Celestial Beginnings (Nephilim Series)

chapter 11

A barbeque? Malachi couldn’t believe he had come up with the idea. It sounded like the most normal thing, but nothing is ever normal when you throw in five hard-headed, centuries old nephilims.

As he was walking into the command center, he wondered how this would go over with his team. What was going on with Trinity has always been complicated. At first he told everyone it was just for information. That wasn’t a lie; he did want to find out why they entered each other’s dreams. That was not the only reason though. There had been something about her from the beginning that fascinated him. The more times they were together, the more intriguing she became.

He’s never felt this way about anyone before. His team members and he have always been close, but he’s only been able to confide in Gemariah. Trinity makes him feel almost normal, and after over 300 years of being different, it was a good feeling. It was also not something he was willing to give up yet. He knew it couldn’t last forever, but for a little while longer at least would be nice.

His team didn’t like it. They didn’t have anything against a casual fling, but none had ever contemplated a relationship. It was too risky and not only for him. To be found out by a commoner would be like signing your own death certificate.

When Malachi entered the room, everyone went silent and just watched as he made his way to the front. He just chose to ignore the stares and get strait down to business. “What do we got?”

When no one talked; he looked up.

Gideon was the first one to speak up, but in a sarcastic tone. “…and where has our fearless leader been?”

Malachi’s gaze snapped to Gideon. The glare could have cracked a diamond.

“That’s what I thought.” Looking around the room, Gideon addressed everyone else. “See! You all know I’m right. It has to happen!”

“Please, do fill me in. What needs to happen?” Malachi tried to appear bored but was seething inside.

Gemariah stepped forward first. “Gideon believes there needs to be a change in leadership.”

“What about you Gemariah? What do you believe?”

His friend shook his head. “I don’t know man. This whole situation is messed up. It’s not like you to be this irresponsible.”

“Irresponsible in what way?” Malachi’s resolve was starting to crack.

“If you keep seeing her, the truth will eventually come out. We are not in a position where that is an option. Humans can’t be trusted; you know that just as much as anyone else. We will all be up on the chopping block in no time.” Gemariah’s voice started to rise. “Plus, what the hell are you going to do man? Date her, fall in love, get married, and watch her grow old and die while you stay the same as you are now?”

Malachi had asked himself the same thing many times and still had no answer. He knew it could never last, but for now, he wanted to be selfish for the first time since adulthood. This fact getting thrown in his face didn’t sit well.

Malachi turned toward the women. “What about you two?”

“This is f*cked up Mal. You’re putting us all in jeopardy.” Tori had no problem voicing her opinion, but Terah stayed silent.

“Terah? You have to have some information on all of this.” She was one of his biggest supporters; he didn’t believe she would turn on him now.

She slowly turned her gaze toward to him. “No Malachi. I can’t see anything about this. For some reason, the powers that be think she’s dead and I can’t see her. That still hasn’t changed.” She took a deep breath and continued. “I do believe she is something you need right now, for some reason.”

Gideon gave a snort. “Give me a break; we all know the reason. She must kick ass in bed. The problem is that he’s thinking with the wrong head when it comes to her.”

That was it! Malachi had had enough of Gideon to last another lifetime. Instinct kicked in and he launched himself across the table with his hand headed straight for the jugular.

Gideon must have been expecting it, because he moved out of the way before getting rammed. When moving aside, Gideon threw a punch downward and connected with Malachi’s face. The impact was jarring and made him fight even harder. The speed the two of them were exerting would make the fight hard to follow with human eyes.

They were rolling around, blood was flying. Punches were thrown, as well as chairs. It was an all-out brawl between the two, and no one was surprised. There has been so much animosity between the two lately, everyone had been waiting for the big blow-out.

When they started to slow down enough to step in, the others tore them apart. They were both breathing hard and standing as blood dripped on the floor from their many wounds.

Gideon pointed a finger and gave Malachi an ultimatum. “Alright! You heard what everyone had to say. It’s obvious how they all feel. I think you need to choose. You lead us or you stick with your human! Not both!”

“Fine!” Everyone visibly relaxed, glad it was all over. “I’m guessing you will be taking my position?”

Malachi ignored the commotion and watched Gideon shrug. “I am the other exalted one. It’s only natural.”

“What are you doing Mal? You can’t seriously be throwing away your position…” Apparently Gemariah didn’t expect this turn of events.

Malachi paused for a minute. Was he really giving up everything he had worked for? “Yes I am.”

There was a connection between Trinity and him that he couldn’t explain. All he knew was that it made him feel hollow when he thought of letting her go. He didn’t want to go back to how things were before she came into his life. He vowed to be with her for as long as she would have him.

Shaking off the unfamiliar feeling, Malachi addressed the team. “Now, was there a work related reason I was called in, or was it just for this little intervention?”

No one spoke and he had his answer. He zeroed in on Gideon. “Okay, well if I’m not needed, I’m outta here. Have at it.”

“Whoa! I think everyone is forgetting something here.” When all the attention was turned to Gemariah, he continued. “For there to be a leadership change, there has to be a unanimous vote amongst the team.”

“You all said that you didn’t like the way he was leading, that should be enough.” Gideon sounded upset, clearly not liking the idea of a vote.

