Chuck cleared her throat and glared at Malachi, nodding her head towards where Nick sat expectantly, patiently waiting.
Glancing between them, Malachi bunched his eyebrows in confusion and held out his hands in a ‘what’ gesture.
“Apologize,” Chuck urged.
“What?” his tone rose in incredulity. “Apologize for what? Being me? He acknowledged it!” Malachi pointed at Nick with exasperation. “I’m a demon. I might have developed feelings and emotions, but he’s still an angel, I’m still a Hellspawn for the love of Lucifer.” He sat back with indignation and crossed his arms over his chest again.
Nick held his palms out, patting the air in a calming motion, trying to instill peace. “It’s fine, I wasn’t truly expecting an apology. He did acknowledge it was on purpose, and he did say please. That’s truly a lot for any demon.”
Pointing at the angel again in as close to a righteous gesture as he could manage, Malachi beamed before turning to Chuck with a smug smile.
“Hi, human, confused. What’s going on here?” Nathan blurted out, his eyes wide and fingers clenched on his knees. His whole frame was tense and on edge, nearly trembling with his anxiety. The question dimmed the lighthearted atmosphere as quickly as a bucket of ice water dumped on a fire. The others deflated in on themselves as they returned to the seriousness of the situation.
“Of course,” Nick murmured placatingly. “My name is Nick, regardless of what Malachi tells you. I’m an angel, a real one. Nathan Bennett, it is a pleasure to meet you to some extent. I’m very displeased that you allowedmy brother to be murdered, of course, but…” He leaned back and primly placed his hands on his knees. Taking a deep breath, Nick continued. “I am torn,” he admitted. “You allowed my brother to die, but not at your hands. I appreciate that you refused. I’m grateful to you for holding him and offering comfort as his soul was returned to us. And I’m even more grateful that you stopped the other from harming my niece.” He blew out a steady breath, shaking his head. “But now your son is consumed by the darkness, and you have hidden this. Your silence in the face of the attempts on Kelly’s life, well, I must ruminate upon this.”
Malachi growled low as Nick leaned farther back into the cushions, his expression adopting the serene smile he used when he was being pious. “Oh, comeon,Nicklerama,” he moaned. “Quit being dramatic. We aren’t here to judge and smite Nathan. He shanked the bad guy; he offered to turn himself in for his crimes. You know you’re going to forgive him; your kind always does. So, let’s pretend he asked, and you agreed, so we can keep going. Who is masquerading as one of you winged freaks to commit crimes in the name of your head honcho while actually doing it for mine?”
“Malachi,” Chuck hissed, clearly horrified at his behavior.
A small, tiny, almost minuscule worm of doubt about his words began to wriggle through what little conscience he had while he stared at his hands. “Chuck,” Malachi said slowly, evenly, feeling his way through his thoughts. “You told me to not act based on how I thinkyouwant me to act, but to do what I feel. Ifeellike we will sit here for hours waiting on… Nick… to extract a confession and a request for forgiveness. I don’tfeellike I can wait that long when there’s an active threat to your life. Someone wants you dead because they think you’re an abomination. I think you’re the most perfect creation on this plane or any other, and I would sooner give my own existence away than see the wonder that is uniquely you disappear. So, I’m sorry for seeming impatient. I just care about you too much to see youdie because the winged freak wants to hold a h-holy mass.” He dropped his gaze as guilt ate away at his insides, churning his stomach in a sickening whorl, knowing his words would push Chuck away.
A soft, warm hand grasped his jaw, and the most exquisite lips ever to exist touched his. Kelly was in his arms, kissing him. Clouds of awe, confusion, delight, and a healthy dose of what the fuck jumbled together as they swirled through him. Kelly turned to the others and jerked her thumb in a get out gesture before turning back and kissing him again. He heard Glenda clear her throat, Bennett cough in embarrassment, and Nick frown. Yes, the angel’s disapproval was so strong, it was audible. A negative humming in the air. But none of that mattered. Kelly, his Kelly, was pressed against him, crushing her mouth to his and winding her arms around his neck.
