Shadow & Smoke

Chapter 9

Unsure what to expect when I got home from the bookstore that night, I knew that one thing was likely—I wouldn't be alone.

Sure enough, the moment I walked into my house and closed the door behind me, the electricity started buzzing in the air. I hated how I was almost used to the way the atmosphere seemed to charge, sending a buzzing hum into the ether. Goosebumps erupted all over my body.

"You're not welcome here." I said into the air, unsure where he was but knowing that Malachi was there.

Silence but not emptiness.

I unpacked my stuff and headed into my room to take a shower. As fed up as I was with everything that was happening, I was also exhausted and ready for a the hot water to remind me that I wasn't stuck in a really fucked up nightmare.

Or was I?

"Shower time..." Malachi's deep and honeyed tone said from the shadows. He still hadn't emerged as he usually did by that point. "...my favorite."

I ignored him, grabbed what I needed and headed towards the ensuite bathroom. As I reached out to grab door handle, I realize that Malachi was no longer contained in the obscurity but directly behind me.

While we weren't touching, the distance between his chest and my back was minimal, and the heat radiating off of him was more intense than usual. It felt like standing too close to an open oven.

I was going to get burned.

Feeling a split second of defiance and a fuck ton of annoyance, I spun on my heels—surprising myself and surprising Malachi. He wasn't expecting my to do anything but cower at his touch.

I couldn't blame him considering that was exactly what I'd done every time since we first met.

Face to face then—my chin barely reaching the first open button on his expensive dress shirt—I caught a tiny glimpse of what it looked like when Malachi wasn't one step ahead.

For a split second, I felt powerful to have done that.

I had no answers from Malachi and only more questions. He seemed to come from the shadows and no sane person would hesitate to lock me up in a mental institution. Even, through all of that, I entertained him and the idea that maybe, I wasn't batshit crazy.

"Either tell me what the fuck is going on," I said sternly, "Or leave me the fuck alone."

The slight surprise once evident across Malachi's brow was completely gone as were all traces that he ever lost the upper hand. My sudden bout of courage was also weaning down to nothing at that point.

The longer I stared into those eyes, the more inclined I was to do anything he wanted.

The thought was fucking terrifying.

To my surprise, Malachi extended an olive branch, "I'll give you one question."

And there it was again, the realization that I would never have the advantage unless I caught him by surprise and even then, it wouldn't last. Whomever—or whatever—he was, it was clear that I was way in over my head and needed to get the fuck away from him.

Slipping away from him, he let me but didn't move from where he stood. Not turning to face me as I paced over towards my bed and sat on the edge of the mattress, I contemplated what to ask him.

I reminded myself that he was a trickster. He could and would use my words against me. If I didn't ask my question just right, he would just skirt around having to tell me anything useful.

Finally, Malachi turned to face me but remained across the room near the bathroom. He seemed off his game in that moment and I figured it my best chance to get in my question.

"What are you?" I asked.

I decided against asking who he was because there was no fucking way that he was human. Witnessing that man walk through the shadows as if he commanded them made me realize that he probably did.

With the way the darkness exceeded from him and mixed with the shadows that painted the wold around me, it made sense that he controlled it all.

He seemed like the type of guy to control every aspect of his world.

And mine.

That had to stop because I'd be damned if I let someone who possibly didn't exist control me or what I did.

Malachi tilted his head at my question as if he hasn't expected me to ask that.

That almost made me smile.

"I'm the shadows." He answered, confirming my suspicions. "But, you knew that already didn't you, love?"

I nodded.

"Well then let me throw in a bonus," He teased, finally crossing the distance between us and causing my breath to hitch at his sudden movement, "I hate to break it to you, but I am very real."

I struggled to breathe just then, his pointer finger coming close enough to brush the side of my cheek.

"If I'm not crazy..." I managed to stammer, "Then what the fuck is going on?"

Malachi opened his mouth to speak but paused and thought hard about something. Suddenly, his demeanor changed completely, and he was no longer as willing to share information.

"Keep your door locked." He scolded harshly before returning to the shadows that he'd emerged from.

I froze.

What the fuck?

Unsure what the hell just happened or what he meant, I walked out of the bedroom and noted my front door was unlocked. I must have been preoccupied when I got home from work.

Locking it, I noted how the emptiness in my house was just as palpable as when Malachi was there and it felt like I was being doused in electricity. It almost left me with a sense of loneliness but I quickly swept that away.

I was so incredibly fucked.