Looking around, Gemariah spoke up. “All in favor of the change raise your hand.”

Gideon raised his hand in the air. “This is childish and stupid. I hope you know that.”

Tori’s hand slowly crept in the air. “I’m sorry Mal. I like you, but you haven’t been with us lately.”

After a few more seconds of waiting, no one else raised their hand. Malachi was still pissed off that all of this happened to begin with. He knew Terah would never turn against him. For a moment, he figured Gemariah would but was proven wrong.

“There you have it. Malachi stays as leader.”

Malachi didn’t know exactly how he felt about this. He should feel elated that his title wasn’t stripped from him. Instead, he felt…indifference. He understood all the good his team and he did, but for once, it wasn’t the most important thing to him.

Even though Malachi had other things in his life, he did acknowledge that it wasn’t safe to be as inattentive as he had been lately. He needed to learn how to prioritize better, because his team still needed him as well.

Still mad as hell that everything went down the way it did, he decided to retreat and finish up things in his office.

“If you’ll excuse me; I got work to do.” As he was walking out the door, he turned at the last moment. “Oh…if anyone has any questions or concerns, come to me and maybe we can talk about them this time.” Malachi put an emphasis on the word talk to make sure they understood before exiting the room. He didn’t make it very far before he heard Gemariah running after him.

“Malachi stop! What is this? This isn’t you.”

Malachi clinched his teeth; more aggravated than ever, especially at the one person he always thought would come to him first.

Gemariah didn’t let the silence deter him as he tried to reason with Malachi again. “You know me. I’m all about lovin’ the ladies, but you have to say “good-bye” when you’re done. Some people have the option not to, we don’t. We don’t do relationships! You cannot trust humans with our secret Mal, and that’s what will happen with you spending so much time with her.”

Malachi was already shaking her head. “She’s different. I don’t know how, she just is. I can’t leave her yet.” His gaze bore into Gemariah’s. “I would trust her with my life.”

“Yeah, but would you trust her with all of ours? Because that is what you are doing.”

Malachi decided enough was enough, for now, and tried to walk around him, but was stopped again when Gemariah stepped back in front of him. “You trust her? Did she tell you how she was moved around to different foster homes for years until she got settled? All those cases labeled her as a problem child. Did she mention that she has a locked pending police case on file? So this is the person you are trusting with everything we are?”

Malachi just stood there, jaw slack. “You…you investigated her?”

“Yeah, and it’s a good thing I did. Obviously she’s not being completely honest with you.” Gemariah was obviously proud of himself.

Malachi gave a halfhearted chuckle, still shocked that his friend would go behind his back like that. “We haven’t gotten that deep in our conversations yet. We just talked about taking the next step at lunch today and getting to know each other better. She actually said she wanted to meet the people that were important to me. Now, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

He took a step away from his longtime friend, but stopped before getting too far. “Listen, I’m only telling you this right now because I made a promise. I’m having a barbeque, and all of you guys are invited, as long as you can be nice. Yes, Trinity will be there, as well as her friend and family.” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “You guys are all I have in the way of family, so it would be nice to have someone there from my side. You can tell them about it if you want.” He nodded his head in the direction of the room he just left. “I’ve got work to do.”

Gemariah looked thoughtful. “She matters that much to you, huh?”

Malachi didn’t hesitate in giving an affirmative answer.

“Let me think about it.” Gemariah’s voice was hardly louder than a whisper. “When is it?”

“I don’t know yet. Trinity left the date up to me to choose. She knows how busy we all are and wanted me to plan it around my schedule. I’ll have to get back to you.” Malachi was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. If his team couldn’t get their attitudes in check, it would be a disaster.

Gemariah gave a small nod before Malachi walked away.

Later that day, Malachi was gathering his stuff to leave for the day when the alarm sounded throughout the entire office. This wasn’t good. On minor things where his team was only needed, Malachi just received a phone call and a file. When the alarm sounded, it meant that everyone at the department had to be on point.

When his phone rang, he wasted no time in answering it.

He was finishing his conversation and getting last minute details when the team came into his office. Looking each of them over, he saw that they were all packed and ready to head out. There’s something to be said about doing this for so long; you get a routine down and precious time isn’t wasted.

After ending the call, Malachi started to gather what he needed while informing the group of the mission. “There’s a hostage situation at an office building downtown. The building is not big, but does have four floors and seven different companies inside, one of which is a daycare.” Their strategy was always different when children were involved.

“Where do we come in?” Terah asked what everyone was thinking. It basically meant, “what makes this one so different that the police alone can’t handle it?”

“Our informant inside said the men were acting strange…stranger than normal in a situation like this.” Malachi was loading himself down with daggers and his gun when he clarified. “They were talking to thin air; not just one of them, all of them. Apparently one yelled something about “The Dragon” right before showing the bomb strapped on him.”

“Puppets!” Gideon said with a sneer.

“That’s what I’m thinking, and it’s our job to find and stop the puppeteers.” Malachi reached back and sheathed his cusped falchion. Now, they were ready to go.