Without fully understanding why this was happening, Malachi rose to his feet, Kelly still clinging to him, and lurched towards her room. He vaguely heard Glenda mention grabbing a late lunch and coming back later as she closed the front door, but he was too caught up in the woman wrapped around him to hear anyone’s response. Stumbling to the bedroom, he shoved the door closed and set Kelly on her feet before finally lifting his lips from hers.
He studied her as she stood there, hair mussed, cheeks flushed. Her lips swollen from their steamy kiss, her eyes heavy-lidded and focused intensely on him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but most telling and intriguing of all, her aura was undeniably solid red. “Kelly?” he whispered, uncertainty and nerves creeping into his voice. “What are we doing?”
“Picking up where we left off this morning, I hope,” she replied in a low, sultry tone.
Assume The Position
Malachi stared at the woman before him, debating whether or not to pinch his arm or just go with it. When he explained his actions—why he was being rude to the angel—he did not expect this type of response. His demon nature was willing to blindly accept it, but something stopped him and demanded he understand it. “Kelly,” he moaned, banging the back of his head against the door, irritated at this newer, softer side of himself. “Help me out here, I’m dying to have you, but what is this all about? I thought you were mad at me for how I was treating Uncle Wingman?”
Grinning her sultry smile, she tugged on the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it up so far he had no choice but to take it off or be trapped in it. “Because, Malachi. You care about me so much that you’re willing to lay your life down for your sworn enemy. You’re willing to work with the other side to protect me. You go against your very nature to be with me because you care that deeply. I don’t know many men, human or otherwise, who would do that. So, call me crazy; you’re a demon, and I’m half angel, we shouldn’t work, but dammit, we do.”
“I…” He shook his head, then huffed out a wry laugh. “I don’t know what to say.” Snapping his gaze to hers, he paused. “Wait… yes, I do. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you for giving me a chance. For seeingme.”
“Mal,” she said, leaning into him. “Are you going to kiss me again?”
Grinning now, he picked her up again and carried her to the bed. “I’m going to do more than that.” Gently laying her on the mattress, he stood, staring down at her. “Kelly, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life. Good, bad, ugly, and depraved, but you… you were worth waiting for.” Lowering himself over her, he took her face between his palms and smiled. “And I would wait another hundred years if that’s what I had to do.”
“Another hundred…” she murmured, then shook her head. “Later… get your hands on me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, lips against her throat. “Where would you like those hands?” he asked with a devious smile as his lips continued their journey down her neck to her shoulder. His fingers skimmed up her sides, raising her shirt as he traced her curves. “Here?” He feathered his hand over her stomach. “Or here?” The other hand splayed across her ribs, brushing the underside of her breast. Using one knee, he nudged her thighs wider and settled himself lower as he slipped the shirt over her head. Dropping his lips to her collarbone, he took the strap of her bra in his teeth and dragged it off her shoulder. His hand crept up to the slope of her breast and ran a fingertip over the edge of the lace. “Definitely here,” he murmured as he pulled the material away from her skin.
His gaze drank her in, and he shuddered as he finished removing her bra. “Kelly,” he breathed. “Even being a demon and knowing angels exist, this, you, how perfect you are, makes me believe in God.”
Gasping, she grabbed his face between her palms. “You said it. The G word. Are you okay?”
Smiling shyly, he nodded. “I’m fine, I told you. You’re changing me. And I mean it. Only H-Heaven could create something as beautiful as you.” He moaned as her fingers curled into his waistband. “And now you’re trying to kill me.”
“No, I’m trying to get you naked. You talk too much.” She smirked. “Get the rest of these clothes off!”
Raising one hand, Malachi snapped his fingers, and the rest of their clothing vanished, appearing neatly folded across the room on a chair. “Impatient little thing, aren’t you? I wanted to savor you, but you’re so bossy.”
“Holy shit,” she blurted, her eyes wide, staring at the pile of material in a chair. “Malachi, how did you—” Her words choked off on a gasp as he dropped one hand between her legs and teased his fingers over her center.
“I seem to remember you said I talked too much, and you wanted me to touch you?” he whispered seductively in her ear, leaning down so his chest was barely brushing hers. Pushing against her thighs with his, he laughingly told her, “Wider, Officer Charles, assume the position.”
