All The Wrong Signs

“Well, I’m glad to see the two of you made up,” Petra said, appearing out of thin air. She looked at her brother. “We have problems.”

He released me, “what problems?”

She tilted her head. “Kyler knows you are missing.”

“We knew it would only be a matter of time before he noticed.” Blaze said, shrugging it off.

“The council is asking for you.”

Blaze hadn’t really been paying her that much attention until she said that, and I instantly wanted to ask who the council was. “The council?”

Petra nodded, “apparently the more time you spend out of that circle, the more people are remembering you exist. Gregar has heard of your return and he knows you will come for him.” She took a step closer to us. “I don’t trust him, Blaze. He would betray you if given the chance.”

“The book?” Blaze asked.

She shook her head. “He doesn’t know about it. But Kyler has been all over the dark web getting people to translate bits and pieces. Your name, thankfully, remains a mystery to all of them.”

They both turned to look at me. “If Kyler finds out…”

“He won’t,” Blaze growled. “Watch her. I’ll be back.”

Before either I or Petra could argue, he was gone.

I looked up at Petra. She had her arms crossed, looking at me as if I was a child who had disappointed her. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I knew you would try to stop me and I…”

“You put both yourself and my brother at risk,” Petra said angrily. “You…”

“How do you submit to a demon?” I asked, cutting her off, hoping that she would give me the information that Blaze refused to give.

She paused, looking down at me as if I had just asked her to help me hide a body. No, that’s not right. Petra would probably help me if I asked.

“Why do you want to know?” Petra asked suspiciously.

Deciding lying to her wasn’t the way to go, I shrugged. “Blaze said he couldn’t find me because we weren’t bonded,” I explained. “He said to be fully bonded, I’d have to submit to him. What does that mean?”

Petra tilted his head. “He told you that?”

“Is it not true?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s true. But it requires a huge sacrifice. Submitting to him puts him in complete control of you. He would own you, body and soul. It’s almost like a possession except there is no going back. Once you submit, you are his forever.”

I kind of liked the sound of forever. Only I was sure that it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.

“Demons grow bored easily, Riley. Once he moves on, and he will. You would be only a shell of a person. Without him, you would be nothing. A husk of who you were before him.”

If she only knew, that would happen either way. “But how do you submit?”

Petra shook her head, “no. If you want to know, get Blaze to tell you. I’m not going to get my ass chewed out for telling you. You aren’t…” She paused. “He obviously cares for you. He wants you to be free, Riley. He’s told me as much.”

Taking a deep breath, I stood up straighter. “I’m tired of everyone always making decisions for me. I’m not going to just submit to him for no reason. I just want to know in case it can somehow help him if something happens. What if something happens to me and he can’t find me? He would never be able to live with himself.”

I had no idea if that was true or not, but it was what made Petra finally agree to tell me.

“Blood.” She said. “Traditionally, he would cut his palm with a blade, and you would cut yours. You grasp hands, letting your blood mix. Then you would say. I submit my mind, body, and soul to you, his name. Your will is my command.”

I frowned, “that’s it? It sounds like we are getting married.”

Petra frowned at me, “Demons don’t take words lightly Riley.”

“Blaze said we weren’t fully connected yet. He tried to track me earlier. How is that possible?”

Taking a seat, Petra shrugged. “He’s fucked you, I assume, based on how protective he was over you today. He can sense you because of your mark, but he can’t hold on to you. Not without the oath.”

“Do humans submit to demons a lot?”

Petra shook her head. “Demons like to possess. It’s something left over from the past when the demons liked to keep human salves.” She laughed, “we don’t even need oaths anymore. The number of people lining up is ridiculous.”

“Blaze can’t break it?”

Petra shook her head, “once done, it’s done. It doesn’t mean he will stay, Riley. It just means he will always have a connection with you.”

“Does he have a connection with anyone else?”

She shrugged. “I was young when he was captured, so I really can’t answer that for you. Most of the women who submit to demons are usually used for sex. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I nodded, trying to take in everything she was saying. “Still sounds like marriage,” I said, trying to make light of the situation. “Can we keep this conversation between the two of us?”

Petra nodded. “For now, but I’m telling you Riley, don’t do anything stupid. Don’t try to force him.”

“I would never trick him into being bonded with me. It’s not something I would want forced on me.” I looked down, “why does the council want to see him?”

“There could be many reasons,” Petra began. “I think they want to know if he plans to challenge Gregar for his place on the throne.”

“And does he?”

Petra looked up at me. “As long as he is under your and Wumbert’s command, he is ineligible to take his rightful place on the throne. Once free, will be a different story. He belongs there Riley. He is a prince whose kingdom was stolen out from under him.”