On the way to the site, they went over the plans. Gemariah and Tori would search the surrounding area for the demons they knew would be watching. Malachi, Terah, and Gideon would observe inside the building, and evacuate as many people as they could. Destroy the demon or demons, contain the threat, and secure the hostages. Those were the things that needed to be done.

It was not hard to find the location of the site. It seemed as if every squad car and officer in the city was there. Getting onto location was a different story. When they tried to stop Tori a third time, she ignored the officers and drove right through. It caused a hell of a stir, but time was of an essence here. Corrupted souls never held off on their destruction for too long. It all depended on the length of time the demon wanted to torment the humans.

When arriving at the detective in charge, Malachi gave a brief, but false, explanation on who they were. The man argued about their plan to go inside alone, but one quick phone call later had him stomping away, pissed that he was out ranked. They then split their separate ways.

The three entered inconspicuously at different parts of the building. Malachi found a locked back door that he was going to try first. Using his superior senses, he could tell there was no living thing directly behind the door, so he grabbed the handle and quietly broke it off to reach the locking mechanisms inside.

He was in shortly after and did a quick survey of the area. There was a business to his right, but it looked empty. Inwardly he cringed, thinking how much easier it would have been if the hostages were separated.

Entering stealthily into the office, he did a quick check over. Sure enough, it had been emptied. He stopped a moment and sent a quick message out to his team.

Anyone got any news for me yet?

Everyone gave him a negative answer.

Gideon, Terah, did you find a way in?

Affirmative

Nothing but short and to the point from Gideon.

Have you guys come across any occupied offices?

Terah was the first to answer back, but her answer matched Gideon’s. All the offices they had found were empty.

Malachi turned to leave the office when he had a vague sense of someone’s emotion. What was it...? Fear. Now, where was it coming from?

He turned back around and followed the feeling back into the depths of the office. It was gaining strength the farther he got, but when he came up to a small desk next to a filing cabinet, the emotion was incredibly intense.

He knew someone was back there, he just didn’t know if it was friend or foe. He un-holstered his gun, to be on the safe side. There was a small corner opening hidden by the filing cabinet, and he aimed his gun at the opening.

“Stand up!” The command was said in a voice that he knew to be very threatening. When nothing happened, he tried again. “I know you’re back there, don’t keep me waiting. Stand up!”

It must have been the way he snapped the last two words out because before he was finished, a female peaked over the edge of the desk. When she saw the gun, her hands flew in the air and she stood up the rest of the way. “I’m up…I’m up! Please don’t shoot me!”

The terror in her voice made him lower his gun somewhat, but was still ready to fire if necessary. “Who are you?”

“My…my name is Alicia. Please…please don’t…don’t kill me. I’m sorry I hid. I’ll go with you now…please don’t kill me!” She wouldn’t stop hyperventilating and was talking in between gasping for air.

“You work here?” Malachi examined her rumpled business suit and disheveled hair.

She nodded real fast. “Yes. This is…my desk. I’m…a file…a file clerk.”

Malachi studied her for a few more seconds. He could sense no deception coming from her, only fear. He holstered his gun and held his hand out to help her get out.

When she looked confused and didn’t immediately comply, he tried to clarify. “You can relax. I’m one of the good guys.” The lie left a bitter taste in his mouth. How could he ever be a “good guy” when nature made him into an abomination that had a ticking time bomb inside.

“Where’s your badge?” She couldn’t help be wary, he guessed.

He moved his hand closer to her when he answered. “I’m not the police. Think of me more as an independent contractor.”

When she slipped her hand in his, he got all the information he needed. At times, he can feel a demonic presence from a distance, but it could also be masked. When he touched someone, the sludge like essence was always detectable. This time there was no doubt about it; her soul was clean.

“I’ll help you get out of here, but you need to tell me everything you know about what happened.”

Now that she felt comfortable enough to talk, she started to explain how everyone heard popping noises, which she now assumed was gunfire. “Everything happened so fast. We heard the noise then the door flew open. I heard people screaming, but all I could think to do was hide. I climbed in the corner and hid until you found me.”

“Where is everyone?”

“I don’t know. They just put everyone together and took them away.”

Malachi had to get moving. “Okay. I’m going to get you outside. Once you’re there, make your way as quick as you can, to the police barrier. There will be a lot of questions thrown your way; just tell them Starkman found you and sent you out.”

She nodded her head but remained silent.

He started walking toward the door and knew she was right behind him. When they got there, he did a quick check to make sure it was clear before moving her through the door. “Alright…go.”

The woman immediately took off running, but he didn’t stick around to make sure she made it. He needed to find the demons and locate where everyone was, and the clock was ticking.

Check all offices; even if they are empty. I just got out a civilian that hid when they were bagging everyone up.

Affirmative

Their response came in simultaneously.

Malachi stealthily moved through the hallways and stairwells, keeping eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. When he got to the second floor, he heard a lot of noise coming from the floor above him. Projecting the information to Gideon and Terah, he moved toward to noise.

The stairwell contained a man guarding the door to the third floor. Malachi could feel the evil pouring off of him in waves. This was not a good man, and from the amount, he could tell this person was that way before being corrupted as well.

The element of surprise, along with his speed, worked out in Malachi’s favor when he quickly and quietly dispensed of the interference.

