Page 75 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

“Darius, really?”

“Sorry,” Darius apologized softly. He took a moment before speaking again. “I liked that zing of electricity.”

“That was pretty awesome. What made you think of that?” Bale slid his legs in between Darius’s. The soft balls on his thighs soothed him. He scratched the downy fuzz on Darius’s ass, unable to stop caressing him. It was a calming motion, and Bale heard the pause and slowing of breath as Darius fought sleep.

“Just felt right. I can’t… I couldn’t go all the way, but I thought why not try this, and it was neat.” Darius rubbed his nose on Bale’s shoulder. His fingers relaxed and curled as he fell asleep.

Bale lay back with Darius in his arms and stared up at the ceiling. What Hastur had done would forever scar Darius. To see him go this far without coaxing was mind-blowing. Darius might think he was a failure, but this, tonight, proved he was anything but.

Bale prayed to the evening star that Darius would find a path to peace and that defeating Hastur wouldn’t wreck his hard-fought recovery. He kept watch over Darius as he slept. Sometimes Darius twitched, and sometimes he shuddered, but he never woke up. Bale took that to mean Darius managed to get some real rest.

With Darius worried about using magic during sex, he’d begun practicing it during mundane chores. It was supposed to help his control, but Bale had a feeling he was playing with magic, experimenting with it as a child would a toy. It was breathtaking.

Darius’s curiosity knew no bounds as he stretched and weaved fire and electricity together to create striking sculpture. It was when he had to sit still and concentrate that Darius got frustrated. The stone circle was Darius's nemesis and one he was going to beat. Sooner rather than later.

The winter sun was making way for the spring, and the warm air was a blessing. Bale was ready to be rid of the cold weather as he stood on the deck and watched Darius fight with peace and stillness.

Stretching his wings, he basked in the warmth of the sun on the membranes and bones. The cloudless sky reminded him of good times.

“How do you do that?” Darius’s snarl echoed across the yard. Bale opened one eye and found Darius sitting and glaring at him.

“Do what?”

“Sink into the moment. You do it every day, and it’s not fair.” Darius attempted to slide off, but Bale sliced his hand through the air, stopping him.

“Stay there and don’t focus on anything. How I do it will always be different. This time, I was stretching my wings, and it was good,” Bale said. He leaned on the cold wood deck rail and gazed intently at Darius. “Find one of your rocks and stare at it, see the minerals, think about the past, when it was formed. What sort of beings lived here back then? What magic existed? Did it exist?”

Darius crossed his arms and glanced away. Grumblings could be heard, and Bale couldn’t hear what was being said, but he was sure they weren’t complimentary. Darius shook his shoulders out, relaxed them, and lifted his face to the sky.

Bale quietly found a chair and sat down, happy to see some progress, even if it wasn’t what he suggested. But minutes passed, and rocks began rising from the ground. They hovered in the air above their respective spaces and moved in a slow dance. Bale held his breath, awed by the power and beauty Darius displayed.

“Holy shit.” Isaac’s breathy sigh was the only warning Bale had that they weren’t alone. His footsteps crunched on the frozen ground.

The stones wobbled a tiny bit as Darius lost concentration briefly but returned to their still state once more.

“Bale… what’s he doing?” Isaac whispered as he slunk over to Bale on the deck.

“Meditating. He’s been practicing all day,” Bale answered quietly. The pride was bursting out of him as Darius continued to play with the large rocks. “We had a hiccup, but it seems to be working now.”

“That’s amazing. How long?” Caspian asked, resting against the table.

“Not very. But he really got focused just before you got here,” Bale answered. Caspian grunted and went inside the house. He was as comfortable in Darius’s cottage as he was in Isaac’s.

“He’s done so well. Even I can’t do that next level shit,” Isaac murmured beside Bale.

“He’s intent on winning and proving everyone wrong about who’s better for town,” Bale said, smiling as another elemental magic joined forces with the rock. There was a shimmer in the air around the slowly spinning stone. “Ooh, look at that.”

“You’re so happy, and it makes me happy,” Isaac said. “I worried you wouldn’t find your way back to each other.”

“He’s a stubborn shit,” Bale agreed.

A choked laugh from the circle had all the rocks falling down to the ground and Darius shaking his head at them. “Me stubborn? You’re worse than me!”

“I persevered. There’s a difference,” Bale called back. “You okay?”

The rocks were a mess on the ground, and Darius didn’t quite move from his spot, which concerned Bale. Normally Darius would make sure everything was put back just right.

“Just a little dizzy. I’ll be fine.”

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