“Hell?”

Snorting, Petra shook her head. “Hell is just another dimension. It isn’t all fire and brimstone, that was somebody’s overactive imagination.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, because that was the first thing I thought of when I thought of hell. It didn’t fit, Blaze thought. I couldn’t see him breaking a sweat.

Stretching out on the couch, I turned the tv on, wondering how long Blaze would be gone.

Turns out he was gone all night. I awoke a little after 8 in the morning. Sitting up, it took me a minute to realize I was still on my couch. Petra must have turned my tv off and covered me with a blanket.

Tossing my covers off, I stood up, stretching before I headed to the bathroom. As I walked, I looked around for Petra, but she and my dogs were all missing. I figured they were in the backyard. Petra and Blaze seemed to always beat me to it in the mornings.

After I left my bathroom, I stopped off in my room, changing into a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. When I walked back out, Petra was in my kitchen dressed much the same as I. It was weird seeing her dressed so casually.

“I thought we could go around the corner for breakfast. When you ditched me yesterday, I stopped in and grabbed a cup of tea before I broke the news to my dear brother.”

I nodded. “I’ve never eaten there, but I’ve only heard good things.”

Letting the dogs back in, I went and grabbed some shoes and my wallet before returning to the kitchen. As we walked to my door, Petra’s hair changed to a reddish brown color and shrunk up into a pixie cut. I stopped walking, looking up at her in amassment.

“Are you ever going to show me what you really look like?”

Petra laughed, opening my front door. “Not in this lifetime.”

Even though it was chilly, the walk to the small shop wasn’t bad. Opening the doors, you could smell the freshly brewed coffee and the distinctive smell of cinnamon. A young girl who looked to be barely 16 greeted us as we walked in. Looking up at the menu, I followed Petra to the counter.

Without even looking up at the menu, Petra ordered a cup of tea and a raspberry scone. It took me a little longer, but I finally chose an iced Carmel macchiato and a cinnamon roll. With my drink and food in hand, I walked over to the booth that Petra had sat down in.

“Have you heard anything from Blaze?” I asked as I sat down.

She took a sip of her tea. “No. I’m not even sure where he is, honestly. I think he may be back in Wales.”

Nodding, I tried not to look disappointed. Taking a drink of my coffee, I looked out of the window. “I hope he finds what he is looking for.”

Petra glanced up at me but didn’t speak until I pushed my cinnamon roll away from me. “You need to eat.”

My lips twitched into a smile. “You sound like your brother.”

“Good, that means I’m doing my job.”

I made a face at her, reaching out and taking a small bite of my cinnamon roll. “Happy?”

Petra looked at me, arching her brow. “One bite isn’t eating.”

“I’m not really a morning eater.” Taking a sip of my coffee, I looked down at my food. “I used to love cooking supper, but I find it pointless to cook just for me.”

“You could cook for Blaze,” she said with a smirk.

I looked up at her. “I didn’t think he ate human food.” Looking at her plate realized he just wasn’t eating my human food.

Petra laughed, “I can assure you he can eat anything you can. Maybe he doesn’t eat your food because you don’t eat your food.”

I frowned at Petra, “you are not funny.”

She smiled, “oh but I am. Are you ready?”

Nodding, I stood up taking my mostly uneaten cinnamon roll and tossing it in the trash on the way out. I had only drank half of my coffee so I took the rest with me.

As we walked outside, Petra paused and I could see something flash in her eyes. Before I had time to question it, she started walking again. “Someone is following you,”

“What?” I said, about to turn around.

“Keep walking, keep your eyes ahead.” Petra looked at me and laughed, making me frown at her. “They don’t know I who I am or that I can sense them. I don’t know their intentions, but it isn’t good.”

“Why… Why would anyone follow me?”

“I can think of about a million reasons, but I don’t know why this one in particular is. Once we get to your house, you tell me bye. Then I’ll figure out who this person is.”

She looked at me, “stay inside and don’t open your door for anyone.”

I nodded at her. “Should I call Blaze?” I asked as we heard my porch.

Petra looked at me. “Thanks for meeting me. It was nice to finally get together. I’ll call you when I get home.”

I was surprised when she reached out and pulled me into her embrace. “If I’m not back in the next thirty minutes or anyone knocks at your door, call him.”

Nodding, I forced a smile onto my face as I walked up my porch and unlocked my door. Once the door was open, I turned and waved goodbye to her, trying to glance quickly to see what had spooked her.

Finding nothing, I called bye to her again and shut the door. I didn’t just lock the knob, but all the locks on the door. If whatever was outside upset Petra, it couldn’t be good.