Mal, I just came across the daycare on the second floor. All the children are still there! Along with one civilian and two corrupts.

Terah’s voice sounded excited about her find through their bond.

Get them out of there and outside; far away from the building. Stay with them until everything is settled. By any means, do not leave them! Do you need assistance?

Children are prime candidates for demonic entities, so this was one of the most important aspects of the mission.

Nah! I can handle these.

Good luck!

Trusting in his teammate, Malachi went back to what he was doing. Opening the door a crack, he noticed two more people guarding an office door; a man and a woman. He was going to have to handle them both at the same time or be quick enough with the first one that the second wouldn’t have time to reveal him to everyone else. He started moving toward the woman, and before he completely twisted her neck, Gideon was there, snapping the neck of guard number two. Together they quickly moved the bodies to a more discreet location.

Good timing.

I try.

Quickly getting a head count of what he could see through the window in the door, Gideon ducked back behind the door.

Thirty two civilians and five puppets.

Malachi nodded in acknowledgement before angling his head so he could look through the window inconspicuously. While scanning the room, a certain man got his attention. He was sitting with the rest of the civilians, but looked incredibly calm. In the time it would take to blink, the man transformed into something that looked far from human, but quickly went back to his previous shell.

Demon!

He sensed Gideon tense up at his comment.

Occasionally, it was hard for a demon to hold their outer disguise when they are experiencing a strong emotion. The flash is invisible to any ordinary human, but he was no human and he definitely wasn’t ordinary.

Malachi had to bring the whole team to the building.

Change of plans; except for you, Terah. Tori, come and case out the immediate perimeter. Gemariah, we need you in here. Go to the fourth floor to check for stragglers. Be quick! Let me know when you have an all clear and I will give you further instructions.

Sure, why the change? What’s going on? Gemariah sounded as if he was on full alert.

I know of at least one demon with the majority of the civilians. There could be more, but I can’t see.

Malachi had to state the obvious.

We are at complete silence now. No talking what so ever! We can’t let them know we’re here.

Gideon and he moved down the hall to the office next door. They needed a secluded place to plan and wait for Gemariah’s signal.

While they waited, they projected back and forth to each other. They planned to create a distraction to lure a few corrupts out of the office. With Gemariah handling the decoy, that would free up Gideon and himself to get into the office. There was only one way in, so they were expecting an immediate attack.

All clear!

Malachi unsheathed his sword and was ready when the signal came through.

Stay there and create a commotion. Let them know that someone’s up there.

Instantly, they both heard a loud crash above their heads followed by more noise. In a matter of seconds, footsteps were heard running in the direction of the stairs.

Immediately following their departure, Gideon and Malachi stormed into the central office. Almost instantaneously they were attacked from both sides. The man on him was the same demon he saw from the window. The harder Malachi fought back, the faster the creature’s outer shell started to crumble and his true appearance showed through. Some might be thrown off by the yellow eyes and razor sharp teeth, but it was nothing he hadn’t already seen.

There were collective screams as the fighting progressed. Some hostages used the opportunity to make a run for it while others were too nervous to try.

Malachi threw a right hook and knocked the demon down. He must have come from a weaker blood line to be dropped by a punch and not a weapon, Malachi thought. He now knew it was only a matter of time before this one fell and he was on to another.

After a few more punches to certain areas, the demon was snarling and on its knees. Malachi quickly ran him through with his sword and saw the flames start to appear that would take him to Satan knows where.

Not yet having time to breath, Malachi turned to assess the situation. Gideon was battling a corrupt, but looked as if he was handling it. The civilians left had backed away from the battles taking place, while the remaining corrupts tried to figure out what to do.

Finally coming to a decision; one charged at him, and another pulled out a small tube with a button on one end. Remembering the talk about a bomb, Malachi didn’t even hesitate. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small dagger. Throwing it, he hit his mark precisely and the man holding the remote crumpled to the ground with a knife lodged in his neck. Before the body touched the ground, Malachi had turned to defend himself in another attack.

Before too long, Gideon and he were standing amongst the frightened civilians assuring them that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to get everyone out of the building, but had to make sure they were absolutely done here.

He checked in with Tori, who gave the all-clear for the immediate surroundings. After checking in with Gemariah, he now knew the remaining two corrupts were dead as well. Now, he just needed to make sure the children were no longer in harm’s way.

How is everything Terah? Did it all go according to plan?

Everything went fine, except now the kids are yelling that they can’t find someone.

Terah sounded confused, but he didn’t feel too concerned.

Just keep looking, the kid’s there somewhere.

Malachi, they say the last time they saw her was when they were in the building.

“Shit. Okay, we’ll look.” Just when you think everything is going smoothly.

While Gideon directed the civilians to the stairwell to start descending, Malachi radioed down to the police to let them know the situation was contained and they could make their way up. He was really looking forward to all the annoying questioning that went along with a mission such as this, he thought sarcastically. Luckily, he only answered to his superiors and they got the job of filling in the blanks for the local PD.

Both Gideon and he were so busy discussing the numbers on how many men and demons were killed that they didn’t notice the woman walking up to one of the corrupts until she was leaning over him.

“Hey! Get away from him! What are you brain-dead? That’s a bomb on him.” Gideon never sugar coated anything.

