All The Wrong Signs
This Isn't a Joke

I took my time walking home. While using sage to clear Blaze from my house sounded like a good idea earlier, it was sounding so hot now. What if he tried to stop me?

Lakyn said he would fight it.

Would I be strong enough to expel him? I didn’t even know what the hell I was doing. This was going to end horribly.

For me.

Once I approached my house, I pulled out one of the first stones my hand touched. Malachite.

Taking a deep breath, I walked up my steps, turning the knob, not sure if I had locked it or not when I had left in such a hurry. The door opened quietly in front of me. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Luna and Shadow come running toward me happily.

Shutting the door behind me, I knelt down, petting them both. I was still a little aggravated that they were just letting Blaze roam around my house like he owned the place. I had no idea the influences he had over animals.

Walking forward, I looked into my kitchen, seeing him sitting in the same spot I had left him. He had taken my pizza out, and it was sitting in front of him untouched. I squeezed the stone in my hand as I walked closer to him.

“That won’t help you, little witch,” Blaze said, still not moving.

Swallowing, I felt my courage melt away. How did he know what I had? Was he talking about the piece of malachite in my hand or the sage in my bag?

“What are you talking about?” I said with a shaky voice.

Blaze turned to face me, “that stone will not keep me from you.” His lips turned into a smile. “You summoned me, remember?”

I felt a shiver go down my spine as he winked at me.

“So you keep saying, but I didn’t mean to.” I looked up at him. “I don’t even know what to do with you.”

A wicked grin appeared on his face. “I can give you some suggestions if you would like?”

I quickly shook my head. “I’m just saying. You can leave.”

Blaze shook his head. “I’m not going back to that dark prison ever again.”

“You left once,” I said, trying to make him see reason. “Can’t you leave again? It’s not like I’m going to call on you.”

“As I’ve said before, it’s not that easy, little witch.”

Swallowing my fear, I looked up at him. “I can make you leave.”

He smiled at me, “you could. If you knew how.”

Turning, I walked to my room, half expecting him to follow me. Seeing him remain seated, I sat the bag down on my bed, slipped the useless stone back in and grabbed the sage out of the bag, unwrapping it. Walking over to my dresser, I grabbed my lighter, ready to set the sage on fire.

“You forgot to open the windows and the door,” Blaze called.

“Fuck,” I grumbled. I was starting to like him less and less. How the hell did he know what I was doing?

“Stop stalking me,” I yelled at him.

Blaze laughed, “the sage might work. Temporarily. You want to try it, little witch. Do you want to send me back to my prison? I wonder if they have even realized I’m missing yet. He just fed me and I pissed him off, so it might be weeks before he comes looking for me.”

I peeked my head from my door. “Come looking for you? Here?”

Snorting, Blaze shook his head. “The idiot isn’t smart or talented enough to track me.”

I slowly walked out, with my sage still in my hand. Blaze watched as I opened the sliding glass door to let the dogs in the backyard. When I didn’t shut it, he stood up. “Here, let me help you.”

Blaze walked from window to window, opening every single one of them until he was done. Walking up to me he looked down, “don’t forget the front door little witch.”

I frowned at him, but aggravated that he thought this was a joke, I stomped to the front door, opening it wide, before setting the sage on fire. I couldn’t for the life of me remember how long it said to leave it, but it was smoking pretty good, so I blowed it out.

Crossing his arms, Blaze lifted his head in the air and made a sniffing motion. “It’s been a long time since someone has tried to sage me out.”

“Tried?” I asked. “It didn’t work?”

Blaze looked up at me. “By all means, go for it. I’m willing to spend a couple of days in that hell to watch you walk around spreading smoke through your house.”

I was ready to give up, but I remembered Lakyn telling me he would try to fight me. He wouldn’t want me to do it and if he made me think it wouldn’t work, then I might give up.

With a renewed effort, I went to work, spreading the smoke around the entryway. Turning, I walked closer to him and was a little surprised when he backed up. Was it working?

I turned to the living room, making sure to hit every nook and cranny, every corner, before walking back out into the hallway. The kitchen was next. I had expected to replace Blaze there, but it was empty.

