All The Wrong Signs

Blaze stayed gone the rest of the day. As much as I hated to admit it, I was disappointed. You can’t just kiss a girl like that and disappear.

Where was Petra when I needed her? I felt like I needed to talk to someone about what happened, but who would understand? Was that what Petra had been talking about when she had told me to poke the beast?

Even though I didn’t think Lakyn had any ill will toward me, I still wasn’t about to tell her how a demon had kissed me in my kitchen. My sister would probably come down with a priest if I confided in her. That only left Petra, and she was his sister.

I did everything and anything to distract me while he was gone. I had even picked up another assignment and had it completed by the time that the jerk decided to show his face again.

Blaze could appear with a pop, or silently. I didn’t know why there was a difference, but I much preferred the one that served as a doorbell instead of the one where you look up and he is just staring at you with those intense eyes.

That’s how I found him. I had just closed my MacBook after finishing my project to find him in his chair staring at me. Was he going to pretend that nothing had happened in my kitchen?

I really didn’t want to talk about it. I’m sure my cheeks were red just thinking about him kissing me. I shouldn’t be attracted to a demon. He was a fucking demon. I had to keep reminding myself about that. If I thought Collin was bad, he at least was a human asshole.

Blaze didn’t speak. So I guess he was going to go back to ignoring me again? I let out a sigh as I set my MacBook down and stood up. I didn’t have time for this.

Actually, all I had was time. It was energy that I was lacking. “Have you figured anything out?” I asked, trying to be the bigger person.

“If I had, do you really think I’d be here?”

Oh, so the asshole was back in full force.

“You are bound to me, so yeah, I guess you would be, wouldn’t you?”

I didn’t even know where that had come from, but the look on his face was enough to make me stand a little taller. He hadn’t been expecting that.

“Don’t get cocky,” he said, looking up at me.

“You didn’t send my babysitter this afternoon,” I said, turning to walk out of the living room. “Have you decided I’m no longer in danger, or that I’m no longer worth protecting?”

I was halfway to my room when I turned, not really surprised to find him behind me. “Why do you assume you were alone?”

I paused. Had he been here the whole time? Could he disappear even from me?

“Because I can see you and Petra,” I said, daring him to prove me wrong.

“You see me because I want you to see me. You saw Petra because she wanted you to see her.” Blaze looked down, grabbing my hand. “You might control me with this, but you don’t own me.”

I frowned at him. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

“You tell me?”

“Aren’t you supposed to listen to me?” I asked, jerking my hand back.

Snorting, Blaze shook his head. “You humans are all the same.”

As Blaze disappeared, I shook my head. “No, get your ass back here.” When he remained gone, I let out an aggravated breath. “Blaze, I said come back.”

When he popped back up, I eyed him. “You can’t just ignore me.”

“Watch me,” he said. Tilting his head, he laughed sarcastically. “Oh, right, you control me, so I guess I can’t, can I?”

I shook my head, hating myself for what I was about to ask him, but I had to know. “Why did you kiss me earlier?”

“Maybe I want to control you, too.”

I blinked as he once again disappeared. I wanted to call him back once more, but I was afraid. Not of him, but of my own feelings.

Crossing my arms, I let out an aggravated sigh. “I swear to God Blaze, if you are in this room and not showing yourself, I will scream.”

“But how would you even know?”

It was almost laughable if I want’ mad at him. “Blaze stop. Please, just stop. I’m tired, I’m grouchy. I don’t have time to play your little games.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, little witch. I’m not playing games with you.”

“Then stop disappearing.”

Blaze popped up right in front of me. “What do you want? I have things to do?”

“Like what?”

“Do you really want to know?” Blaze asked, looking down at me.

I nodded, “I do. I want to help you.”

“Unless you can speak Latin, I’m afraid you are useless to me at the moment.”

“Seriously?”

A smirk appeared on Blaze’s face. “I’ve found a lead on the Wumbert family. It’s not a lot to go off of, but if I can find out a more central location to where I had been imprisoned, I have a better chance of locating it. Then I can be out of your hair for good.”

Looking up, I saw that Blaze’s eyes had turned back crystal blue. “You don’t have to send your sister. If anything happens, I will call you.”

Blaze looked down at me. “She is here to make sure you don’t do anything else stupid.”

“You are really starting to piss me off,” I said, pushing past him, not even sure where I was going. I had expected him to follow me, but when I made it to the kitchen, he was gone and Petra was sitting at my bar looking bored.

“God, the two of you fight like an old married couple,” Petra said, turning her body to face me.

I crossed my arms. “He kissed me.” I felt childish blurting it out, but she was the only person I could talk to and I needed to talk about what had happened. “Well, I slapped him and then he kissed me.”

A smile appeared on her face before she laughed. “You slapped him? Ugh! I would have paid money to see the expression on his face when you did that.”

I shook my head, rounding the bar to stand on the other side of it. “He had no expression. He hides his emotions well.” I snorted, “well, expect for anger. He shows that pretty damn good. And now he keeps disappearing. I think he is ignoring me.”

“Then call his ass back,” Petra said matter-of-factly. “You have the power to summon him back to you at any time. You want him? Then call him.”