When she reached down to him, Malachi got anxious and started to walk over to her. “Ma’am? You need to step away from him, now!”

When she stood back up, she had the same object in her hand that the man had in his when he died. She looked over at the two of them and smiled. It was then Malachi saw how distorted her face was. He knew two things at that moment. They missed a demon in the initial attack, and it was about to detonate the bomb.

“F*ck! Get down!” Malachi yelled as he dove toward the stairwell. Granted, nephilims were hard to kill and could live forever if they were careful. One’s heart needed to be destroyed to finally die. They could lose body parts, drown, anything as long as the heart survived. Their ribcages were almost impenetrable, but fire can always work its way to their heart. Meaning, a bomb could do them in.

The bomb only took out a chunk of the floor, but it managed to make the building incredibly unstable. He knew they had to work three times as fast to get everyone out before the building collapsed.

Moving as quickly as they could down the stairwell, the two of them were trying to get the screaming people out faster.

Malachi, you guys alright?

Gemariah sounded panicked.

Yeah, we’re about to pass the second floor. Just trying to get everyone out.

About to round to the next section of stairs, Malachi remembered that the daycare was on the second floor.

Terah, please tell me you found the kid!

No mal! She’s nowhere.

“Shit! Gideon, I have to stop here.” Malachi was yelling over all the noise.

“What the hell for?” Gideon obviously didn’t like that idea.

“There’s a kid missing, I want to make sure no one was left.” As he was speaking, he nodded toward the second floor door.

Gideon stood in front of him. “Forget the kid, man! If that fire reaches you, you’re a goner. Or worse, the building collapses, you walk away unharmed, and risk exposure.” Gideon jabbed his finger down the stairs. “Now move!”

“Gideon, move out of my way and get the rest of the people out the building.” When Gideon didn’t budge, Malachi said the one thing he knew would piss Gideon off but would make him start to move. “That’s an order!”

Gideon’s face transformed into a deep scowl. “Fine! Get yourself killed, see if I care, but don’t bring us down with you when people want to know how you got out unscathed!” With that parting remark, he marched down the stairs and Malachi could hear him screaming at the people to move their asses.

It was amazing that Malachi could find humor in a situation like this, but he found himself smiling and shaking his head. Being almost 400 years old, he didn’t see Gideon changing anytime soon.

Malachi grabbed the handle and swung the door open. Immediately he felt the heat and knew there was a fire blazing somewhere close.

“Hello! Anybody in here?” He was yelling and hoping if there was someone there, that they could hear him over all the noise.

Terah, what’s this girl’s name?

After a short pause, he had his answer.

Emily. She’s six.

“Emily! Everyone’s looking for you. Are you here?” He was working his way down the hallway while yelling for the little girl.

He finally reached the door to the daycare and found the bodies of the two corrupts that had been in charge of the children. Walking inside, he yelled for Emily again.

There was no answer, but he felt a surge of emotion. Someone was here.

“Emily, don’t worry. I won’t hurt you, but we need to leave right now.”

He felt a mixture of emotion, a lot of fear mixed with a little bit of…hope. He now had no doubt that it was Emily’s emotions he was channeling.

“Come on Em. We need to go.”

Right after he spoke, a small head poked around the corner. “You called me Em. My mommy calls me that.”

Even though there was a sense of urgency, Malachi walked slowly over to her so not to frighten her by his size. When he got closer he held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s go and you can tell me all about it.” He really didn’t know what “it” was, but anything would be good as long as they were moving.

She placed her tiny hand in his and he picked her up. Malachi started to head toward the stairwell but felt the building sway. It was about to come down, and he had to figure out the best way to keep this little girl alive.

He went to the window to check out the drop. It wasn’t far but the ground would not make the drop any easier. It was nothing but asphalt and cars, nothing there to get a soft landing. A jump from the window wouldn’t kill him. He might even be able to walk away, but he didn’t know if he should take the chance while holding Em.

“What are you?”

The question brought his train of thought to a stop. He looked at Emily who was staring intently at him. “Why would you ask that?”

“I saw what those other men looked like. You look different too, but not like them.” Emily was examining his face.

“What did they look like?”

“Ugly and scary; their skin had black wavy lines all over it and their eyes were black too.” She let out a tiny shiver.

Malachi stopped what he was doing and he whispered back to her. “What do I look like?” Part of him was afraid to hear the answer, not wanting to hear that she could see the evil in him.

“You’re different. You have a red fog moving around you. It goes around you and through you. It makes me think of Christmas!”

Malachi knew exactly what she was. She was a champion. Someone put on this earth to only do good up until the time of their main purpose. More times than not, they will die protecting the person they were put on this earth to defend. They couldn’t be corrupted or commanded, and no powers, good or evil, worked on them.

He had only come across one in his lifetime before this, even though he suspected Hugh, the boy from Trinity’s class to be one as well. They were an important part in the great fight and this little girl just became increasingly more important to keep alive.

Every champion had a special way of seeing the true side to people. Seeing colors must be Emily’s way of doing that.

“What are you?”

There was that question again. His existence was a secret to all, how could he answer this.

“Think of me as a guardian angel.”

