Into the Wild Dark

CHAPTER 18 - MAL

Ch. 18: Mal's Night Garden

September 2 | Dusk

I had mastered the art of appearing unflappable in the tumult. The apprehension zinging through my body never reached the surface, but Sunny's presence created issues.

We pulled up to the Ashivant estate and disembarked as a driver materialized to take the sleek vehicle to the carriage house. My companions were impeccably dressed, Sunny in a nondescript black suit and Jack in the lavish threads I had picked out for him. After our morning together, I had dropped them off at the apartment complex to get ready while I went my separate ways to prepare for the evening. But since this event required rigid control of the outcome, I hadn't taken a chance on Jack driving himself back. I had gone and retrieved them.

Ava met me at the door with wide eyed nervousness. She shuttered her expression at a signal from me to get her emotions in check.

"Is he here yet?" I asked.

She nodded. "In the garden. With an unexpected guest." Her eyebrows lifted as I mouthed, Who? But her attention riveted to Sunny. "Have you lost your mind, Mal? What the hell is he doing here? Darcy's gonna blow a gasket!"

"I'll handle it. Go upstairs with Cherie and stay out of sight."

At a brisk stroll, I led the men through the dark and haunted mansion. Past artwork that moved from the corner of the eye, through doors that whispered warnings, beneath chandeliers that courted shadows. Antiques stilled time, and the lifeless air held the rooms hostage. Neither of the men spoke.

The atmosphere heaved with tensity as household staff hurried about their business. I cast a glance at Sunny. Although the Laws of Fate demanded fairplay, leaving me no choice but to allow my nemesis to accompany Jack and I, I was troubled by the possibility our nascent competition might be cut short prematurely.

Sunny couldn't die while in training. That wasn't my concern. He was girded by divinity. However, in Overlay City, death was the least of terrors. I didn't want the angel's fall from grace on my conscience. If Darcy discovered what he was, the vampire would make the rest of his probation a living hell and stop at nothing to ensure his failure.

Conversely, our impromptu visit to the homeless teen–Kato–had opened my eyes to how effectively Sunny was working behind the scenes, facilitating Jack's repair of old relationships and helping him build new ones. The bitter ex-con I had met at the start of this was becoming introspective and self-aware, which meant extra zeroes on the check might not remain as tempting moving forward. Was Sunny actually winning?

It was time for me to turn up the heat and fight fire with fire. We both knew Jack needed companionship with his material needs out of the way. However, Sunny's idea of that was a far cry from mine. I could pull strings that the angel couldn't.

Flashbacks of Jack's fingertips stroking my inner thigh at the luxury car dealership threatened to burn through my composure as we neared the back foyer. But I felt a knife of despair twist in my gut at the memory. How much more satisfying it would be to seduce my victim if I weren't attracted to him. Mine was the kiss of death.I switched my brain from the cognitive dissonance of wanting what I couldn't have to the matter at hand.

"Hey, let me lay some ground rules," I whispered to Sunny. He kept apace, while Jack lagged behind out of earshot. "When we get into this meeting, you let me do the talking, understand? Darcy can't know your real purpose for being here."

Sunny pinned me with an uneasy stare. "What's happening tonight, Mal?"

"You're dealing with a powerful sociopath who has Jack's future in the palm of his hands. A wrong move on your part, and everything you're fighting for goes up in smoke. No matter what you see or hear, follow my lead. And I want you to know, on this round, I... I'm not the enemy."