After he slowly closed the door, he let the large grin curve his lips in triumph. He hadn’t missed her guilt-stricken look or the gray and red streaks through her aura as the barb hit home. The grin slowly dissolved, though, as he realized just how much he had manipulated her. It made him feel gross and dirty, something he didn’t normally mind. He stared at the floor and closed his eyes, picturing the bulbous form of Hyacinth squinting at him, pointing a dirty claw and threatening to demote him to the base level of demons. He shuddered, and it strengthened his resolve. He had to make some progress soon, or it wouldn’t matter anyway.
Shopping for Jealousy
At the store, Malachi half-heartedly tossed a handful of essentials into a shopping bag handed to him by the overly exuberant attendant who greeted him. He knew her excitement was not so much the prospect of a sale by the way her eyes traced his body. The tight shirt really left nothing to the imagination, and—being part incubus—it was a very pleasing form. Sighing, Malachi stared at the socks and grabbed a package of black basic ones, adding them to the small pile.
“I got you some things,” Chuck mumbled as she dropped another handful of toiletries in the bag. “I wasn’t sure what kind of hair care you would use. I just made a guess.” She shrugged as her cheeks blushed a slight pink color, echoed by the rose flush of her aura.
Shaking his head slightly, he muttered, “I’m sure it’s fine. I don’t need a lot. I appreciate the help. You can wait up front, Chuck. You don’t have to follow me around. You’ve done so much already.” Sighing, he strode forcefully away to a different section to put some space between them. He didn’t want to do it; he wanted to be so close he could feel the heat from her body. But he needed to provoke that desire in her to be near him.
Glancing dubiously at a mannequin dressed in khakis and a popped collar, polo-style shirt, he shuddered and let his eyes roam the racks. Smiling with relief as he saw a small stack of black jeans, he hurried over and snatched a couple of pairs in his size.
“All black,” came Chuck’s quiet voice.
Spinning to face her, Malachi kept his victory cheer in his head. “Hmm?” he inquired.
“All the clothing you’ve picked out. It’s all black. Is that on purpose? Did you realize you were doing that? Planning on some cat burglarizing later?” She smirked slightly at her joke.
“Yeah, maybe,” he replied in a flat tone before turning away again.
A heavy sigh from behind him had his lips curving in glee before he schooled his features. Turning back to her, he arched an eyebrow in question.
“Mal, I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. It… It’s awkward being around you this way. And that’s not fair to you. You’re the victim in all this. I shouldn’t be treating you differently just because you’re a man now. I mean, you already were, but then you were a dog, now a man, and… good grief, I’m making a mess out of this.” She placed a hand on his arm, and her eyes implored him for forgiveness. “Malachi, I don’t want things to change with us. I’ve… I mean… I care about you. In any form, and I don’t want you to leave.” Her lower lip was pulled between her teeth in a nervous gesture he’d never seen before from her.
Slowly, giving her a chance to move, flinch, lean back, whatever she wanted, he lifted a hand to her cheek and gently stroked his thumb over it. “Chuck,” he said quietly, “thank you. That means a lot to me. More than you know.” He took a small step towards her, his tall frame quickly closing the gap between them. “I care about you, too, and I don’t want to leave.But I don’t want to make things harder for you. I just don’t know where I go from here.”
Staring into his eyes, leaning into his hand on her cheek, she said, “Nowhere, Mal. You’ll stay with me until you don’t want to. Whatever you need. And I promise I will keep working to find out who did this to you and why.” Nodding with reassurance, she moved closer.
Malachi wasn’t sure if she realized she’d done that, but he wasn’t going to point it out and make her regret it. Slowly, he lowered his head towards hers and smiled when her lips parted slightly. “Thanks, Chuck. Blue?”
Blinking in confusion, she shook her head. “Blue?” she repeated.
He held up the shirt in his other hand. “You said I was picking all black, so I grabbed blue. Is that better?” Tilting his head, he let a small smirk creep over his lips as she leaned back, staring at the shirt like it was a foreign object she’d never seen before.
“Uh…” she shook her head as if waking up. “Yeah, blue. That’s nice. Go with that!” Her cheeks colored again as her aura brightened with embarrassment and other emotions. “I’m going to uh… go get some more dog food. For Reena. I’m worried Glenda is spoiling her rotten, and she won’t want to come back home.”
Watching her retreat quickly, Malachi shook his head in amusement. He was sure Glenda had spoiled Reena, but he was also sure Reena would want to return to Chuck. The good witch had volunteered to keep Reena overnight so they could adjust to things now that he was back in human form. But Reena adored Chuck, and she’d sworn allegiance to Malachi.
Grabbing a few more items, Malachi made his way to the front. He scanned the counters, looking for Chuck. He didn’t see her yet, so he leaned against a column and waited. Shortly, he became aware of a pair of green eyes firmly latched onto him. It was the attendant from earlier who had been so eager to assist him. She was undressing him with her gaze in away that would normally have resulted in an invitation to go somewhere private so he could mark her soul. Today, though, it just made him weary, and he didn’t want to examine it too closely to determine why that was.
Seeing Chuck wandering over, he suddenly realized there was an opportunity to be had, and his lips parted in a wide smile for the perky store clerk. At first, she seemed astonished that he’d acknowledged her interest, but she quickly recovered and hurried from behind the counter. She sashayed over to his side, offering him a sultry smile. Knowing how tight the shirt was, he raised one arm and propped it casually on the column, leaning and stretching the material to its limits. “Hello there,” he practically purred.
“Hi, handsome,” she replied breathlessly. “I’m Keely!” She inhaled in an attempt to lift her breasts higher. Her hands nervously smoothed her hair and her skirt.
Letting some of his incubus power seep over her, he inclined his head. “Keely,” he rolled the name over his tongue as if tasting some exquisite delicacy or rich wine. “Such a beautiful name for an incredibly lovely woman. I’m Malachi.”
“Malachi…” she moaned, squeezing her thighs together and leaning closer. “Wow, that’s not a name I hear a lot! Is it a family name?”
Surprised there wasn’t a dribble of drool hanging from her lips, he closed the distance to her ear and murmured, “Well, my father named me after an archdemon, so I guess you could say that.”
She giggled and laid her fingers teasingly on his chest, his power overcoming her inhibitions, “Oh, that’s so funny!” She moved so close that her breasts were now covering his arm.
The warm weight of her chest on his skin would have sent a strong bolt of lust through him any other time. As it was, he fought back a grimace since he found it revolting. He was keenly aware now of Chuck staring holes into his back while he flirted with Keely. He smoldered at the womanas she breathed heavily, ready to climb him like a tree. “Hey, Keely, I think Chuck and I are ready to check out now. It’s been athrillspeaking with you.” He let his gaze roam her figure in a completely lascivious way, indicating he would love to see what she looked like under her clothes.
“Chuck?” Keely blurted, confusion clouding her eyes. She took a step back as he released her from his power, snatching her hand off his body as she quickly realized how inappropriate she was being with a customer.
Nodding, he turned and gestured. “Yeah, Chuck. My… partner.” His gaze softened, and he flashed a hint of a smile at the irate half angel innocently. As if nothing untoward had occurred and he wasn’t baiting her.
Chuck’s lips were drawn tight in a thin line, and she was studying Keely with an air of open disdain. “Keely, is it?” When the clerk nodded quickly, her cheeks on fire, Chuck snorted. “Well, if you’re quite done manhandling my partner, we’d like to pay and leave. We need to get back home.”
