“Part of him… as in…” A small, frustrated groan slipped from his throat. “Look, there’s no way to ease into it, so I’m just gonna say it. Chuck, your dad was an angel. The feathers were from his wings.” He paused, searching her face and seeing only grim acceptance, and kept going. “You can’t kill an angel through ordinary methods. You have to use a special type of weapon. I suspect he was killed with a forsaken blade. That’s why there was a ring of ash around him. It charred his grace and pulled it from him, leaving him mortal, and then he died. Forsaken blades aren’t just any basic sword. You can’t get one at your local pawn shop. Whoever did this knew what they had and knew who—or rather what—your dad was. It was a hit. And Chuck,”—he pulled her limp, cold fingers into his lap—“I’m worried about you. I think they’ll come after you next.”
Chuck’s eyes closed briefly, and she swallowed hard. When she opened them again, she curled her fingers into his, then leaned towards him. “Why me?” she asked, a slight tremor in her voice betraying her steadfast gaze.
“Y-you believe me?” he sputtered incredulously, reeling back the explanations he was prepared to make to gain her understanding. Admiration swirled through him as he stared in awe.
“I always believe you, Malachi. I trust you with my life. You’re my partner,” was her simple explanation, the gold in her aura lending truth to her words.
Malachi sat in silence, studying her. His gut was churning with anxiety, agonizing about all the ways he had been lying to her. Directly and by omission. He didn’t deserve her simple belief. The warmth her words built in his heart was quickly doused by the icy wave of guilt ripping throughhim like a tornado. To his horror, his eyes went hot, and he panicked slightly, not understanding why. “Chuck!” he demanded frantically and yanked his hands from hers, touching his face. “What is this?”
Chuck smiled softly and lifted his hands from his cheeks, brushing her thumb under one eye. She showed him the dampness on her thumb. “You’re crying, Malachi. Do you not…” she stared at him in quiet contemplation. “Did you not realize that’s what you were doing? Have you never cried before?”
He shuddered and sucked in a deep breath, holding it and trying to regain his composure. He was a demon. A lieutenant of the sixth ward. He commanded his own legion and seduced with his incubus power. He was night, he was darkness, he was… so royally fucked.
He was crying, sobbing now.
He was trusted.
Cared for.
Believed.
Grabbing him by the shoulders, Chuck pulled him down to her. His head on her chest, she wrapped her arms tightly around his trembling body and held him. She whispered softly, words of comfort, reassurances. Running her fingers through his hair, she rocked him slowly. “It’s okay. Whatever this is, we’ll figure it out together.”
“I don’t deserve your friendship. Your trust,” he mumbled against her neck as his tears slowly subsided.
“Shut the fuck up,” she insisted, grinning as his eyes snapped up to her in shock. “You do too, Malachi. Whatever you’ve done in the past, whatever you did to end up as a dog, I know you are a good person deep down in your soul. I see it in your actions every day. The way you care about Reena, the job.” She ran her fingers over his cheek. “About me.”
Malachi watched as Chuck leaned closer, her lips parting slightly, trembling the smallest amount. Her breath hitched, and he realized she was about to kiss him. He sat up quickly and ground the heels of his hands over his eyes. Both to wipe away the tear-stained evidence of how far he’d strayed from his heritage, and to block the flash of disappointment he knew was covering her face. He could feel it coming from her in waves.
This was why he was here. To seduce her, gain her trust, and besmirch her soul, her grace. He finally had the opportunity, and he was backing away. He couldn’t bring himself to let her fall. She deserved better, and warmth filled him as he firmed it in his mind. He’d rather die a final death than let her suffer because of him. Decision made, he knew; he had to tell her all of it.
“Sorry,” he murmured. Clearing his throat, he sat up straighter. “Chuck, I need to tell you something else. I…” he sighed miserably. “I haven’t been completely honest with you. But you deserve the full truth, and after you know, I understand if you don’t want to ever see me again. I promise I’ll leave, and I won’t make a scene.” He lifted his thumb, brushing it over her lower lip, and smiled softly. “Chuck, believe this, Iwantedyou to kiss me. Very much.” Chuckling now as her eyes widened and a protest formed on her lips. “No, don’t deny it. You can’t. You can’t deny there’s something here between us. But I’m not going to let you fall like this. I won’t be the cause.”
“I don’t understand,” she cried softly, shaking her head side to side, no longer hiding her desire for him.
