Page 98 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Harlow did not stop, pulling mouthful after mouthful of Finn’s blood into her. Her power shifted, grew, fluctuating within her in such a way that she vaguely remembered what it felt like to get high. This was so much more. She was connected to the center of the limen, the space between all worlds, the dark home of the aether. In this moment, she was connected to the heart of the limen, deep in its swirling depths. Just as she felt the attention of the heart’s inhabitants begin to turn her way, her spirit form pulled back, just enough to keep her safe.
Finn’s voice broke her heady reverie. “Itoldyou.” There was so much unbridled arrogance in his voice that it caused a feral grin to spread over her face. “Saying goodbye.”
Harlow stepped out of Finn’s arms, raw magic pulsing in her veins, racing through her. Her shadows danced with pleasure as she healed completely. She wasn’t sure what the mechanics of shifting were, but as it turned out, it was much like anything else with her manifested powers. She just had to want it enough. And shedidwant it. More than anything in the world, she wanted an end to this.
“Goodbye, Mark,” she said, just as her mouth disappeared. Her humanoid body dissolved into something avian, lethal and without a shred of doubt about what to do next.
Her new body launched at Mark as he stood, mouth hanging open as her razor-sharp beak ripped into his throat, one of her talons making short work of his bowels. The stench was unbearable as his guts spilled out. Ichor spilled in her mouth, dribbling over her beak as she snapped ferociously once more, severing his head from his body completely.
She let go of the body, letting it fall. It didn’t turn to ash the way a vampire’s would, but the flesh disintegrated all the same, leaving behind Mark’s skeleton. Her wings longed to stretch free, to fly out of this place, but she was too large for the door. A rustle behind her caught her attention. She turned, a long trill emanating from her throat.
Finn stumbled against the chair Mark had been sitting in. Finn. He needed her help. She shifted from talon to talon awkwardly.I can’t change back, she said, speaking directly into Finn’s mind.
He smiled, as he pulled splinters of white ash from his chest. “Give yourself a second to come down from the high.” He was remarkably calm, given the fact that she was an enormous bird. She watched him pull the ash from his chest. “Fucker splintered that stake and then shoved these into me one by one. Really glad you were out for that part of things.”
Her head tilted, and she knew how much of a bird she was in that moment.
“I may have cried a little,” Finn said with a grimace as he yanked a particularly large splinter out, tossing it to the floor. His tuxedo shirt was torn open; underneath he wore a shirt that said “Cat Dad Extraordinaire” on it. The humor in his voice soothed her.
“Whatare you wearing?” Her voice came out of her mouth. She looked down at her very humanoid arms and legs. She was stark naked.
Finn looked up. “Is it messed up that I think you looksuperfuckable right now?”
She laughed, but tears streamed down her face at the same time. “We have to get out of here. This is the House of Remiel, right?”
He nodded, yanking another splinter from his chest. “I think that’s the last one.”
“Can you portal?”
He paused, then shook his head. “Not yet. But the good news is that we’re in the basement.” He stripped his ruined tuxedo shirt off, tossing it aside. “We’re near the garage. We can take one of the vampires’ cars.”
Harlow nodded and started for the door. Finn caught her arm. “Slow down.” He pulled his t-shirt off. “Much as I’m sure I’m going to regret this, can you please put this on so I can concentrate on getting us out of here?”
She took the t-shirt, yanking it on quickly. It covered her ass well enough. “Good?”
“No,” he said softly, pulling her into his arms. “Not yet.”
His mouth found hers. The kiss was gentle at first, then as she wound her arms around his neck, the intensity grew, heat building between them. When he pulled away, she felt his reluctance in the grip he still had on her hips. “Okay, now we can go.”
ChapterThirty-Seven
They found the garage, behind a heavy metal door. “I guess this kept the cars from getting blown up in the fire?” Harlow remarked as she helped Finn pull the scorched door open.
It was concerning how weak he was, but she didn’t say anything. Neither of them addressed the room they’d set on fire before leaving. “It’ll be obvious they didn’t die in the original fire,” Finn had said as they left.
Harlow knew it was true, but there was nothing they could do. What she’d done...Whatthey’ddone… It was unthinkable. She’d turned into a giant bird and murdered her ex-boyfriend, after all. Sure, it was self-defense, but Harlow doubted that would matter much in light of her transformation into a mythical creature that had been hunted to extinction.
Finn pointed. “That one. Can you drive it?”
The sleek, black sports car was intimidating, but she nodded. “You want me to drive?”
He stumbled. “I think you’re going to have to. I can get the car started if we can’t find the keys inside, but then I’m going to need time to recover from the white ash.”
Harlow helped him into the car, wondering if it had ever been driven. It still had a delicious new-car smell. There weren’t keys anywhere that she could find. Finn pressed his hand to the dashboard, closing his eyes. The car revved to life and he slumped a bit in his seat.
“I’ll be fine,” he said, taking her hand. “Just get us home as quickly as you can, all right?”
She nodded, finding the garage door opener as she pulled out of the spot. There was no one around in the dark garage. Only one light near the exit flickered as though it was shorting out. She remembered the twins saying that the electrical had been damaged in the fire. As she pulled up to the garage door, she prayed to Akatei and Aphora that it would open.
