Page 42 of Fighting My Demons

His body is tense and rigid under my palms.

“I can’t,” he grits out through clenched teeth.

“You need to. You will kill her,” I tell him, pressing my chest against his back.

My hands roam over the hard plains of his chest. Arousal usually works and can distract us most of the time, but she has him locked in place when I feel Xavier’s power lifting off Blaine. My eyes dart to him, his gaze dropping to the woman in his arms, helpless and at our mercy. I swallow when I see the glazed look of hunger wash over Xavier. All this time, I’ve been worrying about my control, never thinking of theirs. I watch as Xavier's eyes bleed to the darkest pits I have ever seen. My heart is beating erratically, and I hate what I am about to do.

I have no choice, and they will forgive me. Her safety is a priority, but will I put her in more danger if I do it. Trapping her with me, their power is no match for . But either way, if I leave her, they will kill her. I may kill her. I shut my senses off to Bella, taking away the parts of me that long for her because my hunger isn’t as controlled as theirs. I know I am about to fight the struggle of a lifetime, not to kill her.

I watch Xavier’s hand move off her arm and trail up to her throat. He turns her face to his. She is locked in the trance of his magic, and I react when I see Xavier about to suck the soul out of her. My body collides with them both, and the moment it does, the shock makes their magic drop as it turns sadistic, possessive, and competitive.

I land on Bella, both of us shoved against the bedside table, and she cries out at my weight crushing her. Xavier's sharp nails turn to points raking down my back, and I feel Blaine's magic blast me, burning my back as I shield her. Bella screams and fights against me, her surroundings coming back to her.

“Stop. I am trying to stop them from killing you!” I snapped at her.

I can't have her fighting me too. Xavier punches me in the ribs, my clothes are burning off from Blaine, and Bella is knocked to the ground as I am suddenly tossed across the room by Xavier. Her scream is deafening as Blaine turns on her.

Xavier reacts to her screams, and he pivots on his heel toward her. I watch her drop to the ground, shielding herself and tucking into a ball. I mist, feel myself fizzle before I am suddenly behind her. I rip her on my lap before tossing my arms up and creating a shield between them and us, boxing us in with my magic and cutting them off. Their magic is blasting my shield, darkness creeping over the edges that turn red, the smoke of their magic caressing and slipping over it, trying to find a way in while they batter it with their bodies like possessed savages. Bella screams, covering her head with her hands. Her entire body shakes as they become monsters, true demonic beasts, trying to fight their way in.

Bella looks up and sees the door before trying to scramble off my lap to run, but I wrap my arm around her waist and grip her shoulder.

“Stop hitting me, Bella. I am the only thing keeping you alive. Fucking stop,” I tell her, trying to hold the walls of my magic up to keep them from getting to her.

Her teeth bite into my arm, and I roar, trying to contain my anger as the surrounding walls vibrate.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Bella

Everything is destroyed, the illusion that is them destroyed, and I can truly see the sort of monsters they are. How I haven’t noticed all this time that they are demons is beyond me. You would think I would notice the kind of monster that’s haunted me for years. Yet I had no idea what they were, or maybe I did but didn’t want to believe it.

Xavier and Blaine terrify me as I see them beating some invisible wall. I can see the room filling with black mist, yet they can’t get through to me. I turn my head looking for an escape, shocked to see Latham. I blink, trying to figure out where he came from. I see Xavier toss him across the room, but now I am sitting on his lap. I rub my eyes before his snap into focus, and I see the demonic blackness of his eyes. They look like bottomless pits, and I scream, trying to get out of his grip. I need to get out of here. I need to get away from them.

I could make a run for the door, could sneak past them while they are distracted, and the mist would cover me. I go to dash for the door when Latham rips me back against him, and I smack into him, needing him to let go. His grip only tightens. I try to breathe as his hand grips my shoulder, his elbow digging into my hip. I can’t breathe, his arm compressing my lungs.

“Stop hitting me, Bella. I am the only thing keeping you alive. Fucking stop!” he snaps, but I can’t breathe.

I bite into his arm, and he growls, the noise loud and vibrating off the invisible walls surrounding us. Then I notice the glimmer; it is some sort of force field. Latham is breathing heavily, yet I need to get out of here.

“I need you to stop. I need you to calm down. I can't fight my urges for you while holding them back, Bella. I don’t want to hurt you!” Latham yells at me.

Tears roll down my cheeks. They are going to take me to him, they are going to hand me over, or they will kill me themselves.

Latham’s arm loosens, and I suck in a sharp breath. The fear I felt was so cold, so slippery, I couldn’t rein it in. I couldn’t escape it.

The battering on the invisible barrier between them and us slows, becomes weaker, and light starts filtering through the mist. I can finally see clearly. See Blaine and Xavier clearly. They dust themselves off; Xavier rubs a hand down his face before looking at Blaine. My heart is pumping, and I am surprised it doesn't lurch out of my chest. All this time, I’ve feared one monster, yet I’ve unknowingly lived beside and worked with three.

Just my luck.

It did explain me losing days and time, forgetting events and making me wonder what they had been doing to me when they took those memories from me.

Blaine clamps a hand down on Xavier's shoulder, both breathing heavily, but looking normal.

I move, getting ready to run out of here, when their eyes fall on me in the corner with Latham. Blaine's eyes widen, and I hear a deep purr, making me remember Latham, who I am sitting on. Turning my head, he is still breathing hard and moving his hand, which I now realize is actually on the barrier he’s created around us. His hand cups my cheek, and I can hear my blood pulsing in my veins at the demonic look on his face, his purr turning into a growl. One so menacing and slow it has a strange ticking noise that makes goosebumps rise on my arms.

“Bella, don’t move,” Blaine whispers, and I am surprised I can hear him so easily.

I remain still. I don’t think I could move even if I wanted to. I am paralyzed with fear.