Page 68 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

An idea wormed its way into his thoughts. It was a big one, something Darius was sure Bale would balk at. It would mean major changes in their lives. Bale liked their space, their peace. To break it now seemed foolhardy. Darius traced a finger alongside Bale’s eye where his dream said a scar would be.

“It’s okay, Dare. Scars happen.” Bale grasped Darius’s hand and kissed the finger. “I did it to save you.”

“You know? How the hell?” Darius squirmed to sit up, but Bale’s hold on him was strong.

“I talked to the trees or something at the cemetery by the museum,” Bale said bashfully. “I wanted to check it out, and there was this hushed feeling, and I thought why not, so I tried.”

“And they responded? Even though they’re grumpy fucks and never speak to anyone else?” Darius exclaimed and smiled at the Bale’s shy and proud eyes. “That’s amazing, babe. How do you feel?”

“Cold. I sat on a wood post. Don’t ever do that again. You don’t have the padding or insulation,” Bale ordered. Darius just rolled his eyes.

“How did the experience make you feel?” Darius tried again to see if Bale had the same thoughts. His curiosity exploded with the desire to understand.

“It’s not something I’d want to experience again. It was uncomfortable.” Bale sighed and squished Darius tight in his arms. Darius couldn’t breathe, but if it helped Bale, he’d lose the ability willingly. “I don’t know how you commune with spirits or elements, but I commend you. You have strength in you.”

Darius buried his face in Bale’s neck, embarrassed by how easily Bale said those things. “It helped me cope.”

“Anyway, I think you’re right. We need to take our shot before the equinox. He’s expecting us to fall into line like we always do. If we continue our pattern, we’ll be the same mess and be easy to defeat. But if we plan to do it before he’s ready…”

“There’s a good chance we can get this done and over with,” Darius finished. He rubbed his nose on the rough skin of Bale’s throat. The words in his heart refused to come out. Now that Bale was on the same page as him, Darius had to articulate a part of the plan no one expected, and it was so fucking hard. He’d do what he did best and find more pieces to his puzzle.

“What’s the next step, Captain?”

“Get more information. Can you figure out where they’re hiding?” Darius braced himself for pushback. It was a terrible thing to ask, but he just needed that piece to understand who all the bad guys actually were.

“I can. Do you want me to do it now?” Bale asked, his lazy caresses pausing briefly.

“No, of course not. We did enough,” Darius said firmly. He looped an arm around Bale’s neck and drew him close enough for a kiss.

ChapterThirty

Bale watched the sun rise over Darius’s shoulder. The sky was steel grey and then it wasn’t. He didn’t see his morning star, but he greeted her all the same.

Wheels were turning in Darius’s head. Something Darius wasn’t ready to share yet. That was okay. Because it was part of Darius’s style. He didn’t like to explain anything until all avenues were explored. Bale could only hope that whatever Darius planned would keep them safe.

Bale absently stroked the soft fur of a cat curled in between them. The motorboat purr hitched and short-circuited as he found an itchy spot.

Things were coming to a head soon, and he was sure Darius was going to go all Lone Gunman on them. Bale only hoped he was part of the scheme.

“We should invite Poe and Hakko here to meet Cas,” Darius mumbled. Bale froze. He hadn’t realized Darius had woken up.

“Poe and Cas won’t be able to do that,” Bale reminded him gently. “Do you think your plan has a way to break the spell on Caspian?”

“How do you know I have one?” Darius rolled gently over to face Bale. His hair was tangled, and his eyes still had the sleepy look to them. But the stress lines had mostly disappeared, and he’d lost that gauntness.

“You always do, my love.” Bale leaned over and bussed him on the pouty lips. “I don’t need details. I know better. But a highlight reel would be nice.”

“I don’t have everything nailed down. But if it does work, then the spell on Caspian will have to break. There’d be nothing to chain him to that form. We have to feed him bits of cookies to keep him from finding out the real plan. He ferrets out too much information from the crumbs. So, I am terrified of sharing too much.” Darius bit his thumb while refusing to meet Bale’s eyes. Darius’s plotting while refusing to look at Bale worried him. There was likely danger involved.

Bale blew out some air and stared at the lightening sky before making his decision. Darius was a good man who wanted to do the best for his friends. “Will there be death?”

“Not if I can help it?” Darius never wavered. He believed in himself that much.

“Okay. Okay. Tell me what to do. How can I help you?” Bale brought Darius’s hand up to kiss, and he listened.

“I—I don’t know yet. It’s just all piecemeal right now.” Darius sighed. “What if I’m wrong?”

“If you feel this strongly, I don’t think you can be,” Bale said. “Maybe talking to Hakko will knock a few pieces in line for you and we can clear the way.”

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