Malachi was staring out the bedroom window, watching the moonlight beam through the gutter.
A sudden whimper filled the room, soft, but sad.
Malachi looked at the bed, knowing what the source was.
Raven was still asleep on the mattress, but he could tell—even in the darkness—that her eyes were squeezed shut, mouth slightly parted as the soft cries escaped her lips.
Her fingers twitched. “Mom…” she cried in her sleep. “Mommy….”
Mal hopped quietly off the windowsill and calmly stepped over to her.
“Mom!” she sobbed silently, fingers twitching. “Mom…!”
Malachi gently sat on the bed beside her, brushing some strands of hair away from her face.
“Shhh…” he cooed, purposely trying not to wake her up. “Shhh….”
“Stop it!” she sobbed, hand reaching out to the ceiling, but he still took it, gently rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. “Stop hurting her! Stop!”
He leaned down so their foreheads pressed together, using his free hand and gently running his thumb along her cheek.
She seemed to relax slightly at this.
“Shhh…” he breathed. “It’s not real… It’s just a dream… Everything’s okay….”
It was real, though. She lived through this in the past… and her brain was trying to comprehend it, so it was making her relive it.
Malachi had a suspicion that Raven watched the horrible things happening to her parents, though didn’t like showing herself breaking, so she tried to push the thoughts away and focus on other things.
But when she was dreaming… she relived it. He knew because she’d never be able to sleep without being with him, and it wasn’t codependency…
She didn’t feel safe alone… didn’t feel safe with her best friend because she was afraid of losing her, too.
And Malachi made her feel safe, though she didn’t like to accept that because she wanted to be independent.
But she couldn’t live her life relying on herself.
Especially when she was being chased by people who wanted her dead. He knew it terrified her, but she still never showed it.
He continued to press his forehead to hers, rubbing her cheek gently with his thumb to soothe her fears.
She seemed to have sensed his warmth and wrapped an arm around him, fingers catching on his T-shirt, holding her to him.
Malachi smiled, holding her back as she started calming down, easing into the sheets as he stroked her skin.
“There you go…” he breathed. “Was that so hard?”
Her grip loosened on his back, and he gently caught her arm and lowered it to the bed, releasing her.
“If I leave again, you’re going to go back in the nightmare, aren’t you?” he said in amusement.
Her response was soft breaths, though she hadn’t fallen back into the dream because he still held her hand, lightly rubbing her knuckles with a thumb.
“That’s fine,” he said then, lying down beside her. “I don’t mind snuggling for a little.” And he pulled her to him, brushing his fingers through her hair. “I see you’ve used my body wash and my deodorant. I can smell it.”
A soft moan escaped her throat, though it was more of a comforted one.
“I’m not letting you go,” he whispered. “Now that you’re in my arms, I can’t let you go… Goddamn it, you drive me crazy.”
She murmured something in her sleep but shifted further into him.
“I know this sounds weird, but…” he brushed her hair behind her ear, “you’re so cute. So goddamn adorable. I can’t get enough of you.”
He held her tighter.
God, she felt so good in his arms… Her body so warm, feeling like he’d been cold his entire life… her hair so soft, brushing against his arm… the smell of his minty soap that lingered on her skin, making her seem like she was his…
Just his… she was his girl now…
Malachi smiled, burying his face in her hair as she continued to murmur soft sounds, instinctually snuggling closer.
His stomach suddenly growled, the acid building up.
He sighed. “Now you’ve done it.”
And he picked her up, holding under her bottom with one arm as he carried her out of the bedroom.
Raven made some kind of whining noise, pushing against his chest.
“Don’t try it,” he said while she slept. “I’m not letting you go.”
She whined louder, lazily kicking.
“Aww…” he said, “am I waking you?”
She only whined louder, making his eyes glow in amusement when he made it down the stairs.
“Here,” he whispered, gently stroking her spine with two fingers. And she started relaxing into him, head resting on his shoulder. “There, better?”
Her response was soft breaths, but her mouth was slightly open.
“Don’t drool on me,” he said, walking to the kitchen. “I know you probably can’t hear me directly, but still.”
She just slept blissfully.
He made it to the kitchen, pulling one arm away from her temporarily to get some deli meat from the fridge and stepped over to the living room, settling on the couch with her in his lap, powering on the TV, drawing a blanket over her, and chowing down on his deli ham.
He had the TV’s volume on low, continuously checking on Raven to make sure she wasn’t waking.
After he checked a couple times, he just watched the midnight news, though nothing particularly interesting was going on; he just needed the noise.
A soft voice filled his ears, then:
“Can I have some…?”
He looked down to Raven, seeing her lashes slightly parted.
He smiled then. “Sorry, Honey. Did I wake you?”
“No…” she said honestly, “my stomach woke me up. I smelled the ham in my dreams. Isn’t that odd?”
Malachi chuckled. “You want some?”
A nod.
He handed her a slice, and she gladly took it, eating it kindly.
“Thank you,” she said after swallowing. “It’s good….”
He handed her another slice before eating one himself, and they both looked to the TV, watching the news together.
“So…” Raven said, gaze still aimed to the screen, “werewolf day… What’s it mean?”
“What do you think it means?” he questioned in amusement.
