“Yep, it’s me. Look a little different in color, don’t I? Or maybe I look the same. By the way, dogs are colorblind, so you shouldn’t have been able to tell what color that dress was, you know?” She winked and smirked at him.
“Right,” he muttered and rubbed the bridge of his nose. NOSE! Not a muzzle! Excitedly, he ran his hands over his face and sighed in relief.
A confused hum had him glancing back at Glenda. “You really were stuck as a dog, weren’t you?” she asked.
Sheepishly, he glanced down. “I really was cursed by another demon. I only got some of my abilities back last night, but I didn’t want to leave Chuck. I wasn’t sure how to turn human for her.” He shook his head slowly. “But… I’m protecting her,” he added quietly. “You know what she is, what her father was, and why he’s dead. She needs me.”
“That she does, Malachi. But I’m going to keep a close eye on you.” She shook a finger at him in warning.
Glancing around, he realized Chuck was nowhere to be seen. “Chuck?” he inquired in a voice shaking slightly with nerves.
Laughing in a lascivious manner, Glenda waggled her eyebrows. “Yes, well, Officer Charles got quite the eyeful of her canine partner when he stood up. Good gracious, Malachi, you are quite the looker!” she crowed gleefully. “I didn’t realize you didn’t have clothes on. Standing there all naked as a jaybird, black hair, flashing eyes, muscles, and mmm… gifted. You are definitely a demon plus. I’ve never seen such a good-looking specimen. There’s more to you than just your dark gifts, isn’t there?” She chuckled at his owlish stare.
“My father was an incubus. So yeah, I’m part sex demon.” He grinned as her smile ratcheted even wider.
“That I believe. Well, our innocent little thing went to get you some clothes. So now what, Malachi? Are you going to keep protecting our angel girl? Or are you going to try to subvert her soul for Hell?” Glenda asked him seriously. Her eyebrows bunched tightly together, and her lips turned down into a sharp frown that seemed very foreign on her bright face.
“I’m going to find out who killed her father and stop them from hurting her. They can’t have my Chuck!” he growled, clenching his fingers on the blanket covering him.
Glenda’s lips turned up into a soft smile, and her brow relaxed. An expression much more at home on her features. “I’m glad to hear that. Now, can you turn back into a dog? Or do we need to come up with a story to retire Officer Malachi? And probably need a different name for you when you’re human. But I will make one thing clear: you do not take her soul to Hell. Hear me, demon? You can smudge her, heck, that girl needs a little fun in her life, but donotclaim her soul. Or we will have words. Understood?”
Smirking, Malachi nodded. “I hear you,” he answered, but not actually agreeing. A fact that did not escape Glenda, if her glare was any indication.
A door slammed. “I’m back!” called Chuck breathlessly from the other room. “Is he awake?”
Let's Make This Awkward
Malachi fidgeted with his seatbelt as he glanced out the window, looking at everything except Chuck. It felt oddly familiar. Except the ride back to her house was much more fraught with tension and nerves. He twitched in his seat; the sleeves of the shirt Chuck brought him dug into his biceps. Without realizing it, his fingers were in the hem now, trying to stretch it around the muscle.
“Sorry, I guess I underestimated your size,” came Chuck’s soft comment.
Whipping his gaze to his arm, he dropped his hand as if he’d been scalded. “It’s fine!” he snapped, then winced. “I’m sorry, Chuck, I’m sure this is just as awkward for you as it is for me,” he murmured. The amusing part was that he meant it. He felt bad for putting her through this and was unsure how to act around her now. “It really is fine. I appreciate that you got me something to wear. I didn’t expect that to work, much less show up… naked.” He couldn’t help it. His demon heritage made his voice drop on the last word, and he had to bite his lip to hide his smile.
Feeling the heat from her blush across the car, Malachi snuck a glance at Chuck. The tips of her ears were pink, and her fingers were gripped tightly around the wheel, nearly white. He cleared his throat, the sound making her jump.
Suddenly, she laughed. “Oh, this is stupid. We’ve been living together for months. Granted, you were four-legged and hairy, but still. We’re friends, right? No need to be awkward.” She made a concerted show of relaxing her shoulders.
“Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “Friends.” He couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of sadness at that word. He didn’t have any real friends, and now that he had one, he was deceiving her. Firming his lips, he scolded himself.I’m a demon, I need to act like one.Picturing Hyacinth’s threats, he squared his shoulders and inhaled deeply, not missing the way her eyes latched onto his chest as it stretched the material to near bursting. “I’m glad, Chuck. I appreciate you still wanting to help me. I… I don’t really know who I am anymore. I don’t think I have anywhere to go.” He kept his voice soft and scared, but not whiny.
As expected, she immediately went into protective mode. “Of course, Malachi. I said I’d help you. And I will. We will figure this out. In the meantime, I finally have a use for that guest room.” She smiled at him, which grew bigger when he smiled back.
“Thanks, Chuck.”
Malachi stood in the middle of the guest room, glancing around forlornly. After a quick dinner of take-out, Chuck showed him the room, pointedout towels, and gave him a few toiletries he might need, promising they could go shopping the next day for essentials. She’d stood there awkwardly staring at him for a moment before planting a quick kiss on his cheek. Something she’d had to stand on tiptoes to do, then hurried away.
Now he stared at the floor, at a loss for what to do next. She had gone to her room, and he could sense her going about her usual nightly routine. He turned to the bed and grimaced. It looked comfortable, and he had no doubt it would be fine, but he would miss sleeping with Chuck.
Wandering to the mattress, he pressed on it with his knuckles and tested it. Sure enough, it was soft and cool. Spinning around, he plopped on the edge and dropped his head in his hands.
In the car, he’d vowed to be more demon-like. That meant he should be trying to seduce her and besmirch her soul. Claim her for Hell. He sat there a few more minutes, wondering how he was going to do that, when he didn’t want to hurt her. With a disgusted sigh, he threw himself back on the bed and tucked his arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling until the shadows grew longer, and he fell asleep.
He dreamed. Nasty, vicious dreams of Hellfire and torture. Of being beaten and demoted to a first-level demon. His skin and powers flayed from him before being scoured with acid and trampled mercilessly by the upper demons. It was a nauseating whirlwind of depravity and torment. One he used to enjoy.
Jolting upright, Malachi stifled a moan and ran his fingers through his long, tangled hair. He couldn’t remember ever being scared awake from a nightmare before. He focused on his breathing and tried to slow it down, wishing Chuck were there to reassure him. As he sat trying to get himself under control, he heard a tap on the door frame. Jerking his head up, he stared wide-eyed at Chuck as she stood there, her aura flickering wildly with indecision.
“Malachi, are you okay? I heard you yelling. I guess it was a bad dream. Honestly, you look a little lost,” she called softly.
“I don’t know.” He sighed wearily. “I was having a nightmare, but I just feel kind of restless and on edge. Like, I don’t know what to do with myself. I don’t think all of me came back when I changed. I just…” he dropped his head in his hands and let his shoulders tremble slightly.
