Page 102 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Finn shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s a secret they’ve guarded carefully, and it’s likely that what I just told you is only part of the truth. Only my parents, Petra’s and Alaric’s were actually there. The rest are dead now.”
“How many came with them, originally?” Harlow asked.
Finn sighed. “A legion, if what I was told is true.”
Harlow’s heart beat erratically.And only six were left? What had happened to the rest of them?Likely, many had died in the War of the Orders, and of course the original Knights of Serpens had been executed, but still. Only six of the original Illuminated remained. It seemed strange.
Finn continued. “Make no mistake, Harlow. My parents and the Velariuses, they are evil, but they are a lesser evil than those who ruled the planet they left behind. They’d endured centuries of pointless wars before coming here. It’s why they were determined to keep the peace on Okairos instead, create a paradise. But you see the way it turned out.”
“They had good intentions once,” Harlow murmured, the rhythmic vibration of the train soothing her.
“They did,” he murmured, yawning.
“So, if we awaken magic, will we broadcast something about Okairos to the rest of the galaxy? Something bad?” The thought was worrisome.
She twisted slightly to see his face. Finn shook his head. “To be honest, I don’t know. It could have consequences. It’s why we need to proceed carefully. But I don’t think Okairos can go on this way, do you?”
Harlow shook her head, exhaustion creeping in. There was so much she didn’t know, didn’t understand. Part of her was frustrated that she had been kept so sheltered, so in the dark about all this. A more reasonable part of her understood the complexity of the problem. These secrets were dangerous for her, or anyone, to know.
Finn shifted next to her, his hand sliding up the back of her shirt as he pressed kisses to her eyelids and cheekbones. “Petra’s right. If I don’t want to spend the rest of the summer recovering, I’m going to have to sleep in my true form. You have to promise never to tell anyone about all this.”
“Does Thea know?” she asked.
Finn yawned again, nodding. “Yes.”
“I promise,” she said, propping herself on her elbows. “Show me.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, hesitating.
“I am. We’re in this together, so let’s betogetherall the way, okay?”
His fingers traced the lines of her face, and she felt the aether in the room begin to move. He changed slowly, the pale shade of his skin turning to something nearly opalescent, a very light blue color. The dark brown of his hair deepened into ebony, with a bluish sheen. His face was mostly the same, but the angles of his jaw and cheekbones were sharper, and his teeth seemed larger, especially his fangs. In fact, he was larger overall, his limbs visibly longer, including his hands, which she took in hers as his fingers lengthened.
Aside from these changes, he was still obviously Finn; he looked much the same. Or at least he did until he rolled over. Three pairs of enormous wings sprang out as he rested his head on his muscular arms, which were covered in shimmering scales. “It’s been a long time since I shifted,” he said, watching her face carefully.
The wings were beautiful, closely resembling a firedrake’s, she thought. In fact, from the scales to the wings, he very much resembled something distinctly draconic. She wondered if this was a part of what drew him and Cian together, if Cian felt more at home with someone who looked like this underneath their humanoid form.
“Am I hideous?” he asked, his eyes drooping heavily.
“Not a bit,” Harlow said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. He needed to sleep, and she needed a moment to herself. “I’m going to clean up a bit.”
“Shower’s tiny,” he murmured, already mostly asleep.
The bathing chamber was opulent, though, as Finn mentioned, tiny. Harlow peered at the blown glass tile in the floor, shaking her head. Such artistry was inspiring. She undressed and stepped into the narrow marble shower. The hot water flowed over her body, creating a tranquilizing effect, even as her mind raced. She washed absently with a finely milled soap that smelled like summer at the seashore. Everything she’d ever known about the Illuminated was wrong, and she tried to puzzle pieces together that blew her mind.
It wasn’t that the people of Okairos were ignorant of the existence of other populated worlds; they learned about their existence in school. But the nearest was too far to travel to, even by spacecraft, and no other kind of reliable intergalactic travel had ever been developed. But of course, that was probably because the Illuminated had stopped any progress on such science. What had Cian said?There is a world beyond what you know to be true, Harlow. Tonight is just the beginning.
Of course Cian knew this secret, and looking back she understood that they had been sure she’d eventually know as well. Cian Herrington could be a good friend if she let them, she thought. She rinsed her hair, watching the grime of the night swirl around the drain and out of sight. As she got out of the shower, she couldn’t bear to put Nox’s clothes back on, so she wrapped herself in a towel.
When she entered the bedroom, Finn was fast asleep. His clothes had disappeared, folding themselves neatly on the chair, and he was covered to his waist by the blankets on the bed. His wings fluttered slightly in his sleep, but for the most part looked relaxed.
She crawled into bed. There wasn’t much room for her with his increased size and the wings, but she was too tired to care. Something velvety stroked her arm, sending delicious shivers down her spine. Harlow looked over her shoulder to find one of Finn’s wings wrapping around her, as his arm drew her into his side. She lost her towel as he moved her, but couldn’t say that she cared much. Her skin flushed with wanton need as it made contact with his.
“You’re back,” he murmured in her ear as she reached out to shut off the lamp next to the bed. Every nerve in her body came alive as his hands made slow, languorous swirls around her breasts and belly, moving lower by the moment.
“Yes, and you’re supposed to be sleeping,” she said when the room was dark, curving her body to make as much contact with his as she could. One hand slipped between her thighs, teasing her.
“I napped while you bathed,” he whispered. His voice was nearly the same, but seemed to have dropped another octave, and even at a whisper its depth vibrated within her as he murmured, “Now I’mveryawake.”
