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."
"Everything okay?" Jack walked up and laid a protective hand at the base of my spine. An involuntary shiver rippled through me, but I flashed a reassuring smile and nodded.
"The boss simply wants to gauge our progress. You're gonna do fantastic."
"Oh, I'm not worried. I've got you by my side." He grinned.
"Yes. Of course."
Sunny looked forlorn at his response. Jack didn't notice. I swallowed thickly at the familiar role I was playing: Keeper of Misplaced Trust.
I opened French doors onto a balmy courtyard, and the alluring scent of flowers met us at the threshold. We stepped into the night garden. Velvety magnolias pushed through dark foliage. Tall stalks of gauzy hollyhock swayed in a wayward breeze. There were zinnias, and dahlias, and bishop's flower climbing green stems toward the pregnant moon. Each blossomed pale and vivid against the night.
I slowed my gait to steady myself. Since when do you walk into situations in a panic, Mal? Convincing my limbs to relax, my fingers trailed fluffy white hydrangeas as I followed the path to where milky candlelight illuminated a cast iron table and chairs. Darcy was nowhere in sight, but we were around the bend. I knew he was lurking. We crossed under a pergola draped with plumes of wisteria that dropped wispy petals into my hair. Jack's knuckles grazed mine.
I wondered if he noticed the djinn-enchanted duduk making music sans a musician. The instrument rested on the table surrounded by copper and glass lanterns. And there was the man of the hour. Darcy stepped from behind a cluster of shrubs. He had a cigar in hand and a politician's smile in place.
"Jack, oh boy! Let me get a good look at you."
"Not the same bum you met last month, huh?" Smiling, Jack did a leisurely pirouette.
Darcy inclined his head in my direction but froze when he saw Sunny. "Not bad. I'm impressed, but who is this you have with you?"
"He's my–" Jack started to explain.
"Bodyguard." Smoothly slipping forward, I laid a hand on his shoulder to shut him up. "We don't want anything to happen to our star player. I hope you don't mind, Darcy. I hired Sunny to be our eyes and ears whenever I'm indisposed, especially with OASIS on your case. He's vetted and secure."
Sunny didn't buck the subterfuge. Without a word, he repositioned at a corner of the pergola where he could monitor access points. If Darcy's cold perusal ruffled him, he didn't show it. Standing with arms clasped behind his back, Sunny fixed he gaze on nothing in particular. I was glad when Jack took his cue and saved his questions for later.
Satisfied that the bodyguard wasn't a threat, the vampire took a seat. "That was smart of you. I was afraid he was another uninvited guest. Speaking of, you remember Delilah, don't you?"
"I know of only one. Why?"
There was the tiniest flicker of Sunny's gaze, and I turned around to see what had caught his attention. The intrusion of candles stymied my night vision until I saw her and gasped. The portrait from the smoking room had come to life. Rather, the subject of the painting, Delilah Claibourne, floated toward us in a filmy blue dress, auburn waves framing her wan face. Delicate as the flowers surrounding her, she was, as ever, the picture of Southern refinement.
"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," she greeted me in her charming Alabama accent.
"Delilah, how surprising to see you. Alive."
"Bless your heart. You were just a sassy teenager the last time I saw you, Mal. Now I hear you're doing a swell job running the law firm, but I do hope you don't wind up like me. You'll work yourself into an early grave." Her canines glinted in the moonlight. She hadn't aged a bit.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
Her gray eyes swept me head to toe before shifting to Jack. "Catching up. I must have missed a lot. Who is this strapping young gentleman you've brought to the party? Don't tell me he's your paramor."
"No," Darcy viewed our interchange with delight. "She'd eat him for dinner. Delilah, this is Jack Slobodnik, our once and future alpha. Jack, I'd like you to meet my better half, Mrs. Darcy Cyprian."
Delilah laughed. "Oh, I'd say trying to drown me in the deepest part of the Mississippi River nullified those vows a long time ago, but that's water under the bridge. Pleasure to meet you, Jack, honey." She brushed past me to her seat beside her ex.
The vampire clasped her hand to his lips. "Beloved, that was a harmless misunderstanding. You have no idea how glad I am that you showed up on my doorstep, tonight of all nights." He pecked her cheeks, her nose. She was unmoved.
"What's so special about tonight?" Delilah tugged her hand from his.
Darcy signaled for the rest of the staff blending into the scenery to begin serving. The modest repast of spiced tuna, goat cheese, bread, and olives was paired with a fairy green bottle of absinthe. I eyed the slitted spoon. Jack grabbed a plate and helped himself to several prime cuts of fish while I melted a brown sugar cube. For the vampires, only the finest blood would do.
Darcy regaled Delilah, "You're right on schedule to hear what I've been masterminding in your absence. Remember how we used to say we'd run this city? I'm closer to that goal than ever. I've finally located the Map of Destiny, and once I get my hands on it, Distefano can kiss the presidency goodbye."
"Once you get your hands on it?" She smirked.
"The Ravani lunas safeguard the map. I almost convinced one of them to marry me. Sadly, Yalina didn't have the constitution for it. It's funny, her family thinks she's at an art school in Paris. Nobody really knows where she is, not even my lawyer." He winked at me. I shrugged, without a care for what he was alluding to, but wondering what Jack thought about his allusions to murder.
