All The Wrong Signs
Picking up the Pieces

Blaze’s POV

I didn’t bother to hide myself anymore. Fuck hiding. I was done with it all. I had promised Riley I would keep her safe, and I had failed.

Lakyn’s eyes squeezed shut and her hands moved to over her ears as I yelled at her. If it wasn’t for Petra holding me back, I would slam into the wards over and over again until they fractured.

My eyes burned into hers. “Where is she? What did you do to her?” I said as calmly as I could.

“Who?” Lakyn screamed out at me, hopping down off of her counter and hiding behind it.

“Is she fucking serious?” I said, shaking myself free from my sister and doing just what I said I wouldn’t and slammed my body full force into the wards, causing Lakyn to scream.

“Stop,” Petra yelled at me, jumping in front of me to stop me from banging into it again.

“Lakyn,” she said calmly. “We know you did something to Riley. Just tell us where she is.”

Lakyn peeked her head up from the counter. “Riley? She just left. I didn’t do anything to her.”

“Bullshit,” I said, banging my hands into the invisible wards.

“Blaze,” Petra scolded. “This isn’t the way to get what you want.”

Lakyn slowly stood up as I backed up, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She looked at me as if she was trying to memorize my face. “Your him, aren’t you?”

“Who is him?” I asked dryly.

“Her demon. You are her demon. You’re real.”

“No fucking shit,” I said. “But to clarify, she’s my human and I want her back.”

“Shit,” Lakyn said. “I thought…she said. Shit.”

Petra put her hand on my shoulder, “your wards protect you for now, but we can have them down in no time. I suggest you cooperate with us and tell us what we need to know.”

Lakyn frowned. “What happened? She was just here. I watched her walk down the street. She was fine.” Looking down, she sighed, “I think I might have upset her, but I would never hurt her.”

“Then tell me why the fuck she is missing. Why I can’t feel her?” I said, staring daggers at her.

“Wait,” Lakyn reached under her counter, then ran around the counter with a piece of chalk. I tensed up, ready for whatever she came with, but I realized she was undoing the wards in the building.

Turning, Petra and I made eye contact. She shrugged. “You said you trusted her. Maybe you should try being nice.”

“Nice, my ass,” I mumbled, testing the wards and replaceing them significantly weak.

“I think that’s all of them. I can’t get to the one under the floors though,” Lakyn said, setting the chalk down and wiping her hands together.

“Of course not,” I said, stepping inside, feeling the ward under the floor pushing at me with all of its might. It was a strong one, one that wouldn’t let me make it far past the floor.

“This your work?” Petra asked, stepping inside with me.

“No, my grandmother warded the place. Mine aren’t as strong.” Lakyn looked from my sister to me. “Do you think someone kidnapped her? Could it have been Collin?”

Before glancing at her, I glanced over at Petra. She shook her head at me. Sighing, I turned to look at Lakyn. “It wasn’t Collin. Tell me what happened?”

Lakyn recalled Riley’s visit. I could tell it made her uncomfortable to tell me about Collin visiting her. No wonder Riley had been upset at her. She should have called her the moment that he had left her house. When she was done, she took a deep breath.

“You didn’t go with her to the coffee shop?” Petra asked.

Lakyn shook her head, “no. She told me she was going home. She said nothing about getting coffee. Do you think someone took her there?”

I shook my head. “Someone poisoned her coffee.”

“What?!” Lakyn frowned. “Then we need to be at the coffee shop.”

Petra had to stand in front of her and block her from walking out the door. “It’s closed. We don’t know how she got the coffee, but…”

“Let me check.” Lakyn pulled her phone out, scrolling until she found what she was looking for. A deep frown set on her face. “It’s been closed all day. Covid.”

“She had a cup from there. It was still warm when we found it.” Petra raised her hand, showing Lakyn the cup.

Reaching out, Lakyn took the cup, sniffing it. “This smells like…” Her face fell. “No…it can’t be.”

“What?” I growled at her. “If you know anything.”

“It’s a sleeping drought. My grandmother used to make it for her sister when she was at her worst. It immobilizes you and puts you in a deep sleep. It’s harmless but…”

My hands balled into fists at my side. “But nothing. Where is your grandmother? She had a lot to answer for.”

Lakyn raised her hands, covering her mouth. “She couldn’t have. She wouldn’t. She wouldn’t do that without telling me.”

