Chapter 45: Rose

Blaze’s POV

I wasn’t in the mood for games. Wasn’t in the mood for small talk. I wasn’t in the mood, period.

We had all crammed into Lakyn’s car and headed to her grandmothers. The car ride had been miserable. I kept trying to locate Riley. To feel our bond. Every time I came back with nothing.

The longer our bond remained unanswered, the more my anger grew. I was mad at everyone and everything. Most of all, I was mad at myself. Why had I let her go to Lakyn’s alone? I had made her promise me just days before not to go anywhere without Petra, and today I just let her walk out with nothing.

Our bond was strong. But even it couldn’t get past her being drugged. Lakyn had told us about the brew. As long as she was knocked out, she would be untraceable. The brew shut down all but her most needed functions to survive.

Lakyn gripped her steering wheel as we neared her grandmother’s house. “You have to give her a chance to talk. This isn’t her. I’m telling you, she isn’t this…this evil.”

“I’ll give her a chance to talk,” I gritted out. “She has about two seconds to tell me how to find Riley before I rip her heart out of her chest and eat it in front of her.”

“Oh, come on with the dramatics,” Petra said from the back seat. “She won’t be any good to us dead. You can kill her after we get some valuable information out of her, but not a second sooner.”

I rolled my eyes, leaning back against my seat. Where the hell was Riley? She was mine, damn it.

Talking a deep breath, I tried to remember that Lakyn said the brew lasted hours. She wouldn’t even be awake yet. I needed her awake. If I could just feel her. If she could just give me a sign that she was ok, I could breathe better.

Why did I care? I tried to tell myself I didn’t. I tried to tell myself it was just the bond.

Lies.

Every single bit of it was lies.

Riley was mine. Mine and only mine. But it was more than just a possessive need to claim her. Riley had somehow managed to crawl past my guards, past my walls, and bury herself deep inside.

Without her, I was nothing.

Was this love? If so, I didn’t care for it one fucking bit.

As Lakyn parked her car, Petra leaned up from the back seat, grabbing my arm before I could get out. “Remember Blaze, dead she can’t give us information.”

“Let me talk to her first,” Lakyn said. I quickly cut my eyes at her. Holding up her hand, she nodded. “I know. I promise you I won’t do anything to betray the fragile trust you have in me. I will help you get Riley back to the best of my abilities.”

“Whatever, you have 5 minutes,” I said, crossing my arms, aggravated at the whole ordeal.

We watched Lakyn approach her grandmother’s house and knock. When the door opened and she stepped inside, it took everything in me not to rush in behind her. Lakyn was probably warning her now. They were probably preparing some kind of attack. I’m sure her cabin was warded. Petra and I wouldn’t be able to step one foot inside.

Clever witch.

Stepping out of the car, I turned to face my sister. “The witch is playing us.”

Petra tilted her head. “No, she isn’t Blaze. You would know.”

I looked down. “I want her back, Petra.”

She nodded, “it’s hard isn’t it?”

“What?” I asked.

“Not realizing how much you love something until it’s gone.”

“She’s not gone,” I shouted at her. My heart was beating insanely fast, and I felt the world spin as my anger peaked.

Petra chuckled, “but you do love her.”

Looking down at my sister, my first instinct was to lie. I was a fucking demon prince. I didn’t love mortals. I didn’t love anyone. “You know I do. Why must you rub it in my face?”

Petra shrugged, “what else are annoying little sisters for?”

We both looked up, hearing the front door open. It surprised us both to see Lakyn’s grandmother walk out with her toward us. Out her, without her wards, she wouldn’t be helpless but she wouldn’t be as heavily protected either.

Unless she knew my name? Had they gotten it out of Riley? No, they couldn’t have. I would know. I would have heard it slip from her lips.

“Gran, this is Blaze and Petra. They are friends of Rileys.”

The old lady looked up at me suspiciously. I stared back at her. She looked like a hippie who took too much acid in the 60s. “So you are the demon?”

I arched my brow at her, letting out an aggravated breath. “And you are the witch. You handed Riley over to your son of a bitch relative.”

“Kyler won’t hurt her if she cooperates.” She laughed, “I mean he might play with her some, but…”

“Gram,” Lakyn hissed.

