A clatter drew their attention as the server dropped the coffee pot on the floor. “Sorry,” he squeaked. “I thought you were talking to the dog.” He laughed nervously as he squatted to start picking up the larger pieces.
Exchanging glances, the three humans and one dog all nodded, silently agreeing they needed to carry this conversation somewhere else.
Chuck’s house,Malachi declared,I want to be on two legs and in clothes. Well, clothes if you two are coming with us.He released a wheezing laugh that had the server hurrying to the back, looking over his shoulder like he expected Satan himself to follow in pursuit.
“Bad dog,” Chuck sighed.
At Chuck’s house, Reena was once again cuddled like a baby in Glenda’s arms while Malachi went to get dressed. When he returned, Reena flailed her legs in an effort to get down and yipped at him until he took her fromGlenda and rocked her. The witch laughed good-naturedly about it, while glancing at Nathan from the corner of her eye.
Nathan was staring at Malachi with concern etched deep into his forehead, looking like he’d aged a decade in the last hour. “So, do I call you Malachi or Evan?” he inquired lightly.
“Malachi.”
“Evan.”
Chuck and Malachi glared at each other. Finally, she looked away, and he smirked before turning to Nathan. “Malachi, if it’s just us, but Evan—gross—if we’re around others. Is that doable? Because I hate that fake-ass name. I was named for my great-grandfather, who was an archdemon, a major honor. And Evan is a douche name. Not quite as bad as Jaxon, but still, ugh.” He tickled Reena under the chin, and she wheezed happily. “Isn’t it Re-re?” he cooed and sauntered into the kitchen, the Chuglet tucked in his arm, paws dangling in front of her looking for all the world like a miniature kangaroo with an underbite.
Nathan simply stared after him, mouth hanging slightly open. He turned to Chuck and closed his jaw with an audible snap of his teeth. Then he shook his head and laughed. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I mean… your dad was an angel. You’re half an angel. Malachi is a demon. I met another creature pretending to be an angel, and we’re pretty sure it’s another demon. And you’re a witch?” he glanced at Glenda. When she bowed her head regally, he huffed out another short laugh. “What about the other dog?”
“Reena?” Chuck snorted. “She’s just a dog, but she does like reality TV.” She glanced up as Malachi came back in and handed her a glass of wine. Nodding in thanks, she smiled softly.
Winking, Malachi turned to Glenda and handed her one as well. He gave a slight bow to her blushing thanks and moved over to Nathan, handingthe man a beer before flopping on the couch near him. He had his own beer in one hand and Reena in the other. “So, where were we?” he tilted the bottle back and took a long pull before sighing happily.
“Wait.” Chuck jolted slightly. “Where did that beer come from?” She squinted at him.
“Oh, I ordered a few things to be delivered,” Malachi replied casually.
Narrowing her eyes even further, her voice low, she sweetly inquired, “With what money?”
Grinning, he wedged the bottle between his knees and snapped; a black credit card with flames flickering across the surface appeared between his fingers. “Demon Express, never leave Hell without it.”
Smacking her hand over her face, Chuck shook her head as she laughed quietly. “Seriously, I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth. One of the things I love about you.”
The room went quiet at her words, and she cleared her throat. “Anyway, so do we have any idea who could have been the person pretending to be the angel? Where do we start?”
As they all stared at each other, Malachi sighed. “I got this. Let’s see if it works.” He set Reena down next to him on the sofa and sat up straight. Squaring his shoulders, he put his hands together as if praying and stared at the ceiling. “Hey, Nicorette? You around? C’mon Nicaroni.” Shaking his head, he sighed as Nathan’s eyes bugged, watching him worriedly. After a minute of silence, he tried again. “Don’t be shy, Nicodemus. We know you’re listening. Ugh, seriously, Nicola? You’re gonna make me say it, aren’t you?”
Sitting quietly for a few more moments, the others exchanged a confused glance and shrugged their shoulders.
“Bro,” sighed Malachi. “Don’t be like this, Nicholai.” He glanced around before rolling his eyes. In a monotone voice, hequickly offered, “Fine, I’m sorry, your name is Nick. Can youpleasecome give us a hand? It’s about protecting Kelly. You remember, your niece?”
Suddenly, Malachi groaned and slid to the floor, curled in on himself, covering his head. “Fuck!” he shouted. “I said I was sorry, is that really necessary?”
Nick, the angel, sat on the sofa, staring down at Malachi with an amused smile before dialing down his glow. “Oopsie, apologies,” he called in a sing-song tone that fooled no one into thinking it was an accident. He glanced around the room and nodded a greeting to the others before his gaze landed on Chuck. “Kelly,” he breathed. “You look so much like your father.” His fingers briefly covered his lips before his line of sight was broken by Malachi standing in front of him.
The demon’s fists were clenched, and his teeth were grinding together. “Hello,Nick.”He flopped back on the couch and crossed his arms across his chest. “Thanks for coming. No doubt you’re wondering why we invited you to join us.” His tone was unmistakably sarcastic and acidic.
“Oh, an invitation? Is that what it was? The purposeful wrong names, the obnoxious tone? The lack of respect? Only using my real name when you knew I wasn’t going to respond otherwise?” Nick snapped back, mirroring Malachi’s pose with his arms crossed over his robe.
The pair continued bickering and snarking at each other like two kids arguing over a toy until a hail from across the room interrupted them.
“GIRLS!” Chuck shouted. “You’re both pretty. Now put away the measuring sticks and let’s get down to business.” Her lips were squirming around suspiciously, and she was biting the inside of her cheek.
Malachi broke first, bursting into booming laughter, which made Chuck let out a laugh, followed quickly by Glenda and, finally, Nick, who merely chuckled ruefully. Nathan simply stared in awe at the scene before him.
Nick sighed, “Alright, fine. I’m sorry, Malachi. I know you’re a demon and you probably can’t help it.”
Nodding graciously, Malachi snorted. “Exactly. Now, let’s talk about why we invited you.”
