All The Wrong Signs

Riley’s POV

Waking up to a demon watching you sleep sounds a lot scarier than it really is. Or maybe I had just gotten used to Blaze being there beside me. I still wasn’t sure he wasn’t a figment of my imagination.

Blaze watched me, not bothering with speaking as I sat up. Turning to face him, I saw he was fresh out of the shower. His blonde hair was still wet, and he had yet to pull his shirt back on.

Are demons supposed to be hot?

I’d never had a thing for blonde headed men. I’d always been attracted to the tall, dark, and handsome type of guy. Blaze, however, pulled the blonde hair and blue eyes off. Maybe it was the demon in him. Or maybe I was just fucking crazy.

“How did you make my bad dreams go away?” I asked, not really expecting an answer. I just wanted to hear his voice.

“Who says I did anything?” Blaze responded, looking up at me.

I sighed, “whatever. I just wanted to…” I rolled my eyes, throwing my cover to the side so I could get up. “I was going to thank you. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since…”

“Since what?”

Turning to look at Blaze, I shook my head. I wasn’t about to go into detail with him about all of ugly things my divorce had plagued me with. He would laugh at me and think me some stupid, silly human.

Pulling out a change of clothes, I walked to my door. “Just thank you, ok.”

Once behind my bathroom door, I sat my clothes down and took a deep breath. I needed to get my shit together. It wasn’t his fault I had been having nightmares. Could you even call them that? It was like when I slept, every fault I had came to light. Collin was always in my dreams and was quick to point out every single reason he had cheated on me.

Looking up at the mirror, I frowned. My skin was paler than it had been in years. I looked like some kind of Tim Burton cartoon. Long dark hair, pale skin, permanent frown.

Not wanting to face my mirror’s judgment any longer than necessarily I quickly put on my moisturizer, brushed my teeth, and changed clothes. Opening the door to step out, I ran flat into another type of wall.

This one was Blaze.

The shock of the impact left me motionless while my brain caught up with what happened. Blaze stood perfectly still, watching me with those eyes of his that seemed to bore through my very soul. Instantly, I took a step back. “You are being a creeper,” I mumbled, walking to the kitchen.

Shadow and Luna were dancing by the door, so I knew they needed to go outside and handle their morning business. Opening the sliding glass door, I watched as they bolted out to opposite corners of the yard. “You know, if you are going to be here rent free, you could at least let my dogs out in the morning.”

Blaze snorted, “they don’t get up until they hear you. When I came back, they didn’t ever come see who I was.”

I looked up at him, “where did you go?” The look on his face let me know he wasn’t about to tell me his secrets. “Well, did you at least figure anything out?”

I shouldn’t care, but I needed him to figure out whatever he was searching for so he could leave me the hell alone. Pulling out a skillet, I looked down at it, wondering how he would react if I just flat out hit him with it and told him to go away.

“Not really,” he answered, eyeing me, making me wonder if he could read thoughts as well.

Pulling out the things I needed to make an omelet, I went to work, not bothering to ask him any more questions. My talk with him might have helped some because when the dogs scratched on the door to be let in, it was he that stood up and went to open the door.

When my omelet was done, I flipped it onto a plate and cut it in half. Looking up at him, I sighed. “Are you hungry? Do you even eat human food?”

“I eat souls,” Blaze said, looking up at me, making me believe every single thing he was saying was true. If it wasn’t for him breaking out in laughter, that is.

“Shut the fuck up,” I mumbled at him, deciding that even if he ate human food, he wasn’t about to eat any of mine.

Moving to sit beside him at the bar, I tried my best to block him out, but he turned to face me. “Human food usually makes us sick. We can tolerate some. Rare meat, some grains, but normally we don’t bother.”

“That’s great,” I said sarcastically.

Blaze narrowed his eyes at me, but before he could open his mouth to talk, a loud banging started at my front door. Our eyes connected as both dogs started barking their heads off. Now they wanted to be guard dogs.

Dropping my fork, I felt my blood turn cold. Even without being at the front door, yet I knew it was him.

Collin had found me.

Swallowing, I got up making my way to the front door. The banging on my door only grew louder and if it wasn’t for Blaze walking behind me, I might have run into my room and locked the door.

Standing on my tiptoes, I looked out the peephole, only to jump back as the face seemed to be watching me. Collin.

“Open the goddamn door Riley. I know you hear me.”

Looking over my shoulder, I looked up at Blaze. He looked confused, and he had every right to. “Just do me one favor, ok. Don’t let him take my dogs.”

Telling the dogs to get in their kennel, I took a deep breath. Before I could change my mind, I unlocked the door, opening it just enough that my body could block the path. “What do you want, Collin?”

I was proud of myself for how angry I sounded, even though inside I was shaking with fear.