“Well, you told me you get clingy… but that’s all I remember. What else does it entail? Can you only eat meats? Are you prone to emotional outbursts?”
“Yes, and yes,” he answered, “but with the emotional outbursts, don’t worry about it.”
“Why?” she questioned, looking at him with her amber eyes.
His lips quirked up at the corners. “I’ve been like this for a while, Princess. I know how to control my anger, so don’t worry about it, okay?”
He poked her nose.
She blinked at the gesture, then looked to him. “How long have you been like this?”
“A while.”
“Do you have an exact timeframe?”
He chuckled under his breath. “Does it matter?”
“Yes,” she said, “because if I’m sitting in the lap of my supposed ‘boyfriend,’ I’d like to know if he’s a hundred years old.”
Malachi chuckled under his breath. “I guess, yeah. I’m an old man.”
She stilled.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” he said. “You age like a normal human until your fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen, and then time just stops for a couple centuries, and then you start aging slowly.”
“Is that what it’s like for me?” she wondered.
“Yeah,” Malachi answered. “How old are you?”
She stared. “You’ve been stalking me for ten months and don’t know how old I am?”
He just waited for an answer.
She sighed then. “I’m almost seventeen.”
“Has anything in your appearance changed since you were fifteen?” he wondered then. “Height, weight, hair color, or skin tone?”
“Now that I think about it…” Raven said, “no.”
“It looks like time froze for you when you turned fifteen then,” he said.
She looked down at herself with childlike anger. “I’ll be this short for hundreds of years?”
Malachi laughed. “I love how you’re worried about your height and not that you’re immortal.”
She shrugged. “I’ve learned there’s probably a lot about me that you know that I don’t. I’ve also learned to accept it. These new facts don’t really bother me as much as they should.”
Malachi laughed softly. “Don’t worry about your height, okay? It’s fine.”
She gave him an annoyed look. “I’m five foot and you’re like a skyscraper. I have to tilt my head back to look up at you, I’m scared I’ll get neck cramps.”
“Then I’ll rub your shoulders,” he answered boldly.
“With those werewolf claws?” She shook her head. “Nuh—uh.”
Malachi couldn’t help but smirk. “Your comments are incredibly amusing.”
“And your smug tone is incredibly irritating.”
He chuckled.
“By the way,” she said then, looking up to him with her curious eyes. “How long have you been seventeen for?”
“Wow,” he said, arching his brows, “you guessed my age right off the bat.”
“Yeah,” she said, “you have the body of a seventeen-year-old.”
“How do you know the body of a seventeen-year-old?” he questioned. “Isn’t it the exact same as an eighteen-year-old?”
“Similar,” she answered. “Their muscle masses are slightly different.”
She squeezed his arm as an indication.
“Although…” she said, squinting her eyes, “yours are abnormally bulgy.”
He watched her with a half-smile.
“Anyway,” she said, leaning back against the sofa to stare into his eyes, “how long have you been this way?”
“Seventeen years.”
“No,” she said, “I know you’re seventeen, but how long?”
“Seventeen years, Raven.”
“I know what you mean by—” She paused, looking up at him. “Hold on… you’re really just seventeen years old?”
He nodded.
She pushed him against the couch in a playful-half-irritated manner. “You told me you were an old man!”
“The definition of old can mean five years, too, Raven,” he stated smugly.
“I hate you.”
He hugged her tightly. “I love you, too.” And he let her go. “It would be nice of you to say it, though.”
“That I hate you?”
He arched his brows.
She sighed, shaking her head. “Fiiiine. I love you, Malachi.”
He pressed his hand to his ear as if he didn’t hear her. “Huh?”
“I said,” she pulled his hand away and screamed in his ear, “I LOVE YOU, TOO, MALACHI!”
“Ow!” He rubbed his ear as she giggled. “Although, I probably deserved that.”
“You did,” she answered.
He put his hand down. “I’m guessing you’re not going back to sleep.”
She shook her head. “Wide awake.”
He chuckled then, lifting her off his lap and onto the other side of the couch. “Then I’m making some breakfast.”
“Make some extra bacon for yourself,” she told him as he walked to the kitchen.
“I’ll make some extra for you, too,” he answered. “Miss, ‘I always steal bacon when no one’s looking.’”
She giggled.
He shook his head in amusement and started cooking.
Raven then decided to stand and step over to the counter, settling on the bench as Malachi placed a pan on the stove, the air filled with a satisfying sizzle a minute later.
“So…” Raven said then, “Malachi….”
“Yep?”
“You have a brother named Cameron, and a sister, correct?”
He tossed the bacon like it was pancakes. “Yep.”
“If you don’t mind me asking…” Raven said cautiously, “what’s your sister’s name?”
He smiled. “Jasmine.”
“Oh, that’s a beautiful name.”
She watched his eyes grow warm. “Yeah… It suits her, too. She was beautiful and kind.”
“Your parents…” she said then. “Why were they so cruel to you?”
His muscles hardened slightly.
“S— sorry,” she said quickly. “Rocky territory. I get it.”
“No, no,” he said, shaking his head as he took two bacon out of the pan with tongs and onto a plate. “It’s alright. You’re just curious.”
She set her arms on the table then, looking to him but he kept his back to her.
