Page 15 of To Fall for a Dragon

“What exactly is your job?” Hakko asked, leaning on the doorjamb. He would defend Poe with every fibre if he had to. Poe was under his protection.

“No. It’s just curiosity, and honestly, the building concerns me most. It’s a mausoleum, but it’s so far from the cemetery. Why would anyone build it there?" Caden went deeper in, and he paused at a blank wall.

“Haven’t asked.” Hakko sighed. “The undead creature is a very nice vampire. He had a room at Jassa and Lya’s if you need a better voucher.”

“Cool, just wanted to make sure that he was acknowledged. The town’s getting a lot of unknowns, and it’s a bit scary. Some are drawn here because of the energy, but others are here because of, well… the current situation. Lord Typhon is doing his best to weed out the more demonic and devastating characters. So is the new guardian, though he’s just a baby. I thought Elijah was a decent guy. I remember him from high school. All the queer boys had a thing for him.” Caden kept talking and patting walls as he spoke to Hakko. “So, there are spirits for sure in the museum, and they are very angry with some of your visitors. They don’t like the vibes of a lot of them. However, the more aggressive ghosts aren’t here on the main level. They’re in the basement. Can we go there?”

Hakko nodded, lost in Caden’s abrupt way of conversing. It was baffling and illogical how he jumped from subject to subject. He shared every thought in his head while still investigating. “How did you become a witch? How do you know what you’re doing?”

“I’m not a witch so much as a medium. Well, not sure, actually. Never gave myself a title. I fell into it, sort of. Hung out with Darius for a while. Began to see things from the corner of my eye. Freaked me out a bit. Darius tried to teach me spells and stuff, like wizardry, but it never took. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the whole structured aspect of it. It was through this that I discovered I had an affinity for other spirits, more supernatural creatures. And thus, my side hustle. Seeing ghosts and helping them move on is a gift.” His affable demeanour fell away as they stepped onto the basement stairs. “Uh, I’m gonna need you to stay here, okay?”

“No, this is my museum. I go where I want.” Hakko pushed Caden aside and marched down the stairs. The museum's artifacts were stored for an appropriate time for a display. It was colder than usual and had a more ominous feel to the room, as though terrible events happened in this space. Hakko wasn’t worried too much, until the lights flickered and crackled. His voice wavered as he spoke. “I’m serious, spirits. You can't make me leave.Myhome. Not yours.”

Caden shook his head. “I don’t think it works that way, friend. The spirits have lived in this place a long time. You can’t just demand?—”

“My home, my space. My friend needs to feel safe, and he won’t if the ghosts are being mean. I don’t give a fuck about them,” Hakko snarled. His plates shifted on his back, and if his tail was visible in this dimension, it’d be lashing. He was tired of people suggesting ways on how to run his building. “Tell your ghosts, the poltergeists, to piss off.”

“Right. So how long have you laid claim to this space? Because man, the ghosts are hot for your bod.” Caden’s eyes were big and wide behind his black-framed glasses. He whipped his head around, staring at things Hakko couldn’t see. “They have questions about the man who won’t pass through the door. They can smell him and feel his presence, but they can’t get a read on him. Is that?—”

“Don’t you dare breathe another word,” Hakko ordered. If Poe was uncomfortable in the museum proper but relaxed in Hakko’s home, he wasn’t taking that from Poe. Hakko would do whatever was necessary to make sure the ghosts stayed away from his cottage. A hollow door kept Hakko’s cottage separate from the museum.

Caden considered Hakko before agreeing. “Well, I can leave some smoky quartz in the more affected rooms. It has the power to heal and to help disperse fear. These people are terrified. We need to let them know no one will hurt them anymore and they can move on.”

They wound their way back to Hakko’s residence, Caden placing crystals on ledges and mouldings. His words were soft as he drifted from room to room, and the aura became lighter and freer as they retraced their steps. “Your friend in the mausoleum? He’s a former resident?”

“He’s never actually said. I’d assume so.” Hakko sniffed the air and hummed. It was a changed atmosphere.

