All The Wrong Signs
Risks

Even though I tried to talk her out of it, Lakyn got out of her car and helped me carry the plants her grandmother gave me into my house. I tried not to look at Blaze as I walked past him, but it was hard not to.

I offered Lakyn a cup of coffee not to be rude, but I was happy when she turned it down. Walking her to the front door, I thanked her for tonight and stood at the door, watching as she drove away.

Blaze was still standing outside, but he wasn’t watching her. He was watching me. “Blaze I…” Looking up at the sky as a bolt of lightning came down way too close for my comfort, I shook my head. “Come inside.”

Turning, I walked away from my open door, hoping that he would follow. It wasn’t until I was sitting down on my couch that I heard my front door shut. I could hear his footsteps coming down the hall. My eyes focused on the coffee table in front of me.

I knew Blaze was in the room, but he had yet to speak to me. “You’re mad.”

“Oh, I’m not mad. I’m pissed.”

I swallowed, still not looking up. “I’m just trying to help you, Blaze. I knew you wouldn’t…”

“You ran away from my sister. Do you not trust her?”

I looked up. “I do. I just knew she would stop me. I…”

“Where did you go tonight?”

I took a deep breath. “To Lakyn’s grandmothers…”

“What?”

“I had to replace out if she had told anyone else. I was just trying to help…”

“Riley, do you not understand the danger you could have put yourself in? I can’t just pop where you are without you calling out to me. We aren’t bonded strong enough yet.”

“I was fine,” I said. “I thought I saw you. In the road, on our way home.”

“You did,” he gritted out.

“What? I thought you said…”

“I tried to replace you and I came close, but I couldn’t hold it.”

“Blaze,” I said, standing up. “I was ok. I would have called you if anything was off.”

“By the time you knew something was off, it would be too late. You take unnecessary risk, Riley. You put not only me, but yourself in danger.”

“She isn’t bad,” I said. “She offered to come ward my house, but I refused. She…”

“And what if she sees right through you, Riley?”

I looked down. “I’m sorry. I just thought….”

“You thought wrong.”

Hearing the anger in his voice, I looked up. “I won’t apologize for trying to save you.”

Blaze’s eyes met mine as I walked forward, stopping just in front of him. Reaching out, I placed my hand on his chest. His clothes were cold and wet. “You’re wet.” I said simply.

He looked down at me, arching his brow, “and you aren’t?”

“I didn’t stand in the rain like an idiot, I just got a little wet bringing the plants in.”

Blaze rolled his eyes at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I looked up at him, “you would have said no.”

“And for a damn good reason Riley.” Grabbing me by the shoulders, he looked down. “You don’t take risks like that.”

“I was fine,” I said, looking up at him.

“You are mine, little witch. You don’t take unnecessary risk like that.”

“I was trying to help you,” I said, knowing that my reasoning sounded stupid. He was right. I had taken an enormous risk that could have ended badly for both of us.

Blaze looked up, sighing. “Riley, I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are. I can’t hold our connection. I can’t do anything until you call me. If someone takes you that is knowledgeable about demons, they will know that. They will count on that. When you do call me, and trust me Riley, you will. It will be too late for both of us.

I looked down, feeling tears sting my eyes. “I’m sorry. I knew you would be mad, but I…it was stupid of me.”

Blaze let out a breath, running his hands from my shoulder down to my waist, pulling me into him. “Petra is pissed at you.”

I nodded, gladly accepting his warmth as I lay my head on his still wet chest. “She should be. I lied to her.”

“She’s pissed at you because I’m pissed at her for losing you.” Blaze said, resting his chin on my shoulder.

“You didn’t yell at her, did you?”

“I did,” Blaze said matter-of-factly.

“Well, you need to call her and apologize.” I said, looking up at him.

He snorted, “I don’t apologize. She will be just fine. You are the one who needs to apologize to her.” He stood up straight looking down at me, “well did you at least replace anything else out on your idiotic quest?”

I shook my head. “Not really. I don’t think Lakyn’s grandmother has a clue. I don’t think she has reached out to any of her family.” Looking up at Blaze, I paused. “Even if she called, they wouldn’t know it was you.”

“Kyler is paranoid,” Blaze said. “The first thing he would do is come check on me and when he found me gone, all hell would break loose. The man is unhinged.” He looked down. “Which is why I need you to stop doing stupid shit.”

“Ok already,” I said, shoving at him.

He grabbed my arms, looking amused. “You had me out in the rain, Riley.”

“You could have waited on the porch,” I pointed out. When he looked down at me, I shrugged. “I mean, at least you looked hot standing in the rain. The pissed off expression kinda killed it for me, though.”

Blaze reached out, putting his hand on the back of my neck, and pulled me forward. “Really? cause that’s not what I got from the look you gave me?”

“I was actually trying to avoid looking at you because you looked like you wanted to strangle me.” I said, looking up at him.

Blaze lifted his other hand, wrapping it around my throat with his other hand as if he was choking me. He tightened his grip, but not enough to hurt or cut off my oxygen. “Trust me, little witch, if I decided to choke you, you’d like it.”

I lifted my brows, surprised how our entire conversation had suddenly swung a completely new direction in the matter of seconds. “I don’t think that’s what you were thinking when I got out of the car.”

“You don’t know what I was thinking when you got out of the car.” Blaze squeezed my neck tighter. “Don’t you ever run away from me again.”

“I didn’t run away from you,” I pointed out. “I ran away from your sister.”

Blaze frowned, his eyes darkening before my very eyes. “I’m trying my hardest to be gentle with you because of your past Riley, don’t make me show you who I really am.”

I swallowed. “I want to know you. The real you.”

Dropping his hands, Blaze laughed. “No, you don’t, little witch. You’d hate me if you knew the real me.”

“And you care if I hate you?”

He looked up, “apparently so. Go take a shower, get into some dry clothes.”

“What about you?” I asked.

He arched his brow. “Is that an invitation?”

I opened my mouth, but then closed it. “Are you still mad at me?” I finally asked.

He shrugged, walking up to me and twisting my hair around his fists. “The sooner you realize that even though you may command me with that little mark on your hand that I own you, the better.”

Looking up at him, I swallowed. “I could send you away.”

“You won’t,” he said confidently.

I took a breath. “Do you want to own me or possess me?”

Blaze tugged at my hair, “both little witch. I told you I would be your downfall. If that is why you are so keen on helping me escape Wumbert, I honestly couldn’t blame you.”

“I don’t know why I want to help you,” I admitted. “Maybe saving you will help me save myself.”

Blaze looked down at me, “you are a fool if you think I care.”

“You said our bond wasn’t strong enough for you to replace me. How do we make it stronger?”

Blaze laughed, tugging my hair. “You would have to submit to me fully.”

I looked up at him, “you tell me I’m stronger than I know, but then tell me you want me to submit to you?”

“I never said I wanted you to submit to me,” Blaze said. “You asked a question, and I answered it.”

“That’s how you break people?”

Blaze released my hair, “it’s what I do Riley. Don’t forget who I am. Just because I fucked you doesn’t mean I have feelings toward you.”