“I do not want him,” I said a little too quickly.

It was true. I didn’t want him.

Did I?

No.

No. I definitely didn’t want him.

Looking up at Petra, I felt my eyes go big. Could she read my thoughts? Cause she was sure looking amused at me. Turning away from her, I went into my living room and grabbed my MacBook opening it.

I heard Petra’s footsteps enter the room, but I didn’t look up at her. “He’s only a man, darling. A demon, yes, but a man first.”

This time, I did glance over the top of my computer. “Funny, I thought that he would be a demon first.”

“Only if you piss him off,” Petra said, smiling. “Which you have, but his anger is fading with you.”

“Funny, I can’t tell.” I shut my MacBook. “He acts like he can’t understand English.”

“Well, to be fair, it’s not his first language,” Petra said, laughing. “You have to see things from his point of view. He has been imprisoned for centuries and he finally gets out just to be sent back in only a few days. I dare say he trusted you not to send him away, and you did.”

“Well, he should be afraid I will do it again, the way he is acting.”

Petra arched her brow. “He is. That’s why he’s so angry. He doesn’t know quite what to do with you. He could manipulate you to get what he wants, but it appears he is happy bullying you for now.”

“Great,” I said sarcastically.

Setting my MacBook down, I grabbed the tv remote, turning it on the first decent thing I came to. I didn’t feel like talking to Petra anymore. The more I talked, the stupider I sounded.

Blaze was worried I’d send him away again? If the idiot only knew I only felt safe when he was around. Ironic wasn’t it. A demon could make me feel safe.

In the span of a week, I had come to know two demons, and neither was what I had expected. Petra was sassy, but friendly. And Blaze, he was on my last nerve.

I couldn’t focus on the tv. I kept thinking back to how I had wanted to kiss him before I had left to go to Lakyn’s shop. It was him that had initiated the kiss in the kitchen.

Why had he done it? Why had I wanted him to do it? Why did I want him to do it again?

“He’s back,” Petra said, glancing over at me before disappearing.

“That didn’t take long,” I said, having no idea where Blaze was but confident that if Petra had left, he was back.

“Dead end.”

Hearing his voice, I looked up at the entrance to the living room. Blaze looked tired. “You need to rest.”

He snorted, “you don’t know what the fuck I need.”

“I control you and I am telling you to get some rest.”

Blaze’s eyes came up to mine and I could see the anger rolling off of him. “Telling me or ordering me.”

“Blaze,” I said, standing up. “I’m not trying to fight with you. You need to sleep, or recharge, or whatever the fuck it is you do.” Walking up to Blaze, I stopped just in front of him. “Please. For me.”

Blaze sighed. “I’ll rest when you eat.”

I opened my mouth to argue with him and tell him I did eat today, but shut it. “Ok.”

“Ok.” He said simply.

Blaze sat in the kitchen watching me cook. I wasn’t that hungry, but I also didn’t have time to argue with him. I made an omelet, adding in cheese, ham, and mushrooms. The kitchen quickly started to smell amazing, and my traitorous stomach growled, letting both of us know I had gone to long between meals.

It wasn’t my fault. I forgot to eat a lot. When I had someone to cook for, I always ate. Now, I just didn’t see the point.

Cutting my omelet I half, I tried to offer him some, but he shook his head. “Afraid I’ll poison you?” I asked as I put some hot sauce on the top of mine.

Blaze watched me as I moved to sit by him. He didn’t answer me, instead he watched me take each and every bite of my food. He made me nervous.

Once I had eaten my half of my omelet, I stood up, putting the other half in a container. “Ok. I’ve eaten. Now you need to go rest.” I said.

Blaze nodded, but stood watching me as I cleaned up the kitchen. I wasn’t tired, but I figured if I would go lay down, he might allow himself to rest too.

Just as I figured, the moment I laid in bed and pulled the covers over me, he sat down in the chair beside my bed. Reaching out, I turned my lamp off, plunging him into darkness. “Blaze?”

“Yes, little witch?”

I swallowed. “You can lie with me if you want. If you would be more comfortable. I mean you can…” I took a deep breath, “you can sleep on the couch too, you don’t have to sleep with me.”

Shit, could I shut up? “I just mean…”

“Shut up, Riley.”

I frowned, closing my eyes. I needed to learn to keep my mouth closed. Had I really just invited a demon into my bed?

My eyes flashed open when I felt the bed on the other side of me sink down. Feeling Blaze slip under the covers, I wanted to turn to face him but I couldn’t I was frozen in place.

“Goodnight Blaze,” I said instead.

“Goodnight, little witch.”

“Hey Blaze,” I said, remembering what I had wanted to talk to him about.

“Yeah?”

“I want my dreams back,” I said.

“No.”

“But…” I turned to face him, jumping when I saw the glow of his red eyes. “I need them back,” I said when I had gained my composure.

“You aren’t ready for them yet.”

“How can you tell me…”

“Trust me, little witch, your dreams have only gotten worse. Your fears are projected in them.” He closed his eyes. “You don’t have to fear them. The only thing you need to fear is me.”

“You don’t scare me,” I said a little too bravely.

Blaze chuckled. His eyes flashing back open. “And that will be your downfall.”