Page 45 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

Hakko smiled softly. “You see it now, don’t you, Darius? At first, I thought to invite you because of the letters. You seemed so connected to them. I saw your face without its mask, then I knew.”

“I don’t have a mask,” Darius retorted grumpily. He wanted to gaze at Poe in peace and commit every feature to memory. Poe’s appearance reminded him so much of his parents that he ached. “Is he really? You’re from Granite?”

“Hakko?” Poe asked, sitting straight. “What’s going on?”

“It seems Darius is a distant relative of yours.” Hakko came over and kissed the top of Poe’s head affectionately. “Correct, Darius?”

He had a family. Someone connected to him. He loved Isaac to death. But Poe was familiar in a fashion, and it made Darius thrilled and sick to his stomach. It was too much. “You’re my family.”

Poe flushed and nodded. “Yeah, it’s weird. But it pleases me. I mean, it scares me that you’re real.”

“It’s terrifying. You wrote those letters?” Darius asked. His mind cast back to the book in his basement, the one that had filled his life with such joy and peace. Being in Poe’s presence reminded him of being in the basement with those books. Darius pressed his fingers against his eyes, trying to make sense of this revelation.

“Yes? They were cathartic.” Poe pursed his lips and considered Darius. “They had the same cleansing effect for you.”

“I guess.”

“You wrote your own letters, didn’t you?” Poe asked quietly, digging deeper into Darius’s heart. “But you haven’t found your happy ending yet, have you?”

Darius swallowed slowly and shook his head. How Poe knew this was mindboggling. His heart stopped beating, and his head swam. He wanted to leave. He had to stay.

“It’s how you became the caretaker for everyone. The land listened to you and sent your wish off to someone who was supposed to help?” Poe spoke quietly as though the story was just coming to him. “You’ve felt safe in one spot, but it’s not enough, is it?”

Darius shuddered. Poe’s words were hitting the mark, and it hurt to be so flayed open. “I’m sorry, Hakko, but I gotta go.”

“Darius? What’s wrong? What did Poe say?” Hakko set the mugs on the counter and came around to hover protectively.

“Fuck if I know.” Darius placed his hand on the doorknob, willing it to turn.

“Instead of help, something else came out?” Poe continued as though Darius wasn’t having a crisis. The words sent a rush of memories over Darius, stabbing him over and over again. He wanted Bale here. He wanted Bale to stop the pain from overwhelming him.

“I didn’t mean to. I was so fucking lonely. I wanted… I wanted hope that things would be okay. And I thought it’d help, and… it did. And didn’t. He came and… I can’t do this, Hakko. I can’t.” Darius shook his head. “Bale was there at the end though. He was the one…”

“And now?” Hakko asked gently.

“I’m tired, Hakko. It’s too much,” Darius whispered, admitting the truth out loud. “I need help. I need Bale.”

The door opened with Isaac and Bale bursting through it. Bale zeroed in on Darius and brought him close to his chest. His wings immediately curled around him, protecting him from the truth. Darius burrowed close, his breath coming out in a whoosh. Bale was here. He could relax now.

“Welcome? I hadn’t expected you?” Hakko said, pleasantly bland. Poe drifted to the far side of the island away from the new people.

“We couldn’t let Dare see you without us. He doesn’t have to do everything alone,” Isaac said fiercely as he poked Darius hard on the arm. “We’re family.”

“Sorry, Hakko, for barging in on you. Isaac and Caspian insisted,” Bale said, his arms still around Darius. Darius gathered strength from Bale as he rested against him.

“No worries. Poe? Is this okay?” Hakko asked. The sternness in his voice frazzled Darius a bit, and he buried his nose in Bale’s warm chest.

“Who are you?” Poe asked quietly.

“They are Isaac and Bale. Isaac is one of the apprentice guardians for the town, Darius’s mentee if you like, and that is Bale.” Hakko waved a hand around as he poured more water into mugs.

“Bale is the one the letters wanted Darius to seek out,” Poe said slowly. “Not the demon. Bale has always been the target.”

Darius sniffed and faced Poe, confused by Poe’s assertion. “What do you mean? It was him. The Yellow Dick. He found me.”

“He stepped in the path. Bale and you are connected closely. And Bale is a demon from the other dimension, correct?”

“That is correct,” Hakko answered.

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