Page 72 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

“No more seeking out the bad guys,” Darius ordered. Was this what Bale had felt like when he explored the River Walk? Well fuck. He wasn’t going to do that again.

“Agreed.”

“We do this together from now on.”

Bale smiled warmly. He grabbed Darius’s arm and tugged him easily onto his lap. Darius immediately snuggled his head on his spot and breathed in Bale’s fiery scent. “You still smell wrong.”

“I’m fine, Darius.”

Darius glared at him. “You are not.”

Bale ducked his head and brushed his mouth softly against Darius’s tightly pursed lips. The touch stopped the complaints and sent Darius into a tailspin of desire. Darius clutched at Bale’s arms as he lifted himself closer. His kiss didn’t smooth away the hurt or the worry, but it distracted Darius enough, and that was okay.

Bale tilted Darius’s chin upward and dove deeper into the passion. The kiss grew with intensity as Bale wrapped an arm around Darius’s waist, securing him to his lap. Darius could feel every shudder as Bale gave his all to Darius. His words were a promise filled with emotions. “Won’t leave you, Darius.”

Darius glared at Bale as he brought his head back down. He scratched the soft nape where the baby-fine hair hid. Bale shivered under his affectionate ministrations and pressed into it. Darius did it once more and was rewarded with a deep, contented growl.

Bale opened his eyes and met Darius’s. There was a dark promise mixed in with the heat of lust. “I will not do anything that brings you pain, I promise you. You are my heart and my soul, Darius.”

Darius nodded fiercely. It was the same for him. Bale was his whole world, and no one would take him away. Not while he still had breath in his body. “Come to bed.”

Bale lifted his chin and peered hard at Darius. It stripped everything away from Darius, baring his very self to the searching gaze. Darius could only hope that Bale found what Darius asked for.

“What do you mean?” Bale asked, setting Darius aside and sitting upright. Panic and nerves danced in his eyes, soothing some of the very same emotions in Darius.

“I mean, you great loaf, come to bed. With me.” Some of the sarcasm would never go away. Not in a million years.

“Darius, I’m not… I don’t think…” Bale stuttered. His ability to complete sentences disappeared. “Are you sure?”

“Not really. However, whatever we do, I want it to be in my bed. Where I am surrounding you, where I can protect you,” Darius declared. A hum and a buzz of magic zipped through the air, waking the cats up from their naps but not enough to scare them from their spots. A gentle spell of Darius’s making settled over the house, sheltering them. Darius and Bale gaped at each other, stunned at the ease with which the wards came down. “Ah, that was unexpected.”

“I’m not shocked though.” Bale nuzzled Darius’s nose as he smiled against his mouth. “I am so impressed by you and your lack of expectation toward magic. It’s beautifully refreshing.”

“Sure.” Darius blinked, confused and pleased at the same time. After carefully standing up, he led the way up to his bedroom where lit candles covered most surfaces. The ambience and warmth gave the room a heavenly glow. “Bale, you are so fucking important to me. I can’t do any of this without you.”

Darius slowly stripped Bale of his clothes, baring his stone-grey skin to the fiery room. The flicker of the candles set off the shimmer of glistening skin, making Darius’s mouth water. He hadn’t been able to appreciate Bale’s muscular torso in such a long time, and he was overdue for it.

As Bale took off his pants, Darius noticed how gingerly he stood and the grimace of pain that crossed his face swiftly. Darius didn’t comment because Bale would tell him if he had to stop. He was content to be in the dark for now. It meant they could enjoy themselves.

Bale stood proudly naked in the room, comfortable with being on display for Darius’s perusal. His wings were half open, framing his body. Darius made a contented noise as he gazed at the rippling muscles and perfect posture. He itched to touch Bale’s torso, but he wanted permission first. Bale laced their fingers together and stepped closer. His heat radiated off him, burning Darius.

“You’re so glorious,” Darius breathed as he traced a hand over Bale’s pectorals, mapping out the musculature. A vision of their first encounter popped into Darius’s head, when everything was rushed and hidden. Darius forced the thoughts away as he kissed Bale’s chin and peppered his lips along Bale’s neck and shoulders, tasting the salt and the sweat. He caressed the smooth skin, feeling the small nipples as he reacquainted himself with Bale’s body.

Bale slid his fingers past the elastic waistband. He didn’t remove the fuzzy pants, only held on to Darius’s ass. His grip didn’t allow for Darius to move, but it didn’t matter. Darius could feel Bale’s thick cock against his lower stomach as he teased him. The burning touch was perfect, and Bale continued to grow under Darius’s continuous attention.

Darius marvelled at the soft texture of Bale’s skin under his fingers while trailing a hand toward Bale’s groin. His fingers curled around the shaft of Bale’s cock, causing Bale to growl in his ear. Darius’s fingers barely met as he squeezed the girthy length. Darius swallowed as he remembered taking Bale into his body. Bale had been so patient, but it still hurt. It was never truly perfect when they were in that hellscape, but it was right.

“Dare…” Bale whispered, and Darius shook away the encroaching memories. He was here and now. This was more important. Bale needed him, and he needed Bale.

Darius tickled the underside of the flared head and felt the slick liquid as it leaked down onto his hand. Gently, he pressed his thumbnail against the rim and was rewarded with a hitch in Bale’s breath and a sudden cessation of movement. Darius’s curiosity about Bale knew no bounds. He had the freedom to find out what made Bale squirm and moan. There was no rush or fear. It was him and Bale in the warmth of his house, rediscovering each other in a way that saved them.

The sound of Bale’s breathy moans and long growls was a symphony that made Darius’s heart race and blood pool low in his stomach. His cock pulsed with desire every time he heard Bale curse his name. Darius pushed at his pants, intent on taking them off so he could be skin to skin with Bale.

Bale stopped him with a touch, and when Darius raised his head, Bale was slowly shaking his head. Darius ignored him and pushed his pants down, needing the freedom, aching to feel Bale on him.

“I said no,” Bale whispered as he drew Darius’s hand away. “Keep them on for now.”

Darius huffed and shimmied, but the fire in Bale’s eyes had him readjusting his plans. He was about to drop to his knees when he noticed the muscles in Bale’s legs shaking.

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