She raised her chin. “Sir, Malachi is alerting this way. I believe the suspect could have circled back around. I promise, sir, he’s caught something.”
The lieutenant didn’t look pleased, but he studied the dog, who was now using his alert signals towards the area they claimed was clear. He gave one short nod and clenched his jaw. “He better be right.”
Chuck reassured him. “He will be.” She turned back to Malachi and repeated quietly, “You better be.”
Malachi snorted and trotted forward, traveling about a block and a half down before turning to the left, then going another block. Without warning, he dropped to his belly and let out a low growl.
Chuck called out her identity and ordered the suspect to present and surrender. There was no response. She repeated it, adding that she had a K-9 she would release. Still no response. She glanced down at Malachi and shrugged before quietly radioing her position.
He knew the guy was there; he could hear his heart beating rapidly. He nodded at Chuck and gave a quiet woof. Yes, he was still there.
She smiled grimly. “Malachi, retrieve.”
He grinned, showing every fang in his mouth. Launching hard, he bolted towards a dilapidated storage shed that was leaning haphazardly to one side, looking like a wayward house for orphaned snakes and spiders. Wood splintered, flying everywhere as he barreled through the door. He snagged the pants legs of the terrified criminal who was screaming in abject fear. Huffing with laughter, he dragged the man to Chuck, who was standing right outside, waiting to cuff him.
As she called to release and knelt to secure the suspect, Malachi developed a sinking feeling, deep in the pit of his stomach. She had her eyes on the man on the ground in front of her, and the other officers were closing in. A low whimper escaped his throat before he could help it.
Her eyes darted to him as her hands stilled. “What? What do you know, Mal?” she whispered.
Head whipping side to side, Malachi shifted uneasily from paw to paw before his senses locked in. There was another man—possibly a partner—sneaking up on Chuck from her blind side. A matte black gun loomed in his hand, and he raised it above her bent back while she kneeled by the prone suspect.
Without waiting for the command, Malachi leapt. Snatching the man by the throat, he slammed him to the ground and shook him just hard enough to incapacitate but not kill. He knew from training that killing was a big no-no, but it took every ounce of strength in him to not close his fangs through the tender flesh of the man’s neck. The smallest amount of blood oozed into his mouth, and he nearly moaned in pleasure, but the sight of Chuck’s shocked expression had him slowly easing back.
“Mal,” Chuck choked out, her voice quivering slightly. “Good boy!” Her shoulders shook as she radioed again, alerting them to the additional suspect her partner had subdued. She didn’t mention that he’d saved her life, but he saw it in her gaze. Shaken but grateful, she reached out and gripped his shoulder. “Thanks, Malachi.”
A swarm of officers reached them then, yanking the two men from the ground. Someone bagged and tagged the weapon of the sneak attack partner, while another officer roughly dragged him to his feet.
“Boy, you just couldn’t resist racking up the felonies today, could you?” the officer growled in a fair impression of what Malachi would have done in his demon form. “Armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and now attempted murder of a peace officer? You’re never going to see fresh air again.”
Malachi added a snarling bark to emphasize the other officer’s point.That’s right, you boil on a lower demon’s ass! You’re lucky I didn’t kill you for trying to hurt Chuck! She’s mine!
“Chuck!” came a relieved voice, which then firmed. “Get your partner under control.”
At the scene lieutenant’s words, Malachi snapped his jaws closed and dropped the defensive position he’d been holding in front of her. He realized he was blocking the other officers from checking on her. Moving nextto Chuck, he nuzzled her neck.You’re okay, right?he whimpered, unable to stem the wave of concern for her well-being from flooding through him.
“I’m okay, buddy.” She ruffled his fur. “Good job.” She threw her arms around his neck. “Thanks for saving my ass there, Mal, you get extra bacon for that one.”
Back at the station, Chuck was filing her reports, and Malachi was getting even more bacon treats.
“Damn, Chuck, that mutt of yours really came in handy today, huh? Now aren’t you glad I pointed him out?” Jaxon chuckled as he perched his hip on the corner of her desk. “Good job, Malachi. Thanks for looking out for our girl.”
Eyeing the smarmy officer with disdain, Malachi thought about barfing on his shoes again for the mutt comment. His stomach was a little queasy from the number of bacon treats he’d inhaled. But the idiot did truly seem thankful, so he decided to just roll his eyes instead.
“Did he just…” Jaxon stared hard at Malachi.
“Hmm?” Chuck murmured distractedly.
Shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, Jaxon closed his eyes briefly, then muttered, “Nothing… just been a long day.”
Revelations During Cuddle Time
“You know what, Malachi? I’m too tired for the game tonight. We both know that no matter what I say, you’re going to jump up on the bed. Reena too. So go ahead, get comfortable, I’ll be back. Just leave space for me.” Chuck sighed listlessly and grabbed her pajamas before heading into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Malachi stared after her in concern. Chuck seemed off tonight. She’d been quiet at dinner and hadn’t flipped on the news like she usually did. He thought she’d be happy. At the end of their first two weeks on the job, they had several big collars already. He really enjoyed riding around with her and chasing down the bad guys. Slowly, he was getting some of his demon powers back, and he was putting the fear of Hell into the suspects he retrieved for her. They usually went quietly after that, being extra compliant.
Noticing it was suspiciously quiet in the bathroom, Malachi trotted over and gently nudged the door open with his nose. His fuzzy eyebrows bunched together when he saw Chuck sitting on the floor, arms wrappedaround her knees. Her delicate shoulders were shaking as she wept against her skin, trying to muffle the sound. Her aura was solid blue, streaked with swirls of black. With a soft whine, he eased up to her and wedged his head under her arms, laying it on her chest.
The gesture was foreign to him, one of comfort, which was something he didn’t normally do. Near panic seized him, thinking he must have done it wrong, when she started crying harder. He tried to back up, but she flung her arms around him and buried her face in the soft scruff of his neck. Malachi froze, unsure what to do, but Chuck just held him tighter, so he dropped his body to the floor and lay in her lap, trusting she would let him know what she needed.