“My parents… weren’t the greatest,” he explained. “My dad was the oldest of two sons and my mom was an only child. My mom was kind and sweet at first… but my dad did so much damage to her head that she had a lot of brain damage.”
“You mean…?”
“Concussions, yeah.”
Raven gulped. “Why didn’t she leave? Keep you and your siblings safe?”
“Stockholm Syndrome,” Malachi answered coldly.
“Oh…” Raven whispered, “it was that bad…?”
“Yeah… especially with all the brain damage.”
“So…” Raven said cautiously, “your dad had two younger brothers?”
“Yeah,” Malachi responded.
“Did you have…” she said, “cousins?”
“Yeah,” Malachi responded. “Still do, actually. But I haven’t seen them in years.”
“Who…?”
“One of them is Max, he’s a good one, too, though he fell before Lily and Jason—the leaders of the angel race—brought everyone to earth. He’s gone off the radar after that, though I have found some crime scenes that suggest he’s up to something.”
“You mean…” she said, “you’ve memorized how he kills?”
Malachi gave her a small smirk. “Everyone has their own style, Raven.”
“Where has he…” she waved a hand around, “killed?”
“I’ve tried tracking him down in the past,” Malachi said. “And I traced him to a townhome he bought nearby, but when I got there, it looked like he rushed out, and I found a body in the freezer.”
“You said that like finding a body is normal.”
“You get used to it.”
She shook her head in disbelief.
“It did look like that body was killed in a hurry, though,” Mal said. “And he kind of hid it sloppily. I think Max killed him in a hurry and hid him from someone.”
“Who?”
He shrugged. “Maybe a lady-friend. I don’t know.”
She rolled her eyes. “Did Max have any siblings?”
Mal smirked. “Yep, Mason. We actually look really similar. Back then, you could tell us apart from the color of our eyes. Mine were gold, and his were blue, but since he fell and since I became corrupted, they’re now black.”
“Huh….”
“If you ever find him,” Malachi said, “you can tell that he’s not me by his face. We have the same hair color, but his skin tone is slightly darker, face kind of chubby.”
“Okay.”
“Raven,” Malachi said, voice suddenly stern, “if you ever find him, don’t approach him, don’t get near him. And if you’re alone, run. Run and call me.”
“Why?” she questioned, shock rattling through her.
Malachi looked to her; eyes hardened. “He’s dangerous. Very dangerous. Ever since he fell, he became a ruthless killer. Don’t get near him, promise me.”
She threw her hands up innocently. “I promise.”
He looked back to the pan. “He’s an assassin, too. A bad one. A dangerous one. He actually started working with another man named, Elijah. But I don’t know who they are or what they want. For all I know, it’s Elijah who wants you dead.”
“Why? What did I do?”
Mal looked to her then. “You’re a powerful race, Angel. And since your mother’s gone, you’re the last. Elijah is the leader of a group of assassins who kill those types of beings. The last ones.”
She gulped. “Why?”
“I don’t honestly know, Angel,” he answered. “I guess he feels threatened by them. Though he doesn’t always win. I heard recently that he hunted the last of the phoenixes.”
Her eyes widened.
“Angels that mainly use fire,” he explained. “But he failed to kill her, and he went for her himself. I heard Mason bragging about that for a couple days until they failed. He went silent, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went after you, too, Angel. So just be careful, okay?”
She nodded numbly.
Seconds later he slid a plate to her, piled with bacon and nothing else.
“Now this is my type of breakfast,” she said, making him laugh softly.
“Can I sit next to you, Raven Magicae?”
“Yes, Malachi Igniser,” she answered. “And would you even allow me to say no?”
He stepped over to her. “Probably not.”
“Then why bother asking?” She shook her head in disappointment.
“I’m being a gentleman,” he stated.
“Is that why you’re so nice to me?”
He chuckled. “I’ve only been nice to you, Sweetheart. So, let’s keep that between you and me, alright?”
“Fine,” she said, picking up a piece of bacon. “Don’t want to ruin that reputation of being an asshole.”
“Come here.” He pulled her toward him suddenly, earning a yelp.
She stared up at him curiously when her head rested on his lap.
“What can I do…?” he whispered then, brushing her hair out of her face. “To get you to trust me?”
“You’ve been plotting to kill me,” she stated despite her lashes fluttering. “It’s going to take a while.”
His expression looked grim for a moment, but he immediately erased it and leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Alright… I get it.”
Her forehead warmed at the gesture, and she smiled up at him when he pulled away. “I’m okay with a kiss, though.”
His lips quirked at the corners. “So am I.”
And he leaned down, clasping their lips together almost needly.
Raven leaned further into the kiss despite her lying on his lap, making him smile against her, giving her the satisfaction and leaned into her.
She pulled away then, looking to his stomach.
He knew she had a question by the way she suddenly avoided eye-contact.
He was right when she asked, “Malachi…? Was it you?”
“What was me, Raven?”
“Were you…” she whispered, “the one who killed my parents? You have blonde hair… and….”
“In that nightmare you had last night,” Malachi said, “did your brain put me as the perpetrator?”
She looked up to him. “You knew I had a nightmare?”
“You were talking in your sleep,” he explained.
She shook her head then. “No, it wasn’t you… I couldn’t see his face, but I… I was just frozen… watching it happen.”
“Mm—hmm,” he whispered, brushing his fingers through her hair.
