Page 17 of To Fall for a Dragon

“You’re lucky we don’t have to go far. The mayor decided to pay a visit to your poorhouse.” Sawyer dragged him all the way to the museum, pushing Poe through the front entrance. He braced himself for the onslaught of negative energy as they barged in.

A man with perfectly coiffed blonde hair and a nice wool coat stood in the lobby, smiling at an unimpressed Hakko. Even at his most stubborn, Poe was never on the receiving end of a glare that fierce from Hakko. “Sawyer, hello, hello. You brought your friend. Good. I am so excited to meet you. I’m Elijah, the mayor of this delightful town.”

“What do you want, Elijah?” Hakko asked, interrupting Elijah. Poe slid a bit closer to Hakko, but Sawyer pinched his arm, stopping him.

“You need to show me those letters, Mr. Curator.” Elijah might have sounded convivial, but the dead look in his eyes and the way Sawyer was holding Poe said something else. Why was the mayor so interested in historical letters?

ChapterTen

Hakko stood in the lobby of his museum, blocking the mayor from entering the main part. He wasn’t going to let Elijah in unless it was warranted. The mayor, with his off-centre face and unceasing smile, disturbed Hakko. It wasn’t natural, and he didn’t trust the demon resting inside Elijah.

Being caught by his sire and having the damned mayor hanging around, had Poe ready to bolt. Hakko realized this was a powder keg of a situation. Sawyer’s grip on his arm had to have been painful. And were those bruises and claw marks on Poe’s neck? Hakko bared his teeth at the two intruders. Fuck geniality and fuck diplomacy.

“You’ve done the place up beautifully, you know that, Hakko?” Elijah walked around the area with his hands clasped behind his back as he examined Hakko's displays. “I can’t believe this building was just sitting around falling apart until you came along and reno’ed it. So much history in these walls, waiting to be discovered, right, Poe?”

“Leave him alone, Elijah. Talk to me, and I’ll see if I can accommodate you.” Hakko drew Elijah’s attention back to him. Poe didn’t need to be under that probing gaze any longer than necessary.

“Poe’s quite integral to the plan, dear Hakko. He has a quality and a minor ability I’d like to explore. And thanks to you, I don’t have to do anything quite so damaging now.” Elijah smiled winningly. “Sawyer was telling me about his little progeny and how he can coerce the land into doing his bidding.”

Hakko's hackles raised, and he had to force his dragon to subside. This was not the time for a confrontation.

“Sir, I didn’t say—” Sawyer began, but with a slice of his hand, Elijah silenced him. Sawyer frowned, and his grip on Poe tightened. Hakko forced himself to remain still as he watched the play of expressions cross Poe’s unhappy face.

“What does this have to do with my museum?” Hakko asked, forcing the attention back to himself.

Elijah rolled his eyes and walked to the doorway of an exhibition room. “Your museum means nothing to me. I want the land. I want the caretaker. I could let you continue to borrow the space, as it’s not that important. Come on, Hakko. Allow me to have the grounds your museum sits on. The townspeople can still use it.”

“At this time, and all time, this is mine to protect. I have been given the responsibility when the portal opened between our two dimensions. I honour that agreement, not yours. And the townspeople already said no at the meeting, Mr. Mayor. Are you really going to go behind their backs like this?”

A sneer covered Elijah’s face as Hakko’s words hit home. Elijah’s standing with most of the town was on shaky grounds since the town hall meeting, and especially after he tried to forcibly open a portal to a demonic dimension twice. “You’re right, you’re right. It was silly of me to ask. I see that. I apologize. Draw your attention to the vampire you’re sheltering though. Are you sure he should be around your precious museum? He’s a bit… monstrous, don’t you think?”

“Poe has nothing to do with you or this vendetta you have going on. Leave him out of it.” Hakko sighed. Elijah’s attempt at insinuating Poe was the demon was childish. Poe was so obvious in his need to hide himself that he'd exposed too much. Hakko was patiently waiting for Poe to cave and share what he’d been broadcasting.

“Are you sure? Do you think it’s a coincidence that both sire and progeny are here now? Makes you wonder why that occurred.” Elijah’s words echoed Caden’s, and all it did was irritate Hakko. It was suspicious, but one just had to look at Poe and Sawyer to understand their dynamic.

“Go somewhere else, Mayor. Find another spot to host your rituals and your meetings. This is not for sale and cannot be bargained for. It is mine. I claimed it and everything on it.Everything. Get the fuck off.” Hakko growled. He cringed as smoke wafted from his mouth. His control on the dragon was slipping. Nothing angered him more than bullies trying to take advantage of others.

Elijah gazed at him with blankness in his dead, black eyes. Something moved within them. “Oh, Hakko, you believe that you hold the cards. But you don’t. You don’t know what you’ve stepped into. I will be here two nights from now, and you can’t stop me. Come along, Sawyer. Don’t worry about your pet. He’ll be by before too long. I can already see the change within him.”

“Get lost,” Hakko said. Sawyer pulled on Poe’s arm as though Poe would follow them. “And stop touching Poe. He doesn’t want to go with you.”

Sawyer squeezed Poe’s arm tighter before releasing it. He bared his pointy teeth at Hakko before slinking after Elijah. Hakko grinned at Sawyer, showing his sharp incisors. They were more impressive than a two-bit vampire’s.

Once the interlopers were gone, Hakko changed gears and looked Poe over. He nudged Poe’s chin upwards and hissed at the deep gouges on his neck. Poe curled his shoulders in, preventing Hakko from continuing, and stepped back. His hand went to hide the marks. Hakko huffed and puffed. Poe had been hurt, and Hakko needed to fix it.

“I’m not what he said,” Poe stated, doubt warring with fear in his eyes. His hand remained on his neck as he searched Hakko’s gaze. “Honestly, I saw an ad for your exhibit, and I thought I recognized the writing.”

Poe’s bloodred eyes were clear. The truth was plain to see, peeking from behind Poe's fear and loneliness. Every emotion, every worry, every hope was there for Hakko to protect. He was honoured by Poe’s trust. “I’ve never doubted you. You’re too prickly to be anything but open. Please, you can trust me. I won’t let them hurt you or make you go with them.”

Poe broke the connection and crossed an arm against his chest. He nervously glanced around the room, pausing at some spots and racing across others.

Hakko didn’t understand what the museum had done to Poe in the past or why he was so haunted. He longed to understand the enigma that was Poe.

“I meant it. I returned for the letter, and that’s it.”

“I’m okay with that. Really, I am. I know what you’ve said, and I will stand by it if that’s what happens,” Hakko promised. The bite to his heart and soul stung. He believed something fragile and beautiful was being created between Poe and him. A connection between dimensions. Hakko never wanted to be a shelter or a place of refuge for anyone, but Poe had him reconsidering.

“That’s good. That’s real good.” Poe peered into the main part of the museum that Hakko had blocked Elijah from entering and bit his lip. “It doesn’t have the same ominous sense to it.”

---