Shadow & Smoke

Chapter 17

I was in shock.

I blinked but he didn't disappear.

There he was, standing in front of me as if he hand't stalked me in the shadows for months. Instead of his all black suit, he wore black jeans and a black pullover. It was unnerving to see him there in my reality.

Up until that moment, I was able to separate fantasy from reality—my real world from the fantasy world I'd made up in my mind. They were never meant to collide.

"Who the fuck is this?" Shiloh snapped as he let go of my wrist and got up from his stool.

Shiloh was pissed but Malachi just looked amused as if he weren't at all surprised to see us standing there. I, on the other hand, was completely fucking surprised and I had no words. I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth gaping open and no words coming out.

"I think the question is, 'who the fuck are you?'" Malachi scoffed as he grabbed me gently by the hand and pulled me away from the bar stool so that I was on the other side of him and furthest from Shiloh.

I looked at Malachi as if I'd never seen him before because it felt like it was the first time I'd actually laid eyes on him. Not only was he there and not only did he actually exist, but everyone else could see him, too.

"Nell?" Shiloh yelled at me, snapping me to reality as I continued to gawk at Malachi standing there. He towered over everyone but Shiloh was still willing to have a pissing contest even though he was outmatched.

"You don't speak to her." Malachi bellowed and everyone was now staring at us intently from all across the bar. I was officially mortified and I had the feeling it was just getting worse. "You have something to say, say it to me."

"Okay, asshole," Shiloh smirked as he took a step closer, pushing his luck, "I have something to say to you: stay the fuck out of my way."

But Malachi was only entertained by how worked up Shiloh was getting. Turning to me, he leaned in and whispered into my ear, "When we get home, we're going to talk."

I nodded, still without a word and he turned back to Shiloh.

In the blink of an eye, the amused version of Malachi was gone and he was replaced with the menacing man from my nightmares. His dark onyx eyes narrowed on Shiloh as a predator did with its prey. Leaning over him intimidatingly, Malachi's jaw ticked and tightened and he clenched his fists at his side.

"You will never talk to her again, do you understand?" Malachi said but there was something behind his words that only Shiloh could sense. I had never seen fear on Shiloh's face—I once thought to myself that he didn't fear anything. But at that moment, I thought he might piss himself.

I could only see the back of Malachi as he taunted Shiloh but by the way he cowered, I knew that Malachi was on the verge of revealing his not-so human side. Desperately trying to think of something to do to stop him, I knew there wasn't anything. If Malachi lost control in that bar, the last person that could do anything about it was me.

As Malachi loomed over Shiloh, the air felt denser than before and the shadows seemed thicker. There was an instant heaviness that settled over the room and only increased as Malachi inched closer to Shiloh's face.

Replacing the cockiness from earlier was pure terror. One minute Malachi is hovering over Shiloh and the next, he's leaning down to say something that only the two of them can hear.

"Malachi..." I said softly—the first words escaping me since he appeared. It was the first time I'd said his name out loud like that before. It stopped Malachi mid-step as he pushed Shiloh away from the bar and towards the exit.

Turning to me, his eyes narrowed as he examined me head to toe and the way I'd spoken his name. The hatred and anger that had been reserved for Shiloh was gone and it there was more of a neediness behind his eyes at he looked at me.

"If I you ever come back here or contact her again, you know what will happen." Malachi turned back to Shiloh to offer his last warning.

Shiloh looked at Malachi with terror in his eyes and then back at me, almost as if trying to determine if I were worth whatever punishments would await him. But the threat was too great and he fled with his tail tucked between his legs.

I watched in total shock as Shiloh left.

Was that it?

Was he gone for good?

The look on his face as he left told me that he took Malachi's threats—whatever they were—seriously.

Malachi seemed to snap his fingers—well, more like he turned to look at everyone around us and instantly, the returned to their previous conversations as if nothing happened.

Turning back to me, the glare in his eyes was carnal, "Say it again."

I froze; say what again?

"Say my name again."

My voice seemed to disappear as I opened and closed my mouth several times before finally saying, "Malachi."

He looked at me lustfully and then shut his eyes as if savoring the sound of his name on my lips. I opened my mouth to speak but his finger was at my lips to silence me.

"Not here." He said simply. "We'll discuss this at home."

Home.

That was the second time he had referred to my house as our home. I liked it but it irked me at the same time. He had kept me in the dark for so long and then all of a sudden, he popped up like it was no big deal.

"Fine," I said with as much attitude as I could muster to let him know that I was obeying but not happy about it.

I half-expected Malachi to evaporate back into the shadows now that he'd successfully pissed on me to claim his territory but no, he put his hand on the small of my back and led me through the bar towards the exit.

Malachi walked me to my car in silence and even feeling his hand on my the entire time, I couldn't fathom the fact that he was there with me in the middle of town. I stopped as he opened the driver's door for me.

"What now?" I asked him.

He sighed and I could tell that he was annoyed—not with me but in general.

"I'll meet you at your place." He replied.

I raised my eyebrow, "Why don't you just get in my car?"

Malachi chuckled, "I don't need to travel by car, love. Besides, I have a quick errand to run before I get there."

Tilting my head, I asked, "Errand?"

"Don't ask questions you don't don't want the answers to."