Into the Wild Dark

CHAPTER 24 - MAL

Ch. 24: Mal's Control

September 6 | Night

The Lina's Pearl was docked miles off the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Its captain had instructions to leave us to our own devices. Once we ferried out to the empty vessel, we had the universe to ourselves.

"Solitude," I said. Intimacy, an inner voice amended, the magic that happens when two or more find peace.

For good measure, I whispered a Persian spell and blew a pinch of djinn dust into the wind to block us from being recorded. The vampire wasn't above covert surveillance.

"Can you believe this place?" Sunny fell in line with me.

Jack wrapped his arms around him from behind. "It's heaven on earth."

I smiled, unbidden. Whitecaps dotted the placid estuary. Clouds bunched on the twilight horizon, plump and promising. The fading sun shafted its last theatrical color performance into the sky. We were far enough from port for the city to seem diminished. Bald cypress stabbed the air, and tangled Spanish moss rode the breeze as itty bitty boats coasted by in the distance.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let me give you a tour. It's not everyday you get to play with a billionaire's toys," I said with a grin.

"I wonder what he does out here," Jack replied.

"Ugh! I don't want to know."

Below deck, there was a well-appointed living space. The den coupled overstuffed chairs with a pillow-strewn sofa in front of a large television set. A coffee table held a dwarf Moondrop tree along with vases and a tidy stack of books meant for decor. Spreading my arms, I pointed out the recessed ceiling lights and bay windows that gave the space an open, roomy feel, belying its location in the bowels of a houseboat.

My fingertips glided along the shiny surface of the island separating the kitchen from the living room. "Check out the marvel of engineering that is the chef-quality gas stove," I said. "Never mind it's on a floating tinderbox. By the way, the fridge is stocked with everything a man who already has everything might possibly want. We can do mimosas in the breakfast nook in the morning. Be forewarned, this romantic getaway has its cliches."

We passed the door to the en suite in the narrow hallway. Then we crossed through high thread-count curtains into a room where the designers had outdone themselves. An entire wall of glass faced the open lake. The body of water was vast enough to mimic an ocean, though that wasn't the most fascinating view. The bedroom, itself, was a study in comfort.

"What did I tell you? Three friends, one bed," I snorted.

The king-size dominated. Accent chairs slouched in a corner. Bookshelves were built into the ultra-modern paneled walls and boasted curios from around the world–human and Supernatural, alike. Artful standing lamps vowed to wink like stars when the sun went down completely, and through the windows that doubled as doors, a slice of deck was reserved for lounging right off the bedroom.

In terms of square footage, the place was cozy. Its offer of freedom was better than any mansion. I circled, letting my eyes drift shut as I breathed in oxygen that wasn't tainted by dark hearts and devastation.

"So, what does Darcy expect us to do while we're here?" Sunny broke my revelry. I opened my eyes to see him braced against the doorjamb.

My shoulders rose and fell in a gusty sigh. "He wants us to awaken Jack's primal instincts. It's why he chose a place where we won't be interrupted."

Jack put down the ornamental globe delineating Supernatural territories that he had picked up from the shelf. "What does that entail?"

"Breaking you."