40. Totally Did Not Squeal Like a Girl
Totally Did Not Squeal Like a Girl
Loping up the stairs behind Chuck, Malachi kept up a running commentary about each questionable stain or unidentifiable substance piled along their path on the risers.
Fairly certain that squishy stuff was last week’s lunch.
Oh, that pile looks like a used diaper from a baby Martian.
I would hazard a guess there’s an archeologist looking for that green thing.
Do you think George Washington knows his teeth are on the third floor?
I think that’s Tom Brady’s jock strap over there.
Hey, check out this petrified purple thing; do you want to take that home to put on the mantel?
It would be a great conversation piece. Look!
See that slimy shit? I knew it! Proof there’s intelligent life on other planets!
“Malachi, stop!” she finally snapped. Her face paled a bit when Kassidy whirled to see what had caused her to shout.
“Sorry, I thought he was about to eat something, and I don’t want him getting sick.
” She shrugged lamely, aware it was a flimsy excuse.
Trained service animals wouldn’t eat something of that nature, especially without permission, and it was clear by the look on the detective’s face that he didn’t believe her.
Slowly nodding, he gestured to the fifth-floor hallway.
“Down here. I think this is where our church robber is hiding. I was hoping Malachi would have picked up on something by now, but maybe they took the elevator. Or the rain was messing things up. Can we let him roam the hall and see if he alerts? Would that work?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels nervously.
The man’s mustache quivered like a small animal, his jitteriness more pronounced now.
Bunching her eyebrows together, Chuck squatted next to Malachi and unclipped the leash. “Sure,” she said out loud to Kassidy. To Malachi, she whispered, “Is it just me, or is something off with him?”
No, it’s not just you. I see it too. Also, don’t pretend like I’m being a bad dog when you know I’m a good boy. A very… good… boy.
Choking back a small squeak, she leaned closer. “Stop that! Not when you have paws. Let’s get this over with, keep me up to date.” Louder, for the detective’s benefit, she directed, “Scent, find him, Malachi.”
Always do, he sent as he trotted past Kassidy and applied his nose to the floor, sniffing around.
He was fairly certain he wouldn’t find anything; after all, they knew who the real culprit was, and Luna wasn’t there.
Pausing, Malachi caught a faint whiff of someone he knew well, and someone newer to their circle.
Luna. A sick feeling swirled in his gut.
This was all shades of wrong, and he knew wrong.
Chuck noticed his halted motion, the change in his demeanor, and softly called, “Scent, Malachi, keep going. Good boy!”
Slowly, creeping forward as he closed his eyes and let his senses roam, he dug his claws in and hurried to the last door on the right.
Standing before it, sides heaving as his breathing sped up, he panted.
No, no, no, no! Chuck, get this door open right fucking now!
It’s Luna. And Jaxon. I smell blood! Rearing up, he began growling and barking viciously, hoping to scare away whoever was in the room with them as his nails shredded the flimsy surface of the wooden door.
Running to his side, gun drawn, Chuck called out for whoever was inside to open the door, identifying herself as an officer. There was no response, and her eyes flew to Kassidy, who had run up behind her. “Kass, we’ve got to get in there!”
“You know it’s them, don’t you?” came the detective’s quiet, shaking voice. “I don’t know how you know. They said you wouldn’t, but I’m sorry, Chuck.” He reached over her and twisted the knob. “You can lower the weapon. You won’t need it.”
Blinking at him in surprise, Chuck’s gun dropped a slight amount as did her jaw.
“Kass… what…” The door swung open then and captured their attention.
They glanced inside and saw Jaxon and Luna bound to chairs, backs to each other.
Jaxon was unconscious, slumped over with a large, ugly, purple bruise on his jaw and blood on his temple.
Luna was awake but gagged and chained tightly with sinister black metal links that emanated with an evil pulse like they were sentient.
They were clearly spelled to keep her from poofing out of the restraints, as evidenced by her struggles when she saw them.
She tried harder to twist and slip out of her bonds, but could not free herself.
Malachi growled as he and Chuck spun simultaneously to face Kassidy.
No longer caring if Detective Soon to be Dead knew what he was, he let Hellfire fill his eyes, and an unearthly snarl left his throat.
The winds of the frozen tundra whistled with the sound, amplifying it into a shrieking, ear-piercing wail.
He lunged for the detective, but the man had anticipated it and already had a gun pressed to Chuck’s temple.
At that distance, there was no way he could miss.
Pausing, Malachi crouched, calculating if he could get the gun before the fuckwad could pull the trigger.