“I can’t believe…” she whispered, voice breaking, “I couldn’t stop it… I just froze, watching it happen… What is wrong with me?”
Her eyes burned with tears, and she covered them, wiping away her drenched cheeks with the back of her hands.
“Shhh…” Mal soothed, pulling away her hands. “Don’t hide your face, Sweetheart.”
“I’m sorry…” she whispered, resisting his grip. “I never really… do this.”
“I know,” he said. “And I’ll listen. You can cry, it’s not inhuman.”
“I don’t like crying in front of other people,” she answered. “And I never understood how you can comfort me when you seem so cold outside.”
“I learned it from my sister,” he responded softly. “I found her methods the best and still remember them. But that’s not what we’re talking about, is it? Tell me what happened. You need to get it off your chest, Sweetheart.”
She shook her head, wiping her eyes roughly. “No… a lot of bad things happened to me, and I can withstand it. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Raven,” he urged.
“Stop,” she said, voice breaking. “I can’t have you doing this right now.”
“Don’t you need it?” he said softly. “You’ve been so locked up, but things only enter your mind, you lock them in, not out. Don’t you see how this isn’t helping you?”
“Stop…” she said.
“Raven,” he said then, “they’ll build up higher and higher, you’ll only burst.”
“Stop….”
He lifted her then, sideways in his lap as he held her. “Let it out. All of it.”
“No,” she said, pushing against his chest but he didn’t budge, “not with you.”
“Why?”
“Not with you,” she said again.
“Why?” he repeated.
“Let me go,” she said then. “I need some water.”
“Raven,” he warned. “Don’t avoid this.”
“Let me go,” she said again, eyes glimmering.
“Let it out.”
“Stop… it.”
He held her tighter. “No.”
“Mal… achi!”
He never responded.
She started pounding against his chest, sobbing the words, “Stop it! Let me go!”
He buried his face in her hair, tightening his arms around her.
Her face broke then, sobs escaping her throat while tears streamed down her cheeks, her hands sliding down his chest, gripping so hard onto his shirt at his stomach that the fabric slightly tore.
“Shhh…” he soothed, rocking her slightly. “That’s it… Let it all out.”
She buried her face into his neck then, tears bleeding into his black T-shirt, somehow making it darker.
“Take as long as you need,” he whispered. “I’ll be here. Right here.”
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxN7OHIU1HP
*****
Malachi was sitting on the living room couch, watching some weird adult cartoon while Raven lay sound asleep on his lap.
She rested her head on his thigh, curled up like a little kitten while her hands folded into her chest.
Mal looked down to her occasionally, lightly stroking his palm through her slightly tangled hair, but his fingers never caught.
He smiled every time he found her breathing softly through her slightly parted lips, one time brushing her hair away from her face, another time running his thumb under her cheeks that had dried tears staining them like she was crying salt, and sometimes he pressed his lips to her forehead, sometimes to her cheek, and she always made a small whimper of comfort while shifting further into him, making him pull back, smiling softly.
Raven had been crying for almost thirty minutes, and Mal kept holding her, rocking her back and forth unknowingly.
Eventually—after the thirty-minute time mark—she started wearing herself out, and her sobs trailed off.
Malachi held her hand as she followed him lazily to the couch, and he sat down, gesturing for her to sit in his lap again, but she only laid down on the couch, curling up on his lap and fell asleep faster than he could blink.
He eventually accepted it and pulled a blanket over her, grabbing the remote that was on the sofa cushion next to him—thankfully—and turned on some weird show to busy him while she slept.
She’d probably be out for a couple hours. She hadn’t slept well the night before and she wore herself out…
Poor thing…
Currently, Malachi stared down at her after watching the TV for almost an hour and found her in the same position.
He still smiled, but rubbed her arm through the blanket, seeing her shift into him again.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket then, dialing Gianni.
“Yes, sir,” he said on the other line.
“Hey, Geo,” Malachi said, brushing a stand of Raven’s hair behind her ear to keep her asleep. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Yes?”
“Can you please go find my car on sixty-fourth and Limee? It has a flat tire and I need it fixed before Raven wakes up. It isn’t a bother for you to fix it, right?”
“No, sir,” Gianni said. “I’ll have it ready in two hours, is that long enough?”
“Yeah,” Mal said, laughing softly, “she’s dead asleep.”
“Long night?” Gianni said smugly.
“Nope,” Malachi said, not embarrassed in the slightest by the question. “She’s not ready yet.”
“I see,” Gianni answered. “Well, when you’re ready, I’ll happily set up the room for you. Candles, rose petals, and all.”
Malachi chuckled. “I’d probably just have you do that randomly to see her face, but no, it’s okay. If that time comes, I’ll do it myself.”
“Alright, sir, whatever you say.”
“Thank you, Gianni,” Malachi said. “And because of your big help, please take five hundred more for your paycheck, okay?”
He was silent for a moment. “Sir… you pay me five hundred a week. That’s double.”
“I know,” Mal said, stroking Raven’s hair softly, keeping her asleep. “You deserve it, Geo. Take it.”
“T— thank you, sir.”
“Of course, and Geo,” he added, “I’d appreciate it if you make sure no one who’s not permitted enters the passage, okay? If someone does, please tell me.”