The woman stood up a little straighter. “I’m Rose, by the way. Kyler came to me and told me the story of how you disappeared. We both suspected it was you. The timing was nearly spot on, but even if it wasn’t, we thought it was an easy chance to catch a demon.”

“And why do you want a demon?” Petra asked, stepping to the side to get a better look at her.

Rose looked a little lost, then nodded, remembering. “To do our bidding.”

Lakyn looked over at us. “There is something not right about her. It’s like she’s been brainwashed.”

Hearing Lakyn, Rose laughed. “Kyler let me in on the truth, Lakyn. We’ve struggled for so many years. Been criticized and made to look like a fool. But who will be laughing now?”

“Gran,” Lakyn said, trying to reason with her. “You have to help us find Riley. It is important to me.”

The only lady looked down at her granddaughter and at first I thought she would offer her a word of sympathy, but I was wrong. “My dear, in this life, sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get ahead in life. Riley is just one such sacrifice. You didn’t even know her that well. You will soon forget her.”

Before anyone could stop me, I reached out, grabbing the old crazy lady by her throat and lifting her up until her feet couldn’t touch the ground. “Where the fuck is she?”

Rose’s eyes were large, but she only laughed at me. Lakyn gasped, but once she realized her grandmother was breathing just fine, took a step back.

“You should know. It’s been your prison for longer than I’ve been alive,” Rose chuckled.

My grip on her throat tightened. To her credit, she didn’t try to free herself as she gasped to intake air. My mind was reeling. Did we really need her? Could she even help us? Why the hell had she walked outside to talk to us unguarded?

She wouldn’t.

“Petra,” I said, keeping my eyes focused on Rose.

I hadn’t noticed before, but her eyes were dilated. There was no soul there. She had given it up many years ago. She wouldn’t help us. She had been no different from the other Wumbet’s. Waiting, biding their time.

Petra understood what I needed without having to go into detail. “One last chance, Rose.”

The old woman let out a cackle, and as she started mumbling, I did the only thing I could do to save us. Her neck made a sickening crack as I twisted. Lakyn lead out a blood-curdling scream, not understanding what was going on.

Or maybe she did. I still hadn’t made up my mind about her.

Dropping Rose to the ground, I reached out, grabbing Lakyn, and we transported back to Riley’s house. The moment my feet were on solid ground, I dropped Lakyn and she hit the floor sobbing.

Petra looked up at me, “the curse was out of the book.”

I nodded, “I know.”

I glanced down at Lakyn, who was still sobbing on the floor. I knew I had just traumatized her, probably for life. I just couldn’t find it in me to care.

Looking back up at Petra, I let out a deep breath. “I have to find her.”

“You will, Blaze. Go charge up. Rest while she rests. When she wakes, even Lucifer himself won’t be able to stop you.”

I nodded at her, walking into the living room and sitting in my favorite chair. I could still see the ghost of my little witch sitting across from me, watching me. Watching and waiting. Waiting for me to find her.

Closing my eyes, I tuned the sound of Petra trying her best to calm down Lakyn. I tuned out Riley’s ghost staring at me. When I opened my eyes, they glowed red as I let my body charge down. I never gave up full control of my body when I charged, but tonight I needed to disconnect, if only for a minute or two.

When I finally came back to reality, I was stuck in a dream. Pitch Black. Nothingness.

Riley?

I tried to connect with her. Tried to track her, but something was blocking me. I gritted my teeth, trying to barge my way in.

Opening my eyes, I looked at my sister. “She’s awake, but I can’t locate her.” I paused. “I think she’s in the air.”

Petra nodded, “be ready when she lands. They may try to seal her off with their wards, but moving her wont be easy. Even if we can get close, it’s closer than we are now.”

I nodded, looking beside her at Lakyn’s sleeping figure before looking back at her. “I need you to know if things go bad, I told her…”

“You fucking told her to sacrifice you to save herself.”

I shook my head. I should have known Riley would have told her. “I did.”

She shook her head. “Riley won’t do it. She loves you too much.” She smiled, “when she told me you said that I knew. I knew you loved her.”

A small smile turned my lips. “I’m not letting her go, Petra. Ever.”

Petra arched her brow at me, “my how the mighty has fallen.”