He didn’t like his odds, so he took a step back into the room as Kassidy indicated, only to appear like he was cowed.
Letting out a small whimper from the back of his throat, he tried to add realism to his performance.
“Good dog. Or whatever you are,” Kassidy mumbled warily as he shook his head like he was clearing his vision. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Truly. I know it may not seem like it, but I’m trying to keep others from getting hurt as well. I want everyone to walk away. Get in the room so we can talk.”
Chuck glared as she hissed, “You better talk fast if you want to say anything before you die, asshole. I really don’t think you know who you’re fucking with here.
” The saying if looks could kill applied as her gaze held murder and destruction within.
Her aura was flashing orange and black, like a crazed Halloween decoration about to explode with her fury.
Malachi took two more steps and crouched before he burst into his demon form.
He drew himself up to his full staggering height, snapping his wings out to his sides in dramatic fashion and baring his fangs.
“Get your fucking hands off of Kelly right now before I eat your soul, you cock sucking piece of shit!” His voice boomed like thunder, and the walls rattled.
Shadows began to roil from his skin, snapping about him like tentacles of smoke and death.
The blood in Kassidy’s face drained, turning him as white as a ghost while his eyes traced up Malachi’s body to the tips of his spiraling horns.
His lips parted, and his hands trembled.
“Wha… what…” he stammered. It was clear whoever put him up to this neglected to share with him the full truth of what Malachi was.
“The fuck!” he shrieked, his voice going up two whole octaves.
His distraction was all Chuck needed. Quickly her arm came up, and she knocked his gun away before slamming his wrist down on her knee.
Whirling, she brought that same knee to his groin and rammed it up, dropping the man to the floor in a mewling ball of pain.
Quickly she scooped up his gun and retrieved her own weapon that he’d forced her to drop earlier.
Pointing them both at him steadily, she smirked.
“Told you! Malachi? You good?” she called over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off the downed officer still squirming on the floor.
Malachi chuckled in evil glee at the sight of the douche nugget detective wheezing in pain in a fetal position at her feet. “Do you feel better now about the time I made you hide in your room when that guy was trying to break in with that magical blade?”
“Yeah, you know what? I do!” she laughed, still monitoring their would-be captor. “As soon as he regains the ability to speak, I’ll let you taste his soul before we torture the answers from him.”
Kassidy moaned.
Malachi let out a high-pitched squeal of delight he would later categorically deny making.
“Really? Seriously? You’re actually going to let me have part of his soul?
” He jumped up and down a couple of times and clapped before regaining his dignity.
Clearing his throat, he scuffed his toes over the tile.
“Of course you will. Very thoughtful of you.” He turned at the humming noise behind him.
“Shit, Lunatic, sorry, kinda forgot you guys were there, what with the snack on the floor behind me. I’m going to get you loose, okay? Be still.”
Luna squirmed and hummed harder, trying to tell him something, but he couldn’t really understand it through the gag shoved in her mouth.
“Hold your damned Hellhounds, Lunicorn. I’m working on it.
Not exactly fantastic at undoing demon-proof chains with these big ass talons now, am I?
You know what? Let me get Jaxonville free first, and I’ll make him do it.
” He leaned over and sliced easily through the basic ropes holding the man to the chair.
When Jaxon’s limp form slumped forward, he carried him to the couch and more gently than he would admit, put the officer down.
Staring at Jaxon’s prone body, he realized the man was out cold and wouldn’t be waking up any time soon.
He pondered a moment then nearly smacked his forehead as he realized the obvious solution.
Spinning to Chuck, he said, “Let’s trade.
Jaxalicious is still out of it, and I can’t get these chains off of Lucalorie. Demon-proofed.”
“Lucalorie?” Chuck repeated with an amused snort. “Running out of names?” She backed up and let Malachi crouch down, hulking over Kassidy’s form. Once he was in place, she turned to work on freeing Luna.
Studying Kassidy, he frowned when the man-made eye contact and pleaded, “They made me. They have Flynn. They were going to hurt all of them too.” He pointed at Jaxon and Luna. “They only wanted you. I didn’t know you weren’t just a dog! I swear!”
“Flynn?” he repeated as a cold chill shivered up his back and settled uncomfortably between his wings. A scuffling noise drew his gaze up to the hall when a large, ominous shadow filled it.
“I’m really sorry,” Kassidy whispered again, just as a gasp from Luna announced her mouth was free.
A hand with deadly claws darted around the doorframe, and a bright flash of light nearly blinded him as he heard Luna shout, “It’s a trap!”