Page 24 of To Fall for a Dragon

“Nothing.” Hakko kissed his head again and continued to stroke Poe’s back in a rhythmic motion.

An hour or so passed, and eventually, Hakko’s grip slackened as he fell victim to Morpheus. Poe glanced at the wall clock and winced. It was very late in the evening, and Hakko had to be awake during the day.

Slipping off the couch, Poe covered Hakko with an afghan. He had a thing for soft textures. It was sweet.

Now was the time to study his property without anyone looking over his shoulder. Poe walked through the museum halls, ignoring the cries and taunts from the ghosts, refusing to leave. What Hakko had done to the poorhouse was nothing short of amazing. The vicious energy and grimy walls had been replaced, and the air was refreshing.

The basement, where Hakko had his workspace, was the worst place of the poorhouse. This was where the bodies were stacked before Poe had a chance to take them to their final resting place. This was where the doctors had worked on them, practicing their skills before operating on live patients. It was dirty and so sad. Striding past those doors, he ended up in the room where the letters and books were stored.

Hakko had locked them in a cabinet, but Poe broke the flimsy lock. Carefully, he carried the tray with his letters to the steel table and stared down at them.

With reverence, he caressed the delicate papers. It was his handwriting, shaky and uncertain. With his current eyes, he could see what Hakko had. A young man devastated by loss and worried for his future. Hope had been stricken from the sentences.

Poe glanced at another set of letters and bit his lip. The paper was an odd texture. It was thicker and more durable. The writing was clear with few smudges. The words were positive in their determination that Poe would find peace. They had saved Poe back then, and now as he read them over, a light dawned.

“You truly were my pen pal,” Poe murmured. He didn’t bother turning around to search Hakko out. Hakko had disturbed the air, which warned Poe. He had a feeling Hakko would always know when Poe left, and he’d be waiting for a sign Poe needed him.

ChapterFourteen

“Ihad an inkling. I never expected to meet the person on the other side of the pen.” Hakko approached Poe. When he'd heard the museum door open earlier, Hakko's curiosity had him following Poe. “I worried about him, especially when he stopped writing back. I took that to mean the bridge between our two dimensions had been dismantled. It was when Sawyer turned you, wasn’t it? I’ve been working on the timeline.”

He had managed to get some sleep earlier. When the latch to the museum clicked, Hakko had immediately woken up and discovered Poe wasn’t in the room. Panic had threatened to overwhelm Hakko as every ugly scenario involving angry ghosts and evil mayors danced in his head.

“You trusted me?” Poe asked. He still hadn’t turned around to face Hakko, which concerned Hakko.

“Always. Though I did have a moment of worry that you’d disappeared into the cold again,” Hakko confessed. Get everything out in the open and his conscience would be clear.

“But the letters?” Poe turned his head, showing Hakko his profile. Still not enough, but Hakko saw the doubt in Poe’s eyes as though he wasn’t quite sure of Hakko.

“It’s not in you to destroy things.” Hakko stepped farther into the room. He’d give anything to wrap Poe in his arms and carry him to his bed, but this wasn’t the time.

“I could be cooperating with Sawyer.”

“Oh, bull-fucking-shit.” Hakko strode over to Poe, breathing smoke. Hakko sensed the fire within him and tried to temper it even as his tail lashed violently. “No way on this planet would you ever willingly work with that asshole. Don’t even try to bog me down with that bullshit.”

An involuntary snicker slipped out, and the stick holding Poe up dissolved. Poe leaned against Hakko and rested his head on Hakko’s shoulder. “I was terrified back then.”

“Understandable.” Hakko bussed Poe’s temple because it was there, and Hakko needed the familiarity of the action.

“He was only in it for the food. I don’t think he understood how vampires are made,” Poe mumbled.

“Never met a vampire until Sawyer. He attempted to create one on his own here, but it didn’t quite work either. The person is a wraith,” Hakko said. He wasn’t sure what a wraith was, but he understood that Trey was not a vampire.

“It’s a complicated process, I think.” Poe pushed the letters across the steel table in a line, and Hakko smiled at the care and precision.

“Life always is. Can you see why I don’t think you’re one of Sawyer’s minions?” Hakko asked as he sorted out his own letters under Poe’s collection. Poe watched, his eyes growing wide with curiosity. “Not a single person in Sawyer's realm would have the patience for this.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on in this town.” Poe sighed and went back to the letters. He caressed the soft paper as he read the words. “You saved me.”

“I helped a friend,” Hakko mumbled. The tone of Poe's voice was not what he hoped to hear. Being placed on a pedestal was never his goal. He had been worshiped in the old world, and he'd hated it. He longed to be Hakko to Poe. “I lit the path for him to find.”

Poe sniggered, and the moment collapsed on itself, much to Hakko’s relief. “Be that as it may, you still saved me. I might not see it sometimes, but I am grateful.”

“Grateful enough to return to my apartment with me?” Hakko asked, risking so much with that sentence. His dragon ached to curl around Poe, knowing Poe was safe within the walls with him.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to study these for a bit more? It’s soothing.” Poe laughed as though it was a silly thing. Hakko studied him and saw the fissures in his composure. He’d been pushed to a point, and Hakko needed to back off a little bit.

“There’s a small room off this one where I keep the most valuable paper items. It’s climate-controlled with fluorescent lights. I am the only one with a key. Not even Ethan can walk in on you. There are no windows to worry about. I can bring you a pillow?” Hakko asked, needing to help in some fashion. Poe wasn’t ready, but he was more lenient. And Hakko could work with that.

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