All The Wrong Signs

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to wake myself up. This had to be a dream. There was no way I had teleported myself to Blaze in the middle of a fucking battle.

He was going to kill me. The look on his face said it clearer than any words could have.

“Soren,” Blaze growled, pulling me closer to his side as he once again lifted his sword to block a blow.

The world in front of me was nothing like what I assumed hell would be. Where was the fire and brimstone? The only thing even remotely hell like from where I stood was the red tinged sky.

Things were happening so fast it was hard for me to take it all in. People were fighting everywhere. The sound of steel hitting steel echoed around me.

Blaze shifted me, throwing me behind him just in time to counter another strike from the demon he had been fighting when I appeared.

“Where the fuck did she come from?” a long blonde haired demon said. I had to blink at seeing him. He reminded me a lot of Legolas in the Lord of the Ring movies, only way hotter and buffer.

“Fuck if I know,” Blaze gritted as the demon took his place in front of us, shielding us.

I really wish he would have let Blaze handle the fight himself, because when he turned around and looked down at me, I knew I was in deep shit. I opened my mouth to explain, but hearing shouting, Blaze turned, cussing as he lifted his sword again, protecting us from yet another assailant.

Soren had killed the first attacker and was now fighting beside Blaze. “Go. Take her some place safe.”

The last thing I wanted was for Blaze to take me anywhere right now. I could see the veins in his temple thumping and I just knew it had my name written all over it. I don’t think I’d ever seen him so mad. Not even at Kyler.

Blaze turned, looking down at me. He had yet to say anything to me besides his initial damnit Riley. I didn’t even know how I got here. Had he summoned me?

Had I somehow pulled too hard and made my way through the veil?

Impossible.

It was impossible.

Right?

Still glaring at me, Blaze reached down, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me roughly against him. With a pop, we were gone. We landed with a thump in the middle of what I could only describe as castle ruins.

It was bleak yet beautiful at the same time. A deep fog had set picking up the red from the sky. I could almost imagine death creeping toward us.

“Where are we?” I asked, trying to distract him and make him forget he was upset with me.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Don’t give me that. You could have gotten yourself killed, Riley. You could have gotten both of us killed.”

I looked up at him, crossing my arms. “You said it wasn’t that bad. You told me not to worry.” Looking up at him, I frowned, “that was a full-blown war.”

“I think you are exaggerating,” Blaze said, staring down at me.

“Blaze, you could have been killed!”

Blaze looked up at the sky. “It takes a lot to kill me.”

“But they can kill you,” I said, looking up at him with tears in my eyes.

“Yes, they can, especially if I’m having to protect your ass when you just decide to pop up out of nowhere.”

Oh, he was pissed.

“That’s not fair. I don’t even know what happened. I was trying to get you to respond. I kept trying and trying and next thing I knew, I was here.” I looked up at him hurt, “you didn’t answer.”

Blaze narrowed his eyes, “I was a little busy at the moment, little witch.”

“Ok, but you could have sent Petra. You always send her when you can’t get to me.”

“You fucking could have gone to Petra too,” Blaze growled. “At least then you wouldn’t have landed smack dab in the middle of the fucking war.”

“Like I had a choice.” I couldn’t understand why he was so mad at me. Ok I could, but it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t do this.

Did I?

Blaze took a deep breath, seeing the confusion in my eyes. “You do realize it was you who transported yourself to me, don’t you?”

I made a face. “I did not.”

“Yes, the fuck you did,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Do you really think I would have brought you here?”

“You didn’t answer me,” I said softly, uncrossing my arms and letting them fall to my side. “You said…”

“I said I’d always come, and I will Riely.” Blaze’s fight seemed to go out of him as his shoulders fell some. “Come here.”

“You could get killed out here, Blaze. I…” Tears started running down my face as it suddenly hit me what I had witnessed.

“Riley,” Blaze said, sighing. “You know I heal quickly. I promise you, what you witnessed was just a little skirmish, nothing more.”

As much as I wanted to remain stubborn and just glare at him until he apologized. For what I’m not sure of. I walked forward, letting him pull me into his arms. The metal of his armor was cold against my skin, but I didn’t care.

“I’m sorry. If I transported, I have no idea how I did it.”

He shook his head, kissing my forehead. “You followed our bond. Tugged so hard you brought yourself here. Your timing fucking sucked but...”

“Ok,” I said, shoving at him, regretting it when my hand hit the hard metal of his armor.

He chuckled, “you are an enormous distraction. Petra will kill me if I let anything happen to Soren.”

I looked up at him, “is that her friend?” I said, making quotation marks with my fingers.

Blaze rolled his eyes, “the idiots think I don’t know.”

Looking up at him, I took a long breath, feeling my body relax some. “So this is hell?”

