel something other than hunger and bloodshed. They stopped me from becoming my creator.

“Latham, some help would be nice,” Blaine grits out, and I can see he is locked in a tug-of-war with his magic.

Her darkness is addictive. He is struggling to let her go; he wants to feed on her emotions as they heighten.

“Latham!” Xavier snaps, his arms wrapped around Bella as he tries to ward Blaine off, who is rooted to the spot, unable to withdraw his magic.

The hunger in his eyes is something I haven’t seen in over three hundred years; he’s never struggled with control, but whatever emotion he is locked onto, he can’t pull away from her. Getting up, I walk over to him, my hands running down his arms.

Bella’s eyes lock on his, unseeing and vacant, as he feeds on her emotions. Her fear is potent and deep-rooted. Her fear is worse than any fear I have touched before as I slide my hands down his arms. I force myself to ignore her, shoving it away, or I would be joining him and taking it from her.

“Let go, Blaine,” I whisper to him.