“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” Collin looked down at me. “You would know what I wanted if you would stop being a child and talk to me like an adult.”

“Me?” I asked, shocked. “I have no reason to speak to you anymore.”

Collin took a step forward, and I knew he was trying to make me back up. “I want the dogs, Riley. You should feel horrible keeping them cooped up in this small place all day.”

My heart sunk. I knew he would come after them. They were the only things I had cared about, and he was trying to take them from me. Why? Was he that hell bent on making my life miserable? He had gotten what he wanted. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?

“I have a yard. They are fine,” I said. “Now if you don’t mind…”

“Actually, I do.” Collin put his hand out, hitting my door, trying to knock it open. If It wasn’t for Blaze grabbing it, he would have succeeded too.

Collin frowned, looking down at me, thinking that I had somehow held it steady. “Look. Why don’t I come inside? We can talk and perhaps we can come up with a deal and…”

“No,” I said firmly. “I don’t want you in my house. How did you even find me?”

Laughing, Collin shrugged. “You can’t run away from me, Riley. If I want to find you, I will. We both know it. Now why don’t you step to the side like a good girl and let me inside?”

I felt sick to my stomach. A good girl. That’s all he ever wanted. Someone to do every thing just how he wanted. Someone he could control.

“I said no.”

Collin’s face turned an angry shade of red. “Look here, you stupid bitch…”

I don’t know who was more shocked, me or him. Blaze had reached out and grabbed him by the throat. Collin suddenly found himself being choked by invisible hands.

“Let me kill him,” Blaze growled.

It was tempting, it really was, but just knowing that Blaze was here made my confidence build back up. He, for whatever reason, would not let Collin bully me.

“You should really learn some manors,” I said, watching as Collin tried to claw invisible hands from around his throat. “I’d hate for anything to happen to you.”

As Blaze released Collin, he took a long gulp of air. “You bitch, are you threatening me?”

The door behind me opened all the way, making me just a tad bit worried, but the look on Collins’ face let me know he was seeing something he wasn’t expecting.

Turning around, I saw Blaze. Not the same Blaze I saw every day, but this one looked more like a biker. Tall, muscular, dirty blonde hair, tattoos, and gauged ears.

My mouth dropped. Why the hell did he keep changing his looks? And why the hell was he hot in whatever form he chose?

“Who…who is this…” Collin scampered.

“I’m your worst nightmare,” Blaze growled out. “Now I suggest you turn around, get in your car, and forget you ever found this address.”

“You have no business butting into our personal affairs,” Collin said, looking up at Blaze even as he took a step backwards.

“Oh, but I do, you see. She,” he turned and pointed at me. “She belongs to me. If she tells you to go, then you go. And if you don’t. Well then, you get to deal with me and trust me, you’d rather play with a cobra than fuck with me.”

Colling looked past Blaze to me, then back at Blaze. “This isn’t over,”

Blaze laughed, “let me see you again. I’ll make every bad day you’ve ever had seem like a paradise.”

Collin looked up at Blaze, jumping before he turned and practically ran away. I looked up at Blaze as he turned and realized his eyes had turned pitch black.

Taking a step back, I watched as Blaze shut the door. His body morphed back into the one I was familiar with, but his eyes remained black as night. Whatever Collin had seen reflected at him scared him, but Blaze’s eyes only drew me in.

I hadn’t realized I had been shaking until I looked down at my hands. If Blaze wouldn’t have been here, there was no telling what would have happened. Without thinking, I launched myself at Blaze, throwing my arms around him.

He stiffened up, but relaxed as I started crying. I didn’t even know why I was crying. Maybe because no one had ever stood up for me.

“You know, I would comfort you, but I can’t touch you,” Blaze whispered.

Closing my eyes, I knew I needed to get away from him. Here I was crying on a demon’s chest and I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and comfort me, but I didn’t want to give him any power over me.

“Yes you can,” I finally said, squeezing my eyes shut as if that would excuse my need for comfort from a demon.

Blaze’s arms wrapped around me. “If he comes back, I’m killing him. No questions asked.”

I nodded, not about to argue with him.

“Thank you Blaze.”

He looked down at me. “For?”

“Protecting me.”

Blaze nodded. “I told you I wouldn’t let the boogeyman get you, didn’t I?”

“That was last night.”

Chuckling, Blaze rubbed my back, soothing me more. “As long as you are bound to me and I you, I promise you I will let nothing hurt you.”

“Because you need me,” I said, looking up at him.

Blaze’s eyes met mine. “It seems we both need each other for the time being.”

Was this a truce? He needed me to keep him out of his prison, and I needed him to keep Collin at bay.

Ok, but why was that like the most romantic thing I’d ever heard a demon say?

“I won’t send you back,” I whispered.

“And I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again,” Blaze whispered into my ear.