I could feel my anger seething up inside of me even as I tried my best to tame it. I still couldn’t feel Riley, and it was making me impatient. “How long does it last?”

“A few hours, depends on how much she drank. It could be longer.”

Lakyn turned to grab her phone, but I grabbed it out of her hand. “I don’t think so traitorous witch. I think you’ve done enough. Now tell me where she is.”

“That’s what I’m trying to replace out.” Lakyn looked up at me. “If I call her, she might tell me.”

“No,” I said. “Collin came to visit you, then he shows up at Riley’s enchanted. Now she comes to talk to you and suddenly disappears.”

Lakyn shook her head, “you have to believe me. I didn’t have anything to do with her being taken. Let me help you.”

“You’ve helped enough,” I spat out. “I think it’s time…”

“Wait,” Petra said, cutting me off. “We can use her.”

I clinched my fist together. She was right, of course. There was a chance I could use Lakyn as some type of bargaining tool.

“Just tell me what you did, Lakyn,” Petra said in a sugary sweet voice.

“I’m telling you, I had nothing to do with whatever happened. I wouldn’t betray her like that. She is my friend.”

“You barely even know her,” I spat.

“That doesn’t negate the fact that she is my friend. We just clicked. Then you showed up. She’s not been the same since. I thought she was hallucinating, or I don’t know making shit up, but when I realized she wasn’t dropping it, I talked to my grandma.” She looked up. “I’ve got to talk to my grandma. Just let me call her. You have me. What harm could it cause?”

“If you even give her a hint that we are here with you, I will snap your neck like a fucking twig and not think twice about it.”

Lake swallowed, taking her phone as I held it out to her. I watched her carefully as she hit some buttons on her phone, then hit the speaker so we could all hear the conversation.

“Hello,” a voice answered after only a couple of rings.

“Hey Gram,” Lakyn said, trying her best to sound as normal as possible. “What are you doing?”

The line crackled some, “oh nothing really. Just tending to my plants. They aren’t liking this colder weather.”

Lakyn looked up at both me and Petra before she took a deep breath. “Gram, you haven’t made any of your sleeping drought lately, have you?”

“I sure have. Your cousin Kyler is in town visiting and needed some.”

Hearing Kyler’s name, my entire body shook with fury. He had her. Kyler had his hands on Riley.

“Who the hell is Kyler?” Lakyn asked. I barely listened as her grandmother began telling her just how the two were related. All I could think about was ringing Kyler’s neck with my bare hands.

“Ask her where he is,” Petra whispered to her.

Lakyn nodded. “Is he still there with you?”

“Nope,” her grandmother said. “He left last night. I told him I wanted you to meet him. I think he could teach you a lot, but he is too busy at the moment.”

“Gram, Riley is missing,” Lakyn blurted out. “Tell me you had nothing to do with that.”

“I told you she had a black shadow hanging over her head,” Gram said. “I know she was your friend, but…”

“What do you mean was?” Lakyn asked, frowning.

“Don’t worry about that, dear.”

“Gram, I’m not fucking playing with you. What do you mean was? Did you do something to her?”

“Don’t curse me, young lady. I told Kyler about her problems. It seems his demon has gone missing. We figure either she has him, or she has access to another one. I don’t believe she just suddenly quit seeing him. She’s been lying to you this whole time.”

Petra reached out, putting a hand on my shoulders to stop me from grabbing the phone. Lakyn took a few steps back. “Where is she, Gram?”

“Kyler has her now.”

Lakyn shook her head. “And where is he taking her?”

“Couldn’t tell you,” she said. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. That girl deserves everything she has coming to her.”

“Gram…”

“She made the choice. She refused the help. Now she must suffer the consequences.” She laughed. “I told Kyler how she accidentally got his sigil tattoo. I can’t believe I actually believed her story. She played us Lakyn. She just wanted what was ours.”

Lakyn shook her head, “Gram no.”

“I wouldn’t worry your pretty head about it. I’ve been wrong, Lakyn. So wrong. But now, we will be rewarded. Now everything we could ever want will be ours for the taking.”

Lakyn didn’t bother saying goodbye as she hung up the phone. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she said, looking up.

I couldn’t do anything but stare down at her. It was Petra who walked forward. “I hope you aren’t too attached to your grandma, because I’m almost positive that my brother is about to kill her.”