All The Wrong Signs

Blaze’s POV

What was the point of being bonded to someone when you couldn’t even find them? I was at my wit’s end. I knew Riley was close, but I couldn’t locate her. I couldn’t transport to her.

I knew the reason. We all did. She was inside of the sigil I had been imprisoned in. The magic was old and powerful and would make tracing her impossible.

Petra and Lakyn stood away from me. I’d already snapped at them so many times that they didn’t want to be anywhere near me. What good was the fucking witch if she couldn’t even do a tracing spell on her own blood? And my sister, don’t even get me started on her.

The worst part of it all was I could feel Riley’s emotions. It was a curse. Everything was blocked from me except the pain she was being subjected to. I could feel the hammering of her heart. The pain in her body. Yet I was helpless.

I let out a growl so loud the earth rumbled below my feet.

“Blaze,” Petra warned.

I didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing but her.

That stupid human. The fragile, beautiful, sweet, helpless human. No, I thought, shaking my head. She was a warrior, she just didn’t know it. She was strong. She would get through this.

She had to.

I feared what would happen if she didn’t. If Kyler killed her, I wouldn’t stop until she was avenged. The earth could go up in flames and I’d stand there watching it burn.

Closing my eyes, I had just taken a deep breath when I heard her voice in the wind. “I need you Blaze.”

My eyes popped open. Her voice had been so clear, so close. Instantly I tugged at our bond, hoping that she would be able to feel that I was here. I was trying. I was trying, damn it.

“Don’t give up Riley. I’m coming.”

“Can you feel her?” Petra asked, slowly walking toward me guarded.

I shrugged, kicking at the dirt underneath my feet. “I heard her. It was as if she was standing in front of me.” I looked down, “what if I’m losing my mind?”

When I looked up, Petra averted her eyes, but not quick enough. She had tears in them. I’d never seen my sister cry. Why would she cry now? Riley was my responsibility. My…

My everything.

Looking over, seeing that Lakyn was being smart and keeping her distance. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

Petra nodded. “We understand. I know it’s frustrating, but we have to be close. You heard her Blaze, that has to mean something.”

“They are torturing her, Petra. They are hurting her and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”

“You can find her and you can make them regret ever touching something that belonged to you.” Petra reached out, grabbing my arm. “Don’t forget who you are, Blaze. You aren’t just some random demon. You are a fucking demon prince. Others bow down to you.”

Standing a little straighter, I let her inflate my ego some. My magic, if nothing else, needed it. “You’re right. You are absolutely right. But what good does it do if I can’t even sit on my throne?”

Petra arched her brow. “What if it comes down to Riley or the throne?”

“What kind of fucking question is that?” I asked. “You know damn well I’d pick Riley. Today, tomorrow, every single time. It’s her, ok. It’s always been her.”

I turned to walk off when I heard an explosion. My heart froze as I thought the worst, but I felt every bit of magic that had been locked away when I had been cursed flood my body.

“Grab Lakyn,” I gritted.

It was like being caught up in a hurricane. The wind quickly swirled around me, patching the pieces of me that had been taken away. With a loud crack, it was gone.

I didn’t even think before I leapt. Petra could trace me through our blood. I just hoped Lakyn could take the jump. I landed without a sound in the cave that I had called my prison for so long.

My eyes immediately went to my broken sigil and what lay inside. Kyler had Riley by the neck, striking her with his free hand. My eyes blazed, the blood in my body boiled with anger. I heard Petra’s silent arrival. I spared one glance at her before we moved.

Petra was directly behind a tall, skinny man. I’d seen him before, but I didn’t know his name. In absolute silence, she snapped his neck, moving forward in one solid movement. My sister was as deadly as she was beautiful.

Even though I wanted the other scumbag I’d seen running around haunting Riley’s dreams, my focus was on Riley. Kyler would rue the day his ancestors ever captured me.

Kyler was oblivious to what was going on around him. He had stopped hitting Riley and now had his hands around her throat. “You will call him back. You will get me my demon back if it’s the last thing you do.”

I wanted to run to her, throw him off and cradle her in my arms, but I didn’t. Instead, I walked slowly into my now destroyed sigil. Being back was a mind fuck.

“You fucking demon whore call him back,” Kyler was barking.

“She already has,” I said, yanking him up off of her.

Kyler’s eyes grew enormous. It was clear he didn’t expect me to come for her. Or maybe he thought I was here for him. He looked around for his men, but all he saw were their broken bodies courtesy of Petra.

“Back Demon,” Kyler started yelling, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a cross out of all things.

I couldn’t contain that laugh that bubbled out of me. “Come on now, you’ve known me your whole life. Do you really think a cross will save you?”

Clicking a button in the center of the cross, a sharp blade snapped through the bottom. Slashing out, Kyler approached me, trying to slash me with his blade. “You will obey me!” Kyler screamed as he continued to slash.

Riley coughed, distracted me for a moment. Seeing me spare her a glance, Kyler turned toward her and I could see his intention in the air.

Before he even had time to blink, I grabbed him by the neck, slamming him into the wall behind him. “You don’t seem to realize you aren’t in control here anymore,” I said, extending my arm so that he hung above me. “For every single bruise, every scar, ever cut you put on her, I will double the damage to you.”

