Page 33 of Fighting My Demons

“I am,” she says dazedly.

“Are you not Isobella Marsden?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.

I look at Blaine, and Xavier is looking at both of us. I feel her consciousness trying to fight me off, and I know I don’t have long. Whatever she is hiding is a big enough secret that even her subconscious wants to keep it hidden.

“Forget this conversation,” I tell her, and her eyes flicker with my magic as I extract the memory of it from her.

“Your brother won’t hurt us. He can’t hurt us,” I tell her, and Blaine looks at me.

I can’t take the memory of what her brother’s done away without possibly removing her fear of him, but I can remove her fear of him being able to get us. Maybe unrestricted by fear, she may come around to being with us.

“We are having coffee, and then you are coming to our place for the night to watch movies and have dinner.. Your brother can’t hurt us,” I tell her.

I let her go but don’t drop my magic until I am in my seat. Her subconscious is a lot stronger than I thought, making me wonder how she’s been able to mentally fight me off, even under what we call heavy sedation. I lift my magic, and she touches her face before looking at me.

“Were you just touching me?” she asks, confused.

“I was,” Xavier says, and she looks at him, her brows pinching slightly.

“What is your ex's name?” Blaine asks.

“My ex?”

“I heard you talking about your ex through the walls last night. You sleep-talk sometimes,” Blaine lies.

“Okay, but why would you want to know my ex’s name?”

“Because I want to know if that's who you were moaning about in your sleep,” he says, and she rolls her eyes.

“Doubtful, but if you must know, Clayton Williams. So unless you heard that name, I think you must have misheard.”

“Yep, definitely wasn’t Clayton. I thought it was Baine or something with a ‘B.’ You must have been thinking about me,” he taunts, and she scoffs shaking her head.

“Yeah, right. So full of yourself,” she chuckles, and I do too.

“Have you not thought of me, Bella?” he asks, and she blushes, unable to meet his eyes.

I know she remembers something from the other day because we haven’t removed her memory completely.

“You have, haven’t you?” he laughs.

“Are we going to your place or not?” she snaps, glaring at him, her cheeks tingeing red and all the tension from earlier gone.

“Come on, then. You can help me cook,” Blaine says, reaching down and pulling her up.

He grabs her, tossing her over his shoulder the moment she is on her feet.

“Put me down! I have a skirt on,” she shrieks, and Blaine laughs, ignoring her thumping fists on his back.

Xavier smiles, shaking his head at Blaine when Blaine slaps her ass. Xavier hisses at the sound when Bella suddenly bites his back as he reaches the door.

Blaine squeals and jumps. “Bloody savage!”

“Well, that fucking hurt,” she says before digging her elbows into his back to prop herself up.

“Get your bony elbows out my back,” he says, squirming as he tosses the door open and walks out.

I lock the door before walking in, just in time to see Blaine toss her on the couch. She squeals at him, and he laughs at her walking back to the kitchen.