Page 21 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

“Your people are demons and would eat everyone here for breakfast. They’d destroy everything just for shits and giggles. Wars would break out,” Bale said clearly as he neatly brought Darius closer to him, sharing his heat. Being with Bale kept his sanity and gave him strength. Even though he initially wished Bale had stayed back, Darius was thrilled for his presence.

“Only the bad ones, Bale. What if there was someone else like you? What if there were demons who wanted to live their lives free from encumbrances, like you have?” Hastur shifted his attention to Bale, allowing Darius to recover briefly. His head throbbed with the buildup of longing to reconnect with Hastur. He wasn’t that guy. He’d never be him.

“Right, sure okay. Is there anything else you wanted or were you showing off today?” Bale asked tiredly. He said it like that just to piss Hastur off. Hastur was never to be dismissed. He was the one who did that.

“The war is coming, Balor. You think your magical capabilities are going to stop me? Please. It’ll never happen. What about the townsfolk, Lord Darius? What will they say when people start to realize that their saviours are devils in disguise and all they do is damage things?” Hastur shot out his words as he gazed unceasingly at Darius. Darius hissed at the arrow hit. It had been one of his worst fears. He’d seen it on people’s expressions as he passed them on the street. They weren’t comfortable with him. Trey’s comments began to make more sense as Darius tried not to listen to bits of conversation.

“They’d appreciate their heroes a little bit more because they’re doing their best to make sure everyone has a voice and a choice,” Bale said fiercely.

“And who are the heroes, Balor? The ones who cause mass destruction or those who want the town to thrive with minimal damage?” Hastur asked before melting away into the darkness, clearing the air abruptly. The pressure that surrounded Darius lifted, and he dropped to his knees. Gagging, Darius leaned over and spat out silvery black bile.

“Well, shit.” Bale stood by Darius, his wings curled around Darius to give him some modicum of privacy.

“You said it.” Darius fell back on the cold and damp pavement and shuddered. “Well at least we know what he’s got planned.”

“You’re a menace, a fucking menace. What the hell were you thinking, goading him like that?” Bale fumed. His wings flapped a tiny bit in agitation as he ranted. “And don’t believe for a minute I didn’t notice what the orb was attempting to try. Goddammit Darius. You’re not strong enough for this kind of bullshit. You haven’t done anything but teach magic to your friends in years, and now you can take Hastur on in a battle? For fuck's sake.”

Darius wiped the back of his mouth as he ignored Bale. He agreed that maybe he wasn’t ready for a direct confrontation with Hastur. But he was happy with the little sliver of information Hastur had dropped. Something was happening, and it had to do with the town politics, as odd as that seemed. Darius was also concerned with how Hastur addressed him. As a lord. Where in the hell had that come from? And why now?

“Come on, Darius. Get up. You’re going to be bitching later about a wet ass.” Bale lifted him to a standing position and held on until Darius was stable on his own two feet. Bale’s grip on his elbow was nice. The touch and the warmth coming through the fabric of Darius’s clothes was a relief. It didn’t leave an icky taste in his mouth the way the orb’s attempt to connect with him had.

“Thank you.” It was the least Darius could offer. Bale didn’t have to protect Darius, but he did. He didn’t have to stay either.

“Don’t fucking thank me.Listento me. I want you to hear me when I tell you something’s a bad idea,” Bale demanded.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry,” Darius admitted. The words weren’t so hard coming out of his mouth. Not when it was the truth. Darius had thought he had a handle on Hastur but apparently not, and because of Bale, things went all right.

Bale paused as they walked up the small side street to the main one. He gave Darius a studied look before shaking his head. Darius had rendered him speechless, which was a first.

He led them to the small tea shoppe where they had space to recover. The restaurant had a few patrons in the dining room, but a table near the front had enough space for Bale to sit comfortably. Everything in the tearoom seemed so dainty, but the food and drinks packed quite the punch.

Hawk, the Mothman proprietor, came over silently, his antennae twitching restlessly. He wore red sunglasses to hide his compound eyes. When Hawk approached the table, he tipped the sunglasses down as he took in Darius’s appearance. “A pick-me-up for Darius. And Bale? A rooibos?”

“And a plate full of nibbles as well? I’m not sure when Dare had anything to eat,” Bale requested, smiling. Hawk slowly returned the look.

“I had breakfast with Isaac and then he bought a donut from the café. I don’t need to be fed. I’m not hungry, and this is not—”

“If you don’t let me do this, I will go get Isaac and Adam, and you can tell them what happened,” Bale threatened.

Darius slouched in his chair and glared at passersby. They walked along, oblivious to the danger that surrounded them. He wished wholeheartedly that he could be as free as them but not now. Not when the threat had a face. Darius hoped he could keep whatever Hastur planned contained anywhere but town.

Hastur’s planned sounded terrifying, and Darius knew it wouldn’t be as easy to defeat as chaining an orb.

ChapterTen

Bale drank his tea before taking a bite of the savoury scone Hawk served them. It was flaky and delicious. It sat like a stone in his stomach. His encounter with Hastur had shaken him up, and he was still processing it.

Darius said he was fine. Bale could tell by his posture and the permanent scowl etched on his face that he wasn’t happy with Bale’s form of care. Darius couldn’t see himself though. His face was ashy, and his eyes glowed with magic—something humans absolutely did not do.

“Drink your tea. You look cold,” Bale ordered. Darius sneered but sipped the hot beverage. A sort of peace came over Darius, and Bale could breathe once more. Hawk hovered in the background, waiting for something. He never rushed the other guests in the room, but Bale had a feeling Hawk wished to hurry people out of the dining room so he could join in Bale and Darius’s private conversation.

“Do you think…” Darius started but hesitated immediately. He pulled apart a sweet scone as he pondered, taking tiny bites.

“Do I think what? That you should have known better? Yes, I do think that.” Bale leaned back and crossed his arms. His fear and anger toward Darius still overwhelmed him. Darius knew he was susceptible to odd magic and that coming to town was extremely dangerous, even if only to his mental well-being. The asshole had done it knowing Bale would find out.

“Oh, fuck off.” His words held no heat as he continued to nibble. Darius slowly went through the tray of scones and cookies. Bale took note of the amount Darius ate and relaxed. Maybe things were looking up finally.

Darius never continued his sentence, which unnerved Bale. Darius was rarely this introspective. It didn’t bode well. As Bale continued to study him, he noticed that Darius had lost more of himself since the winter solstice.

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