"The important thing, we've confirmed the location of the Map of Destiny," Darcy continued, "and we'll gain access to the property where its hidden after Jack wins the Battle Royale."
At this, Jack wrinkled his brow. "What Battle Royale?"
He scowled at me as if all bets were off. I knew he was figuring out I had been misleading him. However, the vampire ignored him as Delilah supplied, "Pinpointing the location isn't the same thing as getting past the Ravani lunas, Darcy."
"Ah, but, serendipity graced me with a body double, or rather a recently departed soul who could use Yalina's body to get me what I want." Darcy's thin mouth smeared into a grin. Delilah's jaw dropped.
"Possession?" she guessed.
"Resurrection," He corrected her. He tucked his cigar between his teeth and crossed his ankle over his knee. "A saucy little witch who'll unlock the seal if I ask her nicely. Thanks to her untimely demise, everything is in place for me to acquire the map and ascend to the head of the council before the year is out."
"Well, congratulations, but, if I may be so bold, I thought you would be on to grander visions by now, Darcy." Delilah sat back with a secretive smile. "There's a new artifact ginning up the blackmarket rumor mill. Everyone's trying to get their hands on The Book of Tides."
Darcy lifted an eyebrow in askance. I darted a glance at Jack, whose puzzled expression told me he couldn't follow the entire conversation, but he was damn sure piqued. It was against Overlay City laws to reveal Supernaturals existed to humans. Darcy and his ex-wife were being looser with information than was wise. Or maybe he was done manipulating Jack into believing the ex-con was suing for an illicit inheritance. More like fighting for his life.
"I know you've heard of it, you old crook," Delilah laughed. "You just don't want to talk about it with the second-best Supernatural antiquities collector this side of the Mississippi ley line."
"Pretend I don't know what you're talking about, and enlighten me." Darcy smiled. A servant whispered something in his ear, and he checked his phone, then peered at the moon. "Hurry, while we have a minute."
"The Book of Tides is a legendary diary of celestial calculations spanning the length and breadth of time, itself. It's a cosmological scrying tool!" she said excitedly.
Darcy turned up his nose. "What's the value of that?"
"Hang on a second," I interjected with an epiphany. "How do we know we can trust her? Don't you think it's strange she pops up out of the blue, precisely as OASIS is honing in on you? This book she's talking about could be a distraction sent by Distefano to knock you off course."
"Uh-huh. Keep looking precious in those big girl trousers and let the grown-ups talk, sweetheart," Delilah sniped.
"Mal has a point," Darcy conceded.
"Sakes alive! Why would I work for the Council of Overlay Affairs when I'm a wanted woman?"
"To cut a deal," he said flatly.
"Even if they wired me up and patted my butt in your direction, I'd just take off the other way. But, alright, if you don't want to hear about what I'm after. I figured you'd find knowing the date of every future war, famine, pandemic, or major pivotal moment in history empowering."
"Come again?" Darcy leaned forward. I quelled my misgivings and perked up, too. Could The Book of Tides predict the coming Age of Magic? Darcy and I shared a look revealing similar thoughts.
"You always did have a god-complex," Delilah simpered. "With a tool like that book, you could play god to your heart's content. Alas, everyone wants it, but no one's had any luck finding it. It's like the thing's been plucked from existence."
Darcy wore a calculating frown. "The Map of Destiny can find anything. We use the map to get the book."
And use the book to take over every Supernatural region in North America. I read it in the vampire's eyes. I wondered if he realized Delilah was offering precisely what President Distefano wanted. Neither megalomaniac could settle for running Overlay City. They wanted to rule an empire.
With The Book of Tides, Darcy would have the advantage of prescience. When the zenith of global consciousness was reached, all other Supernaturals would bow to his demands for safeguard against human encroachment. He planned to find the book before Distefano did.
I brought my glass to my lips and noticed a slight tremor in my hand. Jack was no longer paying attention to the conversation. Sweat beaded his forehead, and he appeared seriously ill. Those pesky "side effects." Darcy glanced at him and checked the time again.
"Pray tell, what do you want in exchange for this information, beloved wife?" he asked.
"I want what you always promised me."
He cracked a genuine smile, rare for the cold-blooded creature. "To rule by my side, a goddess to my god-complex."
She raised a glass in assent, and I thought about Aurie Edison. I thought about Jack. Too many people were tangled in this web Darcy was weaving, and what had begun as a quest to find one artifact was expanding to include more. I bit my tongue, knowing that complicated plans often bred complications.
Delilah inquired, "So, exactly how is your sexy little human pet supposed to steal the Ravani alpha title?"
"D'ah, my dear, I can show you so much better than I can tell you, and–" Darcy brightened as his alarm went off on his phone. "Would you look at that, it's time for show-and-tell."
Suddenly, Jack's hand shot out. He braced against the edge of the table, and the wobbly momentum shoved his chair back with a loud scratch of iron against cobblestone. Sunny jolted toward him, but I jerked my head, no. Darcy and his ex were concentrating on Jack. Interferance from the angel would draw their scrutiny and leave me hard-pressed to explain his reaction. It was too dangerous and too late anyway.
Jack wrenched in the moonlight. "Call an ambulance," he choked out.
"Aw, Jack," Delilah tsked. "Did you drink the absinthe? It's a hallucinogenic."