Into the Wild Dark

CHAPTER 9 - MAL

"Trust me. The property exists, and I know its location," Darcy promised. "The Ravanis are painfully aware that the upcoming Battle Royale will snatch the Alpha title and their seat on the council. Yet, they've done everything in their power to keep this parcel of land off the books. They intend to retain it, irrespective of who wins the birthright."

"For what reason?" Distefano scowled.

Darcy rounded on him with a grin and snapped his fingers. "Precisely. Why? Many of you view the matter as a done deal once we rid the council of Ravani influence, but why, oh why, would they be holding onto land if the penalty for losing the Royale is exile for the entire wolfpack?"

"Something nefarious could be afoot, Mr. President. The Ravani matriarch heads the opposition party," our female guest sided with Darcy.

"Bah!" Distefano chuckled and waved his cigar. "It's obvious conspiracies and paranoia are Mr. Cyprian's lifeblood, but Occam's Razor cuts through the bullshit. The most likely conclusion is that the Ravanis want the land so they don't walk away destitute. I'm sure that's a larger concern for the werewolves than plotting my overthrow."

"There are more subtle dangers than an outright coup," someone else countered. "Regardless of who wins the Battle Royale–even if we manage to rig it–should Ravani rally a shadow government and launch a serious propaganda attack from this hidden property, mark my words: It'll take an army to squash their movement."

Unsettled murmurs ruffled the council members.

I half-listened, glancing at the pair of wraithlike vampire pets, pale and wilting on a fainting couch near the door. They were humans willingly giving their lives in service to Darcy Cyprian. At that moment, Cherie drifted past them, and her dreamy gaze carried the same far-away look as the drugged groupies.

When she spotted Ava and me, she brightened. I clicked my tongue at the traces of mud on her bare feet. Ava looked absolutely appalled. The youngest Ashivant sat between us, and I tucked her body close to mine. "How much longer?" she murmured.

"Shh." I wrapped an arm around her and let her rest her head on my shoulder. "They'll be leaving soon."

"We won't need an army." Darcy spoke far too quietly to silence his dissenters. He ran a hand over the oriental tiles on the surface of the fireplace. Banked flames illuminated the geometric kaleidoscope of emeralds, oranges, and scarlets on the ceramic squares. His fingers skated, skated along, enjoying the chaos around him.

"It should've never progressed this far," Distefano complained.

"Yes, the latest polls show the opposition neck-and-neck with us," the woman agreed. "Our pollsters need to determine: How popular is the idea of a coup?"

"There won't be a coup," Darcy sighed.

"There are those who feel it's unjust to force a Battle Royale during election season. People think we should give the title to the next Ravani in line," she said.

"What choice have we had?" the fop who had leered at me asked. "How can we trust that family with Detective Zyr Ravani gone rogue? It was his job to work the human and the occult sides of investigations. These days he does everything in his power to undermine us."

"I wonder why?" Distefano mused dryly. He eyed his host.

"It's the blasted Fae and their social media rabble-rousing. I'm not entirely convinced OASIS, our secret service, is even with us. They haven't done a thing to undermine our detractors."

"There won't be a coup, and we won't need an army!" Darcy raised his voice.

Our guests flinched. The vampire braced a hand against the mantle curio where Supernatural antiquities from far flung places rested. His eyes met mine, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. I stepped forward with the pouch of djinn-dust taken from my office hidden in the folds of my dress.