the boxes of bones sat and yanked the lid off.
“What are you doing?”
“Well I robbed him of demon snacks, so I need to supplement.” I reached down to grab a few, even though they all still had chunks of meat attached to them and smelled rank as hell.
“Don’t.”
I froze. “Why not?”
He reached down and picked up the entire box, then slid the lid back on. With a strange smile on his face and blush in his cheeks, he whistled to Spot and then held his hand out to me. “Shall we?”
Chapter Fourteen
Chloe
It was strange to be back in my flat after the day I’d had.
It was strange that only a day had gone by.
It was strange that I had on neither trousers or knickers.
What a day.
But it was only when Malachi’s shadows vanished and we found ourselves just inside the front door of my flat that I realized I’d never told him where I lived. I must’ve made a face because he frowned.
“What?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I didn’t tell you where I lived.”
“Oh…” he grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I never watched you or anything. It was just important for me to know where you lived, worked, went to school…just so I’d be able to track the locket quickly when it was awoken.”
That should have creeped me out, instead it filled me with butterflies and warmth. I smiled. “Brilliant. That makes sense. Thank you?”
Spot whined and nudged the box of bones in Malachi’s hand.
He chuckled and sat it on the floor. “Have at it, bud.” When he looked back at me his gaze crept over my bare legs.
I bit my lip and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt that I’d borrowed. “So…”
“So…” he walked over and stopped right in front of me, then tucked my hair behind my ears. “Your father’s journal. Where do you think it could be?”
He was too close for my thoughts to stay smooth. My entire body was on fire. It was like someone flipped the fire alarm switch and my neurosystem was on lockdown. “They’d be…I mean, it could be…”
If he didn’t kiss me soon — wait. Why wait for him? Girl power. Spice Girls style. I’d almost done it before, no reason I couldn’t right now. Just like in the bookstore, I fisted his shirt and dragged him down to me. He gripped my hips and pulled me flush against his body. His mouth came down to mine, our lips almost touching—
Spot snarled and lunged for the door.
We jumped apart and spun just as the smoke flicked out of Spot’s body. He growled so loud the floor rumbled under my feet and the glass windows rattled. He barked and drool slid onto the floor under him, instantly eating away at the wood floor. I gasped and braced myself for pain from the locket.
Malachi stepped up beside his dog and put his hand on his head. Black smoke coiled around his other hand. “It’s not a demon.”
“Thank God.” I sighed with relief, sagging into the wall beside me. Then I frowned. “Wait, then what —”
Something heavy slammed into the door. I jumped.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
“Someone’s knocking?” I heard myself whisper. “Who the bugger could that be at three in the morning?”
Malachi scowled at the door.
“CHLOE?” Rolland shouted from the other side. “Chlo, you there?”
I cursed and pushed my hands into my hair. “Christ on a biscuit. That’s Rolland.”
Malachi’s scowl deepened. He turned toward me. “The cheating boy—” His eyes widened. His gaze flicked down and stayed there. He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip and swallowed roughly. But then he shook himself and his gaze shot to the ceiling. His cheeks flushed a brilliant pink. He cleared his throat but still wouldn’t look at me. “The cheating boyfriend?”
I frowned and looked down – and gasped. With my arms lifted my shirt was barely covering my lady bits. Barely. I threw my arms down, tugging on the hem of the shirt like that would make a difference now. “Yes. Um, the cheating boyfriend Rolland.”
“Chloe, are you there?” Bang, bang, bang. “Chloe, it’s Rolland. Open the door. I just want to talk.”
Spot growled.
Malachi arched one eyebrow at me. “I mean, I could—”
“No.” I chuckled and shook my head. “You and your father can have your turn when he dies.”
His eyes flashed and his nostrils flared – then he was in front of me, across the room faster than I could track him. He pushed me into the doorframe and pressed into me, his