“Yes, sir,” Gianni said. “We have people on the cameras.”
“Make sure they sleep,” Mal said.
Gianni chuckled at his sudden kindness. “Don’t worry. I made sure the alarm system is attached to their rooms.”
“Thanks, Geo,” Mal said.
“Keep her safe,” Gianni said. “She’s a good one. Don’t ditch her for an escort.”
Malachi chuckled. “You know I’m not that kind of guy. I’ve been a loner for a while.”
“Exactly my point,” Gianni said. “Don’t hurt her, okay? I’ll send the cats after you.”
“I would never hurt her,” Malachi whispered, brushing some more hair away from her face. “I’ll never let her go.”
“Keep that promise,” Gianni said.
“I forever will,” Malachi said. “Forever and ever, Raven,” he said more to her. “I’ll be by your side… forever.”
“That’s good,” Gianni said, Malachi forgetting he was there. “Are you cuddling?”
“How’d you guess?” Malachi said, smirking.
“You said she was asleep, and you’re talking to her while leaning away from the phone. I can tell.”
“So smart,” Mal answered. “I’ll go now, okay? Make sure to take out the extra five hundred.”
“Yes, sir,” Gianni answered. “Thank you again. I’ll have your car ready in two hours, alright?”
“Thanks, Geo. Bye.”
He turned off the phone and decided to lightly shove Raven off his lap, lying down behind her and hugged her, knees fitting in the crooks of hers as he wrapped his arms around her, snuggling her.
She immediately eased into him like quicksand, still sound asleep.
Malachi smiled not for the first time that night, gently stroking her stomach with two fingers.
“Sleep however long as you want,” he whispered then. “I’ll still be here.”
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmgXM4KAzD
*****
It was around nine in the morning when Raven and Malachi wandered into Mario’s diner.
She told him during the car ride that she had breakfast already, but he waved off her questions and said that was two in the morning and it didn’t count.
The digital bell rang above them when they opened the front door, and Malachi closed the door after Raven got in.
“Come on,” he said, tugging her arm to indicate for her to follow, and she did. “There’s someone I want you to meet,” he told her.
A couple seconds later, Raven and Malachi stood at the head of a booth, finding a young teen boy sitting there with dark hair, and another girl, as well, though her hair looked jet black, her eyes glistening a light grey like a storm brewing.
The boy looked to Malachi and Raven at their silent entrance and lazily waved.
“Raven,” Mal said, “this is my little brother, Cameron and his wife… uh….”
“Winter,” the girl said, smiling softly. “Winter Evans.”
“Winter,” Malachi finished despite her already explaining it.
“Wow,” Raven said then, looking to Malachi with arched brows, “your little brother has a wife before you? That sucks.”
Winter giggled, looking to Raven with her stormy grey eyes. “She has my sarcasm. I like that.”
But when they both looked to the man next to them, Raven’s heart sank in her chest when she found Malachi and Cameron glaring at each other with a sharpness strong enough to pierce their souls.
Oh, that was right… Malachi and Cameron didn’t really get off on the right foot… Cameron just left, and Malachi killed their parents…
Was Cameron upset about that? Raven knew that killing was wrong, but… Why was he angry about his brother killing psychopaths?
Malachi suddenly sat in the empty booth, slamming his elbow—and only his elbow—on the table with enough force to make the wood crack, hand open as if he were offering Cameron to take it.
Cameron did the same thing, slamming his arm on the table and grabbing Malachi’s hand harshly.
“What the…?” Raven whispered, eyes searching both of their gazes.
Mal and Cameron had the same sharp smile spreading across their face, though they didn’t seem angry, they almost seemed…
Competitive…
“First one to win pays the bill?” Malachi bargained.
What?
“Deal,” Cam said, voice low.
And they suddenly started arm wrestling, Cameron’s muscles tensing when he pushed Malachi’s arm toward his side of the table.
Raven almost felt the urge to cheer for Malachi.
Almost.
Though at the last moment, Malachi shoved back with inhuman force and slammed Cameron’s hand down onto his side of the table, earning a surprised yelp.
Malachi laughed when Cameron rubbed his hand, looking to Winter. “You saw nothing.”
She only giggled.
Malachi scooted further in the booth and tapped the seat next to him, gesturing for Raven to sit down next to him.
She listened and looked up to Cameron and Winter, sending them a smile that she hoped didn’t seem fake.
“So...” Cam said, waving a hand from Raven to Malachi a couple times, “what’s happening here?”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Mal answered, and Raven kicked him under the table, making him yelp, looking to her. “What the hell was that for?”
“I’m still thinking about it,” she said. “He likes to answer for me.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” Winter muttered, Cameron shooting her a glare seconds later, though she smiled.
“Anyway,” Cameron stated, looking back to Malachi, “how’s it going? I haven’t seen you since I left.”
“Pretty good,” Malachi answered vaguely, Raven looking to him curiously.
“How’d you two meet?” Winter wondered casually.
Raven looked down to the table. “Long story.”
“Not really,” Malachi answered. “I was an assassin for quite a while and was tasked to kill her.”
Raven wanted to slam her face on the table.
“I couldn’t do it,” he said, bumping Raven’s shoulder. “She’s too cute.”
“You’re joking,” Winter said, brows arched.
“He’s not,” Cameron answered. “Sadly.”