“I know, Chuck. I’ll try to explain. Just… hear me out. Okay?” As she silently agreed, he took a deep breath and continued. “I was shocked, I was crying, because I never had before. I didn’t know I could. To cry means you need feelings, and I… well, I didn’t think I had those. We’ll come back to whyin a minute.” He chuckled at her cute frowning pout. “So impatient you. Hang in there.”
Standing so he could put some distance between them, Malachi began to pace. “Alright, so back to your dad. He was an angel. Full blooded, hundred percent winged host, full of grace angel. Which makes you…” Turning, he stared at her intensely, hoping she would understand.
“Half angel?” she blurted, her words shaking and full of awe. “I’m part angel?” This time her voice cracked on the word, squeaking a high-pitched note.
“Yeah, Chuck. You’re half angel. You don’t have wings, but you do have a halo.” Laughing as her fingers flew to her head, he shook his own side to side. “No, the books are wrong about that. It’s not a circle hovering above you, it’s your aura. A glow that surrounds your whole body. It reflects your moods and thoughts in patterns and colors. When you’re sad, it’s gray. Yellow when you get scared, orange when you’re embarrassed or irritated. And when you do what you do best, saving lives, it turns gold. Like the last rays of the setting sun. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He blinked a few times and turned to pace again.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” she mused out loud. “We were so close, we talked about everything. Why wouldn’t he tell me?” Her eyes were troubled now, a furrow between her eyebrows.
Kneeling, Malachi took her hands in his. “He couldn’t, Chuck. I bet your mother didn’t know either. It’s not the kind of thing he would have wanted spread around. I don’t know why he wasn’t up there.” He pointed above them. “Why was he on Earth? But he didn’t tell you… so he could keep you safe, Chuck. If no one knew, no one would come after you.”
Nodding slowly, she frowned. “But someone found out, and that’s why he’s dead. You think they’re after me now, don’t you? That’s why all thecloak and dagger. The sneaking around.” Gripping his hands tighter, she leaned forward, all business now. “Okay, so what did you find?”
Smiling, he lifted one hand and brushed it over her cheek. “There you are. Warrior girl.” He rose to his feet and grabbed the bag before retaking a seat next to her. Pulling out the files, he laid them in her lap. “Some of the records from your dad’s case. When I opened the box, I could smell the grace and the ‘other’.” He wrinkled his nose in memory of the bad odor. “I couldn’t do a thorough search there; no one would understand why ‘Evan’ was there or why your K-9 would be looking at reports. So, I uh… I kinda borrowed them. Don’t worry! I’ll put them back!” he promised quickly.
“Mal.” She laughed, waggling a finger at him playfully. “Bad dog.” Then she shook her head. “I’m not mad. In a weird way, that’s the nicest thing anyone could have done for me.” Huffing out another laugh, she leaned closer. “Thank you, Malachi. Wait… is that really your name?”
Chuckling, he bobbed his head sheepishly. “Yeah, it really is Malachi. And I honestly was cursed by a demon into the dog’s body. I also truly couldn’t change myself back until I got some help. But the rest of it, Chuck, I need to tell you the truth. And you’ll probably hate me, so let me just say… that being with you and Reena has been the best part of my life. My very long and decidedly awful life. I’m grateful I got to spend even this small amount of time with you. I hope you’ll look back on me fondly one day, and if you ever decide to forgive me, just call my name, and I’ll come to you.” He stared at the ground, shuddering as he remembered Hyacinth’s promise. “Well, if I’m still alive.”
Her fingers wrapped around his jaw, lifting his face to hers. “What do you mean if you’re alive? Malachi, is someone threatening you?”
Sighing, he pried her fingers from his face and squeezed them. “Yes, I’ve been threatened with death or worse if I don’t corrupt you and collect your angel grace for my dark lord. Kelly…” he groaned and shook his head. “I’m a demon. Like, eternally damned, brimstone, evil, Satan, Hellspawn. And I was forced into the dog body as a punishment for displeasing my commander.” Gazing into her eyes, he was concerned that her expression was carefully neutral, no clues as to how she took the news. Deciding there was nothing for it but to forge ahead, he continued. “But then you showed up, glowing with your angelic grace, and I was terrified. I just knew you were about to smite me.” He chuckled at the memory. “I was quaking in my fur. But when you smiled at me, I felt warm all over. Like I’d been granted a reprieve. I thought it was just a chance that we met. But today I learned from one of the demons that took the little girl that it’s a long-range plot to capture you.”
