Page 65 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Thea held tighter, tears rolling down her face now. “I know. I’m so sorry.”
Harlow yanked her hand back now, infuriated by Thea’s tears, by the audacity she had to say she was sorry and expect forgiveness now. “Don’t apologize. You chose your loyalty—to Alaric and the Knights. Not me, not when I wasliterallydying from how lonely and sad I was.”
Thea had been the one to pick her up from the hospital. She was the only one who knew, other than Mark. She’d told Mark too. What a mistake that had been. He’d held her fragility over her head more times than she could count, reminding her that she’d lost her grip once, and that if he didn’t watch her, she might again.
Every heartbeat felt like pounding a bruise and she ran, passing Aurelia and Selene in the hallway, down the back stairs and into the alley. She was on her way to Mulberry Street and Enzo’s before she remembered she didn’t have her phone.
It didn’t matter. Her eyes blurred with tears and so she didn’t see Kate Spencer, coming around the corner, until she’d steadied her. “Hey, Lo. Gods, what’s wrong?”
Lo. The nickname only Kate had ever used prompted another onslaught of sobs. What in Akatei’s name was Kate Spencer doing here? “I… I…” She couldn’t say what was actually wrong. She knew better, even though a rebellious part of her wanted to say it all. “I had a fight with Thea.”
“Oh shit,” Kate said, pulling her under an awning and out of the rain. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Kate didn’t ask if she was all right. Most people would, but not Kate. Kate never asked questions that had obvious answers. It was one of the things Harlow always liked best about her.
“You wanna grab a drink? We could go get some tea… Or maybe a whiskey?”
Harlow nodded and she let Kate lead her around the corner, past Mulberry onto Lupine Blvd, where there was a pub Harlow liked called the Three Besoms. When they slid into a booth, upholstered with the familiar Three Besoms crimson tartan, Harlow could almost imagine it was four years ago, and they were meeting up after work. The pub was the same as ever, all dark gleaming wood and twinkling witchlights, cozy to a tee. After a quick word from Kate, a waitress brought them both two shots of whiskey and two mugs of steaming black tea with a distinct caramel aroma.
Kate dumped one shot each into their tea, and then clinked her remaining shot glass to Harlow’s. They downed their shots and then sat in comfortable silence sipping the fragrant tea. Despite being a bit damp, Kate looked amazing. Her short brown hair was freshly cut and swept away from her beautiful face, which was immaculately made up, as always.
She slid out of her leather jacket and Harlow choked up a little to see she was wearing a t-shirt from a concert they’d gone to together. Harlow didn’t think before she spoke. “What in seventeen hells are youdoinghere?”
Kate grinned. “Business. Aside from having a fight with Thea, what are you up to?”
Harlow shook her head, glancing around the bar to avoid making eye contact with Kate. “Fucking everything up, as usual.”
Kate’s cavalier grin shifted quickly into a frown. “That’s an odd thing to say.”
A hysterical laugh choked Harlow. “No,that’san odd thing to say.”
Kate tilted her head in that hawklike way she had. “Lo, you’re just about the most put-together person I know. What’re you talking about?”
Harlow shook her head. “Still not reading the gossips, huh?”
“I read them. What’s that have to do with anything? You’re still smart as seventeen hells, and beautiful as ever. What’s it matter what trash like the Section Seven editors say?” Kate’s grin showed the glint of her fangs. She was flirting, but just a little. “And you’re seeing my buddy Finn McKay now, I hear. That’s pretty slick of you.”
“You know Finn?” Harlow asked, blushing a little.
“Yeah, we surfed together a lot when I moved back to Nea Sterlis,” Kate said, adding, “I’m a little jealous you’re seeing him though.”
Harlow frowned. “You don’t date men.”
The laugh that erupted out of Kate’s mouth sounded like a pack of wild dogs. “I meantyou, Lo. I heard you and Easton broke up, but by the time I could get away, Riley Quinn informed me I was too late.”
“Oh,” Harlow said, feeling confused.
Kate took her hand. “Lo, we had so much fun together, but it’s not like it is with you and Finn, is it?”
Harlow looked deep into Kate’s green eyes, remembering the short time they’d spent together. “No, Finn and I have history. But wedidhave fun.Somuch fun.”
Kate kissed her fingertips, sighing. “I wish it had lasted longer, but I think it might have ended badly if it had. I like how we left things. You’re the one who got away, and that’s a damn romantic story to tell myself…If I’d only come back sooner, she wouldn’t have paired with the most handsome man on the planet…”
Harlow laughed, which of course was the point. Kate was great at making her laugh. They’d spent the short time they had together either screwing like bunnies or laughing ‘til their sides hurt. If Harlow was honest with herself, Kate was one of the best friends she’d ever had, and she missed that part of things more than anything else.
When her laughter dissolved and she breathed normally again, she asked, “Did you leave because you knew we were a bad fit?”
“No.” Kate shook her head. “It was time for me to go home and help with the family business. It killed me to leave you.”