Malachi only smirked when Winter looked to Raven. “I’m surprised you haven’t tried to escape yet, Raven,” she said.
“I’ve tried,” she said. “Countless times. He’s like a goddamn cheetah.”
“He’s the same.” Winter gestured to Cameron. “Like brother like brother, I guess.”
Raven giggled softly, then rubbed her eyes lazily before asking, “Anyway, when did you two get married? You seem kind of young.”
“Remember what I said about time stopping?” Mal said.
Raven nodded.
“I turned sixteen a year ago,” Winter explained. “Time stopped for me when I was fifteen. So, I still look that young. Cam and I got married on my seventeenth birthday.”
“That’s sweet,” Raven commented, cheeks warming.
Cameron only shrugged.
“Don’t worry about human aging,” Winter added, “with us, we’re immortal. So, it doesn’t really matter how old we are when we get married. Though there are rules about marrying at five, I hope.”
“Anyway,” Mal said to his brother, “have you been in contact with the two M’s?”
“M’s” who the hell were they?
Cameron shook his head. “Max has gone off the radar. He’s vanished, but he’s not dead. Same with Mason... but I’ve heard he’s gone rogue and tried killing Max, too. But I could be wrong.”
“He’s gone rogue?” Mal questioned in disbelief.
Cameron nodded.
“That’s bad,” Mal said grimly. “Really bad.”
“What does rogue mean?” Raven questioned then.
Mal looked to her, lips thinning into a straight line. “It means he went off on his own. Doesn’t even follow assassin rules, and they’re pretty lenient.”
“He doesn’t follow rules on killing?” Raven questioned in concern. “That’s kind of scary.”
“Yep,” Cam said.
“Don’t worry about it, okay?” Malachi whispered to her. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
“I’m not worrying,” she answered almost defensively.
All of them looked at her with a brow raised.
She only put her head down on the table, cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
She heard Malachi chuckle from next to her and his hand started to gently rub her back, making warm tingles run through her, and she kept her position, hoping he wouldn’t stop.
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtop9uAl3LI
*****
“Wow,” Cameron said, brows raised, “you’ve been rubbing her back for less than two minutes and she’s already asleep.”
“Aww,” Winter said, tilting her head to the side, “that’s so sweet.”
Malachi smiled. “She hasn’t been sleeping well.”
“Trauma?” Winter said.
Malachi nodded. “Yeah. Her parents were attacked by assassins, and she watched her father die, her mother was injured only a little and was supposed to come home the following Tuesday, but about a week ago, her mother died in the hospital.”
Winter covered her mouth, eyes glistening. “Why?”
“I think the assassins got to her before Raven in hopes to get her singled out… Easier to kill, I guess, though even the higher-class assassins know that causing such emotional turmoil is cruel and heartless. They usually go straight for the kill.”
“At least they have hearts,” Winter said.
“They do kill for greed,” Cameron responded, eyes fixed on the table. “Tell me, Brother. Are any of the assassins rogues and such?”
Mal shook his head. “Most of them are fallen or angels—who left heaven when it was still another dimension.”
“No vampires? Werewolves?” Cameron inquired.
“No,” Malachi responded. “The ‘higher-ups’ try to keep them out of the organization. ‘Cause how the greed would turn them into those ugly monsters.”
“I see…” Cameron responded softly.
“Malachi…” Winter said, “I know what she’s going through. My stepdad was murdered out of cold blood, and my mom was kidnapped a year later… she later killed herself to get away from Dante… my real father. Please… I think I know what she wants… because I went through it, but I still declined Cameron’s help.”
Malachi looked to her curiously.
“I can tell,” Winter said, “that she loves it when you comfort her. Even when she claims she hates it. I know… she’s confused, angry, sad, grieving. She needs to understand that it’s normal. I also know she needs someone to trust, and you need to be there when she needs you.”
“I already am…” Mal said.
“That’s good,” Winter responded, smiling softly. “She just needs you, alright? In these moments, when we lose people we care about—especially in such a small amount of time—we think we need space, others think to give us space. But we, as human-like beings, need to know that there’s someone we can trust. Someone there for us even when we claim we don’t want it. She needs you, Malachi. I need you to understand that.”
“I…” Mal said, “I do understand. I know what goes on in her head—somewhat. She’s trained herself since she was little to avoid thinking about traumatizing things. I honestly don’t know how she does that, but it’s quite fascinating.”
Cameron smiled then, chuckling under his breath before asking, “Brother, you have a pack, right? Like you’re the alpha?”
Malachi nodded.
“So… did they want her dead, too? Were they supporting that?”
“No…” he responded quietly, “I was planning on ditching them once the job was complete. I led them to think she was my ‘Luna’ which is probably why they care about her so much. I honestly didn’t think of how they’d react if I killed her and left, and I wasn’t sure if I cared.”
Cameron raised his brows. “Wow, you’re an asshole.”
Winter giggled. “Sounds like someone I know.”
Cameron shot her a glare. “Say that again, and tonight’s not happening.”
“Where you going?” Mal wondered casually.
“The bedroom,” Cameron responded smugly, watching Winter’s face burn. “Haha, still works.”
She lightly punched his arm.
“Okay, one: ew,” Mal said. “And two, please stop flirting.”
She placed her hands in her lap then.
