Fairy Temptation

Disclaimer: I don't own Night World, or Mal, just this plot I thought of.:)

Chapter 1

Mal Harman was drinking in a bar somewhere far, far away from Sarah Strange and Kierlan Drache, having moved across states to be away from them now that they've discovered that they were actual soulmates, and it wasn't him that was linked up to Sarah in that way. Mal had caved and given Sarah to his rival. Giving them his blessing, including some space, no matter how much it hurt his broken heart.

Still, he didn't want to get in the way. He knew he loved Sarah, with all his heart, he would forever love Sarah. But Sarah had chosen. She was meant to be with another man. A man who not only was a carrot-top, but a Wild Power. A man that recently helped to save the world.

Of course, Mal had helped save the world too. But, who could have achieved to fight against a Wild Power when it came to a maiden's heart? No man that would live to tell the tale.

Unfortunately, that wasn't all true, since Mal was still here. Alive and breathing. But he certainly didn't feel so alive sitting here, under age, and drinking himself away. He actually felt pretty defeated and mad with himself.

How could he allow Kierlan to take his woman? How could he allow that animal to take Sarah? How could the Gods make a laughingstock out of him and chose Kierlan as Sarah's soulmate? Couldn't they once have made a mistake and given him Sarah as his soulmate instead?

Couldn't Mal ever be happy?

Maybe not. Maybe not ever.

And Mal drank to that. Downing a cup of whisky, and feeling the warm, bitter, nauseating taste go down his throat.

He sighed, content.

He wanted to be happy. Wanted Sarah. Wanted to have love like Kierlan, wanted to have a soulmate. Wanted Sarah to be his soulmate.

There was no other woman in his mind tonight but Sarah. Not even the many delicacies in this room walking up to him, wanting to snag his attention, filled his mind.

He only wanted Sarah. Sarah was all he needed. He could never move on from his childhood crush. Until...

There was a racket in the back of the bar, in the kitchen. Plates broke. Tables were turned over. Clattering and running was heard. It was so loud and bothersome, it acquires his attention. Even the bartenders attention.

"Is everything okay?" Mal asked the bartender. It was late, nearly closing time, and not many people were in the bar. But those that were, they were too drunk to care.

Alarmed, the bartender said, "I'm not sure. I'm going to take a look." Just as he said that, the door that led to the kitchen area burst open and a girl with a mass of fiery red hair burst out of it.

She was a small thing, petite, but not particularly lacking with those dangerously curvy hips, round bottom, and perfect sized breasts.

She whirled around, silver gleamed in her hands, and just as she had, she had fallen backwards, as a creature ten times her size plowed through the kitchen door, breaking it, unhinging it from its spot.

It roared, claws bared, fangs sharpened to razors, eyes as feral as a mighty beast. And fell on top of her.

A werewolf.

The girl, baring her own teeth at it, gave a loud battle cry, before being engulfed by its body.

A shocked whimper from the beast, before the body went motionless.

Mal, who had stood up at some point, stared at the body, too shocked to do anything at first.

The humans in the vicinity, still up, freaked out and ran. Even the bartender, shaken up, broke many glasses, as his body moved back, away from the beast that suddenly appeared in the bar, and ran out of the place.

There was no other movement, but the time ticking by. He thought, they were both dead in front of him.

But then, the body began moving. The beast's shoulders jerked up.

Was he standing? Did he defeat the girl?

And then, a bit of red appeared from underneath the beast.

Grunts from the little girl, as she pulled herself out of its heavy weight. Her legs were last. She must have thought she was alone in the bar, that everyone else was gone—which was the normal thing to do, in a human bar, when a giant-like bear-like-wolf popped out of the kitchen. But in this case, she wasn't. There was still another person in the same vicinity with her. And when she realized it, her thick mane of hair whipped around to him.

Mal met eyes as bright and beautiful as emeralds. He saw skin as gorgeous as opals. He saw a face as cute as a pixies.

She was a delicate thing, but after witnessing her victory against a mighty beast, he knew she was far from delicate. She was a courageous thing.

Something shiny was in her hand. Silver? It gleamed in the light, covered in crimson.

So that's how she had killed the wolf, he thought. Using silver against him. Nice. But that also meant she knew about their weaknesses. Not entirely all of them, since she was pointing the wrong weakness against Mal, who was not a werewolf, but a hybrid. Half-vampire and half-witch.

Silver did not work against him. Maybe grazed him, but he would quickly heal from such an attack.

Stupid little girl. He shook his head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Stay back," she warned him. "Don't come any closer, you! You beast!"

"I'm not werewolf," Mal informed her. "Silver would not work on me."

She growled at him. "I know what you are, vampire. I don't need you to tell me that. I can see the signs written all over you."

"Then you must know that pointing such a dagger at me will only get you killed."

She scoffed and laughed. "Please, the only one that's going to get killed here is you, if you don't stay away from me." She did not put the blade down, still pointing it at him, watching him like a hawk.

They were just mere feet away from each other. Mal could have easily appeared before her and took the blade right out of her hands. Could have pointed it at her instead, used it against her, scared her. But he didn't.

Instead, what he asked her was, "Why was he chasing after you?" He could have only guessed why. A human that knew about the Night World, meant a dead one. Humans weren't allowed to know about the Night World, it was one of the many rules. But good thing he didn't really follow those rules.

No. As a member of Circle Daybreak, he believed differently. He was with Sarah Strange for a while, wasn't he? Helping his childhood friend, Kierlan Drache, keep her alive while she was being hunted for being a human that knew of the Night World. More than that, for being assumed as the Wild Power.

Of course, everyone was wrong, because it was actually Kierlan that was the Wild Power.

"That's none of your business," she shot back.

She was defensive. He could understand that. Being a human and chased by wild animalistic supernatural creatures could make anyone like that.

"Maybe I can help?" He kept trying.

She didn't believe him. "You?" She scoffed again. "Help me? Why would you do such a thing? No, better question: why should I believe you?"

Mal shrugged. "I don't really have an answer for that."

"Because you're obviously not someone worthy of trusting."

"No. Maybe," he corrected himself. "Okay, so I'm not all that good. But I'm honestly not trying to hurt you. You're obviously being hunted. You have nowhere to go. And you're dealing with a bigger society than you realize. Whatever they're hunting you for, they will find you. Would you rather deal with me, or risk facing off even more of those people when they find you?"

She stayed quiet, debating this. Her guard, slightly lowered. "Why would you go out of your way to offer to help me?"

Another shrug. "Maybe I'm just trying to do some good by paying for my sins."

She looked at him skeptically.

Mal shook his head. "Look, do you want help, or not? Those guys—whoever they maybe—come in packs, so pretty soon word will get out that a gigantic bear strolled into this place, and human police will come swarming in the place, and with them will come Night Worlders trying to clean up the mess you created, so that humans won't learn the actual truth of what happened here."

All that he said sunk in. He could just see the gears in her head turning. Then, she replied, "Okay. Help me."