As Karen pleaded with Aiden to let her keep her memories again, and as the witch whose name he didn’t even know approached her, Aiden began to second guess himself and doubt gnawed at his insides.
“Stop,” he commanded all of a sudden.
The hope he saw shining in her eyes would have been enough to make ice melt, and yet his resolve to have her memories erased still peaked its head.
The eraser turned his head his way, and looked at him with his eyebrow raised.
“How about you cast a silencing spell or something?” He offered, as a means to bargain.
Fear came back full force in her eyes.
“And what is that?” She all but shrieked at him.
“What do you want exactly?” The witch asked, his interest seemingly piqued, ignoring Karen’s shriek completely.
“I just don’t want her to reveal my secret to any human being. She’s welcome to say whatever the hell she wants with supernaturals.”
She flashed a tentative smile at him. “Can’t you just trust me?”
“I cannot,” he answered simply, shaking his head slightly. The last time he trusted a human’s word, he almost ended up being dissected by scientists, or worse being uselessly drugged in a mental health institution.
There was pain in her eyes as his words sunk in. And then, came something akin to anger before she finally accepted, resolution filling her eyes, “You know what? Make me forget, alpha dearest. I am not a masochist, and I do not wish to torment myself with a secret that is not mine to keep.”
His blood boiled at her rejection of his offer, and because of his pride, he told the witch to just erase her memories of everything supernatural.
Therefore, even though there was a slight hesitation showing in her eyes, her stance was nothing but dignified, resolute, and accepting. As the eraser approached her anew, she had her glare set on Aiden, and no one but him. She no longer pleaded. She no longer begged him to reconsider. She let him do what he wished to do, what common sense told him to do, even though his treacherous heart had other ideas.
The eraser put his two forefingers on both sides of her head, right at her temples, and began chanting in Latin.
Her glare was losing its heat the more he chanted.
After one particular blink, her eyes were blank, expressionless almost, devoid of any resentment at the very least. And then, she was out cold, unconscious for a few minutes.
Shane and the eraser took their leave.
In the very few minutes she was unconscious, Aiden worried that the eraser might not have done his job well. But when she woke up, she had no memories of what had transpired in the afternoon.
Relief washed over Aiden. He just hoped he wouldn’t live to regret his decision. After all, abiding the rules didn’t always mean doing the right thing.
** ** ** ** ** ** **
Karen didn’t know why she had passed out. Surely, receiving treatment for her injuries wasn’t that painful. Aiden’s explanation was a bit far-fetched. There was something about the way he averted his gaze briefly before shifting it back to her face right before he talked to her that told her something wasn’t right.
“What’s wrong, Aiden?” She asked as she rose from the bed.
“What do you mean?” Why did he pale all of a sudden?
What had happened during the time she was out? And why had she passed out to begin with?
“Aiden, we’re friends, aren’t we?” She tried to coax him to tell her somehow. “Why won’t you be honest with me?”
There was a little pain and sadness in his eyes as he sighed, “Nothing happened, Karen.”
She tried to put on her shoes but her previously dislocated shoulder still hurt. She hissed in pain, and then watched, flustered beyond comprehension, as Aiden crouched down, and helped her out.
“I can do it,” she tried to protest.
“No worries. I want to help you, Karen,” he said softly as he focused on the task.
She turned an even deeper shade of red at that, but allowed him to help her into her shoes nonetheless since she couldn’t do it herself. There was a knock on the door just as Aiden finished helping her out.
“Come in,” he said just as he straightened up.
“I was wondering if you’d be willing to have a late lunch with us,” the one she knew to be Shane offered.
A quick glance to her phone, and Karen was appalled. “No. No. No,” she said in a panicked tone. “I’m sorry but I have to go home.”
At the looks she received, she added while blushing, “Rain check?”
“We would be happy to stay,” Aiden said simply, completely ignoring her as he nodded at Shane.
“But Aiden,” she tried to protest and remind him of her predicament, “You know I cannot go home late.”
“I’ll accompany you and make sure nothing happens to you, Karen,” he told her softly, his eyes seeming sincere for the first time since she woke up.
“But…”
“Have faith in me.”
It might have been worded out as an order but it was nothing short of a plea. And as Karen looked into his handsome face, his sincere eyes, and the disturbingly sweet hesitant smile he sported, she caved in.
“Fine,” she let out as her shoulder slumped down in a defeated manner of sorts.
“Oh, cheer up, Karen,” Aiden told her. “I’ll make sure you have a good time.”
She blushed at the double meaning behind his words, and averted her face.
“No pun intended,” he all but cried out seconds later.
She turned to him in time to catch the blush he himself sported.
Good god, he was handsome!
Be still, my heart. No distractions, remember? She told herself. It wouldn’t do to fall for the new heartthrob of the school.