She must have liked that answer because her grip on him became more stable before Malachi walked back up to the window.

“That makes sense.”

Malachi was so engrossed in thinking about the jump that it took him a minute to remember what he had said.

“Why is that?” He asked offhandedly with his mind still on getting out of there.

“Your color makes me feel safe. I know you’re good.” She gave him a smile when his gaze landed on her. She was so sure of what she said.

All the action from the day must have muddled her instincts. He could play nice for as long as he liked, but he wasn’t kidding himself. Someone with a family history such as his could not come close to actually being good.

All of the sudden, the building let out a loud groan and started to shift. He could hear the roaring sound of glass breaking plus beams buckling and knew the building was collapsing onto itself. He had no choice now, he had to jump and do his best to shield the girl.

Moving fast, he gripped her to his chest and yelled as he backed up. “You hold onto me and don’t let go!” He gave himself a running start and while charging toward the open window asked God for a little help on this one.

He leaped as far as he could and cleared a good distance. When he was in the air he heard the building crashing down behind him. If he would have waited even a second longer, he would have been tangled in the rubble.

When the ground was getting near he flipped them around so he would land on his back with her on top of him. The impact was harsh and stunned the both of them. For that moment, Malachi thought of Trinity; her smile, her laugh, her touch, and how, more than anything, he wanted to be with her right then.

Reality quickly set in and he spun them once again to cradle his body over hers, using his as a shield from falling debris. There were a couple pieces that painfully struck and he was grateful that his head got back in the game in time to cover the girl.

Malachi looked down at Emily. When he saw that she was crying he got concerned. “What is it? Are you hurt?”

All she did was continue to cry, so Malachi calmed his voice to try and sooth her. “Sweetie, I need to know if you’re hurt so we can fix it.”

She shook her head. “No. I just want my mommy.”

Malachi could understand this. “Just give it a little bit longer and we will go try and find her. Was she working in the building?”

“No” The answer was said as a sob.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find her. She’s probably out there right now waiting for you.” She started to calm down some. “Won’t you have a story to tell people, huh?”

They ended up waiting there for another fifteen minutes, until debris stopped falling around them. When they got up, he picked her up to carry her over large parts of the building. Nearing the police cars, a commotion started when they were spotted. The murmurs started and soon turned to clapping, then to cheering.

“Why are they so happy?” Emily asked in confusion.

“Because everyone was worried about you and now they know you’re safe.”

When they cleared the rubble, Malachi noticed the media cameras and ducked his head down. This was not staying out of the spotlight, but if given the choice to do it over again, he would.

“Emily!” He heard the little girl’s name being screamed from a group of civilians. “Emily!”

The second time got Emily’s attention. Swinging her head toward the commotion, she let out a scream loud enough to make him flinch. “Mommy!!”

She started crying again, and Malachi was glad that her mother was here this time to help. When they all reached each other, Malachi held out his arms slightly to hand back her daughter. Instead of taking her, the mom surprised him by wrapping her arms around them both.

Malachi’s body immediately stiffened. He was not used to this…this affection from strangers. She immediately started crying. Malachi took a deep breath. He did not do tears well, and at the moment he had two female’s crying on him.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” The mother was repeating herself over and over.

“It was no problem.” He pressed Emily more firmly into her mother, hoping to discreetly dislodge her. When it worked and she now was cradling Emily in her arms, he spoke again. “She’s a special one. Take real good care of her.”

All the mother could do was nod and Malachi started walking away. After a few steps and being followed by the camera crew, he cringed at the thought of drawing attention to himself.

Malachi had his team in his sights but couldn’t make it to them quickly enough. All of the sudden one leg gave out, and then the next and he was falling to the pavement. He caught himself with his hands but immediately rolled to his back, breathing heavy and gripping his chest. Someone was at his side by the time he let out a hoarse groan asking him where it hurt.

He explained that when he jumped and landed on his back, his chest had hurt ever since. The next thing he knew, he was being placed onto a stretcher and there were people he didn’t know touching him.

His team had made it over and was standing around with confused faces. Which was understandable; he never got hurt and if he did, he always healed himself. When they loaded him into the ambulance, the EMTs explained that only one person could ride with him when Gemariah and Terah both tried to board.

Terah jumped in the ambulance first.

When they were alone, she started asking questions, but giving him no time to answer. “Mal, what’s wrong? Could you have damaged your big stubborn heart? Why aren’t you healing yourself?”

Malachi wondered if she was ever going to take a breath. He tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down.

“What are you nuts? Lie down! Maybe if you rest for a minute, you can heal yourself.” She sounded panicked.

Malachi let out a heavy sigh and angled his head to speak to the EMTs. “Drive a few blocks then let me off, alright guys?”

“Yeah, no problem.” The passenger turned and looked at Malachi. “Sorry about the shirt and all; had to make it look real.” He gestured toward Malachi’s ripped shirt.

Malachi believed they had gone a little overboard in their acting, but let it slide. “It’s alright.”

He then sat up, with no interference this time, to remove his shirt before glancing over at Terah. “Will you ask Gemariah to pick us up? It wouldn’t be too good to be seen by someone that had witnessed the whole thing.” When she didn’t move, he really looked at her. She was sitting slack jaw and staring at him. “What? You thought…oh come on Terah; you didn’t think a little thing like that would bring me down, did you?”

