Page 30 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

Darius ached to be petty. He itched to make Bale suffer and be cold and lonely. With Master and Bossy staring at the door, their eyes half closed, he couldn’t deny any of them. He opened the door slightly, just enough for a cat to squeeze through.

Bale took the advantage and pushed his way in. His hands immediately cupped Darius’s face while leaning down to brush his lips against Darius’s mouth. The kiss was deep and emotional as Bale poured everything into the moment. Darius itched to break away, but it’d be too devastating. Bale angled his head as he changed the intent. It was filled with purity and sweetness, destroying Darius’s resolve to not give in to Bale.

ChapterThirteen

Bale was playing dirty pool as he kissed Darius. He understood Darius was tired and cranky. Bale had pressed on so many sensitive buttons, and Darius lashed out.

The kiss was an apology for pushing too hard. Stars, even as he was peppering Darius with more, Bale realized he was asking for trouble. Bale couldn’t lose their newly formed bond. It was too important, and so many things were at stake if he continued to press Darius. Since they had found their way back into each other’s lives, Bale didn’t want to let go. He ached to hold on forever.

Darius never stepped back. He didn’t fight for release. He kissed like a dream, which was rich and delicious. It was so much better now. It was hope that maybe Darius was finally accepting Bale.

Bale broke the kiss and bumped their foreheads together. He held Darius in a loose embrace, just in case, and breathed in the ozone-y and freshly washed scent of his hero.

“This is still not an invitation.” Of course, Darius wouldn’t let the hug go without a biting comment. Though it was soft and kind despite the abruptness.

“Never expected it.”

“You can have Bossy Cat. He’s suited to your temperament,” Darius offered. His voice was rough as he pressed his head against Bale’s chest.

“I appreciate that.” Bale squeezed Darius once more before backing into the dim hallway. Darius remained in the halo of light, his damp hair mussed and his mouth, while red and puffy, set in a straight line. “Good night?”

“Dream lightly,” Darius said as he closed the door slightly. Through the crack left behind, Bale watched as Darius slid off his pants. He winced at the sight of stark scars and prominent bones. If only Bale could have done more for Darius. He had tried and failed.

Bossy Cat led Bale to his bedroom and immediately curled up on one pillow, a fluffy orange tail covering his nose while the other tail stretched out.

It was dark in the morning when Bale woke up. Bossy had migrated to his middle and trapped him. It wasn’t the cat that had woken him. Something had penetrated the fog of sleep.

Lying in bed, he tried to pinpoint what exactly had startled him. Another scuttling sound and a clicking noise.

Even Bossy was awake. His ears were twitching as he listened. Then he began to growl.

Bale stealthily slid out of bed and stepped on the quiet risers, not wanting to wake Darius up. Not yet.

He tiptoed to the front of the house. The only illumination was the red glow of a dying fire. Even the sprites who prided themselves on keeping Darius warm were sparking dimly. All their attention was on the front yard.

Both cats were with him, their fur standing on end. The unceasing growls unnerved Bale. They had never behaved like this. Master Cat’s intense stare was on the front door. He tried to nudge them away, but it was impossible.

Peering through the small window, Bale could only glimpse a few shadowy figures as they remained hidden from the ambient light coming off the snow.

They had long limbs and noodle-like bodies. They were dark as anything and nothing Bale was familiar with. He was stymied at how to proceed.

A hand on his shoulder had Bale jumping a mile and Darius soothing him softly as he peered over.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. There’re these thin things out there, and it’s making me worried.”

“Cats hate’em too. What do we do?” Darius asked quietly. Bale shrugged, unsure of himself for the first time. He was the one who knew every type of creature and how to fight or defend against them. But these? They were different and unknown.

“What if we turn on the porch light?” Darius suggested.

“But then they’ll see where we are.”

“They know we’re here, Bale. Anyway, I just want to see how they react to light, even if it is a lightbulb,” Darius said gently. Not caustically, like he normally would.

“That’s a good point.” Bale inhaled deeply and released it. He took another until he was calm again. He flicked the switch right by the door and lit up the front porch. One of the creatures was close enough to the stairs that Bale could see the nothingness of its eyes, and he recoiled at the sight.

The cryptid smiled at them, rows upon rows of sharp black teeth gleaming under the yellow light. It cocked its head slightly toward Isaac’s home before loping away into the darkness of the world beyond Darius’s property. The others slowly followed it.

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