Page 39 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Thea shrugged. “I’m a little tired from the rapid-restoration, pal. I’ll keep working on the other two and then I guess we’ll see.”
“I suspect they depict what will happen if a Strider and one of the Illuminated procreate,” Aurelia replied bitterly.
Selene let out a deeply held breath in an angry hiss, and Harlow’s heart began to pound. If the original triptych represented some sort of indicator about what would happen if a Strider procreated with one of the Illuminated it could explain the McKays’ interest in her pairing with Finn. “Do you think the McKays have seen this? Do they know what I am? What book is this originally from?”
“I don’t know the answers to any of those questions, darling.” Aurelia shook her head as the collective tension held between the seven of them filled the room. “I think until we know more, we should keep this between us.”
“If the McKays have seen this...” Harlow mused, the possibilities endless and terrifying. “Maybe they know more than we do already.”
Meline looked thoughtful, her knack for thinking through complex social problems in overdrive. “That’s possible, of course, but if you want the upper hand, you need to act as if you don’t know.”
Indigo nodded at her twin. “Exactly. And if you want to draw them out, find out what they know, you should start making nice with Finn.”
Harlow narrowed her eyes at the twins. This was her plan, of course, but the two of them were excellent social strategists. It made sense to hear them out. “Why?”
Meline shifted out from under Indigo’s legs. “Because if they think they’re getting their way, they’re likely to let their guard down. Right now, they’re vigilant, trying to get the two of you together. If they think they’re winning, they might show their hand.”
“Do you think Finn knows what this is all about?” Larkin asked, eyes worried. Harlow read her easily; Larkin liked Finn and didn’t want to be disappointed in him.
Meline and Indigo shrugged in unison. “It’s hard to say. There are pros and cons to both sides. If he regularly defies them, probably not. They’d want to keep their motives a secret as long as possible.”
Thea looked uncomfortable. Harlow kicked her lightly. “You have secret-face, Thea.”
Everyone turned to look at the eldest Krane sister. “Alaric told me some things. Many of them are irrelevant to this conversation and private…” She was clearly flustered. “But if I had to make a guess, he doesn’t know. Finn hates his parents. Isn’t that right, Harlow?”
Harlow nodded. “He does. But he’s desperate for their approval.”
Thea’s face revealed she had more to say.
Aurelia looked annoyed. “Spit it all out, Thea, for Goddess-sake.”
“It’s not mine to tell. All I’ll say is that I don’t think Finn would help his parents hurt Harlow.” She took Harlow’s hand. “You need to talk to him, pal. You need to let him tell you what happened before uni.”
“She can’t tell him all this,” Meline screeched. “He might be the enemy here.”
Harlow untangled herself from her family’s arms. “Thank you for your thoughts. If it’s okay, I think I’m going to go home. I need a few days to myself. I’ll see you all at the Metro for the Solon Mai ball.”
Selene kissed her cheek. As protective as she was of her children, she always knew when to let them have space. “We’ll be here, love.”
Harlow nodded, and kissed her family goodbye, one by one and then slid into her coat. “Come on, Axel,” she murmured as the black cat leapt from the back of the couch to follow her. “Let’s go home.”
ChapterEighteen
Harlow knew Thea would follow, so she walked slowly, waiting in the alley for her sister. She scooped Axel into her coat, whispering to him that he’d had a big day and should let her carry him home. Soon enough, the sound of hurried footsteps signaled Thea’s approach. She was pulling her coat on and extending an umbrella to fend off the rain that hung in the air, rather than fall in heavy drops.
“Hey pal, thanks for waiting.” Thea’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Harlow ducked under the umbrella and looped her free arm through Thea’s, taking in her heady orchid and wood scent. “You want to walk us home?”
Thea gripped her arm, to steady herself or Harlow, she didn’t know. “That would be good.”
They walked in silence for a while. Axel purred softly against Harlow’s chest, content to curl against her as they walked. Thea seemed deep in thought, and Harlow knew better than to rush her sister while she was working out the right way to say something. She’d speak when she was ready.
“Finn told Alaric about your plan. He was worried he couldn’t pull it off alone. Alaric wasn’t supposed to tell me…”
Harlow sighed. “But he did.”
Thea sounded uncomfortable. “Yes.”