Kyler kicked, fighting my grip. It was useless. I could hold him here all day, but I had other things to do, and I wasn’t ready to kill him. Not yet. The bastard wasn’t going out easy.

Slamming him against the wall again, I made sure his head made a solid impact with the stone wall before dropping him like a sack of potatoes to the floor. He lay unmoving at my feet.

I didn’t waste time running, instead, I transported myself to Riley. Petra and Lakyn were both beside her as she gasped for breath. Moving to allow me space, they both stood back, watching as I knelt down beside her.

Riley was almost unrecognizable. Her face was bruised, her lip busted, and from the look of it her nose was broken. I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath before I pulled her into my arms. “You’re ok,” I whispered to her. “I have you, little witch. You’re ok.”

A sob escaped her throat as she tried to move her body closer to mine. I wrapped her tightly in my arms, wishing I could take all of her pain away. “Find the book,” I barked, looking up at Petra. “It’s here. I’ve seen it. Inside will be spells.”

Petra frowned, but nodded. “First, we need to deal with the trash and make sure he doesn’t get away.”

Walking over to where I left Kyler on the floor, she drug him by his left leg over to where we were. Digging through Kyler’s cloak, she made a face of disgust but soon pulled out a key.

Taking the key from her, I undid the shackles around Riley’s wrist. While I pulled Riley back under me, Petra bound Kyler with the same chains he had used to imprison not only me but Riley.

“There is a gear on the wall that will tighten the chains. Let him hang for a bit.”

Petra nodded before moving to do as I asked. The demon in me was clawing to attack, but I knew Riley needed me more than I needed any revenge, no matter how warranted. She had yet to talk. I wasn’t even sure if she could speak.

Lakyn had gone with Petra, leaving us alone. Looking down, I tilted Riley’s face up, examining all of her wounds. “I will make him pay, little witch. Of that you can rest assured.”

Riley’s fingers moved to my chest, gripping at my t-shirt. Kissing her forehead, I pressed my forehead against hers. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I should have been there. I should have protected you.” I looked down at her. Those beautiful eyes were staring at me. “I love you, little witch. You aren’t allowed to leave me ever again.”

A soft smile appeared on her face. “I freed you,” she whispered hoarsely.

I nodded at her. “You did. You were so brave. I told you, you are stronger than you know.”

Petra ran back up, and I felt a huge weight of relief lifted off of me when I saw her slam the book down. “What are we looking for?”

I shook my head, “not us.” Looking up at Lakyn, I locked eyes with her. “Her. She has to be the one to cast the spell.”

Lakyn’s eyes grew large. “What? Me? I’ve never…I can’t….I” Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Tell me what to do.”

Flipping through the book, I flipped to an old page that had handwriting all over it. “This is a healing spell. You have to use demon’s blood for it to work.”

Petra ran to get the cross that Kyler had tried to slash me with and hurried back, dropping it at our feet. “We don’t have any of the crystals listed,” she said.

“We might,” Lakyn said, reaching in her shirt and pulling out a small bag of stones. “In case of emergencies, you know.”

Useful witch.

Petra skimmed the book before nodding. “We need amethyst, red jasper, black tourmaline, citrine, and tigers’ eye.”

Lakyn dumped out the bag of crystals. “They aren’t big. Does it matter?”

“The size doesn’t matter. It’s the intent,” Petra answered. She watched me lay Riley flat on the floor before she took the crystals and arranged them from Riley’s head to her feet.

“I’ll read the spell. You will have to repeat after me,” I said. When Lakyn nodded, I sliced my palm open at the same spot I had when I had bonded with Riley. “I’ll drop blood on her. You need to rub into her skin so that it touches all of her wounds.”

Lakyn nodded again. “Ok.”

Making a fist, I let my blood drip from Riley’s forehead down as I recited the words in the book. I went slow enough that Lakyn could follow. Petra stood to the side, her arms crossed, looking down at us.

Riley would be ok. She had to be ok.

“Her ribs are broken,” Petra informed Lakyn as I forcefully tore open Riley’s shirt, dripping more of my blood onto her.

Lakyn let out a small sob as she continued repeating after me, and rubbing my blood into Riely’s bruised flesh. It took what felt like hours, in reality probably only a couple of minutes, before Riley was resting comfortably on the floor beside us. Her head was now in my lap as I ran my fingers through her hair.

“Her bruises are fading,” Lakyn said, looking awed.

I nodded, “you did good. Your will was strong. Riley will be proud of you.”

Riley coughed, opening her eyes. The life sparkling in them made me let out a sigh of relief.

“Riley,” I called.

She sat up slowly, adjusting to her newly healed body. “I love you, Blaze,” she whispered.

Petra yelled at her and I noticed too late, when she picked up the dagger on the floor and slashed at my mark on her hand.

The wind once again picked up, this time circling around the both of us. She had taken nothing from me, but I felt our connection release.

I was free.

As the dagger fell from her hand, I shook my head, looking at her. “You silly witch, you’re bonded to me. Break anything you want. I’ll always come for you. And I’ll never let you go.”

A smile appeared on Riley’s face seconds before she hurled herself into my arms. Petra and Lakyn both leaned against the other as I held my little witch against my chest.

Looking up at Kyler, I made a promise to myself that I’d make death look like a holiday by the time I was done with him.