Grey IV - Chains

Chapter 15 - Shield & Sword

"You seem good to get back out into the field. You think you're combat ready?" Malachi asked from his back, where I had flipped him in our pseudo sparring match. He wiped blood from his nose onto the back of his hand and smiled at it approvingly, giving his fingers a little wiggled flourish to show me. Even in our varied hotel rooms, we still always found some way to fight. Keeping the noise down was the real challenge - though most of the places we stayed were no stranger to loud altercations.

"Probably not a good idea, in case I...burn...everything? I don't know what to call it."

"Implode."

"Rage tornado."

Both men spoke at once. I rolled my eyes, though they were black and no one was paying attention to me anyway.

"She explodes more than implodes though."

"Well, she doesn't fucking spin like a tornado either."

"I was using some creative license, bite me."

"You know I will."

"Oh, piss off-"

I cleared my throat, speaking after I had their attention.

"I still think it's too soon. I could ruin everything by one little slip-up, by being seen or making a scene...I think I should just stay here. You go - make it good - and I'll live vicariously through you when you get back."

I attempted a smile, but if it looked half as fake as it felt, I knew it wouldn't convince anyone. Malachi raised an eyebrow incredulously, now lounging where he had landed on the floor, his arms pillowing his head like he was perfectly comfortable.

"Worst case scenario - you go all Queen of Hell and someone sees. So what? We pack up and leave and you change your glamour to, I don't know, a blonde next time. No one will recognize you or follow us. Even if you do make a mistake, I've got you, I know how to disappear and we can do it as many times as we need. But what's most important now...is getting you back to some semblance of a fighter, a hunter. Irin. You can't hide from your nature, and you'll never really learn to control it if you don't let it out. Don't be so afraid of making a mistake that you make the biggest one of doing nothing."

I scowled, hating how logical his points always were, even if they were conveyed flippantly with a tone that said he couldn't care less. I knew it was just his cover, his default. He knew he was right and he knew all my excuses were because I was afraid.

"Why now?" I said, clear concession in my voice.

"I want Ailech to come too, to practice pulling from others so the next time we face Baraqiel, we'll be more than a mild nuisance to him. All of us."

"I don't need to practice, it isn't a skill, it's just something I can do."

"Bullshit. Everything is a skill, everything can be practiced and improved. Everything that is a weapon can be honed, and anything can be a weapon." Malachi's eyes flashed black as he smirked dark, but Ailech held them, not backing down, as always.

"I don't want to use it," he finally replied.

"Oh, like Abby didn't want to use soul magic? Like Jordan doesn't want whatever her dark fire is? Like I didn't want...so much." He paused, taking three slow, measured breaths, which I now recognized as him grappling with his control, trying to calm himself. "We don't have the luxury of choosing what we use to win, we just have to use everything and hope to hell it's enough.

So, if it's agreeable with everyone," he closed his eyes briefly to stop their pale color from rolling, "I propose we all go tonight, find some practice, and play a little. Besides, you know I can make you."