“I hope he’ll be able to come in and speak with the resident population. They can sense him, and they miss him. He was a decent person,” Caden said in a calm manner. “His inclinations towards men never bothered the residents like they did the doctor and the other staff. What was done to him was terrible.”

Hakko shook his head slowly. His hackles raised as his dragon grew more and more enraged about Poe's past given so willy-nilly. Too much information was being shared about someone he liked. Poe’s past was his story, not this stranger’s. “Tell them thank you, and I will see what I can do.”

“Hakko, what you’ve done so far for the town, both alive and noncorporeal, has been wonderful. When you stood up to the mayor the other night it was a boon. The museum isn’t the only property he’s trying to expropriate. The BIA has banded together to stop him from stealing the River Walk and the library.” Caden rubbed his arms briskly. “I honestly thought he was a good guy, but this whole shit came down about the yellow demon and poor Darius. I can't even.”

Caden’s delicate mention of Hastur, the King in Yellow, left a bad taste in Hakko’s mouth. They hadn’t seen the last of the Elder Demon, and he worried that the mayor and Poe’s sire had terrible plans. “The town will rally together, and we won’t let them ruin things.”

“I don’t know, man. There’s a change in the air, and people are getting worried. More dangerous cryptids are coming out of the woodwork and terrifying folks.” Caden leaned forward as though sharing a secret. “We're at a loss of what can be done.”

The back door opened, and a gust of cold wind danced through Hakko’s space. Hakko scowled ferociously before stomping to the kitchen. The anger melted into worry at the sight of a feral Poe. He held a wool blanket in his arms, and he was growling.

“Poe?”

ChapterNine

Resentment and anger filled Poe as he watched the sweater-wearing man hover behind Hakko. He was protecting a stranger, and it was wrong. Poe itched to take the man’s head off and fling it elsewhere. If he was a crude man, he’d piss on Hakko and claim him for his own. No one had the right to touch behind his Hakko. The incisors he always hid grew, cutting his lower lip. Something in Poe was different. Fierce.

“Poe, you must relax. This is the medium, the witch you said would fix things, remember? You suggested I call somebody for the ghosts in the museum.” Hakko’s conciliatory voice dragged nails along Poe’s back. He hissed and growled at both men, Hakko who didn’t question everything he had said and the other who cowered before him. How dare Hakko offer Poe hope? It wasn't fair of him, wrong of Poe to believe that he could place his faith in Hakko.

“Like a witch will cleanse the building! It’s hopeless. The town is broken and cruel. Nothing can heal it. The land knows, Hakko. It realized that it’s dying. There’s no one to save it anymore. You say the words, you offer your protection, but you don’t—you can’t.”

“Poe, all I can do is my best. Please, listen. This is Caden. He’s spoken to the spirits, and the building already feels better. He’s a good person.” Hakko held his hands high, and Poe focused on the thin red line creasing Hakko’s palm. It was a stark reminder of what Poe had received from Hakko. The red colour drew Poe’s eyes, making him salivate at the remembrance of Hakko’s taste.

“I was fine ‘til you did something. Now I have these thoughts and impressions. The land is cursing me.” Poe pressed the heel of his palm against his gritty eyes. He was so tired and lost. He lifted his gaze to the two men and shook his head. The one cowering behind Hakko deserved punishment. He woke Poe up before the sun set. That was what this was. He was awake. Now. It was barely dusk. “He needs to be punished. Destroyed. He caused me to stir.”

“Caden, go through the museum to the main entrance. Ethan should be there to walk you out. I’ll deal with this.” Hakko shifted his weight to block Poe’s view of the interloper. He smiled toothily at Poe. The bristles at the back of Poe’s neck raised. Hakko couldn’t be trusted now. “Poe, stop and think for a minute. This place is safe, remember? No one can hurt you or me. I’m a dragon and virtually indestructible.”

Poe bared his teeth at Hakko. Stupid words meant to soothe. “You’ve protected… I don’t like this.”

Hakko moved lightning fast and pulled Poe’s arms behind his back. He pressed his forehead against Poe’s and breathed in slowly, tricking Poe into the same. “You need to relax and take a breath. Gather your thoughts. You’re all over the place, and I can’t follow you.”

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