Her face immediately transformed. She was pissed! Raising her fist with lightning speed, she slugged him in the arm. Someone wouldn’t think anything of a little hit from a little woman such as her, but this was where her nephilim blood showed. His arm was still throbbing even after rubbing it.

“Don’t you ever do that again! You had me worried…and I don’t worry. At least give me a signal or something. What the hell were you thinking?” She raised her fist to punch him again, but this time he caught her hand.

“Terah, enough.” Those two simple words, in his no nonsense tone, made all the fight leave her body. “Now are you going to hear me out, or are you going to try and hit me again?” He gave her hand a small squeeze to let her know that it would be best to pick the right answer.

“I’m done.” Her voice had become small. His team was his family, but he was still in charge and only took so much disrespect.

He let go of her hand and started to explain. “As I was shielding the girl on the ground after my jump, something Gideon said had merit to it.” She raised her eyebrow to his statement. “I know, shocking, huh?”

He was now smiling. “I couldn’t go through all of that and not have a scratch on me; people would get suspicious. Before we started walking back, I radioed the police contact and told him what was going down. Apparently our corporation has EMTs on call for situations such as this.”

“Always happy to help.” This came from the driver as he turned a corner.

“Now, will you contact Gemariah so he can pick us up?”

Terah outwardly groaned. “Do you know how worried he was? This is not going to be an easy conversation.”

He smiled. “You’ll figure it out. You’re good at stuff like this.”

Terah had to go through the story a couple different times before Gemariah agreed to meet them anywhere but the hospital. This was not going to be an easy greeting. The moment her attention was back on Malachi, Gemariah was projecting to him.

You are a f*cking dick, cock sucker! I hope you rot in hell for what you put me through.

And there it was; what he had to look forward too.

Ahh, I love you too man.

Malachi thought the best way forward was to make light of everything.

Shut the f*ck up! Somehow, at least let me know when you plan on doing it again.

Situation already diffusing…

Will do.

They reached a spot by a secluded alley to do the drop off. When Malachi got out, three glaring faces were staring at him, and he already could feel Terah’s intense stare behind him.

“Until next time.” One of the EMTs waved to them as they were driving away.

Tori, always so blunt, was the first one to speak. “What the hell is going on?”

Malachi started his explanation again. As he was talking, he could feel their tempers slowly lowering.

“Did you forget the part where you tell your partners what’s going on?” Now it was Tori. Three of the four had been mad for not filling them in. He didn’t think they would care, obviously he was wrong.

“Hey don’t blame me; Gideon was the one that gave me the idea.” Malachi said with a smile.

It was just a joke, but Gideon didn’t see it that way. “Hey, don’t suck me into your shit! I told you to leave the little brat. If you would have listened to me, this wouldn’t have been an issue.”

He took a step toward Gideon. “If I would have listened to you, an innocent would have died. Not just any innocent either. Who would have ever imagined that the “little brat” would be a champion? I sure as hell didn’t, but she was.”

“I didn’t know.” Gideon tried to brush it off.

Malachi was close to yelling, frustrated with his longtime partner. “Dammit Gideon, that’s not the point! We are here every day fighting evil and the potential for it. If that little girl would have died, who’s to say that her mother wouldn’t have crossed over and turned sides? I understand that we can’t save everyone, but I knew I could get to her if she was there. Why is it fair that she would have to die because those bastards decided to “play with their puppets”? She is one of the good ones, champion or not. We fight to defend the honest, the trustworthy, and the noble. I fight for the good of salvation. Why do you fight?”

When Gideon stayed silent, Malachi turned toward Gemariah’s car. Still walking and not turning around, he hollered at Gemariah. “Take me to my bike?”

He heard Gemariah’s affirmation as he was getting into the car. When he turned around to see where everyone was, it was just in time to see Gemariah turn to Gideon. “And that is why I will never vote against him.”

Malachi pulled in front of Trinity’s house and turned off the ignition. He had borrowed a shirt from Gemariah before his friend dropped him off, but was still filthy. He had every intension of going home. Wanting nothing but a shower and a comfy bed, that was his plan.

That’s what he thought anyway, but he ended up driving here instead. Getting off the bike, he started down the walkway to her duplex. He was halfway there when the front door of the connecting place opened up.

“I don’t care Nicci. I have to find him!” Trinity was coming out the door. She had her back turned toward him and it sounded like she had been crying.

He had stopped walking and watched as she turned around. Making her way down the front steps, she looked up when her foot touched the walk and froze. Damn, she had been crying! Her eyes were swollen and red, her face was blotchy. She couldn’t have looked more beautiful at that moment, but he hated to see her so sad.

He took a step in her direction, but before he could take another, her purse and keys went flying as she started running toward him. When she reached him, she jumped and he caught her midair. They wrapped their arms around each other, and she buried her face in his neck before starting to cry all over again.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to handle females crying, and it seemed like that’s all they were doing today. This time was different, though. This was his Trinity, and the thought of her in this much agony twisted his gut.