Cameron stared at her with a half-seductive smile, though she refused to make eye-contact.
“Anyway…” Mal said, voice softening at his next sentence, “Winter… I have a question for you.”
She looked up then. “Yeah?”
“Not even bothering to ask me,” Cameron muttered.
They both ignored him.
“Winter…” Mal said softly, “how do I get her to trust me? I know why it’s so hard for her to… but….”
Winter only smiled softly, giving resting Raven a generous glance. “You don’t need to, Malachi. I would argue she already does.”
He looked up then, black eyes glimmering with the lights in the room.
“Brother,” Cameron said then, resting his arms on the table so he could lean on them, “look at her.”
When he didn’t respond, Cameron nodded impatiently at Raven.
“I’m serious. Look at her.”
He aimed his gaze to Raven then, watching her back drift up and down slowly with her gentle breaths, and he couldn’t help but brush some of her hair to the side gently.
“Mal…” Cam said, “she’s asleep. She willingly fell asleep next to you and two strangers. If she didn’t trust you—and she doesn’t know us, so she wouldn’t trust us—but if she didn’t trust you, Mal, she would’ve forced herself awake to be alert.” He nodded to Raven again. “Look at her. This is trust. This is a huge sign of trust.”
Malachi couldn’t help but smile even though it was in the back of his mind for ages.
She could never sleep on her own… every night at her house while she was home alone, she’d come downstairs and watch some weird show to keep her occupied.
She couldn’t even sleep at Jaelyn’s house, staring at the ceiling all night.
She kind of had to when she woke in his friend’s house. No one could stay awake with that much blood loss, infection, and no sleep combined.
But after that… when she first got to his townhome, she let herself sleep. Every night she’d let herself… She was willing.
Cameron was right, if she didn’t trust him, she’d force herself awake.
“You’re…” Malachi said. “I guess you’re right.”
Cameron couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve changed, Malachi,” he said. “I can tell.”
Mal looked to Raven. “I do it all for her.”
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwZdhiceqJ
*****
Raven stared lazily out the car window while Malachi drove her somewhere. She did ask him where, but he said it was a “surprise,” so she just dropped it.
The trees passed the car window at light speed, Raven just focusing on the blobs of green instead of Malachi.
An hour later, they stopped in front of a restaurant, and Raven looked up to see the sign.
She could tell by the picture of that toasted loaf of bread with the cross as the logo, that this was Bella’s Biscuits.
Malachi looked to her, smirking.
“What?” she questioned.
He shook his head, still smiling. “I’m going to go get our order. I’ll be out in twenty, promise.”
She looked him over suspiciously. “I’m not scared of staying in the car, Malachi. I have a little independence.”
“Right,” he said sarcastically, making her glare. “I’ll be out in twenty.”
He pushed her sunglasses up higher up on her nose before exiting the car with her slightly stunned.
She watched him as he went in the front door, the wood closing behind him silently.
She stared down at her hands, touching her fingers to her cheek and noting how cold they were.
A loud crash! echoed through the parking lot, making her almost scream, but when she looked to where the sound came from, she found no one there but one of those business garbage trucks toppled over.
The howling wind blew against the walls of the car, making the hairs on her neck rise.
It almost seemed like a storm was coming… the clouds covering the sky, darkening the city, the wind screaming like millions of ghosts…
It got louder, and darker.
Her vision started faltering, growing dark around the edges, but her ears rang with the sounds of the crashing air.
Louder, stronger, louder, stronger, louder, stronger.
Louder, stronger.
LOUDER, STRONGER!
The car’s driver door opened, and all the sounds and darkness shattered like glass, though her entire body was covered with frost.
“Here you are,” Malachi said, handing Raven a paper to-go bag. “I got you some strawberry-filled pastries. Is that what you wanted?”
She nodded numbly, taking the bag.
He pulled his seatbelt over his entire form, buckling it and looked to Raven to make sure she was buckled.
“You okay?” he wondered curiously, a touch on concern in his tone. “You look a little pale.”
She stared at the trash can that originally was tumbled.
It now was back to its normal position.
Her heart pounded a little harder against her chest.
“Are we alone out here?” she questioned in a half-panic, glancing around the car for movement or shadows.
“Why?” he wondered, studying her stiff stance.
She looked back to him, cheeks and nose reddened as if she were catching a cold, but she still shook her head, sending him a fake-assuring smile.
He looked her over suspiciously before answering, “You never told me why you ended up on the roof of that skyscraper.”
“I jumped up there,” she answered, being vaguely honest.
“You looked scared,” he said then. “And when you called me, you sounded scared.”
“Someone stole my hat,” she lied.
“Mm—hmm,” he responded, clearly disbelieving her.
She nodded in response, but he clearly knew she wasn’t in the mood to respond, so he dropped it.
He already knew anyway. When he asked, she thought about it. His eyes darkened, but he only drove off.
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYmKxLO4y1
*****
Raven and Malachi stood inside an arcade that was hidden in the walls of the Southeast Creek Mall, though outside, it looked like some kind of dangerous hole-in-the-wall, but when you walk in, it was like a gamer paradise.
A lot of the games here were arcade games, yes, but none of them were the original games from the 1980s, these were virtual realities, shooting games, mainly computer-generated games.