“The northern border,” Blaze said, looking across the open field.

“I’m sorry, Blaze. I would have never intentionally popped into a war.”

He looked down at me. “Bullshit.”

Frowning, I looked up at him, tilting my head. “I can’t fight.”

Laughing, he pulled me closer to him, leaning down and kissing me. “As if I’d ever let you.”

“You keep forgetting I saved you,” I added.

He let out a deep breath. “You’re right.”

Laying my head on his chest, I felt the weight of what he must feel on my shoulders. “Sometimes I wish I wouldn’t have. At least then you would be safe right now.”

He snorted, “you want me tied to you little witch?” When I nodded, he shook his head. “I fucking bond myself to you and you take it for granted.”

“I don’t take you for granted,” I said, looking up at him. “I love you and I worry about you.” With tears streaming down my face, I admitted to him my deepest fears. “I’m afraid you’ll leave me. I thought you turning your back would be the worst thing that could happen, but if you died… I don’t think I could handle that.”

Blaze grabbed my shoulders, pushing me back slightly so he could look down at me. “Do you remember when I told you I would pick you over the throne?”

I nodded, “I do, and I understand…”

“You really don’t,” he said, reaching down and swiping a strand of hair behind my ear. “Why do you think I’m out here risking my life? Do you think it’s because I want to rule hell?”

When I nodded, he sighed, “that’s what I used to think I wanted. Now I know there are more important things.”

“I want you to be free, Blaze,” I said, looking up at him. “I don’t want to hold you back.”

“Hold me back?” He laughed, “you are the most important thing in my life Riley.” He put a hand on my stomach, “you and our child. It’s why I’m out here taking out any and all threats that could come to you.”

My entire body froze. Child? I must have heard him wrong. “What? I…Blaze I can’t have children. I…”

“You are indeed carrying my child. My blood healed your body from the outside in.”

“But…But it’s impossible. You just healed me. There is no way.” My mind couldn’t accept what he was saying. Was he trying to trick me? Why would he do that?

“Not when I healed you from the wounds Kyler gave you, Riley. When I bonded with you. You’re not that far along yet. Demon pregnancies are a little more intense than human pregnancy. The time span is the same, but the symptoms are stronger and show up faster.”

“How long have you known?”

Blaze pulled me to him, “when I healed you in the caves. It was almost too late, but Lakyn is strong and between her spells and my blood…”

“Oh my God,” I said as the realization that I was pregnant hit me like a ton of bricks. If it wasn’t for Blaze, I would have hit the ground. Having a baby was all I had ever wanted for longer than I could ever remember. Now that I was pregnant, I didn’t know what to do.

What if I wasn’t meant to be a mother?

“Our child will be immortal like you?”

Nodding, Blaze looked down. “Yes.”

“I’m really pregnant?” I asked again, putting a hand to my stomach.

“Yes, little witch.” Blaze said, looking down at me with a possessive stare.

Everything made sense now. The reason he had been so hard on me to eat lately. The way he held me close at night wrapping his arms around me.

“You healed me?” When he nodded, I shook my head. “I guess I can’t hold it over your head that I freed you anymore.”

Blaze smiled, “you can hold whatever you want over my head, my princess.”

“I thought I was your little witch.”

“You are both,” Blaze said. “When I take my place on the throne, I want you beside me.”

“You want me?” I didn’t mean it to sound the way it did. It wasn’t even a complete sentence. I had more I wanted to say. I just couldn’t get the words out.

“I do,” Blaze said, his eyes burning into mine. “But you will have to make sacrifices to stay with me. You will have to give up your mortal life.”

“But Hollie?”

Blaze pulled me to him. “I should have told you sooner. Bonding you healed any injuries or defects your body might have had, but when I healed you, you took some of my life force. You aren’t’ immortal, but you will live for a very long time.”

Looking up at him, he leaned down kissing me. “I know it’s a lot to take in, Riley, but everything I do is for you. For our child. For our future. I didn’t mean to get you pregnant. I didn’t prevent it, but it wasn’t something I planned on.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. “I never planned on you, Riley. Demons don’t fall easy. I don’t know what kind of fucking spell you have me under, but I never want you to take it off.”

Hugging him tightly, I could not hold back my tears. I loved him. It didn’t matter that he was a demon. Didn’t matter that if I chose him, I would be living in hell.

“I’ll never let you go as long as you never let me go,” I whispered into his chest.

Leaning down, Blaze kissed the top of my head. “Never. But I am going to take you to Petra so I can get back on the battlefield.”

When I jerked my head up, he winked down at me. “Remember, I’m a badass, little witch. You don’t have to worry about me. I have something to fight for. And now I actually have two things to fight for.”