Where had he gone?

Was it working?

Taking a breath of air, I coughed, inhaling the smoke, but continued on tirelessly. It was working. Blaze was gone. My bathroom didn’t take long, but I still made sure I did a thorough job. I wasn’t taking any shortcuts.

The second I walked into my room, I felt my courage once again sink. Blaze was sitting on my bed, watching me. He looked amused. “One room left, little witch. Are you sure you really want to banish me from your home?”

As I nodded, he laughed, “I can be anything you want me to be.”

I gasped as he changed forms in front of me. His blonde hair turned brown, curling up as it shrunk. My jaw dropped as he stood. His height had changed, making him shorter, his figure slimmer.

“Is this better?” he asked in a voice I’d never heard before.

Swallowing, I realized I had not taken him seriously enough. I had not freaked out near enough. I had spent most of my time thinking he was a fucking hallucination when the whole time I had a fucking demon in my house claiming to be attached to me.

Knowing it as now or never, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Holding the sage out in front of me, I walked straight up to him. I needed to banish him. I needed too...

I needed to fucking banish him.

His eyes connected with mine. They were still the same bright blue as before. I had no fucking idea what to say, but I was about to give it my best shot.

“I Riley Fitts banish you…”

Fuck, what was his name? His real name. He had told me before. He...

I jumped as he started walking toward me, his form morphing back to the one I knew all too well. “Nice try, little witch,” he said, leaning down and blowing out my sage with one breath. “But we won’t be banishing anyone today. Got it.”

The sage fell from my hands to my feet as I found myself unable to unlock my eyes from his. He was mad. I could tell. I hadn’t been strong enough to banish him and now he was going to make me pay for ever trying.

“Are you going to kill me?”

Blaze frowned, tilting his head. “I…” He shook his head, “you really need to do some more studying. If any other demon would have been called to you, they would have a field day with you.”

“And you?” I asked, not sure I wanted the answer.

Leaning down, he picked up the bundle of sage, setting it in my hand. “I need your help.”

“Me? You think I can help you?” Maybe the sage had gotten to him. Killed some of his brain cells or something.

Nodding, Blaze grabbed my hand. “I need you to keep our bond, keep our connection. But I need you to allow me to roam when I need to. Once I figure out how to destroy my old prison, you can banish me away from you all you want. But until then, I need you to let me stay.”

It sounded so easy. So simple, but what if it was a lie? What if allowing him to stay only made his hold on me grow stronger? Wasn’t that what demons did? They lied and manipulated people to get what they wanted out of them.

“What if you can’t replace it? Or what if you can’t destroy it?”

Blaze shrugged, “then you are stuck with me.” When I shook my head, he arched his brow. “Then you better remember my name real fucking fast.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but before the words could come out, Blaze shoved me against the wall so fast that I didn’t even feel my body move until my back hit the wall. “I don’t want to hurt you, little witch, but I grow tired of these games.”

Blaze’s hands on my arms were the only thing keeping me from falling. He had lifted me so that we were eye to eye. I felt tears fall from my face, but didn’t care. I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do.

Kicking my feet, I tried my best to free myself from his grip. “Let me go, you stupid asshole jerk demon. I didn’t ask for you. You were a fucking accident. Just leave me alone.”

Blaze dropped me, and I fell with a thud to the floor. He knelt down, running his hands through my hair. I jumped, but there was no escape. I was trapped against a wall and him.

“I told you I need your help. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then why did you?” I screamed at him.

Blaze looked down at me as if he just realized what he had done. “You were trying to banish me. Again.”

“I don’t even remember your stupid name, you dumb fuck. Now get off of me.”

The fool had the nerve to laugh at me. His laughter made me angrier. I kicked at him. “This isn’t funny. It isn’t a joke. This is my fucking life.”

Looking over at me, Blaze shrugged. “Why don’t you go shut your doors? I’ll get the windows.”

I threw the sage at his head. “Fuck you.”

He walked way laughing, “you want? It might help us pass the time.”

I growled. I couldn’t stand him. I couldn’t fucking stand him one bit.