Jaxon grunted, “I think I’m up in a few more songs.” He glanced over towards the sign-up table, his expression that of someone drinking sour milk.
After some good-natured jokes, the others crowded around the song list and made their selections. Malachi went along with Chuck’s announcement and signed up as well. Sitting beside her again, he leaned to her ear, whispering, “I don’t detect any darkness here. Just doucheness.” He glanced at Jaxon with a leer.
“Stop it,” she scolded. “Bennett’s the only one missing.”
After a few more singers, Jaxon’s turn came up, and he sauntered to the stage amid a few cheers from some of the ladies in the bar. He winked at them and grabbed the microphone in a confident manner that screamed he was a regular. It was apparent he felt he was about to command the room.
Malachi settled back in his chair and narrowed his eyes. He hummed and blurted, “Nickelback. He’s going to sing a Nickelback song, isn’t he?”
Snorting in amusement, Chuck covered her mouth to stifle her giggle. The others held no such restraint, and the whole table burst into laughter.
“Oh, man, he already knows him well, doesn’t he!” barked one of the other officers, clapping Malachi on the shoulder.
The laughter grew even louder to the point that everyone in the bar was staring at them. The stares included that of Jaxon, who was so thrown off that he missed the intro to the song and had to scramble to find his place. To his credit, he did sing well, having a pleasant tenor, but it was indeedHero,by Nickelback.
Cupid Plays a Wicked Game
Malachi leaned against the table and braced his elbows on the sticky wood, propping his chin in his hands, intently watching Jaxon. It was enough to make the man nervous, and his voice cracked a few times. By the time he finished the song, he was a shaking mess.
“Stop it, Mal,” Chuck murmured as she elbowed him in the ribs. “Play nice or you’re going home.”
“Iambeing nice!” he hissed, glaring as he rubbed his side. “I could have made the hooker in the corner go grab his nuts while he was on the stage. But you didn’t consider that, did you?”
She stared at him, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. “You can do that?”
Putting just a little flame in his eyes, he smirked. “Oh, Chuck, I can do just about anything. Since I got my full form back, all my powers are returning.” His lips quirked as her mouth opened and closed a few times.
“Can you… nudge two people together without really forcing them?” she asked now with a calculating expression. Her eyes darted between Jaxon and the quiet dispatcher sitting at the other end of the table. “Marla has a huge crush on Jax, but she’s too shy to approach him. And he needs someone like her in his life. Could you, I don’t know… help them?”
A strained sigh, then a deeper groan, and finally a hard flop back into his chair had Malachi staring at her with a grimace.
“Too much? It’s too much, I’m sorry I asked,” she offered quickly and gave him an awkward smile as she tried to lighten the mood.
“No. It’s not too much. And I can. I’m just conflicted. The demon in me—the demon I was before you—would do it in a heartbeat just to mess with them. The me now—the me that cares about you and is trying to be… good.” He swallowed down some nausea. “Knows I shouldn’t toy with people’s emotions or interfere in their lives.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “This is one of those I don’t know what to do here things.”
A soft, warm hand landed on his arm, and he opened his eyes to find Chuck smiling at him, genuinely this time. “Honestly, that’s so sweet. I think the answer here is don’t make decisions based on what you think makes you a better person. Do what seems right at the time. I’m not asking you to interfere overly much. I just think she needs help overcoming her inhibitions, her shyness. And he needs to be open to a woman who isn’t a supermodel.” She tried in vain to tamp down the curve of her lips. “Don’t force them together, just give them the nudge they need and let them take it from there.”
“Chuck.” He snorted. “I’m not fucking Cupid. This better not become a frequent thing.” His eyebrow arched sternly as she batted her eyelashes at him.
“It won’t!” she promised. “Besides, look at it this way. If Jaxon has a love interest, he’ll leave me alone. And it might make him less douchey.”
Sitting straight up, with wide, eager eyes, Malachi grinned as he eyed Jaxon sitting halfway down the table. The man was drowning his nerves in a beer after his less-than-perfect performance.
“Alright, I’ll do it. But I’m only lowering her inhibitions and raising his awareness of her. I’m not making them fall in love. And no guarantees!” he warned.
Miming zipping her lips, Chuck hugged him quickly.
Turning towards Jaxon, Malachi shuddered briefly and delved into the man’s mind. He found Jaxon’s desire for Chuck and grimaced at how much the man wanted her. Dialing it back, he smirked as the other man’s shoulders drooped, and his expression turned forlorn. Without Chuck to moon over, it seemed he had no reason to pretend to be macho. He nearly shriveled in on himself. Huffing out as near to a righteous laugh as he was able, Malachi then turned his attention to Marla.
Studying the timid, mousy woman, Malachi realized she was actually quite pretty; she just didn’t have much confidence or know how to best present herself. “Get her to the bathroom,” he murmured to Chuck. “I need to fix a few things first.”
Eying him warily, Chuck leapt from her chair. Looping her arm through Marla’s, she pulled the woman to her feet and dragged her away. “Marla, honey, come here with me a moment, I want you to meet someone!”
The other woman’s bewildered stare as she obediently followed Chuck had Malachi choking back a laugh. He waited a moment for their disappearance to be out of mind, then stood. “Gonna grab another round, be right back,” he murmured and headed towards the bar.
Leaning against the scarred surface, he tapped his fingers to the music as he gave his order to the bubbly blonde who had been undressing him with her eyes since they arrived. Winking as she quickly supplied him with a tumbler of scotch, he slipped some cash her way. The money was made from ether, and the bills would dissolve into nothing when he left at the end of the night. He supposed he should feel bad about it, and he was sure Chuck would scold him. But he would worry about that later, if he eventold her. Watching the door, he was finally sure the bathroom was empty except for Chuck and Marla.
Making his way over, he cast his form into the shadows and slipped between the small gap in the frame. Leaning against the inside of the wood panel, he sealed the door closed with his power and moved closer to Chuck. “Hi,” he breathed in her ear, chuckling when she jumped. His shadows had concealed him from her view as well. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Lie, he absolutely had.