Malachi turned his head to kiss hers. He then took his other hand and started moving her hair out of her face and randomly kissing where his mouth could reach. He tried talking to her in the most calming voice he could manage. “Hey baby, what’s wrong?

This got her sobbing to slow down as she lifted her head and gazed at him with a confused look. “You were hurt. I couldn’t find you. I was calling every hospital in the city to find out where they took you, but everyone I talked to said no one was at the hospital under your name.” Trinity paused and let out a single sob. “I was so worried.”

All of the sudden, she looked panicked. “And here I jumped…I jumped on you…oh God, I could be hurting you!” She tried to wiggle out of his arms.

“Don’t even think about it.” His grip tightened around her. “What gave you the idea I was hurt?”

She poked him in the chest. “Malachi Starkman, don’t you even try to lie to me! I wasn’t feeling well and sat down for a moment. When I turned on the TV, there you were, on the news. I saw everything!”

“Why weren’t you feeling well?” He asked; concern in his voice.

“No way, don’t change the subject.”

Man, she was persistent. He let out a sigh and tried to evade. “Okay. I’m better now, though.”

She snuggled back into his arms and wrapped her arms around him, as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Why were you not in any hospital?”

“I got fixed up in the ambulance and I didn’t need a hospital.” He wasn’t lying, he told himself, just omitting some truths.

In a small voice she asked, “Then why didn’t you call me or answer your phone when I called?”

“I lost my phone while working today.” Before she spoke, he quickly added more. “I could have called you from someone else’s phone, but the truth is I didn’t want to worry you.”

“We can’t do that.” When she was done speaking, she gave his neck a small kiss that had him groaning.

He swallowed before asking. “Do what?”

Another kiss. “Lie to each other to protect the other one…” Kiss. “If we want this to work…” She then nibbled on his jaw. “…and I definitely want this to work.” Nibble. “…you can’t shut me out from stuff that important.”

He was already nodding his acceptance before she finished talking. Would he ever tire of her and the pull she had on him. “Okay…deal”

His words must have flipped a switch inside her, because after they came out, her mouth was on his. The kiss started slowly and he marveled at the feel of her in his arms. Her concern for his safety was shocking on its own, but the way she lovingly touched him almost brought him to his knees. This is what he needed; she was what he needed. Trinity was pure and warm and good; so much good that it made all the evil he dealt with insignificant. She helped to recharge him for another day.

Slowly she took her mouth from his and licked her lips while looking him in the eye.

“Come inside.”

Inwardly, he groaned. What he wouldn’t have done to hear those words any other day…but not today. After all the waiting, there was no way he could go through with it when he had a feeling the adrenaline was what was causing her to act this way.

He slowly started to walk up to her front door and placed her down gently in front of it. Grudgingly, he released her and took a step back. Even though this was where he wanted to be in the worst way, he couldn’t, in good conscious, stay.

“You okay?” Her voice was soft as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

He pulled her hand away from his head and turned it around to kiss her palm. “There’s nothing more I want to do right now than come in…but today’s not the day.” He placed his finger over her lips when she started to argue. “I would hate for you to do something you’re not ready for because of hyped up emotions.”

That incredibly adorable color returned to her cheeks. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but bit her lip instead.

“I just want you to be absolutely sure you want to do this.” Saying it again was not making it any easier to leave.

“So…you haven’t changed your mind…about us I mean?” She stood tall but Malachi could tell that she was putting on a brave face by the way she had trouble getting the words out. He could understand why. Just the thought of not having her made panic well up in his chest.

“Just try getting rid of me! I’m sorry, Baby, but you’re stuck with me.” He was afraid to kiss her again, thinking his resolve would crumble. Instead, he cupped either side of her head and kissed her forehead. His lips lingered when he wasn’t quite ready to let go.

When he finally pulled back, she gave him a small smile.

“Plus, we have a barbeque to throw this weekend.”

This took her by surprise, but he could feel the happiness flowing from her. “This weekend? Really?”

Her excitement was contagious. “Yeah, I was thinking Saturday afternoon. It’s not too soon, is it?”

“No! Not at all!” Her voice had gone high and she cleared her throat. “I mean…I kinda already threw out the notion that it might be happening soon.” She said this before biting her lip and watching him to gauge his reaction.

All he could do was laugh. He had already known what she was like. If she wanted to do something, no one could tell her it wasn’t going to happen. Her stubbornness was something he found endearing.

“If there’s a last minute call, the team won’t be able to make it, but I’d still like to meet everyone, if that’s okay?” At her nod, he continued. “Good, let me plan everything.”

She was about to protest but he stopped her.

“Trinity…” He dragged out her name as a warning. This was something he wouldn’t waver from.

“Okay, fine.”

The small concession made him smile. Malachi then kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, he turned around to her once again.

“I’m going to be pretty busy all week, but I would like to see you again at least once before Saturday.” Why did asking her out always make him nervous? It was probably because he just kept waiting for the time she said no.

“I’d like that.” She smiled back at him and he exhaled slowly.

“Alright, I’ll call you.” He turned back around and started walking to his motorcycle.

He inwardly cringed at his impromptu date for the barbeque. Now he only had five days to get ready for it and that included food for everyone. He’d better call Gemariah and make nice.