Page 16 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

Darius peeked out the window and shuddered. Everyone was staring at his home now. It was disgusting. Bale grumbled as he glared along with Darius. With a fierce frown on his face, he stormed outside as though defending Darius.

Jenkins had really pushed Darius’s buttons, and it had brought him close to the brink of snapping. God, what would have happened if he'd used the magic building up?

“Darius? You okay?” Adam popped his head into the house but remained at the door. “Bale brought you in really fast.”

“Jenkins, the fucking blowhard, happened. Why the fuck is he still the headmaster? There is no compassion within him at all. Do you know what he tried to do?” The anger hadn’t dissipated. It was waiting for Darius to release it. Static electricity crackled in the small kitchen as Darius fumed.

“Um, I’m sure it’s terrible and all, but maybe you should take a breath?” Adam hovered in the mudroom as he eyed Darius. “He’s always been a dick, so take his words with a grain of—”

“He thinks I should run for town council! Me! Like that’d be a good idea, God.” The buildup of energy in the room made it pulsate menacingly. Darius’s head still ached from the loud party and lack of quiet spaces.

“Dammit. I leave you alone for one minute and you’re back to where you were.” Bale’s grumbly voice cut through some of the emotional wreckage Darius was swimming in. “Adam, can you put the kettle on and make some tea using the black bag?”

“No! I don’t want that stuff. I don’t need to be coddled. I am not losing my mind, Bale.” Darius wriggled out of Bale’s fierce grip and grabbed the black bag just as Adam was reaching for it.

“Dare, you’re losing something. Go sit with your cats, and I’ll make a nice herbal tea. Is that okay?” Bale suggested. He steered Darius to the front room where the curtains were drawn and a small fire crackled. Master and Bossy waited expectantly on the recliner.

Darius flung himself onto the chair and took a breath. The pounding in his head had lessened, and he could hear the quiet discussion in the kitchen. Bale obviously couldn’t wait to spread tales. The fucker thought he knew everything and was in control of the situation—all because he'd dragged Darius away from an asshole.

Adam brought a tray with two mugs and a small plate of cheese and crackers. “We’ll try to wrangle everyone up and get them to leave. Just don’t set fire to your cottage.”

“The fire sprites are the ones who control the flames. I let them do their thing.” Darius crunched down on a piece of cracker.

“Smart. It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” Adam sat on the edge of Darius’s couch with his plate perched on his lap. “Trey revels in it. He feeds off the energy from people, both magically and I guess psychologically. He’s an odd one.”

“What the fuck is with everyone? Why did they all come here? Don’t they have their own shit to do?” Darius asked as the steel band of pain tightened around his head.

“I’m sure they do. And I think this was one of those times where it was supposed to be a quick visit, then their friend was there and so on and so forth.” Adam settled back on the couch more comfortably. His own expression lightened up as he relaxed. Adam was also in hiding and was taking advantage of Darius’s prickly nature.

The two humans allowed the peace and quiet to soothe their pain. There was no stress, no need to perform in this space, and it was perfect. Master Cat’s heavy purring and warm weight soothed Darius until he could barely keep his eyes open. The tea gone and the plate of crackers empty, Darius closed his eyes and slept, content to let the others guard him and Adam.

ChapterEight

Bale and Caspian moved the visitors along. Some left willingly while others kept asking for one more minute. Hakko dealt with them in his own imperious manner until it was only Lord Typhon, Hakko, and the other usual suspects. Trey looked lost as he glanced around for Adam.

“Trey, he’s inside with Dare. Relax,” Bale called, and immediately Trey’s demeanour changed. He calmed down and began helping Isaac.

“What happened?” Lord Typhon asked. He had watched the scene as Bale pulled Darius away from the Mr. Jenkins.

“Darius’s temper was getting the better of him. I thought it best to remove him from the explosive situation,” Bale said. He didn’t mention the kitchen, where the lights were dimming and brightening on their own. No one needed to know about Darius’s control problems.

“He’s always been like that,” Isaac piped up as he approached the deck with a full garbage bag. “Honestly, how much food did we have? I don’t think Dare had any of this.”

“People brought it over as an offering,” Lord Typhon explained. “It’s like that Jenkins fellow. Everyone is trying to convince Darius to see their side of the story. They want to know where he stands because no one actually does. How can we leave the fate of this town, these people, to this man who bites and snaps at everyone?”

“Because he’s managed to keep His Majesty from doing any real damage to anyone? Why can’t you see that Darius is doing a good thing? Can’t you help him? See him through this quagmire?” Bale asked as he opened his mind to sense Darius, but all he felt was a blanket of peace and purring.

“Hell no. It’s not my problem. It’s all yours. One is culture-based, and the other—your issue—is power-based. The townspeople are trying to show in their odd ways who they’d like to win. And if Darius doesn’t return the favour, their opinion might shift.”

“That has never been Darius’s end game,” Isaac said, and Bale agreed. Darius was not the attention-seeking sort. “Whatever shit is happening is not for the benefit of Darius, and if anyone from town actually met Darius, they wouldn’t be here.”

“But it doesn’t matter. Darius is a part of this, and the people want his opinion. They want him as a figurehead to prove that this dimension is in safe hands. I honestly agree with some of their sentiments. He needs to be more present.”

Bale itched to fight Typhon about his opinion in regard to Darius. To say these things only made it more obvious how little people understood the situation.

“He’s right, Bale. Darius needs to show his face and defend himself. If Darius was the one who summoned…him, then he has to let people know and apologize.” Hakko joined the conversation.

“What do you mean he summoned the demon? Dare would never do that. He’s all pure in heart and shit. What the fuck?” Trey stuck his nose in, and Bale itched to push him back out.

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