“What?” Chuck and Glenda demanded in unison.
“Who is it?” Chuck added.
Staring at each other with wide eyes full of fear, Nick and Malachi supplied the answer.
“Amaryllis.”
“The Defiler.”
Well, That Escalated Quickly
“Amaryllis the Defiler isn’t just any demon. She’s even higher than an Archdemon. She’s a Knight of Hell. The first, oldest, and most powerful of demons. They were the original warriors when Lucifer fell, personally trained by the first Knight, Cain. Yes, that Cain. Oh, fuck this is bad. This is very bad.” Malachi paced across the living room, fingers tangled deep in his hair. Nick was pacing opposite him, his halo flickering erratically with his worry. The two shared agonized glances as they passed, both acknowledging their mutual misery and exquisite fucked-ness in this situation.
Nodding frantically, Nick added, “She’s brutal. Unforgiving. I absolutely donotwant to come face-to-face with her. It would not end well. For any of us. Quite frankly, Nathan, I’m surprised you survived your encounter with her the first time, much less telling her you wouldn’t comply with her demands.”
Nathan spread his hands in a confused gesture. “I… don’t know what to tell you. She was very calm and seemed understanding. There was no anger or yelling. She just smiled and poofed away.” He wiggled his fingers to demonstrate.
“So strange,” Nick muttered. He resumed pacing. “This is so very not good, regardless.” He glanced at Malachi. “Open to feedback from you. She’s a demon, so are you. Any ideas? Ways to ward Kelly? Hide her from sight?”
“So… should I go ahead and pick out my burial plot now?” Chuck drawled, causing both men to halt in their tracks. “Because you two are acting like some giant demonic monstrosity is going to puddle up in the middle of my kitchen any moment now. Or am I reading the room wrong?” She swung her finger back and forth between them before crossing her arms over her chest and popping a hip out.
Grinning, Malachi stalked over and placed his hands on her hips before he pulled her close. “Damn, I love it when you get all sarcastic and snippy like that. I think I might like getting tased by you.”
“Mal,” Chuck groaned as she tried to dial down her grin. “You’re terrible. But thank you for calming down. Now explain. What’s got you and Santa Claus over there in a twist?”
Blinking at her owlishly, Malachi was silent for about thirty seconds before he picked her up and kissed her hard. “Santa Claus. Saint Nick. Angel Nick. I’m so proud of you.” Setting her back down, he pulled her to the sofa and onto his lap. “Okay, so I explained who she is. The reason Saint Nick and I are a little concerned…”
“Concerned,” Glenda fake-coughed, calling him out.
Flipping her a middle finger, Malachi continued, “Worried. Okay, worried. Zip it, witch!” He pointed at Glenda, who mimed sealing her lips shut. Grin fading, his voice dropped lower, turning serious. “She’s unstoppable. Only a very few demons or angels could take her on and hope to barely survive the encounter. So, if she’s after you, neither Nick nor I coulddefeat her head-on.” He pinched his lower lip in thought, vaguely aware Nick was nodding along in agreement.
Flopping back in his chair, Nick nearly mirrored Malachi’s expression and actions. “What I don’t understand,” he started in a shaking voice, “iswhy.I mean, yeah, Kelly is Nephilim, but we don’t take as hard a stance on that as we used to. Especially when they do things like police work and fight for good and justice. Technically, she is an abomination—sorry, sweetheart—but no one puts out hits on them anymore. And Hell, you guys have never cared about that part inasmuch as you just like corrupting them for the extra boost their grace gives you. So, I don’t understand why the push to end Gavin and Kelly.”
“Agreed.” Malachi nodded. “Next question: Does Amaryllis feel threatened by her? Is there some prophecy? Is there some deep political motivation we don’t know about?”
Nick stood abruptly. “I can check on the prophecy part. I’ll be back.” With that, he blinked out of sight; the only sign he’d even been there was a warm summery scent.
“And you all call me dramatic,” Malachi muttered under his breath, glancing at the others. “Look, I can’t just pop back to Hell and ask about political machinations. It doesn’t work like that. Everyone would lie, want something in return for the information, and I have nothing to give. Besides, thanks to Nick’s guardian binding, I basically have my own halo, and no demon worth their brimstone is going to talk to me anymore.”
Gasping, Chuck’s fingers flew to her lips. “I didn’t realize!” she cried. “You being my guardian assigned from Heaven, you’ve been ostracized as a demon, haven’t you? Cut off from your family and home?”
With a slow nod, he smiled gently, just the slightest curve of his lips. “Yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that part. I… ugh… well, when I p-prayed for you, and H-Heaven answered, it left an indelible mark on me.When they branded me as a Guardian on official holy business, you could say it canceled out my last two centuries of demon status to nothing. Which is what Hyacinth was threatening me with anyway, so I guess that’s why he gave in so easily. The only difference is that there I would be begging for final death. But here, I have you.”
“You have me …” Chuck repeated. “Malachi, you gave up your whole life for me? That’s it? I’m all you have left?” Her voice rose in pitch as incredulity set in.
Scratching his head in confusion, he squinted one eye and stared at her. “Kelly,” he sighed, “I didn’t have much in Hell. Families don’t stay together; my parents barely acknowledge me. Yeah, I had a place to live and some possessions, but the constant battles, the debauchery, the sinning. It just… doesn’t compare to what I have here with you. Is that wrong? I’m sorry, I’m new to this.”
“Why, Malachi?” she inquired softly. “Why would you do that?”
He simply gazed at her with everything he felt in his entire being. Unsure how to explain it. Unsure if even after everything, she would accept it. Unable to say it out loud, he sent,Don’t you know?
“Oh, for crying out loud, Kelly, can’t you see he’s in love with you? He’s so head over heels, and he doesn’t even know what that means, but he’s there, and it’s fucking adorable.” Nathan laughed, shaking his head.
Malachi stared at Nathan in surprise, wondering how he could tell when Kelly couldn’t. She didn’t believe even he could have real, meaningful feelings at all until recently. A glance at Glenda showed she obviously knew as well, based on her warm, encouraging smile. His heart started pounding, and he clenched his fingers as his skin tingled like electric currents were running under it. He didn’t know what to do. They were right, he was a fool in love with an angel who didn’t even believe he was capable.
“I know,” Chuck answered quietly, turning to face Malachi. “I think I’m ready to admit that, finally. Which is fortunate, because I love him, too.”
Everything inside him stilled, and a feeling of peace wrapped around his body like a warm blanket. The throw pillow he’d been scrunching in his fists out of nervousness dropped to the floor, unnoticed. He swallowed heavily and lifted one hand, tracing his fingers through the strong pulsing red glow around Kelly’s body. It swirled over his hand and tingled against his skin. His heart thumped, once, twice, bringing his attention back to himself. “I told Nick. I told him that’s why I was able to pray for you. Because I love you. I didn’t… I never thought you could…” He stared at her now, eyes wide, stinging with emotion. “Kelly, you love me?”