Raven honestly didn’t take Malachi for a gamer, he looked more educated and such, but she guessed he would probably come here when he was bored.
Especially for someone who was so closed off and she assumed violent, she wouldn’t be surprised that playing certain games would be an emotional release for him.
Though despite her curious thoughts, she still felt her nerves prickling under her skin.
“What do you want to play?” Malachi asked curiously.
His words seemed to pass through one ear and out the other, because she still glanced around in concern.
“Malachi,” she said then, watching him look at her in curiosity, “is it safe here?”
He gave her an annoyed look. “Angel.”
She shrugged, trying to erase her fearful expression. “Just asking.”
He shook his head with some unknown emotion and guided her to one of those games that had a hammer, and some kind of metal plate.
It clearly was one of those odd ticket games, you hit the plate with the hammer, the roll of numbers would spin, and it would land on your earned tickets.
One of those chance games.
“You know how to play?” Malachi wondered casually.
She gave him a look as if he just asked her a stupid question. “Yes.”
He smiled at her glare but slipped some coins in the machine, nodding to the game. “Then show me.”
Raven rolled her eyes, picking up the hammer in her hands and brought it down on the metal plate with enough force to rattle herself; like she was in one of those childish cartoons.
The ticket roll spun faster than light, Raven watching it intently when it landed just below the two hundred.
On bonus.
“Haha!” she said, pointing to Malachi. “I win double.”
“Double what?” he said.
“I’ll find out on the next spin.”
She slammed the hammer down onto the plate again, watching with clearly contained excitement while it spun.
And landed on two hundred.
She jumped in the air like an excited child, Malachi watching her in amusement while the machine printed the millions of tickets.
“My turn?” he said, smirking.
She looked to him after ripping off the four hundred small pieces of paper. “Fine, but don’t break the machine.”
He laughed. “I have control over my strength, you know.”
“Sure,” she said sarcastically. “Sure.”
He inserted a bunch of coins and grabbed the red, rubber hammer, swinging it in his hand like he was about to use full strength.
But after a minute, he slammed it down onto the metal plate, making Raven squeak in surprise.
Though he didn’t break the machine.
Surprisingly.
Malachi set the rubber hammer down while the roll spun so fast it looked blank.
It did this for almost a minute, and slowing down after, later landing on three hundred with a little sign below it.
Bonus x2.
“What?” Raven said in disappointment. “How did you do that? Did you use telekinesis or something?”
Mal gave her an amused look as the six hundred tickets printed. “Nope. I’m just that lucky.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s really hard to compete with you. You always win.”
He ripped the tickets off. “I’m glad you finally accepted that. Now come on.”
He grabbed her arm while she glared at him with childish anger, half-dragging her to the prize counter.
“Oh,” the worker said, brows raised. “That’s a lot of tickets.”
Mal chuckled. “Yep. Raven, give me your tickets, okay?”
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Why?”
He chuckled under his breath. “Give me your tickets, Raven.”
She sighed, handing him her four hundred tickets, and he took it, leaning over the counter and whispering something in the worker’s ear, Raven looking from one to the other curiously.
The worker smiled and nodded. “We don’t sell that stuff purposely because they’re so rare, but I do have something.”
What the hell were they talking about?
The worker walked off for a moment, Raven glancing at Malachi in confusion but he never looked at her.
He came back a second later with four books in his hand covered in some kind of plastic wrap.
Raven’s eyes widened when she saw the titles:
Dire.
Dracula.
Little Women.
And The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
All of those novels were ones her mom read to her when she was a child.
Her bedtime stories.
Raven’s eyes glittered with tears while Malachi handed her the books, paying the clerk the tickets seconds later.
He gently pushed her back to indicate for her to follow him outside, and she did.
When they made it outside, her cheeks warmed despite the cold air cutting through her skin.
“Thank you, Mal,” she said softly, making him glance at her curiously.
“You’re welcome, Princess,” he responded.
Before they made it to the car, Raven tugged his arm, glancing around for shadows or movement.
“Mal,” she said silently, “I have something to ask you.”
He looked to her and they both stopped walking. “Yeah?”
“When you showed up at my house the day we met,” she said, “before you showed at my door, I saw a man with yellow eyes sitting on the sofa. I think he’s following me.”
Mal chuckled in amusement. “He’s not.”
She looked at him, surprised. “How do you know that?”
“I manipulated your mind, so you saw him,” he explained. “So, you would look back to him and not see me walking up the steps.”
“You have super speed,” she stated.
He nodded. “Yep, but it gets exhausting.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re telling me preforming mind tricks isn’t exhausting?”
He shrugged. “Not as much as you think.”
She rolled her eyes, but still responded softly. “Have you been using that lately?”
“On you?” He shook his head. “No. I stopped doing that a while ago.”
Odd…
Why was she hearing sounds, seeing trash trucks fall and somehow—magically—get back in their previous position?
And no one was there…
She bit her lip. “Is it safe out here?”
“Can you please stop asking me that?” Malachi questioned with annoyance catching in his tone. “It’s getting very grating.”
“Why?”
“Because I answered that twenty thousand times, Angel. And the answer is always yes. I won’t let anyone hurt you, okay?”
She nodded, clearly disbelieving him.
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOYYskULqj
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiT86Lf4OTy
