Blessed by Night

The night before this event went on air, Malachi had told Joanne about Awena while they sat on the terrace.

She was shocked, but she seemed to recover well. As for her feelings about being left behind... she didn't share them.

Which her family took to mean that she was probably less than pleased.

To her credit though, Joanne was perfectly professional. She had an icy, stern demeanor that Malachi found voraciously attractive.

As she walked on stage, she was the very picture of sophistication.

Her large white wings made her look ethereally graceful and divine like a mid-century painting.

She sleeked down her pantsuit and took the podium with a dignified, time-tested authority.

Her voice contained a polite professionalism that those who lived with her almost never got to experience.

"Good afternoon. As many of you may know, my name is Joanne Gray, and I was formerly the Director of the Department of Evolved Human Justice.

But as of today, I am officially stepping down from my duties and turning over the position to a new figure."

Again, another hand was raised in the auditorium, this time it belonged to an older man in a fedora.

"Is your decision to retire a reflection of any changes to policy made by the current administration?"

'What the fuck did I do..?' Morgan wanted a cigarette and he didn't even smoke.

Joanne shook her head in irritation.

"My resignation has nothing to do with the current administration and everything to do with me wanting to re-prioritize my own life.

I want to switch to a much more slow-paced career that will allow me to make time for different things I want to do."

More than anyone else in the family , Joanne was a very private person. Any further attempts by the media to pry into her life at home were swiftly shut down.

But that didn't mean the reporters didn't ask about other individuals.

"Will the new Director be Mr. Malachi Saint?"

Joanne bit back a crude remark. "Our new director has chosen to remain anonymous over safety concerns.

Their appointed liaison will be holding a briefing tomorrow at 0800 hours so that you may get better acquainted with them and their vision going forward."

"If Malachi Saint won't be the Director of the Dark Angels, then what role does he intend to take up?"

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"Perhaps a position in the D.O.D?" Another reporter asked.

Joanne felt her jaw set in place.

She had honestly forgotten just how little patience she had for press briefings. That's why the maximum amount she had ever gone to was only four.

And even then she only went because the president had called personally and demanded that she show her face.

Before Joanne could bark out an answer that would even further worsen her public perception, she heard the sound of footsteps from behind her. A very familiar cologne also wormed it's way into her nostrils.

"I can answer that if you don't mind, Ms. Grey."

Joanne almost snapped the podium into splinters with her strength. She turned around to step aside, and for the brief moment that she made eye contact with Malachi, she gave him a look that could kill.

'If you ever call me 'Ms. Grey' again, you'll be sleeping in the guest bedroom until Cami goes off to college.'

Malachi bit back a smile. 'You were the one who wanted to keep our relationship a secret.'

'So?'

'So you want me to call you 'Jo' or 'Mama' on stage in front of television cameras?'

'…Yes.'

'You're insane.'

'And it's best you don't forget it.' Joanne huffed.

There were very little words to describe just how attracted to Joanne Malachi was in that moment.

He was unspeakably glad that the podium was situated in front of him to protect him from further embarrassment.

"Mr. Saint. As one of the most powerful Evolved in the world, everyone in America is anxious to know exactly what your role in the future of this country will be." A reporter asked.

Malachi fought the urge to smirk. Because he knew that there was a high chance no one would like his answer.

"For now… I'm just thinking about helping rebuild wherever I can. I also heard my school is opening back up, so I'd like to finish getting my degree. Also got a little bit of wedding planning to do too I'm afraid." He chuckled.

Several reporters were unable to control their expressions.

"I'm sorry… do you not feel that given your abilities and the significance of your role in ending the civil war that attending college may be a bit of a gross waste of time?"

"Not at all, honestly." Malachi shrugged. "Learned a lot of things over the course of the past two years. And I think my biggest takeaway from it is that I just don't know enough."@@novelbin@@

Malachi had stepped up as leader only because he was the most powerful and people had looked to him.

But he was never the most qualified for that kind of position. And he realized that when he sat down to have dinner with Awena.

Hell, if he had've found her earlier, he would have let Joanne run everything. She had a Purple Heart for god's sake.

Malachi had never even gone through his government's basic training before. He never once even considered going to the army as a possible career path either.

In his mind, those were some pretty fair prerequisites to meet.

Whether or not he took up a career in the military or politics in the future was currently something unknown to him.

For now, the only true thing on his mind was getting a proper education in those fields before making a decision.

It was what he and Anna had both decided would be best for their development. And luckily, they had good partners in their family who supported their decision fully.

"Could I ask what your plan to major in?"

Malachi smiled.

"I plan to triple major in Political Science, Economics, and International Affairs."

Even more jaws dropped.

"…And I want to minor in psychology and zoology." Mal smiled, inadvertently flashing the crowd with his gleaming sharp teeth.

Now, everyone seemed stunned into silence.

"I… that's… okay." A bald reporter shook his head. "Do you plan to form a clan when you graduate, and if so could you share with us it's objective?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Malachi glanced at Joanne and Nadine back stage.

He actually hadn't thought about whether or not he would be interested in forming a clan for his family.

But if life had taught him anything, it was that everything was equally likely.

"Never say never, I guess."